Nico's Cruse (2 page)

After the sun had set hours later, she put away the last of
the groceries she’d picked up after her trip to the spa. She’d had a massage,
which normally left her feeling like a puddle but she couldn’t relax.

Nico’s half-smile kept taunting her every time she closed
her eyes. Especially while she tried to relax. His sexy face probably had
something to do with the fact that she splurged and had a Brazilian wax done
too. Her pussy hadn’t ever felt so smooth or naked before and it was a complete
waste—at least on him. He wouldn’t be seeing it or feeling it…

She rubbed her legs together, her bare skin caressing her
silky panties she had on below her yoga pants she’d changed into when she’d
gotten home.

She shut the fridge, glancing at her watch for about the
millionth time, not wanting to get online too early and look too eager but she
didn’t want to miss him either. A few minutes before ten, she tossed the
plastic bags from her grocery store trip and made her way into the dining room.

She grabbed her laptop and passed the kitty asleep on the
top of her scratching post in the corner of the living room. She settled on the
couch with a glass of wine. It reminded her of a date, other than the fact her
date wasn’t actually in the same room or building or city.

She took a sip of wine, snuggling into the corner of the
couch, not wanting to ruin her excitement. As soon as she logged on, an icon
with Nico’s name showed up on her screen. She double-clicked on the message
icon just as a screen from him appeared.

“How’d your appointment go?”

“Good. I had a massage. Felt very nice.”

“Bet it did. So what do you do, Rose? I’m a graphic
designer, work with clients all over the U.S. Keeps me stuck inside for a lot
longer than I’d like since I love outdoors but it keeps me busy if nothing
else.”

“I’m actually writing a novel.”
The words tumbled out
before she could call them back. She hadn’t told a soul about it yet. None of
her friends from growing up, no one from Latica Steel.
Why is he special?

“Awesome. What are you writing about? Biography, How-To,
Self-Help…”

“Fiction actually. Romantic suspense. I’ve had an idea in
my head for years but I was so busy with my family’s business I never had time
to do anything but make notes.”

“What changed? Why do you have so much more time now?”

“Sold the company and while I’m deciding what I want to
do with the rest of my life I’m writing the book. It’s been amazing and
frustrating and awesome. I’m almost done with it actually. Only a few more days
working on it and I think I’ll be good. The thought of someone reading it is
terrifying though.”

“I could read it for you.”

Rose waited for a punch line but one never came.
“Umm…thanks,
I’ll keep that in mind.”
Not wanting to talk about her anymore she decided
to change the subject onto him.
“What about you? What are you designing
right now?”

“You know the cat cartoons out right now? Super popular?
Whacks his owner and then acts like he’s asleep. Here, let me show you.”

Another highlighted line showed up in the message box,
asking her if she wanted to download a file.

“Just click on the link.”

She clicked on it and a cat cartoon showed up in the dialog
box. It was one of her favorite cartoons. She read it every Sunday morning
while drinking her coffee.

“Oh, yeah. Love that cat, reminds me of mine.”

“He’s my brain child. Someone picked up the cartoon and
licensed it for newspaper. Someone else wants to make a line of apparel using
the cat. T-shirts, socks, boxers, and hats. It’s been fun.”

“That’s gotta be a lot of computer work.”

“A huge amount actually. More than I ever imagined. What
did we ever do before computers and the Internet?”

“Don’t ask me. I live with my phone and laptop connected
to my hip.”

“So why don’t we take them out of the equation?”

Rose stared at the computer screen, making a bit of a face.
“What?”

“Let’s chat.”

Umm
.
“We are chatting.”

“We’re typing. You’ve been working on your book all day
and I’ve been drawing all day. Let’s video chat so neither one of us has to
type anymore. I’d like to be able to talk to you. It’ll be more like a real
date.”

