For the Love of Nick (7 page)

She took him, every inch, then let him in even deeper.

“This,” he managed to say, fighting back the tide that threatened to take him over the edge with his first stroke. “This is more. For both of us.” And lowering his mouth to hers, he began to move.

N
ICK AWOKE IN THE DARK
.
From what he could gather with his few still-functioning senses, he was sprawled on his back, sideways across the bed. Given the breeze blowing across his lower parts he concluded the window was open. As for the restriction of air to his lungs, that was Danielle, who lay a deadweight on his chest.

She was also buck naked, which happened to agree with him.

Grinning, he slid her off, then settled himself between her legs. Murmuring something sleepily, she slipped her arms around him. “Nick?”

God, that voice. It did things to his insides, things he wasn’t ready to face, so he concentrated on what she did to him physically.

And physically, he wanted her again. “Yeah, it’s me. You’re so beautiful, Danielle.”

“It’s dark.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, Nick.”

“Open for me.”

Arching up, she wrapped her legs around his hips.

“Yeah, like that.” Tilting her face up for his kiss, he sank into her body and took her again. Took them both to a place he’d never been with anyone ever before.

T
HE NEXT TIME
Nick woke up, morning light slanted in through the windows, making him squint as he reached out for…nobody.

Given that the pillow he’d shared with Danielle all night long felt cold, he sat straight up, his heart in his throat.

And came face to face with a monster, a huge monster with dark, red-rimmed eyes and incisors capable of gobbling him up in one bite.

With a shocked gasp, he jerked back.

The monster leapt back, too, and let out a sharp, surprised bark.

“Damn it.” Flat on his back in the middle of the bed, Nick blinked at the ceiling and tried to recover his pulse. “You’re giving me gray hair.”

The bed shifted as two heavy paws hit it.

Nick craned his neck to the side, eyeing Sadie cautiously. “I suppose you think that’s funny.”

Head cocked, a line of drool puddling on his sheets, the dog eyed him and licked her chops.

Hastily, Nick scrambled for the sheet. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m not edible.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Nick lifted his head as Danielle came back into the room. She was dressed in another pair of khaki shorts and a sleeveless blouse—red this time—looking sleek, beautiful and more than a little wary. Her backpack was on her shoulder, her laptop tucked under her arm. She was holding the developed photos he’d given her.

Not a good sign on his chances of coaxing her back into bed.

“I wanted to thank you again,” she said quietly, staying by the door.

Uh-oh. Definitely, he had some fast talking to do in order to get lucky. “You’re dressed.” Oh,
smooth.

“I’ve got to go.”

Stall.
Not because he couldn’t let her go. Hell, he could let anyone go. He wasn’t the attachment sort of guy, but…

Damn it, he couldn’t let her go. “Hold on.” Eyeing Sadie, he got out of the bed and carefully walked around the dog, feeling very naked. He
grabbed a pair of jeans. “At least let me get you some breakfast.”

She shifted, trying not to stare around the held-up jeans, but she couldn’t seem to help herself, which did stroke his ego somewhat.

And of course, encouraged his morning hard-on.

“Nick…”

There was that voice again, the soft, breathy tone that made getting his jeans on nearly a detriment to his health.

Her gaze was glued to his hands as he attempted to get the buttons closed, and when he had to carefully tuck himself inside the denim, she made a sort of choked noise.

“I told you I would have to leave in the morning,” she said quickly, when he looked at her.

“Yeah, but that was before last night.” Before they’d made love. Now that they had, he’d figured she wouldn’t really be able to walk away.

Or maybe
he
was the only one feeling that way.

No. There was heat and desire in her gaze as it lingered over his body, but there was more, too. Angst and a reluctant affection. Very reluctant.

Ditto, sweetheart, and I’m no more thrilled than you.
Then he pictured her walking out his front door, which made his stomach hurt. “What’s the rush?”

“You know what my rush is.”

“Just breakfast, Danielle. Not a marriage proposal.”

She flushed. “I don’t need either. I’ve called Emma. She’s the friend I borrowed the car from, and she needs it back today. She’s getting a ride over here, then she’ll take me to Donald, the art director I told you about.”

“Where you’ll show him Sadie’s pictures, he’ll pay you enough to buy another car and you’ll jump town to start a new life. Happily ever after, right?” He shook his head. “Tell me you’re not that gullible.”

