Playing for Keeps/Body Check (Rules of the Game) (8 page)

With John and Grace entering behind Jen, Nick's fatigue had gripped him. Sleep had eluded him in the hospital, and he also wanted a shower, but couldn't expose his shoulder to one just yet. So he'd have to settle for sponge baths at the bathroom sink.

"The bedroom you'll be using is in the back of the house, Nico. It's quiet and private, nice and big. Your own bathroom, beautiful view of the back yard and garden. Plenty of closet space, and we placed a TV in there for you too."

Through his pain and exhaustion, Nick felt a calm wash through him knowing he was with her.

He followed Jenna into the room that would be his for the next few weeks. It was perfect. Large enough to fit a king-sized bed, it also housed a cherry wood triple bureau and a massive armoire, which would fit every single article of clothing he owned, plus more. A large flat screen TV was mounted on the wall facing the bed, and glass doors led outside to a rather spacious back yard, complete with rose garden.

Jenna must have seen how tired he was. She placed his luggage on the floor and approached him.

"Why don’t you lie down for a couple of hours? I'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Sounds great. I am kind of wiped out."

Grace hugged him, John waved as he left the room. Which left Jen and Nick alone.

"Look, Jen, I know I told you before how much I appreciate this, and I'm not complaining, but why the sudden turn around?
 
Less than two weeks ago you wanted me drawn and quartered for showing up at the café. Now, seems I'm the guest of honor at Casa Valentine."

Her eyes caught his and held. They told him nothing except warmth and maybe a little hesitation. "It’s the least I can do till you're well enough to go back to California."

Her humor didn’t reach her eyes. Again, Nick couldn’t read her.
 
Guilt, regret, maybe a little bit of love left over for him?
 
He didn’t know, but he had time now to talk to her, get to know what was on her mind.

He already reacquainted himself with her luscious body, but he wanted more. More of her kisses, the touch of her hands on him, her mouth
 
on his, her tongue meeting and dancing with his own.

Maybe, he thought as she left the room and shut the door, there was plenty of time now to get her to open up and maybe, see a way open for them to start again.

***

Jenna invited John to stay over for dinner, and the four of them sat around the dining table, enjoying the dinner that Gracie and Jenna put together.

Nick seemed to savor the gnocchi and eggplant, and the four of them polished off two bottles of vintage red from the café.

By the time dinner was over, and espresso, pastry and Italian cheesecake was served, Nick grew tired and his shoulder ached and throbbed.
 
But he was enjoying the company. It felt so good to be home. He licked the thick custard like cream from the cannoli and groaned aloud. "Geez, this is so good."

"Don’t talk with food in your mouth," Jenna joked, then sipped the strong bitter Italian coffee, flavored with a licorice liqueur called anisette.

"I can't help it. I haven’t had pastry this incredible in years," Nick pointed out, popping the rest of the sweet treat in his mouth.

After a wonderful evening, Nick was exhausted. Grace walked John to his car, and Jenna was cleaning up in the kitchen.

Nick followed her.

As tired as he was, he picked some lighter dishes with one hand, and carried them to the kitchen, placing them in the dishwasher, while Jenna covered leftovers, and placed them in the refrigerator.

"Didn’t the doctor tell you to lighten up on that arm, Dante?"
 
Jenna took the utensils from his hand and gave him a dirty look. "Seems you can't follow instructions."

Nick stood behind her, and circled her within his good arm. "Tell me what you want, and I'll show you how well I can follow directions," he whispered, and inhaled the citrusy scent of her hair.

Jenna turned and faced him, frowning. "Bedtime, Nico."

"Is that an invitation? I accept. Let's go."

She playfully pushed him out of the way. "You're exhausted. Buono notte, Nico."

He kissed her hard and fast on her frowning lips, savoring the taste of wine. "Tell me you'll tuck me in and I'll wake up so fast I'll make your head spin."

They both heard Grace re-enter the house. Nick shrugged and looked at Jen. "I'll never forget this, Jen. It's wonderful to be here. Thanks, and goodnight."

Jenna called after him. "Rehab starts tomorrow, Nico, get some rest."

He shook his head all the way to the bedroom she'd prepared for him.

She was trying to distance herself from him, but it wasn’t going to work. As he undressed and crawled under the fresh, crisp sheets, he realized how tired he was. Boy, surgery was a bitch.

"But soon, Red, soon, I intend to have you share this bed with me, and then..."

But he was asleep before he could complete his carnal thoughts of Jenna.

CHAPTER TEN

Rehab was a bitch. Nick completed the last of his exercises, and cursed a blue streak to no one. He realized that he had to hurt to heal, but his shoulder was screaming for mercy, and after 100 shoulder lifts, he was smelly, sweaty, and mighty grumpy. But he wasn’t done yet. Next, the treadmill.

Deep incline, an hour. Fuck.

The ipod in his ear pumped out an eclectic mix of the Grateful Dead, Eminem, and Metallica to get his juices going. He'd decided not to join a gym, because Jen and Gracie had put together a great home work out room. And it would give him more time with Jenna. Even though she worked long hours at the café, he enjoyed knowing he was there every night when she came home.

After his physical therapist left the house each day, he'd work out on his own. He performed a hundred fifty crunches, lifted weights, and then worked on his overall abs and pecs to keep in shape.

He'd gained about ten pounds since he'd been here. Jenna's food was incredibly decadent, and Nick had given himself a pass by sampling every delectable crumb.

