Chapter Twenty-Eight NICO

Chapter Twenty-Eight

NICO

I startle awake, cracking my eyes open only to slam them shut against the obscenely bright light shining through my uncovered bedroom window.

Goddamn, it’s sunny out there. Guess I forgot to close the blinds last night.

Keeping my eyes closed, I reach for my phone on the nightstand, slapping my hand around until I finally find it. Once I’ve got my phone, I roll over and stretch my arm out to see if there’s anyone still in bed with me.

But the other side is empty, the sheets cool to the touch.

Disappointment floods me. She’s gone.

Once my back is to the window, I open my eyes again and see that it’s after one o’clock in the afternoon. Closer to two.

Damn. I slept in.

Yawning, I check my notifications and see there isn’t anything exciting, so I shut my phone off, rolling over onto my stomach.

Only to discover I’ve got a serious case of morning wood going on, and lying like this is contorting my dick into an uncomfortable position.

I roll back over and sit up, running my hands through my messy hair. Remembering how much Everleigh touched it last night. She kept tugging on it, especially when I ate her delicious little pussy.

Three times.

She’s so fucking responsive. Easy to make come, and when I finally let her touch me, she gave me the best hand job of my life.

No joke.

Of course, I was so ramped up from constantly going down on her, it’s no surprise I came with an intensity I don’t remember experiencing before. After the second orgasm, I finally stripped her completely of that gold dress, and fuck, her body is insane. Sweet little tits that are a perfect handful, with rosy nipples that were so hard, they were practically begging for my mouth.

So I gave them what they wanted.

Just thinking about what we did has my dick getting harder, and I slip my hand beneath the covers, wrapping my fingers around my shaft. Lazily stroking it while I think about her.

Everleigh.

Ever.

I wish she hadn’t sneaked out of my bed in the middle of the night. I miss her. Her pretty face and her flushed skin. The sounds she makes when she comes. When I’m kissing her. The way she melts against me. I swear I can still feel her. Smell her on my skin.

I can’t stop thinking about her.

Grabbing my phone once again, I bring her contact up, calling her via FaceTime without even thinking about it. There’s no room for doubt or worry. I’m just working on pure impulse right now.

I wait for her to answer, frowning when it keeps ringing, and I’m about to give up when she finally answers. Her expression is harried, and she’s clearly somewhere out in public from what it looks like. I hear voices. Music. There are shelves filled with knickknack-type crap, and I assume she’s out shopping.

“Where are you?” I ask in greeting.

She glances around, her ponytail swinging like it always does. Next time we fuck around, she needs to wear her hair just like that so I can tug on it. Hold her in place. Maybe when I’m pushing my dick into her mouth for the first time. “I’m out.”

“Out where? I miss you.” I’m grinning.

She is most decidedly not. In fact, that’s a pretty deep frown on her face. “Nico—”

“My dick misses you too.” I start to dip my phone lower to show her my hand moving beneath my comforter as I stroke myself, when I hear someone shriek.

“OH MY GOD, NICO VALENTE! Are you making a sex call to your roommate?”

Jesus. I know that voice. It’s Sienna.

“Nico, stop,” Ever whispers, turning away from Sienna and bringing the phone closer to her. “Um, can I call you later?”

“Only if you promise to suck this—”

The call ends before I can finish my sentence, the screen going blank.

“Shit.” I toss the phone onto my bed and give up on showing myself a little self-care.

There’s a knock on my bedroom door, and before I can say anything, it’s swinging open, revealing Coop standing there with his hands on his hips.

“You slept the entire day away. Do you realize how late it is, young man?” Though he’s trying to appear stern, he keeps breaking out into a smile and eventually gives up.

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t need the lecture.” I punch the pillows beneath me and fluff them up before I prop myself against them, bunching the comforter around my lap. “How did the party go?”

“There were people passed out on the lawn this morning, and I had to kick them all out. That’s how it went.”

“So pretty well.”

“I think you had a better time.” I don’t say anything, and Coop barely waits me out because it’s obvious he’s got something he wants to tell me. “Saw a certain someone sneak out of your room early this morning.”

“How early?”

“About three.”

Damn, she didn’t stay at all after I passed out.

“And who did you see?”

“You know who.” He leans against the doorway, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “You sure you wanna go there?”

“Too late.” I’m grinning. “I went there. And it was pretty fucking great.”

Coop’s expression remains serious. “You better not break her heart.”

My smile fades. “I won’t.”

The now-skeptical look on my friend’s face tells me he doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.

“Seriously. I won’t,” I stress.

“Nico. Be real with yourself right now. You break every woman’s heart. You had a hysterical ex at this house in the middle of our party last night trying to bang your door down, she was so pissed at you. Especially because you were locked away in there with Everleigh and you said you were going to make her moan, just for Portia’s sake.” Coop shakes his head again. “That was kind of fucked up, you know.”

“What Portia did was majorly fucked up. I’d even call it harassment.”

“That’s a stretch.”

“Not really.”

A deep sigh leaves him. “You’ve egged her on before, Nico. You know this.”

Right. He’s right. But . . .

“Did you hear her, Coop? She was screaming at me. Threatening me.”

“You’re a big boy, Nico. You can handle her. After all, you’re the reason she lost her damn mind in the first place.”

“So this is my fault.” He’s ruining my mood with all this.

