Page 96 of Begin Again
“I told him it could wait until tomorrow,” I say, interrupting them. Nick glances at me, then back at Beau; whether he means to or not, his eyes narrow slightly. “Tonight is about family. They can interrogate us tomorrow.”
“First thing in the morning,” Beau says, looking at me. “Be at the station at nine.”
“We’ll be there,” Nick says before I can.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Nina
I LEAN AGAINST THE frame of Elena’s room and watch Nick readGreen Eggs and Hamas she begins to fade, and for a brief moment, all feels right in the world. Life feels normal. The way it did before everything happened…Before I took back over at the company.
Kai left about an hour ago to catch our flight to New York. He said he would handle the board for now. I’d have to go back sooner rather than later and face them, but he’d find a way to hold off their demand for my presence a little longer. There was no way I could fly to New York right now, and if that meant the board decided to remove me permanently, then so be it. Do I think they would? No, but they’re not going to be happy.
Nick closes the book as he finishes the last line and smiles down at Elena, who has finally succumbed to sleep. He slips out of the bed with the utmost care, gently resting her head on the pillow he’d been leaning on. Tucking her in, he flips the switch on her night light, casting an array of stars on her ceiling. He turns off the lamp on her nightstand, kissing her forehead. He tiptoes out of the room and meets me in the hallway, closing the door behind him. “Should we head to bed?”
I nod, and he tugs me back by my hand when I start to walk down the hall, sweeping me off my feet. “Nick!” I giggle but covermy mouth to stay quiet and not disturb Elena or the others who have already gone to bed. “What are you doing?”
“Just wanted you close,” he says, kissing my temple, and finds his way through the house to our bedroom. I nuzzle into his neck and kiss the exposed skin above the neckline of his shirt. Despite the tension that has wormed its way between us, the thought of him being home feels surreal.
When Nick sets me on my feet behind the privacy of our bedroom door, he pulls me into a tight embrace. His arms wind tightly around me, and he inhales deeply. A contented sigh follows before I feel something wet on my skin. Another inhale confirms my suspicions, and I look up, meeting his teary gaze.
“Oh,Fossette.” I sigh, wiping a few tears from his cheeks.
He smiles at the word. “Say it again.”
“Fossette.”
“I missed that,” he says, eyes closed.
“I missedyou.”
Whiskey-golden orbs meet mine and a fresh round of tears makes them glassy. The sight makes my own blurry. “I missed you so much,” I say, wiping another tear from the corner of his eye. “Nick, I’m sorry. I—”
“Stop,” he interrupts me. Gathering both of my hands in his, Nick kisses them before holding them against his chest. “Nina, I don’t want to do this right now. I don’t want to spend my first night home talking about Beau Turner or Charlie Blackwood or Luke Benson or whoever or whatever else there is standing between us. Tonight, I just want to be with my wife. I want to enjoy the feeling of you in my arms and hear you say you love me as much as I love you. As for the rest…We can deal with it tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” I agree.
Nick pushes my hair behind my ear and his fingers trace my jawline before he pulls my mouth to his. I missed this. Missedhim. I moan against his lips, and he swallows the sound, cupping the back of my neck. He pulls away briefly to let his eyes roam across my face, memorizing every feature, and his thumb traces across my bottom lip. He smiles when I gently nip at his finger. “Ti amo,” he says softly, his hand still splayed across my neck, a slight pressure in his grasp.
“I know,” I say. “I love you too,Fossette.”
He hums in approval, his eyes practically rolling in the back of his head. “Fuck, I love when you say that.”
Without warning, Nick swoops down to catch my lips in another kiss. He traces the line of my bottom lip with his tongue before biting down on the flesh and swallows my gasp as he devours my mouth. Our tongues locked in a desperate embrace, I didn’t even notice he was leading me farther into our room until the back of my thighs hit the bed.
His warm mouth caresses every inch of my skin down my neckline. The urgent need to have him as close as possible ignites inside me when I plunder my fingers through the short hair across his scalp, missing the length he used to keep and how it used to end in soft curls. His fingers drift along my curves, tugging my white satin camisole free from my jeans. He leaves gentle love bites against my collarbone when he pushes the caramel-colored button-up from my shoulders, and it lands in a heap on the floor.
Lifting my shirt over my head, I’m met with a soft smile before his eyes roam across the exposed skin of my chest. His fingers make note of every new mark I’ve earned in the last twelve months: the small scar on my shoulder, the result of a scratch from a branch full of thorns on the trail; three new freckles on my chest; and a new tattoo embedded in the skin where my right shoulder and collarbone meet, a simpleNwith a delicate heart. Fingers trace the letter before his eyes meet mine again, and I nod, the right corner of my lips tugging upward.Nick leans his forehead against my shoulder, taking a deep breath, before his breath ghosts over the tattoo, followed by his lips, and the sensation sends a shiver up my spine.
His fingers dig into my flesh as he reaches around, unhooking the clasp of my bra, and takes one of my nipples into his mouth.
“Nick,” I whimper, wrapping my fingers around the back of his neck.
His teeth graze the peak, sucking greedily. It’s a mix of teeth and tongue against the sensitive bud and it fills my veins with pure ecstasy. His fingers tremble slightly as he works the buckle of my belt. I take his hands in mine, gently removing them to undo the buckle and then the button of my jeans. He slowly peels the denim from my waist, shoving it down my thighs, and I shimmy out of it.
Before I know it, I’m standing bare, and he hasn’t shed a single piece of clothing.
“No,” he says when my fingers play with the end of his shirt. His hand caresses the side of my face. “No, Davina. Tonight is about you. Only you.”
