The Great Charade, page 21
“Sorry that didn’t work out.”
Abby stopped walking. “Are you?”
Nic swallowed, stalling. No, of course not. She wasn’t sorry at all. But she nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I know you were looking forward to going out with her.”
“Was I?”
They walked on and Nic finally spotted her truck. She hit the remote to unlock it and Abby nodded.
“Yes, I pictured you driving a truck, not a car.”
She opened the passenger’s door for Abby, who lightly brushed her stomach as she got inside. That innocent—or maybe not so innocent—touch sent her heart racing. What were they doing? She walked around to the driver’s side, pausing before getting inside. She knew what they were doing, didn’t she? She was about to drive them to her apartment. They were about to get naked.
Kind of ironic, she thought. Here she’d come to the bar, hoping to meet someone, someone to make her forget about Abby. Instead, the very woman who’d been roaming—at will—through her dreams for the last six weeks was now sitting in her truck, waiting on her. Waiting on her to take her to bed.
She got inside, glancing at Abby before the light dimmed. Abby’s eyes were full of desire, a desire she remembered well.
“Should we…talk or something?” Nic asked quietly.
“Do you want to talk?”
Did she? Hell, she didn’t know what she wanted. Liar. She started the engine. “Let’s go to my place.”
“Good. And hurry.”
Chapter Forty-four
Abby nearly stumbled as Nic led her up the stairs to her apartment. God, yes, they should talk, shouldn’t they? She had thought they would. At the bar. Visit. Catch up. But no. One look into Nic’s eyes had chased away any plans she’d had. The look in her eyes, yes, but the dance had been her undoing.
So, no, she didn’t want to talk. Not now. They could talk later. Like in the morning. Because right now, she just wanted to strip her clothes off and get into bed. But when Nic unlocked the door and turned the light on, she stopped. Her gaze swept across the room, finding the snow globe, the stocking, and the sight tugged at her heart.
“I…I haven’t gotten around to putting that up yet,” Nic said, clearly embarrassed.
Abby looked at her, meeting her gaze, holding it. Then she reached out, moving Nic’s sweater down, revealing the necklace she’d given her for Christmas. She met Nic’s eyes again before gently cupping her cheek with her palm.
“Did you think of me?”
“Yes,” Nic whispered.
Abby nodded, then moved closer, touching her lips lightly. “I missed you,” she said again, echoing the words she’d told her while they’d danced. “Take me to bed. Please?”
Nic didn’t move, though. No, she reached out, shifting the collar of Abby’s blouse aside, revealing her own necklace—the Infinity heart.
“You wear it?” Nic asked quietly.
“Always. And yes, I think of you.”
Nic’s eyes darkened as she pulled her close, claiming her lips with a possessive passion that ignited her own. It was so familiar, yes, yet it seemed like it had been an eternity since she’d felt this way. Her arms went around Nic’s shoulders, holding her close as their mouths and tongues became reacquainted. Hands tugged at clothing as they shuffled toward Nic’s bedroom. By the time they reached it, they were both naked.
She realized it was relief she felt as Nic rested her weight on top of her. Relief in that she’d been so afraid she’d never have this again, never know the feelings that Nic’s touch brought her. The handful of sexual partners she’d had in her lifetime were but fuzzy images—Holly included. It was Nic—her mouth, her lips, her fingers, her very breath—who seemed forever etched in her mind now.
And as Nic parted her thighs, the relief turned to fear. Fear of rejection, fear that Nic didn’t want this as much as she did. Fear that nothing had changed at all. Was she simply a woman Nic had picked up at a bar?
Those thoughts faded too, however, when Nic’s fingers slipped into her wetness, filling her. Right then, she no longer cared what her fears were. She would confront them tomorrow. Because right now, as Nic’s mouth settled over her nipple and her fingers stroked her, she was in too blissful a state to worry about what it all meant. Nic brought out a side of her—a sexual, passionate side—that no one had before. And she simply wanted to embrace it.
“Yes,” she breathed.
Chapter Forty-five
The bedroom was dark, quiet, cold. Abby moved, snuggling closer to the warm body lying next to her. Nic pulled the covers up and tightened her arm around her. Oh, it was all so familiar, wasn’t it? The sex, the cuddling afterward. The utter contentment she felt.
“You know, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Nic said quietly.
“No? I thought you said you might pop in at the courtyard someday,” she reminded her.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think I’d actually do it.” Nic shifted a little. “To be honest, I was afraid to see you.”
Abby lifted her head off Nic’s shoulder. “Why afraid?”
“I was afraid I’d see you and want this,” she said with a smile.
“And what’s wrong with this?”
Nic let out a deep breath. “I told you, I don’t have anything to offer you.”
Abby leaned up and met her gaze in the shadows. “And what makes you think I want something?”
“Because you’re not the type of person to have casual sex. You want the relationship, the commitment. You want stability.”
“Yes, I thought I did. Now I’m not so sure. I kinda like this. I told you that when we were in Red River. It’s kinda freeing.”
Nic raised an eyebrow. “So did you sleep with the doctor?”
“Of course not.”
“Why not?”
