Page 45 of One More Time
‘What the fuck was that?’ Lucy mumbled.
‘I finally got to meet your daughter,’ Nicky replied. ‘She’s great. She looks like you. In the eyes.’
Lucy stared at Nicky, all those tattoos and abs just fucking everywhere. She found it hard to clear her head and focus with all of hiseverythingin her face.
‘You really don’t have to go anywhere or do anything. Chloe is …’
‘She’s pretty amazing, from what I can tell.’
‘Definitely amazing,’ Lucy said, ‘But also enthusiastic about her social life. Abouteveryone’s social life. You probably have things to do and it will be … a lot. Too much.’
‘I promise I’ll tell you if it’s too much,’ Nicky said stepping toward her.
It’s insane.‘It’s insane,’ she told Nicky’s California bear tattoo as it closed in on her.
‘It’s not insane,’ he said, threading his fingers through hers. ‘Also, if there’s one thing I’ve learned after getting married a billion and a half times it’s that the bride always gets what she wants.’
Nicky slipped his free hand under the T-shirt Lucy was wearing. His fingers drifted up, grazing against the skin of her stomach. Along the curve under her breast.
‘What are you doing?’ Lucy grunted, holding back a mewl.
‘Getting my shirt back,’ he huffed into her neck.
‘I really need a shower.’
‘Me too,’ he said before pressing his lips against hers. ‘Let’s go do that.’
He pulled her by the hand into the adjoining bathroom.
‘What are we doing? Are we just going to—?’
Nicky turned to her and squeezed her hip with his hand. ‘Right now, we’re going to take a shower.’
‘The wedding is on Saturday,’ Lucy tried. ‘I’m flying out on Sunday night.’
‘Perfect, I’m leaving for the tour on Monday.’
‘Tour?’
‘Europe.’
Of course. Of course, he is. He’s a big-time fucking rock star, Lucy. You dolt.
‘So, until then?’ she asked, as he twisted the hot water on in the cavernous shower.
‘Until then,’ he said with finality. He pulled the T-shirt over her head and trailed kisses across her collarbone.
Lucy took a deep breath. She should be grateful. Shewasgrateful. At least she could see the end coming this time. She could brace herself and prepare for it. She wouldn’t get all twisted up. It would be casual. Easy. No big deal.
Nicky turned around and put his hand under the water. It was then that Lucy caught a glimpse of a tattoo she hadn’t noticed before. Under his right shoulder blade was a cassette tape, slightly smaller than life-sized. It was done infine black lines that had drifted a little, smudged as though from age. The fact that he had a cassette tape tattoo wasn’t odd, it made sense, really. Whatwasodd, though, was the strip on the tape where the album title should be. There were only four letters there – L-U-C-Y.
She wanted to ask about it. Figure it out. Understand. But before Lucy could form a sentence, Nicky dropped his jeans and boxers.
The words never came.
(Oh, but she did.)
CHAPTER NINETEEN
