Unexpected Mr. Right (8 page)

As she continued to move, her body rocking back and forth sensually a thought struck him. He'd never be satisfied, never ease the ache in his body for her until he had her. He'd kind of started thinking the friendship thing would be enough. But it wouldn't. Well, hell. That didn't bode very well for him. She was determined not to give into his fiendish ways. She wanted forever with someone and that was the furthest thing from his mind. Wasn't it?

"Don't leave me hanging, Nico. It's no fun dancing by myself.” Her words jerked him from his thoughts.

Oh yeah he'd like to show her his moves alright. The shitty part was the moves he wanted to share with her weren't the ones she spoke about. What the hell? When did he turn into the man who couldn't get the woman he wanted? Tabby was different than any woman he'd ever known. Not that he was a conceited guy but he'd never been so blatantly turned down before. No matter what he did he couldn't change her mind.

Nico pulled her against himself and began to move with her. Their bodies moved together with the fast beat of the music. She was soft, feminine. He put his hands on her thin waist feeling each movement of her body. Damn he wanted to explore her. As his hands moved he felt the rise of her ass below his finger. Inhaling a deep breath her lavender scent invaded his senses. Between that and the feel of her body he couldn't help but harden even more. He strained behind his confining jeans.

He spun her away from him so she wouldn't notice. She obviously thought it was part of the dance because she spun away still moving to the beat. Her hands began to mold to her own body as she danced sensually. He felt a jerk in his pants so strong he wasn't able to hold back. Nico reached for her determined so show her what their bodies could do together.

Clasping her hand he pulled her toward him right when Charming ran between them. Tabby tripped while trying not to hurt her cat and almost fell but he held her steady. Her head tilted back and she laughed joyfully.

"I needed that,” she said after her laughter stopped. “Thanks, Nico."

Moment broken. Just like that. “I aim to please, Slugger.” Please or not, he couldn't take anymore dancing. Not with her. “Come on, let's go finish dinner."

Tabby did everything Nico told her. She liked seeing him in his element. He explained all the steps to her as they did them and before she knew it her kitchen was filled with the succulent smells of Italian herbs and they were pulling a delicious looking pizza from the oven.

"Mm. I can't wait to eat some of that,” she said licking her lips.

"Since you're the chef, you get the first piece."

"Are you sure you're not saying that because you're scared I poisoned you or something?” she kidded.

He winked. “Naw, I kept an eye on you just to make sure."

Tabby grabbed two plates while Nico cut the pizza. He put a couple slices on each plate and walked them over to her table. She brought wine over for each of them. “I'm not waiting,” she picked up a piece and took a bite. The cheese stretched so she broke it off with her fingers and set her slice down. It was delicious. The cheeses blended perfectly, the sauce was just right. “I'm so making this more often. You'll have to write down everything we did so I'm sure to get it right."

"I'll write it down for you but I think you could do it on your own. You're a natural."

"Thanks. I had a really good time doing it too.” This had been one of the best days she'd had in a very long time. Nico made her happy, made her smile. He might not be Mr. Right material since he never wanted to settle down but he made a great friend. He kept her mind off her heartbreaks of the past.

"Want to watch a movie after we eat?” she asked after swallowing her second bite.

"Sure."

"I'm warning you now, I may have to pick a sappy love movie.” She felt different around him. Light, if that made any sense. Like she didn't have to worry about being perfect, about finding that perfect man and making the perfect wife. That's the best word she could use to describe her parents. Absolutely perfect in every way. Dad the perfect man, Mom the perfect wife and she'd always been the imperfect daughter. But they'd really and truly loved each other. No one had ever loved her the way they loved one another. Don't think about that right now.

"You like torturing me don't you? In any way you can."

"Well it's fun and you have to admit you're an easy mark,” she teased him.

"For you I am.” He held eye contact with her. Tabby broke the connection.

"Please. I'm no different than any other woman to you."

"Did you know I haven't kissed or even gone out with another woman since our lip lock in Luciano's office?"