“First of all, I hardly know her. And secondly, I told you, there was no spark.”
Nic laughed. “See? You don’t do casual sex.”
“I must. I slept with you on the second night.”
The smile left Nic’s face. “I can’t offer you anything, Abby. Emotionally, I mean. So if you want to get together occasionally, like this, then I’m okay with it. But don’t expect anything else.”
Abby tried to read between the lines—tried to read her eyes. She knew Nic believed it when she said she had nothing to offer. And she knew Nic believed that she didn’t want a relationship, didn’t want to be involved with anyone. Emotionally. But if they saw each other, slept together, how did Nic propose to not become involved? And what about her? Did she really want to do this? Hadn’t she said that this wasn’t her? Wasn’t Nic right? She wanted the relationship, the commitment. She didn’t want someone she only had sex with and nothing else.
But she liked Nic. She was attracted to her. And as she’d told Sharon, she fell a little bit in love with her. If they did this, would she get in over her head? Would she end up with a broken heart?
None of that mattered, she realized. Nic could say what she wanted, what she thought, but when they made love—and yes, it was making love, it wasn’t just sex—the look in Nic’s eyes said something completely different. Nic was lonely, yes. So was she. But Nic was also attracted to her, and if she had to guess, Nic was falling a little bit in love too. And she imagined Nic was plenty scared by that feeling.
She leaned closer and kissed Nic gently, quietly. When she pulled away, Nic’s eyes were closed, and Abby smiled.
“I accept.”
Nic’s eyes opened. “No counteroffer?”
“Nope. On your terms.” She lay back down. “On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Breakfast in the morning. A nice breakfast.” She lifted her head again. “Or am I being presumptuous?”
“About?”
“Well, staying the night. I’m not sure how this is done. Am I supposed to leave now?”
“Leave?”
“What do you normally do?”
Nic smiled at her. “You act like I do this every weekend. I don’t.”
“Okay. So in the past then.”
“I would leave, or she would leave, yes. There was no breakfast.”
Abby met her eyes. “So, you want me to leave?”
“No. But what constitutes a nice breakfast?”
Abby lay her head back down, feeling relieved that Nic wanted her to stay the night. “Omelet?”
“How about a scrambled omelet and hash browns in the waffle maker?”
“Mmm. Okay. I don’t know what a scrambled omelet is, but okay.”
* * *
She was in a deep sleep, convinced she was dreaming when soft lips moved across hers. She finally opened her eyes, surprised at the brightness of the room. Nic was smiling at her. Nic was also fully dressed.
“What time is it?” she asked sleepily.
“Seven thirty.”
“It’s Sunday,” she yawned. “Isn’t that kinda early?” Then she smiled. “Because I distinctly remember being woken up—what time was it? Two?—with your tongue in all sorts of nice places.” She was surprised by the blush that crept onto Nic’s face.
“I don’t recall you complaining.”
“God, no.” She stretched her legs out. “When did you get up?”
“Five thirty. Habit.” Nic slid the sheet lower, revealing Abby’s breasts. She saw Nic’s eyes darken. “I’ve…I’ve started breakfast.”
“I guess that means I can’t drag you back into bed then, huh?”
“I’ve got the veggies sautéing.” Nic straightened up, clearly fighting with herself. “There’s time for you to shower, if you want.”
“Do you mind?”
“Of course not. I’ve already put a towel out for you.”
She got out of bed, pressing her naked body against Nic’s clothed one. She kissed her, almost wistfully. Pity they couldn’t go back to bed. Of course, she didn’t know what the rules were. Were there rules?
“Give me ten minutes.”
The shower felt so good, ten turned into fifteen, but Nic was still preparing breakfast. The scrambled egg concoction was on the stove, and she was just taking the hash browns out.
“Can I help with something?”
“I’m good. Grab you some coffee. Everything’s about ready.”
They sat at the bar and Abby noted that the snow globe had been moved, slid down to the end against the wall. Nic followed her gaze.
“I couldn’t bring myself to put it away somewhere. It makes me feel…at peace, I guess.”
Abby patted her thigh affectionately. “You don’t have to apologize for it, Nic. That’s why I gave it to you. I had hoped you wouldn’t shove it into a dark closet and forget about it.” She stabbed a forkful of eggs. “This is delicious, by the way.”
“Thank you. It’s the cheese that puts it over the top.”
“Mmm.”
“So, who were you with last night?”
“Marcos? He’s a friend from college. We have dinner occasionally.”
“Do you think he’s worried about you? I mean, you just kinda disappeared on him.”
Abby blinked at her stupidly. “I…I texted him,” she lied. Damn. She hadn’t considered that Nic would remember Marcos. She couldn’t very well tell her that Marcos had been in on the plan all along. The plan to find her and then go home with her. And that plan had worked to perfection.
Nic stared at her. “Oh. I guess I don’t remember you getting your phone out.”
“Yes, yes. It’s fine,” she said quickly. “So? How’s work? Have you been busy?”
“It’s starting to pick up. I’ve been busy with lining up our orders for spring. We’ve got three commercial nurseries that we order our flowers and plants from. I’ve been doing that for the last week.” Nic gave her an apologetic smile. “Sounds kinda boring, I know.”
