“I’ve got all the danger you need, baby…” Nick said, coming to claim her mouth.
Simone closed her eyes and felt the weight of his body on hers. This was also something that she didn’t participate in. After Darryl, she’d never let another man pin her down with his body weight.
Nick felt her hesitation and looked down into her face. “Talk to me,”
She opened her eyes to his. “I don’t do it this way…because of him.” Simone told him and closed her eyes again. She heard Dr. Richards voice telling her that the best way to get over bad memories is to replace them with new ones that generate intense emotion.
Nick began to move away from her and she held on to him tightly, squeezing her eyes shut tightly and forcing herself to breath slowly.
“Help me,” she whispered.
He kissed her face softly. “Tell me what you need, Simone.”
“I want to erase him forever,” she told Nick. “Help me to replace him.”
Nick settled himself over her. “He’s gone baby,”
Simone opened her mouth and body underneath his and Nick made slow, passionate love to both. Nick felt Simone’s solid strength as she held on to him. He also felt her initial fear, that had dissipated and released her intense ardor. She raked her nails across his upper back while she held him in place with a pair of strong, soft thighs.
Nick lost himself inside of this beautiful creature in his bed. Her hoarse screams and moans spurred him on to bringing her the utmost pleasure. He heard his name in his ear, then felt her release her hold before allowing himself to come to his own ending.
After a few silent minutes, Nick looked down into her peaceful face with her eyes still closed. She was breathing softly and he kissed her gently.
“Simone…”
“Nick…”
He continued to look at her. “Talk to me,”
“Thank you,” she whispered, with her eyes still closed.
Simone felt Nick move away and stayed prostrate on the bed, enjoying her new memory and replaying it in her head. A minute later, she felt Nick join her again before he pulled her into his arms.
She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “I think I want to keep you.”
“I think I’ll let you,”
Simone ran a hand across his chest, lightly sprinkled with dark hair. “Thank you for being so unselfish.”
“It wasn’t a hardship to make love with you,”
She shrugged. “I mean, I know how to get down and I promise I’ll show you that…but I needed to feel this.”
Nick cradled her face. “Making love isn’t about how much freaky shit you can do. It’s about being connected to the person that you’re with. Thank you for trusting me to be the man you wanted new memories with…” He kissed her sensually, making her moan deep in her throat.
“You know that if you break my heart, I know how to kill you,” Simone told him.
“I’m not going to break your heart, baby.”
Simone kept her eyes on his chest. “I’ll have to go soon, so…”
Nick frowned. “Where are you going?”
She looked up at his tone. “Home.”
“You can stay here tonight. I’ll take you home in the morning, then to the Women’s Center,” he told her.
Sitting up, Simone looked at him. “I don’t stay…I can’t.”
Nick laid back and put a hand over his face. “You didn’t stay in the past,” he said flatly.
“Are you angry?” she asked confused.
He removed his hand and reached out to touch her tousled hair. “No baby, I’m not mad. Let’s go.”
Simone watched him get up from the bed and begin to gather their clothing.
“I don’t have to leave right now,” Simone said, as he handed her the underwear and dress she’d worn.
“Let’s go now, rather than getting up later.” Nick said slipping into his clothing. Simone paused, watching him get dressed…because even while she was getting mad as hell at him, watching him put his clothes on, was still the sexiest thing she’d ever watched.
He looked up, when he was done. “Get dressed. I’ll be waiting.”
She blinked when he left the room. Slowly, Simone put on her bra and panties before slipping back into her dress. Stopping at the bathroom, she relieved herself and looked into the mirror.
“Don’t go back…It’s okay,” she told her reflection, then wiped her face as the tears began to flow. “Dammit, don’t cry…”
A knock on the door startled her. “Simone?”
She sniffed. “I’m coming.”
Nick tried the door and found it locked. “Simone, open the door.”
“Wait! I’m coming,” she called back. Frantically, she turned on the water, and grabbed some tissue to wipe her face.
The door opened and she froze. “What the hell is going on?” Nick asked.
“How did you get in?”
“It’s my house, Simone. You think I can’t open the damn doors?”
She turned away. “I told you, I was coming.”
Nick walked over and tried to hug her.
“Don’t touch me!”
