Me: Perhaps you should check your messages more often.

Nash: Fuck.

Me: Poor baby. I miss your tongue.

Nash: Fuck the tongue, sweet thing. Tonight all you’re gonna see and feel is my cock.

Me: I’m gonna be in Nash heaven.

Nash: Fuck. No more texts or I’m gonna have to whack off on your front verandah.

I laughed out loud when I read his last text and then put my phone away.

My mother took my hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m happy to see you smile again,” she said, softly.

I wasn’t sure if it was what she’d said, the tone of it or the emotions I was already feeling today, but my eyes teared up. My heart felt full today; I felt like something had shifted in me. Something big. And even though I had a sense of anxiety about it, I knew, deep in my soul, that it was a good thing. I knew I had to take this step and let be what may.

“Me too, Mum,” I agreed.

I turned to Anna. “Now, enough about me. It’s you we should be worried about.” I was still concerned for her after her boyfriend dumped her.

“I’m good, sis,” she said, but I could hear the sadness in her voice.

Men. Sometimes you could kiss them forever and other times you could just take your glittery, red stilettos and jam them as far up their asses as they’d reach.

Chapter 20

Ready To Love Again ~ Lady Antebellum

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Nash

I pulled my t-shirt on over my head, not taking my eyes off Velvet as she wiggled into her jeans. Not only did she make taking her clothes off an art form, she made putting them on an erotic act also. She finished wiggling into them and did them up before she realised I was watching her.

“Baby, I’ve never wanted to watch a woman put her clothes on but you’ve shown me the error of my ways,” I declared.

She slipped her top on and then walked over to where I was. Wrapping her arms around my waist, she asked, “So no more taking clothes off?”

I smirked, and ran my hands over her ass. “Let’s not get carried away. I’ve still got my priorities, sweet thing, and seeing this ass naked is at the top of them.”

Her smile hit all the right spots. “Okay, just checking. I’d like to keep my man happy.”

The minute those words were out of her mouth, there was a shift between us. I fucking liked hearing those words but I sensed she wished they’d never been uttered. It had been a long time since I’d been anyone’s man, and with each passing day I was easing more into this relationship, whatever the hell it was. A week ago, it was just sex, now it felt like a lot more.

I pulled her closer before she had a chance to retreat from me. “You make me very happy,” I whispered in her ear.

Her body was rigid but at my words, I felt her soften. “Same,” she said, and that one word sent warmth through me. Although we’d taken a long time to get here, I felt like we were in the exact right place. Together.

Loosening my hold on her, I stepped back and my eyes drifted down her body. “Babe,” I said as I looked back up at her, “don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it, but why the hell do women wear the tightest jeans that barely fit them. How the fuck do you breathe in those things?”

She smacked me on the arm. “Why the fuck do women do anything, Nash? To make sure the men in their lives are happy and to make sure their attention stays on them rather than on another woman.”

I chuckled having achieved my goal. “Trust me when I say that my attention is firmly on you, sweet thing.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You totally said all that to change the topic of the conversation, didn’t you?”

Caught out. I grinned. “It may have also been to get you a little shitty. You’re fuckin’ hot when you’re shitty.”

She hit my chest this time and pointed at the doorway. “Go. We’ve got shopping to do.”

I did as I was told and she followed me outside. When we reached her car, I put my hand out for her keys. The look she gave me could have brought a weaker man to his knees. “What?” I asked.

“Did you just put your hand out for the keys so you could drive my car?”

“Yeah.” I wasn’t really sure what the problem was here.

“I don’t think so, Nash.” She gave me an annoyed look.

“Well we can’t take my bike,” I said what I thought should have been clear. We were on our way to Ikea to pick up a bookshelf for her and it sure as shit couldn’t be transported on a bike.

That just pissed her off even more. “Oh my God, Nash. That’s not what I meant.”

“What the hell did you mean then?” This conversation had gone south real fucking quick and I was clueless as to why.

“Just because you’re the man doesn’t mean you get to automatically drive my car. If it was your car, I would assume you’d drive it. I’d never assume that I would. Don’t come into my life and think that I’m the woman so I must be relegated to woman jobs.” She meant business and I read between the lines. Some asshole had fucked with her and I suspected it was her ex-husband.

I didn’t argue, just raised my hands in apology. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s all yours.” I moved to the passenger door and waited for her to let me in.

She stood staring at me and I waited for her to make the next move. “Shit, Nash Walker, where the hell have you been all my life?” she finally said before walking around to the driver’s side.