Chapter Thirty-One

THINGS HAD CHANGED.

Spending the day with Nicholas away from many of the trappings of his lifestyle had been one of Acacia’s best days ever.

He’d been attentive and companionable, and of course, she was attracted to him. If they’d met under different circumstances, she would have been sorely tempted to see what they could become. But theirs was a relationship destined to end for several reasons.

Acacia counted herself lucky to have had such an amazing day and got ready for bed.

She took her time showering and doing her hair. She slipped into a pale green silk nightdress that looked lovely against her tan skin. She rinsed out her bikini and hung it to dry in the bathroom.

Loneliness washed over her as she turned out the lights.

The time she’d spent with Nicholas reminded her what it was like to have a boyfriend. Alone in her bedroom, she was confronted by how long and desolate nights could be.

It’s just the darkness. Everything is worse at night. Tomorrow the sun will come out and you’ll feel better.

She lied to herself because it would enable her to sleep. But the truth was, she’d be lonely tomorrow. And the day after that.

Loneliness, it seemed, was the constant companion of those who kept secrets. The realization didn’t make the reality any easier.

She switched on the bathroom light and adjusted the door to ensure the bedroom was no longer completely dark.

A knock sounded.

At first she thought she was hearing things. Then the knock sounded again.

She padded over to the door.

Nicholas stood outside, his hair wet and carefully combed. He wore a white shirt, which was unbuttoned at the neck, and khaki pants. He wasn’t wearing shoes.

Her heart thudded in her chest.

His dark eyes burned into hers. A question.

She stood aside.

Nicholas stepped into her room and closed the door. His gaze traveled to the shaft of light that shone from the bathroom to the bed.

Before she could draw breath, Nicholas strode toward her and cupped her face with his hands. Electricity charged between them. Nicholas’s lips were firm and determined as they spread over hers.

She clutched his biceps and kissed him back. He made a noise in his throat that sounded like desire.

Nicholas kissed her, strongly and passionately, as if his desperation had reached a fevered pitch.

Acacia felt their connection all the way down to her toes. Thoughts of propriety and professional conduct were completely forgotten. There was just Nicholas and she, fused at the mouth.

Her loneliness fled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and luxuriated in the feel of his tall, strong body against hers.

His tongue slid against the seam of her lips and she opened, humming in satisfaction. Still he cupped her face, holding her firmly but gently as she welcomed him into her mouth.

She lifted onto the tips of her toes and stroked her tongue against his. He tasted of licorice.

With a groan, he withdrew to nip at her lower lip. Fire and heat exploded between them. She could barely draw breath as he angled his head to kiss her more deeply.

A few more beats and Nicholas’s pace slowed. His hands found her hair, and he stroked her scalp.

She smiled against his lips.

Then his hands slipped to her shoulders and wound around her back. He held her so close all space between them was erased.

She leaned against him and traced the back of his neck and the tendons that led to his shoulders. All the while, their mouths and tongues explored at an unhurried pace.

Nicholas’s fingers danced along her exposed back and down to where the top edge of her underwear should have been under her nightgown. And wasn’t.

His fingers stilled.

There was a question in his eyes, but Acacia didn’t answer.

His expression was raw as he scanned her face.

She smiled shyly.

Her smile, it seemed, was enough. Whatever concern he had retreated, and his face relaxed.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for some time,” he confessed. His large hands spanned her lower back, just above the curve of her backside. Acacia’s skin tingled.

“You’re beautiful and charming and good,” he continued.

She rested her hands on his broad shoulders. “Don’t put me on a pedestal. I’ll fall.”

Nicholas’s dark eyes glittered. “I’ve got you, Acacia.”

She read want in his eyes. His gaze was heated as he slid both hands beneath the silk of her nightdress to grip her naked backside. His touch was firm as he kneaded the flesh. He made a noise of appreciation.

She didn’t protest. She raised herself up to capture his mouth in a brief, deep kiss before his lips moved to her neck. He was unhurried as he traced the column of her throat.

Her spine rippled in reaction. She placed gentle pressure on his neck and held him to her, as he ascended and descended her neck.

She reached around to kiss the shell of his ear. “Take me to bed.”

