Page 85 of Enough
He’s lying on his back with his arm over his head, resting on his pillow. His eyes are closed, and I stare at him for a moment before I softly climb back into bed next to him.
I gently turn to face him and watch him sleep. My eyes dart over his bare chest, and I long to slide my hands over his abs. I memorize the tiny freckle above his left nipple and the small amount of dark hair in his armpit. Only on Nick would I find that hair sexy. I try to find a flaw, just one thing that doesn’t turn me on about him, and I come up empty. I take small, steadying breaths as I attempt to remember what possessed me to let him go all those years ago. He’s beautiful. He’s sweet. Could I still have feelings for him? Are they new feelings or did they never really go away?
“So, what do you think?” he whispers as he lifts one eyelid.
It shocks me to know he’s not sleeping. “Did I wake you?” I ask.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“What do you mean?” I mumble softly.
“Do you honestly think any part of me can relax with your body so close to mine?”
Nick has always had a way of making me feel beautiful. “You’re crazy,” I whisper.
“I’m still crazy about you. When do I get to see you again?”
“I work tomorrow, then again on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
He turns his body to face mine. “So what I’m hearing is you’re free Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.”
I laugh. “No… I can’t do school nights. Too hard.”
“So, Saturday and Sunday?”
“I’ll see you at next week’s game, I suppose. How did you end up helping out Marlow’s team, by the way?”
He lifts his hand and pulls a small strand of hair out of my mouth before he answers. “Scott Dawson and I work together. His daughter, Nichole, is on the team, and one day at work we were discussing soccer. I told him I played college ball and he all but begged me to come out and talk to the kids. I really only intended to do the one day, but I got such a kick out of it that I started coming as often as I could.”
“What are the chances?” I ask.
“Yeah. I guess I’m pretty lucky.”
“So it seems I would have seen you whether Cooper pulled Gwen over or not?”
“I guess so.”
“It’s kind of weird that you work for a company in this state too.”
“Yeah,” he says through a small smile that doesn’t touch his eyes.
“I can’t believe you’ve been here for three years and I never saw you once.” I lean up on my elbow.
The corner of his mouth curls upward, and he also rises onto his elbow. Now our elbows are touching. It’s as if I just came into contact with a furnace. My elbow is immediately warm and tingling.
I stare at our arms for a second and so does he. His eyes gaze into mine with such intensity I think my vagina may explode. My breathing becomes ragged, and I purposefully move my arm so that it’s touching more of his. He notices and turns farther into me. Our bodies are inches apart, and I can feel hisheat through the blankets pressed between us like a barrier.
His hand lifts to my face, and he rubs the outside of his fingers on my cheek. Then he reaches for my free hand and holds it between us. He glances down to my hand and turns it to examine my fingers. I smile on the inside and I’m transported back in time to a much younger Nick with my hand in his.
“You have the most stunning hands I’ve ever seen,” he whispers, bringing my fingers to his lips. He kisses the outside of my knuckles and I twist my hand to bring the tips of my fingers to his mouth. I gently skate my fingers over his soft, wet lips, and he opens them slightly to breathe. When I start to repeat the movement, he kisses them. He lifts his hand to mine once again and holds my fingers against his mouth, where he kisses my fingers then my palm. His eyes never deter from mine, and I know he’s watching me to see if he’s gone too far. I can’t help the small moan that escapes my lips or the alarm in my head that unwillingly jolts my hand away from his mouth.
He lowers my hand to rest between us. Although I want him with every fiber of my being, I’m scared. If I move too fast, I may get hurt. He seems to sense my nervousness and responds with a simple nod of his head. He leans his head on the pillow and I mimic him. He continues to touch my fingers. The slow, soft feel of his hand stroking mine relaxes me, and my eyes become heavier. The last thing I remember is him smiling at me. It’s my smile.
“SO LET ME get this straight… You were lying in bed with a nearly naked Nick Rowen, who had just kissed your fingertips, and you fell asleep?”
I laugh lightly as I pour myself a cup of coffee and glance out the window at Marlow and Kale playing catch. “Yeah, that’s what happened.” I move my cell to my other shoulder to hear Gwen better.
“Was your car in your driveway when you came home?” she asks.
