“Good.” I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t want her to be shy about anything with me.
A goofy grin fell across my lips as the triumphant feeling of victory settled deep in. Little did Nikki know, I didn’t intend for her to ever have another—I was going to be her first and last for everything. That thought made my pants unpleasantly tight, and I shifted to try to get comfortable, trying to be discrete about readjusting myself. Thankfully Nikki was too engrossed in her food to notice my movements.
“It doesn’t bother you, does it?” Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly.
“How could it? I care that I was your first kiss because I hope it meant something to you, just like it meant everything to me.”
Throwing her food onto the coffee table, Nikki leapt into me, letting her soft lips dance with mine as I pulled her in as close as I could.
“How’d this happen?” she asked, barely pulling away from me.
“What?” I enquired before quickly kissing her again.
“How’d we get this lucky to have such a serendipitous meeting?” Her question sank in and melted my heart a bit.
“Sometimes fate just has a way of bringing people together, I guess.”
She shifted off my lap, biting her lip. “Chase?”
“Yes babe?” I took another bite of pizza; I had to do something with my mouth to preoccupy its need to be connecting with Nikki’s.
“Does it bother you that I’m a virgin?” Her words barely came out.
“Not in the slightest.” I didn’t let a second go by before answering; I didn’t want there to be any doubt in her mind.
“Okay. Good.”
She leaned back into me while we finished our meal and watched the rest of the movie.
A long yawn escaped Nikki when she stretched as the credits scrolled across my TV screen. “I should probably head home. It’s getting late.”
I gripped her tighter. “Just stay here.” I couldn’t imagine letting her leave my apartment.
“But…” She glanced over her shoulder at me. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“We can just sleep. I promise I won’t try anything.”
It pained me to think that I would have to control myself, but for my beautiful ballerina, I would practice restraint.
“I-I guess that would be nice.”
I didn’t waste time. She’d agreed to stay, and I didn’t want to give her a chance to change her mind. I led her into the bedroom and gave her a shirt and shorts to sleep in.
I waited in bed while she got ready in my bathroom. Worry that I was pushing her too hard settled in as she took forever in the other room, but I had to push it out of my mind. If she didn’t want to be there, she wouldn’t be—at least that was what I was letting myself believe.
Once she crawled into bed, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind and felt her body relax slowly into mine.
“Goodnight,” she said quietly.
I kissed her cheek. “Sleep well, beautiful.”
Chapter 6
Nikki
Wakingup still curled in Chase’s strong arms was surprisingly perfect. I hadn’t slept that well in my entire life. Shifting a bit, I rolled over to face him, kissing his stubble-covered cheek.