A/N : I know…I know, it's been forever since I last updated and trust me, I'm sorry for that Both inspiration and time were on holydays for a while :( Hope you'll like this new chapter :D

Love

Chapter 22 :

Have I ever told you how I met Sean?

As if the world sensed a bad omen, it was heavily raining that day. Most roads were blocked due to the bad weather and finding a cab proved impossible as I stood outside the courtroom, in a drenched coat and dripping hair…Probably panda eyes as well, given how my mascara must have run down with Jupiter; the Deity of rain, pouring so much liquid on my head, maybe mistaking me for a tea cup.

Would you stop, now, you Moron? I scolded the dark grey sky as I hug my shivering body, as if responding to my demand, less than a minute later the rain stopped…or so I thought at first, only to realize that a very tall man was holding an umbrella above my head.

Romantic, right? Well, not so much, had I known the evil hiding behind that formidable physique, because yes, let's admit it, the first thing that attracted me in Sean was his sexiness.

Short curly raven hair, piercing blue eyes and a sexy smile that promised to burn the sheets. Oh! And the body that went with it? let me tell you it was magnificent, although in retrospect, I can't understand that pull. I was simply young and easily impressed and he knew how to impress. I wanted to be loved and he made me feel loved to a certain extent…until his love turned into a sick obsession and I discovered who he really was.

"Hello, love?"he'd said that unfortunate day, just like now.

I'm brought back to the present, staring at those piercing blue eyes, he hasn't changed much, except for a few barely there wrinkles marking the passing time between us. He's smiling at me, but there's nothing but harshness in his eyes.

"So, what are we here for?" I go straight to the point, no need to dance around the bush.

He shakes his head with his unwavering smile hiding shark teeth for sure "My feisty Adalind! How I missed you"

Fighting the nausea that's gripping me, I look him straight in the eyes "I'm not yours, Sean and I never was"

He grips the edge of the table, his white knuckles the only indication of his fury "You'll always be mine, Adalind, until I decide to set you free"

Without a word, I start to stand. It was a bad idea coming here and meeting with this lunatic. What exactly did I expect? For him to bring Diana along and say "Oh hey! After doing some thinking I thought I'd give her back to you?

"Sit down, Adalind. I can give you what you want" he lies against his chair with the confidence of man who knows something monumental.

Still standing, I send him what I hope is a death glare "Oh! Really!"

"Sit"

"You don't get to tell me what to do" I fold my arms against my chest defiantly.

"Please" he adds, drumming his finger on the table.

With a sigh, I obey, much to my displeasure "Tell me"

Resting his elbows on the table, he inches closer, as if about to whisper a secret. He's closer than I can stand; I feel bile rising to my mouth as I smell his strong perfume. The same fragrance he always wears, that same once that made once upon a time my legs go wobbly.

"I need a favor and in exchange, you'll have the shared custody of Diana"

Images of me and my daughter parade in my head, feeding my imagination with the most beautiful emotions. My heart drums against my ribcage like crazy at the prospect of being with her again. But then, an alarm rings in the back of my head, reminding me of the first part of his statement.

"What kind of favor?" I narrow my eyes at him. Of course, Sean would always watch out for his interests first.

"Come back and live with me…I can give you a real house"

He barely has time to finish his sentence when I snap "No way!"

"Wait! Hear me out first"

"Nothing you'll say will convince me otherwise"

"Not even our daughter?" he raises an eyebrow, after a few seconds of silence, he continues "I want to run for mayor"

I puff a big laughter earning the stares of a few patrons, Sean ignores my reaction as he carries on "I need a wife by my side…I must give the image of stable man with a family"

"And you want me to play pretend!" I finish for him, incredulous at his audacity "News flash here" I snap my fingers in the air "I'm living with my son and his father"

Sean grits his teeth together "Yes, I hear he makes you happy and all, but I'm offering you more…"

"I don't need more, I already have all I want, the only thing missing in my life is Diana and unless you play it fair and let me see my daughter, I don't want to have anything to do with you and your never ending ambition"

Holding my clutch with more force than necessary, I rise from my chair and start to leave, imagining the steam coming from my ears.

