Chapter Fifteen


Gianna awoke to a tickle on her neck followed by the softest lips she had ever felt. She squirmed against the wonderful feeling and was met by a soft chuckle. Her eyes fluttered open and her gaze met Nick’s.

“Morning, Beautiful.” he whispered bending to kiss her neck again.

“Nick...” she tangled her fingers in his hair as his lips moved over her skin. “How did we get up here?” she asked him suddenly, realizing she was looking up at Nick’s ceiling rather than the ceiling of the livingroom, where she was sure she’d fallen asleep.

“I carried you up here after you fell asleep.” he said raising himself above her. “It was about....four.” he said.

“Oh...um..thanks?” she said awkwardly, quickly making sure she was fully clothed. Realizing what she had done she rolled her eyed. This was Nick....her Nick...or, at least she thought he was hers. Maybe he wasn’t...

“You alright?” Nick asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She turned her attention to him smiling at his confused expression.

“Fine, just thinking...”

“What about?” Nick asked propping his head up on his elbow as he situated his body next to hers.

“It was nothing.” Gianna replied, not wanting to bring up the topic of ‘what are we’ again. Not that she wasn’t curious. The two were met with silence.

“I like waking up with you.” Nick whispered. Gianna’s gaze fluttered to Nick’s recognizing the same depth to his eyes that she had earlier. She instantly felt overcome with warmth, love, and comfort. As silly as it sounded, she felt like she was home, in a place she wanted to be, with a person she wanted to be with.

“I like waking up with you too, Nick.” she whispered back, smiling shyly at him. He cocked his head and smiled.

“What I said last night...I really meant it...” he hesitated, before sighing. Gianna lowered her gaze, noticing that Nick was shirtless for the first time. She smiled inwardly before tentatively reaching out to rest her hand softly on his upper arm.

“I know you did, Nick. Thank you.” she said gratefully. She was extremely touched by the words Nick had spoken to her the previous night. It was everything she had wanted, needed to hear from him to truly believe he was ready. The lone fact that he realized how hurt she was by his actions was proof enough that he was the man she wanted.

“Thank you? Gianna, I hurt you....you have no reason to thank me in any way. I feel so awful for everything I put you through, I’m sorry doesn’t even seem adequate.”

“Nickolas..” she said, cutting him off.

“Nickolas?” he asked smiling.

“That’s your name isn’t it?” Gianna asked raising an eyebrow.

“My mother is the only person who calls me Nickolas, and she only does it when she’s pissed off.”

“Oh...sorry.” she responded. She pulled her hand away from him feeling slightly embarrassed.

“No, no, don’t be. Call me Nickolas all you like. It never sounded quite that sensual coming from my mother’s mouth.” he said smiling.

“Sensual, huh?” she asked playfully.

“Sensual.” he repeated, rolling closer to her until she was pinned underneath his strong body.

“How sensual does it sound when I say it?” she continued, gazing directly into his eyes.

“Wouldn’t you like to know...” Nick said laughing.

“I would...” she said looping her arms around Nick’s neck. “Show me?” she played.

“You bet.” he whispered lowering his mouth aggressively to hers. She closed her eyes, letting the euphoric feelings wash over her. His body fell heavily on top of her, but she welcomed it, lowering her hands to his strong back, grazing the hot skin that rested below her fingertips. The kiss gradually slowed before Nick pulled away. “How was that?” he asked playfully.

“I’ve been waiting weeks for you to do that.” Gianna whispered removing one hand from Nick’s back, bringing it to his face. She brushed his cheek with her fingers, smiling when Nick’s face crinkled into a smile. Again the curiosity grew within her...the way he was acting--holding her, kissing her, the words he chose to use--everything led her to believe things were finally going her way. But, every time this happened, a turn for the worse was right around the corner, poised, awaiting a perfect moment in life...to go in for the kill.

“I can read your mind.” Nick whispered. Gianna shook her head to mentally clear the awful thoughts from her mind. “Gianna, I know what you’re thinking.” he said touching her face lightly with his index finger. The touch trailed under her chin, brining her gaze to his.

“What am I thinking?” Gianna challenged.

“Why.” A single word. But the complete truth. He raised an eyebrow in question. Gianna could only nod her head in agreement. “Why..” Nick shrugged his shoulders and smiled again. “Why not?”

“Nick...there has to be more to it than that.” Gianna reasoned. The way Nick’s eyes grew darker told her she was right in her assumption.

“Well, yeah..of course there is.” there was a long pause, finally he spoke again. “I am so sick of walking through my life like its not my own.” he sighed and rolled off of Gianna and onto his back.

