"Have you seen my keys?"
"They're on your desk. You sat them there when you picked up Spencer last night. Don't forget that we're having dinner with your brother tonight. They're going to meet us at the restaurant at seven."
"I can't believe that I already forgot all about that. You might have to meet me at the clinic. Can you bring a suit with you in case I need to change?"
"Sure, Alfred picked up the dry cleaning yesterday afternoon, so that charcoal one is back that I love so much. I was going to wear that slate silk dress that I picked up yesterday when I was shopping with Leyla at Wyndham's."
"Spencer, stop playing with your eggs and eat them. You're going to be late again."
"Daddy, I'm not playing with my eggs. I'm spreading them around so that it looks like I already ate some. They're yucky."
Nadine smiled affectionately across the table at Spencer as he dropped his fork on the walnut table in defeat. Nikolas reached across to pick up the plate and replaced it with a bowl of fresh fruit. They did this almost every morning. Spencer rarely liked what Mrs. Landsbury made for him, and Nikolas always ended up feeling him slices of apple and banana in his favorite Spiderman bowl. They were nearly late most days, it was their routine, and in the short time she had been staying at Wyndamere, it had become hers. She loved how integrated into their lives she felt. With her deadline of full recovery looming tomorrow, she had begun to wonder how long her stay at the mansion would last. It was still so soon to officially move in together, and yet, she couldn't imagine living in that apartment alone again. She would miss waking up knowing that Spencer could come in at any minute or smiling at Nikolas over breakfast every morning.
"Alright, Master Spencer, your Aunt Elizabeth is waiting outside in the car to take you to your play date," Alfred announced from the doorway in his formal English accent. The older man came into the dining room and helped the little boy climb down from his seat. He tucked another apple into his backpack and handed it over to Nikolas.
Bending down, Nikolas helped his son shrug the bag over his shoulders. "Alright, you listen to everything Cameron's teacher tells you today," Nikolas ordered him patiently. Spencer nodded obediently before leaning forward to hug his father. The two Cassadine held onto each other for a long moment. "I love you, Buddy."
"I love you, too, Daddy," he grinned before sprinting over to hug Nadine. He embraced her tightly as she dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "Will you be here when I get home?"
"I will be here before we go to dinner so that I can tuck you in," she promised. Spencer seemed to approve because he simply waved at his father and Nadine before bounding out of the room. Nadine watched after him for a moment before turning back to her green tea and crepes. "I wish that you didn't have to work today. It's my last day on bed rest. I was hoping that we could just hang out."
Nikolas took a long sip of coffee before setting the china mug back on the table. "I'm sorry, if I had known that you anything planned, I wouldn't have set up this meeting," he apologized. Nadine shrugged nonchalantly, lamely trying to hide her disappointment. "I'll tell you what, I don't officially have to be in town until four this afternoon for that meeting. I don't want to reschedule it since it has to do with the clinic, but I have the rest of the day that we could spend alone. Just you and me – what do you say?"
"I love you, Nikolas."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Nadine knew that it was too soon. She hadn't wanted to be the one to say it first. As much as she was mentally kicking herself, the pain couldn't even begin to compare to how much it hurt to only hear silence in return. Burying her face in her hands, she wanted to sink through the floorboards and disappear. She wanted to be standing behind the nurse's station with Leyla, gossiping about the patients. She wanted to be dancing barefoot alone in her apartment while she got ready to go out for drinks with the girls. She wanted to be reading a book at the corner table at Kelly's. She pretty much wanted to be anywhere else but in that dining room. However, just as she was about to concoct a master plan for a semi-graceful exit, she felt his strong hands prying her fingers from her eyes.
"I love you, too, Nadine."
She didn't want to cry. She hadn't intended to do it when he finally said the three words that she wanted to hear. Yet, as soon as she heard them, she had to cry out of relief. Knowing that he felt the same as she did validated everything they had been through. It made almost dying in the fire worth it. "You do?" she whispered as she stood up. Nikolas nodded silently as he tangled his hands in her blonde hair. Pulling her face to his, he proved to her just how much he loved her with a long, soulful kiss that literally made her toes curl in delicious pleasure. She pulled away breathlessly and looked up at him in awe. "I thought that maybe you loved me. I mean, I really hoped that you did because I knew how I felt but you had never said so I didn't know for sure…"
"You talk too much," he murmured against her mouth before capturing her mouth again. His tongue darted past her lips, eliciting a guttural moan from deep within her ribs. Her hands found their way behind his neck as he lifted her slightly and sat her down on the edge of table. He moved between her parted thighs and continued to kiss her with everything he possessed. She could feel his body harden against hers as she grazed her fingernails beneath the hem of his shirt and over the bare warm skin of his back. "Don't stop," he pleaded as she locked her legs around his waist and pulled him even closer to him. His fingers worked nimbly over the row of buttons on her pristine white cardigan sweater.
