After their orgasms subsided, he remained inside of her for several minutes longer. Both of their bodies were still throbbing with heightened sensations. But when he finally pulled out of her with a long, slow pullout, and he laid on his back to regulate his heavy breathing, he knew his cure was going to only be temporary. Whatever ailed Nikki couldn’t possibly be cured that easily.
But as he pulled her into his arms and held her even after she had fallen asleep, he at least could rest in knowing she was safe and sound in his arms. And was able to rest from her worries.
At least for that night.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Angela Kimberly Sinatra, called Kimmie to everybody that knew her, ate breakfast at the dining table and played a video game on her iPad. It was early the next morning and her mother was also seated at the table, her legs crossed, drinking coffee and looking out through the big, floor-to-ceiling side windows as the groundskeepers began their busy day. But Nikki was so consumed by what was going on in her own life that she wasn’t paying attention to any of those groundskeepers, and had forgotten that her own toddler was still at that table.
But Kimmie, who was a talker by nature, could never keep quiet for long. “Mommy, when am I going to be allowed?”
It was only when Nikki heard her voice did she remember that she was at the table too. She looked at her. How could she have forgotten her own child’s presence? “I’m sorry, baby, what did you say?”
“How old do I have to be to do it too?”
Nikki frowned. “To do what too?”
Kimmie looked at her mother. “Have you been hearing me at all, Mommy?”
Nikki smiled. She was so like Nikki it wasn’t even funny. “I’m afraid I wasn’t hearing you. So tell me what you’re talking about.”
“Drinking coffee. How old do I have to be for you and Daddy to let me drink coffee too?”
“Eighteen,” Nikki said.
“Eighteen? Why that’s forever, Mommy!”
Nikki laughed as Teddy entered the dining room. Fully dressed in jeans that highlighted his muscular thighs and an Eagles jersey with HURTS 1 on the back that highlighted his muscular biceps, Nikki immediately felt an urge to be in his arms again as soon as she saw him. He was to her the embodiment of pure male, which made her proud to be his wife. But that same all maleness, she knew, kept women doing all they could to get some of that for themselves. Raven wasn’t wrong about that. But it would break Nikki’s heart in two if Teddy ever gave in to those heifers.
When Kimmie saw that her father had entered the room she jumped out of her chair and ran to him with her tiny arms open wide. “Daddy!” she cried. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”
Teddy smiled at the thought of his daughter even knowing whatagesmeant as he lifted her into his arms. “You’re an old lady in a child’s body,” he said. “Anybody ever tell you that?”
“You’re an old man in an old man’s body,” Kimmie shot back. “Anybody ever tell you that?”
Nikki laughed again and Teddy kissed Kimmie on her smooth brown cheek. “All the time,” he said to his beloved baby girl. “All the time.”
Then he sat her back down in her chair at the table and walked over to Nikki. She was dressed smartly, he thought, in a bright-blue loosely-fit pantsuit that gave a smooth definition to her gorgeous dark skin. With one of his ascots around her neck, she looked simply irresistible to him. He squeezed her shoulder as he leaned down, looked down her sizeable cleavage, and kissed her on the mouth. Remembering last night and how great it felt to be inside of her, his kiss lingered. He wanted her again.
But he knew once Nikki was dressed she wasn’t coming out of those clothes again any time soon. There were a numberof women he couldn’t even count on two hands that would strip naked in the middle of the street to be with him, but that was his burden to deal with on the regular. It was Nikki he wanted.
He sat down at the head of the table and continued conversing with Kimmie about coffee as Nikki got up and plated him his breakfast. When she placed the food in front of him, he ate heartily as he always did. And it fascinated Nikki as she sat back down. If she ate one third of the amounts of food Teddy consumed, she would be big as their house. But Teddy was hogging that food down.
Nikki shook her head as she sipped from her coffee mug. Kimmie was still going on about why she had to wait so long to drink coffee and Teddy was listening to her as he ate. But he kept taking peeps at Nikki as she sipped her coffee and stared out of the window. Late last night he had his guys get pics of Nikki’s wrecked car and send them to his phone. He was horrified when he saw just how badly it was damaged. The car was damaged on the front, back and driver’s side. He could understand that it would have shaken her. But she was beyond-shaken last night to Teddy. She was rattled. She was emotional and crying. That wasn’t Nikki.
“I didn’t know he was back in town,” Nikki said.
“Who?” asked Teddy.
“Marco.”
“Marco’s still in Peru.”
“That’s news to him,” said Nikki as the front door opened and Marco walked inside.
As soon as Kimmie saw her half-brother, she jumped from the table and ran out of the dining room, through the living room, and right up to him. “Marco! Marco!”
Teddy was as shocked as Kimmie was to see his son. They were very close in age and he favored Teddy even more thanTeddy favored Mick. He was relieved to know that he was back home safe and sound, but it was an early return.