"Just until I'm elected" Sean tries again "Then, you could see Diana all you want…think about it"

I ignore him and hurry to my car, unable to spend one more minute breathing the same oxygen as this despicable man. I'm fuming all the way to Rosalee's. Once there, I give her a recap of my conversation with Sean, not leaving out any detail. When I'm done, she shakes her head "this man stops at nothing"

Taking a sip of the hot chamomile she gave me to calm me down, I nod at her, but my eyes are lost in the nothingness. What if he manages to become mayor of Portland? He'd have even more power than he already has now. If he already makes my life a living hell, I can't imagine what it would be like if he's mayor of the city. Cold sweat drips from my forehead. I jump as I feel Rosalee's warm hand on my forearm "Hey, are you ok?" the crease between her eyes deepens when she's worried.

"I don't think so" I bite my lower lip to concentrate on the physical pain rather than the emotional one

"Are you going to tell Nick?"

My heart sinks as I recall how I lied to him this morning. I feel terrible for that. What if he hates me after I tell him the truth? Then again, it would be even worse if he discovered it on his own.

Errr…I'm going crazy!

"Well, I should get going, I have a ton of work to finish for Harrisson"

Rose lets me leave reluctantly, making me promise to call her first thing if anything happened.

On the way to the loft, I keep replaying my conversation with Sean, trying to put it under different angles, wondering what he'd do with so much power. Maybe it's part of a bigger scheme that BC planned. By the time I get home, my mind is running in a hundred different directions at the same time. If my brain was a hard drive, I'm sure it would be already fried.

It's good to be home, I tell Kelly as I place him in his crib

I can offer you a real home

What did Sean mean by that?

I don't have time to analyze this when Nick emerges from the bathroom, in nothing but a towel. His glorious chest in full display for my greedy eyes. Everything about him is so virile and screams manhood. From his ripped chest to his strong muscular arms and incredibly sexy legs. I send the white towel covering his ass a murderous glare.

Nick clears his throat, sending a tremor of shame through my body

"Oh, hey! What are you doing home so early?" I try to ignore the heat that probably turned my face tomato red from being caught staring

"We caught a criminal hiding in an animal farm, things got messy, by the time we got him, I was covered in mud, thus the early shower" he smiles gesturing to his body inviting my eyes for a tour once more…wrong move, buddy! Wrong move. I miss physical contact…no, correction, I miss physical contact with Nick. Nobody affects me the way he does. It's like my body responds automatically when he's around. I don't recall feeling this way with anybody else.

"I'm not complaining" I reply quickly "I don't mean you being half naked…shit, it's not what I meant…I mean you coming…you coming home…"

Nick laughs wholeheartedly at my debacle "I know what you mean" he takes a few steps in my direction, his soapy smell caressing my nostrils, he stops barely an inch from my face, his eyes boring in mine and turning into dark slits "I was disappointed to find the place empty"

"Were you?" I breathe heavily

He presses his thumb on my lower lip and his eyes follow the movement hungrily, our breaths are labored "Very much and stop biting that poor lip"

"I had no idea I was…it's a nervous habit"

His eyes fly back to mine "What's making you nervous?"

"Rough day" I say honestly, transfixed by the dark shade of his eyes

"Want to tell me about it?" he looks worried and it breaks my heart

I shake my head, then gathering my courage; I stand on my tiptoes and place a delicate kiss on Nick's pillowy mouth. The moment our lips connect I feel a surge of electricity travel down my body, Nick seems to feel it too because he looks both surprised and aroused, very much to my delight. The kiss turns hungry and within a second Nick has me blocked against the wall with his body pressed exquisitely against mine. He's breathing hard and so am I, I can't help the moan that stirs my throat when he kisses my sensitive neck. All it would take to have him completely naked is a tug on his towel, but before my hands have time to wander, the doorbell rings, sending us both in alert.

Nick moves like a flash and checks the cameras, his eyes go wide immediately "It's a delivery man"

How is that even possible?

What if it's a trap? Nobody has this address except for our closest friends

He grabs a pair of jeans and a throws a shirt on his chest before he leaves "I'm coming with you" I state "It could be dangerous"

"All the reason why you should stay here with Kelly"

"No, I'm not leaving you alone" I stand my ground, clearly not going anywhere

To my utter surprise, Nick's face breaks into a genuine grin "You want to protect me?"

"I do" I admit simply, no matter how absurd it sounds

His eyes shine with pride and an emotion I don't want to give a name, but the spell is quickly broken when the delivery man rings again.

"Stay behind me" Nick instructs as he opens the door to a young man in his early twenties who looks nothing but bored;

"I have a delivery for Ms. Adalind Schade"