Nadine leaned back on her palms to allow Nikolas to peal away her cardigan. He tossed it carelessly over his shoulder before attacking her collarbone with openmouthed kisses. If he kept going, they would soon reach the road of no return. She knew that she needed to stop it. She needed to push him away as they had had to do too many times during her stay at Wyndamere. She was supposed to do these things, even if she didn't want to. "One more day, Nikolas," she managed before raking her fingers through his dark hair. He didn't even look up as he began to work his way across her shoulder blades. Nadine sighed contently as he pushed down the straps of her camisole and kissed the place where the flimsy fabric previously sat.
"Screw that," he grunted as he lifted her off the table and carried her toward the staircase. Nadine's lips found her ways to Nikolas' as they navigated the stairway and hallway that led to his private quarters. He didn't even bother with the lights as he brought her into his bedroom. The only thing he really cared about was a closed door and a few hours alone with this incredible woman. Nikolas sat her gently in the middle of his spacious mattress. With her arms still locked around his neck, she managed to easily pull him down on top of her. The weight of his body pressed against her as he hovered over her, staring into a pair of blue eyes that mirrored every emotion radiating through his own body. "Are you sure?"
He knew the answer before he asked it, but he needed for her to be sure. Once they crossed this line, it would never be like it was before. He wanted this more than anything, but if she wasn't ready, he would wait for her. Thankfully, he only had to wait about three seconds before she dragged him all the way down to her. "This really isn't what I had in mind today," she giggled as Nikolas began to slowly unzip her jeans and pull them off. His hands ran over every inch of her skin down to her toes and then back up to her face again. Framing her cheeks in his hand, he looked up and down her body appreciatively. As someone who had always been self-conscious, she had never felt sexier than she did in front of Nikolas in her camisole and plain black cotton panties.
"Come here," she ordered suddenly, wanting to play the part of seductress for a minute. She hooked her ankle around his waist and pressed him down over her with a sudden burst of energy. Nikolas ran his hands down her sides as they languished in a long kiss. Nadine managed to turn them over so that she was on top. Straddling his thighs, she sat over him like a goddess. Looking into his eyes, she meticulously unfastened each button on his dark button-up shirt. He leaned up only slightly to allow her to remove the shirt before collapsing back against the bed. Her fingers traced the defined outlines of his chest and then his abdomen. Nikolas inhaled sharply when she dared to dip below his bellybutton and brush her fingertips over the fine hairs leading to his belt.
Sitting up, Nikolas pressed hair back from her eyes before leaning in to kiss her again. He could never get enough of just kissing her. As their tongues wrestled for control past her wet lips, he began to inch her camisole up her back. Sensing his need, she pushed away his hands and lifted the thin tank away herself. "I want to feel you," he implored as she pressed her bare chest against his. He didn't make a move to feel her up, he simply reveled in the warm sensation of her skin.
Nadine eventually surrendered to him when he began to sensually massage her back and sides. Nikolas kissed her until her back was flat against the mattress and then began to torturous journey down her neck to her breasts. He palmed her flesh gently, applying just the right pressure to elicit moans of praise from her. It was only when he had worked her to the brink did he allow her to reciprocate. She hungrily unclasped his belt and tossed it on the floor. His pants soon followed in a puddle of fine silk. After surviving a brain tumor, the ghost of fiancé, countless insecurities, a fire and the subsequent recover, there was now only a pair of cotton briefs and jersey boxer briefs between them.
"Tell me again," she urged as he ran his hands down her spine and over her firm bottom. He kissed her greedily, alternating between sucking on her tongue and biting down softly on her bottom lip. "Please, Nikolas, I need to hear you say it again."
Nikolas pressed his abdomen against hers so that she could feel all of his desire for her. "I love you," he avowed before hooking his thumbs in her panties and bringing them down past her ankles. He kissed his way up over her calf, across the knee and up her thigh before brushing his lips over her inner core. She gasped immediately as she arched her back. He lavished in the strangled way she said his name, urging him to return to the tender spot. His tongue massaged her masterfully while she called out to him over and over again as if she was entranced. He worked her to the brink again, only this time he allowed her to fall fully over the edge. Her body convulsed beneath him as she fisted his satin sheets in pleasure. Holding her tightly in his arms, he waited for her to ride out the waves of adulation before returning his attention to her lips.
"God, why did I wait for that?" she wondered aloud once she was semi-recovered. Nikolas chuckled at her satisfied smile. The grin grew even wider when she noticed him watching her like a proud little boy. She leaned up and kissed him briefly before crawling out from under him. "Now, it's your turn."
