“Where’s your bedroom, Maisie?” The words tumbled out gruff and urgent as he pushed off the couch, wrapped her legs around his waist.
She kept kissing his neck and he’d made it two steps into the hallway before she said, “Who cares?”
Pressing her against the wall, he lifted his head, his gaze burning down into hers as he smiled at her. Taking her arms from around his neck, holding her in place with his hips, he gripped her wrists in one hand, held them above her head as he took a turn driving her crazy with his mouth against her neck, along her collarbone, that spot just under her ear that made her shudder against his body.
His hips flexed against hers and he swallowed her groan. Doing his best to rein himself in, he lifted his head. “You should. I need room to do this properly.”
Maisie laughed, tugged at his hold. “As the lucky woman who has been with youina bed, on the floor, in the shower,andagainst a wall, I can confidently say that’s not true. Your surroundings do not seem to matter.”
Laughing as he slid his hands down to her butt to hold her tight, he moved away from the wall while memories of their first night flashed through his brain. He pushed open the door next to them. There were only two doors and the other was open, revealing a small bathroom.
Carrying her into her room, they fell into the bed together. There was a chance this was a mistake, that he would hurt both of them because he didn’t actually know what he was doing when it came to relationships, but the pull of her was too much to walk away from.
And with Maisie wrapped around him, whispering his name, he just hoped it was worth the risk for both of them.
Chapter Twenty-One
MAISIE HAD NO CONCEPTof time but she knew it wasn’t early. She’d felt Nick get out of the bed a while ago but the scent of him on her sheets, the warmth cocooning her, and the contentment of knowing he’d be there when she awoke lulled her back into a deep slumber.
She didn’t wake again until the bed dipped and gravity, along with Nick’s hands, had her sliding against him, her back to his front, one arm going under her head to cushion it, the other going around her waist, his hand covering hers before linking their fingers.
Her body felt boneless but her mind and heart raced. It wasn’t a dream. He was here. They hadn’t spent a ton of time talking the night before and she knew they needed to, but feeling him surround her, his lips nuzzling her neck, it didn’t feel real. He wanted to spend the week with her; they had time to talk.And time to fall harder.
When she had left Christmas afternoon, getting out of there had been her primary concern. The entire drive home, a montage of theweek ran through her head, from her mother’s words and her feelings of inadequacy to her time with Nick and the realization that she wanted so much more. Not in the way her mom envisioned, but with Nick.
She’d allowed herself the slim hope that he’d do just as he had and show up. If he hadn’t, it would have hurt like hell, but it would have given her the clean break and answer she needed.
Now, she still didn’t know the end game, but he was here and her heart was full to bursting. Overflowing.
He shifted, snuggled up next to her like he didn’t want to let her go. And she wanted the promise of them so much it felt like she was holding her breath. Maisie had never been a pessimist. It went against her nature. Even as a kid, she saw beauty in the plain, potential in the broken, and magic in the mundane. She pushed down her parents’ varying disappointments and lost herself in the things that brought her joy. Nick brought her a kind of joy she’d never imagined.
“I can feel you overthinking. Maybe I didn’t wear you out as well as I should have last night,” he whispered against her ear, tracing his lips along the outer shell, his whiskers rasping and tickling.
She squeezed his hand. “I have absolutely zero complaints. I’m not much of a hostess. Sorry I fell back asleep.”
His arm tightened. “Don’t be. I’m glad you got some rest. I went for a light run, found a bakery, brought back some coffee, did some yoga, took a shower.”
She turned and faced him, resettling herself on her side. “You do yoga?”
Something they had in common. She liked that.
“Stretching is important.”
Maisie released his hand, turned so she was on her other side facing him and snuggled up again, this time putting her hands on his bare chest. Nick slid one heavy thigh between hers and Maisie enjoyed the weight and feel of it.
“You’ve done enough for a full day. Is this you going back to bed now?”
He laughed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s more important than ever that I stay in shape right now.”
Maisie watched her fingers move along his skin, making figure eights as a little thrill raced through her. “Again, zero complaints.”
Nick leaned in, brushed his lips to hers, and before she could worry about morning breath, he was sliding his hand into her hair, leaning into her until she lay flat on her back, her arms going around him.
He lifted his head slowly and Maisie’s gaze blinked back into focus. She stared up at him, one hand curled around the side of his neck, the other wrapped around his shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered.
He kissed her forehead, trailed his lips along her hairline to her ear.
“When Ellie told me you’d left, I didn’t know what to do. The need to see you made me feel like I couldn’t breathe.”
