They echoed back hard in my mind, pulsating in the air between us. But I was determined not to let them show on my face. As Nick gazed back with an oblivious smile, I wrapped the sheets firmly around my chest, and flashed him a tight smile in return.
“Not at all. Sorry I fell asleep on you.”
There was a shifting on the bed behind me, as his long arms wrapped around my waist.
“Don’t be sorry,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss into my skin. “You’re welcome to fall asleep on me any time you like. In fact—I encourage it.”
Another chill. I couldn’t control them.
I pulled discreetly away, glancing around on the floor for my clothes. At some point in the night, Nick had taken off my dress. It was a wise decision, given the fact that the thing was couture and I’d surely rip it in my sleep, but it left me with few options now.
“Hey, uh...do you know if James has any clothes around here that might fit me?”
While all of Nick’s estates were packed to the brim with women’s clothes of every size, I was unlikely to have the same luck at any estate belonging to James.
“What’s your hurry?” Those arms were back, pulling me ever closer. “I can think of quite a few things we can do this morning that don’t require clothes...”
A rush of anger welled up inside me, but I was quick to subdue it. Nick was under no obligation to be in a ‘relationship’ with me. And knowing him as well as I did, I was stupid to think that would even have been possible. That anything might have been different just because I might have wanted it to be.
At any rate, I was never—not in a million years—going to confess to overhearing that conversation last night.
“I’m actually...I’m actually still feeling a little tired,” I said evasively, pulling once again out of his reach with a tight smile. “I just want to get dressed and find some coffee.”
This time, my deflections were too obvious for even a sleep-starved Nick to ignore.
He sat up quickly, letting the sheets fall around his bare waist, as he looked me up and down. “Is everything okay? You seem...upset.”
Despite how much time we’d spent together, Nick had never seen me upset. Despite how many shenanigans I’d had to rescue him from—screaming in frustration all the while—this was a different kind of emotion altogether.
“No, I’m fine,” I said quickly, tossing my hair like a protective curtain between us. “I’m still just spinning from the champagne and the helicopter ride. I need to get some caffeine in my system, try to figure out what we—”
“I’ve seen you spinning, and I’ve seen you under-caffeinated.” He leaned forward with a concerned frown, laying a gentle hand upon my back. “What’s wrong, Abby? Talk to me.”
I stiffened slightly under his touch, and glared down at the comforter.
“Don’t do that.”
He cocked his head in confusion.
“Do what?”
My thin layer of control cracked a little, and I looked him right in the eyes.
“Don’t touch me like that. That’s not your responsibility. And that’s not your right.” I shuddered out from under his hand. “We’re not in a relationship, after all.”
Okay, so maybe when I said—never in a million years—I was overstating it a little.
The hand disappeared at once, as his lips parted in surprise. For a second, he just stared at me, uncertain as to what to do. Then his brow tightened with a little crease.
“James wouldn’t have told you...”
And with that—the dam burst.
“Oh my gosh—really?” I whirled around so the two of us were sitting face to face. “That’s the only thing you have to say? How I...how I found out? No, of course James didn’t tell me. He would never turn on you like that. And you know what—he didn’t have to.”
Nick froze dead still, staring at me with wide eyes.
“You heard us talking last night.”