“No, but you didn’t help matters.” He shakes his head. “You’ve said so yourself that you can’t commit. You tried with Portia, and look where that got you.”

In hellis what I want to say, but I keep my mouth shut.

And maybe I do want to commit. It’s hard for me to admit out loud, but I want to pursue something more with Ever. Does she want the same?

I’m not sure.

“I like Everleigh. I like how she’s changed the vibe in this house. We don’t party as much. We don’t eat out as much. She’s got us doing yoga and getting all Zen and shit. I like it. I like her a lot.” He clamps his lips shut when he notices the look I’m giving him. “Oh, get over yourself, I don’t like her like that. She’s a friend. My roommate. And a really nice, sweet girl.”

Unease slips down my spine at the lecture I know is coming my way.

“If you’re not serious about her, end it now. I’m asking you to think about someone else for once in your life versus just yourself.”

“Are you saying I’m selfish?” I’m actually offended by his remark. “She’s a grown-ass woman who can make her own decisions.”

“Right, and was most likely a little drunk and horny, and all you had to do was flash that smile at her, and boom. Her panties flew off.”

“She wasn’t wearing any in the first place.”

He actually pales. “There’s a detail I didn’t need to hear.”

“Sorry about that.” I shrug. I am not sorry at all for saying that to him.

“She’s like a sister to me,” Coop adds.

“And she’s currently with your sister.” I don’t bother telling him what happened on the FaceTime call.

“I know. Sienna came over, and they took off together about an hour ago.”

“Where did they go?”

“I don’t know. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. You’re a grown-ass man. You can ask her yourself.”

And with that, Cooper exits my bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Frustrated, I grab my phone and send Ever a quick text.

Where are you?

She doesn’t reply, and after five minutes of waiting, I take a shower. Jerk off because I still have a raging hard-on. Once I’m finished, I step out of the shower and grab a towel, wrapping it around my waist and checking my phone immediately like some needy asshole to see she still hasn’t responded.

Fuck, I think I’m being ignored. And I’m not used to that.

Not at all.

I dry off. Shave extra carefully to make sure the face is nice and smooth. Though women never seem to mind when there’s a little bit of stubble on the cheeks. Some of them even claim they like the friction in certain places .?.?.

I slap on some aftershave like I’m an old man and enter my bedroom to get dressed, leaving the towel on the bathroom floor. I’m standing bare-assed naked in front of my dresser when my bedroom door swings open, and I’m about to yell at Coop to get the fuck out, but this time it’s Ever standing there.

A gasp escapes her when she spots me, and she covers her eyes with her hand, reaching for the door handle with the other. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”

I dash toward her, grabbing her about the waist and pinning her against the door, using her body to slam it shut. “Not like you haven’t seen it before.”

“Not like this.” She drops her hand from her eyes, but they’re still squeezed shut.

“Ever.” I give her a gentle shake, my arms tightening around her body. I’ve missed her. How is this possible? “Open your eyes.”

She does as I command, her gaze staying on my face and not straying at all. “I went out with Sienna. We grabbed lunch and did a little shopping.”

“Buy me anything?” I grin at her, but she doesn’t smile back.

“No.” She shakes her head. “Nico .?.?.”

“Ever .?.?.” I mimic her serious tone, trying to ignore how soft she is in my arms. I can smell her, fruity and sweet, and there are a few stray tendrils of dark hair framing her pretty face.

A sigh leaves her, and she rests her hands on my chest, her fingers pressing lightly into my skin. “I don’t know if this is going to work.”

Unease prickles over me, making every hair on my body rise. “What are you talking about?”

“You. And me. What happened last night.” Her eyes are extra wide, and I wait for her to say something else. Mentally preparing myself for the blow. “It was probably a mistake.”

“A mistake?” My voice is weak, and I’m frowning so hard my face hurts.

What the hell is she talking about?

“We’re roommates. We’re .?.?. friends. And like I told you a few days ago, we should probably keep it at that. Friends.”

It’s too late,I want to tell her. We’ve taken it too far. I’ve kissed you. All over your body. I know the taste of your pussy. I know what you look like when you come. I’ve come all over your hand and was hoping to come in your mouth next. Today.

Tonight.

Now.

I’m up for anything.

Anything but what she’s saying.

“Friends,” I repeat, hating that word with my entire being.

She nods, her ponytail gently swinging. “Continuing along this path we started last night only complicates things. And I was just in a relationship that was terrible. I’m not ready to jump back into another one. Not that what we’re doing is a relationship but—you know what I mean.”

Ever is really going to compare me to her ex, the douche? Fucking Brad?

Give me a break.

“You’re really pulling the friend card back out?” I ask, my voice tired.

Hell, I am tired. Exhausted by the back and forth. Just when I think we’re making progress, bam.

It’s ruined.

I drop my hands from her body and take a step away from her, but she remains leaning against the door.

Her gaze narrows. I probably offended her. “I’m not pulling out any sort of card. This is how I feel.”

“And I guess I can’t argue with how you feel, right? You want to be friends, and all I can think about is kissing you. You’re just my friend, and all I want to do is get you naked.”

Ever goes quiet. So do I.

“I think we might want different things,” she whispers.

I should tell her how I feel. Right now. In this very moment, I need to admit that I care about her. That I want something more with her. But damn, putting yourself on the line like that?

It’s scary.