First Class Hero (First Class Novels) (16 page)

“I love you Nic. I’ve loved you for a long time. And I know
that you’ve been on an emotional roller coaster and that maybe you aren’t ready
for me yet. But I’m gonna wait ‘til you are. I’m not going anywhere.” He
lowered his head and kissed her again. And then he turned and quietly left.

*****

The rest of Nic’s week flew by. She wondered if it was just
because it was a four-day work week but didn’t really care. On Saturday, Paul
was taking her back to see the Wilkins. This time he picked her up in a brand
new Lincoln – the sticker was still on the window.

“Has your family never heard of Chevrolet or Toyota?” she
joked.

“Eh, we don’t deal with the mediocrity of the world. We go
for first class all the way,” he joked. “I’m test driving it.”

“All the way to West Haven?” Nic choked.

“Why not? I’ll have it back by closing time,” he grinned.

Nic slid inside and Paul closed her door. “It’s very nice,”
she said as he climbed in beside her.

The drive to the Wilkins’ home went by quickly as they
talked about her week at school and the antics of Jeremiah, a boy in her class
that was destined to be a comedian in his adulthood. Paul told Nic all about
the offer he’d received from a distinguished and respected non-profit
organization that worked with wounded veterans.

“Basically, they want me to attend fundraisers and events to
not only raise money but to bring awareness to the tremendous need for
rehabilitation services for our veterans. And my service record and experience
in theater gives me the credibility they’re looking for.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

“If you’d asked me a year ago I would’ve said no, but now?
You know I was incredibly fortunate that my injuries were treatable and
non-debilitating. So many aren’t. And the pay is nice and I’d be in New York,
except for a few trips a year to D.C. and maybe L.A.. I really don’t see a
downside.”

They pulled up into the Wilkins’ driveway and the front door
flew open and Larry and Irene stepped outside.

“Looks like they are happy to see you,” Paul smiled. He
reached for the door handle and Nic grabbed his thigh.

“Paul? I love you too.” And then she opened the door and
walked to greet her grandparents.

*****

Nic clung to Paul as they stood with Larry and Irene in the
middle of Colonel Raymond F. Gates Memorial Cemetery. In front of them stood a
small white cross marking the burial place of her father. She placed a small
posy of daisies at its base.

“We try to come here a few times a year,” Irene said, a
sadness in her voice. “But we think about him every day.”

Nic touched her grandmothers’ arm and smiled. “I know. Thank
you for bringing me here.”

They had spent an hour or so at the house before they had
driven to the cemetery. They had brought separate cars so that Paul and Nic
could head back to the city. As they waved goodbye, Nic settled back into the
plush leather seats of the Lincoln and sighed.

“Was that a good sigh or a bad sigh?” Paul asked.

“A good sigh,” she smiled.

“I’m glad,” Paul said as he pulled onto the main road that
would take them back to the I-95 and back to Manhattan.

“I have grandparents!” she giggled.

Paul grinned. He was delighted in her new-found family, one
she desperately needed. “And you have me.”

Nic turned her head and gazed at his profile. “And I have
you.”

“So what do you think of the car?”

“It’s nice,” Nic chuckled. “But you told me I wouldn’t need
a car in Manhattan, so why do you do need one?”

“Well I said you wouldn’t need one because I would have
one,” he winked.

“Didn’t you have a car in San Diego?”

“Yeah, but I sold it before I deployed this summer. I didn’t
want the hassle of driving it home. Plus, it was a GMC so I had to sell it in
order to keep up with the family standards,” he laughed.

“Well, it
is
nice,” she said as she stroked the
leather seats.

Paul pulled in front of Nic’s building. “I’m gonna go deal
with the car and then can I come back?”

“Of course you can,” Nic smiled. She leaned over and kissed
him on the cheek.

“Okay,” grinned Paul. “I’ll be back…soon!”

Nic ran into her building as Paul drove away. As she entered
her apartment she decided to take the opportunity to call her mother. She
hadn’t told Heather anything about the Wilkins or what Paul had found out about
her father. She sat on the couch and pushed the buttons on her cell phone.
Heather answered immediately.

