Page 20

B y the time The Trailhead closed that evening, only Noah, Hiram, Anne and Celia were left. They all took their usual places at the bar, and Anne glanced at Celia. “Nick coming tonight?”

Celia shrugged, as if she had no idea what Nick was up to, even though they’d talked several times today. She didn’t want to give Anne any clues about what she and Nick had been doing twenty-four hours ago. “We didn’t talk about it. But I assume he’s coming. He’s here every night.”

“Wasn’t here last night,” Anne pointed out with a tiny grin. “And neither were you. Any conclusions we can take away from that?”

“Yeah, that neither of us was here. Like I told your nosy husband, Nick had a rough day yesterday, telling Jake about what had happened to his brother. I thought he needed company, so I met him at his place after he finished talking to the FBI. He told me how his testimony had gone down.” Celia held Anne’s gaze until her sister finally looked away.

Swallowing hard, Celia glanced at her phone. Nick should be here soon. She hadn’t seen him since he had lunch at The Trailhead, and it felt like days had passed since she talked to him.

The door creaked open, and everyone turned to see who walked in. Nick waved at everyone, said hello, then slid onto the seat beside her. “You have a good day?” he asked in a low voice.

“Better now,” she said, equally softly. “How about you?”

“Looking forward to this all day.”

“Me, too.” They’d had dinner together earlier, but Celia’d had to eat and run. Hiram had a reservation for a large party, and she’d needed to help Anne.

She leaned into Nick for a moment when everyone else was talking, then straightened when Hiram glanced their way. She leaned closer to Nick and murmured, “I’ll move the rest of my stuff in tomorrow. You wanna help me?”

“Absolutely. I can’t wait.” He leaned closer and said, “I already have your housewarming gift.”

Celia reared back and stared at him. “What are you talking about? What housewarming gift?”

“Just a little something to welcome you home.”

“What is it?” Celia demanded.

“It’s a gift, Celia,” Nick said, his mouth quivering as he tried to hide a grin. “That means you have to wait and unwrap it before you find out what it is.”

“Wow, Nick. I didn’t realize you had this mean streak. Am I going to have to reconsider this move?”

Nick shrugged one shoulder. “If you do, you won’t find out what I got you.”

“Ooh, burn,” Anne said, who’d clearly been listening to their conversation.

“Whose side are you on, Annie?” Celia said with a scowl.

“Yours, Cece. Always yours.” She grinned. “But Nick’s got a point. Reminds me of Christmas when we were kids. You were always sniffing around, trying to find what Mom had gotten us.”

“Oh, like you didn’t do the same thing?” Celia asked.

“How about another glass of wine,” Hiram said, holding up the box. “Best way I know to stop an argument.”

Celia smiled, and Nick nudged her shoulder. Leaned closer. “You coming home with me tonight?”

She slid her hand onto his thigh. Squeezed. “What do you think?”

“I’m thinking that’s a yes,” Nick said beneath his breath. “Because it’s been way too long since I kissed you, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to suffer.”

Celia’s mouth curled up. “Hell, no I don’t. We both have a kiss deficit. We’ll make it up together.”

Forty-five minutes later, the gathering broke up. Anne slid off her stool first. “Gotta do breakfast tomorrow,” she said. “So we’re out.”

Noah looked up from his conversation with Hiram and smiled. “Let’s get going,” he said.

Celia narrowed her eyes at her sister. “Noah seems like he’s in a big hurry tonight. You have plans?”

Anne held her gaze for a long moment, then laughed. “Message received, Cece. I won’t grill you, you don’t grill me. Agreed?”

“Yeah. That works for me,” she said as she slid off her own stool. “Come on, Nick. I’m gonna work my wiles on you. I want to know all about that housewarming gift.”

Nick grinned. “I’m looking forward to your wiles. Won’t work, but it’ll be lots of fun.”

