ElleAll day, my stomach has been in knots. I couldn’t even enjoy my lunch at one of my favorite sushi spots downtown.
After my amazing date with Nic last weekend, he stopped responding to my texts or calls. At first, I was hurt, then mad, but now I’m just worried. It’s not like him, and the only logical explanation is that he’s sick or hurt, or . . . worse. I’ve been count- ing down the minutes until it’s five o’clock and I can go to his place and check on him.
I glance at the clock again, and relief floods through me when I see it’s finally time to go. Ris- ing to my feet, I grab my purse from the file cabinet drawer where I store it during the day, and shove my phone inside.
“Hey, Elle!” Lindsey from reception stops be-
side my desk, smiling at me.
“Hi, Lindsey. What’s going on?”
Even if I’m not exactly in the mood to chitchat, Lindsey is sweet. We go to coffee together some- times, so I can’t blow her off and rush for the park- ing lot like I want to.
“Me and Samantha from accounting are going to grab a drink. The new place around the corner has great happy-hour specials.”
I smile politely and place the strap of my purse over my shoulder. “Sorry, I can’t tonight.”
“Plans?” She grins.
My stomach churns uneasily. I haven’t told anyone about Nic yet, not after Christine’s reac- tion, but maybe it’s time I do. It wouldn’t hurt to get a little friendly female advice.
I chew on my lip and meet her gaze. “Actually, I’m not sure. There’s this guy I’ve been seeing, and I haven’t been able to get in touch with him the last couple of days. We had this amazing date, and then . . . poof, nothing. I’m wondering if he’s sick or something.”
She makes a face at me.
“What?” I ask.
Lindsay presses her lips into a line. “It sounds like you’re getting blown off. That sucks.” Then she grins again and flips her hair over one shoulder. “Which means you should definitely come out to happy hour. I’ll buy you a margarita.”
I shake my head. “Nic wouldn’t do that. He must be sick or dead. That’s the only explanation.”
Lindsay’s eyebrows dart up. “Trust me, guys do skeevy shit like this all the time.”
I huff out a sigh. “Either way, I’m going to go over to his place and check on him.”
I know him well enough to know that it’s not like him to blow a woman off like that, even if he isn’t interested. At least, I thought I did.
A guarded expression flashes across her fea- tures before she smiles at me again. “If you say so. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
We start off together toward the glass doors in the lobby, but each step makes my stomach churn with nerves. What if she’s right? What if I totally read our date wrong? But my curiosity has gotten the better of me, and I need to know what’s going
on.
When I reach Nic’s place and see his black Tes-
la parked out front, my mood changes from wor- ried to pissed off.
I take the elevator to his floor and knock on his door. Then I take a step back, placing my hands on my hips in anticipation of what’s about to happen. I’m so mad now I’m practically shaking. But I’m here to get answers. And if he acts like a total ass- hole, I am so out of here.
After a few moments, I hear footsteps from inside, and Nic opens the door. We stare at each other for a moment, and I can tell immediately that something’s wrong. I’m fully ready to ask him what the hell is going on when I pause to take in his disheveled hair and his deep brown eyes, which are more heavily lidded than usual.
“Elle,” he says, his voice cracking. He places one tanned hand against the door frame as he takes me in. “What are you doing here?” he asks, slur- ring his words slightly.
“Are you drunk?” I ask, incredulous. I don’t know what I was expecting when I came here, but it wasn’t to see calm, cool, and collected Nic drunk like he’s just attended his first frat party.
He shakes his head as he leans against the door frame. Despite how mad I am, I can’t help but no- tice how good he looks in his casual T-shirt and jeans. It isn’t fair. How does he still look this sexy, even when he’s totally obliterated?
“I had a few drinks with a friend last night.” He shrugs.
He looks at me again, not quite meeting my eyes, and I can see that he’s anxious about some- thing. I can also tell that he had more than just a few drinks, but I decide not to push it.
“You caught me at a really bad time. You should go.”
“What’s going on with you?” I demand, ignor- ing him. “I was worried sick about you.”
“Elle, can we please not do this right now?” He rubs his face in his hands, letting out a little sigh.
“Yes, we’re going to do this now. You invite me over, cook for me, and then you totally ghosted me.” I push my way past him into the apartment. He doesn’t try to stop me, probably because he can barely stand up straight. “Who does that?”
“Please, can we talk about anything but that?” he pleads, watching me as I set my purse down and
turn back to face him.
I notice the empty beer cans strewn across the coffee table, along with a half-empty bottle of whiskey. Then I take him in again. He’s still lean- ing against the door, and he looks miserable.
My anger fades as I look into his eyes. I can tell that whatever’s going on, he really is torn up about it. And if it is actually something serious, I don’t want to come in here and be a total bitch just because he didn’t text me for a few days.
“When’s the last time you ate?” I ask, my voice softening.
He shrugs. “Earlier today, I guess.”
“Come,” I say as I walk into his kitchen and pull open the cupboards, checking out what he has.
He follows me, standing uncertainly in the kitchen doorway. I fill a glass of water and set it down on the table, then I grab his hand and lead him to a chair.
“Sit. And drink this.” I’m still annoyed that he blew me off, but I’m willing to believe he has a decent reason for it.
As he drinks his water, I pull ingredients out of
the fridge and put together a quick stir fry, figuring
the rice will soak up some of the alcohol. I glance at him as I cook, making sure he’s drinking the wa- ter. After a lifetime of always being the designated driver, I’ve had plenty of practice playing nurse for highly intoxicated people. And although the only place I really want to play nurse with Nic is in the bedroom, it’s my instinct to help him right now.