She immediately freaked out for a minute, thankful he
couldn’t see her. She decided to grow a pair but warned him,
“I’ve already
got my contacts out for the day. I’ve got glasses on, no makeup, and my hair’s
in a ponytail from the spa earlier…”

“Don’t get your hopes up that I’m gonna be any better.
I’ve been in the gym and then I took a shower after dinner. I’ve only got
sweatpants on. You going to be offended by my state of undress?”

A nervous giggle bubbled up inside her chest and burst into
the room.

“That depends.”

“On?”

Her fingers hovered above the keys and she shrugged,
deciding to be nothing if not herself.
“Are you who your profile says you
are or are you a four-hundred pound guy living above the garage at your
parents’ place?”

“Ha! Nice image. I’m really who I say I am. If I wasn’t,
would I have suggested the video chat?”

“Good point.”

“What about you? Are you really who you say you are?
Maybe you’re not nearly as pretty as I imagine you are.”

She shrugged her shoulders, forgetting momentarily he
couldn’t see her yet.

“I’m wearing a pink tank top and black yoga pants with a
white band at the top. Love is repeated in black and pink over and over again.”

“Sounds cute. So…you gonna be brave and meet me?”

“Sheesh, I guess so. No harm in actually talking, sort
of, face to face.”

“Let me get everything up on my end, then I’ll walk you
through it. You’ll get a password on your end and will have to give it to me.”

“Every time or just once?”
He didn’t answer for a
second and she wondered if her assumption there would be more than once had
freaked him out.

“Each time. So if you don’t like me you’ll never have to
see me again. And it’s a self-generating password that changes every time you
close down the connection. Okay, I’m ready to go. There’s a little video camera
icon in the upper right side corner of the chat screen we’re on. Double-click
on it and I’ll call you.”

She clicked on the icon and another screen popped up. Nico’s
icon showed up for a few seconds and then he must have called from his end.
Nico calling replaced the other message in the center of the screen along with
a six-digit password.

“Did you get a password?”
A text message popped up at
the bottom of the black video screen.

She gave him the password generated on her side and waited.
An image flashed across the screen, and then it said “
Nico Connecting”
…
Within one breath and the next, there he was filling up her computer screen,
his half-smile coming to life as he stared at her.

“Hi, Rose.”

“Unngff.” Nothing else came out and her brain completely
shut down.

His profile picture didn’t do him justice. He reminded her
of one of those guys featured on the cover of a workout magazine, but sexier,
’cause he was real.

Bare-chested, his biceps bunched as he leaned against a
table or some surface he had his laptop sitting on. The white hair shocked her
even more in virtual person, especially as he speared his thick fingers through
it, pulling it off his dark forehead. It wasn’t a detractor, quite the
opposite. It made him seem like a super hero, especially with his deep tan and
dark blue eyes.

She just thought she’d been aware of how her pussy lips felt
after the spa. It was nothing compared to how swollen and sensitive they were
since he was almost in the room with her.

His lips moved but she had no idea what he said, just his
rich baritone laugh filtered through the connection. She whimpered when she
first saw him, so she cleared her throat, determined not to ogle him anymore.

“Umm…sorry. Totally don’t mean to gawk but damn.”

“It’s very white, huh?” He ran his palm over it again and
she wished she could do it for him.

“No. I mean yes it is, but uhh…that’s not exactly what I’m
looking at, Nico.”

He watched her with a bit of a squint on his face but she
couldn’t stop staring at his chest and his arms. She even tilted the screen
down a bit to see if she could see below the table. Made no sense after she did
it but she really wanted to see below the table.

She noticed the secondary screen next to his picture for the
first time and a smaller picture of her filled the square. Her boobs, actually,
since she’d tilted her screen. The camera pointed right at her nipples, which
had gotten hard the instant his handsome face came into view.

He laughed again and she smiled, a blush staining her
cheeks, as she moved the camera back up to show her face.

“I don’t know which I like better, Rose. Your pretty smile
or your other assets…” Beautiful straight, white teeth gleamed across the
internet at her.