Her heart dropped and for a minute forgot to beat. Wow, they shared that kiss before Luciano and Kaylee were engaged. Hell it was before they admitted their feelings for each other. For a compulsive dater that amount of time must feel like an eternity.

Nico took a bite of his pizza but continued to watch her.

"Okay let me rephrase that, the only reason I'm different is because I continue to turn you down. I think that's why you proposed this friendship thing too. The only reason I intrigue you is because I can say no."

"The reason doesn't matter."

To her it did. They were such different creatures. She wanted to find the one, and settle down. Even if right now she wasn't going there, the thought still lingered in the back of her mind like an annoying fly that wouldn't go away. A guy like him enjoyed his freedom too much. If he ever did consider settling down it probably wouldn't last. She'd failed at love long enough to know the score. “It does to me."

He took a drink. “I know it does. For some reason I just wanted you to know, that's all."

Tabby's fingers held the stem of her wine glass, twisting the crystal, making the deep burgundy liquid slosh around in the glass. For some reason I just wanted you to know, that's all. Her mind echoed what Nico said. Maybe if she replayed the words she could figure out what he meant. Of all things she expected him to say she hadn't been ready for his little disclosure. A jittery excitement surged through her body even though she knew it shouldn't. What did she care if he'd kissed another woman since their short lip lock in Luciano's office?

But the fact was she did care. Selfishly, she liked the fact that for whatever reason Nico kept his distance from women lately. All women but me. Before she had the chance to read anything into his words Tabby stood up from the table but she couldn't keep her eyes off him. He was such a sexy man and the woman in her couldn't help but desire him. Her feet stuck to the ground as if rooted there. Even when he stood up, took the glass from her hand, pushed the plates out of the way she couldn't move.

The look in his eyes, want, need, desire spelled out what he planned to do next. There wasn't a damn thing she could do about it, well actually there wasn't a damn thing she wanted to do about it. Not right now. Tabby let him turn her, his body pushed hers until the backs of her legs hit the table. Nico grabbed her, lifted her until she sat on her kitchen table and then he kissed her. A bone melting, heart racing, toe curling kiss.

At this moment she wanted nothing more than this sexy man and the things he did to her body. Sexual feelings no man ever stirred in her before. He made her want him, need his hand on her more than she needed her next breath. He oozed blatant sexuality from every pore in his body. He made her forget herself. When had her legs opened so he could stand inside of them? When had her hands wrapped around his neck?

Nico took her places she'd never been before, with just a kiss. He made her body burn, the apex of her thighs throb, her nipples tighten. He kissed her deeply, thoroughly, like a starving animal devouring his prey. She felt his urgent need as strongly as it built inside her own body. This was too good. He was too good. Friends. You're supposed to just be friends.

Right as the thought processed in her brain he left her mouth and started kissing his way down her neck.

"I told you there is more than one thing to do on a kitchen table,” he whispered next to her ear. His words along with her thoughts seconds before gave her the momentum, or stupidity, she needed to pull away. As much as her body hated to, she knew she needed to stop this before they went any further.

"I'm sorry.” Her voice came out much weaker than she wanted it to. “I can't do this, Nico. It's friends or nothing."

His eyes closed for a few seconds. When they opened he put his hands on her shoulders. “No reason to be sorry, Slugger. You told me the score from the get go."

She silently thanked God for his understanding. He wasn't used to women like her. Women who could easily indulge in what their bodies wanted. “We still doing a movie?"

"Of course. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Nico watched the credits roll across a black screen. He hadn't watched most of the movie. About a quarter of the way through, Tabby had fallen asleep, curled up on the other end of the sofa. He watched her instead, the rise and fall of her chest, the beaded nipples showing through her shirt. The why of it was what he couldn't understand. Whatever the hell it was, he was getting sick of it. The compulsion to tell her he wasn't dating, hadn't dated came from nowhere. It was a big mistake.

