Chapter 122

Kayla

We leaked the emails that night.

I didn’t realize I was gripping Nicholas’s hand until I felt his fingers tighten around mine as Marcus clicked the final button. The anonymous email, loaded with screenshots of Gray’s damning correspondence, was sent to every major news outlet, gossip column, and posted on every online forum we could think of.

It was done.

The room was silent now. Marcus leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. Jade and Emma exchanged wary glances. Noah was pacing, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

And Nicholas… Nicholas was still holding my hand.

“It’s out there,” Marcus said. “Now all we have to do is wait.”

Waiting. That felt impossible. We had done the right thing, and we’d ensured that the leak wouldn’t be tracked back to us. We were safe. Anna and her baby were safe.

But that didn’t make the waiting any easier.

Jade stood abruptly, placing her hands on her hips. “We’re not going to sit here staring at our screens, refreshing the news every five seconds. Let’s do something to pass the time. Wine. We need wine.”

None of us could argue with that logic, so we moved to the living room, where we cracked open too many bottles of wine and settled in to watch a movie. Jade scrolled through the streaming service, eventually landing on a cheesy action movie to take our minds off of everything.

The movie was just as bad as I expected, but it was exactly what we needed. Within minutes, we were all laughing at the bad acting and plot holes, our heads growing fuzzy with alcohol. Soon enough, the email leaks felt miles away. None of us had even picked up our phones in some time.

Eventually, my gaze shifted over to Nicholas, who was sitting beside me on the sofa. His arm was draped over the back of the couch, his fingers brushing lightly against my shoulder. I couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles flexed as he shifted, the way his scent wafted toward me as if he were subtly trying to get my attention.

My mind wandered, unbidden, to the night we’d spent together on my birthday. The memory was sweet, almost painfully so. The way his hands had felt on my skin, the way his lips had traced every inch of me, the way he’d whispered my name…

I missed him.

Now that Anna was out of the picture—now that we knew the truth—maybe I didn’t need to push him away anymore. Maybe I could let myself have this, have him. Even just for a little while.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, I shifted closer to Nicholas, curling up beside him. Without even looking at me, his arm moved from the back of the couch to rest around my shoulders, pulling me gently against his side. My heart fluttered at the contact.

I stole a glance up at him, and his eyes met mine in the dim light of the TV. There was something in his gaze that made my stomach heat with anticipation. I smiled faintly, and he smiled back, his arm tightening around me.

It was late by the time the movie ended, the credits rolling as Jade and Emma argued over whether it was the worst movie they’d ever seen or just the most entertaining. Marcus had gone to bed almost half an hour ago. Noah was passed out on the other couch, his head tilted back and his mouth slightly open.

“I think that’s our cue to call it a night,” Jade said, standing and stretching.

Emma nodded, yawning. “Agreed. Let’s clean up and head to bed.”

I helped them gather the empty bottles and glasses. Nicholas was silent as he helped, but I could feel his eyes following me the whole time. When everything was cleaned up, I turned to him, opening my mouth to say something—although I wasn’t sure what.

But he was already gone, the stairs creaking as he made his way up to the second floor.

Well, so much for that.

I sighed and went to my own room, closing the door behind me and leaning against it for a moment, my eyes closed. Did I spend too much time pushing him away, I wondered? Was he not… interested in me like that now? I changed into my nightgown and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin.

But sleep didn’t come.

I tossed and turned, my mind racing. What if the emails didn’t have the impact we hoped for? What if Gray found a way to spin the story in his favor? What if—

Suddenly, the sound of my door opening pulled me from my thoughts. I sat up, my heart skipping a beat as Nicholas stepped into the room.

He was shirtless, his chest bare and glowing faintly in the silvery moonlight streaming in through the window. My breath caught at the sight of him, his muscles taut, his skin smooth and inviting.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he said simply.

I swallowed hard, my cheeks flushing as I realized the implication of his words, the way his eyes burned into mine. Something warm and tentative swirled within my pelvis. Anticipation.

“Me neither,” I admitted.

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flicking to the bed, then back to me. “Can I—”

“Yes,” I blurted out before he could finish.

Nicholas blinked at me in surprise for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected to make it this far—like he had come in here without fully thinking it through, half wondering if I would throw something at him and tell him to leave.

But when I pulled aside the covers, revealing my bare legs and the soft fabric of my nightgown, his surprise turned to desire. He crossed the room quickly without a moment’s hesitation. I reached for him, my fingers brushing against his chest, and he came to me, crawling into bed and pulling me into his arms.

His lips found mine in the darkness, the kiss soft and tentative at first, then deepening as the heat between us grew. My heart pounded, but my hands were firm, steady as I pushed them against his chest. I wanted this. Wanted him.

And I wanted to show him just how much I wanted him.

Before Nicholas could position himself between my thighs, I suddenly flipped us so that I was on top. His eyes went wide again as I pinned him to the pillows by his wrists, but he didn’t fight it. Rather, a low growl rumbled in the back of his throat, and then our lips were crashing into one another again, hungry and feral.

My mind went blank as I twisted my hips on top of him, feeling the hardness of his cock beneath me. He was already straining against his flannel pajama pants, and I was already hot and desperate.

Our lips parted for air, and I flashed a coy smile down at him as I reached between us and slipped his warm member out of his pants. It was just as big as I remembered, and twitched slightly as I wrapped my fingers around it.

“Tell me you missed me,” I whispered, feeling bold.

“Kayla,” he growled in annoyance.

I tightened my grip on his cock, hovering just above the tip. “Tell me.”

Nicholas huffed, straining against the slender distance between our joining. Finally, he muttered, “I missed you. More than I thought I would.”

His words sent another jolt of heat through me. Then, with one swift movement, I slipped aside my panties and lowered myself onto him.

The groan that slipped out of Nicholas’s mouth was nothing short of heavenly, already turning my core into a molten pool of lava. I twisted and rocked against him, dipping down to nip and kiss along his neck, his shoulder, his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, holding me flush against his body as he pumped himself into me.

Our frantic tangling that night was quick and heady, like two wolves in heat. Perhaps it had something to do with the nearly-full moon in the sky, or perhaps it was simply weeks of built-up longing rushing out at once.

But I didn’t care how quick it was, or how desperate I sounded as I whimpered into his ear. All I cared for was the devilish smirk to his lips as he sat up, cradling me in his lap. The arch of my spine as I threw my head back and ground my hips against his.

I looped my arms around his neck, hanging onto him as we worked against one another’s bodies. Nicholas craned to bite at my shoulder, his tongue lazily dragging across every inch of sensitive skin. I shuddered and began to crack, my legs quivering.

“Kayla,” he huffed against my throat, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of my hips. “You’re so tight when you—”

He couldn’t finish his words. Because with a cry and a well-chosen curse word came the warm, filling sensation of us reaching our climax together. Unexpected, and perhaps a bit too soon, but it was delicious nonetheless.

And in those moments, those feelings, that brief understanding of two bodies in the dark room, I thought of nothing else. Not emails, or schemes, or hidden feelings.

Nothing but us.