Page 79

Without hesitation, she dove back in. Nicola joined in her fervor, the touches and tastes increasing. Abagail kept Nicola pressed tightly against her. She trailed her hand down Nicola’s front, over her breast, to the edge of Nicola’s short skirt and started to slide her hand up, but she stopped.

Abagail went back to playing with Nicola’s nipple, flicking the edge of her thumb across the small little pebble and loving the way Nicola moaned against her. Nicola’s hand was in Abagail’s hair, tugging lightly as she tried to push Abagail backward.

“Should we go to the bed?” Nicola asked.

The question sounded so odd, like Nicola was as unsure of this as she was. Abagail broke away, taking a step back and looking over Nicola’s disheveled appearance. She was stunning, not just because she was young but because she was confident in who she was, she was full of sunshine and joy, and she deserved to get what she wanted.

Love.

Family.

A spouse.

Abagail shook her head and took another step back. “No, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Nicola asked, a deep line forming in the center of her forehead.

“I can’t do this.” Abagail put her hands out to her sides.

“But this is why I’m here!” It wasn’t quite a whine, and there was a definite undertone of fear there. “What am I supposed to do if you’re not letting me fuck you?”

“Nic…” Abagail shook her head. “We have an arrangement.”

“Exactly!” Nicola groaned. “And I can’t uphold my end of the agreement if you don’t let me.”

“Is that all this is about for you?” Abagail straightened her back immediately.

“Y-yes,” Nicola answered, but there wasn’t that confidence there that Abagail was used to.

She was lying. Abagail had never seen her do that before, in all of their interactions. Every retort that Abagail had come up with before was gone, and she had nothing to say. The words just left her. This was about money. It had to be. There was nothing else between them. It was impossible.

“You’ll still get your money.” Abagail’s lips moved into a thin line. “I don’t break my promises.”

“Abs.”

“Go to work, Nicola.” Abagail walked into her bedroom and turned her back on Nicola. She couldn’t do this. Not right now. Maybe not ever.

“Abs!”

“You don’t want to get fired from your only other source of income.” Was that too cold? Probably. But Abagail was hurting. She’d been smashed on all fronts in the last few hours, and she couldn’t bring herself to be better than she was right now.

Saying nothing else, Abagail started to take off her jewelry and drop it into the small bowls and containers where it belonged. Nicola stayed by the door for another few minutes before she timidly walked away and left.

Abagail shut the door and locked it.

She just needed time.

Time for herself.

Time to decompress.

Because this wasn’t what she wanted.

None of it.

twenty-nine

“I didn’t realize you were in town.” Nicola stopped short at Alanna’s room door.