Big Nick Energy (Bringing Home Trouble)

6. Nick

6

Nick

I looked across the table and still couldn’t believe she was sitting there. Staring up at me, her eyes sparkling like I had always thought they would.

The diner was busy. The quiet hum of people walking around us, eating, and talking didn’t distract me from the beautiful creature in front of me.

I showed up at her apartment an hour earlier than I had told her I would. I waited, parked next to her car for as long as I could. But my patience ran out about fifteen minutes before eight, so I got out and made my way to her apartment.

“How are your pancakes?” I asked. She shyly glanced down at the table then back at me.

“Best I’ve ever had,” she answered, and my dick reacted like it was some kind of teenager. I knew she wasn’t talking about me, but fuck me, why did I wanted her to be?

“How about your French toast?” she asked. I usually didn’t eat too much of a decadent breakfast, but I had seen how indecisive she was when she looked at the pancakes and French toast. I ordered the ones she hadn’t, so I could feed her. I cut a piece, made sure to dip it into the whip cream before getting a piece of strawberry, and lifted the fork between us.

“Taste,” I ordered gently, and I watched her eyes bounce from me down to the food. I expected her to argue.

She was a feisty thing.

I’d seen a peek of that side of her from watching her with my son. But more so this morning. My girl needed coffee and about an hour to wake up to shake off her morning grumpiness. With anyone else, it would have turned me off, but with Blanca, it was different. I felt giddy with excitement for the days I could be there, morning after morning, helping her start the new day with a smile on her face.

To my surprise, she gave me what I asked.

I watched as her pretty mouth opened wide, and I brought the fork closer to her, just enough for her to need to lean forward. My cock hated me for it. The image of her mouth open, her eyes set on mine, had me about to cum. How many times have I imagined that precise scene? Fuck, I’d jerked off to that little fantasy that very morning. If that wasn’t enough, when she wrapped her lips around the fork and pulled back, her eyes fluttered shut, ecstasy flashed across her face, and she made the cutest little sound. Something like a cross between a purr and moan.

“How is it?” I asked gruffly, not daring to blink in case I’d miss something. Her pretty eyes opened, and I noticed a fucking hell of a lot in a couple of seconds. She was flushed, her pretty cheeks rosy, her breathing off.

“Yummy,” she whispered and finished chewing.

I reached and wrapped my hand around the ice-cold glass of water the waitress had brought, but I didn’t pick it up. I just held it, begging the cool glass to temper the need inside of me. Everything she did made me ache. I had no idea how I managed, but we kept talking and eating.

And somehow, by the time we were done with breakfast and I had taken care of the check, I was deeper in love with my forbidden princess than I could have ever imagined.

“What do you think about this one?” she asked, smiling over her shoulder, the little puff atop of her beanie dancing adorably. I glanced at the tree she pointed at. As if I could ever tell her no. My eyes drifted back to her curvy form, and a smile pulled at my lips. My face should have hurt with how much I’d smiled since picking her up. She was dressed in tight jeans that made her ass look like a work of art, and a soft blue knitted sweater that molded around her curves.

“Did you notice we match?” she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced down and chuckled. We did match. I was wearing a knit sweater, a little darker shade of blue than hers, that I’d paired with dark pants.

“We do,” I mumbled before my eyes found hers. “I think it’s perfect.”

“Us matching or the tree?” she teased, and I licked my bottom lip.

“Both,” I answered honestly. An idea perked up in my head.

I liked us matching. In public or private. Especially if it meant some asshole could tell she was mine. Fucking hell, I had a feeling I would most definitely be doing some late-night online shopping in my near future.

She blinked before smiling shyly. “Cool.” She pressed her lips together, and I moved right toward her.

I loved our size difference.

She hardly reached my shoulders. I reached for her, and she came to me easily. The whole time at the Christmas tree farm had been a tease of my senses. Who the hell am I kidding? The whole morning had been nothing but serious foreplay, and by the way she was looking at me, I was positive she agreed with me.

Watching her.

Hearing her.

Smelling her scent over the fresh air and pine.

My greedy hand moved to her waist, my fingers sliding beneath her sweater, and to my surprise, my girl wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and if she was, it was cropped. Feeling her warm skin against mine made something come alive inside of me. It made me throb something fierce.

“Come home with me,” I murmured against the shell of her ear. I felt her body shudder before she leaned closer to me. Her head rose, and when our eyes connected, I knew if she didn’t move or take a step back within the next thirty seconds, I was going to kiss her.

But I didn’t have to wait that long.

My girl rose to the tips of her toes, her hand, open palmed, rested on my chest just under over my overzealous racing heart, and she tipped her head just enough for me to catch her mouth. As close as we were, and even though I had already planned to kiss her, she still took me by surprise.

