I STARTED WRINGING my hands together nervously.
“What time did you tell him to be here?”
“Seven! It can’t be him, it’s just after six.”
The buzzer went off again.
We both rushed over to the intercom, pushing and shoving each other out of the way to try to get to it first.
“Did you tell him six or seven?”
Pushing her as hard as I could, Charity jumped to avoid the chase lounge and fell. “I said seven! I’m positive.”
I pressed the button and took a deep breath and cried out, “H-hello?”
“Gabi? Is everything okay?”
I jumped back and covered my mouth. Whirling around, I looked at Charity who was now sitting in the chair, wearing an I told you so expression. “Are you going to answer him, Gabi?”
“Right!” I quickly hit the button again. “Um, yes. This is Gabi. Everything is fine. I um, I stubbed my toe. Nic?”
“Yeah, it’s Nic. I hope you don’t mind me getting here early. I couldn’t wait to see you again.”
My hand dropped to my side as Charity walked over to me and whispered, “Oh hell. He wants nookie too! Greek dick, meet Italian pussy.”
“Shut up!” I said while I pushed her away from me.
Lifting her hand, she called out, “I’ll be in my room with Liv!”
Turning back to the intercom, I pressed it again. “Sorry, my roommate was talking to me. Come on up, I’ll buzz you in.”
I stood there like an idiot as I stared at the door. There was no time to change my clothes or touch-up my makeup.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
The knock on the door caused me to jump. Taking in a deep breath, I walked over and opened it. Clearly I was not prepared for the sight before me because I gasped. If you looked up Greek god in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Nic Drivas next to it.
My eyes leisurely roamed his body. He wore jeans, cowboy boots, and a tight long-sleeve black shirt. He was holding a bottle of wine in one hand and flowers in the other. I didn’t even care I was ogling him.
Oh yes. I want to have nookie with this man.
“S’up?”
Oh gosh. Did I really just say that?
Nic’s gaze moved over my body slowly. The air between us instantly charged, and I was suddenly wondering if I had shaved my legs.
Please let me have shaved my legs. There was no time to shower now.
“Damn, you look hot.”
I glanced down. Huh?
Jerking my head back up, I replied, “I’m wearing sweats and a T-shirt.”
He was staring at the only skin I had exposed. My stomach.
“You make sweats and a T-shirt look hot as hell, Gabi.”
I let out a giggle. “Um, well I’ll change in a bit, these are my cooking clothes.”
Nic lifted a brow and asked, “May I come in?”
“Yes! Gosh sorry about that.”
A slow smile grew over his face. His stubble had grown even more from earlier today, making his dimples harder to see.
My eyes glanced down to the wine.
“I hope you like shiraz.”
“I love it! Do you mind if I open it now or do you want to wait until dinner?”
“I’m game for having a glass now. What’s for dinner?”
Smiling, I replied, “Chicken parmigiana.”
Nic closed his eyes and groaned. “Damn, that’s one of my favorites.”
Swallowing hard, I tried not to think about how I wanted to push him onto the sofa and crawl all over him.
Ugh. Stop it, Gabi.
“Want to help?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen.
Nic followed me and replied, “I’d love to help.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I asked, “How good are you in a kitchen?”
He chuckled and reached for one of my aprons that was hung up. I couldn’t help my smile when I saw the apron he had put on as I read it.
Caution . . . hot stuff coming through.
“You’d be amazed at the things I can do with these hands.”
Digging my nails into my palms, I fought to keep the groan from leaving my lips.
Oh, I can only imagine what you could do with those big, strong hands.
Swallowing hard, I tried to ignore the throbbing between my legs.
“Basil. I love basil.”
Smiling, I said, “Good. It’s from my own herb garden.”
“Nice.”
“Do you want to pound the meat?”
The moment I said it I knew I had made a faux pas. Nic’s eyes widened in shock and his smile looked a tad on the evil side.
“Wow. You’re moving faster than I thought. I’d love to pound your meat, Gabi.”
He moved closer to me and I held my breath. The way he stalked up on me had my stomach in a fluttering mess.
My heartbeat was so loud in my ears I could hardly think.
When I hit the island, he turned and picked up the package of chicken breasts behind me. “Do you have a meat mallet I can use for these?”
I looked at the chicken and smiled.
Bastard.
Reaching into the drawer, I pulled it out and handed it to him. “Pound away.”
His eyes turned dark and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Is that an invitation, Gabi?”
“To pound her meat? Yes. That was.”
We both spun around to see Charity standing there with a shit-eating grin on her face.
“Don’t you have a date you need to be getting ready for?” I asked as I shot her a dirty look.
Nic laughed and stuck his hand out toward her. “Nic Drivas. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Charity Maxwell. Nice to meet you too, Nic.”
When he turned around and started on the chicken, Charity looked at me. Eyes wide open with her mouth slightly ajar. She shook her head and mouthed, holy shit.
I motioned for her to go away. She acted like she was grabbing him and began air humping. Shooting her a dirty look, I mouthed, stop it.
“So, Nic, Gabi tells me you’re a cop.”
Handing him a plastic bag for the chicken, he smiled at me. “Thanks. And yes, I am.”
Charity reached into the refrigerator and took out a Diet Coke. “What made you want to be a cop?”
I glared at my best friend. She needed to leave. Now. We were in the middle of some seriously hot flirting and she is throwing cold water on it.
“When I was seventeen my best friend got caught up in the wrong crowd.”
