When she rested her cheek on his shoulder, breathing hard, he closed his eyes, wrestling with the emotions coursing through him. He clenched his jaw to trap them in, but they tumbled out anyway. “You don’t just fuck with my head, Trix. You fuck with every part of me.”
She lifted her face with a sweet smile on her lips and kissed his cheek. Then she rested her head on his shoulder again and closed her eyes. He felt her inhale deeply and let it out slowly. She was so trusting, so loving, he was overwhelmed with the urge to do more for her. He didn’t know exactly what more was, but he sure as hell would figure it out.
“Thank you for saying yes,” she whispered.
“You know I can’t say no to you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips.
As he carried her into the bedroom, she whispered, “But it’s fun watching you try.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
TRIXIE LAY IN Nick’s arms Saturday morning, enjoying their closeness and wondering how she’d ever go back to sleeping alone after having all of this with Nick. She glanced at Pugsly snoring softly beside him, and a pang of sadness moved through her. How could two weeks feel like two months? Her time there was only half over, and they’d already become so much more than she thought possible in an entire month. Her eyes swept over her hairbrush and hat on the dresser and the chair in the corner where their freshly washed clothes were neatly stacked together. Her toothbrush and makeup were on the sink in the bathroom, her bodywash and shampoo were in the shower, and there she was, draped over him like he was hers. The craziest part was that he was hers.
She pressed a kiss to his chest. His hand moved down her back, squeezing her bottom as he kissed her head.
“I have to get up soon to run with Travis.”
“A few more minutes, darlin’.” His deep voice was rough from sleep and incredibly sexy. “What are you overthinking?”
He knew her so well, but she wasn’t about to go there. “How much I like your voice in the morning.”
“If you weren’t going running, I’d remind you how much you like other parts of me.”
“Trust me, you reminded me well last night.” They’d gone into town for ice cream and had ended up teasing and taunting each other so much on the way home, they hadn’t even made it indoors. They’d eaten their ice cream off each other and had sex in the truck. “We should win a medal for our acrobatic talents.”
He chuckled and patted her ass. “That was fun, chickadee.”
“You were very giving.”
Nick’s generosity went well beyond his sexual prowess. He gave often and in so many ways, it was no wonder she was crazy about him. He’d not only arranged for her to meet with Jace on Monday at his office so she could practice with Annabelle, but he was going with her so she could practice with both horses. Another woman might not think that was romantic, but Trixie knew that although Nick’s walls were coming down, they still existed. All the little things he did for her told her how deeply he cared about her, and that was incredibly romantic. She wished she had more to give to him than only her love. But every time she tried to come up with a material gift, her mind returned to the thing that mattered most: showing him how good it felt to be loved. It was all she’d wanted to do for so many years, she almost felt selfish because loving him came so easily.
“As I recall, you were just as giving,” he said, bringing her back to the moment.
“Nick à la mode is my new favorite dessert.” She scooted down and kissed his stomach and couldn’t resist sliding her hand even lower. He swelled in her hand, and her entire body awoke.
She glanced at the clock, her mind racing through dirty scenarios. She had a few minutes before she had to get up. He reached down and covered her hand with his, tightening her grip and stroking with her. God, what he did to her. If she didn’t take what she wanted, she’d be uncomfortable the whole time she was out running. The trouble was, she didn’t know which she wanted more—to take him in her mouth or to ride her cowboy. The sight of his big hand wrapped around his cock won out.
“Keep stroking yourself.” She lowered her mouth over his shaft, following his hand up and down the length of it.
“Jesus. Turn around, baby. I need my mouth on you.”
She turned on the bed, and Pugsly scampered to the floor with a grunt. Nick shifted over her and lowered his mouth between her legs, sending rivers of heat rushing through her. She fisted his cock, taking him in her mouth. It wasn’t long before they both lost their minds and their control.
He turned around, kissing her passionately. “Let’s hit the shower. We’ll be fast.”
“I can’t,” she said groggily. “I’m in a post-orgasmic coma.”
He laughed and rolled her onto her side, smacking her ass.
“Hey!”
“Come on, darlin’. You’ve got a running date, and I’ve got a hundred errands to run. I won’t be back until midafternoon.”
He dragged her out of bed and into the shower. She stood beneath the warm water, eyes closed, as she wet her hair. She heard Nick open the bodywash, and then his hands moved along her shoulders and down her back. He gathered her hair over one shoulder and kissed the one he’d bared. Her heart bubbled over with happiness. He’d never bathed her before. She had a feeling if he ever untethered all the love he had to give, it would take over everything around him.
They made it outside just in time to meet Travis as he walked up to the front door. Pugsly ran out to the grass making grunting noises, and Rowdy and Goldie barreled across the yard from the barn.
“The dynamic duo. How’s it goin’, Nick?” Travis reached down to pet Rowdy.
Nick loved up Goldie. “Great, thanks. Sorry to be short, but my day is going to be crazy, and I’ve got to take care of our beasts before I leave. Have a good run. See you later, darlin’.” He kissed Trixie, whistled and patted his leg, and headed down to the barn with the three dogs.
Trixie and Travis jogged up the driveway. “Sorry I was a few minutes late.”
“No worries.” Travis cleared his throat. “I miss those mornings when I had to shower before running.”
She laughed. “Are you trying to make me blush?”
“Nah, just jealous of my two friends. You guys make coupledom look pretty great. I never thought I’d see that stone exterior crack, but the way Nick looks at you…That’s something special, Trixie.”
“I like knowing you see it, too.”
“Trust me when I say that everyone around you two can see it. I’m just glad he didn’t rip my head off for asking you out.”
“I kind of loved seeing him jealous.” They jogged up to the end of the driveway and turned down the main road toward Walt’s.
“Women love that shit.”
“Oh, please. So do guys when women get jealous. Y’all just don’t admit it.”
“That’s true.” He cocked a grin. “But if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll have to kill you.”
“Okay, well, have fun dealing with Nick if you kill me.”
He laughed. “So much for that plan.”
As they ran past Walt’s, they saw him on the front porch and waved. “Did you have a chance to ask your grandmother about joining us next weekend for the barbecue?”