He moves his lips along my hairline as he shakes his head. “I’m not going anywhere.” His words are such a promise. A promise no one has ever given me. Everyone leaves. Well, except Callie and Jaylin. And so far, Nico.
I hear the door open, the bell chiming, and I freeze. When Callie’s small voice reaches me, I cling to Nico.
“Everything okay?”
I don’t even have time to answer before Nico says, “Everything is fine, Callie. Give your sister a few minutes, okay?”
“Yeah, no problem,” I hear her say, but I know she hasn’t shut the door. “Are you guys okay?”
I close my eyes, and I feel Nico’s chuckles against the top of my head. “We’re fine. Go inside.”
Finally, the door shuts, and I hold Nico tighter. He kisses the top of my head, and I open my eyes. The sun is setting, turning the clouds an amazing pink color. I love nights here. I love this shop. I love my sister, and I really like Nico. I don’t want to fight with him. I already don’t have enough time for myself. The time I do have, I don’t want to spend fighting with someone I like. Someone I want to be around. Someone who makes me feel so good.
I pull back to look at him, only to find him looking down at me. His eyes are such a beautiful brown, and his smirk, it’s breathtaking. “I’m sorry for how things went down that night.”
“That night was great. It was the morning after.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, and it thrills me that he thought it was great too. “Right. The night was perfect.”
“It was.”
“So yeah, I’m sorry for how I handled things.”
He shrugs, moving his hand up my throat to my jaw. “I think we should have used better communication.”
I nod, though I can’t keep from smiling up at him. “Yeah. But I’m sorry I was an asshole when you came in here. Though, you were an asshole first.”
His face breaks into a grin. “That’s a very backward apology, but you’re right. I was, and you were.” He kisses my nose, and I lean into him. With his mouth moving against the spot between my nose and lip, he says, “I shouldn’t have come in here acting all crazy-pants. I thought you didn’t want me.”
“I was scared you didn’t want me.”
He leans back as he slides his thumb along my lip. “So now we know we both want each other.”
“That’s really good to know.”
“It is,” he agrees, playing with my lip.
“What does it mean?”
“Mean?”
“For us.”
“It means I want to be with you.”
“In or out of bed?”
He chuckles. “Very much in the bed, but also out of it. I think we could have something here.”
Could we? I want it so badly, and that has to mean something since I haven’t wanted a relationship in a long time. I felt as if that part of me wasn’t available. But since meeting Nico, that’s changed. I could revert back to questioning my worth to him, but as I look into his eyes, I feel like the most prized jewel. It’s absolutely ridiculous how he makes me feel, and damn it, I love that feeling. So, does that mean we could have something here?
“I think so,” I answer out loud, and his grin takes over his beautiful face. “I’m insanely busy.”
“I’ll work for your time. I’ll make subs if I get to see you.”
Oh heart, be still. “That’s super sweet.”
“It’s true,” he says with a shrug, a little color filling his cheeks. “I’m busy too.”
I shake my head. “I can’t stop a puck, and I sure as hell can’t skate.”
Man, if I don’t love his smile. “Well, I know what our next date will be.”
Yup, I walked right into that.
“But before that, let me make one thing go right for you,” he says, leaning into me.
Between his eyes, his mouth, and his cologne, I’m dizzy. Gone are thoughts of my dad or anything that has to do with him. Nico consumes me, and I have to admit, I’m okay with it.
“What’s that?” I ask, breathless.
He moves closer, his lips touching mine. “Let me make you come.”
Shit, I think I just did. As I gaze up into his eyes, I rise to my tippy-toes and press my mouth into his jaw. “That would make this day a whole lot better.”
“Good,” he says, kissing my nose. “So, I’ll take you and Callie for dinner and then get Callie her ice cream.” Yup, he gets my heart for how he cares for Callie. “Do you like baths?”
I chuckle at his randomness. “I haven’t taken a bath in years.”
He nods. “Then I’ll draw you a bath and then take you right to bed once you’re good and relaxed.”
I swallow hard as I gaze up at him. “Do you know how sexy I find you right now?”