“What happened?” he asked.
“Some customer wasn’t satisfied with my service because we were really busy. He got served just as quickly as everyone else, as quickly as possible, but he chewed me out and then complained about me to Pete. Pete understood and took my side, but still, it was awful. And I was on my feet all night. I didn’t get a single break.”
“You work too hard. You should quit one of your jobs,” Nick told her for the millionth time.
“Drop it, Nick. There’s nothing I can do about it,” she snapped. Then she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to take it out on you. I’m just in a really bad mood.”
He stretched out on the couch, keeping one leg on the floor. “Come here. I’ll give you a massage.”
She slid over by him and sighed. “How was Caitlin?”
“Great, as usual. She’s asleep now.”
“Okay, good.” She started to relax as his hands squeezed her shoulders and applied pressure to her back. “That feels great. You give the best massages. You always know just how much pressure to use and just where to use it.”
He lifted her curly brown hair, placed it over one shoulder, and rubbed her neck for her. “I know. You’re all knotted up, sweetie. You really must have had a hard day.”
Keeping silent, she closed her eyes and concentrated on how good his hands were. She was almost to the point of falling asleep when she felt him place a tender, cautious kiss on her neck, then another, then another. “Nick…” she started. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Do you want me to stop, Aims? If you want me to stop, just let me know, and I will. I’m not gonna do anything you’re not ready for.” He kissed her neck again.
“I…I…want you to…no…I don’t…don’t stop…” she pleaded, leaning back. His hands slid down her arms and his mouth continued sucking on her neck, sending shivers down her spine. He lifted her shirt slowly, then pulled it over her head and ran his mouth down her back, leaving a trail of soft kisses. “Mmm…keep going,” she whispered. She turned around and pulled his face to hers for a passionate kiss.
His hands cautiously made their way down to the button on her jeans and started to undo it, but a loud wail interrupted them. “Shit, Caitlin’s awake,” Nick stated.
She quickly pulled her shirt back on and ran upstairs to see what was going on. “Caitlin, are you all right, sweetheart?” She picked up her daughter and gently rocked her back and forth, calming her down. Eventually, Caitlin’s cries quieted, and she fell back asleep. “It was just a nightmare,” Aimee mumbled, tucking her back in.
A nightmare with perfect timing. Had she been about to sleep with Nick? If things had been awkward that morning, they would be even worse if she slept with him. Still, she couldn’t help but feel her heart race every time she thought about Nick’s lips, his hands, the way he seemed to care so much about whether she was okay with what he was doing… She wanted him bad, and she was sure he’d figured that out by the way she trembled under his touch. This whole situation was too confusing. Giving up on trying to figure anything out that night, she finally went back downstairs, making a point to avoid eye contact with him. “I’m going to sleep.”
Before the shocked Nick had a chance to reply, she was already out of the room and getting ready for bed.