CHASING TROUBLE

Worse was the way her heart had thrummed for the entirety of those short visits. Worse still was the way it leapt whenever he fixed his gleaming eyes on her. The way her pulse thrummed when his gaze lingered too long on her. It was a sensation she hadn’t felt in so long and it was terrifying how pleasurable a sensation it was. No matter how hard she tried to find it again, the control she’d mastered when he was away seemed far out of reach now.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

He strode towards them, shades on, a wide smile on his stubbly face, dressed in faded jeans, a gray V-neck T-shirt and a leather jacket. She’d forgotten how good Nicholas looked in jeans and she frantically beat away memories of the washboard stomach and snake hips beneath them. She forgot to hold her breath when he pressed a hand to her hip and leaned in to brush his cheek to hers. A flash of warmth against her skin and an enticing dose of spicy cologne hit her senses at the same moment he scooped Charlie from her arms and set about planting huge kisses over his face.

She had just enough sense to be grateful he’d taken their son from her. From that moment of bodily contact, her limbs had weakened into mush.

“Ready?” he asked casually.

She semi-successfully curved her lips into a smile. “Yes. Thanks for coming to pick us up,”

Holding Charlie securely around his belly, he lifted him above his head. “Only the best treatment for my son and his mama.”

Their luggage was whisked into the boot of the car by the driver. A baby car seat had been installed in the back and Nicholas strapped him in as if he’d done it a thousand times. The seat was so large it shrank the spacious interior.

The minute the door of the car enclosed them all inside she regretted not sitting up front beside the driver. Nicholas’ cologne filled the cabin, the bulk of his body, which was placed between her and their son, taking up almost as much space as the car seat.

From the corner of her eye she saw him remove his jacket. For the first time since his return, she could see his arms and the contours of his body, and she pressed herself closer to the door and fought her greedy eyes’ attempts to stare at him.

Was she imagining that, without a suit to hide most of his spectacular body, he was more muscular than she remembered? She crossed her legs away from him and breathed through her mouth.

Soon they were driving through narrow streets in the town with thick white walls and colourful roofs. She focused her attention on the streets, the small river they passed glimmering brightly under the setting sun, and tried to tune out the man who sat beside her.

“He’s asleep.” Nicholas sounded so put out by this that she found herself smothering an unexpected giggle.

“He always falls asleep in cars.”

“There is still much for me to learn about him.”

“You know all the important things. Everything else is just window dressing.”

There was a long pause. “Thank you.” He said,

She turned her face to him before she could stop herself. “For what?”

“For bringing him… and for agreeing to come with him too,” His smile was wry but there was a softness in his eyes. “I know it can’t be easy for you to accept me into your lives when I just… showed up. The way you’ve handled things has been incredible, and I’m grateful for that,”

A lump formed in her throat and she had to swallow hard to speak past it. “Thanks. I appreciate that. It hasn’t been easy. If not for Charlie…”

“If not for Charlie…?” he prompted when she stopped her words from running away from her.

The weight of his stare pressed on her chest. “He pulled me together,” she said quietly. “Getting through the pregnancy and preparing for his birth gave me focus. My mom…” She shook her head and looked back out of the window, trying her hardest to keep control of the words falling from her lips. “My mom was there for me. Through the birth, and she stayed for a few months after he was born. Having a child forces you to be strong, whether the child’s an unborn baby or an adult. The primal urge to protect them is too powerful and so you pack away any pain and grief just to get through the days. You pack away all feelings. Bury them.”

And never let them out again. Suddenly afraid her control had failed and she’d revealed too much about herself, she added as temperately as she could manage,” It doesn’t matter anymore,”

Her skin prickled at the intensity of Nicholas’ probing stare that she could sense was trying to penetrate her skull to read her mind. “It does matter, Care,” he said finally, “I know this is coming late but I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for not being there for you and Charlie when I should have been.”

Hot tears stabbed the back of her eyes. He was saying the right things because Charlie was involved… Which was a good thing at least. But the truth was that deep down, she knew he didn’t want her here. She was only here because of Charlie…. She had to keep that in mind for her own good.

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Nicholas carried his son from the back of the car. Caroline was staring at his home with her arms tightly folded.

The last of the sun’s rays poured on her, turning her hair into a curly golden halo. Her beauty was something that never failed to dazzle him and now that he was resolved on the path he intended to take with her, he welcomed the fizz her presence put in his veins.

“What do you think of my new home, Care?” he asked when he joined her.

She dropped her arms and blinked, but before she could answer, Charlie decided the time was right to throw himself into his mother’s arms. Like a slippery eel, he dived out of Nicholas” hold to her. If Nicholas hadn’t had such a good grip on him and if Caroline’s reflexives weren’t so honed, their son would have hurtled head-first to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the pair of them were holding their son sand-wiched between, Caroline’s breasts crushed against their interlinked arms. For the briefest moment, time stood still.