I tried to block the sting in my heart from his words. I hoped he didn’t mean it. I hoped that the words had been said in the heat of the moment and not because he regretted coming here when I was in a coma. And not because he regretted what was happening between us.
I must have failed to keep the pain from his words off my face. One second I was staring at him, doing my best to blink away the burning tears, and the next I was in his arms.
“I’m sorry, Forget-Me-Not. That didn’t come out right.” He kissed the top of my head and tightened his hold on me. “I don’t for a second regret coming back here for you. I couldn’t have worked on the album not knowing how you were doing. I needed to be here for you.”
“I know, but maybe it’s time you return to L.A.” The sting in my heart shifted to a dull burn. I did my best to ignore it, and pushed on with what I needed to say to convince him to return home, for all our sakes. “I’m no longer in a coma, and whoever attacked me hasn’t tried to hurt me again. It was just a random attack. You don’t need to be here anymore. And as long as you are here, the media will constantly hound us. All they want is a story. As long as you stay in Northbridge, they’ll have one. And they won’t stop there. They’ll keep digging into your old life here, hunting for secrets to damage your reputation.”
They’d be wasting their time. There were no more secrets. But who knew what other people would say about him, all for their fifteen seconds of fame.
“I’m not going back yet,” he said, his tone the same stubborn one I remembered from years of being his best friend. “And even if I did return to L.A., nothing would change. Then the media would wonder what I was running from and would still dig deep.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Fuck. All I wanted was for people to hear my music and not think about my past. I wanted to keep the two separate. And I didn’t want them questioning whether some part of my father was also part of me. I should have known better. You really can’t escape your past.”
I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. He needed to forget what had happened this afternoon, and I needed to help him so he could go back to what was important to him—his music.
Without saying a word, I grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him out of the bedroom. He didn’t ask where I was taking him and he didn’t resist. His eyebrow did jerk up when I led him into the bathroom. A hint of a smirk touched his lips. I turned the shower on, needing to wash away the ugliness of what happened in the cemetery. Steam quickly filled the bathroom.
Next I pushed my hands under his T-shirt, appreciating the valleys and smooth muscle. I peered at him through hooded eyes, my heart beating an eager rhythm. “I want you,” I whispered. I didn’t just mean I wanted him now. I meant I wanted a forever with him. But if this was all I could get of him, then I’d make the most of it.
I slipped the button free on his jeans. My hand purposely brushed against his thickening length. He groaned.
Needing to see him without his T-shirt on, I pushed the hem up, exposing his tight abs. Being the wise man that he was, he got my not-so-subtle hint. A moment later, the T-shirt was making nice with the floor.
The corner of his mouth jerked up. “Am I the only one who’s getting naked here? Or are you planning to join me?”
A shy smile slipped onto my face. “You want me naked?” I asked, voice husky.
“Fuck, yeah. I want to see your beautiful tits.” He leaned in and said, voice low and with just the right amount of huskiness to make me melt inside, “And I want to see your beautiful *.” His warm breath teased my cheek.
It wasn’t as if I’d never heard a guy I’d had sex with say “tits” and “*,” but somehow hearing them from Nolan, and the way he said them, set every nerve in my body on fire. Moaning, I leaned back against the bathroom counter. My T-shirt joined Nolan’s a second later.
I slowly unhooked the back of my bra. Doing my best not to laugh, I performed a slow sensual dance, my hips swaying side to side, and peeled the plain white bra from my body. An exotic dancer I was not. My bra wasn’t the sexiest of bras either. But wearing my sexy underwear while working with young kids just seemed wrong.
Nolan didn’t care that my underwear wasn’t satin or lace. From the way his gaze consumed me, none of that was important.
The bathroom grew steamier, the mirror foggy. Moments later, the rest of our clothes joined the party on the floor, and I opened the shower door.
I stepped into the small space. Delicious hot water rained on my body. Nolan watched me, a hungry expression on his face.
I crooked my finger, indicating for him to join me.
He did exactly that, and his lips were instantly on mine. Our kiss deepened as I heated both inside and out.
My fingers brushed against the light growth on his jaw. Usually he went for the clean-shaven look, but he hadn’t bothered to shave this morning. It looked good on him, and it felt great against my skin.