Boston Avant-Garde: Impetuous (7 page)

Her breath whispered across his chest. Having her near brought him more peace than he’d ever thought possible. Even more unsettling, it put impossible thoughts into his head. His life had been fully under control before she’d walked in and changed all the rules.

Restlessness crept over him. Shifting her from his chest to the bed, he carefully extricated himself from her embrace. Getting up was trickier. He didn’t want to wake her when she seemed so at home in his bed.

He stood up as gently as possible and turned to glance back down at the angel who’d somehow fallen into his life. He wasn’t yet sure if karma was being kind or playing dirty. Her confession about trying out a sex club didn’t sit well in his gut. She was lucky she’d stumbled into one of the tamer establishments that catered to people who only thought they wanted to step into something exciting. Nicolai had spent enough time in the seedier areas of Boston to know there were more than a few clubs that catered to a crowd well versed in the callous side of casual sex.

A discarded pair of jeans hung haphazardly off the corner of the sofa where he’d left them before his kitchen shift. He pulled them on, opened the apartment door, and walked downstairs. His bare feet made no noise on the wooden steps. Below, the kitchen was blanketed in silence.

The make table and grill were immaculate. Nicolai wouldn’t have expected less. Logan was a neat freak. More often than not it drove Donal and Flynn nuts, but having a clean cook on staff was a bonus Nicolai could heartily appreciate.

He passed through the kitchen and into the bar. Flynn had remembered to put all the chairs up on the tables so Logan could mop in the morning. The worn wood floor was swept clean of the typical debris. Nicolai had gotten over the preoccupation of going barefoot inside the bar years ago. Sometimes he could hardly remember a time the bar hadn’t been the focus of his life.

He’d bought the place ten days after his naval commission was up. He’d known a career in the navy wasn’t where he belonged. Back then he’d thought to be his own boss, build a nest egg, and eventually start a family.

The jukebox glowed neon pink and orange in its dark corner. Beside it, the piano waited. It was a nice instrument. He’d won it in a poker game during one of his better winning streaks, when he’d still been delusional enough to think the gambling was a nice way to supplement his nest egg.

The rough canvas cover was lined with soft felt that slid like silk over the black lacquer finish of the baby grand. He tossed the cover onto a table and nudged the bench out from under the instrument. Taking a seat, he reverently lifted the lid. The shining white keys reflected the bright colors of the jukebox. Lifting his hands, he exhaled deeply as he settled his fingers on the Steinway.

The weight of the keys was a perfect counterpoint to his hands. The resistance was light, giving way to his control and yielding the perfect sound every time. There was no sheet music guiding his melody. He’d learned to read it at an early age, but he somehow preferred his own creation to the rigid strictures of most musical selections. Here he was free to play as he felt he should, experimenting with both melody and harmony, creating enharmonic inconsistencies that soothed his ragged emotions and brought a baffling sense of peace.

A tingle slid down his spine, and he caught a whiff of wild, feminine passion. Turning, he saw her walking toward him with the bedsheet draped around her curves.

“Don’t stop.”

His fingers slowed on the keys. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She hesitantly perched on the end of the piano bench. “I opened my eyes and you were gone. Then I heard you playing, so I came down. Is that okay?”

She was such an odd mix of bold and insecure. Brash and confident one minute, worried about overstepping the next. She was two women occupying the same space and uncertain which one she wanted to be. His fingers skated through a trill, oscillating back and forth as if to mimic the indecision that seemed to define her.

“Nicolai?”

“Do you want to be here?”

“Yes.”

It gave him a jolt of satisfaction to hear the confident tone in her voice. “Then don’t ask. Just be here.”

“I suppose I spend too much time letting other people tell me what to do.”

“I’d have said otherwise.” He stretched his left hand to reach a long chord that rolled from the bottom to the top in four rhythmic notes.

She twisted her hands in the sheet. “This isn’t my regular life.”

“People will tell you what to do when you let them. Listening to others isn’t a bad thing. You just have to be able to acknowledge your own ability to make choices for yourself.”

“My life isn’t like that.”

