Nick and Lilac (10 page)

God, he couldn’t remember his chest hurting as much as it hurt now, knowing how much courage it had taken for Lilac to say that long sentence, remembering in Mark’s report that Dr. Petersen had written in her notes how Lilac was still afraid that her stuttering would turn her into a victim of another predatory male like James Caruthers.

Slowly, carefully, he took her in his arms. When Lilac’s arms went around his neck, the feeling that swept through him was indescribable. It was almost like…heaven.

The Eighth Encounter

Lilac woke at the soft knock on the door, yawning and stretching luxuriously on the four-poster bed. Nick had swept her up into this room from the helipad, so fast that everything about Briarwood had been reduced into a colorful blur.

“Sleep,” Nick had urged. “You look so goddamn tired, I’m scared you’ll fall down flat on your face at anytime.”

 A glance at the clock told Lilac it was a little after one in the afternoon, making her blink several times. She couldn’t believe she had slept for over three hours or how well rested she felt after that nap.

“Lady Lilac?”

Had she heard that correctly? She rubbed her eyes and pinched herself. It hurt.

“Lady Lilac, I’m coming in.”

The door opened quietly, and a young woman wearing a cap and uniform bustled in, a smile wreathing her face. She bobbed a curtsy.

Lilac rubbed her eyes more furiously.

The maid presented her a parcel. “Master Nicholas wants you to wear this for afternoon tea.” She looked at Lilac expectantly. “If I may, milady?”

At Lilac’s uncertain nod, the maid expertly worked on the parcel until it revealed the most beautiful gown, the kind that reminded her of what gentle misses in Regency London used to wear for afternoon carriage rides and tea parties. It was made of silk and lace, its shade matching her eyes.

The maid carefully hung the gown on a stand. When she walked back to Lilac, she had two more boxes in her hands and presented it to her with a smile. “To go with the dress, milady,” she explained with a wider smile.

“T-thank you,” Lilac whispered. It was the best she could do, her head whirling at what was taking place.

“Would you like me to help you dress?”

“Uhh…no, i-it’s…okay.” She paused, wondering if it was okay to use ‘okay’ since that wasn’t yet a word in the Victorian period. “It’s…fine.” She pinched herself several times. It still hurt and yet – the maid still didn’t disappear.

The other woman stopped smiling.

Shit.
Lilac wasn’t prone to swearing, but this seemed a good moment to do so. If the walls suddenly turned into something dark and terrifying, then this wouldn’t be a daydream – this would be a nightmare, like a scene straight from
Silent Hill,
her favorite RPG-turned-movie.

“Am I too convincing?”

“Err…”

The other woman grinned. “Sorry. I can see you’re halfway to thinking you’re on your way to Bedlam.” Seeing Lilac’s look of horror at the word
Bedlam,
which no one in today’s time ever used, the other woman said hastily, “I mean…you look like you think either I’m a loony or you are and---” She sighed. “Relax, hon. I’m just an actress, paid an obscene amount of money to play lady’s maid.
That’s all.
”

Lilac collapsed against the headboard. “Thank…God.”

The other woman laughed. “Sorry if I scared you.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry…for being…silly,” Lilac returned lamely.

“It’s my job to make you believe, hon.” Then her expression smoothed, and any trace of the woman Lilac had spoken to disappeared into the shy hopeful face of a lady’s maid wishing to please her mistress. “Do you require anything else, milady?”

Still in a daze, Lilac shook her head.

The maid nodded, bobbed another curtsy and walked backward to the door. “Shall I tell Master Nicholas you’ll be down shortly, milady?” She then whispered confidingly, “He is very anxious to see you, if I may so bold to tell you, milady.”

The words only made Lilac feel dizzier. “Umm, could he give me fifteen minutes?”

“Of course, milady.”

The moment the door closed, Lilac worked on the boxes, and she sighed after discovering what it contained. The first, an exquisite pair of silk slippers – exactly how the books described them! And, oh, the most beautiful ivory fan she had ever seen, even better than the one she had glimpsed in an exhibit.

Lilac jumped off the bed, excitement making her giddy. When she took a bath – for it had to be a bath since there was only the most magnificent tub and no shower in sight – she was unable to contain her laughter once more. The water that came out from the tub’s built-in tap was perfectly warm and she leaned back, luxuriating in the feel of warm water enveloping her body.