“It could happen.”

“Yeah, but there’s sure a lot of things that could go wrong.” He stalked to his closet, hauled out a shirt and jammed his arms into it. “Too many things.”

A honk sounded outside from the street.

Danielle froze, stared at Nick. “There she is.”

When she turned to go, he grabbed her arm. “Wait.”

“I can’t, I—”

“Yeah, I know. You’ve got to go. But how well do you know this Emma? And Donald? Are they friends of yours? Good friends?”

“Well, of course.” But she didn’t look him in the eyes. “I know them because of the industry, of course, but—” Another honk sounded and she looked up at him entreatingly. “Please. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“Industry friends.” He followed her down the hall, eyes glued to the gentle sway of her hips. He’d be happy following her like a damn puppy dog every single morning.

She opened the front door and waved to Emma, who was standing by her car, then turned back to face him. “I’ve got to go, Nick.”

There were tears in her voice, which wrenched at him. Leaning past her, he stuck his head out the door and held up a finger to Emma, who crossed her arms and looked…uneasy?

A friend who rushed to the rescue, yet looked unhappy about it? Not reassuring.

“How did you meet her?” Nick asked Danielle, watching as Emma pulled out a cell phone.

Danielle fiddled with Sadie’s collar, looking busy.

He reached for both her arms and made her look at him. “How, Danielle?”

“I met her at a show, okay?” She shrugged free. “That was the one good thing that came out of be
ing with Ted. He introduced me to some really great people.”

“Tell her
I’ll
take you to Donald’s.”

“Nick, we already worked this out. If I still need the car after seeing Donald, she’s going to let me keep it a little longer.”

“Just tell her.”

Emma clicked off the cell phone and looked right at Nick.

As a result, the hair stood up on his arms, as it always did when he was onto something in a story he was working on. “Do this for me,” he said to Danielle.
And you.

“Nick—”

Striding past her, he walked right up to Emma. “Good morning,” he said politely. “So…where are you two headed?”

Emma glanced at Danielle, who had followed him.

“Emma,” she said. “This is Nick Cooper, and—”

“And you’re Emma.” Nick pinned her with his most intimidating stare. “So…?”

“I’ll take Danielle wherever she wants to go,” Emma said, smiling at Danielle. “Ready?”

“To the art director’s?” Nick pressed.

“Yes, right.” Avoiding Nick’s gaze entirely now, Emma took Danielle’s arm.

Nick grabbed the cell out of Emma’s hand and hit redial.

“Hey!”

With a grim smile, he held up the display to Danielle. “Recognize this number?”

Danielle looked at it and paled. “It’s Ted’s.” She turned to Emma. “You just called Ted?”

Emma’s smile crumbled, replaced by a fierce concern. “Don’t be upset with me, he told me how much you love him, how this is all one big misunderstanding. He truly loves you, too, Danielle. He’s devastated by this separation. When he came looking for you, he begged me to contact him the moment I heard anything, so I did. All he wants is to see you, talk to you.”

“You told him where I was? Even when I asked for your confidence?”

Emma reached out for her hand. “Danielle—”

“I trusted you. My God,” she said on a mirthless laugh, backing up. “When will I learn?” She pointed to Emma’s car. “You’d better go.”

“Danielle, listen. We’re friends.”

“
Friends?
Are you kidding? Sadie—”

“It’s not the dog I’m worried about,” Emma said beseechingly. “Ted said he just wants you back—”

“Wants me back?” Danielle nearly swallowed her tongue. “If he wants me back, Emma, why did he call the police?”

“Well—”

“Tell me you didn’t tell him where you were supposed to take me.”

“No, not yet—”

“Don’t tell him. If you care about me at all, then—”

“Of course I care about you!”

“Then don’t tell him.”

“Danielle—”

“Please go.”

“But—”

“
Now,
Emma.”

Nick watched Danielle watch her “friend” drive off. He watched her shoulders sag slightly. Watched while she rubbed her temples, looking defeated and exhausted.

Any moment now she’d catch her breath and momentum. Any moment she’d straighten those shoulders and give him a cool look, the one that would probably work on anyone else, and tell him she had to go, too.

Before she could, he took her hand, and—risking certain death—Sadie’s leash. “We’re outta here.”