My body froze for a brief second with wonder and awe. My girl. My sweet, beautiful Blanca was kissing me. She’d made the first move! That alone spurred me into action. I pulled her closer, and my free hand moved up to cup the back of her head. Kissing my princess felt unlike anything I’d imagined.

She was sweet. Her kiss tasted like maple syrup and strawberries blended up with all my hopes and dreams with a dash of vanilla. I’d spent way too long imagining the moment. Contemplating what it would be like. But no matter how much I’d daydreamed, reality was so much better. Brighter. My imagination paled against reality. I deepened the kiss, slanting my mouth and pushing through the seam of her mouth, and my sweetness let me. Fuck.

The kiss grew wetter.

Wilder.

Hotter.

Before I knew it, she’d shifted, her hand no longer on my chest but around my neck as she clung against me, like she couldn’t get close enough.

Thankfully, or unfortunately, someone coughed, and another person giggled around us before I had a chance to lift her up. They reminded me of the fact we weren’t alone. We were out in public where anyone walking past us could get a free show. The tree farm might be widespread, and because we had arrived right when it had opened, it wasn’t busy, but it wasn’t exactly private. I groaned as I pulled away. It physically hurt to end the kiss. And because I was a selfish, greedy bastard, I took one more sip of her lips before resting my forehead against hers.

“Shit,” I cursed and watched, on bated breath, as my girl opened her eyes slowly. Her lust-drunk gaze connected with mine.

“Is that a good shit or bad shit?” she murmured. My lips twitched again. Fuck, I couldn’t stop smiling around her.

“Everything with you is good, baby girl,” I mumbled, and she smiled so brightly, I felt that beauty go through me into my heart and spread through my damn soul. Mine.

“I’d like to go home with you…” She shut her mouth quickly, almost like stopping herself from saying something else. “Nick.” Whatever she had been about to call me wasn’t that. And if it was what I thought it was, I had no idea how the hell I was that fucking lucky, but I wasn’t going to question it.

“Glad to hear that, Blanca.” I nodded and pulled away before turning her back against me. With her back flush to my front, I brought up my cellphone. “Selfie time, baby,” I murmured against her soft cheek before snapping a couple of shots of us in front of all the trees and then one goofy one with the tree we had chosen.

How many times had I seen couples do shit like that and cringed each and every time? Yet there I was, initiating it. When you know, you know, a voice whispered. I exhaled slowly, then let her go and reached for the tree she had picked out before we headed to the cash registers at the front of the tree farm.

When she glanced toward the little shop that had ornaments and holiday décor, I couldn’t resist taking her inside and insisting she help me trim the tree. Together, we picked out a theme and even added a wreath for the front door. When she wasn’t looking, I picked up an Our First Christmas ornament for us.

One I planned to print and add one of the snapshots I’d insisted we take.

It was crazy. I was a man who lived and thrived off logic and facts.

This was our first date. The odds were stacked against us.

The age difference alone was a big hurdle, plus the fact she’d dated my son. But I didn’t care because at the end of the day, she was mine. I knew where this was going because it was where I wanted and needed it to go.

Blanca was mine, and fuck anyone who thought they could take her from me. I’d burn the world down before I let her go. It was just a matter of time when she came to the same conclusion.

I knew she was attracted to me. I’d had my suspicions when she was with Noah. The way she watched me and blushed, and then there was that day in the mall.

But today? It confirmed it.

After checking out and having someone help put the tree into the bed of the truck, we headed out to my place. The drive was nice and smooth. Having her sit next to me, holding her hand while I drove us home, felt good. Felt right. Felt like my future that would last forever.

I unloaded the tree, and she helped bring in the two bags of tree trimmings and the wreath. I put the tree next to the big window in the living room where she suggested, and before we started to wrap it in lights, I made us hot chocolate. Trimming the tree together was great, and by the time we were done, lunch was delivered.

I’d DoorDashed a variety of Thai dishes from my local favorite spot. We ate a late lunch in the theatre room while we watched The Family Stone . I’d never watched the movie, but I couldn’t understand why this was a holiday movie other than the fact it took place during Christmas.

The family was a mess. The little sister was a pain in the ass and kinda mean to the girlfriend of one of the brothers. There was something happening with the matriarch that no one was talking about. But by the way Blanca stared at the screen with an emotion-filled gaze, you would think she was watching A Wonderful Life for the first time.

I didn’t quite get it. Yet, with her sweet body pressed against mine, I didn’t care what we watched. I loved the way she shook with her soft quiet laughter when the stoner brother said something crazy. Her head turned, and our eyes connected.

