Chapt. 39

CLAIRE

"Oh my God, Sadie, the apartment is absolutely perfect! It's got three bedrooms, three full and one half bath, walk in closets, huge living space. The kitchen is amazing on every level. It's got this big island with a pan rack above it. Marble counter tops, this super great backsplash, and it is all black and white with stainless steel appliances. I emailed you pictures," I gushed.

I heard her chuckle on the other end of the line when I paused to take a deep breath. "Claire it sounds so perfect. I am looking at the pictures as we speak. Your excitement is well placed. Now, I have a bit of news for you."

"Oh gosh, Sadie, I am so sorry! You should have just told me to shut up," I said.

"It's quite alright, it's nice to hear you so excited. Now, I got that application night before last, got it submitted. Heard nothing at all yesterday, but today I got a phone call about it."

I shrieked in excited anticipation and smiled across the table at Nic. We were out and having our daily lunch date since he was home. I was thankful for an extra hour today. I pulled the phone from my ear and whispered to him, "Sadie got a call about the coffee shop job!"

He smiled at me brighter than he had been. "That's fantastic!"

"So, I had an impromptu phone interview then, and now they have decided they want to do a sit down, face to face, interview. It's set for Monday. So, the rest of today and all of tomorrow will be spent packing up everything, cancelling utilities, and all of that mess. Then Saturday I will make the drive home."

"Wait, you're packing up and coming home? As in…"

She laughed and said happily, "As in moving on home. You knew it was in the plans, so I figured now is as good a time as any. I'm coming home."

I felt the tears prick my eyes and smiled. "Oh Sadie, I am so happy! I can't wait til you're here. You can store things at the Tampa house, and I'll have you a room ready at the new place when you get here. I'm furniture shopping today and tomorrow anyway. I love you! Now, go on and finish packing!"

I hung and Nic was still smiling my way. "Good news I take it?" I filled him in on the great news and he raised his beer. "To Sadie, coming home and to a new beginning for her. And to you, for finally finding the perfect apartment."

Our bottles clinked together and we drank. I finally felt some sunshine creeping into my life. I had a fabulous ranch style apartment that I loved, my best friend was coming home, and I had this amazing boyfriend. Yes, today my life was good.

I had done a lot of online shopping to outfit my new apartment once I had gotten back to work that afternoon. I had also arranged for delivery of it all the next day which meant that I had to take the day off. Thankfully days off were not something that I often requested so when I did, there was no problem getting it approved. I was beyond excited to get it all into my apartment and see how it all looked. I still had to go buy wall decorations and such, but that would be a fun outing with Sadie when she got here. I didn't feel that driving back to Tampa tonight, only to turn around and come back in the morning, was logical so I had told Nic that I'd be getting a hotel room. Well, he was not having that at all and insisted that I stay at his place. My stomach had done a small flip that I assumed was excitement. I had to admit that I was looking forward to it, to the time it would give me with him since he had to go back on the road at noon tomorrow. I realized that we were most definitely past the just friend's stage when I started to miss him before he had even gone.

I guess the thing was that I knew we were past the friend label, and it was nice, so nice, but I still didn't know what we were now. I didn't want to slap a label on us though, and no conversation had been given to the chance between us. We had just taken it all in stride, rolling with the changes without a need to pick it apart and study it. We had chosen, silently, to just be in the moment of us and be what we were.

I sighed, I couldn't wait to see him and began to finish my work for the day. I called Matt while I typed and filed and made notations on files that I needed to look over the next day. I filled him in on the apartment and he filled me in on his time in Japan. He had gone out the week before. I swear that I couldn't keep up with him and where he was wrestling these days. One day it was Japan the next California or New York. He was happy though. He was doing what he loved to do, and he said that he was keeping his life on track as far as the marijuana issues were going. I was proud of the changes he was trying to make in his life. I was proud of who he was, and that he was my best friend. I couldn't have asked for a better one.

I hung up my phone and put away the other files that littered my desk. I stood, grabbing my purse, and I headed for the door. I was so focused on getting to Nic, to seeing him and spending the time with him in a place that no hotel could compete with. It was personal space and that was big. I was lost in the thought of it all as I walked, until that laugh that had caught me before broke through. My head snapped up and a smile found my face. What the hell was so damn special or magical about a laugh? How did it get to me every time I heard it, especially when I didn't even know who it belonged to?

