Rayne

I stretched my body, feeling the sore and deliciously used. Damn, Nick was insatiable and had the stamina to indulge his appetite.

However, the best part of the night had been after the marathon sex. He’d pulled me into his arms, kissed my temple, and held me close until we fell asleep. I’ve never been a cuddler. I’d always separated myself after sex, needing my space to be able to relax.

Last night though, I’d fallen asleep in his tight hold, sleeping better than I had in years. I felt…safe. Still. Like my world had stopped spinning for a few minutes and I could simply be.

I was acutely aware that I shouldn’t get used to it. I would be leaving in a few weeks, back to my whirlwind life.

“Time to get up sleepy head.”

I pried my lids open to see Nick walking toward me with a smile, a paper tucked under his arm, and a steaming mug. He looked downright edible in a dark blue, tailored suit. My eyes swept admiringly over him from head to toe.

He smirked and shook his head as he sat on the bed beside me and handed me the mug. “If you want to get your stuff this morning, you need to stop looking at me like that.”

I blinked innocently at him as I took the cup. “I was admiring your suit.”

“Sure, you were.” He winked and placed a quick, hard kiss on my lips. “Your clothes are hanging in the closet, baby. Now, get moving.”

I grumbled but dragged myself out of bed, throwing him a reproachful look when he patted my ass. It was still sore, and I knew it would smart every time I sat down all day. He smiled smugly, knowing precisely what I was thinking.

I padded to the bathroom and did my business, washed my hands, and used the new toothbrush Nick had left on the counter for me. When I came out, Nick was lounging on the bed, reading the paper. Wearing black-rimmed glasses that would have looked nerdy on most people. But on him, they gave him a sexy professor vibe. It was fucking hot.

He looked up when I stopped in the middle of the room to stare at him. His eyes swept over my naked body, heating with lust. Probably the same look he was seeing in mine.

Knowing we didn’t have time to indulge in my naughty thoughts, I rushed to the closet. I found my clothes and put them on, sighing when I looked in the mirror at my wrinkled shirt and shoved my underwear in my pocket. Doing the walk of shame two mornings in a row, Summers? The dopey grin on my face as I thought about why was all the answer that was needed.

It took less than a half hour to gather up my belongings. I’d received the call that my car was fixed, so Nick dropped me off at the garage but insisted on keeping my stuff in his car. When he kissed me goodbye, he practically devoured me. I was left trembling and on fire.

“See you at the end of your shift, baby.” Then he was gone. I was only working until nine, but he still insisted on meeting me and he would follow me back to his house.

I called November and asked if she was able to meet for lunch last minute. She agreed to meet me at noon at a diner in town. I paid for the repairs to my little VW bug and drove it to the diner and left it in the parking lot while I explored. November had recommended a small boutique called Temptations and I spent most of my time looking through the treasures there. I was on the verge of buying a few things but stopped myself when I reminded myself that I had nowhere to put anything. They would only take up space in my car.

The owner, Liz, was a sweet woman and I enjoyed talking with her for a while. I suggested she come to lunch with November and me. Her mother agreed to watch the store and we walked to the restaurant together.

At lunch, I had a great time getting to know November and Liz. They had vastly different personalities, but they clicked as friends and I envied their relationship. I was never in one place long enough to become close enough to someone with whom I’d make an effort to keep in touch.

We were digging into dessert when a guy I recognized as a regular at Stumble In stopped by the table.

“Rayne, right?” he asked, his eyes sliding over me in a way that made me want to throat punch him.

I nodded and smiled dismissively then turned back to the girls.

“You’re new in town?” he persisted, not taking the hint.

“Yeah. Nice to see you but I’m having lunch with some friends.” My tone was a little snappier this time.

“So, where are you from?”

I opened my mouth to cut the asshole down to size when a deep voice answered first. “None of your fucking business.” Nick stepped in front of me and spoke low, his tone threatening. “Now get away from my woman and don’t talk to her again.”

I glanced at November and Liz who wore matching expressions of shock, their jaws practically on the table.

Nick turned around and smiled at me before leaning down to give me a spine-tingling kiss. “Hey, baby.” Then he greeted my companions.

“Uh…hey, Nick,” November responded. “It is Nick, right? Nick Stevenson?”

He’d scrambled my brain with his stupidly delicious kiss and it was taking me a minute to recover. But, I came to my senses enough to see the slight tinge of red that showed up on his cheeks.

“Just came to say hello to Rayne,” he explained, ignoring November’s teasing. “Enjoy the rest of your lunch.”

He quickly kissed me again and started to walk away. Oh no, he was so not getting away with this. I excused myself for a minute and hopped up from the table. I grabbed his arm before he was out of reach. I tugged him toward the door, silently fuming.

We stepped outside, and I spun around to face him. “What the hell, Nick?”

He put his hands in his pockets, adopting a casual stance. His blue eyes told a different story though. They were dark and intense as he studied me.

“He needed to back off,” he answered calmly, as though he hadn’t acted like a fucking caveman.

“I was handling it,” I gritted out through a clenched jaw.

He raised a brow as though asking, “were you really?”

“I’ve been fending off assholes since long before I met you, Nick.”

He took one hand out of a pocket and clasped my arm, drawing me close. “He also needed to know who you belong to.”

Ugh. I hated myself a little for finding that so freaking hot. I kept a disapproving frown on my face but Nick must have seen the heat in my eyes because he smirked and pulled me even closer.

“Do you need reminding?” he asked huskily, his hand finding my ass and patting. His head dipped and he kissed me, making my toes curl and my panties wet.

I was still in a lustful daze when he whispered in my ear, “See you tonight, baby,” and kissed my nose before leaving.

Somehow…that hadn’t turned out as I’d planned. I wandered back into the diner, replaying the scene and wondering when the hell I lost control of the situation.

Liz and November watched me as I slid into the booth. Then Liz piped up, “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. I’ve known Nick for years and I’ve never seen him act like that.” She glanced at November, as though asking for silent confirmation.

November nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever even heard him swear.” Her head tilted, and she chuckled. “He keeps up this attitude; he just might give those overbearing Mayson men a run for their money.”

Liz laughed and gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’ll be honest, they can drive you crazy, but nobody will ever love you harder.”

My eyes widened, and I sputtered before composing myself enough to say, “Love? Um, no. Nick doesn’t love me. I’m leaving soon.”

November and Liz shared a mysterious look before November shrugged. “If you say so.”

* * *

For the next two weeks or so, Nick and I settled into a kind of routine. He would pick me up after work, devour each other, and fall asleep. He would kiss me before heading to work the next morning, leaving me to sleep late. After work, he’d often come home, eat dinner with me (which he often cooked…swoon), and take me to work. On my nights off, he would take me out on a “date.” Sometimes it was planned by the mild-mannered, good boy and other times, it was the adventurous, guy who wanted to step outside the box he’d been living in.

We laughed a lot and fucked even more. I found myself feeling content, enjoying our time when we were out having fun, as much as the times when we were quiet and still together. Nick felt like the eye of the hurricane. The calm, safe place surrounded by a spinning world.

I don’t know how he was surviving on so little rest, but I figured, it was only temporary. He could catch up after I left. The thought caused a pang in my chest that took my breath away. I pushed it out of my mind, determined not to think about the future. Life was about living one day at a time.