There was an assortment of flower-scented shampoos and body washes.She chose lilac, knowing that Nick would also expect her to.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the tub.

Friends…

She did want them to be friends, but now – just now – she wanted to pretend he was someone else…that they were both other people than their real selves.

Lilac’s fingers brushed over her sensitive nipples and her mouth parted in silent pleasure. In her mind, it was Nick’s warm hand touching her.

She let her fingers drift lower, her eyes squeezing more tightly shut as she reached the core of her womanhood.

Nick…

She gasped softly when she traced her folds. It was extremely sensitive, and she knew that it wasn’t just wet because she was neck deep in the tub’s warm water. She let her fingers drift up and down, slowly increasing the speed until her body was arching.

She slowly slid one finger in.

“Lilac?” It was Nick’s voice, followed shortly by a knock. “Are you okay in there?”

She gasped, her finger slipping in deeper, and she gasped again.

****

The soft, husky gasps coming out from behind the bathroom door told Nick everything he didn’t need to know about what Lilac was doing.

Fuck, fuck, goddamn it to hell motherfucking---

Nick’s fingers clenched impotently into a fist as it landed noiselessly on the door. A part of him wanted to growl at Lilac. Why did she have to do this
now,
when he had sworn to himself that they would just be friends?

But another part of him was fucking rejoicing, his cock nearly bursting with need. This part of him thought differently. Why had it taken her so fucking
long
to do this? 

“Lilac?”

There was no answer.

He pressed his ear to the door, and he heard her softly muffled gasps then, as if she didn’t want him to hear her touching herself, pleasing herself, imagining herself fucking him.

In seconds, he had his cock free.

“We won’t talk about this, but just this once – just this fucking once, let’s pretend we’re not friends.” Nick started to stroke himself. “Just this fucking once, we’ll pretend we’re free to fuck each other.”

The softest moan came from inside the bathroom, and he groaned, rubbing himself further.

“How many fingers do you have inside you, sweetheart?”

****

Lilac couldn’t believe what Nick was asking, but what was more unbelievable was hearing herself answer. “O-one,” she choked out, her finger knuckle deep inside her.

“Ah, sweetheart, that won’t do.” Nick’s hoarse voice reached her from the other side of the door, making him sound if he was out of breath with wanting as well. She kept her eyes open, knowing that if she closed her eyes it would be over. She would picture him touching himself like she was touching herself, his cock – surely longer and thicker than she could ever imagine – extended proudly, waiting and wanting to sink into her. She gasped at the thought of it.

“Fuck, Lilac, don’t gasp like that.”

“C-can’t…” Her finger slid completely in and she moaned.

“Ah, Lilac, you’re killing me here, sweetheart.”

You’re killing me, too,
she thought helplessly, her entire being filled with need and desire for Nick.

From the opposite side of the door, Nick let out a hoarse laugh, as if he could read her mind.  “Turn off the tap.”

Shakily, she did as he said, and everything became intimate. The vastness of the marble bathroom with its elegant en-suite dressing room became cozily warm, her silent breathy gasps bouncing against the walls, deliciously wanton sounds that just made her ache even more for Nick’s possession.

More sounds reached her from outside, the slick swipes of Nick’s fingers around his cock as he stroked himself.

Lilac let out another moan, her entire body shuddering at the thought. “N-Nick.”

“Fuck, sweetheart, you make me want to…” Outside, the sounds became louder. “Do you think you can get another finger in, sweetheart?” Nick rasped. “That one finger is not fucking anything like my cock. It’s too small while I’m too big, too long, too fucking hard…my cock would fill you completely until you can only think of me, only feel me.”

Looking down at herself, Lilac saw her nipples becoming pointedly hard past the surface of the water, and the sight of it turned her on even more. “I…c-can…try.”

Nick choked. “Try then, sweetheart. You gotta fucking try it before I die here.”

Swallowing, Lilac carefully tried to push another finger in, her index finger sliding bit by bit to join her middle finger. Touching herself was something she rarely did, only when she found herself suddenly turned on by one thing or another. And this…this was something she had never done before.

In the past, Lilac only had the courage to take one finger inside her, fearing that anything else would get rid of her virginity – her only proof that James hadn’t taken away everything from her.

But now, there didn’t seem any reason to be afraid any longer.