“What?” She gave him that cool look he’d been expecting. “There’s no we.”

“There is now.”

D
ANIELLE WAS REELING
enough to let Nick take over. Enough to watch while he took care of all evidence of her being in his place, including shoving his sheets in the washing machine.

He looked perfectly at home measuring out the detergent. He even dumped the trash, which included, as she knew all too well, three used condoms.

It was only when he came to the two huge land mines in his front yard, left there by Sadie, that he hesitated. Still, he gamely found a shovel and took care of that, too, though he did shoot Sadie several dark looks that the dog freely and openly returned.

Then Nick tossed a duffel bag in the truck bed and backed them out of his driveway. Sadie had gotten into the vehicle docilely enough—probably because Danielle had as well—but now, as Nick drove, she whined.

Danielle felt like doing the same.

After about twenty minutes, Nick pulled up to a
hotel. He turned off the truck and turned to her. Reaching for her hand, he gave her a careful once-over. “You okay?”

“Peachy.”

“I take it that’s a no.”

Danielle closed her eyes. “I just can’t believe how stupid I was. I would have let her walk me right into a trap.”

“Not stupid. You trusted her.”

“I keep forgetting trust isn’t an option.”

He slid his fingers beneath her hair, massaging the back of her neck until she looked at him. “You can trust me.”

“I—” The denial backed up in her throat at the open but fierce expression on his face. “I don’t want to trust anyone,” she whispered.

“I know,” he whispered back, and slowly pulled her against him.

He felt good, solid and warm, and for just a moment she let herself cling. And then somehow she sucked it up, found some desperately needed strength and pulled back. “What are we doing here?”

“Checking in. Then we’ll hunt down your Donald and make sure he’s on the up-and-up before you approach him.”

“Checking in?” She turned forward to face the hotel. “Here?”

“We can’t stay at my place.”

“
We
can’t, no. But you can.”

He waited until she looked at him, and his expression was light, neutral almost, but she knew him better now, and didn’t miss the determination. “I’m not leaving you alone to face this,” he said. “So just forget it.”

Why wouldn’t he just walk away? Why did he have to sit there looking so good, so right? So…hers? “I can’t let you do this, Nick. I don’t have enough money for the room, and—”

“It just so happens that I do. I know,” he said, putting his fingers over her lips when she would have spoken again. “You don’t like help, but you appear to be stuck with me for now.” Opening the door, he got out and held out his hand.

She followed, with Sadie in tow. “They might not appreciate Sadie as a guest,” she said as they entered the reception area.

“Given that I personally cleaned up after her this morning, I can see why,” he said dryly. “But this hotel takes dogs.” He pointed to the sign, Dogs Welcome. “Traveling with pets, especially dogs, is
pretty common in this area. How many rooms do we need?”

He had the most amazing eyes, she thought inanely, her body tingling in reaction to his unspoken question.

How many rooms?
Just one bed,
her body cried. But her brain was in charge. “We shouldn’t get used to—”

“Yeah.” And hiding his reaction to that, he turned to the receptionist and reserved two rooms.

A
FTER CHECKING IN
, Nick drove Danielle to see Donald. When they got there, his office was boarded up, with a sign that announced, We’ve Moved!

Nick pulled out his cell phone, dialed the new number posted, and handed it over to Danielle, who spoke to the art director’s assistant.

When she clicked off the phone, she found Nick watching her very closely.

“Well?”

“I can’t see him until tomorrow,” she said.

“I heard. What I didn’t hear was how you’re holding up.”

“I’m holding.”

His mouth curved. “Good. Now you’ve got an entire day of vacation ahead of you.”

She gaped at him, then laughed. “Vacation?”

“You say that like it’s a bad word.”

“It’s just that I’ve never really taken one.”

“Well, then…” Nick took Sadie’s leash in one hand and slipped his other arm around her, starting a lazy walk back to his truck, ignoring the fact that he had to practically drag the reluctant Sadie, who didn’t want anyone holding her leash but Danielle. “Stick with me,” he said to both unnerved females. “I’ll show you how to relax.”

But that’s what Danielle was afraid of. If she relaxed, she had to let down her guard. And if she let down her guard, he was going to crawl into her heart and make himself right at home.

