Page 73

If Nicola wanted to get off, then Abagail would make sure that was going to happen. And then they were going to talk. At least that’s what Abagail wanted. Nicola cried out loudly, her body writhing under Abagail’s touch.

Abagail didn’t ease her through her orgasm though. Instead, she moved off Nicola’s body and rolled onto her back. Whatever spell Nicola had woven in the beginning was completely broken. Abagail wasn’t going to listen to her anymore. The words had been uttered and their moment of play had been shattered.

“Untie me,” Abagail ordered.

Nicola moved slowly, but she took the blindfold off first and then ties at Abagail’s ankles. Finally, Abagail turned onto her side to give Nicola access to the ties at her wrists. When she was finally able to ease her arms around the front of her body, Abagail lay flat on her back and breathed deeply. She could still smell Nicola if she closed her eyes, still taste her on her tongue.

“We need to talk,” Abagail said firmly. She wasn’t going to give up on this. It was something they should have done before now, and it was Abagail’s own fault for letting it slide. She was the responsible one in the situation, and despite how often Nicola seemed to come off as mature, she simply didn’t have the life experience that Abagail did.

Nicola shifted, getting up and standing. She started to clean up, toys littering the floor around them, all of them unused, and all of them brand new. Abagail hadn’t seen any of them before. When Nicola didn’t answer, Abagail stood up and snagged Nicola’s hand, forcing her to stop.

“Nic.”

Tears brimmed in Nicola’s eyes as she looked directly at Abagail. “Not tonight. Please, just… not tonight.”

“Then when?” Abagail asked, needing an answer to that question more than anything right now.

“I don’t know. I don’t have the bandwidth tonight.” Nicola turned her chin down toward the ground.

Was she embarrassed? Ashamed?

Abagail cupped her cheek and caressed the side of her face. She looked deep into Nicola’s eyes and saw something there she hadn’t seen before.

Fear.

“Tomorrow,” Abagail offered. “When you get off work.”

Nicola nodded, but that was it.

Abagail looked around the room again. There was quite a mess to clean up. She kissed Nicola’s cheek and then started to pick up. She wasn’t going to leave Nicola alone. Not just yet. Not until she knew that she was together enough to be on her own.

twenty-seven

“I didn’t think I’d see you back here.”

Nicola froze. As long as she was with Abagail, she’d never escape that voice, would she?

“Didn’t they fire you?”

“And rehired.” Nicola spun around to face down Warren, plastering on the best smile that she could and knowing that it’d be fake in the process.

Warren looked her over head to toe, his gaze almost hungry for her. Nicola held in her shudder, just barely. She hadn’t seen him look at her like that in a very long time. And she hated that he was doing it now. Wait… why was he doing it now? He was supposed to be with Chaya, and Nicola was last week’s trash that he really wanted to get the hell out of his family.

“Your favorite spot is open.” Nicola nodded toward the back corner where she knew Warren preferred to sit. “I’ll send over someone to waitress for you.”

“That’s fine.” Warren winked at her. “I think I’ll take you tonight.”

Was that flirting? Jesus, Nicola hated this whiplash that he caused. Saying nothing else to him, she jumped back behind the bar to catch herself a breather. This wasn’t what she’danticipated tonight being. And she’d completely spaced how often Warren came to this bar to get drunk with his friends. Because he never paid for anything, which meant that she was going to take one for the team tonight and take no tip.

Fuck.

She really needed that cash.

And the bar was busy as hell, which meant she was going to be losing out on other customers and tips just to cater to an overgrown man-child who didn’t know the realities of life. Where was Abagail when Nicola needed her?

This was her bar, certainly she’d show up often for random checks to make sure that everything was running smoothly, and she did run an insanely tight ship. Except Nicola knew for certain that Abagail absolutely wouldn’t be there today.

Because they were avoiding each other.