Chapter 72

This couldn’t last. Already that record skipped as electric pulses rippled up and down his spine, sizzling in the soles of his feet. Pleasure stretched him tight, and one wrong move, one sudden twitch, and he would hurl over that ledge into oblivion. But not without her. Reaching between them, he swept his thumb over the stiff button of flesh, murmuring to her when she jerked and bucked against his touch. Once more. And once again.

That’s all it took for her flesh to clamp down on him in an almost brutal grip, milking him, coaxing his orgasm from him even as she shook and screamed in her own. Somehow, he held back, riveted by the sight of her lost in ecstasy. He pistoned between her thighs, burying himself over and over, determined to wring every ounce of pleasure for her. And only when her whimpers echoed between them and her body started to go lax, did he unleash the fury spiraling inside him.

Part of him fought going over. He needed just a little more time inside her. Just a little. But his cock wasn’t hearing it.

Pleasure plowed into him, and he followed Michelle into that abyss.

Afraid that when he crawled out, he would be alone.

Again.

__________

Michelle laid down her pen, stared at her tablet and slowly smiled.

Oh, yes, she’d knocked this out the park.

Rising from the couch, she stretched, but her gaze remained on the screen. She had done a good job at the assignment that had been assigned to her and she knew her boss would love it… And so would Nick.

Nick…

She frowned, slowly lowering her arms. It’d been a little over twelve hours since she’d sneaked out of his bed as if performing a walk of shame. In hindsight, she should’ve just woken him up and told him she was leaving. Or…She could’ve stayed.

Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Regret swarmed inside her, stinging. Not remorse over having sex with Nick. God, how could a person bemoan multiple, reality-bending orgasms? She was no hypocrite. No, she regretted the aftermath. Her uncertainty. The silence. The worry that they’d blown up their friendship. The confusion, because God help her, but she didn’t think she cared…

Groaning, she bowed her head, more than a little disgusted with herself. Had Nick mesmerized her with his dick? That had to be the only explanation for why she was willing to risk their long relationship to have more of what he’d given her last night.

She was officially dick-matized. She huffed out a ragged chuckle. She was in so much trouble. Even now, as memories from the night before filled her head, heat licked at her and she shifted, squeezing her thighs together at the ache tightening her nipples and blooming between her thighs. Nick possessing her mouth like she was oxygen and he’d been deprived for years.

Nick kneeling before her, head tipped back, bright eyes burning up at her, lips swollen and damp with her. Nick crouched over her, hard, beautiful cock notched in her sex, ready to push into her… A breath shuddered out of her. That ache intensified and she pressed a hand low to her belly. She wanted more— more pleasure, more orgasms, more of him.

She was honest enough with herself to admit that. But the consequences of that “more” scared her. Her body might be willing to risk her friendship with Nick, but her heart? Her mind? They weren’t on board. Yet, with Nick's silence all day, the damage might have already been done.

Her phone rang, startling her and dragging her from the morose road her thoughts had traveled. It was Candace. Oh how was she going to tell Candace what she'd done, she groaned inwardly as she picked up.

“Hey sis,” she said, “I was going to call you. I have something to tell you… About Nick,”

“I'm sorry but that's going to have to wait Michelle,” came Candace's voice, “I have to talk to you about Andrew”

Michelle didn't have to wait for Candace to tell her that everything wasn't okay with their brother. She could tell from her tone. Now what had happened?

“What's wrong?” she asked, almost dreading the reply. Their brother hardly visited and they didn't communicate quite often, but then the few times when they did, he always assured them that all was well, but again it'd been a while since she spoke to him last.

“Andrew showed up in Rosehill yesterday,” said Candace, “At first we all thought he was here to visit, you know, since mom was back and all that, but he told me last night that he was a bit of trouble, Michelle,”

“What kind of trouble?”

“In debt,” Candace replied, “And apparently it's a lot of money. He's running out of time to pay up and the men seem dangerous. I don't know what to do,”

Michelle didn't either. Oh God. “So what did Gran and Grandad have to say about it?” she asked instead.

“We didn't tell them, or mom for now. Just me. Gran and Grandad already have themselves and their health to worry about. They spent their lives taking care of us, and now that mom and I are here to look after them, why bother them about our problems even now. We just have to find a way to handle it ourselves,”

“And how are we going to do that?”

“I don’t know, but we have to figure it out. I just had to tell you. What was it you wanted to tell me about Nick?”

The doorbell rang.

Michelle shook her head, heading for the door, “How about I tell you about it later, huh?”

“Alright, be safe,” said Candace as she hung up.

Michelle opened the door. “Nick…”

She blinked, trying to adjust to seeing her friend on the welcome mat. “What are you doing here?”

“I came by to see you.” He cocked his head, and his eyes seemed brighter in the shadowed porch as he studied her with an intensity that she longed to hide from. “What’s wrong?”

“What? Nothing.” The automatic denial leaped from her, and she waved a hand. “Nothing,” she repeated.

“Right.” He stepped forward, and by habit, her feet moved backward, letting him inside.

“And nothing is why you’re standing there looking shell-shocked.”

He closed the door behind him, locking it. Then pulled her into his arms. And the familiarity of his embrace, of his scent, of him, enveloped her, and the ice that had encased her since Candace called cracked. And she did, too, right down the middle.