Page 34 of Nicky

Positioning myself, I pressed forward slowly, watching every flicker of emotion on his face. He tensed, then relaxed, his body giving way inch by inch until I was buried fully inside him, the heat and tightness pulling a guttural groan from my throat. His legs wrapped around my waist, drawing me deeper, grounding me in him.

I set a rhythm, slow at first, letting him adjust, feeling every shift of his body beneath mine. His moans filled the room, unguarded and beautiful, every sound pulling me further under. Each thrust carried weight—not just desire, but something more. Something I couldn’t quite put into words yet but felt in every breath, every movement, every look.

Nicky clung to me, his hands fisting on my shoulders as if I were the only thing anchoring him. And maybe, in that moment, I was.

Nicky fell first, his body tightening around me as his release hit, a shudder running through him that pulled a broken cry from his lips. The sight of him—head thrown back, cheeks flushed, completely lost in the moment—was all it took to send me over the edge. My own release followed, a surge of heat and relief that left me trembling, every muscle taut before the tension drained from my body.

I held him close, my arms wrapped around him like I never wanted to let go. He was breathing softly, his head resting on my chest, and I couldn’t help but smile, feeling the soft weight of him in my arms.

This wasn’t just about sex. It was about connection—about building something that went beyond justthis. And in that moment, I knew. I had to be honest with him. I couldn’t keep hiding who I was.

But for now, I held him, and he held me, and that was enough.

I waited until Nicky’s soft snores filled the quiet room, his body completely at ease. Carefully, I slipped my arms beneath him, lifting him in a bridal hold. Cradling him like that—vulnerable, trusting—felt sacred. Carrying him to my bedroom, I laid him down on my bed as if he were made of glass, each movement deliberate, reverent.

In the bathroom, I disposed of the condom and cleaned myself up quickly before grabbing a warm, damp washcloth. Returning to the bedroom, I knelt beside him, taking my time to gently clean him, each stroke of the cloth a silent promise of care. Even in sleep, his brow softened under my touch, and I couldn’t help but linger, my heart full and unsteady all at once.

I joined him on the bed, pulling the blanket over us. Listening to his steady breaths, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest, was turning out to be my favorite thing to do. I hadn’t expected any of this. Not how much I’d enjoyed the date with him. Not the ease with which we connected, emotionally and physically. But here we were, tangled together, bodies and hearts so in sync it felt like a damn dream. A good dream. The kind you don’t want to wake up from.

I hadn’t known much about Nicky before tonight, but the glimpse I got into his life at dinner had made my chest ache with something I couldn’t quite name. I hadn’t expected the conversation to go where it did, but hearing about his childhood... his strength, his resilience—it hit me in ways I wasn’t prepared for. He’d been through so much, and yet he was so strong, so resilient. There was a depth to him I hadn't seen in anyone in a long time.

I had to stop myself from smiling. He wasn't just a fleeting attraction, some spark that would fizzle out. No, Nicky was... something else.

But I still held back. I was worried that if I took control in bed the way I was used to—demanding, commanding—then I might scare him off. It would break me if I caused him to lose his trust in me. So, I kept things vanilla.

It meant everything to have him in my arms, but I couldn’t stop the worry from creeping in. When he got up, would he regret tonight? Would he leave while I slept? Should I have asked him to stay the entire night with me? Ughh! I’m glad I didn’t. The worst thing I could do was look desperate, and I didn’t want to make him obligated to stay. But God, I wanted him here. With me.

Nicky shifted, snuggling closer, and I froze for a moment, taken aback by how natural it felt. He was... cuddling me. The guy who didn’t let anyone see his soft side was suddenly curling into me like a damn teddy bear.

I brushed my fingers through his hair, unable to stop myself from smiling.

This wasn’t what I expected, but it felt so fucking right. More right than anything I’d experienced in a long time. I wasn’t sure how to navigate this with Nicky. I was used to something different—something with clear boundaries and roles. The Daddy dynamic was something that had been a part of me for so long, and without it, it felt like something was missing.

But Nicky? He wasn’t like anyone I’d ever been with before. I couldn’t just impose that part of me on him, and I couldn’t hide it from him either. I had to come clean. I’d do it in the morning. I’d tell him what I needed. What I wanted. What I couldn’t walk away from.

I didn’t know if he was ready for that kind of relationship, but I wouldn’t lie to him. Not when things had already gotten this real. I just hoped he wouldn’t walk away.

Because whatever this was with Nicky, it was new—uncharted territory for both of us—but that didn’t mean I wasn’t taking it seriously. I wanted to see where this could go, to build something real with him. The thought of it made my chest tighten, with both hope and fear. What scared me the most was the possibility that the person I was, the things I needed in a partner, might not align with what Nicky wanted.

But I couldn’t pretend to be someone else, not with him. If this had any chance of working, I had to be honest—completely, unapologetically honest about what I needed, about who I was. Only then could we have a real shot. And as terrifying as it was to think that my truth might be a dealbreaker for him, it was the only way I knew how to move forward.

Because the way I felt about him? About us? This wasn’t some fleeting attraction or passing fling. It felt bigger than that—more meaningful. And if there was even a chance that we could have something real, I’d give it everything I had. But only as my authentic self. Anything less wouldn’t be fair to either of us.

CHAPTER 16

Nicholas

I woke up to the unfamiliar warmth of another body pressed against mine, the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back grounding me in a way I couldn’t explain. My usual restlessness, the ache in my shoulders, even the nagging anxiety that came with waking up somewhere new—it was all gone.

Markus’s arm was draped over my waist, his hand resting with an easy grip, loose yet steady, like even in sleep he was anchoring me. I stared at the faint morning light filtering through his blinds, the soft shadows playing across the ceiling, and let myself breathe it in.

It had been years since I’d felt this safe. No, scratch that—I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt this safe.

My chest tightened, the thought prickling against my usual defenses. Safe wasn’t something I could afford to lean on. Safe was fleeting, a crack in the armor before everything fell apart again. But here, wrapped in Markus’s warmth, it felt like those cracks weren’t as sharp as I thought.

I wasn’t expecting any of this—a night like last night, a man like Markus—but it felt... right. And that terrified me.

His arm shifted, his fingers brushing against my hip as he stirred. I turned my head slightly, catching a glimpse of him, stillhalf asleep, his hair mussed, jaw slack in a way that made him look almost boyish.

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