I wrap an arm around his waist because it feels like the thing to do, and anything that keeps me close to Nick makes me happy.
“Yeah,” I offer shyly, watching our feet move toward the entrance.
“Are you embarrassed?” He nuzzles against my neck but keeps us moving forward.
I shrug and nod at the same time.
He laughs. “Nuthin’ to be embarrassed about. We’re two consenting adults who can’t keep our hands off one another. Frankly, this is a new experience for me. I rather like it. Not in any hurry to take the edge off either.”
I stop walking and turn in his arms until he stops and focuses on me.
“This is new for you?” I ask, wonder and awe in my tone.
He puts one hand on my shoulder and pushes a stand of hair behind my ear with the other. “Yeah, babe. I don’t get all hot and bothered up against my car all the time. I don’t get hard in restaurants just from being close to a woman, and I certainly don’t get wood while teaching yoga.”
That bit surprises me. I hadn’t noticed him getting hard in any of those places, except at the car when I clung to his body like a leech.
“Dove, it’s all you. You do that to me.” He head-butts my forehead and smiles. “You make me lose my mind. I’m crazy about you.”
“I don’t… Why?” I have to know. None of it makes a lick of sense to me. I mean, I know I feel that way about him, but I’d never assume in a million years that Nick would have even a scant inch of the same desire for me. Of course, he’s told me I’m pretty, and he likes my body. He’s made that clear, but what he’s saying goes far beyond that.
“Honor…” He looks deeply into my eyes. “Babe, who hurt you? What man made you doubt your effect on the opposite sex?” It’s practically a whisper in the wind because I ignore it the second it comes out.
I shake my head and try to move out of his arms so I can get away and find the space I need. Nick doesn’t allow it.
His voice alters, becoming softer when he continues. “Ah, don’t worry, Dove. I’m going to erase everything that came before me. Starting tonight. It’s me and you. In this together. Wading through the landmines of relationship stuff and enjoying the hell out of one another. How does that sound?”
I lick my lips and glance up. His eyes are honest, dark, and filled with courage. He could get me to agree to anything with just one look.
“Okay.” I say it, but I’m not confident I mean it. I don’t know what being in a relationship means. I’m not sure how to react, what to say and do. “This is new for me,” I admit and drop my head, looking down at my feet. There’s dust around the toes of my suede boots from the rock-and-gravel lot surface, but I can easily wipe them down. Wipe away the grime. I wish my internal filth was so easy to remove. My scars included.
Nick chuckles, causing me to lift my head and meet his gaze. “Honor, I’m so far outside of my comfort zone with you, I don’t know where the hell this is going or how to get there. All I know is that I want to go there with you. Is that cool? Can we just do our own thing? No preconceived notions about what should and shouldn’t be?”
The question wars in my head and twists around into him wanting to be causal. I understand casual. That’s all I’ve ever had. “Are you talking friends with benefits? Did you want to see other people too?”
His head jerks back, his jaw getting tight right in front of me. Uh-oh. Not the right question. I step back, and he follows.
“No one but me is touching you. Got it?”
I swallow and nod quickly.
“And all this”—he gestures from his chest and down his ripped body—“is all yours, if you want it. We’re exclusive. So fucking exclusive, you tell your mother you are off the market. Got me?” His words are as harsh as sandpaper over metal.
I nod, but his words ripple through my mind on repeat.
Exclusive.
All yours.
Off the market.
Little flickers of excitement pound a heavy beat in my heart. I’m going to need to spend some serious time dealing with this in therapy. Thank God my appointment is in a couple days.
“I want words, Honor. Give ’em to me. Say, I’m yours, Nick. You are mine. For as long as we both want this.” His tone is deathly serious. “Words, Dove.”
I clear my throat. “I’m yours, Nick. You’re mine. For as long as we both want it.”
“Good girl. Now hold on to your man. Let’s play some golf. Have you ever played mini golf?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Wonderful. Then I’ll teach you. Would you like that?”
“Yes, Nick. I’d like you to teach me everything.” I smile and glance up at his profile, bowled over by how masculine and graceful his genetics made him. I’ll bet his mother and father are stunning too.
He looks down at me and grins. He’s so beautiful, I want to kiss him again. He shifts his head down and steals my idea, planting a quick, hard kiss. “That’s good, Dove. I’m an excellent teacher.”
“I’ll bet you are.”
Chapter Eleven
The throat chakra couple will understand one another deeply. They can always relate to the other’s needs and feel a great empathy toward one another. They often communicate with their thoughts and feelings rather than words.
NICHOLAS
The gym is full and pumping with patrons a few days later when I summon Honor via text to come visit me. We haven’t seen each other since our date, but I’ve had her talking on the phone and texting regularly. There’s something comforting about having a woman I can text and call at my leisure. She’s