That was eerily familiar.
“He ended up getting involved in drugs and some pretty bad stuff. One day this punk guy walked up to him, pulled a gun and shot him. I chased the guy down while my other friend called the police. From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”
Charity was the first to talk. “I’m so sorry you had to witness such a horrible thing. I can’t imagine seeing someone killed right before my eyes.”
My hands shook as I was instantly taken back six years in time. Blood was everywhere.
On my hands.
The walls.
The loud bang caused me to scream and jump back.
Warm hands touched my arms, calmly pulling me from the nightmare I had been sucked into.
“Hey, are you okay? Gabi?”
Nic’s voice pulled me out. My eyes found his and a warmth spread through my chest. “Yes. I’m fine. I’m so sorry about your friend.”
Nic smiled then searched my face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Forcing a smile, I nodded. Nic still had a hold of my arms and a part of me wanted him to pull me in closer. It threw me for a loop how I felt safe with this man. I glanced down to where he had a hold of me and Nic quickly dropped his hands. I instantly missed his touch.
“Loud bangs always scare her.” Charity took a drink and added, “She’s a basket case anytime fireworks go off.”
Nic looked into my eyes again, almost as if he was searching for his own answers.
I cleared my throat and headed to the refrigerator to get the cheese out. “Again, don’t you have a date you need to get ready for?”
Charity laughed. “I do! Nic, it was a pleasure meeting you. Have fun with that meat.”
Nic chuckled. “It was nice meeting you as well.”
Pointing to me, Charity said, “Have fun, but don’t get wild. We both know how long it’s been.”
My jaw dropped as I stared at her in disbelief.
She disappeared and I wanted to crawl into a hole. Warm breath tickled my ear.
“I like her. She’s fun.”
Jumping, I turned and came face-to-face with Nic. My eyes drifted to his lips before I swung them back up. “She’s a pain in the ass.”
Tossing his head back and laughing, Nic went back to work on the chicken while I sliced the mozzarella cheese for the top of the chicken breast.
We quickly fell into an easy conversation about . . . of all things . . . food.
“So you grew up cooking?” I asked while mixed the flour, pepper, salt, and parmesan cheese into the bread crumbs for the breading.
“I did. Mostly all Greek cooking. My mother was big on my brothers and I learning to cook. What about you?”
I tensed up. How much should I share? The last thing I wanted to do was have a cop snooping in my past. But the connection I felt with Nic was different than anything I’d ever felt before with anyone. I quickly decided, I wanted to share more than I normally would.
“I remember being little and watching my grandmother cooking. She didn’t speak a word of English, only Italian. I couldn’t have been maybe five at the time. I’d pull up a stool and stand there watching her throw this and that into a pot. She never measured a thing when she cooked. I asked her once if she would write down her favorite recipes for me. She asked me why I wanted her to write them down.”
Nic was totally enthralled with my story, which made my chest flutter. “What did you say?” he asked.
I laughed and looked away. “I told her I needed to learn how to cook for my husband. She made me promise I’d marry a good Italian boy.”
Turning back to Nic, I watched as he raised his brows. “Did you promise her that?”
I shook my head. “No. At the time, I was madly in love with Jerry Knox. My first unofficial boyfriend from kindergarten.”
Nic chuckled. “Knox doesn’t sound Italian.”
“No, he was not Italian. My grandmother simply laughed.” I looked down at my hands. “She passed away six months later. When I graduated high school, my father gave me a box filled with recipes. She had done what I asked and written down her favorite recipes. I’ve treasured that box ever since.”
Nic placed his finger on my chin and lifted it. “You were lucky to have known her and even luckier she shared her love of cooking with you.”
I fought the tears in my eyes. I never spoke of home, or memories. It was too painful. The way Nic was gazing into my eyes scared me and thrilled me all at once.
“I want to kiss you, Gabi. I’ve wanted to since the moment you smiled at me.”
My breath caught. I realized I desperately wanted the same thing he wanted. The spark I felt in my chest was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Suddenly, everything else faded into the background and all that mattered was this man standing before me.
He leaned in closer. We were inches away from each other. My heart picked up its rhythm in my chest. I was sure it would burst out any second.
“May I kiss you?”
My mouth parted, giving him the silent invite he was looking for. He stopped just short of my mouth. Waiting for me to give him permission.
I was frozen and completely unable to speak. The air around us was charged liked I’d never experienced before. I said the only thing I could manage to say. His name off my lips sounded like a whisper on a breeze.
“Nic.”
The moment his lips touched mine, I felt the spark. Beautiful, intense, magical. It was the only way I could describe the feeling of Nic kissing me.
Softly and gently he moved. When his tongue asked for permission, I granted it to him without hesitation. The kiss deepened and Nic pulled my body against his.
An explosive fire ripped through my body. All I could do was moan. Nic’s hand moved around my waist, pulling me to him so I could feel how much the kiss was affecting him as well.
Then it happened.
Music came blaring from Charity’s room.
She. Did. Not.
Nic pulled back and looked at me with his brows pinched together. “What in the hell is she playing?”
I rolled my eyes. “Olivia Newton-John. The song’s called “Magic”.”
The corners of Nic’s mouth rose into a beautiful smile that had my knees shaking.
“I’d say she hit that spot on.”
Matching his smile, I giggled. “I’d say.”
Nic took a step back as his eyes gazed into mine. His smile slowly faded. The confusion in his eyes was hard to miss. I was pretty positive I had the same look in mine.