Their Second Chance (4 page)

“Please, Nick. It’s been too long,” she admitted with urgency. “I need you now!”

She pulled his hair, harder than she ever had and urged him to come closer. The moment his waist was within reach, she unbuckled and unzipped him without breaking the deep connection between their locked gazes. The vein in his cheek jerked and her pussy ached. She knew that he was highly aroused. If the vein hadn’t been an indication, the way his nose flared sure was, as was the way he clenched his jaw and the hand that gripped her thigh. He finger fucked her so damn slowly it was like being punished and rewarded at the same time. Mesmerized on the vision of his movements, she stared as he dipped in, pulled out, and stroked the wet fingers around her clit.

With a quick gulp, she shoved his pants down and freed him. She was filled with new urgent need when she saw his cock. The view had never been so good. Thick, hard, and dripping beads of pre-cum from the smooth mushroomed head. It made her want
to jump him. All her body and mind clamored for was him. Inside her. Taking her. She gripped his shaft in her fist, and he groaned. Desire scorched her from within with each thrust of his cock into her fist. She licked her lips and tried to swallow past the dryness in her throat.

“Do we need protection?” She hadn’t been with anyone else since their separation. That didn’t mean the same applied to him.

“There hasn’t been anyone else for me since you. There never will be.”

At that moment, her heart broke a little more for them. For the pain they’d both endured and the love that hadn’t been enough. Their gazes met, held, and a world of communication happened with just one look. “Please, Nick. Make love to me.”

With any other man, she wouldn’t have thought of it as love making, but he was her one and only.

Always would be.

He tugged at the bows on the sides of her panties, until they came undone. She braced herself on the table and lifted her butt off so he could slide the soaked material from under her. She curled a hand around the base of his shaft and used her other hand to spread the moisture from the slit down his length. Her need drove her to near madness. She wanted him. Now.

As if reading her mind, he pounced on her. He stepped into her open thighs and slid his length up and down her wet pussy lips. A blazing ball of tension started to gather in her core. She panted and curled her hands around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. Their lips met, and he slid into her in a fast thrust. All the way in until their pelvises touched. She gasped into the kiss. It took her body a second to adjust to being invaded by his. She hadn’t been with him in so long, and her nerve endings in her pussy were stretched taut. 

“That feels so…”

“Perfect,” he added, finishing the sentence for her.

He hauled her closer to the table’s edge. She whimpered. Each of his drives were better, harder, and deeper than the last. She didn’t know how it was possible for him to intensify the scalding passion in her sex. Her internal temperature and pleas increased with each thrust. She gladly gave herself over to the sensations raging in her blood.

It had always been this way, hot and intense. With enough fire, she thought they’d burn down the house around them. Her body had never ceased to crave him. He drove a hand into her
curls, the curls plastered around her face and neck with perspiration, and gripped the back of her head to keep her at an angle. Their kiss was an untamable reunion of body and heart. At least for her it was.  The pain she’d been experiencing for over six months was being replaced by lust, passion, and the need to reconnect with the man she loved.

Wild demand trekked across from his body into hers with each unyielding thrust. She tore her lips from his. Heady tension gathered from every corner of her body, centered in her pussy and womb, until she thought her orgasm would never arrive. Clinging to him as if her life depended on it, she moaned at the delicious friction their bodies created. He licked her jaw and bit his fingers into her ass cheeks.

The sound of his harsh breathing by her ear added another notch to the unforgiving tension.

“I missed you, baby.” He kissed her ear lobe. “You’re the only one for me.”

Almost like his words were what she’d been waiting for her, she felt her body give. A quick unraveling took place. So quickly, she’d swear it was happening on fast forward. Then she was there, jumping off the cliff and diving head first into bliss.

“Oh! Nick.” His name came out a choked moan. Waves of pleasure lapped over her. She held on to him and enjoyed the ride. He continued, until he thrust a final time deep, and came hard, grunting her name with his release. Warm semen bathed the neck of her womb.

Mind muddled and still more than a little aroused, she hugged him and tried to hold back the tears. He’d been wonderful. Better than she remembered. He cradled her head in his shoulder and caressed her back, their bodies still locked together tight.

Thump! Crack!

They jerked. Both glanced around the room and tried to figure out what happened. She gasped, a piece of the ceiling had fallen on a chair and destroyed it. The chair was no more than ten feet away from them.

“Come on. Let’s get dressed.” He grimaced and helped her off the table. “This place is going to fall apart sooner or later.” He frowned. “We need to try and figure out what to do to get out of here.”

She wondered what would happen between them after this. Would he still want a divorce? She knew she didn’t have it in her to act as if the past year and a half hadn’t happened. Just the thought made the anxiety she’d walked into the office with reappear.  Worrying about the future would only matter if they survived the building that was trying to bury them alive.

