Page 20 of Leave Me Not: Nick & Elissa #2 (Badger Creek Duet #8)

20

ELISSA

N ick pulls back, a massive smile on his face, a look of complete adoration in his eyes and I’ve never felt so special, so wanted than I do right now.

“Let me look at you,” he says, pushing my coat off my shoulders, his eyes falling to the small swell of my stomach.

“Fourteen weeks,” I say, smoothing my sweater down, so Nick can get a better look. “Maybe the baby will move while I’m here. I’m not sure you’ll be able to feel it just yet, but we can give it a try.”

With the huge smile still on his face, Nick rests his hands on my stomach, letting them linger there for a few seconds, before he pulls me close, kissing me hard.

“Wonder if we can rock the baby to sleep over there on my bed,” Nick jokes, hitting me with a wink, his lips moving to trail down my neck. “Lis, it’s been like fourteen days since I was last inside you, and it’s fucking killing me.”

I can hear the ache in his words, the desperation to be close to me, and I feel it too. When Nick left, it was like he took a piece of me with him, and I was left with this dull ache of loneliness. It sounds silly since I spent the last four years without him, moving on with my life, but I guess in the end, I never really did. Having him back is better than I ever could have imagined and being here with him right now is all I’ve wanted for the last two weeks.

“I was hoping you’d be up for a little action. This pregnancy has made me want nothing but sex, and it’s been brutal having you gone,” I lament, pushing out my bottom lip in a pout. “I’ve had to rely on my fingers and my vibrator and trust me, they’ve got nothing on you.”

With his arms around my waist, my bag dropped by the door, my coat now in a puddle on the floor, Nick backs up toward the bed, taking me with him.

He’s sitting down, looking up at me, his stare intense and filled with want and need. His fingers slide into the waistband of my leggings, tracing a path and I instantly feel a rush of heat cover my cheeks.

I step between his legs, and he widens them to allow me to get closer to him, pushing my sweater up, he presses a kiss to my bare stomach.

“I missed both of you,” he whispers against my skin, inhaling deeply, he looks up at me with lust and desire in his eyes. “I want to taste you.”

“I thought you said you wanted to be inside me. Nicholas O’Connor you are insatiable.” I weave my hands in his hair, holding his mouth to me as he slides my leggings down. Kissing a path from my stomach down, he pauses.

With a wicked smile on his face, he leans back, watching me. “Take off your boots and pants and come sit on my face.”

I laugh out loud at his demand, an electricity moving through me with how much he wants me. My body sparks, and I don’t wait for him to say it again.

Kicking off my boots, my eyes never leave Nick’s as he watches me undress. Shimmying out of my leggings, I leave them on the floor, but as I begin to step toward Nick, he shakes his head.

There’s a seriousness in his eyes, his lips set in a firm line. “All of it, Lis,” he says, seduction dripping from his words. He motions at me to lose the sweater, and I pull it over my head, smiling when I see his face.

“Better?” I ask, standing there letting his eyes rake over my body, dressed only in my bra and panties.

“Keep going,” he says, tucking his hands behind his head as he leans back against the headboard. “Panties, bra, they gotta go.” He winks at me, wetting his lips.

When I’m completely naked, Nick calls me over with a curl of his finger. “As much as I would love to just take in your gorgeous naked body, I need you right here.” He taps his mouth, a smile spreading across his lips. “Right here, Lis.”

Without giving it another thought, Nick shifts lower on the bed, and I straddle his face, hovering over him, the warmth of his breath sending goosebumps peppering my skin. His mouth isn’t even on me yet and I find myself letting out a moan of anticipation.

Nick and I have always been open with each other, free and comfortable exploring each other’s bodies, loving when we find something that makes the other scream with pleasure.

Nick’s rough hands grip my thighs, a growl to his words when he tells me to grab the headboard, and as soon as I do, his tongue flicks against my clit making my hips thrust against his mouth. He flattens his tongue, dragging it from my entrance to my clit, sucking hard when he reaches it.

“Oh my god,” I call out, and Nick lets out a hearty, self-satisfied laugh. I close my eyes, my head falling back as I relish the sensation of Nick’s mouth on me, my body begging for release.

His hands move to my hips, holding me tight, he begins to work his tongue over me faster and more controlled. It feels so fucking good, so erotic and sexual and I can feel my orgasm building with each flick of his tongue.

I can’t help myself, my hips now moving in time with his mouth, desperate to hold onto this feeling that’s taken over my body.

“Nick,” I pant, my breathing labored and desperate. “It feels so good. Don’t stop.” My words are pleading, and Nick continues his assault.

Swirling his tongue over my clit, my thighs tightening around his head, I come undone, calling out his name as my body writhes wildly above him.

I’m trembling as Nick slowly licks my center, bringing me down from the best orgasm I’ve had since he left. I can still feel the throbbing of my clit from how hard I came, and there’s no one in the world who can do that to me except Nick.

“Lis, that was so damn hot. I’ve missed the way you taste. You’re like a fucking drug to me and I’m not sure I can go another two weeks without you,” Nick groans, as I move so I’m lying next to him. My head is resting on his chest, waiting for my breathing to slow.

We spend the next several hours exploring each other’s bodies and enjoying being together. Neither of us brings up the contract or the lawyer or getting Nick home. We need these few days to just take each other in and hopefully it will hold us over till things return back to normal.

Falling asleep next to Nick feels like home; it feels like perfection and as we’re lying here, our lids growing heavy, I burrow my nose into his neck.

“I love you,” I whisper, letting my lips linger against his warm skin.

Nick’s hand moves to my stomach, brushing over the small swell of my belly, his fingers tracing soft circles. “I love you so much, Lis. I’m so sorry we lost all those years together.”

