When I’m sufficiently relaxed, I finally allow my brain to rehash my day. I replay William’s kiss in my head. It was sweet. Nice. Familiar. And oddly bold for William. But it was his smile and words afterward that were most surprising. He thinks Nico won’t work. That eventually I’ll come back to my senses and things will be back to normal. I should probably be annoyed with his assumption. But, honestly, how could I blame him? Even I thought Nico was wrong for me. I spent years convincing myself what I wanted, what’s good for me. I’ve done such a good job that William believes he knows better too.

I dismiss the thoughts of William quickly and spend the rest of my heavenly soak thinking about only one man. Nico Hunter. The way he touches me. Grips me so tight, like he has to, like there’s no other choice. I think back to his hands on me today. He doesn’t just run his hands down my body feeling my curves, his finger tips press into me as he feels me. Really feels me. In a way that I know he’s enjoying touching me almost as much as I’m enjoying being touched. Before Nico, I didn’t even know there was a difference in the way a man could rub his hand down my side. But there is, and the difference is mind-shattering. I’m a few seconds away from pleasuring myself to a vision of Nico in my head when my phone, sitting on the sink, rings and breaks me out of my fantasy. It startles me, and I end up splashing water all over the floor when I jump.

I do a poor job of drying off my hands and settle back into the tub as I answer. Speak of the devil. “Hey.” His voice is gravelly and low and the sound of it sends a shiver through my body even though I’m soaking in a warm bath. I feel like a teenager again. Excited to hear a boy’s voice on the other end of the phone.

“Hey. How was your day?”

“The middle part was great.”

I smile, even though he can’t see me. Yep, I’m a school girl with a crush so big, I’m smiling when he says hello on the phone.

“Mmmm…that was my favorite part of the day too.”

Nico chuckles. “Where are you? You sound like you’re in a tunnel or something.”

“In the bathtub.”

Nico lets out a loud rush of air and his voice turns low and gruff. “You’re naked right now?”

“Yep. And I was just thinking about you when the phone rang.”

“Oh yeah, what were you thinking about?”

“The way you touch me.”

Nico groans. “Were you touching yourself?”

My answer is honest and comes out before I can think better of offering the truth. “I think I might have if you hadn’t called.”

“Shit.” Then he’s quiet for a long minute and I wait for him to say more, but he doesn’t.

“What’s the matter?”

“You’re killing me, Elle. I feel like I’m fourteen with you. I’m walking around with a hard-on half the time from just thinking about you. I’m never going to be able to sleep tonight now.”

I smile, feeling satisfied somehow that I’m not the only one who feels like a hormonally crazed teen. “Maybe you should try a bath.”

Nico is quiet for a minute. I’m just about to ask if he’s still there when he finally speaks. His voice is low, “Touch yourself for me, Babe.” The words are strained and thick, they hang in the air surrounding me.

“I…I’ve never…” I want to tell him that I’ve never had phone sex or masturbated for a man before, but the words are stuck in my throat.

“You can.” Nico senses my hesitation and isn’t going to allow it.

“It’s not…”

“Are your ni**les hard?” God I even love his voice.

I look down at my ni**les, they’re barely covered by the water. They’re swollen and protruding and I think they have become even more engorged in just the last few minutes.

“Yes.” My answer comes out a whisper.

“Feel one. Rub your finger over the top of it for me.”

I push aside my hesitation and do what he asks. Slowly, I graze my finger over my hard nipple making a small circle. My already swollen ni**les respond, and swell even more, enough so they are no longer below the surface of the water. Now the full tips are sticking out from the still water of the bath. No longer protected by the warm soak, the cool air meets the swells and it’s as if every nerve in my body is connected to the small protruding nubs peeking out. A jolt of electricity travels through my entire body. If I had closed my eyes, I would have sworn that Nico just blew on them. The sensation surprises me and I don’t even try to mask the gasp that comes out.

Nico groans. “Pinch it. Hard.”

I do. I grasp my swollen nipple between my fingers and firmly squeeze. Another wave of electricity travels through my nerve endings. Only this time all of the different paths traveled arrive at the same place, at the exact same moment…my clit. The swell of my ni**les is now seemingly connected to the swell between my legs. A low moan escapes my lips.

“It feels good doesn’t it, Babe?”

“Yes.” I admit, my hesitation slowly melting away.

“You need to put your phone on speakerphone. Put it down close to you.”

I do as he asks.

“Close your eyes.”

Nico’s voice on the speaker of my phone makes what we’re doing feel even more intimate, as if he could really be standing near me telling me what to do. I close my eyes, ready to imagine he’s in the room with me.

“Take your other hand and touch your clit. I know it’s swollen for me already. Pretend I’m there with you, watching you. I’m sitting behind you, looking at you touch yourself. It makes me hard to watch you. You’re so damn sexy.”

I slip my hand down my body and let Nico’s deep, familiar voice fill my senses. I can almost forget it’s my own hand rubbing my aroused clit in small circles when I hear the need in his voice. It’s so carnal. Another small groan escapes and Nico responds with a growl, a sound echoing pure male pleasure. It makes me bold.

