Songbird (18 page)

“You were this evening. Scared of me.” He
lowered his head and pressed the tip of his nose to mine.

I couldn’t respond to that. He wasn’t wrong,
but to admit to this guy he was right would be to listen to him
crow of the rest of the week. I wasn’t about to do that either.

“I don’t want to rush you,” Nicholas’s
fingers played lightly down my side and stopped to toy with my
belly button where my tee shirt rode up. “Sex isn’t just about me,
but about you too.”

“I know that.” I frowned. “I read. I’m not an
idiot.”

“Good, good.” He didn’t seem the least bit
put out by my grouch.

“Can we go to sleep now?” I yawned making my
point. “I’m tired. Go to bed, Walker.”

“Sure. But in just a minute.” Nicholas closed
the gap between us. His body drooped enough onto mine to add
friction but it still wasn’t his whole weight. He nibbled lightly
to the corner of my mouth. “Do you trust me?”

My breath was stuck somewhere between lungs
and mouth so I could only nod.

His hand toyed with the bottom of my tee
shirt. His voice dropped, “Will you take this off for me?”

Even though his mouth still trailed light
touches over my mouth, and jaw he’d left the decision up to me.
Nerves pulsed and while some of it was fear, it wasn’t fear of
him.

“No.” The word came out hoarse and shaky. I’d
never been able to say no before. Uttering it had no meaning to
anyone in this position before.

“All right.”

I stiffened with surprise when he turned his
head and rubbed his mouth along my jaw and trailed it to my
ear.

“I know what no means, Bianca. I have no
problems with it.” He kissed the shell of my ear before sliding off
to my side. “Is it okay if I sleep here tonight?”

“That’s it?”

He chuckled and yawned. “Yeah. That’s it.
Whenever you’re ready. I’m not generally a patient man, but for
you…” his voice trailed off as he shifted more comfortably next to
me.

I rolled to my side to watch him cozy down in
my bed. His eyes were half-closed and he did appear content to
sleep beside me with no promise of anything else. The idea that I
could tell him no and he’d still be comfortable sleeping next to me
made me feel wanted.

Desired.

I played with the hem of my shirt,
considering him. Was I ready for this? For him. When his head
turned and his dimple winked out at me I made my decision. No one
made me feel the way Nicholas could. Sitting up without speaking I
lifted the shirt and tossed it over the side of the bed.

The sleepiness was gone from his face and he
watched unabashed as I returned to my position in bed. He turned up
on his side and his eyes dropped to my chest.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” His hand
feathered over my breast and I gasped. His fingers pinched the very
tips ever so slightly. Electricity ran along my spine curving my
back into his hands.

His grin was vibrant in the dark room.
“Sensitive are we?” Nicholas leaned back into me trailing kisses
down my neck and collarbone to the peaks of interest. He lavished
attention on one breast then the other. His tongue lapped even as
his teeth nipped. The combined touches had fire pumping through my
veins.

“Walker.” My voice shook and was anything but
confident. My hand tangled in his hair and held tightly. I felt
like I was flying and falling at the same time. The sensation was
entirely new and not completely pleasant.

He placed another barely there kiss between
my breasts. “Do you trust me?” He waited for my answer. Did nothing
more than careless caresses while he waited.

“Yes.” I didn’t know what I was agreeing to,
but I knew I trusted him. I wasn’t scared of him.

Warning bells were going off. I knew this was
a bad idea. The bells weren’t necessary but dammit just for a
moment longer. Just let me feel what love might feel like a moment
longer. Then I’d stop him.

Nicholas moved lower, the blanket discarded
to the side. He shifted off the end of the bed and grabbing behind
my knees lightly tugged so my legs hung over the edge. He knelt
between my legs and toyed with my belly button with his tongue. The
fact that he wasn’t the least bit bothered by the extra weight I
wore both exhilarated and terrified.

“Walker?” I gasped and couldn’t stop my hips
from lifting when he nibbled not so gently on the rim of my
navel.

“Do you trust me?” His voice had dropped an
octave and turned husky.

“I’m getting tired of you asking that.” I
forced the words out between gulps of air.

His hands played with the edges of my
panties. “Will you let me take these off?”

Tension coiled and not just from
anticipation. Be completely naked? In front of this beautiful,
chiseled man?

“You’ve seen me naked.” He lightly followed
his fingers with his teeth and tongue. I bit back a moan when his
teeth clamped down where hip and leg met.

I lifted my hips in silent agreement when he
tugged on the material once more. Breathing was becoming more and
more of a problem but I knew I didn’t want him to stop. Definitely
didn’t want him to stop.

He dropped kisses along the inside of my leg
as he tugged the panties off. Then he trailed kissed back up. When
his breath tickled my very exposed sex modesty—or insecurity I
wasn’t going to pick which—had a hand moving to cover up. Nicholas
caught the hand and kissed the fingers before moving it run through
his hair.

“You might want to hold on for this.” He
murmured and leaned in.

He was right. My hand fisted as his tongue
ran from top to bottom and back again. He made a sound that was
more suited for eating gourmet meals not pussy and caused a flood
of desire I couldn’t control. The vibrations from it had shakes
running up and down my legs.

His mouth savored the way he might have his
favorite desert. His teeth on my clit forced a cry through my lips
and I bit down cutting it off. Nicholas immediately drew back.