Nick believed in her, didn’t think she was bad or that she was meant to be abused.

As her second finger slid in completely, another gasp was wrenched from Lilac. The sensation was even more powerful than she anticipated, rawer than she could ever imagine. “N-Nick…”

“It’s all in?”

“Y-yes.”

“Fuck.”

His strokes were louder this time, and it was easy to imagine his fingers moving faster and more furiously.

Lilac cautiously pulled her fingers out before just as carefully sliding her fingers back in, and the resulting sensation made Lilac throw her head back. “N-Nick.”

“Touch your breast,” he growled.

She did, and the sensation doubled, causing every inch of her skin to prickle in awareness.

“Pinch your nipple.”

She obeyed, and a wildfire of sensations exploded inside her, urging Lilac to start a rhythm with her fingers. Her body also started to writhe, and she knew she was close. Oh, God, she was so, so close.

“Pinch it hard, sweetheart,” Nick gasped from the other side, his voice raw, the strokes harder, and Lilac knew he was just as close. “Twist your nipple with your finger then pinch it hard.”

She did this, too, and with it she was unable to hold back her moan. It was loud, long, and filled with desire, and outside Nick groaned.

“Move your fingers as fast and as hard as you can, sweetheart. We need to come now.”

Her fingers moved as he bid, hard and fast, and she couldn’t stop moaning. Outside, she could hear him doing the same, groaning as he stroked himself closer to a climax.

“Now, sweetheart,” Nick commanded.

She pushed her fingers as deeply as she could, brushing the barrier of her virginity. Lilac came with a gasp, and the sound mingled with Nick’s guttural groans.

“
Nick
.”

Long minutes passed before Nick spoke, his voice quiet. “I’ll remember this forever, sweetheart.”

The Ninth Encounter

“You are more than unfashionably late, milady,” an amused voice drawled from the foot of the stairs.

Her eyes widened at what she saw and then she was flying down the stairs.

Nick laughed. “Slow down, milady,” he chided, but inside he was feeling extremely good at the way he had brought stars in Lilac’s eyes. She deserved to look like that and he was determined to make her feel like that as often as possible.

“What…” She shook her head, speechless in wonder. Nick was dressed like she was, in full costume. Ebony black coat, starched white cravat, soft gray britches, and what looked like an honest-to-goodness pair of Hessian boots.

“I am…” The back of her hand touched her forehead. “---going to…
swoon
.”

It took him a second to realize Lilac was joking, and then the sound of Nick’s laughter rang out, bouncing all over the vast hallway.

Her eyes were a soft pale violet when they met his. “How did…you know?”

“I had your past investigated,” Nick answered lightly, but he couldn’t help stiffening as he waited for her to reply. He wouldn’t blame Lilac if she became mad – or maybe even find his actions unforgivable.

But Lilac only cocked her head to the side. “And?”

“And I found out, among other things, that your thesis requires you to write a historical novel and you want it to be as accurate as possible.” He was slowly gaining more hope that he hadn’t fucked up as bad as he had feared, that Lilac wouldn’t hate him for what he had done.

“Mm…”

When he couldn’t bear the silence any longer, he grated out, “Lilac?”

She answered with an impish smile. “I was just…making you…
squirm.
” She paused. “Milord.” And then she curtsied prettily.

Nick had a great view of her décolletage as she did.

Ah, fuck, being friends was going to be much harder than he thought.

Lilac had always been a knockout in his eyes, but this time – right this very moment, she was ethereal. She had always been a lady in his mind, in the real sense of the word, and this kind of attire only made the truth a vivid reality.

Wisps of hair curled becomingly around her face, with the rest of her dark hair twisted up in a loose chignon. The silk afternoon gown he had chosen embraced Lilac’s gentle curves lovingly, emphasizing the upper swell of her breasts and her tiny waist.

“The fan,” Lilac said breathlessly as she snapped it open and slowly fanned herself, “is…better suited…for dinner…but I can’t…help it. I want…to show it…off.”

He nodded solemnly. “Good,” he said as he offered his arm, “---because I want to show you off, too.”

She blushed.

He hardened – or at least, a part of him did.

Lilac curled her arm around his then glanced up at him. “Where to…milord?” This close, her lashes looked even longer and incredibly lush – it only made his cock ache more badly inside his goddamn britches.

