“Exactly,” he says, laughing.
It’s all too easy for me to picture myself cuddling up with Nic in a cute house in the suburbs.
Jesus, Elle, slow down.
I’m usually not like this when I first meet a guy, but something about Nic is so enticing—hell, so comfortable—that I can’t help but imagine what a future with him would be like.
“So, tell me more about this dream of yours,” I say. “Building custom homes. When exactly are you going to start your business?”
He sighs. “We’ll see. It’s a pretty big undertaking.”
I nod. “How about a pact? If I take the bar exam, you have to start your business.”
He takes a breath. “That’s a pretty serious commitment.” He watches me for a moment before holding out a hand. “Deal.”
We shake hands on it, and I ask him more about his plans for the business. The more he tells me, the more I can tell how passionate he is about this.
It’s so easy to be around him, joking and talking about our futures, that I don’t even realize how much time has passed until a barista comes to our table and asks if we’d like another round.
“Oh my God, has it really been an hour?” Looking up from my watch, I frown. “I have some work to catch up on before tomorrow.”
I don’t want to leave, but I know I have to get home to my laptop so I can finish the work I missed this afternoon. As much as I’d like to keep spending time with Nic, I can’t just blow off my responsibilities. He nods, looking disappointed.
“Let me walk you to your car,” he says, standing.
Outside is a perfect fall day. The sun is dipping toward the horizon, and there’s a cool breeze in the air. The leaves have all changed to bright oranges and reds, and they crunch under our feet as we walk through the parking lot.
“This was really fun,” I say once we get to my car, turning to face Nic. “Thanks for being so understanding about this weekend.”
“You really need to stop worrying about that,” he says. “But it’s cute that you were so nervous.”
I slap his arm playfully, grinning. “I wasn’t nervous.”
He smiles at me, and when our eyes meet, he takes a step closer, his dark eyes latching onto mine. Then he lifts my chin with his fingers before gently pressing his lips to mine. I lean in, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, and he puts an arm around my waist, pulling me in closer.
I close my eyes, giving in to the feel of his body pressing against mine. He’s kissing me softly, and the moment is so sweet, I want it to last forever.
My stomach flips as he trails his fingers along my lower back, and I grip the back of his head with my hand. When he pulls back, I want to reach for him again, but I force myself to take a step back.
I realize I want Nic to know how I’m feeling. Usually, I’m too afraid to discuss my emotions with a guy I don’t know very well, but I’m trying to be brave, and it’s now or never. I take a deep breath.
“Look, I don’t know if you’re looking for anything serious right now, and it’s totally fine if you’re not, but I have fun when I’m with you.” I say it quickly, before I lose my nerve. I watch Nic, trying to gauge his reaction.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” he says, his eyes searching mine. “I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I agree, I like being with you. Should we see where it goes?” His expression is relaxed, happy, his mouth quirking up in a half smile as he says this.
My face breaks into a grin, and I feel like jumping in the air and cheering. Instead, I give him a tight nod.
As I drive home and then make myself an early dinner, I’m practically giddy. Once I’ve eaten and before I get to work, I decide to text Christine.
Tell me everything you know about Nic.
Since Nic and I didn’t have sex, I technically kept my promise to Christine from Saturday night. If she asks, I won’t even have to lie.
Besides, I need to know more about him before this goes any further, because after today, I’m determined to get Nic in bed to finish what we started.
Chapter Ten
Nic
My alarm blares, waking me from the most restless night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time. I roll over and glare at the clock. Six thirty. Time to get up, brush my teeth, hit the gym, shower, and head to work. Just a day like any other.
Except no part of me wants to do any of that. The idea of entertaining any woman who’s not Elle makes me want to hit something.
I sit up with a groan and stretch my limbs. My head is screaming like I pounded half a bottle of Scotch last night, and my entire body aches. I’m not normally a stressed-out person. But lately it feels like every muscle in my body is on edge, tense and ready for a fight that may or may not be coming.
My phone chimes again, reminding me it’s time to leave for the gym. If I don’t make it out the door on time, my schedule for the day will be totally thrown off. Case isn’t happy when I show up late for work, but if I’m being honest with myself? I don’t give a rat’s ass about how Case feels right now.
After stumbling into the kitchen, I make myself a cup of coffee, rubbing my temples to soothe the headache. I blend my usual protein shake, adding an extra handful of wheatgrass for good measure. I’m trying to gear myself up for work when it hits me—I should just cancel. There’s no way I’ll be useful to anyone if I feel this shitty.
I dial Case’s number and bring my phone to my face, wedging it between my shoulder and ear as I pour my smoothie into a glass.
“Hey, dude, this is an early call for you. What’s going on?”
At least Case sounds like he’s in a good mood. For now.
“Hey, I just wanted to let you know I can’t come in today,” I say, keeping my voice low and gravelly. “I think I caught a twenty-four-hour bug or something, and I don’t want to get anyone else sick.”
It’s not a complete lie. I do feel like shit. It just might be more psychosomatic than I’m letting on.
“What the fuck, Nic? I had you slated to meet with two different clients later, plus a pre-screening interview this morning. How the fuck am I supposed to get one of the guys to cover on such short notice?”
“If you want me to infect all those nice women, I can push through it. I’m sure Jay from legal will be thrilled to hear you made that call.”
Case swears under his breath, and I can practically hear him pacing around his office. Jay is a buddy of his, and also an attorney who’s gotten Case’s company out of a jam a time or two.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you, Nic, but you know I count on you. Please tell me this has nothing to do with that girl from the other night.”
Low blow.
“It’s nothing like that, I swear. I just need a day to make sure I’m not contagious.”
“Fine. But I’ll need you to pick up a few more clients this weekend. Maybe even a double shift.”
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. This conversation really isn’t helping the feeling like my head is about to explode. “Sure, whatever you need. Listen, I have to go. I think I’m about to upchuck this smoothie.”
“Yeah, whatever, asshole. Thanks for royally screwing me over today.”