He looked confused. “What’s wrong?”
Simone spun to him angrily. “You put me out of your house and then ask me what’s wrong?”
“I didn’t put you out,” Nick defended. “You said that you couldn’t stay…that you didn’t stay. So I agreed.”
“You treated me like a prostitute!” Simone accused.
“What?” He yelled, then reached for her hand. “Come here!”
Simone followed reluctantly as he led her down the hall into the living room.
“Sit down and talk to me,” he ordered. “Because we clearly have some miscommunication.”
She folded her arms. “Just take me to my car.”
“Sit down, Simone.”
“You’re going to try to keep me here against my will?” she snapped.
Nick sat down. “I’m sure as hell going to keep you here until we clear this up.”
“You told me to get out,” Simone said angrily.
“No, never said that.”
She glared at him. “In so many words…”
“Again, no…” He shook his head.
“Then what do you call it, Nick?”
He stood and walked over to her. “Let me give you my version of events tonight,” Nick began staring down into her angry face. “I asked you to stay with me tonight, but because of things in your past, you said that you couldn’t do that.”
Nick touched her face. “It had already been an emotional evening for you, so I wasn’t going to push you to stay…and since you can’t stay with me, I’ll come stay with you.”
“Because I’m not leaving you alone tonight,” Nick finished. “I need to hold you in my arms and watch you wake up.”
Simone digested his words. “You’re coming home with me?”
He nodded.
“That’s what you meant?”
“Yes, what did you think?”
She touched the hand that held her face. “I thought you just wanted to get rid of me.”
“Why would I want that?”
Simone closed her eyes. “I tend to think the worse…”
“I wanted to leave now, so that we could go and get settled in until morning,” Nick explained. “I don’t want to get rid of you. I want to be as close to you as possible.”
He lowered his head and kissed her, then tasted her tears.
“Simone…”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. “Come home with me…”
******
An hour later, Nick laid across Simone’s bed, fully dressed in a clean T-shirt and sweats after showering at her apartment. Simone had also showered and changed into a sexy little black teddy.
Lying on their sides, they faced one another and Simone gave him a sexy smile. “Welcome to my bedroom.”
Nick looked around. “Thank you for having me. It’s very nice.”
“I’ve never had a man here,”
“I told you that I’d love to be your first.”
Simone laughed softly. “Can I get you anything?”
He pulled her closer. “No, this is sufficient.”
She settled into him. “Tell me about some of your missions,” Simone requested.
“I’ve been all over the world,” Nick told her. “As Special Ops our missions were the most dangerous and the most secretive. “
“Were you ever hurt?”
“Minor things, but nothing that I couldn’t walk away from.” He glanced down at her. “What about you?”
“No, I’ve never been hurt,” Simone answered. “Ray didn’t really send his female Diamonds into extremely dangerous situations. After my Atlanta mission, he had me on desk duty as his receptionist.”
“What happened in Atlanta?”
“Trent had me pose as a sex addict to try to catch a killer psychiatrist,” she explained.
Nick frowned. “A sex addict?”
She sighed. “Yes, and that’s how I met my doctor. He also saw beyond the façade.”
He stroked her back. “I’m sorry that you needed a façade.”
“I don’t anymore,” she said happily.
Nick moved to rub her head gently. “How do you feel about tonight?”
Simone sighed. “I never thought I’d ever enjoy the feel of a man’s body on top of mine, especially being intimate.” She pushed him over and climbed over him. “This was the usual.”
Nick put his hands behind his head. “This is what you like?”
“This was my way of dominating.” She shrugged. “Bring him to the brink then stop…”
She stared down at Nick. “Make him beg…”
“Damn,” he said quietly.
“I know,” Simone agreed quietly. “It made me feel powerful and in control.”
She looked away. “And it also left me feeling empty and sad every time…” Simone laid her head on his chest.
“Do you feel empty now?” Nick asked.
Stretching out over his body, she shook her head. “No, I feel warm and happy.”
Nick placed a hand on her back. “Let’s keep it that way.”
Simone caressed his chest through his shirt. “I can only sleep in my own bed,” she confessed.
“Okay, so I know that when I want to spend the night with you, I’ll come here. It’s not a problem,” he assured her.
“Are you sure?”
