Nick Read online

  “Stop trying not to smile,” he chides me. “Fuck, if I knew you’d like undressing me this much, we would have done this well before now.”

  “I wish we did,” I answer and hold his gaze. He’s probably referring to last night or even now, sooner than this second.

  I’m talking about years.

  I push his pants and boxers down, unleashing his cock from the prison of his clothing. Like every time I’ve seen it, my mouth waters.

  He helps me out by kicking off his shoes and stepping out of his clothes. Now he’s as naked as I am.

  He moves in for a kiss, and I remember how good it feels to have his lips on mine. It takes seconds before the kiss becomes something almost desperate.

  While I’m mesmerized by that, he starts sucking my breasts; I moan into each wild suckle, arching my back so he can take me deep.

  He kisses over my stomach and kneels so he can bury his face between my thighs and resume the pleasure we left behind this morning.

  It’s just as insane. I feel like I’m being taken up into the sky, higher and higher to the place where I know it is all pleasure. The kind to split you away from reality. That is what I know.

  He pushes his tongue inside me and gives me everything. Licking, sucking, tasting, feasting on me. The tug of orgasm pulls hard on me, and I grab his shoulders. It’s that moment, however, that he stops, stands, and guides me over to his desk where he bends me right over.

  When my hair falls forward I see in an instant what he meant about the vision.

  His window is dark and a perfect mirror.

  I see us. Me with my hair over my face and my breasts looking like massive pillows with the tips hard from him sucking them, and… him.

  Him behind me, looking perfect. Like the perfect man.

  He sees me staring at our reflection and smiles.

  The vision of us together like this is beautiful.

  Taking hold of my hips, he guides the fat head of his cock to where I crave him and pushes deep inside me, filling me up completely.

  My body is used to him now. My walls stretch to take him and welcome his powerful thrusts.

  Now the vision of us becomes purely erotic. As erotic as the way he pounds into me.

  He starts pumping faster, harder, and I moan, losing myself, losing myself all the more as I watch what he’s doing to me.

  I come on the wave of scandalous pleasure that makes me scream out in pleasure and take the hard pounding he gives me.

  I’m there again. I feel another orgasm rising inside me, ready to take me over the edge once more.

  It does and I flick my head back, grabbing my breast with one hand and holding on tight on to the desk with the other. It’s too damn good for words to describe. It feels too good.

  Too amazing. Too everything.

  One last relentless pump sends hot cum pulsing up into my passage, making it quake.

  I quake and tremble, and we’re left moaning and groaning after.

  It takes several minutes to come down from the high. We stay just like that, with him still inside me.

  He finally pulls out of me and pulls me to his chest, slipping his arms around me so I can press my back against him.

  Although he towers over me, I respond by reaching up and back so I can hold him too. I place my arm around his neck, and the two of us stare on at the picture of us together in the window, naked.

  “I can’t go back to being the best friend, Tania,” he says on the edge of a breathy whisper. “I can’t be with you like this and go backward. I don’t know if I can do it.”

  I hold on tight, then turn because I want to look him in his eyes. Looking at him now I see it. I see what I want and realize I was some kind of fool for thinking I could stop, too, or like I could keep us the way we were after being like this.

  Even at the cost of him hurting me.

  “I can’t either,” I confess. “I can’t go backward and be the best friend.”

  “So…what do we do?”

  I smile at him…and because I know him, I realize this was part of some plan to get me here to the place in my heart, mind, body, and soul to see what I wanted.

  Even the damn window. Looking at him, looking at us.

  He wanted to show me what we’d become and what we could have.

  “You didn’t have to leave this morning,” I state, and his smirk tells me I’m on the right track.

  “I know baby, but this part is on you. I’m there already. I’ve seen what I want, but I need you to be with me. Where we go next is all on you. You can take us there by giving me a chance.” A light of seriousness comes into his eyes, and the lighthearted humor fades. I pay attention because I’ve never seen him look like this before. “I know this is soon for you after Owen, but it’s not soon for me. I know I haven’t exactly painted myself in the best picture, being the playboy, and that’s why I didn’t do anything before. I wanted you to do better than me. Then I realized after the first night we spent that I wanted to be that guy. I took myself right back to where I was years ago, and I decided I wanted to be that person for you, but you have to give me a chance. In your own time, though. I won’t force this. I—”

  I don’t allow him to finish. I press up on my toes and kiss him.

  “I want to,” I tell him. “I’m doing it. I was there too, Nick. I just didn’t think you saw me like that.”

  He shakes his head at me. “I always saw you like that.”

  “Then maybe it’s time we do something about that.”

  The flicker comes back into his eyes and he comes back to my lips. As the kiss sparks greed again, I know we won’t be leaving here just yet.

  Nick

  I catch the ball when Bradford throws it to me and I try my hardest not to laugh when Tony takes off from the spot.

  He’s running after me thinking he can catch me much less get the ball from me.

  We all try to keep up our physique, but he’s let himself go badly, and the former quarterback can barely run around the room much less run across the state-of-the-art field we’re on.

