Reluctantly His

Chapter Eight

The following morning, Nika woke up a little earlier than she usually did when she didn't have to open the pub. She'd taken her time in the shower, shaving and using her favorite lavender-scented body scrub. Afterward, she'd toweled dry, then liberally applied the same scented lotion.

She now stood in her room in her sexiest pair of panties and bra—both pale pink and sheer enough to see through—looking in her closet to see what she wanted to wear.

She'd already decided on her black jeans since they hugged her curves in all the right places. Nika picked out a couple of blouses, but then decided on the violet, silk short-sleeved one. The material exactly matched the color of her eyes and made them stand out.

Once she was dressed, she went and stood in front of her dresser mirror. She turned this way and that, giving herself a thorough once over. She looked pretty damn good, if she said so herself.

After applying a few squirts of perfume to the hollow of her throat, Nika went to the kitchen to take stock of what was in her fridge, food wise. There ended up not being a hell of a lot of anything. Yesterday, she and Garrick had finished off the last of her cold cuts when they'd come up for air long enough to make a couple of sandwiches. She never kept much food in her flat, because when the pub was open, she usually had Lee whip her up something to eat.

Closing the fridge door, she decided if she and Garrick wanted to eat, they would have to go out for something. Nika never cooked anything in the pub's kitchen.

That was Lee's territory, and he didn't like anyone messing with it. Not that she would.

She wasn't much of a cook and would rather eat Lee's food any day over her own.

That settled, she looked over at the clock on the stove. The red numbers read 11:45. Garrick would be here in fifteen minutes. Her heart picked up its pace at the thought of being able to see him again. She'd done a lot of thinking about him during the night. She'd even dreamed about him, which wasn't surprising, considering his scent still clung to her sheets.

At five to twelve, Nika went down the stairs and unlocked the door to the flat, then raced back up. She didn't want to look too anxious by hanging around the entranceway waiting for Garrick to knock. Moving to one of the windows that faced the front of the pub, she parted the curtains and stood in front of it. From this vantage point, she had a good view of the parking lot below.

At exactly noon, she watched a silver Audi Spyder pull into the lot and park. It had to be Garrick. Nika hadn't known what type of car he drove, but the flashy sports car was exactly what she pictured he'd own. She just hadn't expected it to be quite so expensive. Whatever Garrick's job was, it obviously paid well.

When he got out of the driver's side and headed toward the pub, she slid open the window and yelled down. "Come around to the side entrance, Garrick. The door is unlocked."

He waved, then disappeared around the corner of the building.

Hearing the entranceway door open, Nika crossed the room to stand at the top of the stairs. As Garrick climbed the steps, she followed his progress with her gaze. He wore a black T-shirt that stretched across his wide chest. His blue jeans pulled tight around his muscular thighs when he lifted his leg to take each stair. The man was gorgeous, and she couldn't believe he was actually hers. She'd explored that hard body to her heart's content yesterday, and she planned to do the same today.

"If you keep looking at me like that," Garrick said when he reached the top, "I'll have to put the nearest wall to good use."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Nika asked. She licked her suddenly dry lips.

His gaze dropped to her mouth. "I thought to take you out for lunch before I strip you naked and take you until neither one of us can move. You're getting ahead of me."

Nika had no interest in eating. She was far too hungry for the man who stood in front of her, looking at her as if she was the only thing that mattered. Her pussy clenched, and wetness pooled at the thought of Garrick pounding into her as he took her against the wall.

"What if we were to have a quick appetizer here, then you take me out to eat?"

she asked in a voice gone breathy. "Then after, we can come back here and have dessert in my bed, on the floor, maybe in the shower, even."

Garrick's eyes dilated, and the bulge in his jeans grew even bigger. He backed her up against the wall. "I'm all for that."

"Good, because I don't know about you, but I don't think I can wait to have you until after we get back."

"Leaving my woman wanting is something I can't have. What my woman wants, my woman gets."

Garrick dropped his hands to her hips and held her tightly to him as he pushed his erection against her belly. Nika couldn't wait to have his big cock inside her.

Aroused beyond reason, hands shaking, she reached between them and opened his jeans. She shoved her hand inside and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. His cock jerked in her hand. She gave it a tight squeeze before she stroked him a few times. Her other hand, she put on the back of his neck and brought his mouth down to hers.

Garrick took her lips in a searing kiss that made her body ache even more. His tongue stroked hers as he pulled her hand off his cock and set to work on her jeans.

Once he had them open, he jerked them down to her ankles. Nika stepped out of them as he pulled away from her mouth and stared down at her sheer underwear.

"When we get back," he said gruffly, "I'm going to have to see if your bra matches your panties, then slowly take them both off you."

Breathing heavier, Nika said, "They match."

He groaned. "Then we may have to settle for fast food. Maybe even a drive-thru."

Hooking his fingers into the top of her panties, Garrick pulled them down until they fell to the floor. She kicked them off while he pushed his jeans down only far enough for his engorged cock to spring free.

He placed his hands on her sides and lifted her off her feet. "Put your legs around my waist, Nika."

She did, and he shifted his hands to her bottom and plunged into her wet pussy with one stroke. She moaned at the feel of his thick cock stretching her, filling her all the way up. He then pulled back, only to plunge deep again. Nika held onto Garrick's shoulders while he pumped his hips between her legs. He thrust into her so hard the pictures on the wall rattled.

The feel of what had to be his nails digging against her ass cheeks—though a bit sharp—excited Nika as much as his powerful thrusts. Garrick licked and kissed down the side of her neck until he reached her collarbone. She tightened her inner walls around his pumping shaft, causing them both to moan. It wasn't going to take much longer for her to come. Her orgasm was already racing to meet her.