“Yes. It is. Your life is what you make it, unless you keep letting someone else make it for you.” He stopped playing and stared down into her eyes. “Be careful who you allow to have control in your life. Sometimes even the people closest to us don’t have our best interests in mind.”

“So if I want something I should just take it?”

Even in the light cast by the jukebox, he could see the devilish gleam in her green eyes. “Maybe I should be more careful with my advice.”

She dropped the sheet. He groaned at the sight of her full breasts and lush hips. His cock sprang to attention behind his restrictive jeans.

“In this case, I don’t think it’d matter which one of us is in control. The end result will be mutually beneficial.” She straddled him, her naked pussy resting against the bulge in his jeans. Cupping his face in her hands, she nipped at his lower lip. Gone was the tentative kiss she’d tried that first time. Hungrily devouring his mouth, she rubbed her tongue alongside his until he was mindless with desire. “This would work so much better if you were naked, Nicolai.”

He shut the piano lid and set her naked backside against the black finish. Her hands rested lightly on the piano to balance her body. The erotic sight sent his self-control into a tailspin. He unfastened his jeans and slid them down over his hips and onto the floor. His cock was straining toward her as if it had a mind all its own.

Gripping her hips in his hands, he inhaled the scent of her arousal. Their bodies were scant centimeters apart. Gently spreading her pussy lips, he ran two fingers through her slit. “You’re wet for me, wild girl.”

She shuddered at the touch, but a frown creased the skin between her eyebrows. “I forgot to grab a condom from the pile.”

“I’ve been tested and I’m clean. It’s your call.” Arousal was hazing over his better judgment, but he would trek all the way back upstairs and retrieve the little foil packet if that was what she wanted.

“I’m on the pill.” He could see the indecision warring on her face.

Before he could do the responsible thing and go on a quest for prophylactics, she lowered herself onto his erect cock in one agonizing slide.

The sensation of her liquid heat against his skin was exquisite. No barrier between them, and his cock buried balls-deep in her wet pussy. He threw his head back and cursed. Her lips brushed his throat, her tongue tickling his collarbone as she worked her way down to his nipple. She took the piercing in her mouth, setting her teeth to his sensitive tip and suckling.

His balls convulsed with the need to climax. Her juices soaked his shaft, making her slide like silk upon his skin. She rocked her hips, grinding his cock against her channel with unbearable friction. He cupped her round ass cheeks and pushed into her thrusts. She made a high-pitched noise of pleasure and let go of his nipple.

The bench squeaked as they fucked. She scored the skin of his shoulders with her nails as she rode his cock toward orgasm. Spreading her cheeks, he thrust until the head of his cock slid farther inside. The depth of his penetration sent her spiraling into climax. The tighter the muscles in her channel gripped him, the more his seed burned for release.

He’d never been so utterly aware of his climax. The vein in his shaft pulsed as semen exploded from the tip of his cock into her pussy. He held her tight, straining to give her every last drop of his essence. She quivered, and the spread hood of her clit pressed against his pelvic bone until he felt her shudder and cry out with a second orgasm.

He wrapped his arms around her body. They were both damp with sweat in the cool air of the bar. She rested her face in the hollow of his throat and sighed. It felt good just to hold her there, to hear her soft breath and know that for the moment she belonged to him.

She yawned. He picked up the sheet still draped over a corner of the piano bench and pulled it around her shoulders.

“I don’t want to sleep alone, Nicolai.”

“Then you won’t.”

He slid his cock free of her pussy. Standing up, he used one hand to hike his jeans back up over his hips. Her legs wrapped automatically around his waist, and he locked his arms beneath her delectable ass before carrying her back upstairs to his bed.

It hit him when he was halfway up that he still didn’t know her name. Looking down into her sleepy eyes, he asked the question that probably should’ve been first on his mind. “What’s your name, wild girl?”

“Desiree Aasen.”

His heart did a double thud inside his chest. Of all the wild girls in the world, how had he ended up with Erik’s sister in his bed? Karma wasn’t just playing dirty. She was fucking with his heart.