  I can’t help it. I burst out laughing when he starts puffing like a fish.

  “You prick!” he calls out to me.

  “I keep telling you to lay off them burgers.” I laugh, and the others laugh at him too.

  He does the worst thing he could do by stopping and dropping to his knees, gasping.

  O’Shea is ahead of me; I need to get the ball to him. Rory is defending.

  He doesn’t stand a chance even with my leg the way it is. I’m still good. I throw the ball to O’Shea, who catches it, and the kid takes off like a bolt of lightning is attached to his feet.

  We all just stand back and watch in amazement as he scores the winning touchdown.

  I can’t even be the pompous ass I usually am when it comes to my friends. Being a fair person, I can give credit where it’s due and accept when there’s a guy who surpasses me.

  Tony gets up and comes over to me, landing a punch in my arm.

  Bradford howls with laughter because Tony looks like he’s on the verge of a heart attack.

  “Starting tomorrow, you’re going to the gym with us,” Bradford says.

  “Us? You guys are all terrible. You go to the gym and leave me,” Tony complains.

  “Tony, every time we invite you, you make up some excuse,” I point out.

  “Don’t worry, Nick. I’ll haul his ass in tomorrow and put him on the treadmill,” Bradford says with more laughter.

  O’Shea and Rory join us.

  O’Shea looks better. It’s been two weeks and a few days since we went to his place.

  A lot has happened since, in every sense of the meaning.

  For him, he’s been given leave with pay from the team to get treatment for his drug problem, which started days after we saw him.

  He’ll be joining us next year for the next season. That will give him time with his family and the chance to get himself together.

  To keep him in the loo
p, I offered him a position at our camp. Once a week for the six weeks helping Bradford.

  Our camp is going to be here.

  As the guys start talking, I look around at the grounds of Oakford, the very prestigious academy.

  It’s a private boarding school with this glorious football field and facilities set up to take a hundred students.

  The plans are in full swing and motion. Brian invested big time after the business plan I hit him with. We already had this place in mind from the minute the plan came to fruition.

  In the summer, while the usual students would be going home to their families, we’d hire it for the camp. It was the perfect choice.

  As of yesterday, we currently had a hundred expressions of interest, which translates to applicants. All parents who’d responded to the ads we’d placed in a few schools last week.

  I didn’t expect there to be so many, but it shows it was a good idea. I’m glad for that.

  The other change in my life is my girl.

  We’re happy. I can’t believe we are where we are.

  “Hey, bro…you’re gonna have to stop smiling like that,” Tony hisses at me as the other guys branch off.

  “I’m not smiling,” I answer with a chuckle. I’m transparent when it comes to her. I can’t help it. I think it’s because I‘ve been stuck on wondering what we could be for so long, if we were more than friends, that I can’t believe it’s happening.

  “Smiling and thinking of her. I’m taking credit just so you know.”

  “You know what? Sure, go on and take the credit because if I didn’t listen to you, then I would still be at a loss.” I accept that as truth.

  “Exactly.” He laughs and slaps me on my back.

  We walk over to the bleachers to grab some water.

  It’s Saturday and Tania is with Abby and Celine. They’ve gone to the spa.

  I won’t see her until tomorrow, when she gets back.

  It gave us the chance to do this, though. Hang out for the day and play football.

  “Is everything good?” Tony asks.

  “Yeah. Getting there, I hope. I’m happy with this venture. I’m always looking for the next thing to keep my brain afloat. Thanks for joining in with me.”

  We both sit on the little wooden bench.

  “Like I was gonna say no.” He smirks. “It’s a really good idea. When I used to play, I thought I’d become a coach after I retired. But I just lost my way on that plan. I didn’t think it suited me.”

  Tony was still playing after I got injured. He retired the same year I became an assistant to the former scout.

  “When you got into scouting, I understood why you did it. It’s different, isn’t it? You get to pick guys who are just like you, and keep up that thing that cements the team.”

  I ball my fist and bump it with his. “Well said. That’s exactly it. I never thought of coaching. I never even thought of scouting. I was just gonna play ball until I couldn’t anymore. Then when I couldn’t, I knew I had to switch things up.”

  I was told the injury in my leg would get worse if I continued to play. The broken areas of my leg healed but caused other damage that took me down and out.

  “We did good,” he comments. “Now on to the next thing. I’m thinking of asking Marie to move in with me.”

  I have to look at him long and hard because I’m not sure I heard right.

  “Excuse me?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

  “Yeah… So maybe I will join you guys at the gym this trip. I reckon she’s the real deal. Let’s face it, she’s been with me since I was hot and even now when I look like I’m pregnant.”

  I laugh and nod at the same time. “Yes, she has.”

  “Hey.” He frowns. “You’re supposed to tell me I’m still hot.”

  “Not gonna tell you that.”

  “Fine, anyway…the stuff with you and Tania got me thinking that I don’t want to be with my girl for the next, well, however long she has me, and I don’t show her that she’s it for me.”