"Don't stop, Garrick," she panted. "I'm almost there."

"I won't," he replied hoarsely. "Come for me, Nika."

He angled the way his cock entered her so it rubbed more of her clit. With a whimpered moan, she let go as an intense climax tore through her. Garrick nudge the collar of her blouse aside with his nose, then clamped his teeth down onto her shoulder.

He kept thrusting hard into her pussy until his shaft swelled, locking them together.

Against her skin, he made an animalistic growl while his cock pulsed deep inside her.

Nika let out a quiet moan. Another jet of cum splash against her inner walls.

With a nudge of her chin, she tried to get Garrick to turn his face toward her, but he didn't move. He kept her pinned against the wall while he took deep, even breaths, as if he tried to get control of himself.

"Garrick, look at me."

He shook his head. "Not yet." His cock pulsed again and he jerked.

"You're giving me the impression you're trying to hide something from me."

"Just let it go for now, Nika."

Garrick took a deep, shuddering breath and lifted his head to meet her gaze. She didn't see anything about his face that he would need to hide from her. The only thing she saw that was a bit out of place was how his eyes looked. The pupils seemed to have contracted more than they should have. While she watched, they returned to normal size.

The swelling of his cock had diminished, and he no longer climaxed. Garrick pulled out of her and slowly let her legs down until her feet touched the floor. He kissed her forehead, then stepped back to stuff himself back in his jeans and do them up. "If you want to clean up first, then we'll go eat."

Nika bent and picked up her discarded clothes, but she made no move to go to the bathroom. "Garrick, I think we should have a talk first."

"I don't know if you're ready for the kind of talk we need to have."

She frowned. "This is the second time you've said something about me not being ready to hear what you have to tell me. Your behavior is making me wonder whether this was a good idea after all. I can't help feeling as if you're holding something important about yourself back. After my ex, I don't think I can handle a man who keeps secrets from me."

"Don't compare me to your ex, Nika. I'm not like him. I told you before, I'm not going anywhere."

"All right, prove it. Tell me whatever this thing is you don't think I'm ready to hear."

"Can't we drop this and just go out for a nice lunch?"

Irritated by Garrick's refusal to tell her, and the sense of wariness she felt because of said refusal, Nika pushed harder. "I really want this relationship we've started to work out, but if you're going to keep things from me, I can't see it lasting. I have to have nothing between us. I wouldn't keep secrets from you, and I expect the same courtesy in return."

Garrick narrowed his eyes. "Are you giving me an ultimatum? I have to tell you or we're through?"

"Not so much an ultimatum as an insight into how I feel on the subject of keeping secrets. You called me your woman and said that whatever I want I get. Well, this is something I want. I want this out in the open."

"You are my woman. And that being the case, it's my responsibility to look out for your best interests, even if you don't agree with how I handle certain situations. This happens to be one of them. You're going to accept that I feel it's better for you to be kept in the dark."

Nika allowed the anger she felt over Garrick's high-handed words to show in her voice. "You have to be fucking kidding me. You just didn't talk to me as if I was one of your possessions, and that you know me better than I do myself. Where do you get off on saying that? And where are you from? The Dark Ages?"

Garrick went stiff as a board. "If you're trying to piss me off, you're doing a pretty good job of it. Now get dressed so we can leave."

He obviously wasn't going to apologize for the way he had spoken. All Nika's insecurities when it came to men rose inside her. It was almost like David all over again.

It started off with him not telling her the truth about where he'd disappear to, and when she'd caught him lying, he'd turned it back on her. It had always been her fault, and if she had kept her nose out of his business, none of it would have ever happened. This situation with Garrick wasn't exactly the same, but it was too close for Nika's liking.

Keeping secrets from her would only have her trusting him less and less.

"I think you should leave, Garrick," she said in a tight voice.

"What?"

"You heard me. I want you to go and not come back until you're prepared to say what you're keeping from me."

He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Don't do this, Nika. I apologize for the way I spoke to you. It's just . . . you don't understand."

"How can I understand when you keep refusing to tell me what it is?"

"Let's forget I said anything and stick with our plans for the day."

She shook her head. "No. I meant what I said; either you tell me now or don't come back until you can."

Garrick's face lost all emotion. "All right, I guess that means I'm leaving. I'll come back tomorrow night just before closing. I'm going to need that time to figure out what the hell I'm going to say to you that won't have you pushing me away even more than you are now." He grabbed her by the arms and kissed her hard, then let her go. "Just remember, I was the one who wanted to wait until we had grown a bit closer before I sprang it on you."

Garrick spun on his heel and walked out of the flat. At the sound of his car starting outside her window, Nika slowly realized she still stood half naked with her clothes in her arms. So much for the wonderful day she'd planned to spend with Garrick in her bed.

She walked to the bathroom, the evidence of their quick lovemaking still on the inside of her thighs. How could it have gone wrong so fast? Had she been a little too bitchy with Garrick? Probably. Shit, she was screwing everything up, but that didn't stop how she felt about him not trusting her enough to lay things all out on the table.

After she cleaned up in the bathroom, Nika went to her bedroom to change out of her blouse and jeans. She pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a loose T-shirt. Her sexy under things had gone into the wash, and she'd donned a workout bra and cotton bikini panties instead.

Regretting the way she'd handled the situation with Garrick, she went to the kitchen and took out a carton of ice cream. She took a spoon out of one of the drawers and sat down at the table to drown her sorrow in the frozen treat.