“Hey mom.”

“Well, I wondered if you were ever going to call! New York
must keep you very busy.”

“Actually I am busy. But I’m calling because I have
something to tell you.”

“Oh really? Are you pregnant?”

Nic choked. “NO!”

“Huh,” replied Heather. “Then what is so important?”

“Well,” Nic began, “I asked a friend of mine who’s in the
Navy to try and find my father.”

“What? Why would you…what were you…Nicole! That was none of
your business!”

“He’s my father! If you want to leave it all in the past
that’s fine, but he is
my
father. I have a right to know who he was.”

“Fine, do what you want. But make sure you leave me out of
it. I don’t want to see him.”

“He’s dead.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

“Mom?”

Heather didn’t respond.

“Mom the reason he disappeared was because he died. He
didn’t run out on you, he was in an accident and…”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to hear any of this.”

“But mom, I’ve met his parents, my grandparents, and…”

“Nicole, STOP! I told you I don’t want to hear it. I want
nothing to do with any of it. I washed my hands of all this thirty years ago
and I am not going to rehash it now. I’ve moved on and I’m done.”

“You really don’t care? At all?”

“No. So if you want to go have family dinners and all that
crap with your new family, go right ahead.”

“Mom, please…”

“I have to go. I have a date this evening. Goodbye Nicole.”

*****

“Does your apartment come with a parking space?” Paul asked
as he walked into her apartment a couple of hours later.

“I think so. I didn’t pay any notice because I don’t have a
car,” Nic smirked.

Paul chuckled. “Well we’ll need to find out. I’m gonna need
a place to park when I’m here. Street parking is a bitch.”

“You bought it?” Nic squealed.

Paul nodded. “You said you liked it.”

“You’re nuts!”

“Wanna go grab some dinner? I’m hungry.”

Nic shook her head. “Do you mind if we stay in? I don’t feel
like going anywhere.”

“Sure,” Paul said, noticing Nic’s expression. “What’s
wrong?”

“I called my mom…to tell her about my dad and everything.”

“And?”

“She was
not
happy. She doesn’t want to hear about
it. Any of it! She said she wants it all left in the past.”

“She’s had to deal with it in her own way. But what you do
is up to you.”

“I know. I want to get to know my grandparents. I want them
to know me.”

“That’s what they want too,” Paul said as he pulled her
close to him and wrapped his arms around her. “I want to know you too,” he
whispered into her lips as he kissed her softly.

“Um,” Nic said. “I thought you wanted to eat.”

“We can do that later.”

“Oh,” Nic whispered.

Paul kissed her. He kissed her like she was his oxygen. She
was lost. The reaction her body had was new…the feelings foreign to her…but at
the same time she felt the rightness of it…of him.

His tongue entered her mouth and he felt her moan into him.
She tasted so good and he wanted more of her. He wanted all of her. His hands
caressed her shoulders and he pushed aside the cotton fabric to feel her skin. He
broke the kiss and moved his lips to the flesh of her shoulder. Nic tilted her
head allowing him all the access he wanted.

After a moment, it wasn’t enough, and Paul pulled her shirt
up her body and gently over her head. He stepped back and looked at her.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, his eyes full of desire.
He reached behind his shoulder and grabbed his shirt and pulled it off and
discarded it on the floor.

Nic raised her hands and stroked his chest, lingering on the
small scars just visible above the waist of his jeans.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he murmured into her hair.

Nic tilted her head to look up at him and he kissed her again.
She wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers along his back, exploring
each bone and muscle with her fingers. Paul mirrored her and ran his fingers up
the indentation of her spine ‘til they hit her bra. He flicked open the hooks
and pushed the straps from her shoulders. Then he pulled his body back from
hers and the lace fell from her body to the floor. He drew her back to him and
gasped as they connected skin to skin, never breaking their passionate kiss.

“Paul,” she breathed into his mouth. “There’s something I
need to tell you.”

“Now?” he chuckled.

Nic grudgingly pulled away and broke the kiss. “This is…you
are…my first.”

Paul’s eyes opened wide. “I’m your first?”

