Page 62 of The Drummer's Heart

“You don’t know what’s going on here, Atticus?” Her eyes glistened as she looked up at me. “You really don’t know?”

“Why don’t you tell me…” I walked around to the passenger side and got in.

She backed out and drove a ways down the road before parking on one of the side streets. Nicole shut off the engine. “I can’t stand seeing you with her.”

My heart beat faster.I was right? She’s jealous?My chest filled with hope. I swallowed. “In what way? Like, you don’t like her… Or you don’t like herwith me?”

“I don’t likeanyonewith you. I thought I’d be able to handle this when the day came. Especially since I’m going away. But I’ve never felt so much jealousy in my life.”

Before I could respond, Nicole got out of the car and hurled all over the street. I ran to hold her hair back.

After she finally stopped, she turned to me. “This is so mortifying.”

“That must have been some fish…” I teased.

She held her stomach. “You’re the fish, Atticus! It’s you. Seeing that girl all over you made me sick to my stomach.” She shook her head. “You must think I’m nuts.”

“Are you kidding? This is the happiest night of my life. I didn’t know you felt that way about me. I really didn’t. If I’d thought for a second that you had feelings for me, I wouldn’t have been with her at all, let alone brought her around.” I brushed my hand along her cheek, not giving a shit if I got vomit on me. “Nicole, I’ve been so into you all this time. But I was scared you didn’t feel the same way. I’ve dreamed about you telling me you had feelings for me. Can’t say I imagined it happening like this, though.” I laughed.

“You didn’t imagine the barf?”

“Not quite. But it’s all good.”

“What do we do now?” she asked.

“What do youthinkwe do? I’ll drive us back to the house, take Kayla home, and tell her we can’t see each other anymore. You wait for me to come back.”

“Wait for you where?”

“Wherever you want. I’ll go wherever you are. Just tell me where to meet you. But make sure no one else is around, because I want to kiss you like you’ve never been kissed before.” I winked. “Just brush your teeth first.”

Still looking embarrassed, she laughed nervously. “I’ve never been kissed before, Atticus.”

I arched a brow. “Say what?”

“I know that’s crazy. I’m eighteen, and I’ve never been kissed, but the opportunity just hasn’t presented itself. I’ve spent the past two years wishing I was with you.” She looked down at her feet and shook her head. “I haven’t been interested in anyone else.”

After she dropped me off at Cassius’s house, I ran down to the basement and told Kayla we needed to leave.

Feeling a bit giddy, I drove her to her house and let her down as easily as I possibly could. Still, she got pissed, slammed the car door, and ran inside. Maybe that was a shitty thing to do tosomeone, but the girl of my dreams liked me so much that she’d thrown up.

That was pretty damn awesome.

CHAPTER 20

NICOLE

Atticus’s large arm was wrapped around me when I woke up. This guest room bed certainly wasn’t big, but until now we’d managed to avoid beingthisclose. I should’ve moved away, but I didn’t.

You’ll wake him if you move, I told myself. But I knew better. The truth was this felt too good. Being in the warmth of his arms was the best place in the world. It was the only time I’d ever felt safe. He was sleeping and oblivious to it, so I didn’t have to justify my actions.

But as the minutes passed, the feeling of safety transformed into something else: intense arousal. I hadn’t beenthishorny since we’d arrived here.

My temperature rose as his breath warmed the back of my neck. My nipples stiffened.Oh God.The need to touch myself became too much. Without thinking it through, I slipped my hand into my pajama bottoms and began massaging my clit—ever so slowly so as not to wake him. I imagined Atticus waking up and taking me from behind without so much as a word. I pressed my fingertips to my clit and thought about his hard, thick cock entering me, filling me like he always did. No one had ever pleasured me the way he could. And no other man knew his way around my body like Atticus. When you were made for someone, any experience with anyone else felt broken. I shunned the pervasive thoughts of how many women hadexperienced Atticus over the past few years, determined not to let that ruin my current pleasure.

I shifted, and my ass grazed the hardness of his cock. I was pretty sure Atticus had woken with a stiff one every morning since we’d arrived. He was a sexual person, so morning wood was par for the course. I forced my hips forward, away from the warmth. Now I was more aroused than ever, circling my fingers faster over my clit, praying to reach orgasm before he woke up and also wanting to prolong this feeling.

I froze when I felt his hand grip my wrist. His voice was strained. “Need some help?”

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