Zenith Falling (23 page)

“Five
-foot, one.”

He squinted at her and raised his eyebrows. “Sure, and I’m seven feet tall. Come on! You haven’t lied
to me yet, and you start with this?”

“How’d you know?”

“Because you’re really short.”

She nearly growled at him.
“Fine. I’m four-foot, eleven.”

He whistled. “You give new meaning to short
, don’t you?”

“Like you never noticed.”

“I have. I’ve noticed just about all of you.”

She paused, looking at him oddly.

“What?” he asked.

Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Are you flirting with me?”

“Yes. I am. Do you remember things like that? Fun? Flirting? Just being yourself?”

She could not answer his question because she obviously had no clue what to say. He lazily let his body sink into the water. The chlorine fumes rose and appeared steamy around them. He was at eye-level with her. “Any reason I shouldn’t flirt with you?”

Her tongue
darted out and she licked her lips. “I’m no more single than I was before.”

He gave her a piercing look. “Yes
. You are, Joelle. You most definitely are more single than you were. You are legally separated, aren’t you? That counts for something huge.”

He chose to swim off right then and avoid listening to any tirade of what she and her husband were or weren’t. Whatever they were now, things were
far different than they used to be.

Joelle didn’t know what to do with her hands, her feet,
or the rest of her body. She was so uncomfortable, it became painful. She felt she was under such scrutiny, she couldn’t relax. She couldn’t even let her face relax, or allow her posture to slouch. She found some relief with Nick’s little nieces. They didn’t care who she was and liked her as long as she played their game of Marco Polo, or splashed and jumped in with them.

The ones who didn’t like her, however, were Nick’s sisters, and most especially, her former bes
t friend, Trina. Trina and she could have been perfect strangers judging by how Trina ignored her, refused to look at her, or meet her eyes. Trina acted as if Joelle was not even there, like a gnat she couldn’t be bothered to see. Still, Joelle did not miss Trina’s scathing gaze on her while she paraded around, jiggling her sleeping newborn. Joelle would have liked to peek at the baby, but dared not because she feared Trina’s reaction. She expected her to be loud and rude again, just as she was not so long ago in that café. Seeing Joelle in Nick’s sphere, not Trina’s, was excruciatingly obvious to Trina and not okay with her in the least.

And Nick? He made Joelle the most nervous of all the rest of them combined. He was so different with her now. He was taking chances with her, flirting with her, and smiling at her whenever he happened to catch her looking his way. He acted like she was a woman he wanted to kiss,
and before, he barely noticed she was even a woman. He always treated her as if she were a little girl; and always seemed to try extra hard to ignore her as being a woman. Yet now, today, he was?

The way Nick acted around his family surprised Joelle. He played with every niece, giving each one his unique attention, and altering his demeanor to fit each girl’s personality. To some, he was loud and teasing, while with others, he was quieter, kinder, and gentler in his horseplay and comments. He seemed to know exactly what to do with them all. It was obvious he meant more to all these women th
an just a brother or uncle. He was involved with their lives, knew them well, and was comfortable on a level that suggested an intense, and mutually satisfying relationship.

He swam around the pool with
the ease of a dolphin. Wasn’t he always the best at anything he attempted? His body was long and muscular, with a rippled abdomen, and sleek, well-toned arms and legs. His swim trunks ended at his knees, and to Joelle’s surprise, were a bright red and blue hibiscus flower pattern. Joelle wouldn’t have guessed conservative, serious Nick would wear tropical Hawaiian surfer swim trunks. Or that he’d jump in the pool and cannonball, soaking his nieces, his sisters, even his mother to their futile protests.

He seemed so different here with all of them. He was fun. Happy. Relaxed. Not Nick Lassiter boss, CEO, or savior. How could she not keep looking at him? He was gorgeous.

And he touched her in the water
. Although it was very brief, and almost nonexistent, he still touched her. Her stomach did flip-flops as she thought of it, remembering the heat of his large hands around her waist, trailing down her back, over her rear, and lightly, softly between her legs. A place she forgot about, and certainly questioned if she had any genuine feelings left in. It had been months, perhaps longer even, since she felt any spark of lust, or desire; and now she felt it again over nothing, over something as soft as a fleeting touch.

