She began stirring right around the time that he answeredthe door for the food delivery. As he set out the various cartons on the counter, he heard the creak of the beams, then the pad of her footsteps coming down one of the staircases.
“What’s all this?” Jay blinked as she walked in on him plating, folding her arms over her robe.
“I wanted to see you off properly.”
“Wow.” A little bit of color tinted her cheekbones as she slid onto one of the barstools. “That’s so sweet, Nick. You really didn’t have to go through all this effort.”
Sweet was for candy and children. He glanced at her sideways. “I wanted to.”
“Well, thank you.” She rolled up her sleeve to reach for a roll, dragging his eyes to the deep V where the fabric gaped along the neckline. “This looks amazing. And you remembered—no fish sauce.” She took a slow bite and his dick twitched. “Oh my god, it tastes amazing, too.”
“I enjoy taking care of you.” He brushed her shoulder as he reached over to steal a wayward piece of carrot from her plate. “We got pretty good at taking care of each other before.”
She swallowed hard. “Yes. But that was a long time ago. We’re not children anymore.”
“No. Now I can do things for you that I couldn’t then. And you, my sweet, beautiful bird, don’t have to carry the weight of everyone’s expectations.”
“Just yours.”
He leaned forward on the counter, his arms straining against the tight sleeves of the old t-shirt as he reached over to flick her necklace. “Just mine.”
She nudged her plate away and sipped some of the Vietnamese coffee, her eyes drifting towards the fridge. “Aren’tyou eating anything? I can share if there’s not enough. There’s plenty.”
“I’ll have something after I swim later. I’m not hungry right now.”
“You’re just making me a little nervous, the way you’re staring at me.”
“Good.” He gave the belt of her robe a yank. “You should be.”
Jay yelped, covering herself with a modesty he found very amusing as the terrycloth slipped down her bare shoulders. “Give it to me,” she said, when he pulled the cord taut between his hands and snapped it with playful menace.
“Giveit to you?”
“You—” She made another one of those little yips when he grabbed at her, trying to back away and push off from the counter bar at the same time. The stool wobbled dangerously and hit the tiled floor with a clatter, while Jay fell right on her luscious little ass. “Shit—”
He walked over and extended his hand, grinning.
“Youass.” She gripped his palm a little too tightly as he pulled her up. “I don’t know why you’re such a—” He casually reached for her other hand and jerked both up behind her back, cutting her off mid-phrase as he looped the cord around both wrists. “Nick, what the fuck?”
He cinched the terrycloth cord around her bound wrists with a flourish. “You can’t see it, but that’s called a bowline,” he said innocently. “I used to spend my summers sailing.”
“Fascinating. Untie it.”
“If only you’d gotten up earlier. Maybe I’d be less distracted.” Without the cord, her robe had fallen open. When he looped his arm around her, he could feel her heart poundingrapidly and the soft weight of her breasts. He rubbed his forearm back and forth and felt her nipples harden through the thin lace. “Tell me more about what you’re going to do in San Francisco.”
Jay threw an unamused look over her shoulder. “Murder you.”
“And after I booked you into first class.”
“It’s a one-hour flight.”
“You can do a lot in an hour.” Nicholas let his other hand drift to the slit in her nightgown. Her bound hands convulsed as he moved up to her inner thigh. She hadn’t put on underwear. “Are you going to see your old roommates?”
“No.” Her breathing became unsteady. “We don’t talk anymore.”
“Does that include your ex?”
“Yes—fuck—including him. Oh my god.” She jerked again as he slid two fingers inside her. “Are you jealous?”