Desiree was alone in the bed when the sun brushed across her cheek, warming her enough to demand she get up. She sat up and pushed back the sheet. She was naked and blissfully relaxed. A slight tenderness between her legs was worth it for a night spent in Nicolai’s bed. Anything was worth a night in his bed, even the hell she was going to catch when she finally headed back to home and reality.

Stretching her sore muscles, she got out of bed and touched her hair. It was hopelessly tangled. After the impromptu shower and a night of great sex, she was definitely sporting the freshly fucked look. The thought made her smile.

There was nothing to wear but her sassy white dress. It was still on the sofa where Nicolai had put it the night before. Feeling more than a little brazen, she made the bed and tucked her panties beneath a pillow. She dressed and scooped the remainder of her condom collection back into her evening bag. Hopping a few steps, she pulled her heels back on and headed downstairs to the bar.

The kitchen was empty, but she heard the clink of glasses out in the bar. Taking a deep breath, she remembered Nicolai’s words from the night before. She wanted to be there. So there she was. No apology necessary.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Flynn popped up from behind the counter like a jack-in-the-box. “I don’t think we’ve ever actually been introduced. I’m Flynn Shaunnessy.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Flynn. I’m Desiree.” He was tall and lean with unruly black hair and the prettiest brown eyes she’d ever seen on a man. His smile was infectious. If he used his charm on the bar patrons, the man probably made a good living from tips alone.

“It’s damn nice to finally get a good look at you.” He was filling a coffeepot with water from the sink. “I’ve never seen Nicky so tongue-tied over a woman. It’s refreshing.”

“I guess that’s a good thing.”

He removed a full pot of steaming coffee from the maker, refilled the container with water, and replaced the pot to make more. “Want a cup?”

Her mouth watered at the rich coffee smell. “That would be fantastic.”

“Better drink up and grab a muffin or something before the group gets here and sucks it all down.”

“Group?” For the first time she noticed the bar was loaded with muffins, bagels, and pastries. Carafes of orange juice sat beside the steaming coffeepots.

Flynn’s expression sobered. “He didn’t tell you?”

“I haven’t seen Nicolai this morning.”

“Every Sunday morning there’s a Gamblers Anonymous meeting here at the bar.”

She lifted the coffee mug to her lips to give her brain time to process Flynn’s announcement. “That’s nice of him to let them use his building, I guess.”

Flynn’s guarded expression didn’t instill confidence.

“So why do they meet here?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. “Well, love…”

“Because I’m part of the group.” Nicolai strode into the bar from the front entrance. “I’m a recovering gambling addict.”

This wasn’t the same man she’d spent the night with. This wasn’t the man she’d straddled on the piano bench after he’d played such a beautiful melody on the keys. This Nicolai was cold and hard. She wanted to go to him, wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss his lips, but she knew instinctively it wouldn’t be welcomed.

“There’s a cab waiting outside, Desiree.” His words were like ice water. “It’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

Years of perfecting her debutante face kept her from showing him just how much his words tore her apart. She set the mug on the bar and walked away. The sun threw brilliant patterns of light and shadows on the stone floor as she walked with her head held high. She might not be well versed in the world of casual sex, but she damn well knew when she was being dismissed.

“ARE YOU OUT of your mind, Nicolai?”

He had to give Flynn credit. The guy had managed to wait until the front door closed behind her.

“Women like that one do not walk through that door every night. I mean, she’s sexy as hell, but she’s more than just tits and an ass. You’ve been mooning after her like some kind of lovesick teenager.”

“That’s not a flattering description.”

Flynn threw the towel in his hands to the bar top. “You know what I mean, dammit!”

“She’s Erik’s sister.”

“Erik who?” Nicolai knew the precise moment it sank in. Flynn deflated, looking just a tad shell-shocked. “Well, shit, it took you two days to figure that out?”

“She never told me her name, remember? Until last night.”

“But you didn’t send her packing until this morning.”

Oh, he should have. He knew he should’ve called Erik right at that moment and asked him to come down and pick her up. But he hadn’t. He’d wanted just a little more time. Even if it meant he was putting off the inevitable, he wanted to pretend there was some kind of future possible for the two of them.