Celia hugged her sister, hugged Noah and planted a kiss on Hiram’s cheek. Hiram grumbled, but he gave Celia a hug. In a few minutes, the lights were turned off, the doors were locked and everyone had scattered

As soon as they were out of sight of The Trailhead, Celia reached for Nick’s hand. Twined their fingers together and pressed her palm to his. Nick looked over at her, his mouth twitching in a smile. “How long do I have to keep my hands off you when we’re around your sister and Noah and Hiram?”

Celia shrugged. “Until they stop giving me grief about you.”

“It sounded as if Anne declared a truce tonight,” he said.

Celia shrugged. “I’ll believe it when I see it. Since she’s older than me, she thinks she’s the boss of me.”

Nick tightened his fingers around hers. “Hasn’t she figured out that no one’s the boss of you? Not even Hiram? You have him wrapped around your little finger.”

“Shhh,” she said. “Don’t tell him that. He still thinks he’s the boss.”

Laughing, Nick unlocked the door to his staircase. Since Murray had shown up in Helena, he’d begun locking it in the evening.

As they walked up the stairs, Nick twined his fingers with hers, and Celia leaned into his shoulder. She craved contact with him. Needed to feel his skin against hers, his body aligned with hers.

She’d never felt this way with any other lover. Like she’d die if she couldn’t touch him. Like she needed him as much as she needed air to breathe. Water to drink. Food to eat.

All of the questions she’d had about Nick when she’d lived in his father’s house had vanished like dry leaves in a strong wind. She knew she could count on him. Knew he’d do everything he could to protect her. Defend her. Knew he’d stand between her and trouble without being asked.

Leaning against his side, she drew a deep breath. Inhaled his scent and let it fill all her senses.

As he unlocked the door to his apartment, she let him walk in first. He always insisted on that. If there was trouble, he’d told her, he wanted to be the one to face it. Wanted to protect her.

She followed him into the apartment, then closed and locked the door. Nick was in his office, and she wandered down the hall to see what he was doing.

Before she reached it, he came out carrying a large gift bag. “Here’s your housewarming gift,” he said, extending his hand to offer it to her.

She twined her hands together behind her back. “I was yanking your chain,” she said, glancing at the bag. What the hell had he gotten her? “Teasing you because I was embarrassed that you’d gotten me a gift.”

He set the bag on the table and drew her into his arms. “I don’t expect a gift from you. Moving in here with me is everything I want.” He smiled. “But what I got for you is something I think you’ll enjoy. I think it’ll make you happy. And it’s something I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t buy for yourself.”

Celia draped her arms around his neck. “You don’t have to give me a gift for moving in with you,” she said. “I want this as much as you do.”

“I know, Celia,” he said. “But I wanted to do it.” He nodded at the gift bag. “Go ahead and open it.”

“But I’m not completely moved in yet,” she said.

“Close enough,” he said, brushing a few strands of hair away from her eyes. “Dig into that bag. I want to see your face when you find out what it is.”

“You sure? I do have some self-control.”

“Don’t I know it,” he said. “You barely looked at me for the six months you lived in my father’s house.”

“Because your father terrified me. I should have quit and moved out. But I wasn’t sure if Bobby Doyle let people walk away.”

“He doesn’t,” Nick said. “That’s why he sent Troy Murray here to look for me. Thank God that Noah and Hiram were smart enough to keep their mouths shut.”

Nick grabbed her hand and towed her toward the table. “Open your house-warming gift, Celia. I want to see your face when you realize what it is.”

Celia swallowed. Swiped her suddenly sweaty palms down her jeans-clad thighs. “Okay.”

She reached into the bag and pulled out a large and very heavy box. When she struggled to lift it out of the bag, Nick tugged the bag away so she could set it on the table.

When she saw the box, she gasped. Swallowed the ball of tears that filled her throat. “You got me a set of Shun knives,” she whispered.

“Yeah. I hated that you were so sad about having to leave your set at my father’s house.”

She smoothed her hand over the cardboard box. “This is the Hikari set.” She looked up at him. “These are a lot nicer than the ones I left behind,” she whispered.

“You want to open them?” he asked.

