Page 53 of Covert
Tinkling bells let me know Nikki's walking towards us, but I'm still fully concentrated on my work.
"Thank God my hysterectomy is on Wednesday because my ovaries just exploded," she whispers in my ear, causing a strangled, startled sound to escape my throat.
"Wha-what?" I whisper-shout, pulling my hands away from my client so I don't fuck up if she whispers something else in my ear.
"Sweet Jesus, there's a third? Where do I sign up?"
My client opens one eye, clearly interested in what's happening here.
"To be the meat in that hottie sandwich..." she continues. I kick off the machine and pull off my gloves, needing a breather.
"A tear just rolled down my leg, sir," she continues, a delighted giggle in her voice. I mumble something about needing a break and pace to the hangout area.
She follows me before leaning against the wall and crossing her legs.
I pace and blow out a deep breath, running my hand through my hair. Nikki simply watches me from her post. I don't know what to make of their comments. My relationship with women has always been so complicated and fraught with tension. I know I'm a big guy. I know I'm intimidating, so I've always tried to make myself small, non-threatening.
I don't know how to process attraction. With Nikki, it's easy, safe, one-on-one, at my pace. Women on the internet? I've never had a woman approach me, let alone directly say they found me attractive. I don't know how to process it at all.
"Hey," she whispers, stepping into my space and holding her hands an inch from my chest. I nod quickly, giving her the permission she's asking for. Her tiny hands press into my pecs, and my hands reach up to cover hers.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she starts, but I shake my head.Shedidn't make me uncomfortable. The attention did. It's attention I'm not used to. "I just wanted to show you that other women see what I do. That you're special. That not every woman is going to be afraid of you."
I breathe in, my chest rising under her hands. The touch is grounding, and my racing thoughts slow down. Is it really such a bad thing that other women find me attractive? I obviously only want the attention of one woman. The woman in front of me. The woman who took a chance to show me that I'm not the monster I thought I was. And that it's not just the way she sees me, but that maybe I'm not the monster after all.
"It doesn't change anything. Even if we get more female clientele because of posts like this, I'm still not going to schedule you any." She chuckles softly. "I'm not going to throw you to the wolves, Beck."
Before I can think twice, I bend down and kiss her lips. She gasps a tiny inhale of breath, before a wide, beautiful smile spreads across her face.
"Thank you," I whisper, before dropping another kiss to her forehead.
"The iPad will be up at my desk if you want to read anymore. I promise you, babe, they're all positive. You're gorgeous."
And like that, she spins on her heel and leaves again. I take another few sobering breaths before heading back to Frank.
"You good, man? You look a little pale."
I nod my head before slapping on a fresh pair of gloves and going back to work. As if I didn't just fall a little more in love. As if I didn't just have my entire world flipped on its head, and everything I've known about myself didn't just change.
Because of a pint-sized woman and her faith in me.
Chapter twenty-nine
Beckett
Nikki walks into the living room, looking down at her phone. "Hey guys, do you mind if Diesel comes over? I know we were going to do a movie night."
We've started introducing Nikki to all of our favorite movies. We sat down after she didn't pick up on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference Axel threw her way a few weeks ago, and wrote down the ultimate list of essential movies to know.
Every evening, we make dinner together, eat, watch a movie, and then she and I do our touching practice, which usually ends a little x-rated, before she cuddles up with Axel. I've started sleeping in Axel's bed. Eventually, Nikki and he join me, and it's been nice to have another layer of comfort.
Tonight, we just finished dinner and were queuing up Lady and the Tramp when she went to check her phone. We really should get her a new one. What happens when that one breaks?
I defer the answer to Axel and Maddox. I don't mind. He seems like a decent-enough guy, and I know he's head over heels for Nikki, so I know he treats her right. That's all that matters to me.
Axel defers to Maddox. "I don't mind."
Twenty minutes later, we hear the telltale rumble of an engine. We all greet him, some friendlier than others, before Nikki situates herself on the couch. Axel sits next to her and tugs her into his side, pulling a blanket over both of their laps. Maddox takes her other side possessively, so I sit on the floor in front of her. She runs her fingersthrough my hair, and it feels so decadent that I suppress a moan. And to think, only a few months ago, that touch would have sent me running.
