I cringed a little at how unsympathetic he was. But he was correct.
“I’m sorry,” she cried.
Russel put his arm around her shoulders, and I sighed. I frowned at Virgil and he rolled his eyes in response.
“There may be something you can do to make up for it though,” Virgil finally conceded.
Melody calmed down and nominated, wiping her eyes. “I will. I’ll do anything if it helps.”
“Well… first of all, the three of you need to rush to class because you are late. Then, I want you to give all your contact information to Willow so that I can speak to you this evening. I need to know every detail of what you remember of Mr. Willis.”
Despite her tears, she gave a little smile.”Okay… Yeah, I can do that.”
We made it to class soon after, and I did feel better having some answers about how Hector knew so much about me. I knew I’d never quite trust Melody again, and it was possible I’d always be hesitant about future friendships, but at least she had come clean.
I couldn’t wait to find out what Virgil had planned for Hector.
Nicholas was in quite the mood later that evening. Not only had he been to his first therapy appointment earlier in the day, but he also learned about the thing with Melody and Hector.
“People are bastards, Willow. All of them.”
I was seated on the couch and Nicholas was on the floor in front of me. We tried to relax and get a movie running right after dinner. I massaged his shoulders and leaned down to kiss his cheek so that he would relax a bit.
“Not everybody is an asshole. Melony did something stupid, but she didn’t know he was lying to her. You know people do crazy things for love.”
He snorted. “She didn’t love him. He was fucking her to get to you. Then she sold you out to get him. How could she be that stupid?”
“He’s a good manipulator. Right? We both know that.”
He had certainly fooled me and Nicholas. Neither of us had any room to judge Melody.
“Whatever. It just goes to show that I can’t trust anybody.” He lifted my leg over his shoulder, kissing the side of my knee. His stubble tickled my skin. “Except you. You’re the only one I trust.”
I didn’t know what to say as I was weary of Nicholas’ jaded view of the world. I sighed and ran my fingers through his hair.
“How did your session go today?”
He groaned, throwing his head back in my lap and looking up at me. I traced his nose, cheeks, and lips with my finger. Even with the painful expression, his face was more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen.
“You know I hate that nonsense.”
Yes, I knew. He hated it, and he was doing it entirely for me. It wasn’t the best reason for him to seek therapy-he should have wanted to do it for himself-but I figured after enough time, perhaps the help would start to sink in.
“Well, what did you talk about?”
He smirked. “You mostly.”
I rubbed his scalp and he closed his eyes with a soft moan. “And what did you say about me?”
He grinned and opened his eyes again, his fingers trailing up and down my legs. “That you had the best set of legs in the world and there was no place I’d rather be than buried deep inside your warm, tight, little. ..”
I didn’t even let him finish before smacking his head. “Nicholas! You did not!”
He burst out in laughter, pinning my legs down when I tried to kick. I grabbed his ear, twisting until he called a truce.
“Ow! Okay, okay. I didn’t say that… exactly.”
“What did you say?”
He turned around, got on his knees, and pulled me close. “I did talk about you. I told him you were the best thing that had ever happened to me.” He slowly leaned in, his barely-there kisses warming my lips and making my heart race. “I told him you are beautiful, kind, smart, and you keep me in line like nobody else ever could. I told him you’re the most important part of my life and there was nothing I wouldn’t t do for you.”
And just like that, I was putty in his hands again.
Nicholas had reserved a private dining area at one of Quentin’s finest restaurants, for our dinner with his parents. I didn’t know how he managed that with such short notice on a Saturday night, but I assumed it probably cost him a lot of money.
My black dress also appeared to be a hit, since he couldn’t keep his hands from wandering during the drive to the restaurant.
“Nicholas,” I whined, pushing his hand away when his fingers slid too high up my thigh. “Be a gentleman.”
He brushed my hair to the side, kissing my neck. “I am being a perfect gentleman, baby. I’m only checking to make sure you’re wearing panties this time.”
I laughed, remembering the first time I met his parents. “I am, so keep your mind out of the gutter tonight.”
“Don’t ask for the impossible.” He nibbled on my earlobe and I clenched my fists to stop myself from touching him. “Do you know what I want to do to you when you wear these sexy dresses?”
I knew better than to ask him, but I couldn’t resist. I must have some masochistic tendencies. “What do you want to do to me?”
One of his hands slipped around my neck, keeping my head anchored to his, while the other moved back up my leg.
“Mmmm, first I’d lift this dress up.” His voice was low, and raspy, sending shivers down my spine. “I’d take off your panties and spread your legs open, so I could kneel down here on the floor in front of you.”