Falling For Nick (37 page)

Nick took a deep breath, then turned the knob, letting himself into the apartment. Clea stood at the window, her back to him. Was she upset? Could he blame her if she was? He went to her, his hands spanning her waist. She didn't flinch, didn't push him away as he'd feared she might. Instead she relaxed against him. Her surrender sent a shot of pleasure through him. They hadn't been alone since the night they'd made love. There was still so much unsaid between them, but he vowed to say everything tonight.

"Are you all right?" he asked. Her summer scent filled him and he kissed the smooth skin of her neck. For the first time he felt truly free to kiss her, to love her the way he wanted to. There were no more secrets left between them.

"I should be asking you that," she replied a catch in her voice.

"I'm going to be fine, Princess. In fact, I'm going to be better than fine."

She turned in the circle of his arms.

He wanted to kiss her fears away. His mouth lowered to hers.

"Wait." Her hands landed on his chest.

"I don't want to wait anymore," he said. "I need you. I want you. I love you."

He expected desire to fill her eyes, but instead he saw a resolve there.

"No," she said, putting some distance between them. "I can't. I need to know where we stand."

"All right." He understood her need for answers. "We're standing in my new apartment."

"What?" Her brows drew together in confusion.

"The lease was up at Maude's. I knew this place was up for rent. I went to Mitzi and rented it." He waited for her reaction.

"You can't be serious?" she said incredulously.

"Why not?"

"I don't know." She spun away from him, but he could hear the confusion in her tone, see it in her body language.

This wasn't the reaction he'd expected. He was going about things all wrong. She was pulling away from him and that was the last thing he wanted. "I wanted to leave the door open."

"For what?" she asked in a small voice.

"For you and John."

"Are you saying you want us to stay?"

"Hell, yes, I want you to stay," he answered, suddenly realizing that she hadn't understood his motives for taking the apartment, "but I'm not going to let you."

She turned to face him and he could see the angst in her eyes, the wanting. "What if I want to stay?"

He smiled. "No way." He cupped her face in his hands. "You have to go, at least for now. This is important. You have incredible talent. I didn't say anything sooner, but I've been working on things."

"What kinds of things?" she asked her tone hopeful now.

"I sold The Boss today." He kept the regret from his voice and looked straight into her eyes. The Boss had been a part of him for years, a part he didn't need anymore.

She started to speak, to protest, but he covered her lips with his fingers. "I wanted to, for us. Billy, John, and I drove to Tacoma today to deliver the Mustang to the new owner. I want to use the money as a down payment for Mullin's. Mr. Mullin has offered to sell the garage to me. Thanks to my website, I already have four vintage car restorations lined up. There's big money in this business. You won't lack for anything, Princess. I promise. I want to take Mullin's offer, but it depends on you."

"On me?"

"If you want me. If you want to make a life with me here."

She gave him the most brilliant smile he'd ever seen. A smile he felt all over his body.

"Of course I want you. I've always wanted you." She brought her hands up to grasp his forearms. "I love you, Nick Lombard. I always have."

Nick didn't give her a chance to reach for him. He claimed her mouth in a kiss of liquid fire. Every emotion he felt for her went into his kiss. He needed to show her how much he loved her. With a growl, he picked her up and bore her to the bedroom, but he didn't lay her down on the bed. Instead, he released her, letting her body slide down his until her feet hit the floor.

For one exquisite moment they stared into each other's eyes, the effect shattering.

Then Clea yanked his t-shirt from his jeans, bringing it up, over his head, tossing it to the floor where it landed with a whisper.

She went for his fly next, but Nick grabbed her hands. If she touched him, he'd go up in flames, and he wasn't ready to do that yet, not until she felt the same passion and desire he did. Grasping the hem of her sweater, he pulled it over her head. Her hair floated like a cloud around them and he couldn't get her jeans off fast enough. He yanked his own pants off with an urgency she couldn't mistake for anything other than what it was - pure lust.

Together they fell onto the bed. Clea's bra hit the floor. Her panties followed, the lace light and airy in his hands. The satin of her skin slid under his. And then he was inside her. A contented purr left her lips, and he kissed her, over and over, so deep and so consuming he couldn't think, only feel her around him, against him, until she climaxed, crying out. She tightened around him and he found his own release, the feeling so intense he thought he must have gone to heaven.

The sound of their ragged breathing filled the room. A sheen of moisture covered their bodies, so great was the heat between them.

Nick pulled back to stare down at her. "Damn." His mouth moved against hers. "Marry me. Today, tomorrow, whenever you want. Just say you'll do it."

"I want to, but I have to talk to John first." Love sparkled in her eyes.

"I already have. I asked him today. He wasn't as excited as I wanted him to be, but he said it was okay if I asked you. I'm asking, Princess. Say yes."

"Yes."

He sealed the proposal with a kiss.

"I love you, Nick," she said.

"And I love you." He rolled to his side, taking her with him. "I'll be here for you in any way you want. I'll wait here, or I'll come with you to New York if that's what you want. My parole has been lifted. I'm free to come and go as I please. Or I can keep John with me, here in Port Bliss. I know my relationship with John is still new, but if he wants to stay, he's welcome. I'll take care of him for you while you do your internship. I love him as much as you do."

"I know you do." Clea stroked his jaw, her touch gentle and soft. "I want to live here, Nick. I want my son to still have his best friend. We can talk to John together, and ask him what he wants. I'll go to New York, but I'll come back to you. A part of me has never given up hope that we'd be together one day. You are my dream, Nick, for myself and for John. My photography takes second place next to the love I feel for you. Love is everything. Family is everything."

Family was everything. For the first time in his life he felt like he had it all. In Clea's arms he'd found the love of his life. He had a chance with his son. He had his family back.

And that made Nick smile.

Joleen James won the Golden Heart
®
Award in 2008 for her series contemporary book
Under A Harvest Moon
.

In August 2012, she became an Indie author with the launch of her short story
Hostage Heart
. Her contemporary romance novel
Falling For Nick
debuted in October 2012.

When she’s not busy writing, Joleen enjoys spending time with her family at her lakeside home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. You can find Joleen James at
www.joleenjames.com
and on Facebook and Twitter.