"I'm glad you did." He lifts my hands and brings them to his lips for a gentle kiss. "I realize we haven't done anything beyond kissing; mind-blowing kissing."
"Itwasmind-blowing." I lean forward on my toes and give him a chaste kiss on the lips.
"If we're going to do this dating thing, I need something from you."
I eye him suspiciously. We barely know each other. We may have paved the way for a dating relationship, but we don't even know if we're compatible in bed. "What do you need?"
"I want us to be exclusive."
His jaw tenses as he waits for me to respond. I swallow, trying to think of what to say.
"Is that a problem?" He squares his shoulders as he squeezes my hands.
I clear my throat to afford me an extra second before I speak. "Why would you want to be exclusive with me when we haven't even slept together yet?"
He cocks his head to the side as he studies my face. "Fucking you is one part of the equation. I like hanging out with you. I want to cook for you and take you to the symphony. I'd like towake up next to you on a lazy Saturday morning and then write while you work on sketching out a new design."
It's more than I've ever imagined. In my mind, I got as far as falling asleep in his arms in my bed after we'd made love. I didn't want to think it could reach beyond that, at least not at this stage. "We just met, Nicholas. We barely know each other."
"You're different than the other women I've known." He smiles down at me. "I know that I want to get to know you better without having to worry about Trey Hale getting in the way."
"You don't have to worry about him." I scrunch my nose. "I don't even like baseball."
"That's a start." He grips my waist and pulls me toward him. "If you want to go to a club, I'm always available."
"I'll keep that in mind." I tap my fingertips against his chest.
"Tell me what you want right now." He runs his nose along my jawbone, inhaling the scent of my skin. "I'll give you anything you want. I'll do anything you want."
I reach to cup his face in my hands, drawing his mouth closer to mine. I press my lips to his just as I whisper, "Take me to bed. Show me how much you want me."
His bedroom is just as imaginedit would be in my mind's eye. The furniture is all crafted from a rich dark wood including the massive headboard. There's a small chest of drawers near the window and a larger, sleek cabinet that stands next to the door that leads into the room.
The bed linens are masculine. The duvet is dark gray, the pillow cases and sheets a stark black. The only light in the room is escaping from the adjoined washroom which, from thisvantage point, contains a claw foot tub and a quartz countertop atop a vanity that houses two sinks.
It's a space any bachelor would crave, complete with a fireplace and a flat screen television hung above it.
There's an open laptop on a desk near the window. Several notepads sit nearby stacked in an uneven pile. Next to them is a trio of pens, all of them are identical. They're silver, just like the one he pulled from his bag on the subway.
"Is that where the magic happens?"
He turns at the sound of my voice. "The magic? Is that what we're calling it now? I prefer to call itfuckingor, depending on my mood,making love. I guess it could be considered magic, so the answer to your question is yes. The bed is where the magic is going to happen. Don’t consider yourself just an assistant though. I expect full participation in all tricks."
I can't help but laugh. "I was asking about the desk, not the bed. Do you write at that desk?"
He schools his expression to look more serious than he is. The slight smile on his lips hints at his amusement. "Any magic that happens in this room is on that bed. I sleep there, I write there and tonight, I'm going to make you come there."
He pulls his sweater over his head to reveal a toned stomach and chest. It's obvious the man works out. His abs are evidence of his commitment to himself.
"Your turn, Sophia." He gestures at my dress.
"You have an unfair advantage." I slip off both of my heels. "I'm wearing a lot less clothing than you are."
"You're not." He inches closer a few steps before he toes out of his shoes and removes his black socks. "Drop the dress and I'll lose the pants."
"Is that an offer or an order?" I playfully pull on the sash of my dress.
He unbuckles the black belt he's wearing before he slides it free from his pants. "Call it what you will. I want to see your body."