“I won’t deny you,” he whispered against her skin. “But I want to take my time.”

His nose skimmed her collarbone until it found the thin strap of her nightdress. He nudged it aside and pulled back so he could see her. The heat in his gaze flared at her exposed breast.

“Lovely.”

Her breasts were full, and she knew it. But Nicholas stared as if they were a revelation.

He scorched a leisurely path with his lips from her shoulder to the top of her breast, and made an appreciative sound when he reached his prize.

Acacia tugged at his hair until his mouth found her nipple. He licked it, then teased and tasted before he sucked it into his mouth.

Acacia moaned.

Nicholas continued his adoration and slid her other strap over her shoulder. He tasted her other breast as her nightdress fell to her hips.

She gasped at the cool night air against her skin, but the jolt was soon forgotten. It was difficult to concentrate on anything other than pleasure. Nicholas had a talented mouth. His lips, tongue, and teeth played with her nipples, building and feeding desire.

She liked the way she felt in his large hands as he cupped her. She liked how he continued to caress her, even while his mouth was engaged.

Acacia inhaled the scent that lifted from his skin—a clean scent that reminded her of apples.

When he straightened, her fingers fell to the buttons of his shirt. He pulled it over his head and dropped it to the floor. Before his hands could move to his belt, she stopped him.

“I want to admire you.” She covered his pectorals with her palms and kissed the space over his heart.

His skin was warm and stretched over lean muscles, with a light covering of dark hair. She took her time touching him, as if his body was a land to be discovered. Her fingertips roamed his shoulders, his biceps, and down his chest to the defined ridges of his abdomen.

She scorched a path above his waistband, and he reached for his belt. His trousers followed, which allowed her a closer look at the muscles in his quadriceps. Nicholas was unspeakably handsome.

He looked toward the bed, and then his eyes burned into hers.

Acacia nodded. Anticipation set her body on fire.

He lifted her into his arms and took her lips as he crossed to the bed. Gently, he set her in the very center.

He looked down at her in wonder. “I haven’t wanted someone like this in a very long time.”

“Then we are the same.” She touched his face.

Nicholas grasped the edge of her nightdress, which had pooled around her waist.

Her hand caught his wrist. “You first.”

Nicholas wore a look of pride as he stood and brought her hand to his black boxer briefs. He held his arms at his sides.

She rose to her knees.

He nodded, and she pulled the boxer briefs down, then waited as he tossed them aside before she touched him.

He stood with his legs brushing the side of the bed, and she wrapped her hand around his erection, full and hard. He closed his eyes as she stroked.

Blindly, he reached for her and fondled her breasts. His thumbs found her nipples.

Then he stopped her as he pressed his fists into the mattress and captured her mouth. He lowered her to the sheets and knelt between her legs, then wrested her nightdress and dropped it to the floor.

“It was beautiful,” he murmured. His hands slid down her thighs and rested on her knees. “I liked the color. But don’t answer the door in it for anyone but me.”

His eyes traveled the length of her body from her head down to her toes. “You’re like Euphrosyne reincarnate. A goddess with a pure heart.”

Her breath caught. Her heart was far from pure. He’d never know how false his words were. But now was not the time for confessions.

Nicholas was very tall. She slid farther up the bed to give him more room, and he smiled his thanks.

His hands moved behind her knees and spread her legs. He placed an open-mouthed kiss just below her navel. Then his nose nuzzled her smooth skin until he descended between her legs.

Acacia stared in fascination as he lowered himself to the bed and licked and nibbled around her most sensitive areas. It had been so long…

He touched her with his tongue, finally tasting the place she wanted him most. She grabbed his head with both hands, holding him against her. Then, with embarrassing speed, she rocketed to orgasm.

Nicholas continued to lick her until she tugged at his hair. He sat back on his knees, a muscled, naked warrior, with a look of satisfaction on his face. He licked his lips and wiped his mouth.

She felt her face heat. “I…it’s been…”

He stalked toward her and placed his forearms on either side of her torso, his body above her. “Don’t apologize for catching fire. I like it. But I want to give you more. So much more.”

She threw restraint to the wind and pulled him atop her. Their tongues meshed together as their skin collided.

Her hands slid across the muscles in his back before they came to rest on his backside. She squeezed him and felt taut, muscular flesh.