A
T THE HOTEL
, Nick waited outside Danielle’s door until she slid in the key card and opened her door. “Danielle,” he said, and when she turned to look at him, he pressed her against the jamb for a quick, hard, hot kiss.

“What was that for?” she asked a little breathlessly.

He smiled as he trailed a thumb over her bottom lip. “To remind you that even though I’m in another room, you’re not alone.”

All her life she’d been surrounded by someone
or another, and all her life she’d fought a loneliness she never understood. Now, with just this man for company, she hadn’t felt alone once.

“Maybe another kiss would help me remember,” she said very softly. “You know, just to be sure.”

With a quick, sexy grin, he leaned in, but she put a hand to his chest. “And maybe…” She trailed off.

“Maybe?” he repeated.

“Maybe not so quick this time.”

His eyes heated. “Got it.” His lips came within a fraction of an inch of hers, then stopped, making her nearly moan out loud. “Is there anything else?” he whispered, his breath mingling with hers. “You know, while I’m here?”

“Well…” He could make her forget anything, including the fact her life had fallen apart. He could make her feel warm and fuzzy and safe by just looking at her. And shameless. He made her shameless. “Maybe just one more thing…”

“Anything.” He pulled her against him, letting her feel how hard he was. “You want what you wanted last night? The blinding kisses? The touches that had you trembling?” His voice went rough and low. “How about when I put my tongue—”

“That,” she whispered shakily. “That’s the one.”

“Ah.” Eyes gleaming, he dipped his head for a long, messy, glorious kiss that did indeed numb more than half of her brain cells. When he came up for air, he backed her into the room. Kicking it closed, he moved with her until the backs of her legs hit the bed. “I live to provide pleasure,” he said wickedly, and pushed her down to the mattress, following her with his long, hard body.

Looping her arms around his neck, she surged up for a kiss, but Nick suddenly went still, then craned his neck to first one side, then the other, looking for something.

“Nick?” She wanted him to take her to oblivion, if only for a little while. “What are you—”

“Sadie?”

Now
he wanted to talk to her dog? “Nick, I think she can wait—”

“Sadie!” He pushed to his feet, looking around with a startled look on his face. “Where did she go?”

Danielle came up to her elbows. The room was small enough for her to see in one sweeping glance there was no giant dog anywhere. “Oh my God.” She leapt to her feet. “She must have walked off when we were in the doorway.”

Nick had already hauled open the door again. “Not in the hallway,” he said. “I’ll go right, you go left.”

Danielle ran out the door and turned left, coming to a flight of stairs.
Up or down,
she wondered frantically, then decided down. Sadie would have gone down, it was easier and she was, after all, an incredibly lazy dog.

At the bottom, she pushed open the already ajar door, which led into a courtyard. Bright sunshine had her lifting her hand to block it from her squinting eyes.

Flowers in every color and hue covered every corner. Benches lined the paths, where quite a few people milled around. It looked as if the hotel had hosted a late lunch of some sort, as plenty of well-dressed, important people milled around holding champagne and plates filled with food.

And in the center of the courtyard, in a bed of flowers she’d completely flattened, lay Sadie, her tongue hanging out of her mouth, her coat covered in fresh dirt from the plants, her tail making lazy swipes in that dirt.

Danielle sagged in relief even as she cringed at the damage the dog had done to the flowers, but her relief was short-lived. Because right next to Sa
die, tongue also hanging out, tail also swiping lazily in the dirt, lay…another dog.

An even
bigger
dog, who with long, shaggy, dark hair and sheer hugeness had to be none other than a Newfoundland.

When Danielle stopped short at the sight of them, the Newfoundland came to full alert and stood up in front of Sadie.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that he was male, and that he’d clearly just claimed Sadie as his own.

In more ways than one.

Nick caught up with her, also stopping short at the sight of Sadie with her new beau, both of whom wore a sleepy, happy, sated expression.

“Well.” Nick glanced at Danielle. “I had no idea dogs could look so utterly…laid.”

“Oh, no,” she groaned. “This can’t be happening.”

“I take it she’s not…er, fixed.”

“I was going to eventually breed her! With a
purebred!
”

Sadie’s boyfriend sat regally, his tongue hanging out as he panted.

Nick rubbed his jaw, looking like he was fighting a grin. “He looks like a decent enough sort of dog.”

