IMAGINES: Celebrity Encounters Starring You (30 page)

“Tell me,
Nicholas
, are you frustrated that you’re not getting what you want?” You began to braid your wet hair to the side. “Because it seems to me that you want me back for
another
reason.” You fluttered your eyelashes. “Don’t give up yet. I bet you’d have any other girl’s legs up over your shoulders by now.”

“Nicholas?”

“That’s right.” You turned in your seat so that you were facing him. “Do you think I’m an idiot? I knew exactly what
this
was from the moment you walked in here.”

“And what exactly is
this
?”

“You’re trying to get in my pants!”

He burst out laughing. “You’re wrong, princess.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.” Now he was grinning again. “I don’t mix business with pleasure. Right now, this is all business.” He pushed your bagel closer to you. “Now why don’t you eat something? I can practically hear your stomach growling.”

You pushed the bagel back. “Call me princess again, and
I’ll
mix business with pleasure and knock your pretty teeth out,” you said pleasantly.

“You could try,” he challenged. “But we both know any attempts at knocking my pretty teeth out would end with your pretty ass pinned to the floor.”

Leaning in, you lowered your voice. “Would you like to test that?”

He leaned in as well, putting your faces inches apart. “I don’t fight crippled women,” he whispered.

You looked at his lips. He looked at yours. Then you both looked up and locked eyes again. Thus began the most intense staring contest of your life. Cue
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
showdown music.

Something snapped in you, and you pounced on Nick like a cat with its claws out, knocking him and his chair backward. You both toppled to the ground and wrestled like two wild animals. Eventually, you got him in a headlock and squeezed, trying to suffocate the laughter out of him. He was
laughing
. Instead of fighting your hold, Nick reached back and pinched your side, making you squeal with sudden laughter. He grabbed on to you and twisted his muscular body, bringing you with him and flipping you over onto your back. That knocked the wind out of you, and while you were stunned, he straddled your body and pinned
your arms and legs. His breathing had accelerated, and when you looked up into his striking eyes, his pupils were expanded from arousal.
Jesus Marie Christ.
Your body reacted to him and you felt a steady need for him.

“Is that a nunchuck in your pants, or are you just happy to see—”

Nick kissed you hard on the mouth and ended your thoughts. Then he kissed you again and again. His tongue parted your lips and brushed up against yours, teasing and tasting. Nick’s fingers slid away from your wrists and gripped your lower back. His stubble deliciously scratched your skin as he moved his mouth from your lips to your jaw, and then finally, your neck.

Talk about a sweet spot. The secret was out. You loved neck kisses.

Shit,
you abruptly thought. He didn’t know the truth about Rat Dog or how you were a massive fan of his. He didn’t know any of that, and it felt wrong to be intimate without laying everything on the table.

“I’m just happy to see you,” Nick finally replied, once he pulled back from your mouth. When you met his gaze, you thought of that time you touched yourself to his image. You cringed internally. You
had
to tell him, or the flashbacks would never end. “I usually don’t do this,” he was saying. “I mean, we barely know each other. Are you sure you want to—?”

“
Yes
, but I have to tell you something first that might complicate things,” you blurted out, breathing hard with adrenaline. You couldn’t keep it in any longer. You had to tell him everything.
Everything
. And it all came out in one big explosion of words: “I knew who you were before I met you. I follow you on Instagram. I knew you had a dog that looked like Joey. Hell, I knew in my gut it
was
Joey. But I was too afraid to tell you. You kept making
me angry and I kept postponing asking you if you’d lost your dog. I mean, can you blame me, though? If I’d asked if you’d lost your dog, there’s a chance you would have known I was a fan, and that would have been really uncomfortable because we kinda hate each other. And what made it even more uncomfortable was that I have definitely looked at pictures of you while . . . you know.”

Throughout your confession, you’d watched Nick’s expression get more and more puzzled. He hovered over you, bracing himself on his hands, taking everything in. You were certain he was about to call the whole thing off, file a restraining order against you, and never speak to you again.

