CHAPTER 7: If you leave another hickey...

Kaylie is vaguely aware that a phone is ringing, and the sound jars her awake. She opens her eyes and the first thing she sees is someone's chest, pressed against her forehead.

Nicky's chest; hairless and bulging with muscles.

She sits up quickly and watches him for a few moments, grabbing her cellphone from the bedstand and silencing it, not for a moment taking her eyes off the man lying beside her, only partially covered by the white silken sheets.

She's kind of in awe of him. Sex is supposed to be meaningful, she knows, but it definitely changes things and now she can see how much things have shifted for her in this relationship. There's a heavy, bubbly, foreign feeling in her chest—love? Is this really what it feels like? Like she can't tear her eyes away from him for fear that when she turns back, he won't be there any more? For fear that that morning, and all the laughter, the nervousness, the breathlessness, had all been a dream, and she's going to wake up any moment and it's still 2010 and she's still lonely and unhappy Kaylie?

Wait. When did this life in 2014 become better than the one she had in 2010? What's wrong with her? Just yesterday she hated her current predicament and wished they had traveled to the future so they could travel back, and now…

God, he's really handsome. Painfully, astoundingly handsome. So handsome that she lost her train of thought and doesn't want to find it at all.

She thinks about how things worked better when he was going by instinct: when it seemed like he wasn't overthinking things, then he was confident, deliberate, and knowing. When he seemed to realize that as far as he remembered, this was the first time they were having sex, Nicky was a lot more nervous and tentative, as though afraid of misstepping or missing any cues from her. And he stared a lot, like he was memorizing where all her curves and crooks and freckles are. It was flattering, of course, that he was so thoroughly entranced by her body, but that meant she had to get his attention away from appreciating with his eyes, to appreciating with… well, other parts of his body.

Come to think of it, she wouldn't mind it if he appreciated her right now.

Wow. She really feels like a perv now. And she has to admit that she was a little more forward about it than she would have imagined. But she'd gone to bed wanting it so, so much, and when she woke up she saw that somehow, he ended up hugging her from the back protectively, tenderly, like that's how they usually wake up in the morning. Of course that had made everything a hundred times worse—Nicky Russo was spooning her with his incredibly hard and toned body and it just... felt... really, really good. Way too good. So naturally, she jumped off the bed and began to pace the room, nervously making him coffee and serving herself orange juice.

And for that half hour, things had been all right. Sort. Yes, she wanted to stare, and she couldn't stop replaying their movements inside her mind, and yes, she really wanted to do it again, but if she just kept on pacing, she could think about other things. Like how that damn song they performed on karaoke stuck itself in her head, making her unable to stop humming it.

And then he woke up. He smiled at her, laughed with her, and gave her that look that some part of her recognized; a longing to be with her, a fascination with the way she was moving and speaking. And it made her feel so happy and free... and then he kissed her, and felt like she was dissolving...

So yeah—can she really be blamed for practically jumping him?

The cellphone rings again and through its persistence, finally manages to get Kaylie to answer it. Her eyes widen in small alarm when she takes a quick look at the screen and realizes that it's already four in the afternoon.

"Hello?" She tiptoes to the bathroom and wraps herself in a robe.

"Mrs. Russo! Thank God!" It's her assistant. Kaylie remembers the voice and the face, but not the name, and her mind races to recover that information before she needs it.

"Hey..." Anna? Amber? Amy? "What's going on?"

"Your shoot is in less than an hour!" Oh, crap. "The limo is downstairs, but the hotel management told me that there's still a 'DO NOT DISTURB' sign hanging on your door. I'm really sorry I've been calling you for the past hour."

Right. She has a career that she just shoved aside to have morning sex. "I'm getting ready. I'll be downstairs in ten minutes." Her eyes wander over to where Nicky is still soundly asleep and she sighs. "And also, arrange for Nicky's transportation back to our house." Before she hangs up, she remembers to ask, "oh and did he miss practice today?"

"Well, it's Sunday isn't it? Isn't he usually off?"

Relief relaxes her tense muscles. "And did I miss any appointments?"

"I rescheduled your yoga for Monday morning, and postponed your photo shoot for TV Guide on the upcoming episode where Mr. Russo guest stars."

Kaylie involuntarily releases a laugh, standing up to walk towards her room again in order to sort out her clothes. So Nicky is going to guest star in her show? He's going to act? With her? It's a hilarious thought. "Okay. Thanks. I'll be down in a few."