“What do you think so far?” she asked quietly, even though it was just the two of us. My hand over her shoulder played with the ends of her hair.

“There is something sad about it,” I noted, not trying to shit all over what seemed like one of her favorites.

“Hmm, interesting,” she mumbled. I turned to the screen and then back at her.

“Honestly, I don’t know how this is a holiday movie.”

“You gotta keep watching. You’ll see. I promise. It’s the best!”

“Is the mom sick?” I asked, trying to see if my suspicions were right.

“You want me to tell you even if it gives something away?” Her head popped up with her eyes shining bright at me. I nodded because I couldn’t get two words together. Looking at her was like trying to look at the sun straight on. Magnificent and so beautiful it hurt. But it hurt more to look away.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Breast cancer.” I lost sight of her. She turned and started to tuck herself into the crook of my side, burrowing in deeper, like she couldn’t get close enough. And I wasn’t complaining. Then she surprised me as she kept talking.

“But even in sadness or uncertainty, there is beauty. I promise.” Her observation felt deep and soulful.

A hell of a lot more mature than other people her age.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s dumb, but I just… I love this movie.” I glanced down, and she wasn’t looking at the screen anymore. She was looking up at me, her dark eyes slightly glassy. This movie meant something to her.

“It’s not dumb.” I swallowed. “It is a sad movie, though,” I mumbled then winked. She playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head. I lost sight of her beautiful brown eyes when she turned to watch Sarah Jessica Parker’s character start to talk.

“It’s not sad. It’s real,” she whispered before taking a deep breath. “Life and death, it’s so… uncertain and final at the same time.” Her head rested against my shoulder. I held her close.

I didn’t like how mature she sounded in that moment. She was still young. Shouldn’t she be filled with hopes and dreams and outlandish goals? Isn’t that how you were supposed to look at the world when you were nineteen, almost twenty?

“You know what I like most about this movie? I mean, it’s sad and melancholic but…”

“What, baby girl?” I kissed the top of her head before taking a deep breath of her shampoo. It smelled soft and feminine with a hint of coconut.

“It reminds you that, sure, life and death happen, but it’s all the stuff in between that counts. The good and bad. The crap you think is so crazy important when at the end of the day, it honestly doesn’t matter. It’s the moment that matters. Being in the present before you look back and realize it passed you by. Does that make sense?” Her eyes were wide and bright.

I couldn’t help myself.

I lifted her from her seat and pulled her onto my lap. “What was important to you? When you were little? Let’s say at Christmas time.”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged shyly. But not so shyly that she didn’t touch me. No, my girl was obviously comfortable straddling me. Her hands rested on my shoulders. The only thing that would have made it better would have been less layers between us. Thankfully, I’d taken the sweater off when we got home and I started to move the Christmas tree around, but she was still all covered up.

“Come on,” I tried to coax. “What did you used to ask Santa for?”

“Honestly?” I nodded and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

“Always,” I rasped. I never wanted anything between us.

“I used to want my mom to meet someone.” She squished her nose adorably. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, there was always some kind of toy I wanted as a kid, so don’t think I was so selfless, but… I wanted…” Her voice drifted to nothing, and her gaze dropped to my shoulder. “My dad died when I was almost two. My sister, Griselda, had just been born, and my brother was about six, I think? Maybe five. Anyhow, umm…” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t remember him. I don’t think any of us really do,” she shared quietly. “I think in a way, as crappy as that is, it’s better that way. We didn’t know what it was like to have a dad, so we didn’t know the loss, but?—“

“What, baby?” I tipped her head up, needing her eyes on me.

“But you see other people, other families with two parents at home, and then you realize how much your mom struggled. I don’t know… I always thought if she had someone to help her out, a partner, life would be easier for her.”

“Did she date?” I asked.

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t think it was that she didn’t want to. I just think she was too busy. Always working and probably worried about bringing someone into our home. Then, when my brother started to play football and Gris did dance…she genuinely didn’t have time.”

“What did you do? Growing up?”

“I hung out and bugged my brother and sister.” She grinned. “I didn’t join anything.”

“Why?” I watched her eyes drop down, and the hesitation in them. “Honestly, babe.”

“Honestly? Because I didn’t want to add more to her plate. I saw how hard she worked. Always scrimping and saving for cleats and ballet shoes…” She made that squishy face again, and I stroked her jaw.

“Anyhow.” She rolled her eyes. It was obvious she was done with this conversation. “Sitting like this can’t be comfortable for you,” she mumbled, then I felt her try to get off my lap.

Not that I let her. My hands tightened their hold on her hips. Those pretty, brown eyes of hers widened.

“Nick,” she whispered, and I brushed my nose against hers.

