8. Sydney

CHAPTER 8

SYDNEY

W hat wasn’t fun and festive were the sleeping arrangements. The entire time I sat next to Nick on the couch, it was all I could think about. Lying next to him the whole night. I honestly didn’t trust myself, but what could I do? I didn’t want to sleep on the cold, hard floor.

“Night, you two!” Mr. and Mrs. Milton waved to us as we climbed the stairs to the bedroom. Gran went to bed an hour ago; her snoring echoed down the hall as we walked to our room.

“Good first night,” Nick said, closing the door and kicking off his shoes. He then proceeded to untuck his dress shirt, undoing each button methodically. My mouth went dry as I watched him, the toned muscles of his broad chest peeking out. Unbidden heat rolled through me even as I internally cursed myself.

“You going to change or are you planning on sleeping in your clothes?” Nick asked, catching my eye.

“I, ah, yes. I’m going to change.” I grabbed my pajamas out of my suitcase and headed into the bathroom.

“So modest,” Nick said, his voice slightly muffled through the closed door. “It’s not like I haven’t seen you before.”

This was true. He most definitely had seen me before.

“That was different; that was before. This is now,” I said, concentrating on folding my sweater neatly, placing it on the counter. I paused, debating the bra situation. Leave it on? Take it off? After a few seconds, I unhooked the clasp in one swift motion. Shimmying out of my jeans, I slid into my navy satin pjs.

I squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush, ran it under the water. It’d been a long day; maybe I’d fall asleep quickly. Wiping my mouth, I headed into the bedroom. Nick was sprawled on the bed, wearing only a pair of gym shorts, his perfectly toned abs illuminated in the soft glow of the bedside table lamp.

Gawd, I forgot how freaking gorgeous he was. I inhaled a quick breath of confident indifference and climbed under the covers, clicking my light off.

“Not even a good night?” he teased, following my lead and turning his light off too.

“Good night,” I said into the darkness, my back to him. Anything to prevent me from touching his perfect, beautiful body, even though I physically ached for him right now.

“Night, Syd.” He moved closer to me, dropping a soft, sweet kiss on my cheek. His masculine, spicy scent tickled my nose and I turned slightly towards his kiss.

And then I blew it. I kissed him back. On the lips.

Damn it. Nick Milton was a fucking amazing kisser.

He didn’t even hesitate, cupping my face with those strong hands and meeting my kiss with those full, skilled lips, applying the exact right amount of pressure. He kissed me like he’d been waiting for me for years, like we hadn’t lost any time at all. Pure ecstasy rushed through my body, every nerve electrified.

“Nick,” I murmured against his mouth.

“Ssh, I know. We won’t tell anyone. It’s just for this week. I missed you, Syd.” He pulled back, gazing at me, his face a mix of shadows and streaks of moonlight spilling in from the gauzy curtains.

“I missed you, too. But we can’t. We work together again.”

He ran his finger down my cheek, his touch so light it could have been mistaken for a breeze. “We’re not working now.”

I smiled into the darkness. “That’s true. I’ve never gone to work in my pajamas.”

“Exactly. Now you’re catching on.” He leaned over, kissing me again. Against my better judgement, I kissed back, opening my mouth to his and letting him in. Feelings I’d tamped down for the last few months exploded in my chest, my heart hammering hard against my ribcage.

His hands moved from my face to my shoulder, down the bare skin of my arm. A ripple of desire slid through me, my entire body flushed, chill bumps of excitement rising on my arm. I shivered.

“Are you cold?” Nick asked, concern lacing his voice. “I could turn up the heat.”

“Quite the opposite,” I whispered, tracing the strong line of his square jaw.

“I don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Syd, so you take the lead.”

“I think we passed those boundaries a while back. Like, on Tuesday. But I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to. Even if I’ve given you a hard time about it.”

He chuckled. “Nothing like sending a guy mixed messages.”