“Wherever I can be with you, Simone…I’ll be there.”
She cuddled closer. “Are you coming by my office tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’m bringing someone to prep for your installation of new cameras and security measures.”
“Thank you for helping me with that.”
Nick kissed the top of her head. “You know the Diamonds could have done that for you.”
“I know, but I try not to bother them too much.”
“I’m glad that I’m here to do it,” Nick told her.
“I appreciate what you’ve done.” She looked up at him. “Everything…”
He touched his lips to hers for a moment before she rested against him again.
“We need to figure out what’s going on with your Mrs. Polk,” he reminded her.
Simone sighed. “I’m going to give her like a week, before I go check on the kids.”
“Her husband’s still in custody, so she’s probably, frantically trying to get him out.” Nick said in disgust.
“I hope this doesn’t end badly, but you know I tend to think the worse.”
“Yes, I found that out tonight,”
She was silent for a moment. “You’re almost too good to be true Nick, so at the first provocation, I was ready to think that I’d made a mistake.”
“You can trust your judgement Simone. I am exactly who you think I am,” Nick told her firmly. You said that you trusted Ray and Dr. Richards, and you can trust me. I promise you…”
“I’d like to lick your neck now,”
Nick paused. “As long as you know that you’re getting licked in return,”
Simone smiled and proceeded to do her favorite thing. “I love your neck,” she whispered.
“I love a few things on you,” Nick said, grabbing her behind.
“Would you like to get more acquainted with that part?” Simone continued to tongue his warm skin.
“Very, very acquainted…” Nick slid her nightie over her head, then bent her over on the bed.
Simone’s hair fell over her face and she pushed it away as Nick hastily shed his clothing. With a large palm on her ass cheek, he leaned down and bit it gently.
“Oh!” Simone yelped. “Okay…”
She looked back at him. “This is different…”
He gave her another of those orgasmic smiles, while he covered himself with the latex.
“Remember when I told you that if you licked me, you’d get licked in return?” he asked, positioning her and pressing down on her spine, causing her ass to stick up higher in the air.
“Yes,” Simone breathed, then felt the answer to her question.
By the time Nick slipped inside of her, she was already half out of her mind from his ‘licking’. In Simone’s mind, he’d incorporated sucking, nipping and biting, but hey…who was keeping track at this point, because every touch had taken her closer to another place.
Nick gripped her hips as he passionately plunged inside and slowly retreated. His hands gripped and massaged her firm cheeks, in between sweet love taps, that made her shriek in pleasure. When he flipped her over, he whispered in her ear. “Put your hands above your head…”
Simone’s eyes darkened as she complied. Returning to her body, Nick also took to licking her breasts and nipples. They climaxed together, then he laid on top of her, while they both gathered their breath.
“You can definitely keep me…” Nick whispered in her ear.
******
The next morning, Simone watched Nick sleeping in her bed. She could get used to waking up next to a handsome man, who bit her on the ass. Smiling, she hopped from the bed and hit the bathroom, before heading to the kitchen.
A short time later, she was joined by a sleepy, shirtless Nick.
“Good morning, handsome,” Simone greeted as he came to her.
“Good morning, Simone.” He moved her hair and kissed her neck. “You look beautiful, sleeping and awake.”
She hugged him. “So do you…I’m making breakfast.”
Nick looked at his watch. “What time do you need to be at the Women’s Center?”
Simone moved away. “Not until later…I have another appointment this morning.”
He pulled her back. “The Polks?” Nick questioned, suspiciously.
“No, not the Polks…” Simone managed to escape his grasp again.
Nick nodded. “May I ask where you’re going? Just in case I need to show up?”
She went to the stove and turned on the burner to make eggs. “You don’t need to show up.”
He followed her and turned the burner off from behind, then wrapped his arms around her. “Talk to me.”
Simone looked down. “I’m going to see Dr. Richards.”
“Something wrong?”
“No, I just want to decompress with him after last night.”
“You didn’t want to tell me that?” Nick asked curiously.
She shrugged. “I mean, you don’t announce that you’re going to get your head examined.”
Nick turned her to him. “You know that I support you in seeing your doctor. You don’t have to feel ashamed about seeing him.”