“Don’t do that,” he commanded. “Make whatever
fucking noise you want to make. Don’t hold yourself back.”

I took several ragged breaths. “Sorry.”

He wasted no time diving back in. I went into
sensation overload when he added fingers to the mix. The orgasm
slammed through me and I was almost sure I screamed and pulled his
hair. Fireworks was a poor description for the result of Nicholas’s
mouth. Very poor.

“Better then chocolate.” I heard him say over
my unsteady panting. As he climbed back up the bed he tugged on the
covers bringing them back over us.

He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to
drape over him. His hand ran soothing circles up and down my still
shaking body. He had stated he wasn’t a cuddler so this came as a
nice surprise. He placed a chaste kiss to my forehead.

“Now, we can go back to sleep.” He murmured
and indeed it sounded like he was about to pass out. “No nightmares
tonight, okay, Songbird?”

“But you…” I trailed off. “Nightmares?” The
thought made me shiver and Nicholas’s earlier actions because a
little clearer. I would never confuse him with my past but there
was no safe way to dive into that right now.

“Go to sleep, Songbird.” Nicholas muttered
again.

“But,” I ran my hand down his side and
fondled with the edge of his sweatpants. I wasn’t sure I wanted to
attempt sex just yet as sensitive as everything was, but certainly
he wasn’t going to drop off without some relief for himself. I had
already broken my unspoken rule. How worse could actual sex make
this situation?

He grabbed my hand and brought it back up to
his chest. He rested both our hands over his heartbeat, which
surprisingly was unsteady as mine. “Go to sleep,” he said again and
pinned by both his arms I could do little else but obey.

I couldn’t breathe. Well, I could but I felt
like there was an elephant on my chest. I lay on my stomach and
apparently Nicholas was the human blanket.

He weighed more than he looked. Using my
pitiful arms, I tried for a push up to shake him off and my arms
collapsed like toothpicks. I couldn’t even reach any delicate skin
to pinch and get him off. Dammit.

Nicholas shifted and pressed more fully
against me. His sweatpants did nothing to disguise what he worked
with and I suppressed most of the quiver. His nose rubbed where my
neck and shoulder joined. “Can’t be time to get up yet.” His words
though muffled and rough with sleep were still easy to
decipher.

“It is for me. Get off,” I hissed and
shifted—or at least tried to—away.

He grumbled and snaked an arm under me.

“No.” I choked on the word as soon as his
questing hand pressed against my mound. When he stroked lazily I
managed to push out, “We don’t have time.”

“Plenty of time for this.”

I should have argued. I should have certainly
put up more of a protest. Not that it would have mattered. When his
fingers sunk in I rocked back and time no longer mattered.

We were late to breakfast. Thank God that’s
all we were late for. I paced while he ate.

He hadn’t let me touch him again this
morning. Not after he had his way in bed or even when he joined me
in the shower. The relationship was completely one sided and not
even by choice.

I didn’t know if that was supposed to make me
feel comfortable or frustrated. I knew irritation was at the
forefront though. I didn’t like that he got nothing but made sure I
was sated. In fact, thinking about it pissed me off even more.

“Not eating?” Arc asked with brows
raised.

I checked my watch again. “Mr. Walker, you
have an appointment in thirty minutes. Are you finished?”

“She’s calling him Mr. Walker.” Arc leaned
over and whispered to Max, “What do you think he did now to piss
her off?”

I rolled my eyes. “You guys are supposed to
meet us at the concert hall at two, we’ll have lunch, and sound
check starts at four—”

“We know.” Guy rolled his shoulders. “And if
we even attempt to forget your scheduled reminders will ping
through on the phone.”

“Fine. Fine.”

“We have a rule.” Nicholas pushed back from
the table.

A rule? Crap. Yes. I wasn’t allowed to call
him Mr. Walker. Oh, well. I sent him a bland smile. “Ready?”

“You haven’t eaten.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go. You’ll be late.”

He crossed his arms and glared. “You haven’t
eaten.”

I grabbed a muffin off the table and started
walking away. “Let’s go.”

Nicholas grabbed my arm before I managed two
paces. “That’s not breakfast.”

I lifted my chin. “Do not test me on this.
You will
not
be late.”

He studied my face. “Why are you pissed at
me?”

“Not a discussion to have right now. Let’s
go.”

“Yes. It is.” His fingers flexed.

Henry cleared his throat. “Car’s
waiting.”

“In the car. Now.” I jerked out of his grip
and walked away.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Nicholas
didn’t wait for the car to pull away from the curb.

“Nothing.” Since it was here, I began to eat
my muffin. Blueberry. Gross. To prevent further conversation I ate
it anyway.

“You were fine this morning.” He folded his
arms and stared out the window. “Perfectly fine, though you cursed
me all through the shower.”

I smiled and continued to eat the muffin that
was now stuck in my throat. I would not get in a fight with him
here. Not with ears in the front.

“I am fine.” I shrugged. “Tired.”

His dimple flashed. “Well then. Memo to
self—Songbird isn’t a nice person in the morning on little
sleep.”

I managed a tight whatever smile and was
relieved when the car stopped again and Henry stepped out. The
current schedule of interviews would keep him occupied enough.

This interview was supposed to be casual, in
one of the cities up and coming cafes. The blonde woman that
greeted us looked anything but casual and my back went up.