  He strikes a nerve yet again.

  I want Tania to be it for me too, but once again, we have to be on the same page. We’re getting there and I have to respect that it will take as long as it needs to.

  “That sounds serious,” I note, and he nods.

  “Yeah. It is.”

  I stand up. “Well, I think we should start that getting you into shape session now. How about a lap around the field before we go?”

  He gets up and looks around the wide expanse of the field. The other guys have already started doing laps. It’s what we do in training to cool down.

  “Yeah, sure, let’s go.”

  I start ahead of him and slow down so he can keep up with me.

  It’s just getting dark when I pull up to my place. I know the car parked on the curb doesn’t belong to Tania, unless she made an impulse purchase.

  And that car too. It’s a blood-red Lamborghini

  She’s not a fast car kind of girl. She’s more of a Porsche person like me, although I’m driving a Range Rover.

  I park and look over to the porch. A blonde head is the first to greet me, and then the rest of her.

  Louise stands up, and my blood runs cold.

  What is she doing here?

  I can’t help but frown. But more so wonder what she could possibly want from me. I haven’t seen her in seven months and even then I shouldn’t have been seeing her.

  I get out of the car and walk over to her. She smiles at me like we’re old friends. I’m sure we didn’t even stay that when she left.

  “Hi,” she says sweetly.

  “Hello. What are you doing here?” I’m not upset with what she did anymore. In fact, it’s water off a duck’s back to me. I’m looking at her now and I know that if I’d had Tania the way I wanted, there would never have been anyone else for me.

  “I came to see you,” she answers, her bright green eyes twinkling the way they used to.

  “Why would you do that?”

  “I’m on leave but I’ll be back for good in a few weeks. I got signed with Dior and I don’t have to travel around so much. I was thinking of you, so that’s why I’m here.”

  I wonder if she truly expected me to be sitting here waiting for her.

  Is that what she thought?

  “Louise, I’m glad you’re well, but I’m still at a loss as to why you’re actually here. The impression I got from the last time I saw you was that you didn’t want to see me again. You looked freaked when I proposed to you, and you treated me like a leper.” That wasn’t far off from the truth. The woman treated me like I’d done the worst thing ever. I don’t know why she couldn’t have just been upfront with me and tell me she wanted out.

  “I did freak but Nick…I was stupid. We got back together, were together for six months, and then you proposed to me. I was in a different place then, and I realize that I was wrong.”

  “How come? Why now?”

  Why now when I’ve found my path with Tania?

  She frowns and bites the inside of her lip.

  “Look, I’m gonna be real with you. I saw the pictures of you and Tania in the press. I keep seeing them.”

  Right…now it makes sense. But it also doesn’t at the same time.

  The press didn’t stop, and I know what those sneaky bastards are like. When paparazzi get you, they lie in wait watching you for the next story no matter how big or small. Last week there were pictures of me and Tania having dinner at the Tower. The week before, someone got a shot of us kissing in the park.

  Like fuck, I wouldn’t be too surprised if there was someone hiding in the bushes now looking on at me and my supermodel ex.

  I hope not.

  “I saw you guys and it reminded me of what we could have had. So I came back to let you know that I still love you.”

  I can’t answer. I’m looking at her, and I’m remembering how much I did love her, and that’s just it. I did love her. As in past tense.

  I loved her and I go
t over her, but me loving her never changed how I always felt about Tania.

  Me being with her never changed that. She was the only one of my girlfriends that I can confess to falling for. But even then, Tania still took precedent enough for me to break up with Louise when she demanded I sever the relationship I had with my best friend.

  Tania still came first, and she does now more than ever.

  “Louise, I don’t know what you expect me to say, but since you’ve seen me with Tania, I think that’s answer enough for you to see that I’m not single, and I’m in a serious relationship.” I want it to be serious.

  “I see it, but then I remember when I backed you into a corner, I figured you thought of what you wanted most and asked me to marry you. That’s what I’m working with. That’s what I remember, and I can’t let go. You should know that.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore.” She needs to know that. “I’ve moved on.”

  “I don’t accept that,” she answers.

  She looks away from me and walks down the steps of the porch and heads to her car. I watch her drive away, and I get the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is the start of some type of shit I don’t need.

  Tania

  The weekend was a blast.

  It’s been great hanging out with Abby and Celine, but nothing could compare to going to Nick’s house when I came back and spending the night with him.

  It’s like perpetual bliss.

  Abby got back from her honeymoon at the start of last week, and we all feel like a bunch of high school girls walking the halls talking about guys rather than three doctors who are supposed to carry a more serious presence.

  I think there’s some sort of exception for all of us.

  There’s Abby the newlywed; she’s supposed to be excited. Then there’s me, the woman who’s loved up with her man. Celine is the only one without a guy, but she looks better since her breakup with Patrick. It makes me think the relationship was worrying her more than she showed.

  We got to work early and have been on a nonstop trip of talking and still catching up.

  We’re on our way now to see Kayla and her mother. It’s lunchtime now.