“So
that’s
why you ran from me when I met you? Because you were embarrassed?”

“Yes,” you said.

He sat back on his heels, expression flat. “I don’t know what to say.”

You wiped your hands over your burning face. “Me neither.”

Nick beamed and leaned toward you again, so that his mouth was at your ear. “I knew you were a fan the moment you called me a model. It was written all over your face. And as for keeping Joey from me, you took care of him. That’s all that matters to me.”

You were so relieved by this that you laughed. “I thought you were going to get so mad.”

“You thought wrong—”

“Wait, you
knew
I was a fan of you?”

“Yes.” His mischievous eyes grazed over your body, and then he kissed your neck again, biting at the skin a little. His voice dropped to something lower, huskier. “Now what was that about you . . .
fucking
yourself to an image of me?”

“You’re going to have to fight me for it,” you joked.

Nick stood up and offered you his hand. You took it and stood. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. “You should be resting. I have no problem talking with you a little more and leaving. Or, I can just sleep over. I’m an A-plus cuddler. . . .”

“Are you serious?”

“What?”

“That felt like something out of a Hallmark movie. I want you. Take me. Not everyone has to take it slow. Sometimes a girl just wants to get laid. For example, me.”

He started toward you, but you stopped him with your hand. “And if you have a sudden change of heart and say you want to take things slower, when I’m as horny as I am right now, then I’m kicking you out of my apartment and taking matters into
my own hands
.” You smirked naughtily. “If you know what I mean.”

WITH RHETT,
you’d eventually gotten used to being naked with him, but you could never recall feeling
this
nervous with him. Nick was special to you. You rarely trusted men. What made Nick an exception was that you mattered to him. He gave a shit, and that was hard to come by for you. Nick pulled out of you and wedged himself next to you on the small bed. “So much for mixing business with pleasure,” his deep voice rumbled at your ear, making you laugh.

You turned your face and held both sides of his jaw in your hands. “Nick.”

He kissed your collarbone. “Yes?”

“A rematch,” you said, drawing his attention back to you. “A rematch without you smacking my ass. If I win, I get to
co-run
the center with you. We can discuss my salary after I win.”

He moved up the bed, grinning over you. “You’re crazy.”

“What’s wrong, afraid you’ll lose?”

“You wish.” He brushed your hair with his fingertips. “I’m basically Savage, except cuter.” You started to playfully smack his shoulder, and his eyes narrowed as he snickered. “Say we do have this rematch and you win. I can’t just promote you like that. It’s immoral.”

“Bock, bock, bock, bock, bock—”

“What are you—?”

“Bock, bock, bock, bock—”

“Hey—”

“Bock, bock, bock—”

“Fuck, okay!”
He pinched your lips together and you shook silently with laughter. “What do I get if
I
win this rematch of yours?”

You pulled his hand away from your mouth. “Name your price, lover boy. I’ve named mine.”

He raked your naked body and arched an eyebrow. “Dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“I get to take you to dinner. Anywhere I want. And I get to pick out your dress.”

You groaned. “A
dress
?”

“You don’t
own
dresses, do you?”

“I don’t even own heels.”

He snickered. “Well, boohoo, princess. If I win, you have to wear a dress. And heels.”

“So all you want is dinner?” you asked skeptically.

“Dinner, and then I get to ravish you at my apartment until the sun comes up. So technically, you won’t be wearing the dress or heels for long.” He stuck his hand out. “And you have to take your regular job back if I win. Deal?”

“Deal.”

THAT MORNING,
you devoured your scrumptious everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese and took a shower. Or at least, you tried to take a shower, until Nick climbed in with you and insisted on cleaning you himself. Quickly though, you both had to settle down and take a miserable
cold
shower because the plumbing in your building sucked ass.

After getting dressed, you took a taxi to Nick’s apartment so he could get a fresh change of clothes and crate Rat Dog. Apparently, Rat Dog tended to act out when he was spoiled and carried around every day. Oops.

“Maybe Joey just likes me better,” you teased. “He never acted out with me.”