“The garden for tea,” he answered, doing his best to keep his desire from coating his voice. As they made their way to the garden, Nick took the time to explain what he knew of Briarwood as one of the few close friends of its owner.

“I thought…this was…yours.”

“Do you want me to buy it?” he asked seriously. When Lilac’s eyes widened, he suppressed a groan, wishing he could call on his bodyguards to give Lilac another pair of sunglasses to wear. She should remember not to make this friendship harder than it already was, dammit.

“Of…course not!” Lilac was taken aback at Nick’s offer.
Billionaires,
she thought with a sigh. Nick Christakos seemed to think everything could be bought with his money. She gestured towards her surroundings. “Being able…to visit is e-enough.”

An unhappy frown suddenly touched her face, and Nick instantly understood the reason behind it. “Lilac,” he said gently. “I don’t mind if you stutter.”

Her frown became more pronounced, her eyes darkening with misery. “
I
…
mind
.”

“Anything that hurts you won’t ever be a fucking turn on for me, Lilac. But if you do stutter, I won’t think any less of you either. If it won’t ever go away, then so be it. I don’t mind it at all.”

 “T-thank you.”

He shook his head. “Thank you, Lilac.”

Her eyes widened. “W-what for?”

He didn’t answer, only twined his fingers with hers.

She squeezed his fingers, telling him without words that his touch was answer enough.

The afternoon tea was even more enjoyable than she could ever dream of, Nick a delightful companion who thought of everything. The tea and scones had been imported from England, and the tea service was the most beautiful antique set, dating all the way back to the Regency period.

Nick also told her that every part of the house had already been photographed by his design team, with copious notes about the details to be included in a report that would be emailed to Lilac tonight.

“Now,” he said firmly as he took the teapot, “---all you have to worry about is enjoying yourself.”

She took the teapot from him, startling Nick. Lilac gave him a reproachful smile. “Only…ladies pour.”

She raised a brow. “Unless…you are…gay?”

“You need proof?” he asked silkily.

“I’ll take…your word for it.” She spoke as hastily as she could, making Nick laugh.

As Lilac poured him tea, his gaze followed her every moment, marveling at how she did everything with such beautiful grace and precision it was almost like watching art come to life. “What the hell do you do during your spare time, pour tea for homeless men?” he muttered. And why the fuck did pouring tea suddenly look so sexy in his eyes?

Lilac offered him a cup. It was strong, with just the right hint of sweetness – exactly the way he liked it. “And how the fuck do you know how I like my tea?”

She smiled mysteriously. “A lady…has her ways.”

He raised a brow. “Gossip websites?” Nick grinned at the wide-eyed look of guilt on Lilac’s face.

Afterwards, they went riding. Nick chose a midnight black stallion while Lilac chose one with a beautiful brown coat.

She could see her choice surprised him and she explained, “I’ve been riding…since I was…little.”

“Figures,” he muttered, doing his best not to imagine how adorably sexy Lilac would look in an equestrienne’s tight-fitting uniform. As he helped her up, he teased, “You’re not going to ride side saddle like a proper lady?”

Lilac shook her head, smiling. “Too…hard.” She watched Nick swing himself up with ease and grace, the move practiced. “You…ride, too?”

“Since I was a kid.” He gave her a hooded gaze, a smirk playing on his lips. “Does that make me sexier in your eyes?” Nick’s shoulders rocked with silent laughter at the primly reproving look Lilac dealt him.
Ah, sweetheart, you can pretend all you want but we both know the truth.

“I’m a good rider,” he told her solemnly. “But I bet you’re better. In fact, I can imagine you riding m---” Lilac shot past him, and his laughter trailed after her.

He caught up with her easily, grinning when she pointedly ignored him.

“Sorry,” Nick said in a meek voice.

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t…sound…like it.” She shook her head disapprovingly. “We’re just…friends.
Remember
?”

He said slyly, “And friends tease each other. Remember?”

The look of exasperation deepened in her eyes. “Not…like that!”

“It can be like that,” Nick said firmly. “And it will be like that between us.”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes when Nick gave her a look of boyish appeal - even though it was working.

“Take pity on me, sweetheart,” he murmured. “At least give me something I can masturbate to?”

She sputtered, laughed, and blushed.