Never one to argue with a determined woman, Nikolas was more than happy to allow her to take the reigns. She knelt by his side and rained kisses down the lines of his torso that she had traced minutes earlier with her hand. Her tongue dipped into the salty crevice between his pectorals before being replaced by her lips over his abs. She repositioned herself between his legs, making certain to pay attention to every inch of his caramel skin. When she finally reached the elastic band of his designer boxer briefs, she didn't hesitate to break down that final barrier between him. In every way possible, Nikolas and Nadine were bare to each other. She could see into his heart. He held her soul.
It didn't take much effort from Nadine to garner a very appreciative reaction from Nikolas. He relished her skillful technique as she willingly worshiped his body. When they were both in that heightened state of awareness that comes just before the world goes completely hazy, he turned them back both over so that he was over her. He watched how her eyes widened when he finally allowed their bodies to become one. She grasped his shoulder tightly, her nails digging into his skin, as they both readjusted to their conjoined state. Then, with a little urging from her, they began to move in sync. Unlike their earlier moments of lust and passion, this was quiet and sweet. And when she fell over the edge this time, she waited until Nikolas could fall with her.
Afterwards, a tired Nadine fell into a fitful sleep in the warmth and safety of Nikolas' arms. He would have usually done the same, completely worn out from such an exhausting round. However, with Nadine, he only wanted to watch her sleep. With the satin sheets arranged over her chest, she was curled against him. He could look down over her if he propped himself up on one elbow. He must have lain like that for over an hour, content to watch the steady rise and fall of her every breath. "I love you," he whispered to her again, brushing his thumb over her lips.
"I love you, too," she retorted as her mouth curled into a smile beneath his touch. Her eyes fluttered open while she yawned. She stretched her body next to his and then turned back into him. His hand found its new home on her bare hip bone while the other snaked across her abdomen to hold her. Her own hands rested over his on her stomach. "I have to say, Cassadine, I really am proud of us. That was quite good, if I do say so myself."
"Quite," he agreed with a small laugh. Leave it up to Nadine to summarize it in such a matter-of-fact way. God help him, he loved this woman. "I just can't believe that we managed to make it this long without attacking each other. I swear, every time you would look at me, let alone kiss me, I was trying to think a way that I could ravage you without technically breaking Patrick's orders."
"Yeah, I'm thinking that I'm glad that tomorrow is the last day of this whole thing because I don't think I could wait too long to do that again," she confessed as she turned over on her stomach. His hands threaded around her waist as she covered her body with his. She was usually more reserved with a guy than this, never one to speak so openly or boldly when it comes to sex. However, with Nikolas, all those usual insecurities were gone. She felt completely comfortable in her own skin. "How long do we have before you have to get out of bed?"
Glancing over her shoulder, Nikolas deducted the time he would need to get ready for his meeting. "Six hours," he answered before being rewarded with a kiss from a very grateful woman. "What do you want to do? I could send down for some food if you're hungry or we could watch movies." His questions went unanswered as she prodded him into making out like two teenagers. After a minute or two of kissing her, he thought that his lame attempt at activities might have been defeated. "Or we could just do this…"
"We both know where that leads, and as much as I loved it, I'm not sure that my body can handle doing it this soon again," she said. "I actually have something else in mind that I would like to do, but it involves getting out of this bed." He groaned fruitlessly at her suggestion. It didn't matter that the last thing he wanted to do was leave their haven, he would do anything she asked of him. "I was thinking that we could go to Wyndham's."
Nikolas groaned. He hated shopping and had made sure that a hired personal shopper knew his measurements each season so that he could avoid having to do it. "I'm sorry, but why?" he asked. He didn't mean to be so opposing, but he truly dreaded anything do with retail.
"You have done so much for me, and I just wanted to do something for you in return."
"I believe you just did," he teased suggestively.
Nadine punched his shoulder playfully. "I want to buy you a shirt," she informed him haughtily. "I saw it yesterday when I was with Leyla, and I knew that it would look absolutely beautiful on you. I just didn't know what size to get for sure. If you came with me, you could try it on."
"I have a million shirts," he pointed out. "I don't need you to get me anything to show me that you care. I know that you love me, and that's all I really wanted."
"Please, Nikolas, I want do to this for you," she pleaded, jutting out her bottom lip in a lame attempt to conjure guilt from him. When he still didn't budge, she attempted some good old-fashioned bribery. "I mean, you're going to have to try it on in the fitting room. I might have to come in there to help you. We would be stuck all alone in a tiny little confined space with you shirtless. If that sounds like hell to you, I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do."
"No fair, Crowell!" he exclaimed as images of her pressed against the fitting room wall danced in his head. Only a monk would turn down such a proposition. "I guess I could always use another shirt..."
"I thought you would see it my way," she boasted as she slid from the bed and went off in search of the various articles of clothing that were now littered around his bedroom. Instead of pulling on her own camisole, she buttoned Nikolas' shirt over her body and tucked it into her jeans. She looked so damn sexy in his shirt. He could only hope that she would look half as good in his new one.