Why did he do that? Nick who never did or said anything remotely like that
, why did he touch her? Why? What did it mean?

And why couldn’t he know what it was like to suffer through the party, feeling weird, awkward and as embarrassed as she did? Each time she glanced his way, she burned up inside with heat, and blushed. Not so with him, however.

“What’s your angle anyway?”

Joelle turned as the strident voice interrupted her thoughts. She found Trina standing above her
, while she sat along the pool’s edge again. Watching. She spent a lot of her life watching.

“Angle for what
, Trina?”

“Nick,” Trina said, as she kneeled down next to Joelle so their voices wouldn’t carry. “What do you want with my brother? I saw you two frolicking over there. What are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“Yeah, right. I know what I saw. I know what someone like you is after.”

Joelle suspected she knew the next unfounded accusation about to be slung her way, and she remained silent, waiting.

“You’re after his money. Aren’t you?”

“No. I’m not after anything from Nick.”

“Bullshit. How’d you end up working for him? How long did it take before you broke up him and Erica? And got your own greedy hooks into him?”

“I did no such thing. He offered me the job, and I took it. Besides, if I were the one who broke them up, why would Erica ask me to live with her?”

“I don’t know,
but I bet there must be some con you’re running.”

“There’s not.”

“I won’t let you get my brother. You’re a freaky-looking, psycho bitch. You’re bad news, and I’m going to prove it to him.”

“Trina.”

The quietly voiced name became a command for attention. Nick was standing there, a wet towel around his neck.

“Nick!” Trina said, jumping up with a guilty expression. Joelle did the same.

“What’s going on here?”

“Nothing,” Trina replied quickly as she shot Joelle a look. Joelle hesitated, but finally nodded her agreement.

“Why don’t you go check on your baby?” Nick asked. The suggestion was subtle, direct, and spoken in the iciest of tones. Trina did just that, scurrying off without a single glance back at Joelle.

Nick’s jaw tightened and retightened as he watched his sister hurrying away. Joelle felt the need to break the awkward silence.
“She was just worried about you.”

Nick swung his eyes to hers, and his were a fiery, dark blue.
“I heard her. Grab your towel. Let’s go.”

“
Go? Go where?”

“Away from here. Them. Prying, narrow-minded eyes.”

“You can’t just leave.”

“Presents were opened, the cake was eaten; yeah, actually, I can.”

“Not with me,” she said quietly.

Nick s
tepped forward and got so close, she was forced to look up into his face. “You know what, Joelle? I can. I can do exactly that if I want to. If we want to. I can leave with you.”

She met his frank expression that seemed to say, “your call.”

She walked over to her cover-up, threw it on, wrapped her towel around her middle, and slipped on her flip-flops. Obediently and quietly, she came to Nick’s side, and he smiled down at her and nodded. He went over to his mother, kissed her, and promised he’d called her next week. He did the same with all his nieces, his sisters, and also shook hands with his brothers-in-law. He leveled a critical look at Trina and she held back, but the shame was clearly visible on her face. Joelle didn’t miss the glare Trina directed her way on their way out.

Finally
, Nick tilted his head, indicating for Joelle to follow him. There were no apologies, and no slinking away and disappearing for Nick. When he felt like leaving, he left, with little thought about what they would say or think at the sight of Joelle trailing behind him. Once they got to the elevators, they waited to ride an empty one, and stood there silently. Joelle stared hard at the elevator doors, until they reached his floor, and he got out first. He ambled down the hallway, easily, and apparently quite comfortable with her at his side. Meanwhile, she felt nearly sick inside.

He unlocked his door, and held it open for her to walk through ahead of him. The air made her wet swimsuit feel cold on her skin, and she shivered with goose bumps. She looked around, as if it were unfamiliar, and she hadn’t lived there for a week. But now it felt different, devoid of Erica, and the ambience that they imbued. Now she and Nick were alone. Silent. Together. And that silence became palpable as she looked straight ahead, and refused to turn around.
She was sure he was watching her.

