definitely spent from all the travels, so the only thing on the agenda is snuggling, and eating pizza and candy. And watching movies. In comfortable clothes. I'm only wearing panties and one of Nicholas's Henleys, and he's in a pair of gray sweats—the kind he usually runs in every morning—and a black T-shirt.
"God, it's good to be home." Nicholas groans in contentment and takes the first swig of his beer. "I wouldn’t mind planning our next vacation already, but there's just something about coming home, isn't there?"
"Oh, definitely." I adore that I can agree now. In the past, I was always itching to get away, but that was before I really felt at home somewhere. "What do you wanna watch?"
"You pick something."
So, I settle on some random movie, and we eat our pizza in easy silence before we're stuffed and relaxed in each other's arms under a blanket. By now, the first movie is over, and Nicholas finds another while I get more drinks and a bowl of candy. Though, we don't really watch the movie. Instead we're talking quietly about the past week, and also a little about next year.
"I have some free time coming up in March," he murmurs. He's all sprawled out over the couch, and I lift my head from his chest to peer up at him. "Where would you like to go next?"
I purse my lips, pondering. Meanwhile, Nicholas looks as if he's trying to memorize every detail about my face. "What?" I get self-conscious. Do I have oregano stuck between my teeth or something?
"Nothing. I'm just looking at you." He smiles faintly and brushes his knuckles over my cheek. "You're so beautiful."
"Oh." I get a bit squirmy under his gaze, because it's so intense. Almost overwhelming. "Um. Where do you want to go?" If I don’t keep the conversation running, I'll just attack. And I'm really tired and full. "Stop looking at me like that, Nicholas." I feel my cheeks heating up.
He grins and flips us over, pinning me to the couch. "Never." With a low hum, he slides his nose along my jaw. "Remind me, please. Is there really any flaw in you?"
A breathy laugh escapes me and I poke his side. "There're tons." I start ticking them off on my fingers. "I can be messy, I can't do laundry, some say I meddle too much—"
"Not too much." He shakes his head and palms my cheek. "Never too much. I love that about you—that you want to see everyone happy." I shrug modestly and burrow closer as he settles next to me. "I'm lucky." After pulling the blanket over us again, as it had slid down before, he gathers my hand over his heart and closes his eyes. "But you're right." A teasing smile appears, but his eyes remain closed. "You can be awfully messy."
I don’t take the bait. "I'm the lucky one," I whisper, sure of it. My gaze flits over his face: the five-o'clock shadow, the laugh lines, the sharp structure of his nose and jaw, the fullness of his firm, yet soft lips, the silver at his temples, his ruffled, light brown hair, his sun-kissed skin… He looks incredibly tired, but just as relaxed and content. Happy and at home.
Maybe we're both lucky.
Chapter 5
It's fairly early, so people have just started to trickle in for a night at Switch, and the Goth metal isn't very loud yet.
I sit obediently on the barstool next to Daddy, but my eyes are all over the place, waiting for Mark to arrive.
He is such a greedy Master, because when the club was closed over the holidays, he kept Evangeline and Brayden all to himself. I get it, I get it—he didn’t see them over Christmas because they were with Evangeline's family, so he wanted to spend New Year's with them. But he's got three whole weeks with them at his beach house in La Jolla starting in only a few days, and I wanna see my friends.
I'm glad they're coming tonight, though. It's January second, and—nose scrunch—it's S/M Night, but beggers can't be choosers. I'll just stay as far away as I can from the sadists.
Like Amanda, they give me the heebie-jeebies.
At least I saw Dylan and Cade a few days ago,
"God, it's good to be home." Nicholas groans in contentment and takes the first swig of his beer. "I wouldn’t mind planning our next vacation already, but there's just something about coming home, isn't there?"
"Oh, definitely." I adore that I can agree now. In the past, I was always itching to get away, but that was before I really felt at home somewhere. "What do you wanna watch?"
"You pick something."
So, I settle on some random movie, and we eat our pizza in easy silence before we're stuffed and relaxed in each other's arms under a blanket. By now, the first movie is over, and Nicholas finds another while I get more drinks and a bowl of candy. Though, we don't really watch the movie. Instead we're talking quietly about the past week, and also a little about next year.
"I have some free time coming up in March," he murmurs. He's all sprawled out over the couch, and I lift my head from his chest to peer up at him. "Where would you like to go next?"
I purse my lips, pondering. Meanwhile, Nicholas looks as if he's trying to memorize every detail about my face. "What?" I get self-conscious. Do I have oregano stuck between my teeth or something?
"Nothing. I'm just looking at you." He smiles faintly and brushes his knuckles over my cheek. "You're so beautiful."
"Oh." I get a bit squirmy under his gaze, because it's so intense. Almost overwhelming. "Um. Where do you want to go?" If I don’t keep the conversation running, I'll just attack. And I'm really tired and full. "Stop looking at me like that, Nicholas." I feel my cheeks heating up.
He grins and flips us over, pinning me to the couch. "Never." With a low hum, he slides his nose along my jaw. "Remind me, please. Is there really any flaw in you?"
A breathy laugh escapes me and I poke his side. "There're tons." I start ticking them off on my fingers. "I can be messy, I can't do laundry, some say I meddle too much—"
"Not too much." He shakes his head and palms my cheek. "Never too much. I love that about you—that you want to see everyone happy." I shrug modestly and burrow closer as he settles next to me. "I'm lucky." After pulling the blanket over us again, as it had slid down before, he gathers my hand over his heart and closes his eyes. "But you're right." A teasing smile appears, but his eyes remain closed. "You can be awfully messy."
I don’t take the bait. "I'm the lucky one," I whisper, sure of it. My gaze flits over his face: the five-o'clock shadow, the laugh lines, the sharp structure of his nose and jaw, the fullness of his firm, yet soft lips, the silver at his temples, his ruffled, light brown hair, his sun-kissed skin… He looks incredibly tired, but just as relaxed and content. Happy and at home.
Maybe we're both lucky.
Chapter 5
It's fairly early, so people have just started to trickle in for a night at Switch, and the Goth metal isn't very loud yet.
I sit obediently on the barstool next to Daddy, but my eyes are all over the place, waiting for Mark to arrive.
He is such a greedy Master, because when the club was closed over the holidays, he kept Evangeline and Brayden all to himself. I get it, I get it—he didn’t see them over Christmas because they were with Evangeline's family, so he wanted to spend New Year's with them. But he's got three whole weeks with them at his beach house in La Jolla starting in only a few days, and I wanna see my friends.
I'm glad they're coming tonight, though. It's January second, and—nose scrunch—it's S/M Night, but beggers can't be choosers. I'll just stay as far away as I can from the sadists.
Like Amanda, they give me the heebie-jeebies.
At least I saw Dylan and Cade a few days ago,
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