I stuck my head through the doorway that led to the training area. Who was it? I looked around and saw many people, talking and laughing. There was no damn way I'd figure it out with all of these people in here. I sighed and turned to walk away. As I did my eyes fell on this red headed, freckled face man just as his eyes landed on mine. I smiled and gave a small nod of acknowledgment before I turned and walked away, and out of the door.

I pulled into Nic's drive way and grabbed my things out of my jeep. Before I could even knock at his door he was there, taking my luggage, wheeling it inside with a big smile.

"Hey beautiful," he said.

"Hi yourself," I replied.

He stood in the doorway to his house, smiling down at me as I smiled back up at him, waiting for him to let me in. Before he stepped to the side to let me enter, he leaned his head down and let his lips lightly graze across mine. My lips smiled against his I sighed in contentment. Yes, I thought, whatever we were, I was just fine with it.

NIC

"I'm so glad that you decided to stay here tonight." She smiled that perfect smile of hers and I felt my stomach do flips. It was hard to think that there could ever be a day that I would be unaffected by her. These past few weeks had been the best days in recent memory, just knowing that her smile was for me had made every difficult day easier.

"So, I have a spare room, I mean, if you think you'd be more comfortable there tonight."

She looked up at me and giggled. "Nicky, are you serious right now? I mean unless YOU would be more comfortable with me in there."

She was looking up at me through those long, thick lashes, her full bottom lip pulled between her teeth. Christ she was beautiful. "I think my room will work out just fine." Her slow nod was almost more than I could take.

She had yet to find her way into my bed since our lives had changed. To be fair I'd not been in her bed either. Our time had been spent on lunch dates and in hotel rooms. For that reason, I'd yet to know her skin felt against mine. I'd be damned if if the first time we made love would be in some used up hotel room. Of course that didn't mean that it would happen tonight either. There was no I would pressure her or rush her into it at all.

"Well then, do you want the grand tour," I asked.

"Sure," she said still smiling at me. She was beautiful.

I took her luggage in one hand, her small and soft hand in the other, grinning. "So this is the kitchen. I won't lie, it doesn't get much action unless it's the microwave. You saw the living room as we came in." I pulled her into the hallway, toward the home office and bedrooms. "So here is a bathroom, the office, and guest room, which to be fair doesn't see many guests so spare may be a more accurate description. Of course with my schedule, where's the time for guests? Upside to it is that it does have its own full bath." I pulled her further down the hall and around a corner. "This little gem all tucked away is the master bedroom. Where the magic happens. By magic, I mean dream magic. Ya know, the sandman comes in and sprinkles his magic dream dust and I'm asleep." I sat her bag inside the door and slipped my hands into my jean pockets.

She giggled. It had to be exactly how heaven sounded. "Dreams huh? That the only magic? Really?"

Now it was my turn to laugh. "The only magic, yes. That other type of magic hasn't been around in quite some time." Her eyebrow was raised and she opened her mouth to speak. I held up my hand to stop her. "No, no, don't even ask me how long. My desire to be fully honest about any and every thing in an effort to establish trust will only be a reminder of exactly how long it's been. Then I'd be more than a little embarrassed."

Her head went back and a full, heart laugh found its way out of her. It was so infectious that I began to laugh along with her as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her in and pressing my lips to that soft, hollow spot of her neck. "You find humor in my sexual drought," I murmured against her skin, moving my lips over her. I felt her hands go around my neck, her nails grazing my hairline.

"Mhmm," she sighed, her head still tilted back. I could still see her smile. "I do find humor," her words were a breathless whisper. It drifted over her lips and found its way into my senses, making my stomach clench with a desire I'd fought so long.

I let my teeth nip at her skin and heard her moan. My hands tangled into her hair and I drug her lips to mine, a small voice telling me not to push for anything, not to rush anything, beyond her lips. The feel of her body pressing so firmly into mine, her fingers releasing my hair from the band that held it so that she could grab handfuls, made it hard to remember not to push. That wasn't the only thing that it made hard.

"Hmmm, you've got my legs so weak," her lips whispered, smiling against mine.

Without any thought but her, I lifted her up, my hands gripping her thighs just beneath the swell of her all too perfect ass. In two steps I was at the edge of the bed. Without breaking the contact between us I lowered her to the bed, lowering myself over her, one knee between her legs, the other to the side.

Her hands never left where they were at my neck, but rather she pulled me closer to her. She pressed her lips hard and hungry against mine. "Jesus Claire, I keep telling myself not to push you or rush you into anything and then you kiss me like this."

Her smiling eyes found mine and they were full of a husky, sexy haze. "Funny I'm not feeling pushed or rushed at all."