Giving her something to look at the wrong way, something that might make her think he felt something different than he did wasn't his smartest move. She had his whole game screwed up. He was doing things he never did, saying things he never did, feeling things he never did. But he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He knew nothing changed for him, he wasn't thinking about the whole white picket fence and two point five kids but he did want her more than ever.

And then there was the kiss. He knew she'd stop him but he'd been unable to stop himself. She cast some kind of spell on him that made him fall prey to stupid, compulsive activities that would only make him hornier, and her pull farther away. Still he continued to do it, continued to put himself out there to have a woman who didn't want him. But he couldn't get enough of her. Usually he would be tired of a woman by now, ready to move on.

Maybe he wasn't ready to move on because they hadn't really gone anywhere yet. He hadn't had her yet. Hadn't sunk deep into the wetness of her body. Tabby moaned a soft sound that made him instantly hard. Damn. He'd always loved sex but he'd never had a constant hard-on around a woman before. He knew with her, the sex would go above and beyond any that he'd had before. That's what kept him going, kept him trying. That and the fact that he plain liked her. Everything about her.

Before he did something he'd regret, like waking her up and again kissing her senseless, Nico stood up and grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch. Softly, making sure not to wake her, he laid the blanket over her and turned off the TV. He slipped into her kitchen. Her cat sat by an empty food bowl. He looked in her cabinets until he found the food, poured some in the bowl and then grabbed a piece of paper and pen that sat next to her phone.

Slugger,

Remind me not to watch a movie with you again. You fell asleep within fifteen minutes. Didn't have the heart to wake you. Hope you slept well. If you want anymore cooking lessons (or anything else for that matter) you know who to call.

Nico

P.S. Charming was hungry so I fed him for you.

Nico put the note on the coffee table and slipped out the door making sure to lock it behind him.

Tabby rolled over and almost fell off the couch. She'd been so exhausted she didn't realize she'd fallen asleep in the middle of their movie last night. Stretching she looked down and noticed her blanket on top of her. Nico must have done it. How sweet. She sat up and happened to glance down at a piece of paper on the table. A note from Nico. Picking it up she read his words. Her heart skipped a beat.

Chill out girl. All the man did was feed your cat. Don't start romanticizing him. She couldn't let herself do that. She'd start thinking little things were cute and the next thing she'd know she'd fall for him and he'd lose interest and move on to his next conquest. Tabby stood up and folded the blanket putting it back on her couch. It really was sweet of him to cover her and feed Charming. But sweet in a friendly way not a romantic way. She'd have to thank him the next time they saw each other.

Walking into her bathroom, Tabby turned on the bath. She lit her lavender candles, put her bath salts into the tub and began to strip. A few minutes later she lowered herself into the water. It felt divine. Baths were her mode of relaxation. Nothing put her body at ease like a hot bath. Especially in her deep, jetted tub.

Leaning back in the tub she let the water take her to another place. Her thoughts were free to flow as she relaxed and damned if they didn't head straight to a very sexy Italian man who taught her to cook, covered her, and fed her cat. Every time she turned around he showed her a different side of him. Each one she liked more and more.

This surprised her, scared her, and excited her all at the same time. He wasn't like anyone she'd ever known which made him dangerous to the heart that she tried to guard. Being friends with him, and seeing this new side of Nico wasn't what she thought it would be. Nico was so much more in a way she wouldn't have imagined. He read her like he knew more about her than she did herself.

Last night's impromptu cooking lesson had been just what she needed. Well that and the dancing and talking. And the kissing. Time to switch topics. Cooking was much safer than kissing. Maybe next time she'd have him show her how to make an Italian dessert. Her stomach growled in response. She enjoyed this new friendship more than she thought she would. No matter his stance on relationships, Nico was a good guy. Just not the guy for her. For the first time she was a little sad by the acknowledgment.

Tabby let her water drain and toweled dry. After dressing she picked up the phone to call Bri. She wanted to hang with her girls today. The guilt over keeping a secret from them bothered her. “Hey girl,” she said after Bri picked up.