“Can you explain that?” she asked, again being met by silence.

“My whole life...since I was a child...I’ve lived my life for everyone else. My mother and my father in the beginning. We weren’t wealthy..not necessarily poor, but still, money was an issue in our house. We moved around a lot...doing all sorts of things for money. We managed a nightclub in New York, and a care place in Florida. All the while I loved singing. My mom wanted me to be happy so she took me everywhere, spent money we couldn’t afford to spend, on me because she thought it made me happy. It did, but when I was on my feet as a performer, I felt I needed to give back. I worked hard for her, made money so she would be proud of me...”

“But it was what you wanted to do, right?” Gianna asked, shifting to her side so she could look at Nick. This beautiful man lie next to her, his half naked form covered by a sheet, but his facial expression was that of sadness. She fought the urge to touch him, and allowed him to continue.

“I love performing, don’t get me wrong. The stage is like a second home to me, I can be myself..the REAL me up there. Forget about the outside world, and concentrate on the thousands of people there for us. But still..when you think of that..I perform for the fans. Sure I perform because I love it...but the reason I do it every night, travel all over the world...its because there are millions of people out there who what to see it. I do it for them!” Gianna remained silent, expecting more. “Aaron.”

“Your brother, right?” Nick nodded, opening his mouth to speak, but immediately closed it. “What about him, Nick?” Gianna asked, surrendering to her desires as she reached a hand out to rest it on his smooth arm.

“I do it for him. I work my ass off so he’ll have a strong person to look up to. I keep a good image, my choreography solid, my parts nailed because he wants to do the same. I know he looks up to me...and I want him to be proud. I don’t want him to see me being lazy, goofing off when I should be working...I don’t want to see him do the same because of me.” Nick covered his face momentarily with his hands, collecting himself. He turned to look at Gianna and sighed again. “Then Angela. I played a game with her. She told me what she wanted and that was what she got. She wanted a boyfriend, she got me. She wanted sex, I gave it. She wanted money, toys, jewelry, I gave it to her...I would have given her the world if I could have..I gave her everything I could because that’s what I thought I should do. She basically used me...told me she cared and got what she wanted. The entire time I was infatuated with her..she didn’t give a rats ass about me! God I feel so stupid!”

“Nick.” Gianna cut in, but Nick held up a hand. She stopped.

“I did the right thing, breaking up with her. But that didn’t change anything. She’s still with me. It’s like she haunts me. I don’t belong to her anymore, but she still has power over me. I’m not doing what I want to do because I feel guilty..when I shouldn’t! I’m tired. I don’t want to be someone everyone can go to when they want something...money, advice...sex. I want to do what I want, now.” he finished and pushed his head back into the pillow, closing his eyes.

“What do you want?” Gianna’s small voice asked. He smiled to himself and sat up.

“I want you.”

“Me?” Gianna asked smiling. She blushed slightly as Nick’s eyes traveled over her body before returning to her eyes.

“You..all of you. Now.” he said moving closer to her. She looked up at him as he moved over her.

“Now.” she nodded. He smiled lowering his mouth to hers, sealing their deal with a kiss. She linked her arms around his neck, pulling his body to hers, needing to feel his weight on her. He allowed her to hold him as he moved his kisses to her neck, sucking lightly on the skin at the base of her neck. Her hands were planted firmly on his back but soon began journeying over the muscled skin, downward to the waistband of his boxers. He let out a groan, lifting himself off of her. He straddle her hips and gazed down at her. She was flushed, her light hair splayed out on his pillow, her eyes glazed over. She looked possessed...by passion and lust. He had to touch her, cement the feeling of her soft skin beneath his fingertips. He tentatively reached his hands out, grazing the first button of her shirt. Her eyes widened as the plastic disk was slipped through the button-hole, and Nick’s touch traveled to the second button. He silently asked permission to continue, and smiled when her head nodded slowly.

“I love you.” he whispered lowering his mouth to the burning skin of her upper chest, his fingers still fumbling with the shirt, shielding her from his view.

“I love you too, Nick.” Gianna whispered arching her back as Nick’s lips fell into the valley between her breasts. She tangled her fingers in his short blond spikes, gently guiding his head, his mouth.

“This is it, I promise. That was the last time...I swear. Its you and me, now.” Nick mumbled between kisses and licks.

“I believe you, Nick.” she whispered closing her eyes, allowing Nick to have his way with her. Finally he was hers.


Chapter Sixteen
Table of Contents
Chapter Fourteen