Page 19 of Second Chances with St. Nick

I gently batted my hand against him. He had to be kidding, right? “You said earlier that every one of your tattoos has a story. What’s the most interesting? The most special?”

I lifted slightly on Nick’s ribs as he sucked in a breath. With an exhale, he picked up my hand and placed my fingertips onhis chest. Right over his left pec. “This one,” he said, his voice deeper than ever.

I propped myself up, narrowing my eyes to see a small heart with an ornate “A” inside. My pulse didn’t just skip a beat, it took off running and left me floating on air. “Nick! When did you get this?”

“Abbie,” he said, shaking his head. “We’re strangers, remember?”

The soft glow in his eyes sent a tingle of delight over me. I nodded and settled back down, laying my cheek on his skin. “What’s the story behind this tattoo? Who was A?” My heart pounded as I waited for his response.

Nick shifted underneath me. “She was my best friend. The other half of me.”

My gut tugged and I waited for him to say something else. Anything. After a long silence, I couldn’t wait any longer.

“And what happened? Where is she now?”

He brought up a hand and pulled it through his hair. “She outgrew me. In the end, I don’t think I was enough. But I can't blame her. She wanted bigger and better things than I could give her. But damn, I loved her.”

With his words, a lump the size of a snow-globe formed in my throat. Nick held his breath beneath me, his body tight and still. I reached out, taking my hand and curling my fingers through his. After giving them the tiniest squeeze, I leaned in and placed a kiss on his tattoo. “I think your friend would love it. And I bet she’d like the chance to tell you that.”

I let out a long yawn, blinking into the gloom of the room.

Nick chuckled and squeezed back against my hand, giving a slow shake of his head. “I wouldn’t hold her to anything. But I do have a favor to askyoubefore I disappear.”

He traced a pattern along my collarbone with a single finger. His touch had my body crying for more, but a heaviness settled over me. I yawned again and nuzzled into him. “Mmm?”

“Can I hold you while you fall asleep? I don’t mean to sound creepy, but like I said, I don’t see many women, and never one as beautiful as you.”

In the crackled light of the fire I took a long breath, holding it in my throat. The thought of my oldest friend—my first love—holding me until I fell asleep had my heart aching and glowing in equal measure. Right now, I couldn’t think of anything else I’d prefer. Tonight, we’d comfort each other. Tomorrow, we’d talk.

“If you don’t mind seeing me drool on your pillow, I’d like that.”

Nick’s lips curled at my neck, his smile pressing into my skin. “I don’t mind at all.” With a sigh, he enveloped me in one muscular arm. With his free hand he brushed my hair away from my face. Finally, he pulled the blankets to cover us.

“You’ve no idea how much tonight meant to me,” he whispered. “You were a wonderful Christmas present.”

He leaned over and kissed me gently on the forehead, adding a tattoo of his own to my skin.

Nick continued to stroke my hair and under the gentle movement of his hand, I closed my eyes. The last thing I heard before a dreamy haze of sleep settled over me were his soft words in my ear.

“Merry Christmas, Abbie.”

10

REGRETS AND REVELATIONS

My eyes fluttered open as I woke to unfamiliar sounds. The pulse at my temple thumped and the side of my butt ached. I brought my hand down to rub my hip and winced at the bolt of discomfort. Damn, I must have come down hard on it last night in the hallway. My whole body went rigid, and I tugged in a breath.Last night. The hallway. Nick!

I sat bolt upright in the bed, automatically reaching out to the dresser. With trembling fingers, I closed my hand around my glasses and put them on. My vision snapped into focus, and I knit my brows tight together.

I swept my gaze around the room. Just as I remembered, the fire sat across from the bed. It lay cold and gray, and the finest ash hung suspended in the shards of sunlight from the window. The old leather couch sat empty, and there was no jacket draped over its back.

Nibbling my bottom lip, I glanced at the empty bed beside me. All I saw were crinkled sheets, and silence filled the air.

Winter moths fluttered in my belly as I pulled my robe around me. I’d slept on it, and the warm cotton hugged mybody just as Nick’s arms had. I pushed off the bed and my feet dropped to the carpet. Where the hell was he?

Padding across the room, I found the door to the bathroom. The room layout was identical to my own. The only difference was the couch and the fireplace. Holding my breath, I leaned in, pressing my ear against the wooden panel straining to hear a sound from within. Nothing.

I poked at the door with my index finger, and it swung open, revealing empty space. My belly rolled. Just before I fell asleep, Nick said he’d disappear. I thought he was still playing Santa. But with the empty chill of the room, it felt like he’d never even been here.

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