AllFreeNovel
Share Us
8
Sydney
What wasn’t fun and festive were the sleeping arrangements. The entire time I sat next to Nick on the couch, it was all I could think about. Lying next to him the whole night. I honestly didn’t trust myself, but what could I do? I didn’t want to sleep on the cold, hard floor.
“Night, you two!” Mr. and Mrs. Milton waved to us as we climbed the stairs to the bedroom. Gran went to bed an hour ago; her snoring echoed down the hall as we walked to our room.
“Good first night,” Nick said, closing the door and kicking off his shoes. He then proceeded to untuck his dress shirt, undoing each button methodically. My mouth went dry as I watched him, the toned muscles of his broad chest peeking out. Unbidden heat rolled through me even as I internally cursed myself.
“You going to change or are you planning on sleeping in your clothes?” Nick asked, catching my eye.
“I, ah, yes. I’m going to change.” I grabbed my pajamas out of my suitcase and headed into the bathroom.
“So modest,” Nick said, his voice slightly muffled through the closed door. “It’s not like I haven’t seen you before.”
This was true. He most definitely had seen me before.
“That was different; that was before. This is now,” I said, concentrating on folding my sweater neatly, placing it on the counter. I paused, debating the bra situation. Leave it on? Take it off? After a few seconds, I unhooked the clasp in one swift motion. Shimmying out of my jeans, I slid into my navy satin pjs.
I squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush, ran it under the water. It’d been a long day; maybe I’d fall asleep quickly. Wiping my mouth, I headed into the bedroom. Nick was sprawled on the bed, wearing only a pair of gym shorts, his perfectly toned abs illuminated in the soft glow of the bedside table lamp.
Gawd, I forgot how freaking gorgeous he was.I inhaled a quick breath of confident indifference and climbed under the covers, clicking my light off.
“Not even a good night?” he teased, following my lead and turning his light off too.
“Good night,” I said into the darkness, my back to him. Anything to prevent me from touching his perfect, beautiful body, even though I physically ached for him right now.
“Night, Syd.” He moved closer to me, dropping a soft, sweet kiss on my cheek. His masculine, spicy scent tickled my nose and I turned slightly towards his kiss.
And then I blew it. I kissed him back. On the lips.
Damn it. Nick Milton was a fucking amazing kisser.
He didn’t even hesitate, cupping my face with those strong hands and meeting my kiss with those full, skilled lips, applying the exact right amount of pressure. He kissed me like he’d been waiting for me for years and like we hadn’t lost any time at all. Pure ecstasy rushed through my body, every nerve electrified.
“Nick,” I murmured against his mouth.
“Ssh, I know. We won’t tell anyone. It’s just for this week. I missed you, Syd.” He pulled back, gazing at me, his face a mix of shadows and streaks of moonlight spilling in from the gauzy curtains.
“I missed you, too. But we can’t. We work together again.”
He ran his finger down my cheek, his touch so light it could have been mistaken for a breeze. “We’re not working now.”
I smiled into the darkness. “That’s true. I’ve never gone to work in my pajamas.”
“Exactly. Now you’re catching on.” He leaned over, kissing me again. Against my better judgement, I kissed back, opening my mouth to his and letting him in. Feelings I’d tamped down for the last few months exploded in my chest, my heart hammering hard against my ribcage.
His hands moved from my face to my shoulder, down the bare skin of my arm. A ripple of desire slid through me, my entire body flushed, chill bumps of excitement rising on my arm. I shivered.
“Are you cold?” Nick asked, concern lacing his voice. “I could turn up the heat.”
“Quite the opposite,” I whispered, tracing the strong line of his square jaw.
“I don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Syd, so you take the lead.”
“I think we passed those boundaries a while back. Like, on Tuesday. But I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to. Even if I’ve given you a hard time about it.”
He chuckled. “Nothing like sending a guy mixed messages.”
