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She winked at Bailey, and she barely suppressed a giggle as the woman danced over to her husband with a glass of wine in one hand and a plate in the other.Scooping up several containers and dumping them into the now empty box, she was glad she had ordered so much, and that the hard part was over.
More than just getting away from the stalker, she was excited to surprise Nassau. She couldn’t wait to see him, touch him, and be in his presence. It hadn’t taken much time over the weekend to realize every moment without him felt like an eternal itch under her skin.
Hoping she was at the right house, she turned the handle, only to be assaulted by the sounds of young boys yelling and cussing. It took a second to realize they weren’t yelling at her, but that was long enough for Nassau to sit up from the chair he was in, alarm in his eyes.
“Hey, I brought food. Hope I brought enough. Didn’t know you wouldn’t be home.”
The look of alarm faded to relief when he saw her, and he hopped over the couch to pull the box from her hands and set it on the table. Without hesitation, and without a word, he pulled her into the hallway, out of sight from the kiddos, and pushed her against the wall.
In the dark, his mouth found hers, and his large hand splayed across her neck and jaw, pinning her in place. The kiss was hungry, but slow, and he took his time, his other hand roaming the length of her body until he squeezed her ass, massaging and holding onto her like his life depended on it.
And maybe it did. The feeling of need that had built over the last three days wasn’t extinguished by his presence like she thought it would be. Instead, his touch stoked the flames of her desperation, and a fierce desire ripped through her. Goosebumps covered her arms, and she clawed at his biceps until he broke the kiss.
“They said you weren’t coming back.”
Forehead to forehead, they panted together, and she tried to focus. “I promised. I don’t break my promises.”
“Damnit, Bailey. I can’t just do once with you. I’ve needed you.”
“You have me for one more week, Nas. One week.”He rocked against her, trying to bring himself back to reality, and she pulled away. One of them had to.“You going to introduce me to the children you’ve been babysitting for five years?”
He barely acknowledged her words, his thumb running along her bottom lip absently as the boys’ voices rang out from around the corner.
“Nas? Where’d you go?” There was a pause, and some rustling from the box. “Is this food? It smells good. Hey, Simon. I think Nas ordered us food. Better come get some…Bruhhh, there’s chocolate.”
Pulling her from the hallway, Nassau led her into the dining area behind the couches. “This is Bailey. She lives in Aisling but is visiting for the week.” He gestured at the boys. “Theo and Simon.” When she lifted her eyebrow in slight disbelief, he shrugged his shoulders. “Their dad’s name is Alvin, and their mom thought that would be funny.”
“Hi! Umm…my family owns the Italian food restaurant in Aisling, so I brought over a few dishes to thank Nas for helping me out. Like a thank you. I hope you like it.” She smiled big, unsure how to handle this age of boys.
“Nice. I call the chocolate dessert!” The younger one piled a plate full and took the whole dessert container with him to the living room, where he plopped back down in front of the video game.
She turned to Nas, lifting her eyebrows suggestively. “I wanted to say thanks, and I wanted to surprise you. So…surprise. I convinced Axel to let me stay the rest of the week.”
When he looked at her doubtfully, she laughed softly. “Maybe convinced is not the word. I bribed him with food, made him feel guilty, and told him I was staying. Then I walked out.”
“And your guards?”
“No guards. Just you. You’re supposed to escort me home tonight.”
“Hmmmm.”
The deep timbre of his voice sent tingles down her spine, and she couldn’t help leaning into him. She wanted her body against his, but that wasn’t happening in a room of kids.
“What time is your babysitting duty over?”
“Not soon enough.”
“Let’s eat, then. I’m starving. Hadn’t had the restaurant food in months, so I brought ten different dishes. The others are at your house.”
She licked her lips as she followed him to the chair he pulled out for her. Sometimes, his silence was unnerving, but right now it added to the sexual tension in the air. “But I wouldn’t go over there right now. Your mom had very specific instructions for us to knock if we came back. I may have brought them two bottles of wine.”
At that, a smile ghosted his lips, and he pulled plates out for them. Both boys had already taken full bowls of pasta but hadn’t touched the salad or bread. For her, that was the best part.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love a good ragu and pasta, but there’s something about crunchy bread and plain, buttered pastanoodles. Oh, and some fresh salad and mozzarella. It can’t be beat.”
They ate in silence, with her occasionally chatting about random things, but he never went back to the game, even when the boys complained they were losing. Instead, he pulled her up, walking her outside to the porch swing, and they sat in the dark, listening to the crickets chirp. She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest, and finally the itch subsided enough for her to breathe. Damnit. This felt so good. He felt good. Too good.
Every time she thought she knew what she wanted, everything changed. She changed. Every time she thought she could tell him the truth, he did something to scare her away.
