Page 90 of One More Time
A knot formed in Lucy’s throat. She wanted to scream it out. Rant before God and Uncle Shane about the unfairness of life, and time, and the baffling fragility of human hearts. She wanted to throw some rage at him. For making her feel sorry for him. She was the one who was left behind. She was the one who spent twenty-eight years with ‘The Breathing Room’ on her back. Instead, though, Lucy did what she had always done, she swallowed down her frustration and pretended like the world wasn’t crashing down around her.
‘There with you, that was it … you were the calming … you were the fit … Lucy.’ The altered lyrics hit her like a blow. ‘Lucy … Lucy … Everything for you. Anything for you.’ There was no question in that final legendary line as it blew tenderly from his lips.
Nicky’s eyes found Lucy’s, his breath and hers growing ragged.
As the music around them swelled to its final triumphant conclusion, the room erupted again in applause. Lucy could feel the energy and bodies in the room all turn toward Nicky as the ovation dragged on.
He turned away from her and raised a single hand to the crowd in recognition of the admiration, dipping his head in a gesture of humble gratitude.
When a new song kicked up in the room, and the attention was once again on revelry and not Nicky, his hand slipped from her waist and found her hand.
Lucy allowed herself to be pulled away and off toward the exit. Looking back, she locked eyes with Chloe who was wrapped up in Chandler on the dance floor.
Her daughter gifted her a full-wattage Chloe smile, and a nod of her head.
‘I love you,’ Chloe mouthed.
Lucy blew her a kiss in response and followed Nicky out the door.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
LUCY
They didn’t speak a word on the trip through the Lusso, or on the elevator to the fortieth floor. Lucy could feel the quiet determination in Nicky’s shoulders, set firm and square. She knew that the squeeze of his hand meant stop and go, that the rapid blink of his eyes was frustration at the glacial pace of the elevator. All the while, Lucy became angrier. Every calm, measured step Nicky took ratcheted up her rage. Her body was still, but inside she could feel her wrath coiling tighter.
How dare he make her feel things? How dare he take their benign casual arrangement and douse it in lighter fluid with his whispered lyrics? It was supposed to be easy this time. It wasn’t supposed to hurt.
When the door to his suite had opened and closed again with a thunk, his mouth was on hers. He was gentle, tender. His lips grazed hers in soft caresses, his tongue playing carefully with hers in delicate tremors.
But Lucy didn’t want him sweet and slow. She didn’twant to sit in every moment, wishing they weren’t counting down to the end. Lucy didn’t want to savor it. She wanted to burn. Even if it was only for a few blistering minutes. She had been a part of enough last times. She didn’t want to feel it again. Not with him.
‘No,’ she said, backing out of his hold. ‘What was that back there? Whispering to me. Singing to me.’
‘I’m trying to say I’m sorry. For all of it. I’m sorr—’
‘No!’ Lucy shouted. ‘You don’t get to do that now. You don’t get to be soft and sorry and decent.’It’ll be too hard to never see you again.‘Fuck that.’
Lucy slipped out of her high heels and kicked them away, yanked the heavy jeweled flower from her hair. Heard it ping against the marble of the entryway. She grabbed Nicky’s shoulders and turned him, slamming his back against the wall and attacking his mouth. Taking control.
She clawed at the side of her dress, beads popping as she jerked the zipper down. With her mouth still on his, she slipped her arms free and the heavy thing pooled on the floor with a rattle and hum.
Nicky pulled away, stared at her. His eyes took a leisurely trip over her collarbones and her bare breasts, down to the scrap of nude silk that was her only remaining piece of clothing.
His thumbs grazed the aching points of her nipples in long, deliberate strokes. A slinking, listless rebellion against her alacrity.
Nope.
Lucy tore at Nicky’s tuxedo, peeling his jacket off anddragging it roughly from his arms. She snatched his belt, unbuckling and pulling it free with an eagerthwack. She tore at the button of his pants, then unzipped them with speed and thrust her hand inside, wrapping her fingers around his cock. She pulled once, twice, three times with a firm grip.
‘Fuck,’ he breathed, tipping his head back against the wall.
Nicky’s left hand found the cuff of his right sleeve and he unbuttoned it slowly. He raised his arms and did the same again with the left. When his fingers moved unhurriedly to his bow tie, tugging it loose in what could only be described as slow-fucking-motion, Lucy was fully fed up with his insubordination.
She snatched the two halves of his shirt and pulled with every ounce of her strength. Buttons popped off in every direction. She snapped her teeth on his nipple, hard. Then laved it with her tongue when he hissed at the pleasure and pain of it.
‘Behave,’ she growled.
With both hands to his chest, Lucy pushed herself out of his hold and stepped away.