She shook her head slowly. “Not tonight. I’ll open them tomorrow. I have other plans for tonight.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“I want to thank you properly for my housewarming gift,” she said, draping her arms around his neck and pressing her body against his. “And that’s going to take a long time. Plus, I have a gift for you.”

She took his hand and led him into the bedroom. Lifted his long-sleeved tee shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor. Unbuttoned his jeans and drew them down his legs and over his feet. Then she slid his boxer briefs off. “This is the only present I want to unwrap tonight,” she murmured.

“You have plans for this present?” he whispered.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, smiling as she pressed her mouth against his. “Big plans.”

She pushed him backward so he fell onto the bed. Then, holding his gaze, she stripped off her own clothes. Finally edged onto the bed and crawled toward him. Spent a long time kissing him, then moved lower. Kissed his chest. Swirled her tongue around his flat male nipples until he groaned.

Followed the happy trail of hair down his belly to his very hard cock, then wrapped her lips around him. Smiled when he groaned again and gripped her shoulders so hard he’d probably leave marks. But she didn’t care.

When she took him into her mouth, he shuddered. Speared his hands into her hair and whispered, “I want to come inside you,” he said. “Let me get a condom.”

She let him go with a tiny pop and reached up to touch his mouth. “No condom,” she said, smiling. “That’s my housewarming gift to you. I went to the women’s clinic yesterday. I’ve got us covered for birth control.”

He pushed her hair away from her face and stared at her. “You do? Just like that?”

Celia brushed her mouth over his. “Just like that. You’re not the only one who can come up with a housewarming gift, you know.”

“I think you win this round.”

“I think we both win,” she said. She slithered up his body and kissed him again. “I’ve never not used a condom,” she said.

“I haven’t, either,” Nick said.

Celia smiled at him. Pressed her mouth to his. “A new experience for both of us, then,” she murmured.

Nick surprised her by flipping her onto her back. Then he shimmied up so he was lying beside her. “I can hardly wait,” he said. “But I want to make sure you’re ready.”

“Trust me, Nick. I’m ready. I’ve been ready all evening.”

He kissed her for a long time, and finally slid inside her. She groaned into his mouth at the exquisite sensation. “Oh, my God, Nick,” she said. “You feel even better than I thought you would.”

“You, too, Celia,” he said. “You okay?”

“I’m fabulous.” She slapped his ass. “Start moving.”

Above her, Nick grinned. “I love an impatient woman.”

“As impatient as they come,” she said. She wrapped her legs around his ass and arched into him. “I’m yours, Nick,” she said, nipping his lip. “Completely. You have more of me than any other man’s ever had.”

They moved together as if they’d been lovers for years instead of a few days. Celia murmured into his neck, “I can’t believe how good you feel.”

“Same goes,” he groaned.

It didn’t take long before Celia felt the first ripples of her release. “More, Nick,” she begged. “Faster. Harder.”

“I can’t hang on,” he said. “Being bare inside you is too much.”

“Let go,” she said. “I’m right on the edge too.”

Her release roared through her, and Nick followed her over with a hoarse cry. When they finally collapsed on the bed, Nick swept her hair away from her face. “That was amazing, Celia. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

“Me, either,” she said.

Nick gathered her close and wrapped his arms around her. Celia buried her face in his neck and breathed in his scent as she tumbled into sleep.

She woke several hours later and woke Nick up, as well. He smiled above her as he slid inside her. “I’m not going to be able to focus on anything but you,” he murmured against her mouth. “You’ll be all I can think about. When I’m supposed to be working, I’ll be reliving tonight instead.”

Celia cupped his face in her palms. “You don’t have to relive this night. Every night will be like this from now on.”

“And every night will be magical,” he said. “Every time we make love will be a gift, Celia. One that I’ll never stop savoring.”

“Me, either,” she whispered as she curled into him. “Hold me while I sleep, Nick. I don’t want to wander away from you while I’m sleeping.”

“I’ve got you, Celia,” he said, wrapping his arms around you. “Always.”