She nodded and lowered her head.

“We don’t have to do anything…”

“I want to,” she smiled. “I want you to be my first…my
only.”

Paul smiled. “I would be honored to be your first. And I
will most definitely be your
only
.”

Nic led Paul by the hand through to her bedroom.
Surprisingly to her, she didn’t feel at all self-conscious about being naked
from the waste up and Paul seeing her that way. He let go of her hand and
walked into the bathroom and returned with a towel. He laid it on the end of
the bed and took Nic in his arms and kissed her thoroughly.

Breathless, she stepped away and undid his belt buckle and
pulled the leather through his jeans. He sat on the bed and untied the laces of
his shoes and pulled each one off his feet. Then he looked up at Nic and
gripped her waist. She closed the gap between them and he took the nipple
directly in front of him into his mouth. He gently sucked until he saw her
close her eyes. Then he rolled his tongue over it until he felt her quiver. He
reluctantly released her breast from his lips and straightway sucked the other
distended nipple, waiting patiently for its turn. Again he rolled his tongue
over the taught flesh and as she moaned he gently tugged on her with his teeth.
Paul watched her reaction and the sight of her mouth dropping open encouraged
him further.

While he still had her in his mouth, he undid the button on
her khaki trousers and pulled down the zipper. With one finger, he pushed them
down her legs and they pooled at her feet. He tentatively stroked her panties
with his finger and she gasped, her head whipping down and her eyes wide open.
He released her nipple and stroked her again as she gazed into his eyes.

“You’re wet,” he growled as he closed his eyes and took a
deep breath. “Lie down.”

Nic lifted her knee onto the bed and crawled up to the
pillows. She lay down as instructed and Paul climbed over her, kneeling above
her, captivated by the golden flecks that sparkled in her big brown eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” he said again. “I love you Nic.”

She smiled and placed her hand on his cheek. “I love you.”

Paul kissed her lips, her chin and then her neck and
shoulders. He kissed her breasts and her belly and he could feel her body
quiver with each touch of his lips. He kissed her hip that arose from the band
of her panties and then he softly kissed her mound as her body lurched upwards.

“Relax,” he breathed. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“This isn’t hurting,” Nic blushed. “This is…is amazing.”

“Good to know,” Paul grinned.

He hooked his thumbs in the waist band of her panties and
pulled them down her legs. Then he hovered above her and dipped his head to
taste her.

“Ahhh,” she cried, as his tongue touched her. She tasted
sweet and he licked her again. And again.

Nic arched her back and cried out, her hands gripping the
comforter on the bed. Paul pushed her legs apart and kneeled in between them.
He gently parted her with his fingers and Nic’s eyes shot open and she searched
his face for guidance.

“It’s okay,” he murmured. “Just feel it. Let yourself go.”

She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but when she felt
his finger enter her, every muscle in her body went rigid. Paul didn’t move
until he felt her body accept him. Slowly and gently he moved in and out and
then added another finger.

“Oh…oh,” Nic cried.

“Feel it,” he whispered, as he maintained his preparation of
her body so he could enter her. “I’m going to make you come, okay?”

Nic nodded, unable to speak. Paul continued his finger
penetration and added his thumb to her clitoris, the two movements in sync as
her body surged to the point of no return.

“Let go,” he said. “Come Nic.”

Within mere seconds she screamed out and arched her back as
her muscles contracted around his fingers. He grinned as he felt the orgasm rip
through her body, leaving her lifeless and gasping for air. Paul jumped from
the bed and stripped off his jeans and underwear, grabbing a condom from his
pocket. He rolled it over his pulsing length and hovered over her as she slowly
came back to life.

“Are you relaxed?”

“Hmm,” she grinned.

Paul grabbed the towel and lifted her hips and slid it
underneath her. “Better to be safe,” he said. He used his knees to push her
legs wider apart and then poised himself at her entrance. He kissed her over
and over again and Nic grabbed his hips.

“Open your eyes,” he ordered. “Look at me.”

Nic gazed up at him and Paul could see the love in her eyes.
She was his; heart and mind and now body. He barely entered her when he felt
her body stiffen again.