“Oh, I was clear. We cannot get involved again. But if this is a Christmas one-off, a last parting gift to each other, I guess it’s okay,” I said, running my hand over his strong, smooth chest.

“If you’re my gift, does that mean I get to unwrap you?” He toyed with the hem of my pajama shirt.

“I guess it does.” In one swift move, I straddled him, our hips aligned. He lifted my shirt over my head, sliding his hands over my skin, caressing my breasts. His fingers stroked and pinched, teasing my nipples into sharp points. A soft moan escaped my lips as all rational thought flew out of my mind and hot desire pumped through my veins.

I leaned forward to kiss him, but he had other ideas, licking and sucking my breasts, then pulling each nipple into his mouth and flicking the heated skin with his tongue. I buried my face in his neck, breathing him in, kissing the tender skin there. Gliding my hand down the hard planes of his pecs, I stroked the outside of his boxer-briefs and was met with instant approval.

Nick eased me off him and laid me back against the pillows, his pupils wide, drinking me in.

“You are so beautiful. I’d forgotten just how gorgeous.” He traced a finger down my face, to the hollow of my neck, where he placed a soft kiss. My breath caught in my throat, every inch of my skin on fire. Trailing kisses down my body, he skimmed my shoulders, arms, breasts, and belly with his lips. He gently pulled my shorts down, taking them all the way off, then made his way back up my legs, kissing first my calves, then my inner thighs.

“Nick,” I murmured, my fingers tangling in his soft hair as my muscles liquified beneath him.

“Do you want me to stop?” He lifted his head, his eyes wide and serious.

“Definitely not.”

Smiling, he ducked back down and kissed my panties. His fingers deftly found my core and pressed against it using just the right amount of pressure. I squirmed with pleasure while he stroked me until my panties were wet. Arching up against his hand, he finally peeled the small strip of fabric off my body until I was fully naked.

“Come here.” I dragged Nick up towards me, maneuvering him so our bodies lined up, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. He levered up above me and I spread my legs for him; he pressed against me, his hardness stiff between my thighs. Gripping his ass, I kneaded and massaged before slipping my fingers into the waistband of his briefs and pulling them all the way off. With my index finger, I circled the tip of his cock until I felt a drop of wetness and Nick inhaled one sharp breath. He pulsated in my hand, every muscle in his torso tight and ready.

“Do you have protection?” I murmured, gazing up at him.

He nodded, jumping off me and jogging to the bathroom. Three seconds later he was back, ripping open a foil packet.

“Always prepared,” I joked. “I’m not even going to dive into the implications of that right now.” I grabbed his hands, pulling him back on top of me.

Nick grinned. “Probably best.” Then he dropped his lips onto mine, our tongues tangling as our hips moved together, finding our rhythm. His hands roamed my body, finding all my pleasure points. He caressed me until I was slick and starry-eyed with want as he pushed into me with one, then two fingers.

“Mmm, I want you. Now.” I stroked him harder as he gripped my waist, pushing into me, his eyes never leaving my face.

“God, I missed you,” he said, thrusting. I answered by squeezing my muscles around him and meeting his undulations, pressing my lips hard against his. We moved together, our bodies melting into one, our breathing ragged with need.

“Come for me, baby,” Nick murmured into my hair as he smashed up against me. I answered by wrapping my legs around him, pulling him deeper into me, taking him in as far as I could.

“Ohhhh,” I hissed, not wanting anyone to hear. “Myyyyy…aah,” I sighed, my body cresting and falling over the edge.

Nick followed my lead, pumping into me once, twice, then exploding with a shudder. “You’re so fucking amazing, Syd.” He ran his fingers through my hair, kissing me gently on the lips. “Best gift ever.”

“Mmmm,” I said, closing my eyes, too exhausted to form a coherent sentence. “Merry Christmas.”

I rolled over and he pulled me up against his broad chest, encircling me in his arms. I snuggled down into the cool sheets and fell asleep.

I’d deal with the repercussions of this in the morning.