Efficiently, she hangs up and unpacks the clothes that were sent to her room the night before by her assistant—Alice! That was her name!—so she wouldn't have to wear the dress again. When she's finally fully clothed, she finds herself staring at Nicky again. She can't wake him up. The morning's activities were exhausting—and she has to suppress a blush at the thought—and he's also still nursing a hangover.

Gently, she presses a kiss on his lips and feels her breath catch when he sighs softly. Oh my God, she thinks with slight panic, it's so hard to leave him. Swiftly, she exits the suite and makes her way downstairs, where just as she's come to expect, there is a line of paparazzi camped out of the hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kaylie Russo.


Two hours and five coats of make-up later, Kaylie is still not done with the photo shoot and is channeling all her annoyance to her shoes. She's positive that her shoes have the highest heels known to mankind, and right now they are choking her feet.

"Okay, now lean to your right, place your hand on Austin's shoulder." Kaylie complies, but can't help grumbling under her breath about the heels, thanks to which she's almost at Austin's height. Her white dress is beautiful but very tight and short, too—she's uncomfortably aware that her cleavage is very much on display. And if Austin's wandering gaze is any indication, her boobs look great.

"When is this gonna be over?" Austin asks between clenched teeth as he throws the camera what she knows now is his signature bad-boy grin.

She continues to smile, charmingly tilting her head to accentuate their proximity, and the photographer and shoot director both exclaim compliments. "Right now would be a good time."

She's about to yank her heels off and throw them at the photographer when her eyes snap to the entrance of the set. She swears the lighting dims down momentarily, because all she can see is him.

"What's boy-scout doing here?"

Some of the crew greet Nicky and he's quickly offered a seat and a cup of coffee. Kaylie is finding it incredibly difficult to focus on the cameras and her interaction with Austin when memories of their morning together are constantly flashing in her mind and making the set feel like it's on top of a volcano.

The heels are completely forgotten when their eyes meet and gazes lock. She should look away. She should be looking at the camera, or Austin, but her attention is glued on him, and he knows, because he smiles and offers her a small wave. Can a twenty-year-old's heart stop just like that?

"And… we're done," announces the photo shoot director cheerfully and for some reason unknown to Kaylie, various staff members begin to clap and congratulate each other. "Great work, Kaylie, Austin," he continues to nod towards them and Austin pulls her into a hug, which Kaylie could not be any less involved in, since the only thing she wants really, is just go to Nicky and… yeah… just go to him.

One of the wardrobe staffers turns her, zips her out of the dress, and just as Kaylie is about to protest in her underwear, another staffer wraps her in a robe. In a huff, Kaylie turns to where Nicky was and finds that he's walked closer to where she is, and now he's unexpectedly closer. She walks off the brightly lit stage and approaches him, counting her steps and how many breaths she's taking.

"Hi," he greets with a grin, hands tightly enveloped by his pockets. "So… this is where you work."

"Yeah," she replies uneasily, stiffly, because he's right there, and she doesn't know what to do now.

"It's huge."

Is he as nervous as she is? Is he as breathless? "Yes. I got lost a couple of times… how did you get here?"

"Our chauffeur. I asked him to drive me to your work."

"Great. I had wanted you to see it…" And she'd really, really wanted to see him, she thinks with a blush. Just then she notices that some people are throwing curious looks, and understandably so, because they're married and are just standing too many feet away from each other. The scene just oozes awkwardness.

They're married, she reminds herself, then urges her body to relax and play the part a little more convincingly—she's an actress after all, right? And didn't she win some sort of award for her acting work? She places a hand on Nicky's chest, figuring that's enough of a heads-up that she's going to kiss him, and then leans towards him and presses her lips against his.

Such a bad, bad, horrible idea.

Kaylie feels him stiffen, and it causes her to double-guess herself, which leads her to stiffen as well. It's a second that stretches into a small eternity, because they're kissing, and the taste and feel of his lips is so, so intoxicating. It's almost like she's suffocating, but nothing in her body tells her to come up for air.

"Whoa, there, lovebirds. Leave some for the bedroom," Austin calls out with a raucous laugh that snaps her back into her senses. She pulls away and feels her self-restraint falter when their eyes meet and all she can think about is that morning; his mouth, his arms, his hair, his smile, his hands...

Focus, Kaylie. "Right. Yes. We should go." She spins on her heel and heads to her trailer, mentally berating herself because things had seemed to be going well until she'd decided that kissing him was a good idea. "Really, Kaylie, really?" she grumbles under her breath, reaching the trailer and pulling down the lever on the door to open it.

