“Look,” I say, my eyes holding his, “I can’t say I’m not attracted to you. I know you can feel it. And even having just spent this small amount of time with you, there’s so much about you I like. But she’s my friend, and I won’t hurt my friend.”
“How about this. . .” Pausing, he moves in closer, standing over me as he slips his fingers into the hair at the base of my neck. “How about for now, just while we’re here, we see where this goes. It’s just us, no one else, no one to make you question yourself. How about while we’re here, you take a chance on me.”
It sounds good in theory. No one here knows us. Why not just let myself go, live in the moment, and not in fear of what could happen.
“And then what? What about when we go back?”
“I’m not asking you to marry me, Misty. Let’s just see what happens. No promises, no anger, no resistance. We’re both adults, we don’t owe anyone anything. We owe ourselves the chance to try.”
In my heart, I believe him. I believe he’s right.
And I want this. Giving myself permission to be attracted to him. Allowing myself to not resist, to enjoy. It relaxes my soul.
Because resisting Nick Torro will never be a war I’ll win.
6
Nick
I can’t stop staring at her.
She’s standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, splashing her face with water. In a little tank-top and cotton shorts, the edges of her ass hang out the bottom as she leans over the sink.
The door is cracked, and I’m certain she did that on purpose. She wants me to watch. Misty isn’t the type of girl who accidentally forgets to close the door. Keeping her face over the sink, she lets the water drop off.
She isn’t wearing a bra, nipples hard as they jiggle when she starts to wipe her face with the towel. My dick jerks, and my mouth waters, ready to suck her tits and taste her pussy again.
Misty steps out of the bathroom, her hair in a messy bun, and she stops short. Smirking, her eyes meet mine. “What? Do I have toothpaste on my face?” Wiping her lips, she looks at the back of her hand.
“No, there’s nothing on your face. You’re just. . .” I lean back in the chair and run my thumb across my bottom lip. “You’re beautiful.”
She smiles shyly and looks down at the floor. “Stop.”
“I’m serious, you might not see it, but I do.”
Her eyes float up to mine, knees dipping in slightly as if the orgasm I gave her earlier just fluttered across her pussy like an aftershock.
Standing from the chair, I walk across the small space, reaching her in two steps. My toes touch hers, her feet bare, mine still in my shoes. Her eyes follow my every move.
They watch my hand as I lift it to her cheek and run my knuckles across her warm skin. I lick my lips, and her eyes capture my mouth, my tongue, and she bites the inside of her cheek.
Closing the gap between us, I lower my face, bringing my mouth to her cheek. But I don’t kiss her, I let the heat off my lips sear her skin. She inhales a quick gasp, her shoulders dropping back as her body falls against the wall.
She looks so small, like I could blow her over with one breath. I don’t want her to look powerless, because she’s not. She doesn’t realize that she’s the one in charge.
Her head falls to her shoulder, eyes darting between mine and the ground. Gripping her chin, I gently bring her face back up. I want her to know how beautiful she is. I want her to see herself as I see her.
“Can you feel what I see?” I ask her as I run the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip. “The softness of your lips.”
My thumb sweeps across her top lip, and her head falls into my palm. Digging my fingers into the base of her head, I brush a few loose strands of hair out of her face. “The bright blue of your eyes.”
I want to kiss her so fucking badly, but I’m not going to. Not yet.
“Your perfect ass,” I say, gliding my hand down her back and squeezing her ass.
Misty moans, tipping her chin higher. She wants me to kiss her, her lips are right there, welcoming me in. She licks them, biting down on the tip of her tongue as her lids lower.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her in to my chest. My cock is rock hard, and my heart is hammering inside my chest. Her nipples rake over my chest, making my dick jerk.
“Nick—” she says, but I don’t let her finish her thought.