Nick listened to the building
rattle around them. Pieces of white plaster fell everywhere. His stomached churned with concern for their present situation. He and his wife were finally talking, something they hadn’t done in almost two years, and it had to happen while their lives were on the line. He marched to the side where the small window was blocked off by concrete.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced over his shoulder, watching Ariana step around the pieces of plaster on the ground and make her way toward him. He held out a hand and helped her over a bigger piece of debris. “We need to get out of here. I’m hoping that this side, since it’s closer to the street, will have better reception.”

She nodded. His chest ached from the number of emotions running rampant inside him, the first being fear. He was scared. Scared that his time with her would be up soon,
and it was unfair.  He yanked his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. One bar. It felt like forever after dialing 9-1-1 before the call was connected. He almost fell to his knees in thanks when he got an operator.

Another piece of the ceiling fell. He pushed
Ariana behind him, into a corner, and explained to the operator that they needed help, that they were trapped. Ari’s warm breath caressed his back, making goose bumps flare all along his skin. He tried to stay calm. It was hard with the building rattling and knowing the one person he loved most in the world was in danger and he couldn’t do anything about it. He gave the operator instructions on where they were and was told help was on the way. She asked him to stay on the line if possible, which he was more than happy to do, except the reception cut off and he was once again without service.

He cursed.

“Is everything okay? They’re coming right?” Her voice was soft, but he heard the trembling fear in her tone.

“They’re coming. We’ll get out of here soon.” He turned to face her, holding her loosely in his arms. There was a mixture of apprehension and concern in her gaze. He hated seeing her anything other than happy.

“Nick…” She gulped, bit her lip and glanced at his mouth before meeting his gaze. “When we get out of here…”

He knew what she was asking. The same questions were in his mind. Anxiety worked its way into his gut. Where did they go from there? “Tell me something, do you still want a divorce?”

She swallowed. He held his breath and waited. “I’m not sure how to answer that. I never really wanted a divorce, but we lost our way.”

He cupped her cheek and kissed her. She tasted so good, like the biggest temptation to ever touch his heart. She was his. The only woman his body craved. The only woman his soul had ever connected with and claimed as his other half.

She pulled back. A frown marred her brows and hurt filled her eyes. “You can’t expect me to forget what happened between us. Where do we go from here?”

“We start over.” After he said the words, he realized how true they were. There was no way he’d want to pick up where they left off anyway. Things had been much too messed up between them then. Not just that. In the past year and a half, he’d changed, and he was sure she had also.

She licked her plump lips, nodding. “That sounds much better. How do you propose we do that?”

A siren blared in the distance, growing closer with each second. The energy holding his muscles tense slowly dissipated. Help was almost there.

He met her gaze. Words he really didn’t want to say tumbled out brokenly.  “I have to travel for a few weeks, but when I return we can have dinner. Maybe spend some time together again?”

Her gaze softened along with her features. She smiled. The soft upward tilt of her lips made his heart clench. All the love he’d always felt for her expanded inside him.

“I think that’s a great idea. I have a lot of work to catch up on, and I also have a few trips coming up.”

The sound of the ambulance and fire truck was right by the window now. They were informed via a loud speaker that the fire crew was going to remove some of the pieces blocking them inside before they could get them out. He held her while they waited. He knew the situation was rough. It didn’t matter. Having Ari in his arms again was the best feeling in the world.

She leaned her head into him, her soft, dark curls tickling his jaw, and rubbed her cheek on his chest. “I missed you.”

His heart pounded hard. She’d said the words softly, but he’d heard it through the noise outside. “I missed you too.”

He wanted to tell her all would be all right between them. The reality was he couldn’t make that assurance without knowing what the future held. What she wanted. This was a new start. He was getting a second chance with the only woman he loved. He wasn’t going to mess up again.

“I’m not sure this is
the right thing for you, Son,” his mother argued.

“She’s my wife, mom. I love Ari. What could be wrong with me and her working out our differences?” He held on to his patience by a thread. He loved his mother, but she’d never liked that Ari had a career and wanted to do more than just be a wife to him.

“She completely pushed you away when she couldn’t get pregnant. If she’d stopped her desperate need to go have a career, she’d have been able to get better medical treatment for her fertility issues,” his mother said, placing her cup of tea on the glass coffee table.

“Mom, you know I love you, but those are issues that were mine and hers alone. We’ve talked.
Neither one of us wants a divorce.” At least he still hoped she didn’t. It had only been a few hours since he’d dropped Ari off at her home after taking her to the hospital to get checked out. His mind was firm in his belief that he didn’t want to lose her. With his schedule pushing him to travel.  In fact, he wouldn’t get a chance to see her for a few weeks.

“And what happened with Kevin?” His mother asked, showing more concern for his lawyer than for his wife.

“Kevin’s fine. I told you, he and his assistant were able to get out of the building without a scratch. We were the only ones left inside.”

She leaned forward and patted his cheek. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want to see you hurting again.”

He knew she didn’t mean any harm. His mother loved him and had her own views on what a wife should be doing. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“What about Kristina?” She raised her delicate brows, eyes filled with curiosity.

