The Broody Brit for Christmas (Holiday Springs #1) - M.J. Fields Page 0,41
all of yours,” he says with complete resolve.
“Until tonight, I hadn't even come once on a man's tongue.”
He pulls me into a hug, and for some reason, his hug causes a lump to rise in my throat.
He whispers, “You’ll never come on any other.”
An hour ago, I would have taken that as a threat, but right now, it feels an awful lot more like a promise.
Rule Number Thirteen
Talk Less, Act More
Raff
It’s been two hours that Nikki and I have been lying in Nathaniel's bed, talking and laughing. She was amazed at his room and insisted on sleeping on the mattress in the loft because she couldn't wait to wake up in the morning and use the slide to get down.
This sprung on the conversation that she was concerned that she would get too attached to Nathaniel, and if things didn't work out, she didn't want to be the cause of him being disappointed.
I push an errant hair from her face. “Then don't disappoint him.”
“I know you think I’m what you want.” She looks away from me, but I can see the hesitancy in her eyes.
I turn her face to mine. I need to see her reaction to what I’m about to say. “I don't think, I know. If there were one ounce of doubt, the taste test in my room quite literally would have drowned it. If you need a reminder, I have no problem going down for seconds.”
Her eye roll has me chuckling. “I think one ruined set of bedding for one night is plenty.”
I sigh. “Something we can work on. But we can start with you moving out of your aunt and uncles and into the studio. She locked you out, and you were too damn kind to knock on the door and wake your aunt or uncle—”
“They work on weekends. They will be up at five in the morning. I couldn’t possibly—”
“Nikki,” I pull her closer, “you were too damn quiet about your treatment in your former life, too.”
She looks at me. “You mean—”
“Don't you dare say his name when you’re in my arms. You are worth more than you—”
“As far as my family goes, I don't want to hurt them or make them feel like they have to choose because they don’t. She is their daughter.”
“And they raised you as theirs.”
“I left. She stayed.”
“I adore that you are that caring, but it’s a safety issue, and I will not sleep if I am worried about you.”
She looks at me like I’m joking. I’m not.
To drive the point home, I remind her, “She knew damn well your keys were inside that house. That’s not just bitchy. That’s borderline crazy. What sometimes starts as petty childhood jealousy can morph into something a lot worse. You’ll move in tomorrow.”
Her body stiffens, and I know damn well I’m pushing, but I also know I’m fucking right.
She looks at me with fire in her eyes. “Ask me why I freaked out in your car earlier.”
“I know why you freaked out, same damn reason you will be moving in next door. Your crazy cousin, Ne—”
“I know you think I can’t handle her, but I can.”
“Obviously not.”
She sits up and folds her arms across her chest. “I will admit, some of the things you’ve made me see are spot on. But you don’t know me—”
I sit up. “I know you pretty damn well, Nikki. I’ve looked into you. I’ve tasted you, for fuck’s sake.”
“You’ve looked into me?” she huffs, clearly annoyed.
Sitting up, I tell her the truth, “Damn right, I have. I have a son to consider.”
“Do you look into everyone you plan to fuck?”
“You are literally the only woman I’ve ever wanted other than Hope for more than an occasional fuck, so no, just you.”
“Well, maybe instead of looking into me, you should attempt to get to know me—”
“What do you think this entire night has been about? What do you think me offering you a job, a place to live, and—”
“If you’d just looked a little deeper, you’d realize that’s exactly why I left. A man who wanted to control me, and then when he was done, he threw me aside.”
“And as I told you earlier, he’s no man. I also told you when you were in bed with me that he wasn't to be brought up.”
“And that’s not fair because I have no problem talking about Hope, anytime, anyplace.”
“Are you seriously comparing my dead wife to your relationship with your ex? She died, Nikki. She had no choice but to