shy even. She couldn’t pinpoint where the change in attitude was coming from, but something about Nick brought it out in her, and…maybe it was their situation, and the fact that there was no real pressure on their relationship. Because it wasn’t even a real relationship. It was make-believe, with no expectations, and that made it so much easier to put herself out there and go after what she wanted. Even if it was temporary.
Which was exactly why she was more than ready to go after something else she’d been wanting more and more of lately. And that was only natural, right? It had been so long since she’d felt anything. So long since the feel of a man’s lips on hers had sparked something deep inside. She was beyond overdue to feel sexy and desirable. She craved it.
Needed it.
For too long, Billy had used sex as a weapon. Withholding it or demanding it as the mood struck. But she was past that; she’d worked through it. Put it in her past. And now…she needed more.
She was pretty sure Nick would agree that this was exactly what they both needed.
And he wasn’t complaining either, as he put his hands on her hips and held her firmly in his grasp. “Oh, I think you know what I’m not used to waiting for.” He tugged her toward him until his lips crushed hers. One hand slipped behind her head and he held her close as his tongue twisted with hers.
Her body liquefied under his attentions the way it always seemed to, and she melted into the kiss, pushing herself closer to him until they were pressed back up against the kitchen counter. It had been a long time since she’d been intimate with a man, and even longer still since she’d enjoyed it.
Instinctively, Charlotte knew she would more than enjoy any kind of physical activity with Nick. If their kisses were anything to go by.
And oh man, they sure were something to go by.
She was more than ready to take this—whatever it was that they were doing—to the next level. Char groaned and let her mouth slip away, so she could press kisses on his neck. She inhaled the scent of him, fueling her desire as she alternatively sucked and nibbled on his neck, eliciting moans from him that were making it increasingly difficult to not tear his clothes off right there in the kitchen.
But then again, why not?
She pulled away from him.
“I didn’t say stop.” He grinned.
“Oh, I wasn’t about to stop.” Char reached for his belt buckle and his eyes widened in surprise.
What did he think was going to happen?
She slipped the leather through the buckle and yanked it free before tugging his zipper down.
Nick’s hand stilled hers and held it in place. “Char?”
She looked up at him with heavily lidded eyes. “You said you weren’t used to waiting and—”
“That’s not what I…shit.” He shook his head sharply. “No. That’s not what I…I didn’t mean that you…that we…dammit.”
“Oh.” She’d clearly read the situation wrong. Maybe part of keeping things relaxed and without any expectations was keeping things PG. Mortified, she tried to turn away, but he held her fast.
“No, Charlotte.” He cupped her cheek with his hand. “That’s not what I was trying to say. Not at all. I want this. I want you.”
She forced herself to look at him. “Then what is it?”
He squeezed his eyes shut and when he opened them again, she could see he was struggling with something internally.
“Nick? No expectations, remember?” The words tasted sour on her tongue. She hated it because no matter how many times she said that, or reminded herself that what they weren’t real, it sure felt real. Just like what she was about to do felt very, very real. Still, she knew he hadn’t promised her more, and he’d definitely not promised her real. So she swallowed down the sourness and said, “Don’t overthink it. This doesn’t have to be anything more than what it is.”
And what was it?
Way too many thoughts slammed through Nick’s consciousness all at once.
It was ridiculous, because it hadn’t even been a full year ago when he’d regularly hooked up with women for meaningless sex. He’d never thought about what it could mean. Or what it might mean. It was sex. That was it. No strings. No expectations.
Just like this.
But it wasn’t anything like this. Not even close.
Because Charlotte was…
Don’t overthink it, she’d said. Dammit. Didn’t she know that that’s exactly what he did? He