He nodded. “We weren’t going to have the holiday without you.”
I almost choked on a sob. “So we can still have Christmas?”
“Everyone’s coming over in a couple of days to celebrate.”
It meant so much that they would wait for me. “I’m surprised you managed to keep them all away today.”
He laughed. “Yeah. That was a tough one. I had to threaten bodily harm to a few of them. But I wanted you to have time to get settled first.”
When we passed the stairs, I raised my eyebrows at Laura. “Where are we going?”
Nicholas cleared his throat. “I had some remodeling done.”
Neither of them said another word, although I was bursting with curiosity. I didn’t expect to find what awaited me. He’d reconfigured part of the first floor into another master bedroom.
“This is just temporary until you feel you are able to get up and down the stairs well enough,” he started, sounding nervous.
I was surprised but amazed at his thoughtfulness. It was definitely better than me falling down any stairs again or having to deal with him wanting to carry me around or something equally ridiculous.
“This is great.” I squeezed his hand to make sure he knew I appreciated it. “Thank you.”
“Are you tired? Do you feel like a nap?” he asked while Laura left my side to put my bag away.
I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to be lying down again.
“I want to take a shower and eat.”
Laura practically did a jig. “I have so many of your favorites ready to go. Let me go whip some things up.”
Nicholas and I laughed, watching her rush off toward the kitchen. I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He hugged me back, rocking us both a little. Almost like we were dancing.
“This is what I last remember,” I said, smiling against his chest and filling my nose and lungs with his smell. “The way it felt dancing in your arms.”
He stopped moving, and I glanced up to find him frowning.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head, giving me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Nothing. Let me show you the new shower I put in.”
I held back a sigh, but let him lead me away. How long was it going to take for him to get back to normal?
“Closer.” He scooted in more. “Tighter.” His arms squeezed around me.
But it wasn’t enough.
I wiggled my body, nestling my back to his front, wanting absolutely no space between us.
It was wonderful to be home. To be in Nicholas’s arms while we slept. After having that taken away while in the hospital, I was savoring every second. But three days in, I was craving even more.
He was being too careful. Too chaste. He was scared to push any physical limits, despite my assuring him I was fine.
Over six weeks without Cocky Jr. was not okay with me. And it wasn’t just about the sex. It had never just been about the sex with him. It was about the connection. The intimacy. I wanted that back too.
“Nicholas.” I pressed my butt against him, hiding my smile in a pillow when he groaned. Damn him for wearing pajama pants.
His hand slipped under my nightie, gently roaming my skin while he delivered light kisses to my neck.
I almost giggled when his hand stopped moving and his body tensed.
“Fuck.” He almost sounded in pain. “You aren’t wearing any panties.”
“No. I’m not.”
Sometimes a girl had to take some initiative. When he started to lift his hand off my hip, I placed mine on top, steering both down between my legs. Exactly where I wanted him.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” He was breathing harder, the warm air rushing over my hair and skin.
“You won’t. Please?”
He made some strangled noise, his fingers tentative.
I sighed and turned my head toward him. “Don’t you want me anymore?”
He actually growled at me, putting his lips right next to my ear. “You know I do. I know you can feel how much I do.”
Yes, I could feel it. I could feel it all. Every single inch he pressed against me even harder to prove a point. That’s what I wanted though. And his gravelly voice vibrating in my ear at the same time made me want it- him-even more.
His fingers started moving without my insistence, sliding along my skin while he mumbled words like warm and wet in my ear. He was driving me crazy.
His breathy chuckle made me shiver. “You really want this, don’t you?” Duh.
“Yes.” I reached behind me, tugging on the waistband of his pants.
“Take these off.” He hesitated again.
“How about just my fingers?”
“No.”
He nibbled my ear. “How about my mouth?”
That one made me pause. He could do things with his tongue that made me forget my name. But it wasn’t what I wanted. “No.”
“I love it when you get all demanding.” I smiled, feeling him kick off his pants. He immediately returned to me, guiding my top leg forward and bending my knee.
“You have to promise me.” He slid his cock against me, and I was so slick and ready I would have promised him anything. “Promise me you’ll tell me if anything hurts. Promise?”
“Yes, yes. I promise.” I was close to whimpering.
He started pushing in, both of us panting. It felt great, but he was going so slow.
His lips were back at my ear again. “Relax, Willow. Here…” he broke off, massaging my thigh a little before lifting my leg and nudging his knee between mine. “Open up for me.”
It had been so long, and I was too tensed with excitement that I was inadvertently making it difficult for him to get it in. I focused on his chest rising and falling against my back, calming with each breath I took in time with his.