“No, don’t. We have each other again and we have the baby now too.” I take in a deep breath, a calm washing over me. How am I going to leave here in just a few short days?

We wake early the next morning with Nick excited to show me around the training center. As much as he doesn’t want to be here, for two people who love skiing, it’s a massive playground for both of us to explore.

“Where do you want to start?” Nick asks, his hand in mine as we walk through the campus. A light snow is falling and the trees are covered, making it look like a winter wonderland.

“Take me through what your day would be like,” I reply. “How would you start your day?” I smile up at him, his hair and lashes dotted with tiny white snowflakes.

“Alright then, let’s head to the cafeteria and have some breakfast. It’s actually really good. Guess they want to keep us happy,” Nick says, leading the way.

“What do you usually have for breakfast?” I ask, keeping things light, wanting to make the most of our visit.

“They have an omelet station, so I tend to have that to try to keep myself full longer. We spend long days on the mountain and in the gym.”

“Just an omelet, huh?”

“What’s that mean?” Nick asks, pretending to be insulted.

“No toast or hashbrowns or fruit? You usually go big when it comes to breakfast.”

“You know me too well, Lis. Yes, I have all those things too. They have these little potato cakes that are amazing. They’re covered in cheese and sometimes they have biscuits and gravy,” Nick says, and my mouth is watering. I’ve woken up starving ever since I found out I was pregnant.

He holds a door open for me and I’m hit with a delicious smell of breakfast, and I’m so glad that my puking has finally settled down. I love food and even though this is a cafeteria at a training center, the food smells like it’s going to be delicious.

Nick and I each get an omelet and the potato cakes that Nick raved about. We sit with a couple of Nick’s teammates, chatting and laughing. They ask me all about my high school skiing career, totally interested in my times and what gear I used.

It’s fun to talk skiing and reminisce about how good I used to be at it. I haven’t been on skis to ski competitively in so long, just doing it for fun with Delaney and Zoey or with Max and Alex. I’ve gotten out there a few times to fill in for a lesson too, but nothing like this place can offer.

After breakfast, we make our way over to the indoor training center. It’s loaded with simulators and all kinds of machines that analyze your jumps. I can’t even imagine getting to train at a place like this. It’s unreal.

Ethan and Zoey’s training center is filled with some of the same equipment, but it’s nowhere near the size of this place, which is massive.

“This is the newest jump simulator,” Nick says, pointing to a machine in the corner of the room. “They hook us up to it and it lets us see the jumps in real time. It helps with your form and making sure you’re getting the most aerodynamic position.”

“Nick, this is so cool,” I say, but when I look at him, his face is sullen, his eyes turned down. “What’s wrong?”

“Lis, this is all really fucking cool and it’s an experience of a lifetime, but I still don’t want to be here. I have a ton of guilt about that. People would kill to be in my position and here I am bitching about it and trying to figure out how to get the hell out of here.”

“I know, but it’s okay to enjoy it while you’re here. It’s an experience that you can say you had. Think about it that way, rather than something negative,” I say, smiling at him. I get how he feels. I think I would feel the same way too. It’s a weird situation.

“Yeah, you’re right, Lis. I’ll try to enjoy it while I’m here, and I’m going to fully enjoy having you here with me too.”

“Perfect. Now what’s next?”

“Do you want to see the jumping area?” he asks, and my eyes widen, and I swat him on the arm. “Okay, okay, I should have known the answer would be yes.”

“Yes, the answer is yes. I want to see anything that involves the mountains and the training here.”

“But how about I take you to the secret area?” Nick whispers, leaning down to kiss me. “It’s the area where the coaches sometimes sit to take it all in from above. They film us from it so we can review things later.”

Nick leads me down a hallway and to a staircase. Heading up the stairs, we’re met with a wall of windows overlooking the mountain. Sitting below us is the ramp and there are a few jumpers lined up waiting for their turn on the run.

I see Nick’s coach, he’s standing on the platform, his arms crossed over his chest. The man seems to have a permanent scowl on his face. You’d think being the US coach who is also in line to become the Olympic coach, wouldn’t perpetually be in a bad mood.

“So this is Lucas on the platform right now. He’s one of the best jumpers. He’s totally going to make the Olympic team,” Nick says, his voice low, something we’ve both learned to do when someone is jumping. The quiet is to help concentration and even though we aren’t outside, he still does it.

“What’s he working on?” I ask, wondering if that’s something secret. Jumpers can be quite secretive regarding their jumps, wanting to make sure they’re at the top of their game.

“A quadruple flip,” Nick says just as Lucas begins to sail down the run.

We both watch as he goes off the end, completing all four rotations, but he over rotates, and the gasp that falls from my mouth is entirely on instinct.

Skiers rarely gasp or comment on a fall. They happen so often, and part of our training is to learn how to land correctly. And while it’s been a while since I’ve watched any competitive skiing in person, even I know what is unfolding in front of us is a nightmare.

It feels like Lucas is moving in slow motion through the air, his body a wild mess of arms and legs, flailing around, seeking something to land on, to stop the out-of-control spinning. He’s lost the ground and Nick mutters this exact comment as we watch Lucas.

His body crashes to the ground, and the thud can be heard in the booth we’re watching from. My hand covers my mouth, trying to control the shocked sound from spilling from my lips.

Lucas tumbles down the mountain, his body cartwheeling in a way that says he has to have broken some bones. It’s an awful sight to witness, and Nick immediately grabs my hand, tugging me toward the door to the platform outside.

As soon as the door opens, I can hear Nick’s coach bark out, “Get up, Lucas. Shake it off. You’re fine.”

But Lucas is anything but fine.