Page 86 of My Fault

“We’re leaving,” Nick said, ignoring them both.

“So soon?” Jenna complained. I was sure she’d interrogate me till dawn once she was back in the room, but at that moment, I didn’t care.

“My feet are in agony. These shoes are a torture device.” At least I wasn’t lying about that. As Nick led me away, I shouted, “Say goodbye to everyone for me,” trying to get Jenna to hear me over the decibels. She nodded, still clearly unable to process what she’d just seen.

The soundproof walls muffled the music outside. It was late, but people were still lined up trying to get in.

“Your feet hurt, huh?” Nick asked.

I nodded and sat down on a bench. Nicholas knelt in front of me and started unbuckling them.

“What are you doing?” I giggled.

“I don’t know how you put up with these. Just looking at them is painful,” he said, taking off first one shoe and then the other.

“Thanks. That’s a relief.” I didn’t just mean the shoes, though.

Ten minutes later, we were in his room. The only light came in through the windows, but it was enough to see by. He pushed me into the wall, dropped my shoes on the floor, and kissed me again, deeper, with more desire.

I didn’t know why, but anytime he had me in his arms, all I could think of was our bodies joining as one and my hands rubbing him all over. And now I was doing it. I grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him close. He gripped my hands and held them over my head.

“Don’t move,” he said, kissing my neck, biting me where my pulse was pounding, sucking my collarbone. I moaned with pleasure when he started stroking my thigh, pushing up the bottom of my dress. Now I thought the light, faint as it was, was too much. If I let him keep going, he’d see me naked.

“Stop, please,” I asked him, but he didn’t care. “Stop,” I repeated, and he moved back, but I caught his right hand in mine, where it was resting, on my thigh.

“Why?” he asked, and his eyes were begging me to let him keep going. Never in my life had something tempted me that way. All I wanted was to give in to his wishes, to tell him to take me to bed and do what he wished to me, but no… I couldn’t yet.

“I’m not ready,” I said, and I knew that was true, in a way.

He pressed his forehead into mine until our breathing returned to normal.

“Okay,” he said after a minute. “But don’t go.”

I wondered what was going through his mind.

“You said before that we didn’t know each other well enough, and you were right. And I want to know you, Noah, I really do. I’ve never wanted anything so bad before. And I want you to stay with me tonight.”

Seeing him open up to me, Nicholas, the hard-ass who hookedup with hundreds of girls without an ounce of remorse…it touched me deep inside.

“Fine… Let’s talk,” I said.

I wanted to know him better, too.

I was in the bathroom in Nick’s hotel room. I’d taken off my white dress and was looking at myself in the mirror in my underwear. He’d lent me one of his T-shirts so I could be comfortable as I talked with him, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the scar on my stomach. My scar had always been a problem. It was why I never wore bikinis and never let anyone see my stomach. Just the thought of it horrified me.

But I tried to forget it, splashing water on my face and throwing the T-shirt over my head. It hung off me like a dress, so I didn’t need to feel too exposed. I washed my feet in cold water, too, and enjoyed feeling my muscles relax after the torture of those high heels.

When I came out, I saw Nicholas sitting on the balcony. He’d taken off his jeans and button-down and put on pajama pants and a gray T-shirt. I tried not to look at his body when I went out to see him.

As I set foot outside, he turned and said, “You look good in my clothes.”

“I’m lucky you’re tall. Otherwise this could be embarrassing.” Just then, his phone started to ring. I saw the name before he answered and walked off to be able to talk without me eavesdropping. It was someone named Madison.

I felt my jealousy flare up as he moved past me, and I tried to pick up any snippet of their conversation I could.

“How are you, Princess?” he said in a sweet voice. Since when had Nicholas called anyonePrincess? I wanted to run away just then. “Yeah, I’m great, I got lots of birthday presents. I’m still waiting on one from you. Hopefully it’s a big hug and a kiss?”

This was getting worse and worse. I needed to go. Now. I couldn’t bear to have him here in front of me flirting. But there was nothing I could do. I was the one who had insisted that he didn’t need to explain anything to me. I was the one who’d said I didn’t want to be exclusive. So what excuse did I have?