His hips nestled between hers and his pectorals brushed against her breasts. She felt his chest hair abrading her nipples.

He prodded between her legs, and she urged him on.

“There’s no rush.” He lifted up on an elbow. “I’m not leaving.”

He lowered his mouth to her breast and teased it with his tongue, then took her nipple into his mouth.

Acacia let out a shaky breath and massaged his shoulders. She knew she was falling woefully short on reciprocation. “Let me touch you.”

“I’ll come in your hand.” His tone was honest. “Just be present, in this moment, and let me please you.”

Nicholas seemed to take delight in every caress, every inch of exposed skin. His expressions alternated between heat and joy.

The world they’d created in this bed was without rival, and Acacia knew it.

She pulled his face to hers so she could kiss him as her hand strayed over his scar.

He stopped moving. Vulnerability was present in his eyes, laced with worry.

Slowly and deliberately, she placed her lips to the deep furrow in his skin.

He leaned into her caress, and his breath left his lungs in a rush.

“You said this morning you were attracted to me.” Acacia moved her lips to his ear. “I’m attracted to you as well. You’re very handsome, and I like to look at you.”

Nicholas lifted his head and traced her eyebrows, but did not meet her eyes. He touched the end of her nose with the tip of his finger.

“I don’t have the words, Acacia. But I have actions.”

Acacia felt satisfaction spread across her features.

He reached over the bed to pick up his trousers. He fished a small packet from one of the pockets and opened it with his teeth.

“Was this expected?” she asked.

“Nothing about you is expected.” His eyes radiated sincerity. “When I said I wanted to be friends, I meant it. But I hardly dared hope…” He sheathed himself quickly and threw the wrapper to the floor. His eyes locked on hers as he angled himself at her entrance.

For a moment, he didn’t move. He just looked down at her and waited as his finger traced the curve of her chin.

She touched his backside. An invitation.

He pushed forward and cursed obliquely. Despite her readiness, he didn’t enter her fully.

She returned his look of intensity and bit back the urge to apologize.

“Am I hurting you?” His voice was hoarse.

“No, it’s just been a while.” She lifted her hips.

Nicholas moved forward and swore under his breath until he filled her.

She inhaled and held it.

“Incredible,” he whispered. “Feel how we fit together. It’s perfect.”

She exhaled, and he fused their lips. Then he moved—a steady, intense rhythm like the rocking of a ship. His gaze never left hers.

She struggled to keep her eyes open as every movement brought pleasure. She set self-consciousness aside and moaned with each thrust. His eyes burned through her, opening her, reading her soul.

She couldn’t hide, not from the emotion he expressed through his eyes or from the way she responded to the feeling of him inside her.

“Give me my name.” His voice was breathy and uneven as he continued to move.

“Nicholas.” The tips of her fingers bit into his shoulder blades.

Her nerves sparked and caught fire, until the joy exploded and raced through her, bathing her body in heat.

Nicholas kept moving, but his pace slackened as he watched her reaction. A few more strokes, and he planted himself deeply, whispering her name as he climaxed.

Beyond speech, Acacia didn’t react when Nicholas pecked her lips and withdrew from her body. He lifted the covers and pulled them over her, tucking them precisely under her sides before walking naked into the bathroom.

He was incredibly fit—tall and athletic, with powerful arms and legs. She touched the edge of the sheet to her mouth, overwhelmed.

She wondered what to say. What had just happened was unexpected and incredible, but they were still two people who walked very different paths. Perhaps it was best to wait to hear from him.

She leaned over the bed to retrieve her nightdress just as he returned from the bathroom.

“You don’t need that, mon coeur.” He plucked the nightdress from her hand and threw it aside.

His skin was warm as he slipped in next to her under the covers. He wrapped an arm around her and tugged her against him.

“Sleep well.” He yawned and kissed below her ear.

Acacia waited. She expected him to whisper things in the dark and clarify what had or had not happened. She expected his embrace to end and him to slide out of bed.

But he didn’t.

Instead, Nicholas’s grip on her tightened as they spooned. His warm breath blew across her neck.

She stared at the wall long after Nicholas’s breathing signaled he was sound asleep.