In her hurry to leave the set and Nicky, she didn't realize that he was following her. When she enters the trailer and with frustration unties the loose knot holding together her robe, she's startled when she turns and almost bumps into Nicky, who's closing the door behind him and is just as shocked as she is when he sees her semi-naked body inches away from his face.

"Wow. I mean. Uh. Sorry," he manages to apologize, visibly making a strained effort not to look at her. And if she weren't so tense with confusion over how to handle this post-sex situation, she'd probably have found all his fumbling and blushing really adorable. "I'll get out of your trailer now. Let me just... find the, uh..." Of course, he doesn't know how to unlock the door. Because if he did, then he'd be able to make an easy exit and she wouldn't have to approach him and touch his shoulder, but the universe hates her. So yeah. Of course the door isn't going to open.

"You don't really have to leave," she states with a forced smile when he turns to her with alarm after feeling her hand on his shoulder. "You can just... turn around. Or something." He swallows hard, and now she can actually chuckle at how hard he's trying to keep his eyes fixed at a spot behind her, instead of lowering them to look at her face or body. "And... don't be so nervous. You've seen all of this already."

Finally, she's able to relax him, and he smiles back. "Yeah, let me make it even."

Oh, Jesus... he took off his shirt. And he still thinks this is a joke.

"Better now, huh?" His grin is wide and oblivious, and it exists in stark contrast to her instantly uneasy smile. Looking at his muscles and thinking of how much they make her want to touch them makes her feel like she's stretching the corners of her mouth apart trying to go along with the joke.

"Right. Much better." He finally turns and sits down on the bed, while she releases an inaudible sigh and begins to change. "How's the hangover?"

"Completely cured." She's unhooking her bra and putting on another one while he adds, "you know, they did a good job of covering up that hickey."

Kaylie laughs, glad that this allusion to their morning isn't making them even more uncomfortable. "Yeah, the make-up team was a little mad but they're very good," she replies, putting on her panties.

"Mine is still kind of visible, although I don't really bruise easily or anything."

"You don't? I'll have to remember that for next time."

For some reason, Nicky is silent. When she looks up distractedly after adjusting her panties, her eyes lock with his and she realizes what she's just said, and all the layers of meaning underneath it. And with his eyes fixed on her like that, devouring the way she looks, while his shirt is off and she's inebriated by memories and urges, it becomes hard to keep away from him. So hard that she has to grip the counter behind her to hold herself in place.

Nicky stands up.

Oh, no.

He walks towards her, and he's not even blinking. In a second, his face is a whisper away from hers and she just really wants to grab him and do things to him that her usually PG-rated thoughts don't venture into.

But she doesn't. She stands her ground, and waits, controlling her breathing. She'd initiated things last time and there's something in her that tells her to wait. It tells her that she will love seeing him lose control before she does.

Nicky is so close, but he doesn't touch her. And his eyes don't look at her body; instead, they remain on her face, brushing over her hair, chin, mouth, and eyes.

"I kind of had a dream," he breaks the silence, with a voice so deep and raw that it sends small goosebumps down her body. "Guess what we were doing."

How can she get such a thrill out of teasing him and anticipating what will come after? "Hmm... backflips? Swimming? Playing checkers?"

They trade smiles, a second-long reprieve from the heavy, hot atmosphere. "That's a little far off. But I could always show you." Slowly he leans in and gently kisses her neck and Kaylie has to count to three and measure her heartbeats to make sure she doesn't throw him on the bed and show him what she's been dreaming about.

"Nicky, if you leave another hickey, I swear to God..." Her breath hitches when his tongue presses on a particularly sensitive spot; he really knows what he's doing this time around, and it scares her how much she wants this-the urge is even stronger than in that morning. She slides a finger under his chin and raises his head so she can kiss him, but before she does, and just after he's beginning to lean in, she can't help replying to his earlier offer. "Go ahead. Show me."


A/N: I was a little apprehensive when I wrote the last chapter, trying to make sure I was being realistic about Nicky's thoughts when he and Kaylie finally did it. So I'm glad the response was positive. I'm not that comfortable with Nicky's POV, thus the fact that I've only written 2 out of 7 chapters in his POV. I guess Kaylie is my comfort zone. :) Thanks so much for your support so far. All the author/story alerts, favorites, and especially the reviews, are deeply appreciated and loved. On another note, does anyone know when the next season of MIOBI is going to air?