"Did you have a nice chat with your friends?" As soon as Shannon emerged from her room, Nick greeted her from the bathroom doorway. She barely managed to bite back her squeak of shock. Nick crossed his arms over his chest. "It sounded like you had a room full of girls. Did they climb out your window?"
Shannon shook her head and finally said, "We were on our phones with a weirdly set-up conference call."
"You know, you could have said something. I don't bite. Well…unless you ask very nicely." He had a flirty smirk on his face as he walked back to the living room.
"And that's why I talked to the girls." Shannon muttered. She started to walk into the bathroom because she really needed to pee but she caught a whiff of his lingering cologne, heavily scented in the small area. I can't do that, she thought and headed towards the kitchen to fix something for dinner. Nick could see this and bit back a smile. Forty-five minutes later he was smiling in delight as he was enjoying a home cooked meal that she whipped up and served him without complaint. It wasn't often he got to enjoy the delicacy of a home cooked meal. This was something to be savored.
When the dinner dishes were cleaned up and showers were taken, Shannon and Nick headed for separate bedrooms. Shannon was thrilled to be back in her own room and in her own bed. Nick was show to the guest room with the guest bed. "You'll be comfortable here. The bathroom is across the hall and I am next door. Sleep well!"
The next morning, Shannon woke up to the aroma of coffee wafting through the apartment. Stretching, she pulled herself up and went to greet her houseguest. Her shirtless houseguest who was sitting on her counter, head propped against the wall with his eyes closed, steaming mug of coffee in his hands, athletic shorts riding low on his hips…Oh, dear Lord, that man looks so good! I could run my hands up his chest…caress those pectoral muscles…lick that collar bone, suck on that neck…kiss those lips…drown in those eyes…those eyes…Those eyes, SHIT! A smile began to grow on his face as he raised his cup of coffee to his mouth. After he took a sip, he sat the cup on the counter at his side. He never broke eye-contact with Shannon.
Shannon began rapidly blinking her eyes and started to move towards the bathroom. As soon as her foot flinched, Nick was there. Shannon was backed against the wall, hands raised over her head, with his lips grazing her ear. "Don't run. Don't fight this. Please. I'm all here and so are you. We know what we are doing and we both want this, don't we? Please say you do because it is written all over your face." Nick lowered his mouth to the side of Shannon's neck, trailing his tongue in a warm wet path. Shannon's knees started to shake. She curled her fingers into his and Nick's smile grew wider. "We okay?" Shannon slid one thigh up and around his waist. He let go of her hands and grasped her hips. Holding her steady, Nick rocked against her body letting her feel what he was feeling. Shannon began chewing on her lip. Nick grabbed her lip in his and whispered, "Stop that. I am the only one allowed to chew on these lips." Shannon's tinkling hit Nick right in that spot in the lower belly that maintained his control. Her night shirt and shorts were flung on the floor as he carried her back into her room. His shorts hit the floor as his knees touched the side of the bed. "Just to be clear, you are about to get tumbled onto your bed." he said, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other behind her head.
"I knew you were awake." she murmured before he captured her lips in a kiss reminiscent of a general storming an enemy fort. As she was lowered onto the middle of the bed, he slid inside and began to rock with very little wait-time. Shannon was caught in a maelstrom of feelings and experiences. She couldn't tell which end was up, only that this was something different that anything she had ever shared with anyone else. She didn't want to ever come up for air.
Shannon was glad that this concussion didn't have the lasting effects that the previous one seemed to have on Nick. He recovered so much more quickly. That didn't explain why he felt he had to rush off and meet up with the WWE in Buffalo on January 11th. He wanted to drive, not fly, so he left on the 10th with a promise to call and Skype. He said he hoped that she understood, it was a career decision because he needed the push. They were headed into Canada on tour, he couldn't miss an international tour, could he? She understood, right? He would be back. Promise.