She looked up at him. “See, I’m crazy…”
“Last night, you crossed a lot of boundaries, so of course you want to process all of that,” Nick told her.
“Are you sure that you don’t have the degree in Psychology?” she joked.
Nick looked at her surprised. “I do, Simone.”
She blinked. “No, you got your degree in the military, in Criminal Justice.”
“I double majored…one degree is in Psychology. It helped to be able to understand people’s different emotions, while on complex missions.”
“Are you serious?” Simone asked.
He shrugged. “I thought you knew.”
Simone stepped away. “No wonder you understand my moods so well.”
“I think that’s attributed more to the connection that we have,” he disagreed.
“So you’re the shrink in residence?”
Nick frowned. “Why do you seem angry?”
“I don’t need another doctor,” Simone told him.
“I haven’t tried to be,” he replied firmly. “Nor do I want to be…”
Simone went back to making eggs.
“Is there a problem?” Nick asked.
She shook her head. “No,”
“Okay…” Nick left the kitchen and Simone sighed.
“This is why your ass is going to be alone,” she muttered to herself.
Before she could put the eggs on, Nick returned. He turned off the stove and lifted her into his arms.
“Nick!”
He stalked out of the kitchen and back to the bedroom. “Apparently you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, so I’m going to put you back in there.”
She stared at him as he walked to the opposite side of where she’d slept, and placed her on the bed, then laid on top of her.
Staring down into her amused face, he said, “Good morning, Simone.”
“Good morning, Nick.” She smiled at him.
“Now, that’s so much better,” he told her.
Simone put her arms around him. “I’m sorry, I snapped at you in the kitchen. That was uncalled for…”
“Because I’ve studied psychology, I understand what’s going on with you. Fight or flight is kicking in because you’re realizing that this is real…” he explained.
She closed her eyes. “It feels that way and it terrifies me…”
“One day at a time, Simone. I’m not going anywhere…” Nick promised.
Lifting her lids slowly, she smiled. “I like this side of the bed.”
******
Simone sat in Dr. Richards office on the sofa. She was lying on her back with an arm over her face, while he sat in an adjacent chair.
“Are you safe?”
Simone sighed. “Yes, I’m safe.”
“Well, I’ll let you start.”
“I did it.”
He nodded. “Just so we’re on the same page, what exactly is ‘it’?”
“I made love to Nick.”
“Okay,”
She removed her arm. “I even let him lie on top.” Simone covered her face with her hands.
“Is that what he wanted?” Dr. Richards questioned with concern.
Lowering her hands, she shook her head. “It’s what I asked for…”
Dr. Richards nodded. “And do you know why you asked for that particular position when you’ve had an aversion to it for all these years?”
Simone looked at him. “I listened to my heart.”
“Was your heart wrong?” Dr. Richards asked. “Do you regret it?”
She took a deep breath. “Not at all...Nick made a new memory for me, and it’s beautifully intense.”
“After your time with Nick, how did you feel?”
Simone smiled. “My time with Nick ended this morning when he dropped me off at work to get my car.”
Dr. Richards looked surprised. “You stayed the night with him?”
“Yes, but at my place…not his. I still can’t sleep away from my bed.”
“Does Nick know about your therapy?”
“I’ve told him everything…”
The doctor wrote on his pad. “When you say everything…?”
“I’ve told him about the assault in detail and about my dreams for the future,” Simone explained.
“You’ve started to trust him…” Dr. Richards commented.
“I have,”
He looked at her. “What makes him different from every other man?”
“He understands me in a way that I don’t even understand myself…” Simone said, wistfully. “He anticipates and can handle my moods. I feel safe and protected with him, while at the same time I feel stronger than I’ve ever thought I was...”
Dr. Richard nodded as she continued.
“Nick says that I can trust my judgement, just like I trusted you and Ray. And I’ve just realized that he has something in common with you both. He’s patient and kind like you, and he’s dangerous and giving like Ray. I’ve found my perfect man,” she said with a smile. “Now I just have to keep him.”
“I agree with your Nick. You can trust your judgement, Simone, and if Nick is who you want, then work at building a relationship with him,” Dr. Richards advised.
“I am, Dr. Richards,” Simone vowed. “Because Nicholas Webster is everything I want.”