15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Jordan

M y whole body still hummed from fucking Nick over my Chevelle.

Talk about a total fantasy brought to reality.

I’d have to clean the hell out of my baby tomorrow, but having sex there had been worth every second. The sight of Nick’s hands plastered against the hood, of him bent over my car, would be imprinted in my memory forever.

I clutched the steering wheel tighter. Fuck. That had been the hottest experience of my life. And I’d had a lot of hot experiences. Seeing Nick’s tattooed back muscles flex under the lighting, hearing his moans as I fucked him hard…ngh. I sped up, the town zipping past me, and reached the highway. We’d ordered takeout, since we’d spent far later than planned at my work.

After Nick had given me the model car, I’d burned up inside to do something . Something to show how much he’d imprinted on me, my mind, my body, and my heart.

I’d wanted the town to see me, understand me, to the point that the ache had been persistently growing over the past year.

But Nick took that confusion away .

Apparently, I didn’t need the town to see me. I just needed to be seen.

I needed to tell him everything percolating in my brain, everything that had come to light since we’d started hooking up. That I wanted more. That he’d always been important, but somehow he’d become…mine.

When I pulled up in front of his place, a wave of familiarity rocked through me. I’d been coming to this house for years, ever since Rogue was a kid, but these recent visits had transformed it into a different place. A sense of peace settled over me, so different from the ambivalence I felt at returning to the house I shared with Hal and Chad. I loved my friends, but I’d grown tired of the bachelor lifestyle.

Longing burned deep inside me for the future I could have here with Nick.

Except I still needed to talk to him.

I reached into the back seat and snagged our burgers from Jake’s. By some miracle, I hadn’t gotten accosted by half the town in the process of picking them up. When I stepped out of the car, the cold smacked me in the face. I itched to grab the car Nick had made me and bring it along, but I left it in the passenger’s seat so I wouldn’t forget it.

I walked to the door, my boots crunching on the dry, withered grass of Nick’s lawn. The crisp air snagged in my throat, and when I stared up at the sky, the crystalline spread of stars studding velvet awaited me. The lights glowing from the windows beckoned me, and my heart thumped hard.

I didn’t knock but twisted the knob and let myself in. Rustling sounded from the kitchen, so I followed the noises. Nick moved around his kitchen with ease, just low-slung black sweats on that displayed the light bruises on his hips and the colorful artwork across his back and arms. His blond hair was pulled into its usual messy bun. I was so tempted to tug it out and run my fingers through the strands.

God, he was hot as fuck.

“Hey,” I said as I sauntered in. He’d pulled out and opened two beers, as well as grabbed plates and utensils for our food. What would it be like coming home to him every day? The ache intensified. I wanted this with a fierce attachment I felt for few things. Fixing cars, my family, this town.

And now Nick.

“Ready to eat?” Nick asked. “I’m fucking starving.”

“Nothing like sex to work up an appetite.” I waggled my brows.

He rolled his eyes and took the bags from me. “Well, I’m about to pass out if I don’t get food in me, so keep your dick to yourself.”

“Ah, so you’re wanting dinner and a show instead?” I grabbed my semi, which had arrived at the mere sight of Nick being hot and existing in this space.

“Look, I’ll never turn down a show, but I’m pretty sure my attention’s going to be on the food.” He took his burger from the foam container and put it on a plate and then did the same with mine.

“Thanks,” I said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. His consideration, the way we effortlessly worked in each other’s spaces, confirmed the thoughts circling more and more as of late. “Can’t believe our community service is up tomorrow.”

Nick paused in the middle of lifting his burger to his mouth. “Yeah. Can’t say I’ve minded it.” His eyes softened, and my heart thumped hard.

“Mmm, that mean you’re going to go streaking with me again?” I teased.

“Fuck no.” Nick bit into his burger, then mid-chew continued. “My cock almost froze off. I’d like to keep it, thank you very much. ”

I took a bite and moaned. Fucking delicious. No one in town did burgers as well as Jake’s, even though I usually went for the beer and a night out. I leaned against the counter, unable to forget the filthy things Nick and I had gotten into in here. Fuck, that felt like a lifetime ago when it’d just been weeks.

“I’d like to keep your cock too,” I said, not thinking.

Nick’s brows drew together. “Hopefully, not in a jar or anything.”

“Nah, you’d get a spot on the mantel.” Lord, my stupid mouth. What I needed to say was something serious for once, but instead, I kept running on autopilot, staying light and easy.

“That’d make things real awkward when family visits.” Nick had all but inhaled his burger, only a bite left, while I was still a few bites in. He guzzled water down, his Adam’s apple bobbing. We might’ve already fucked, but I couldn’t help that everything he did was sexy.

“Want to come with me to the Christmas Bash?” I blurted out.

Nick quirked his head. “Well, I’d assumed we’d be there, given our active participation in everything leading up to it.”

I opened my mouth, but the words were stuck.

“But yeah, let’s meet up there,” he said with a soft smile. Fuck, whenever he looked at me with a tender glow in his eyes, I wanted to kiss him. With every passing day, the impulses had grown stronger, to the point that restraining myself from PDA had become hellish. I didn’t care if everyone knew I was smitten with Nick Levine. In fact, I wanted the whole town to know.

He chewed on his last fries. “Want me to put something on? I know the original plan was to fuck, but after getting railed in the mechanic bay, I’m beat.”

“Depends on the movie.”

“Like I’m going to put on anything other than Ocean’s Eleven. ”

A smile burst onto my face. Fuck, being with him was so easy. “If it hits, it hits.”

“I’ll go pop it on. Meet me in there?”

“Yeah.” I leaned in and kissed him quick, needing that touch, that thrill like my next breath.

He flashed me a gorgeous grin and then sauntered away into the other room. I finished my burger in a few more bites. As I worked on the fries and gulped down water, I stared at the ceiling. Fuck, I had it bad.

I’d fallen in love before, but it had been all the wildfire and none of the comfort.

This—this was both, and I hadn’t understood they could coexist.

I’d tell him tonight.

The sound blared from the TV in the other room, and I quickly ate the last of my fries so I could go join.

When I stepped into the room, I came to a stop.

Nick lay passed out on the couch, dead asleep, gently snoring. His arm was slung over the side, his head craned uncomfortably. A grin leaped to my lips. Fucking hell, that was adorable. Even if it meant I had to shelve any confessions. My blood still pumped fast, the nerves percolating inside me, so I sat next to him on the couch, wrapped an arm around him, and shifted him until his head lolled to the side to rest on my shoulder.

He snorted, and for a moment, I thought he’d wake up, but instead, he nestled in closer to me. My heart thrummed at the trust there. I settled back, getting comfortable, and tuned in on Ocean’s Eleven, since we were only a few minutes in. The heavy weight of Nick at my side felt right in ways I couldn’t put into words. I leaned down and placed a kiss on his head.

Fuck, I was so in love with this man.