“That’s just because Joey’s smart and loves being around gorgeous women.”

You smacked Nick’s arms as he snickered. His apartment smelled like his cologne and was filled with high-end leather furniture and dozens of boxes that were still unpacked. He led you by the hand to his bedroom, and your mouth fell open. His bed resembled a cloud of masculine blankets, raised up on a huge platform.

You catapulted onto the bed, lying across it starfish style. Nick disappeared into his closet and reappeared in a fresh gray sweatshirt and another pair of joggers. He laughed when he saw you.

“Comfortable, princess?”

You closed your eyes and pretended to snore.

Fifteen minutes later, you and Nick strolled side by side into the fitness center, like the king and queen arriving at their palace. Well, if a cold gym with sticky men and decor that was strictly limited to paint peeling off the walls could even be
considered
a palace.

You still didn’t work at the center anymore, but since Nick
and you had agreed to a rematch, you’d arrived at the place early to fight. Other employees were there early, warming up, getting a quick workout in, and stretching. None of them were paying attention to you, but it would be rather awkward to start fighting in front of all of them. Still, you were giddy with excitement and couldn’t remember the last time you were so pumped to kick someone’s ass. Nick was done for.

Suddenly, you became aware of the bell that went off at the front of the center whenever someone entered the building. You turned to look over your shoulder to see who it was, and your smile fell.

Auburn hair. Green eyes. Disfigured nose. Bulky build.

You have to be fucking kidding me.

Emotions hit you at full force as you watched the man saunter farther into the center and look around. He met your gaze and your breath caught in your throat. A cruel smile curved his lips.

Rhett. Your psycho, abusive ex-boyfriend was in the center.
Your
center. He was in the same room with you, instead of rotting away in a jail cell like he should have been. You thought you would have a heart attack or a panic attack right then and there. Panic attack seemed more logical. Blood pulsed in your ears and your chest tightened with each quick breath you inhaled. One moment you’d been smiling and perfectly fine, and the next moment you were on the verge of breaking down.

Nick shook you from your thoughts. “Hey, you all right?” He looked over at Rhett. “You know him, or something?”

Rhett’s expression shifted into something friendly, and he waved at the two of you. Your hands tightened into fists. This couldn’t be real.
This couldn’t be real
. He must have tracked you down. Now Rhett was staring at you and Nick, and who knew what was going through that lunatic’s head right now. Rhett had a
severe temper, and the last thing you wanted was for Nick to get hurt because of you. You’d already endangered his life the moment Rhett saw you with him.

“I’m fine,” you managed to get out evenly, but on the inside, you were struggling to keep it together. “I have to handle a private matter.”

Nick looked back over at Rhett, and you could tell Nick was taking in the bad vibes from the situation. He stepped closer to you and stared Rhett down. Still, as hot as it was that Nick was being possessive, you needed to get your ass moving before he got involved with Rhett. Rhett was
your
problem.

“Nick, I’m fine. Just . . . stay here, okay?” Before he could argue, you dismissed him with your back as you stormed toward Rhett. You stopped a safe enough distance from him and he smirked.

“You have some fucking nerve showing up here.”

“I wanted to surprise you.” He stepped forward for a hug, and you stepped back. He looked stoned and drunk off his ass. You imagined he was wired on drugs the entire night, which would explain why he was at the center so early. “Well, all right then, I guess I don’t get a ‘welcome back’ kiss. It took a lot of dedication to find you, you know. Time in a
cage
can really make a man miss his girl.”

You didn’t care about any of that; you just had to find the right way to play this to get him out of here. “What the fuck do you want from me?”

His amusement fell away. “A favor. I’ve lost my placing at Cesspool, and my criminal record is fucking me over, keeping me from getting a job. Your friend, that faggot owner of the place, Pringle, or whatever the fuck his name is, has been giving me a hard time about getting back at it at Cesspool. I need money, and not the quick and easy bucks that the lower rankies get. Convince
your friend to get me up in the rankings and you’ll never have to see my handsome face again. I really need your help.”