* * * * *
6:02 – That Evening
The minute he heard the growl of her engine get close, Nick slid open the door and stood at the top of the stairs.
Even though he’d warned his security company to keep an eye out for any car he’d inventoried as being used by her father’s crew or anyone not associated with the building showing on the cameras repeatedly, he scanned the area. At the same time he did this, he watched her get out of her car, go to the back, grab the handles of some brown paper grocery bags and move gracefully up the stairs.
When she hit the landing, he hooked her with an arm and shuffled her in.
He was kissing her by the time he had her over the threshold. He kept doing it as he slid the door closed.
He only lifted his head when he’d turned the bolt home.
“Groceries?” he asked.
“I’m cooking.”
That night weeks ago when he’d ended things, she’d made some crazy-ass dessert that included a slapdash layering of nothing but brownies, heavy cream whipped with a packet of instant vanilla pudding and mini-Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It was fucking amazing but even professional eaters could only shovel two spoonfuls of it in their mouths before they started lapsing into a diabetic coma.
He’d watched someone he loved die and was tied to a chair, facing certain death just instants before being rescued. He had not let that paralyze him. He let it feed him. Therefore, since then, he’d done and seen a variety of some serious shit.
Nick didn’t fear much.
After one encounter with the results of her efforts in his kitchen, Olivia with groceries put the fear of God in him.
He shuffled her toward the kitchen, stating, “Maybe we should establish kitchen boundaries.”
“Dear God, more rules from Nick Sebring.”
“The one and only time you made something in my kitchen, I nearly lapsed into a sugar coma to the point it was touch and go I could fuck you.”
Her body locked, successfully stopping them from moving as she declared haughtily, “That’s the all-American dessert. Any proud, red-blooded American should easily be able to consume a huge bowl of that with a smile before they went off to plant a flag somewhere or win a gold medal or something.”
“That is not the dessert of champions, baby.”
“It most certainly is.”
“My arteries hardened just looking at it.”
She glared at him.
She was being cute and funny so Nick hugged her close and shoved his face in her neck as he burst out laughing.
He stopped laughing when she whispered in his ear, “I fucking love it when you do that.”
He lifted his head and looked down at his unsmiling princess who was again giving him something deep in her eyes.
“Drop the groceries,” he ordered.
“Sebring—”
“Drop the fucking groceries.”
She stared at him but she didn’t have to look deep.
He was giving it to her surface.
He watched her lick her lips as he heard the thumps of bags hitting the floor.