“I think you can feel just how comfortable I am. I like you sitting here. I’m pretty sure I got the best seat in the house,” I murmured. My lips hovered over hers. Blanca’s sweet little body ground against me, and with her thighs over mine, it left her lined up perfectly against the bulge currently trying to get out of my cargos.

“I don’t know… This feels like a pretty good seat, too,” she rasped while her fingers dove into my hair, gently stroking the ends.

“What happened to him?”

“Him?” she asked, leaning closer. I knew it wasn’t the right time or place. My dick was yelling at me to shut the fuck up and not ruin the moment.

“Your dad,” I answered as I stared into the eyes I’d be looking at for the rest of my life. Sex would happen eventually. We had a lifetime for that.

“My dad?” she repeated. I couldn’t help myself. I cupped her face, stroking her temples with the pads of my fingers, wondering in awe how the hell she was that soft. “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she vaguely answered.

“How?”

“You really want to talk about this right now?” She shifted, reminding me of just how perfectly aligned we were.

“I want to know you. Everything about you.”

“Hmm.” Her eyes warmed up. “I always asked Santa for someone for my mom,” she repeated and inhaled deeply. “That’s how I figured out Santa wasn’t real,” she shared, not answering about her dad but still giving me a little insight about herself.

I hated that for her.

I wanted her to have someone she could tell all her hopes and dreams to and who would be by her side to help her make them come true.

“What if I told you Santa was real?” I challenged, and she playfully rolled her eyes.

“Santa’s not?—“

“Be a good girl for me, Blanca, and don’t finish that sentence.”

“Why’s that?”

“Don’t you know Santa is always watching?” I winked. “You don’t want to end up on the naughty list, do you?” My voice dropped, and I loved the look she gave me before I watched her break out into laughter.

I loved the way she did that with me. How we could be serious one moment and laugh the next. Every second, minute, and hour I spent with her only confirmed what I hadn’t let myself feel this last year and a half.

“I like you here,” I shared quietly, needing her to understand how much I meant it. I more than liked her being with me, but there was no way I could scare her off.

“I like being here with you,” she whispered back. Her body leaned closer. In this position, we were at eye level. “So… did you ask me out so you could have free help getting your place Christmas ready?” she teased, pointing behind her. I chuckled.

“No. But I’m glad you were up for this,” I answered wholeheartedly. I didn’t think I could walk into the living room without thinking about the day we had shared or how we had worked together to get it decorated.

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.” I grinned, running my fingers through her pretty, dark hair. “This is our first Christmas after all, baby girl.”

“Our first Christmas, huh?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and I nodded. I wanted it all. Her naughty, her nice, and everything in between.

“First of many,” I vowed.

“That sounds kind of… serious for a first date,” she observed, and I nodded.

“Hmm… Is that too much for you?”

“No,” she answered with a confidence that surprised me. Then something flashed in her eyes. Something I couldn’t fully read

“What is it?” Blanca opened and shut her mouth. “What were you going to say, baby?” I pushed because it felt important. Detrimental.

“What are we doing here? I mean… look, I’m not asking for a ring or––“

“Would you want one?” I’d never been married. Not even close. Even with Noah’s mom when we tried to make it work, I knew she wouldn’t be wearing my ring. But the thought of Blanca wearing my ring was something so damn real in my head I wanted to stop at nothing to make it happen.

“What?! Are you crazy?” she squeaked, and when I repeated the question, her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her skull. “No. Yes. I mean …” She shook head.

“Baby, let me be very clear here. I get it. Guys your age and dating them makes absolutely no sense.” Her lips twitched. “Talking stages, situationships, and being locked in? Do I have that right?”

“Kind of.”

“I’m not about that. Before you, before we met, I played the field. I won’t tell you I was some kind of boy scout when I wasn’t––”

“Nick––“

“But in my time, that shit was called hookups and friends with benefits.” That made her giggle. “Now, this is where I’m going to be dead honest with you and hopefully not freak you out.”

“Okay.” I could feel her body tense on top of mine.

“I like you. I’m not into playing games and shit. Life’s too fucking short for that.”

“I agree,” she steadily answered, and it felt like my damn heart was about to jump out of my throat.

“I like you. I like you a lot.”

“Ditto,” she whispered. There was a shit ton of extra shit I wanted to say, but I lost my train of thought when her hand came up and stroked my jaw. It was so soft I worried about the fact I hadn’t shaved.

“I like you scruffy like this,” she murmured sweetly, and the groan that sounded from me couldn’t be stopped.

Much like the kiss that came right after. Our mouths connected, and the world around us disappeared as we got lost in the moment.

And fuck me, it was perfection.