Chapter Nine
Lacey awoke several minutes later, her body heavy and sore. She lay on top of Nick. His cock was only semi-hard inside of her now. His arms were tight bands around her and his legs were entwined with hers. Lacey had never felt so comfortably surrounded. She started to move—there were things they needed to say to each other—but when she did, Nick only tightened his hold.
“Where are you going, baby?”
His eyes remained closed, his voice gravelly from sleep. She couldn’t imagine anything sexier. “I need to get up. Parts of me that I never even knew existed are sore.”
Lacey watched as he slowly opened his sweet brown eyes and that terribly talented mouth of his curved up into a boyish smile.
Captivated, Lacey asked, “What are you grinning at?”
Nick’s arms loosened and he began massaging down her back to her buttocks. “I’m grinning because I’ve got an incredibly sexy woman naked and on top of me.”
She smiled right back at him and whispered, “Well then,” and proceeded to moan as his fingers kneaded and worked at her thigh muscles. God, the man had great hands. She gave herself a mental shake. They needed to clear the air and she couldn’t let him sidetrack her. She wriggled and squirmed until he reluctantly dropped his hands away and scowled at her.
Lacey pulled herself up to a sitting position and felt his cock begin to swell inside of her. It felt deeply intimate to have him inside her body as he grew hard. She’d better get to talking, she thought, or they’d be right back at it again.
“We need to get a few things straight,” she said, trying to speak around her mounting desire.
“Oh?”
He was only partly paying attention, Lacey knew, because he’d started to fondle her breasts. And, oh my, it felt good. “Where do we go from here?” she asked tentatively, “What happens now?”
Nick’s eyes met hers instantly. At once, he was fully awake and alert. She loved him, but she couldn’t just toss that out there. She wasn’t sure he’d want her love.
“We’re good together,” he told her, letting his hands drift down her torso to her hips where he gripped her, keeping her from bolting like some scared rabbit.
“I think so, too, but what will that mean for our friendship?”
Nick moved her pelvis, rocking her back and forth on his cock, and muttered, “Why should it affect our friendship, baby?” He moaned, “Christ, I’ve never had such great sex, and I can’t see a single reason why that shouldn’t continue.”
All at once, Lacey grew cold, her body vibrating with anger. She slipped off him
and jumped to her feet. She moved out of his reach before he could even blink. Nick slowly stood. Lacey could feel his gaze on her as he tracked her frantic movements about the room to gather up her clothes.
“What the hell did I say?” Nick grumbled, shattering the moment further.
She glared daggers at him as she put her crop top back on and cursed a few times while she put on her jean shorts.
Nick walked over to her, grabbed her arms, and shook her. “Will you talk to me, damn it?” His voice rose with his temper.
Lacey couldn’t breathe, she was so mad. So hurt. She’d been a fool thinking he cared about her. When would she ever learn!
“Get your hands off.” Her voice was steady and deliberate, completely incongruent with her heart.
Nick’s eyes turned dark. “No.” His voice was a whip of command.
Lacey smiled a warning and relaxed her body. “I do know karate.”
A shadow of alarm crossed his face. She waited for him to loosen his hold. When he did, she took advantage and ran to his front door. She grabbed her purse and slammed out of the house.
Once outside, the sound of Nick’s angry voice calling her name drifted to her, but she ignored him. Her legs shook as she stepped off his porch and began walking down his driveway. With no way to get home and no shoes, Lacey was basically screwed. None of it mattered, not anymore. Losing her best friend and the only man she’d ever loved in one fell swoop eclipsed everything else.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and her stomach hurt so bad she thought she was going to throw up. Nothing had ever felt so horrible.
“Love sucks,” she mumbled on a quivery breath. She heard a wheezy cough and turned to see Nick striding after her. His hair was all over his head, and he only had on a pair of hastily donned jeans. He was bare-chested, barefoot and gorgeous as hell. He was also frowning something fierce.
She almost smiled. Almost. She turned back around and started moving faster when he called her name.