Poised and ever so elegant, the male dog lifted his leg and began to lick himself.

Nick laughed.

Danielle groaned, refusing to acknowledge the way the sound of Nick’s laugh had the most devastating power to make her want to return it. “This is all your fault!”

“
My
fault!” Now he blinked, looking comically shocked. “How do you figure?”

“You distracted me with that kiss, otherwise I would never have forgotten about Sadie, not even for a second.” She stepped into the flowers and grabbed the loose leash at Sadie’s side. Then, in a cosmic timing that could only be described as very bad luck, the sprinklers came on.

“Don’t say a word,” Danielle warned Nick, stepping out of the planter with no dignity and lots of water dripping off her. “Not a single word.”

Also dripping water and mud, Sadie shook her self—all over Danielle—then whined, craning her neck to catch one last glimpse of lover boy, her eyes bright and beaming his way.

Lover boy whined in return, and let out one sharp bark.

Nick steered clear of both the dirt and water, looking fit, perfectly dry and…suspiciously amused.

Danielle didn’t know if she wanted to smack him, or crane her neck at him and whine, too.

“A
REN’T YOU WONDERING
?” Nick asked as they came to a stop outside their rooms once again.

What she was wondering was, if his voice would ever stop sending a thrilling shiver down her spine. “Wondering…?”

He spoke in her ear. “If she enjoyed him as much as you enjoyed me.”

“Step back,” she said, still dripping everywhere as she opened her door. “Or I’ll make sure you get as hot and wet as I am.” His chest brushed her back, his jaw glided along her hair. Simple touch, but oh man, not such a simple reaction, as her knees actually knocked together. “I mean it,” she warned.

“Are you really hot and wet?” he asked silkily. “How about creamy? Are you creamy, Danielle?”

Because just the words made her pulse race, she ignored him and hauled Sadie into the bathroom, slamming the door.

Then stared at herself in the reflection, at her glowing skin, at her eyes which were more alive
than she’d ever seen them, and took a slow, deep breath.

“It’s really a shame he drives me so insane,” she told herself. As she could get really, really attached to him.

N
ICK HAD NEVER BEEN
issued a challenge he hadn’t faced head-on, and that slammed bathroom door was a challenge if he ever saw one.

Given that, and also that Danielle had just turned on the shower—he sure hated to miss any fun—he reached for the door handle.

Not locked, good sign. He peered around the door to see a still fully dressed Danielle trying to coax a yawning Sadie into the shower.

“Come on,” she huffed and puffed as she shoved Sadie from behind. “You’re a mess. You’ve got to…Ugh!” Giving up, she walked around and tried pulling Sadie instead, backing into the spray, closing her eyes as the water hit her full on.

Sadie merely grunted and applied opposite pressure, until with a little screech, Danielle’s hands slipped free and she stumbled back against the shower wall.

Sadie escaped.

Still under the spray, Danielle closed her eyes and shook her head.

Grinning, Nick toed off his shoes, and fully dressed, stepped into the shower with Danielle. “Hey, you can wash me. From head to toe, if you’d like.” Following up on that promise, he slipped his arms around her and pressed close, thankful that the water currently hitting him in the face was at least nice and warm.

“You’re crazy,” she said, sounding baffled and grumpy, but she warmed his heart by slipping her arms around his neck. “Completely crazy.”

“Yeah.” He bent his head and nibbled at her neck. “You taste good.” His hands got busy, too, dropping her soaking clothes from her body, eager to be hot, wet flesh to hot, wet flesh.

“Nick.” She let out a little sound when he cupped her perfectly curved butt in his hands, gliding her over the unmistakable bulge straining his pants. A sound that suggested she was slightly less grumpy now. “We can’t.”

His mouth ran over her throat to her bare shoulder, which he gently bit, making her clutch him tight. He liked the way she gripped him, as if she didn’t want to ever let go.

“We can’t do this in front of Sadie.”

“You mean the dog who only a little while ago was doing the same thing?” Nick gestured to the
mat on the bathroom floor, where Sadie had passed out on her back, mouth open, eyes closed, snoring away. “Don’t think she really cares at the moment. She’s exhausted.” His hands slid up her body and cupped her breasts, his thumbs rasping over her nipples. “Let’s get exhausted, too.”