His cock jumped against her thigh like it understood what she meant. But Nik just nodded. “At the cabin.”
Her eyelids drooped, but there was one more thing she needed to know. “Why did you ask me about this next one in advance? I already agreed to three dates.”
He slid down a little to rest the back of his head against the lip of the tub. “I didn’t want you to feel like I was tricking you into something you might not be comfortable with. I wanted to give you the opportunity to say yes or no.”
The man’s sweetness knew no bounds. What the hell was she supposed to say to that?
In a quiet voice, she said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, milochka.”
Another cute nickname. She wondered what it meant.
He swallowed hard, like he was unsure of himself. “So…you’ll go with me?”
How could she say no?
“I will.”
Chapter Six
December 22nd
The ride up to Big Bear was the most fun Jess had ever had being stuck in traffic. Nik sang her songs from the tours he’d done, and while he claimed he’d never be good enough for a leading role, she thought he sounded amazing. She wished she could see him perform on stage. He was so talented, it probably wouldn’t be long before he had his next job lined up.
The thought made her sad, so she shoved it aside. Today was all about having fun, not thinking about his eventual departure.
Every so often, she’d look over at him driving, at ease behind the wheel of his brother’s expensive SUV, and just admired his face.
It was a good face. He had good eyes, eyes that showered her with his undivided attention when she spoke—well, except for while he was driving, but he still darted looks at her and sent quick little grins her way.
He had a good mouth, too. Averygood mouth. She ran her tongue over her lower lip, recalling his kisses. Maybe tonight she’d find out what else that mouth could do.
And then there were his hands, currently gripping the steering wheel as he navigated the freeway that would take them to Big Bear. Okay, so his hands weren’t part of his face, but they were good hands—nay,exceptionallygood hands. Her eyelids fluttered with remembered pleasure. Everything about their hot tub makeout session had been so perfect she almost wished someone had filmed it so she could relive it over and over and…
If he stayed, she wouldn’t need a video of him to rub one out to. She’d have the real thing whenever she wanted it. If he stayed.
I’ll stay, if you want me to.
Tonight was their last date. And then she’d have to decide if he’d pulled off a Christmas miracle after all and convinced her, a die-hard Scrooge, that dreams did come true, Christmas magic was real, and there were good men in this world who could be trusted to stick around.
When the next song ended, she gathered her courage and asked a question that had been on her mind since he’d popped into her life. “When was your last serious relationship?”
He used the steering wheel controls to lower the music volume, keeping his eyes on the road. “I had girlfriends when I lived in New York, but since then I haven’t stayed in one place long enough for anything lasting, you know?”
The next question lodged in her throat, but she spoke it out loud anyway. “But you want that with me. Something ‘lasting.’” Not a question, then. A clarification.
He cut his gaze to her and nodded once.
She let out a long breath as more questions bubbled up inside her.Why the sudden shift?she wanted to ask.Why didn’t you want it before? What’s different now?And most importantly,Why me?But those she held back. No matter what he said, there was still a good chance she wouldn’t believe him.
“What about you?” he asked.
“You really want to know?”
“No.” The corner of his mouth quirked. “But I figure you brought it up because you want to talk about it.”
Shit, did she? Maybe he was right, because before she knew it, the words were coming out.