“Same here.”

“Blonde hair and brown eyes, my favorite. You’re beautiful.”

She wanted to fidget and take her hair out of the ponytail
she had it in but instead she just shrugged. “Blonde and brown is pretty plain,
if you ask me.” His attention threw her off balance, as if he hadn’t seen a
woman in years.

“Not plain. Perfect.”

“And you’re charming.”

“It’s hereditary.”

She laughed, unable to help herself. “What’s hereditary?
Being charming?”

He nodded as if it were a foregone conclusion. “My mom said
I got it from my dad. She said he swept her off her feet from the first second
she saw him.” He rolled his eyes but she could tell he was fond of the memory.

“Where were you born?”

“Right outside of Miami, Florida, actually. Both of my
parents are Chilean and we used to visit there all the time.”

“Have you been there since they passed away?”

“No. I haven’t left South Florida in years.”

“Florida. You’re still in Florida? What part?”

“A little town on the southern coast. I’m sure you’ve never
heard of it.”

Her eyebrows dipped in concentration. “Try me.”

He watched her. Glaring through the video screen at her.
“Homestead.”

She minimized the video screen so she could bring up her
profile again, wanting to check to make sure she hadn’t been stupid and put her
real town in there.

“So have you heard of it?” his disembodied voice asked just
as she brought up her page.

Florida is all it said. She flipped up the video screen
again. “What’s your area code?”

“786. You have heard of it, haven’t you?” He put two and two
together as well. “What’s your cell number?”

She gave it to him before she thought better of it.

“Hold on a second.” He stepped away and she caught sight of
his six-pack abs and light gray sweat pants before he moved out of the camera
view. Within a few seconds he was back, sitting in front of his laptop again.
“I’m sending you a text.”

Her cell, which happened to be beside her on the table, next
to the couch dinged, signaling a text message. She opened it up, “Hey, sexy
girl.”

She smiled again and texted him. “Homestead, huh?”

A chime went off on his end and he pushed buttons on his
phone. “It seems we are neighbors of a sort. Latica. You’re not one of
the
Laticas are you? Of Latica Steel?”

“The one and only, actually. The only one left.”

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Rose Petal.”

She set her phone down, focusing on her date again. “You
know it’s probably stupid but I miss the nickname.”

“Not stupid, especially if you were close to your parents. I
was really close to mine but I wasn’t real fond of my name.”

“Nico? Why not? Domenico’s a nice name. Exotic…sexy.”

“I sure as hell like it when you say it like that but it
literally means ‘Lord Handful’. Manata is my last name.”

Rose laughed, covering her mouth with her palm. “Lord
Handful. Pretty sure your mom had you pegged or your dad, depending on who
named you.”

“No doubt. My mother definitely thought herself quite funny
and she told me all the times that I got into trouble I was just living up to
my name. Not like it helped me at all in this case.”

“What do you mean this ca—”

“So what’s your favorite thing about Homestead?”

She blinked, wondering if the connection cut out for a
second. “The people, the closeness. It’s a small town but a great place to
live.”

“You don’t think it’s too small?”

She shook her head. “Not with the coast so close. It’s
almost like the entire town continues with the water. Like it goes on forever.”

“I love the water.”

“Me too. Maybe we’ll have to have a date on the water
sometime.”

He acted as if he almost said something else but stopped.

“Oh, Lord, sorry, not like I’m jumping the gun or anything.”
She almost slapped her forehead but remembered at the last minute he could see
her. She probably broke like fourteen first date rules with talking about
seeing him again and in real,
real
person. Maybe they’d made an
Online
Dating for Dummies
book. She’d have to check the next time she made it to
the bookstore, if she didn’t die from embarrassment first.

“I’d love to meet you somewhere, but it’s…hard for me to get
away…from work. You know?”

She took a deep breath, glad he made an effort to not make
her feel awkward. “I definitely understand how that is. It’s my excuse for not
dating up until, well, now.”