CHAPTER 38

Nadine had left the Sullivan's, ruminating over her discussion with Sheila. She had somehow found her self parked in front of Nicholas' place. Obviously, her heart wanted to be with him but her logical brain had been telling her otherwise.

Since she was already there,she decided to talk to him. It wouldn't hurt to listen to what he had to say.

She climbed out of her truck and took three deep breaths before she made for the door. She hoped she was doing the right thing.

She raised her hand to ring the doorbell when she observed the door was ajar. He never forgot to lock his front door. His convertible was parked out front so he was obviously in. Maybe he was close by, she told herself and went in.

She took a few steps in before the sight in front of her stopped her dead in her track.

There was Nicholas, bent over a long graceful and naked woman on the sofa, holding her like he she was a bounty he was about to make off with to his bedroom. Her arms were flung around his neck and her glorious cloud of blond hair was trailing on the sofa as she threw her head back to laugh hysterically.

She gawked at them for a few seconds then turned on her heels. She hadn't even taken her second step when she tripped over her own feet.

"Shit!," she cursed under her breath. Of all the stupid things to happen to her.

"Nadine," she heard Nicholas call her name and that propelled her towards the door. She didn't want him to see the stricken, jealous look in her eyes, as she had absolutely no control over the green eyed monster rearing it's head inside her.

She either left as soon as she could or she was going in there and losing all her inhibitions and start dragging the woman's hair like a child or better still, rail at Nicholas.

But she had no right to those feeling. He wasn't her man and she couldn't keep his charms to herself. She had no right sneaking into his house in the first place. She wanted so much to be gone from there.

Nicholas continued to shout her name, telling her to wait but she climbed into her truck as fast as she could and sped off.

He obviously moved on really fast from all that happened, probably because his emotions were never involved to begin with. She wished that was the case for her.

She drove home blindly, fighting but failing to stop the angry tears that streamed down her eyes.

..........

Nicholas watched her speed off and rushed back into the house to get his car keys. Katrina was up and dressed with a satisfied grin plastered all over her face.

"Who was that?," she asked sweetly.

"None of your business," he answered as he went into his study to retrieve his keys. She followed him.

"I see the rumors are true. She's the woman you've a child with? Are you certain the child is yours?"

"Yes!," he thundered and turned to face her. The look in his eyes made her back up a step. "And I want you out of our lives and out of this town in no time," he added.

"You can't do this to us," she whined.

"There's no us, there was never. The sooner you get that, the better for both of us. Now, leave," he said, about to lose his patience. He needed to go after Nadine as soon as he could and she was delaying him unnecessarily.

"You've not seen the last of me Nicky," she purred then flounced off. He was right behind her as he made for his car.

Nadine got home and ran in tearfully, almost colliding with a surprised Christian who was about to go out the door. She muttered a hasty and teary 'sorry' and raced up the stairs into her room, weeping silently into her pillow, grateful christian didn't follow after her.

Nicholas drove like a maniac to the inn, thinking of how he was going to explain the situation to Nadine, the scene had been damning. He forgot all about that when he knocked and the door was opened by a hulking blond.

He was no dwarf himself at six feet three inches but the guy was about an inch taller than he was but that didn't intimidate him.

Instead he was infuriated "What are you doing here?"

"I'm Christian Norman, a guest here," he replied extending his hand for a handshake. Nicholas completely ignored his outstretched hand.

He scoffed. A guest his feet. He could bet all his money he already made a pass at Nadine, he knew his type just by looking at him or maybe because he was that type also.

"I need to see Nadine," he said meaningfully when Christian kept on holding the door, blocking his entrance.

"Sorry dude but she doesn't want to see you right now," he said smirking.

"Says who?"

"Says Nadine. I'm just looking out for my hostess," he replied with the annoying smirk still on his face.

He wanted to punch the look off his face. He had never gotten into fistfights apart from his days in high school when he was bullied.

He had been kind of a late bloomer, and a geeky one at that. He had been picked on by the bigger boys several times. But after a summer break, his growth spurt had hit him hard. And that had been all the confidence he needed to down his bullies.

And he downed them more than was necessary.

Christian 'Nomad' or whatever he called himself was about to make him break the record of years of not communicating with his fists.

And he could bet he would enjoy it. He needed an outlet for his frustration.

Christian must have sensed his decision. "Look man, I don't think she'll want to see you now.."

"She doesn't need you to look after her or make decisions for her and you've got no right to. I can do take care of her myself," he cut him off sharply.

"From all I've seen and heard, you've no right either. And you've done a lousy job of looking out for her so far." He braced his legs apart, like he didn't care if it turned to fistfights now.

Nicholas's hands curled into fists at his sides, thinking about Christian's statement. Hell yeah! He admitted he had done a lousy job taking care of her but he was going to do a good job of it hence forth and he didn't want no Hunk standing in his way.

"Go ahead," Christian said nodding towards his curled up fists. He almost took the invitation to throw the first punch but years of control kicked in.

He wasn't just an ordinary man, he was a public figure and he didn't want any lawsuit marring his name. But he was going to be punching the guy someday.

"Tell Nadine I'll be back and whatever she saw was nothing," he enunciated each word like he was talking to a child.

"Unfortunately, I won't be passing across that message. Get your own messenger!," he smiled cheekily before he slammed the door.

He resisted banging the door and turned towards his car. He deserved all that. But why the hell did her guest have to be a hulk? Why couldn't it be a short, balding old man on vacation with his old wife?

Luck was not on his side.

...........

Nadine woke up the next day with a pounding headache. She deserved that after promising herself not to ever cry over Nicholas but had gone right ahead to emerse herself in tears.

Sleeping over everything made her realize she had acted all emotional. She could have been cool about the whole thing, even waited around to say hi to his gazelle. That was what any sophisticated woman that had moved on with her life would have done. Instead, she had ran off crying. It made her look like she was still pinning over him, which she actually was.

She groaned into her pillow that kept her company all through the night after absorbing all her tears.

She had no idea how she was going to face him let alone talk to him after the incident. She definitely wasn't accompanying Nichole to her picnic with him.

She dragged her body out of bed into the shower and made her way slowly down the stairs to make breakfast, after failing miserably to cover up her red swollen eyes and tame her nest of hair.

Christian met her with a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile in gratitude.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?," she asked in confusion.

"Smile. You look like something the cat dragged in and that smile made you look so...", he didn't finish but shuddered.

" That was so nice of you, thanks," she said moving towards the kitchen to start breakfast.

"Your baby daddy was here last night."

"He was?," she asked in surprise, swinging around to pin him with her gaze. She had not expected him to follow her. "What did he say?," she asked before checking the impulse.

She sounded like a love starved woman in desperate need of the littlest attention from Nicholas. "Never mind. I don't want to know what he said."

"I wasn't going to say," he replied, grinning and giving her a skeptical look. "Are you sure you really don't want to know?"

"Cut it out Christian."

"OK. I won't tell you what he said but he mentioned something about what you saw being..." he trailed off intentionally, watching her stop in the act of breaking an egg.

"Christian Norman! I'm going to throw you out on your ass. That wasn't funny." He laughed hard.

"You were paying rapt attention for someone who isn't interested in what he said."

"Get out of my kitchen before I change my mind and light you up instead of throwing you out," she threatened.

"Gladly."

She was left alone thinking about Nicholas and what to do about him.