Fifteen minutes later, I set two steaming plates on the table, where he’s holding his head in his hands. I fish out two Advil from my purse and set them next to the plate of food.
“Take these,” I say, refilling his water.
He lifts his head from his hands as I bring him a fresh glass of water. He seems embarrassed, and it’s understandable. After all, I was in his position a couple of weeks ago, and I know it’s not a great feeling to be obnoxiously drunk in front of the per- son you were hoping to sleep with.
“Here, eat this. It will help,” I say gently, push- ing his plate toward him.
“Why are you being so nice?” he asks quietly after he swallows the pills.
“I don’t know,” I tell him honestly, and then pause for a moment. “I guess you just seem like you need some kindness right now.”
There’s something about him that I can’t be mad at. I came here ready to demand answers, but I guess my motherly instincts took over. Or maybe it’s that every time I look into those brown eyes, I can’t think about anything except for how gor- geous he is. I’m only human, after all.
Nic nods, giving me a weak smile. I can al- ready tell he’s becoming more like himself again as he holds my gaze. I look away and gesture at him to start eating. He eats quickly, without speaking, finishing his food in just a few minutes.
Since it’s dinnertime, I eat alongside him quiet- ly, even though I’m completely curious about what happened to make him go off the deep end like this.
“Maybe I’m just drunk, but this is really good,” he says, glancing at me as he takes his last bite.
“It should be good hangover food.” I smile, shrugging. “So hopefully you won’t feel like you’ve been hit by a Mack truck when you wake up tomorrow.”
“Sorry about earlier,” he says, taking our plates over to the sink. “I’m usually not this much of a mess. It’s really sweet of you to cook for me.” He pauses. “Especially after the way I’ve been acting.”
I watch him, not sure what to say. The fact that
he’s acknowledging how strange he’s been acting makes me want to ask even more questions. I fig- ured he’d just deny everything and try to make me feel crazy, which is what my ex used to do. I want to ask a million questions, but Nic seems like he’s really struggling with something, and I want him to tell me when he’s ready.
He sits up quickly, like he just remembered something. “I got you a present.” He leaves the kitchen, and when he comes back, he’s holding a large bag that he sets down on the table.
Shocked, I pull it toward me, wondering what he could possibly have gotten me. As I peek inside, I realize he bought review books for the bar exam.
I stare at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, unable to speak. I’m so touched that he cares that much, I forget all the anger I’ve been harboring over the last couple of days.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
He shakes his head. “I wanted to. I also signed you up for a review class. It starts next week.” Smiling, he says, “I know I should have probably checked with you first. I know you’re going to ace the bar, and I thought this would help.”
When I still don’t say anything, too over-
whelmed to speak, he seems nervous.
“Did I cross a line?” he asks uncertainly.
My throat tightens with emotion and I shake my head, finally recovering from my shock. “Not at all. Nic, this is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
A smile spreads across my face as I look from the books back to him. To have someone believe in me like this, especially someone I’ve known such a short time, means a lot to me. Plus, those review classes are really expensive. I’ve looked into them before, and I’m in awe at his generosity.
He smiles at me, that sweet sort of crooked smile, and my entire world shifts. All the anger and worry I felt slide away.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He reaches out and takes my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I will be.”
“You feel all right? Still drunk?”
He smirks at me. “I wasn’t drunk, I was . . . okay, I was drunk. But I actually feel pretty damn good now.” He laces his fingers with mine and tugs me toward the couch.
“Will you tell me what happened?”
Nic looks down at his hands, and he’s quiet for a second. “I want to. I will when the time is right.”
I trust him. I’m not sure what happened to make him clam up, but I believe him when he says he’ll explain it all.
The air between us grows heavier, and I be- come aware of the fact that we’re sitting just inches apart.
Still holding my hand, Nic slides his thumb along my inner wrist, and just that simple touch sends pleasure skittering along my nerve endings. He leans closer, and my heartbeat starts to riot.
“I don’t deserve this,” he whispers before his lips press to mine.
I kiss him back, and oh dear God, I’ve missed this. My lips part in silent invitation, and Nic slides his tongue softly against mine.
I forgot how sexy and sensual he is, almost even without trying. His kisses are slow and deep and perfect. He tastes like whiskey and heaven, and as his hands slip into my hair, I make a tiny noise of approval.
He reaches down and lifts me onto his lap in
one quick motion as we continue to kiss. I wrap my legs around his hips and put my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his hard chest. I love the feel of his firm stomach and chest, and can’t help running my hands along the muscles be- neath his T-shirt.
“Elle . . .” He groans when I touch his stomach, just above his belt.
I can feel him hard and ready between my thighs, and my breath catches in my throat.
His gaze drops from mine, traveling slowly down my body, making me shiver with desire as it comes to rest on my breasts. They feel heavy against my black bra, and my nipples are hard un- derneath the thin fabric. He slides his hands down my shoulders, gently cupping my breasts before running a thumb across each of my nipples. I moan, arching my back, wanting more.
“Should we take this to your bedroom?” I ask, my voice breathy.
He pauses, meeting my gaze. His eyes are dark and heavy with desire, but his hesitation makes me nervous. I’ve never wanted someone more in my life, and I don’t think I’ll be able to stand it if he stops this now.