“Boring? No. If I described my day of poring over sales reports and analytics and such, it would put you to sleep. Which is what it’s been doing to me.” She picked up her coffee cup. “I’m actually quite bored with my job. It’s challenging and stressful—both things that should keep you on your toes—but I think I’ve lost interest.”
“How long have you been there?”
“Since college. My first job.”
“You’ve got job security, at least.”
Abby shook her head. “No, job security doesn’t exist in today’s world. Maybe at mom-and-pop shops but not when you work for a multi-million-dollar corporation. There’s no loyalty. You can be the biggest asshole in the company, but if the profit margin is on target, you’re gold. And the reverse is true. You could be the most-loved person on your floor, but that doesn’t hold any weight when it comes to the bottom line.”
“So, it’s like looking over your shoulder all the time?”
“Kinda, yes. And truthfully, now that I’ve become a manager, some of the stress has eased. Because if things go wrong, you have underlings to blame,” she said with a laugh. “Of course, that only works for so long. Ultimately, it’s your team. If it continues to fail, it has to be you and not the team. I’ve got a good one, though, so there’s never any problems.”
“Who picks them?”
“When I became manager, the team was already there. After a few months, I knew who I could work with and who I couldn’t. And those were either reassigned or fired. It’s a cutthroat business and you must leave emotions out of it. That was the hardest thing to learn.”
“You have to be a bitch?”
She laughed. “No, that’s not what I mean. But even if you like someone personally, you can’t let that cloud your judgment on the job. And I’ve lost friends because of that. And it’s taught me that I’m the boss and they’re my team. There is no room for friendships.” She paused. “I miss that. When I was one of the underlings, I had friends. We’d do Friday happy hours nearly every week.” She held her hand up. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to go on and on about it. I guess I didn’t realize how lonely my workdays are.”
“You still have lunch with Sharon?”
“Oh, yes. She’s my outlet and we’ve become great friends. But in all these years, we have never done one single thing outside of our lunches, yet I know all about her life and she mine.” She raised her eyebrows. “What about you? Do you ever hang out with any of the guys?”
“I’ll grab a beer with them sometimes after work, but no, we’re not really friends.”
“Just Addison and Eric?” she asked gently.
“Pretty much.” Then Nic smiled. “And you.”
Abby returned her smile. “Thank you. And thank you for breakfast.”
Nic nodded. “Guess I should run you home, huh?”
“I suppose. I have laundry to do, my normal Sunday chore.” She got up and took Nic’s plate with hers to the sink. “I’ll do the dishes.”
“You don’t have to.”
“You cooked. I’ll clean up.” She leaned across the bar, pulling Nic to her for a kiss. “I had a really good time last night.”
Nic held her closer for a second kiss. “And this morning wasn’t too bad either.”
Chapter Forty-six
“Do you want to come in?”
Nic hesitated—yes, she was curious to see where Abby lived—then shook her head. “No. I better not. I’ve got a couple of hours at the gym planned. Then grocery store. And we have an early dinner on Sundays.”
“Okay.” Abby opened her door. “Dinner? With your uncle?”
“Eric and Addison. I pretty much go over there every Sunday.”
Abby got out, then leaned down to look at her. “Well, enjoy your dinner. Maybe I’ll get to meet them someday.”
Nic very nearly invited her to go along. She knew Addison wouldn’t mind. Hell, Addison would be thrilled. But no. That would be too much like dating, something she didn’t do. So she kept quiet and simply nodded at her.
“Maybe so.”
Abby stared at her for a long moment, then gave a quick smile. “See ya later.”
Nic watched as she walked away, disappearing behind a hedge. She tapped the steering wheel, feeling a sense of loss. It was suddenly too quiet, the truck too empty. With a twist of her wrist, she turned the music up loud and pulled away. She was no longer in the mood for the gym but drove there anyway. It was her Sunday routine. Two hours. Then off to do what little shopping she needed. Home to shower. Relax a bit before heading out again. Routine. Nearly every Sunday was the same.
This one felt different, though.
She hit the phone icon on her console. The music died as her call list came up. A call list of three numbers. Her uncle, Eric, and Addison. With a sigh, she pushed Addison’s name.
“Hey, Nicky. What’s up?”
“Yeah, hey. Listen, do you mind if I bring a friend to dinner?”
There was a long silence, and she pictured the quizzical look on Addison’s face.
“I don’t mind at all.” Then, “Anyone we know?”
“It’s…it’s Abby. I ran into her last night at the bar.”
“You did? That’s great.”
“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “She kinda spent the night with me.”
Addison laughed. “Kinda?”
Nic laughed too. “Okay, yeah, so I just dropped her off at her apartment. She mentioned that she’d like to meet you sometime, so I thought maybe tonight…”
“Absolutely. We’d love to meet her.”
The enthusiasm in Addison’s voice made Nic shake her head. “No, no, no. I know what you’re thinking. This is not a date or anything. We’re not seeing each other. Nothing like that.”
“Of course not. You don’t date. Remember?”