“What about Kris?”

His mom shrugged. “She said you’ve been seeing each other often.
Doing a lot of things together.”

He barked a laugh. Kris was his life-long friend. They’d known each other since they’d been kids and had grown up with their families as friends. “Mom, you know I’m not seeing Kris like that. I’m sure she meant as friends. She’s my employee. We go visit potential clients together.”

“As long as she knows that,” his mother muttered.

He rushed to his hotel
room. It was time for his nightly video conference call with Ari. He’d been doing this daily for the past four weeks. The day they ended up trapped in their lawyer’s office had been like a new chapter for them. He’d taken her home and knowing he was going overseas, promised to stay in touch via text, calls, and a nightly video conference. It was one of the things he looked forward to after a day packed with meetings. His business was growing, but he wasn’t going to put Ari in the back burner for it again.

He wasn’t sure if Kris had been talking to his mother. He hadn’t been prepared for Kris’s questioning when he told her about the budding new relationship with Ari.  Though she hadn’t been rude, she’d asked very personal details. Things he wasn’t interested in sharing with anyone. It wasn’t like he’d ever given her the wrong impression. They’d been out a few times casually, as friends.

He set up the computer while removing his suit jacket and tugged at the uncomfortable tie. He hated the silk choking devices. He’d been dying to remove it the minute he put it on. This trip, while long, was a major project his company had undertaken. He couldn’t very well show up in jeans, a T-shirt, and work boots—as much as he wanted to—to a big meeting with a major client.

The computer turned on to a photo of him Ari and Harley in the background. He grinned every time he saw the photo. It was taken right before they’d started trying to conceive. At the time, he swore they could handle anything that came their way, but he’d been so wrong. He didn’t want to be wrong again, not when it came to his relationship with her.

Clicking keys, he watched the video connection come to life. The moment he saw Ari’s face, alarm filled him.

“What’s wrong?”

She rubbed her temples and blinked. “Nothing. I just have a bad headache. I’ve been working on this new campaign. To be honest, it’s kicking my butt. I can’t sleep.”

He heard Harley bark, and all of a sudden, her big golden body was taking over the screen.

“Harley, calm down.” Ari giggled.

After a momentary struggle, where Harley sniffed at the camera area of the laptop, she was able to haul her back. He watched her hold Harley in her arms and
pet her head with a sigh.

He wanted to be there for her, hold her, and let her know she wasn’t alone. “What is it about the campaign that’s not letting you sleep?”

“I’m not sure it’s the campaign alone. The customer is very demanding, and I’m finding myself nauseous whenever I think of meeting with her.” She cocked her head. Her ponytail fell to the side in disarray, making her look even more tired.

She wore a tank top and sat on her bed with the laptop across from her. He’d guess it was on a pillow. Dark circles marred the undersides of her eyes. He frowned. She looked exhausted.

“You have quite a few employees now, Ari. Why don’t you pass this client off?” He removed his shirt, propped the laptop on a pillow, and sat down.

A yawn escaped her, and she shrugged. “She says she’s not comfortable dealing with anyone else. Which I can understand since this is supposed to be a big campaign for her small business, but…”

He waited for her to continue, but instead she leaned back and lifted a hand to her lips. He gulped. The way she stared at him made his fingers itch to touch her. He was sure she wasn’t aware she was doing it. A soft smile split her lips and made emotions expand in his chest. 

“But?”

She blinked. “It’s so exhausting.”

He could tell she was having a hard time staying awake with the number of times she yawned.

“Get some sleep. I’ll be back in just a few days.”

She jerked her head up in attention. Her smile went wider. “I thought you said next week?”

He had, but he didn’t want to be away from her any longer, and if they were going to try to work things out, he needed to make an effort to be there. The most important parts of his meetings were almost over. Mark, his right hand man and chief of operations could take care of things. He had to go clear the air with Kris as well. Make sure she understood he wasn’t seeking her approval.

“I finished some things early, and I really want to see you.”

Her smile lit her face with joy. “I want to see you too.”

He wanted to tell her he missed her. Hell, he’d been missing her every day for the past two years and he couldn’t wait to be near her, holding her again.

She yawned.

“Go to sleep. I’ll see you soon.”

She blew him a kiss. He did the same. She smiled every time he did. He’d never done that in the time they’d been together, so it was probably something she didn’t associate with him, but he’d try it all this time round if it made her happy.

“Good night, Nick.”

“Good night, beautiful.”

He touched the screen for long moments after she’d cut off the video. She was working too hard, and he wanted to do something to make it a little easier on her. He dialed his mother.

“Mom?”

“Nick what in the world? Where are you, son?”

He laughed. His mother must be exhausted if she had no idea where he was. “Did you forget I’m in Japan?”

“Of course I didn’t forget. I’m just confused why you’d call me at this time of the night. Well, my night. I spent the day trying to explain to grandfather who I am again. It’s exhausting.”