If this is going where it had better be going, I need to excuse myself before Nick sees them and gets turned off sex for life.
‘Um, Nick,’ I say, easing away from him.
‘Mmm?’ He stops sucking on my boob and looks up with that sly smile.
‘Do you mind if we stop for a sec?’
‘Oh, uh – course.’
He straightens, towering over me, and he’s so handsome and sohere. He’s also suddenly shy – maybe because I stopped us in the middle of foreplay.
‘I do want to, I promise,’ I assure him, and his uncertainty falls away. ‘But I need to excuse myself – only for a sec.’
NowI’mself-conscious, sitting on my countertop, boobs out, amongst the wreck and ruin of my slobby apartment. I shimmy closer to the edge of the counter and jump down.
‘Make yourself at home,’ I call out over my shoulder as I head into the bedroom. ‘There’s beer in the fridge.’
I switch on the light and close the door behind me. It’s not as bad as the living room but I scurry around, grabbing random pieces of clothing and shoving them into the closet. I fling the comforter over the bed, lining it up with the edges of the mattress, and put the pillows in their place. I do a quick scan, and it looks like a nice, normal, inviting bedroom.
‘Two secs!’ I yell through the door.
‘Okay,’ he yells back.
God knows what he’s doing out there. With any luck, he’s nottoodisgusted – nothing like flying across the AtlanticandNorth America in a grand romantic gesture – at least, I hope that’s what this is – to find the woman you’ve come to see looking like she belongs onHoarders.
I go into the bathroom to assess the rest of the damage – i.e.me. My reflection is nowhere near as bad as I thought, but there’s definitely room for improvement.
Okay, a sixty-second turnaround that would make a Formula 1 pit crew jealous and… go! Run my toothbrush around my mouth, vigorously scrubbing my tongue, then rinse and spit. Pump moisturiser onto my fingertips, slather it over my face, tidy my brows, and pinch my cheeks – if it was good enough for women in Regency times, it’s good enough for a modern woman in a time crunch. Take off my jeans and underwear, toss them into the hamper, and wet a washcloth to give my ‘pits and bits’ (as Mama likes to say) a once-over. Hmm – my hair’s a mess, but maybe I should lean into that. I throw my head upside-down and shake, then flip my head back. Other than giving myself mild whiplash, it’s a good result – very sex kitten-y.
‘Delaney Cole, sex kitten, at your service. Prrr.’
Okay, who am I right now?
I give myself a hard stare.You are a woman who is in love with that man out there and he came all this way to be with you.
A crease forms between my eyebrows.
But what if he’s only here for sex?
Are you fucking insane? No man flies across the world for a booty call. Just get out there, woman.
Damn! My angel is a sassy little thing when she gets going.
I go to the bedroom door, then remember one last thing. I dash to my nightstand table and yank open the drawer. At the back is an unopened packet of condoms I bought in case Nicholas ever came to visit me – hah! I check the date, and all good, so I tear open the box and unfurl an entire frigging strip. A gal can dream, right?
I go to the door, switch off the light, and open the door.
‘Nick.’
25
NICK
I’m trying not to take it personally that Delaney left the room right in the middle of things. Then again, she may have genuinely needed a minute. I did surprise her.
What’s not a surprise – but is a massive relief – is how it feels being with her again. Which is right. And wonderful. Andnormal– imbuing the word with the best parts of everyday life that make it a joy.
Something I hadn’t felt for a very long time before I met a spunky, brilliant, super sexy woman from California.