We went back to bed, and I told her about Jade.
“We weren’t in a relationship or anything. She was Mac’s sister and sometimes, when she was off her face, I’d wake up and she’d be in my bed, wanting to have sex. The next moment, she was gone, and I wouldn’t hear from her for months.”
I took a breath. I made it sound like there were no feelings involved, but there had been. Jade had been the first woman in my life, the first person I’d slept with. She’d used me, and that hurt.
“When she told me she was pregnant, I convinced her to keep the baby. She told me she would try to stay off the drugs, but she didn’t. I had no way of knowing if Zoë would be okay.”
“But she was.”
I nodded. “She was perfect.”
“Where is Jade now?”
“I don’t know. Mac says she is in the UK. Part of some art scene there.”
“You talk about her?”
“No, he mentioned her once, I didn’t ask. He hasn’t said anything again.”
“And it’s going okay with him?”
“I think so. He’s… all over the place sometimes. His energy can be quite manic. But when he focuses, he is all there. He’s managed to sort out a few of the biggest glitches and they’re working on the rest now.”
“So, it’s all good?” Nikki asked, nestling up to me.
“It’s all good,” I kissed her.
“Does that mean we can go down for dinner?”
“We’ve just had caviar!” I protested.
“I’m working up a real appetite here,” she grinned and leaned down to take me in her mouth as my world exploded into waves of pleasure.
Chapter 17
Nikki
The trip to Alaska was not exactly what I’d had in mind.
The picture I had in my mind was all pine forest and snowy peaks, huge expanses of wilderness and loads of clean mountain air with maybe a nice Mountie with wide shoulders and a sparkle in his eye. But that had been back when I spoke with Kevin about the trip. Before the weekend at the hotel, when Will blew me away with his generosity.
By the time we were ready to leave, I was no longer sure I wanted to go.
Things with Will were going so well. We were closer than ever, and I was no longer sure than I wanted to breathe any pure Alaskan air. The filthy New York fumes were good enough for me.
It didn’t help that the night before I left, Zoë tearfully begged me not to go.
“I’m worried,” she said. “Alaska is so far, what if something happens to you?”
“Nothing is going to happen to me, sweetie,” I tried to reassure her.
“They have bears, right?”
“I think so, but not where I’m going. We’re going fishing, remember?”
“You’ll be on a boat??” her voice was panicky.
“No, Kevin will be, I’ll stay at the cabin.”