His voice was quiet and intense when he finally spoke. “You’re
not a freaky, psycho bitch, Joelle.”

She
peeked over her shoulder. “You heard her?”

“I heard her. Don’t give my sister any credence.”

“She’s worried about you.”

“I don’t need her worry.”

“I am weird-looking to someone like her. And I
am
married. And you
do
have a lot of money. What else should she think? Maybe she just said out loud what everyone else was thinking.”

His eyebrows rose.
“Thinking of what?”

She looked down, then up into his eyes, and saw he was looking at her differently th
an usual. There was an intensity there that made her physically step back.

“Thinking of me trying to get to your money.”

“That would mean you were after me. Are you?”

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. He continued, “And m
y money has nothing to do with things.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she said quietly,
“No. Not this time.”

He nodded, taking a step towards her.
“I’m glad you see that.”

She looked around and stared at the carpet.
“What am I doing here?”

“I think you know exactly why
you’re here.”

He
approached her, closing the distance between them. Finally, after all this time together, and then being separated, Nick’s hands were physically on her. He ran his fingers along her arms down to the hemline of her cover-up, which he pulled over her head before staring down at her nearly naked body. His eyes flashed hot, but his face remained stoic. Was he repulsed at what he saw? Was he shocked by how skinny she was? Or how small her breasts were? She couldn’t tell.

He walked her backwards towards his couch, and took the blanket draped over the back, shaking it out and wrapping her in it. The warmth felt good, but his hands felt even better, as they kept rubbing her.
Then he leaned down, fitting his mouth over hers, gently at first, and letting his lips move over hers softly, slowly, with only enough pressure to make her feel him.

Her anticipation began to build, starting in her core, rising through her body, and electrifying
all her nerve endings. Blood began pumping through her veins, faster and harder. When his mouth opened over hers, she naturally followed and opened hers, as their tongues intertwined. She nearly moaned at the new sensations, sending the sparks shooting through her, and ending abruptly between her legs. She didn’t know anything could feel this good, this quickly, or this intensely. She lifted her arms from her sides and wrapped them around his neck.

Then the kiss took over, and he lifted her off her feet
, and set her on the back of the couch. He quickly unhooked her swimsuit from behind her neck and separated the sides, as he peeled the material down to her waist. His hands cupped her breasts, and she nearly jumped off the couch in surprise at the lust she felt when his warm hands passed over her still moist nipples. They were aching and craving his touch now. She pressed her chest into his hands, wanting more. And wanting it now.

H
e kept kissing her, his mouth following her jaw, and down her neck. She arched the column of her throat for his lips. She closed her eyes as the sensations, hot and wet, slid over her skin. His hands shifted as he proceeded to take her swimsuit all the way off. She lifted her butt off the couch to help, unsure why she was doing this or why it seemed so okay. And why, finally,
they
were doing this.

He lifted her completely up again, his hands supporting her bare bottom against him, and she looped her hands around his neck. He kept kissing her as
he moved them, towards his bedroom.

She felt
the wall when she bumped against it with her back and he shifted, taking off his swim shorts while still supporting her. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and her body was on fire, as wet inside as she was outside. He seemed hot and heavy under her, and she sighed in ecstasy, in anticipation. He shifted her body, pressing her against the wall, and still somehow, supporting both of them. His mouth was wet and warm on hers again, and his tongue filled her mouth as he suddenly pushed inside her.

She gasped in shock. He was so much. And it was so hot.
He filled her completely, making her insides stretch to accommodate him. She groaned at the sensations rocking through her. When he moved, she moaned, and when he shifted her, she nearly screamed. Holy shit! It was so good. He started moving fast, eventually pounding into her until he suddenly stiffened when he came inside her. She moaned and shuddered, as she responded to the blindingly hot sensations. Sensations she barely recalled, owing to the lengthy time since she last enjoyed sex. And the last time since she’d been well enough, rested enough, and relaxed enough to have it culminate in an orgasm.

And finally, now it happened. Except it wasn’t with her husband, Rob.
It was with
Nick Lassiter.