Nick smiled, but he also just got harder and harder. Soon, he had to come to a decision about Lilac. This was the longest he had gone celibate and since he had no plans of joining the priesthood, something definitely had to give.

When they went back to the house, Lilac was again delightfully surprised and speechless with wonder when a handsome young man, dressed like how she imagined a footman would be, immediately came forward to assist her off her horse.

As her feet touched the ground, Nick suddenly reappeared at her side, his arm curling around her waist possessively.

She blinked up at him. “What’s…wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said shortly.

Her mind drifted back to the footman and she couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder, blushing when she found the man still gazing at her. She quickly returned her gaze to the front. “That guy,” she whispered to Nick as he helped her into the backseat of his Rolls, “---seems straight out of a historical romance novel.”

Nick grunted as he sat on the same side as she did, being careful to keep a wide gap between them.

Something occurred to her, and Lilac asked hesitantly, “Did you…pay for all of them?”

Nick nodded curtly.

Lilac gasped. “But that…surely cost you…thousands!”

“No price is too fucking high to have you back in my life, Lilac.”

So why
, she mused with puzzlement,
did he sound as if he did not want her in his life now
? “Something is…really wrong,” she guessed.

Nick growled.

She blinked.

Ah, fuck.
Not
wanting her,
not
kissing her, and
not
touching her was fast becoming the hardest thing he had to do in his life. Nick’s fists clenched and he said in a tone of self-disgust, “Don’t mind me. I’m just the selfish billionaire who wants all your smiles to myself.”

Lilac’s soft laughter bathed his senses in heat.  Her fingers twined with his again, making him look at her.

She said softly, “My best ones…are always…and only…yours.”

****

The visitors’ room was empty except for Beatrice, but even so she knew all the cameras would be pointed at. Pride alone kept her back stiff as she remained sitting on the chair, waiting for another visit from the Christakos brothers.

But when the door opened, only Jason Christakos came striding in.

Instantly, her nipples hardened. If Nick Christakos was here, she would have done her best to kill her arousal. But he wasn’t. And so Beatrice was free to indulge.

“
Beatrice
.” He slid to the seat across from her, his back also erect, his stance dismissive.

“Jason, my dear, it’s so nice to see you without your nasty twin.” With his terrifying shadow absent, Beatrice was filled with Dutch courage – enough to play the vamp, leaning forward on the table and wetting her lips.

The disgust on Jason’s face hurt, but somehow it also aroused her. Under the table, Beatrice’s legs fell open, wide enough for the folds of her pussy to stretch open as well, and she swallowed back a moan at the sensation.

“I’m glad you think that,” he returned levelly, “especially since I’m here to let you know our family will decide your fate tomorrow.”

The chill in his voice made Beatrice sit up, her legs snapping closed. Not wanting to show her apprehension, she retorted with false bravado, “I meant what I said. I’ll go to the press and tell everyone about what we were---” Her voice trailed off, something inside Beatrice shrinking from the disgusted look in Jason’s eyes.

“If you want to tell the whole world how you fucking had to blackmail me into your bed when I was a boy---go ahead.” Jason came to his feet.

He stood there, a Greek god in every way, punishingly severe. And yet, even with the threat of imprisonment making Beatrice’s insides quake with fear, fury also made Jason Christakos sexier in her eyes, whetting her desire.

“You might find this hard to believe, but you have my pity if you’re sent behind bars.”

It was only when Jason had already turned away and was halfway to the exit of the visitor’s room that the import of his words sank in. “Wait,” she called out in desperation.

He did not turn.

“If you cut me a deal, I will tell you about how Karla is involved in all of this!”

****

Camera bulbs flashed, the sounds mingling with screams from the crowd when Nick and his brother strode down the red carpet with Sylvia, all of them dressed appropriately for the black & white charity ball. They did their bit for the cameras, smiling and posing, but their faces took on an unsmiling countenance the moment they went past the revolving doors. On the ride over, Jason had dropped the bomb on them about Beatrice, and her last words weighed heavily on their minds.

Inside, an orchestra serenaded the guests with pre-20
^th
century classics. The marble floors gleamed almost as brightly as the diamonds gracing the necks of most of female guests and rivaling the glow of the chandeliers above.

“Thank you for coming!” The ball’s head organizer, Nessie Jordan, came to greet them personally. She was the charming widow of a Silicon Valley pioneer, always well-meaning but notoriously tactless.