“Are you hard?” I finally find the courage down deep to do more than listen.

“Hard like stone. I want inside of you so bad. Deep inside of you. I need to fill up that tight little pu**y, baby.”

Oh god. My body clenches at his words and I feel them, literally feel his words roll through my body.

“Is that what you want? You want my hard c**k inside of you, don’t you?”

“Yes.” My voice is raspy and needy. I push myself back harder against the wall of the tub, my ass rubbing up against the cast iron. I pretend it’s Nico behind me. His hardness behind me as I sit between his legs and he watches me. Watches me touch myself.

“Take two fingers and slip them into that wet pu**y. I need to be inside of you.”

I hesitate for only a second before I do as he commands, plunging two fingers inside of myself deeply. There’s an ache inside of me that I need to reach, but it’s just out of grasp. A sound escapes my throat that is a cross between a moan and a word and I’m not even sure what the word was supposed to be.

“That’s it, Babe. In and out. I’m inside of you. Harder.” Nico’s strained voice sounds as desperate for release as I feel. I picture him. His wide shoulders and straining muscular arms. His beautiful green eyes on me. Watching me. His hips thrusting down toward me. His long, thick cock. God, his cock.

“Oh God.” I moan as I feel the unmistakable pulse pound through me as my orgasm begins to take hold.

“Come for me.” Nico’s firm, commanding tone detonates my climax and it spreads over me. I feel the spasm surround my fingers as my body begins to pulsate uncontrollably.

I hear Nico’s name being called over and over, but it doesn’t register that the sound is coming from me. It takes over me. I’ve completely surrendered to my orgasm and I pump my fingers in and out of myself as I ride my release until I’m chasing the last wave with small tremors in the aftershock.

A few minutes later both our voices sound different. They’re hazy and loose and I wonder if we both may sleep better tonight. “Did you…” My voice trails off. I want to know if he finished. I’m not completely sure what I would do if he didn’t, but now that I’ve found my bliss, I suddenly realize I have no idea if he was touching himself.

Nico chuckles at my non-question. “Yeah, Babe. We’re both going to sleep good tonight.”

Chapter 31

Elle

I find our seats at the fight and my stepbrother Max is excited at how close we’re sitting. Ringside. Or, would it be cageside since technically there is no ring, but instead they fight in a cage? We weren’t sitting this close at the first and only fight I’d been to, yet I still cringed with each blow. Violence is something I have steadfastly avoided since I was old enough to control my own path. Yet here I sit, about to watch someone I care about pummel another human being. Or worse, be pummeled himself. I barely slept a wink last night, fretting over coming here. Yet, I feel like my body is wide awake, oddly on high alert.

Lily, Nico’s sister-in-law, arrives with her entourage and there is no doubt that the man standing next to her is Nico’s older brother Joe. They’re the spitting image of each other, only his brother is slightly shorter and carries a bit of a belly. Whereas Nico doesn’t have an ounce of fat on his body. Lily introduces me to her husband and he smiles. It’s Nico’s smile, sans the dimples. Seeing it on another man’s face is almost odd, but somehow it makes me warm to the man quickly. There’s a sense of familiarity that puts me at ease because of the likeness.

Lily also introduces me to a teen named Vinny. I’ve heard Nico talk about him before. Actually, quite a bit. Nico’s family have all unofficially adopted him, taking a strong interest in the boy with the bad home life. They seem to rally around him as a family, each providing different support where they can.

Vinny is wearing a shirt with a picture of Nico on it and he notices me checking it out.

“I took the picture.” He holds up a camera proudly when he speaks.

“Well, it’s a very cool shirt.”

“You really like it?”

“I do.” I smile at him. I can see Vinny has the same teen struggle going on that I often see in Max. He wants to be laid back and cool, but sometimes he has trouble hiding his excitement. It’s adorable.

I think he assesses my sincerity. Then he nods his head once and continues. “I’ll make you one. Nico will be all over his chick wearing a picture of him.”

We all laugh at Vinny’s comment, but I can’t help but think the boy is right. Nico would so love me wearing a picture of him across my chest to ward off the other lions when he’s not around. He’s a smart kid, knows Nico well.

Vinny and my stepbrother become instant friends and I’m glad that it gives me some time to get to know Lily better before the fight starts. Plus, the boys will have more fun without me sitting between them and cringing at every blow.

I don’t even realize that I’m fidgeting in my seat, but Lily does. “You nervous?” She smiles at me. It’s a genuine smile and I get the feeling she finds my inability to sit still amusing for some reason.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Well, I figured it was either that or you have to go to the bathroom pretty bad with the way that leg’s shaking.” She motions with her head pointing to my leg, which is frantically tapping up and down. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it. I smile at her and will my leg to steady.

“Fighting has never been my thing.” It’s the understatement of the year.

“Well, don’t worry then.” She pauses and sits up taller in her chair, a silent declaration of the confidence in her next words. “This isn’t going to last more than thirty seconds. Nico can take this clown with one arm tied behind his back.”