I slowly turned around and found Nicholas standing in front of me, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was still dripping from the shower. I could not help noticing his firm biceps, a set of six-pack abs, and all other things designed to make any girl avert her eyes, bite her lower lip and occasionally steal sinful glances at the lower region of his body.
As I looked at Nicholas’ perfect physique, I was reminded of why Jen was drooling over him or why Saucy was trying her best to get into his pants. I could tell he was also gifted in that department.
God, this is awkward!
I swallowed hard as I gathered composure and found the strength to speak without squeaking.
“G-good morning,” I said in a weak voice, my eyes still glued to the abs he was displaying in front of me. My glance started drifting lower to his belly button, and then—
“Dude, you okay?” he interrupted, prompting me to look up to where his eyes were.
Shit! What was that?
I shook myself back to reality. “What happened?”
“You don’t remember?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Would I have asked if I did?”
He grinned at me boyishly and replied, “I don’t know. I was under the impression that you do not get drunk.”
I fought the urge to hurt him. But his room was so tidy and organized. There was nothing within arm’s reach that I could actually pick up and throw at him. So, I settled with raising my brow and killing him in my thoughts.
He chuckled. “You were not yourself when we decided to call it a night. In fact, you weren’t yourself anymore since your second glass of Green Fairy. You wanted to drive home, but I doubted you’d make it, so I decided to take you. I knew if I brought you home in your state, your father would not forgive you. So, I brought you here instead.”
Wait, what? Was I drunk? On my second glass?
I tried to recall the events that transpired the night before. After one minute of struggling to remember everything, all I could think about was, “here they come, the beautiful ones.” I sighed in defeat.
Damn you, green fairies!
When I looked at him, he said, “You’re welcome.”
I do not like owing people favors. Especially not Nicholas Atkins. Again, damn you, green fairies!
I turned my back to him and quickly pulled on my pants, and put on my jacket. When I turned around, I found that Nicholas had turned his back on me, giving me whatever privacy he could afford to give at the moment.
“Where’s my car?” I asked him.
“Still at the club. Wait for me to get dressed; I’ll drive you there.”
I shook my head and slipped on my sneakers. “No, thanks. You’ve done more than enough already.” I walked toward the door, giving him no chance to argue. Before I stepped out of his room, I turned back and asked, “Wait a minute. If I was so hammered last night, how did I get up here?”
He drew his brows together. “I carried you,” he replied matter-of-factly as if it was the dumbest question he’d ever heard in his life.
“You drove? Weren’t you drunk as well?”
He laughed. “Well, unlike you, I have very high alcohol tolerance. And I know how to drink the Green Fairy properly. I was already sober when I drove, don’t worry.”
“How many did you have?”
He shrugged. “One and a half glasses. I wanted to have more, but I saw that you were gone after your first glass. Somebody had to take care of you, you know.”
I raised my brow at him.
What a cocky idiot!
I didn’t want to believe that I had blacked out last night, and Nicholas Atkins had to take me with him to his house and carry me to his bed.
Shit!
“You carried me how?” I asked him, my heart pounding in my chest. I knew I don’t pack as many muscles as he does, but it would be awkward to hear him say he carried me like I weighed nothing.
He grinned at me, realizing what I meant. “Don’t worry. I did it fireman style. I carried you like a sack!”
At least that was a relief. “Okay, thanks. I’ll see you around.” Like never, I hope!
I turned on my heel and closed the door behind me. I was not prepared for the sight that welcomed me outside his bedroom. If the room I came from was entirely white, the rest of Nicholas’ house was a combination of glass, black wood, and black furniture.
The bedroom was on the mezzanine floor. I could see the living room when I looked down. There was a black L-shape suede couch in the center, facing the huge LCD mounted on a black and dark gray wall. The opposite wall was entirely made of glass, like all the other walls of the house.
I went down the glass staircase. His floor tiles were also black. I could say I was really impressed with the interior of his house. Very classy. I guess Nicholas did make a lot of money playing poker.
I walked across the living room and looked for the main door. I went past the dining room and out of the black wooden door in a hurry. The faster I get out of his house, the better.
When I stepped outside and jogged through the front yard, I was met by the sight of the beach and the distant view of the city. I realized that Nicholas didn’t live in town. He lived just outside of it, atop the hill overlooking the entire city.
Shit! How the hell will I go home?
I tried to estimate the time it would take me to walk back to the city.
Two hours. Minimum!
I sighed and turned around to start the hike, but I collided straight into Nicholas’ hard chest. I felt his arms wrap around me to keep me from falling, and then he settled me on my feet.
I stared up at his face. I realized that his eyes had a bit of green in them and his eyelashes were insanely long. I guess I could understand where Jen was coming from. This guy was outrageously gorgeous. And the way he stared at you felt as if he wanted to get through to your soul.
“You okay?” he asked.
That was when I realized that we were standing too close to each other. I could smell his faint aftershave and his minty breath on my face. I pushed him with enough force.
He held his hands up. “Sorry, chief.”
I turned away from him and looked at the view in front of us.
“Didn’t know you lived far away from town,” I said.
He shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
“I wasn’t interested.”
Instead of feeling offended, Nicholas actually grinned at me. Then he said, “Come on. Let’s go get your car.”
He walked toward his garage without giving me a chance to argue. Not that I would win that argument anyway.
One, I have no idea where I was. Two, I didn’t think a cab would be available around the area. And three, I was in no mood to walk.
He led me to a yellow top-down jeep.
“Do you mind if we take this?” he asked.
“Why would I?” I asked back in an irritated tone.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because I thought Ken Clarke doesn’t like old, rugged top-downs.”
I hopped inside the vehicle without another word. When he climbed onto the driver’s seat, I said, “Maybe you hadn’t figured out Ken Clarke as much as you thought you had.”
It was true. My father may be posh, and the house that I live in was probably three times as fancy as Nicholas’ house, but I would take comfort over luxury any day. And Nicholas’ old wagon was nothing short of comfortable.
As he drove, I took a last look at his glass house. It had a white and glass exterior in contrast to the black interior.
“You have a lovely house,” I said.
“Thank you.”
“Nice interior, too. All that’s missing is a pole in the middle.”
He was silent for a moment, and then he said, “Excuse me? I didn’t get that.”
I laughed. I didn’t mean to insult him. I was just thinking out loud. “I mean, it’s an ultimate bachelor’s pad. One bedroom and a huge bed. Poker area outside the bedroom and a huge gaming LCD. Good for bringing home the ladies. It’s missing a pole in the middle, though. You know, in case you are…” I trailed off, but I was pretty sure he got the message.
Nicholas finally laughed. “Why? Do you fancy girls who have the talent for pole dancing?”
I shrugged. I always thought pole dancing takes a lot of strength and grace.
“Your house looked fancy. You got all that from playing poker?” I would not normally speak so freely in front of other people. I would be more sensitive, but with Nicholas, I just didn’t care if he would be offended by my words. In fact, I’d prefer if he was.
“Nope, of course not,” he said. Then he added, “I play blackjack, too. And add all my card winnings, well, maybe half of that was used to build that house.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Seriously?”
He gave me a side glance, and then he nodded. “Yeah.”
“What? You’re smart enough to count cards?” It wasn’t a question. I didn’t expect him to be smart at all. When he didn’t answer, I asked, “Seriously?”
He grinned at me. “Unfortunately, that information is classified.”
He is.
Nicholas Atkins must be dead smart to be able to count cards and actually bring home enough money to build a house as classy as the one he has.
“What do you do with your winnings aside from building a slut-magnet house to bring your one-night stands to?” I asked, looking at the line of trees on the way. There were well-trimmed bushes and pine trees along the small road that led to the main street. The lamp posts were spaced at approximately thirty feet intervals, and I was pretty sure it would be a good, safe place for a jog in the evenings.
I grinned to myself. I thought it would be a safe road for a walk, in case the girl didn’t want to stay the night with Nicholas. At least the guy was not as thoughtless as I thought he was.
It took me a while to realize that Nicholas hadn’t answered my question. When I looked at him, he was staring at the road, driving quietly. I brushed my hair up with my fingers, keeping it away from my eyes.
“No answer?” I asked.
He looked at me briefly from behind his sunglasses before turning back to the road. “Well, you weren’t asking. You were making assumptions.”
That was true, but no way was I going to apologize for that. Chances are, I was right anyway. Nicholas Atkins was a hopeless player and a professional gambler. He was even more dangerous for Jen than I thought.
“I wasn’t assuming. I was deducing.”
“Deduction should be based on logic and facts. You painted a picture of me in your head, and you’ll believe only what that picture tells you.” He looked at me. “Right?”
I studied his expression. I thought he was angry. Although I couldn’t care less, I felt a little guilty because it was not in my nature to insult people or tell them what I really thought about them. I was raised better than that.
Damn! Nicholas Atkins is bringing out the worst in me.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said, deciding to be honest. I have absolutely no desire to be friends with Nicholas Atkins. I didn’t give a damn if he got killed with my venomous tongue.
The comfortable silence allowed me to drift more into my thoughts, of Jen, of my mother, and Isabella, of my father. The most painful was perhaps that of my father’s. When I was growing up, I longed for him to acknowledge me. I had friends whose parents went to court for a custody battle after the divorce. Sure, it had gotten ugly at some points, but at least their fathers fought for them. While in my case, my father never even sent me a toy when I was a kid. He never visited, and the Christmas cards I made for him during kindergarten all came back to me unread.
Okay, why was I hoping he’d love me now as a hard-headed, weird adult when he could not even love me when I was a cute and adorable bundle of joy?
The jeep came to a stop, and I was taken back to reality. I found that we were in front of a diner. The sign read Grandma’s.
“Ah, dude, this is not where I parked my car,” I said.
Nicholas got out of the jeep. “I know. Let’s go grab breakfast first.”
I hopped out of the jeep. “I’m not hungry.”
He shrugged. “Well, I am. Besides, I do this every Sunday morning. Come on. I’m starving.”
Shit! Do I really have to spend more time with him?