After two weeks of no sex, great food and feeling the hint of healing in his shoulder, it was back to work to lose those extra pounds. He decided to step up the treadmill by running at least five miles tomorrow. That should do the trick.

Jenna usually put in a twelve hour day at the cafe, but she had the night off tonight, and he was going to try and get her alone, and spend some quality time with her. His self imposed celibacy was starting to torture him. Nick had an almost constant erection since he'd walked into this house, and it was driving him insane. Every time Nick touched her, she smiled, usually touched his hand or face, and backed away. She had to know how he felt about her. And tonight was the night.

He was going nuts. He needed her touch, her warmth, her body.

Nick brought himself to the limit of his endurance and worked out till he dropped from exhaustion.

It was the only way to ease his constant arousal every time he thought of Jenna.

***

When Jenna entered the house that night, she immediately sought out Nick. Gracie was at the café, and wouldn’t be home until after one a.m.

It was good to have a night off. Jenna slipped off her sneakers and socks, wiggled her toes, and headed toward the dining room.

How natural it had felt in the past few weeks to have him close.

Don’t get used to it
, she reminded herself.

But she felt good tonight, and wasn’t going to dwell on the past. She wanted his company and wasn’t going to restrict herself from talking to Nick and enjoying it.

The tantalizing scent from the two brick oven pizzas she'd made in the café immediately filled the rooms with melted cheese, spices and tomato sauce. Placing the pies on the dining room table, she decided to take a shower, then call Nick and they'd share the pizza.

Hurrying into her bedroom, she heard Nick coming from his room, and froze. He was wearing a towel around his waist and one around his neck.

Now what, Jenna? Make up your mind. He's inviting you to touch him, take him.

"Do I smell pizza?"

"You do." She moved closer to him. "So if you're hungry, just let me…."

He lassoed his towel around her neck and pulled her in.

"Oh I'm hungry alright," he murmured, whispering and nibbling at her ear.

Jenna's heart beat so loud, it was a wonder he didn’t hear it.

He smelled of soap and shampoo, and his chest was muscular, tight, and ripped.

His shoulder was a little red. A small scar was visible, but he didn’t look any the worse for wear.

"What do you say we have a banquet of our own, hmm?"

Run, Jenna, don’t do it. This will only make things harder once he goes back to California.

Tell him….but only one word came out of her mouth.

"Yes…"

He backed her into her bedroom. It was late fall and already dark, lending the moon shadows to her window. Just enough light for them to see each other.

He backed her into the bed, she felt the mattress hit the back of her legs.

"Nico…" she was at a loss for anything more than his name.

"I know baby. I want you more than I want to breathe right now."

She took the initiative because if she didn’t, she'd run. She unhooked the towel from his waist, threw it on the floor, next to the towel he'd hooked her with.

Looking down she spied his erection, stiff, long and hard, and ached for him. He was hers for the asking.

"My turn."

He lifted the sweat shirt from her, threw it across the room, then unsnapped and unzipped her jeans, while his mouth crushed hers, taking her breath from her lungs.

His palms caressed and rubbed her breasts through her thin lace bra, making her cry out. Her nipples tightened to hard points when he squeezed them through the fabric.

"I missed your body, loved always your breasts. Fit so perfectly in my hands."

His hands slid down her tummy, and came to her navel ring, which was actually a tiny gold baseball.

He fell to his knees to check it out. "I'll be damned. How long have you had this?"

She felt herself blush. "After you left for college. Before the accident."

He tenderly kissed her navel, then gently fingered the ball. "And you never got rid of it," he said almost to himself.

"No, Nico, I never did."

He pulled her jeans off, her thong with it, and he stayed on his knees, kissing her thighs and the V between her legs.

"I want to taste you."

She nodded, dug her fingers into his scalp, and braced herself for his onslaught.

He gently divided her legs, and buried his tongue into the heart of her.

"Nico, Nico…." Was all she was capable of.

"Come for me, Jen. God I missed you, missed your taste, your heat.
 
Go over for me now, and I'll catch up, I swear I'll catch you."

He rubbed the tiny skin in the hood of her womanhood while his tongue, and then two fingers dove into her, making her wetter, hotter, wilder.

"Almost there, come on Jen, come on."

And then she approached the crest, and Jenna took it. Higher and higher, his tongue and magical fingers took her over and over, till she broke apart in his arms. Nick caught her when her legs couldn’t support her weight. He gently placed her on the bed and followed her down.

He held her tight through the racking tremors of her body, kissing her face, murmuring things he was going to do to her.

He lifted himself over her and settled himself between her legs. She could feel the tip of his erection touching the heart of her.

He belonged there, she told herself, as she kissed him, reveled in his mouth and lips, swirled her tongue around his, and encircled his beautiful shoulders, pulling him down to join his flesh with hers.

They lay face to face in the dimness of the room, moonlight making its way onto the bed, as if the bed were lit by the rays.

"Tell me we don’t belong like this, Jen. Tell me this is wrong, that we've missed so much these past years. Please tell me this is where you need to be. With me."

She couldn’t deny it any longer. She loved him. Never stopped loving him.
 
She was going to tell him the truth. She felt better knowing the truth would be out and whatever happened, she would be free of the guilt and lies and secrets she’d kept all these years.

Nico deserved to know everything, and she was going to tell him.

But not now.

"Nico, I need you," was all she said.

And parting her legs, lifting her hips, where he palmed her ass and pulled her into him, she was home. “Nico, make love to me."