Chapter 100
1796words
He pulled down the pillow with a grin, kissing the tip of my nose.
'Between cups of coffee, I think. I might need to power up with coffee."
I bit my lip and grinned back at him.
'Nicholas...you drink a lot of coffee."
He nodded firmly.
'That's the point. Between every single cup."
My heart soared just thinking about it. Then, with an impulse I couldn't control, I wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, and pulled him down for a sudden kiss.
Then another. Then another.
When I was finally satisfied, I released him—leaving him breathless and confused. He pulled back in surprise, looking me over with a little half-smile.
'What was that for?"
'...because I can."
I beamed back with unadulterated joy, realizing, even as I said them, that the words were true. That for however long a time, this beautiful, charismatic, golden god of a man was mine.
An expression I'd never seen before froze Nicholas's face for the briefest of moments, before his eyes lit up with a euphoric glow.
'You shouldn't have said that..."
Just like that—he was out of bed in a flash. Flipping on a pair of lamps as he left me on the bed and headed out into the hall. I propped up on my elbows and stared after him in shock.
'Where are you going?"
He glanced over his shoulder with a wink.
'I'm going to get some coffee..."
--
You know that moment that comes right in between having an amazing dream and waking up? That suspended moment where you vaguely know things are too good to be true, but for the time being, you can't bring yourself to care? Like if you close your eyes for just a second more, you can find your way back. Extend it just a little longer. Find a way to make it last.
...then you open your eyes, and the whole world comes crashing down?
Yeah. That was happening to me.
For the second time in my life, I opened my eyes to see Mitchell Huntington standing over me. Arms folded. Jaw clenched. Towering over the foot of the bed.
I jerked awake with a gasp, pulling the sheets up to my chin in the same motion. While I had fallen asleep on my back, Nicholas was passed out on his stomach. When he felt me move, his arm tightened automatically around my waist in his sleep.
It was then that I realized Mitchell was staring at me.
'Nicholas," I whispered, trying desperately to pull myself to a sitting position while keeping my sheet at the same time, 'Nicholas—wake up."
Much to my horror, he mumbled in his sleep.
'You know the rules...coffee first."
I blushed as red as a fire engine, while Mitchell painfully closed his eyes. A second later, and after several sharp kicks from me, Nicholas finally blinked open his eyes.
'Good morning." He gave me a sleepy smile, still not registering much of anything around him. 'You know, I could have sworn that—DAD!"
He jumped in his skin like someone had shocked him—reaching automatically for the sheets just as I'd done. Then, for the first time in his life, he did something that neither I nor his father had ever seen him do before.
'Turn around!" he demanded, throwing a protective arm in front of me. 'Have you lost your fucking mind—she needs clothes!"
I froze, staring at him in shock.
How many times had I walked in on him and some girl in exactly this state? How many times had his father? How many nude pictures were plastered all over the internet of him and some random woman in the throes?
And yet...did he just defend my honor?
For a split second, even the great Mitchell Huntington was thrown. He froze in shock, just as I had, then turned around for exactly three seconds—just long enough for me to grab a robe.
'I see the two of you have decided to fully commit to this professional arrangement," he said dryly, when he turned back around. I blushed a million shades of scarlet, but for one of the first times, Nicholas held his gaze. 'That actually makes this next part a little easier."
'Next part?" Nicholas repeated, sensing trouble not far ahead. 'What are you talking about?"
If only he hadn't asked.
'I just got a call you see, from a cameraman working for the Post. It seems he has a flash drive with some rather incriminating photos of my son in a boxing ring. Not boxing."
His blue eyes swept over me. 'I'm assuming the woman in the photos is you?"
An unnatural chill fell over me, bowing my head to my chest. 'Yes, sir."
'You're in public relations for goodness sake. You get him out of these sticky situations all the time, yet, you join him on this one? How could you sink to his level? You should've stopped him and demanded he take you to a proper location. Having sex in public is unacceptable. Steady girlfriend or not! This won't help our cause!"
'Nobody was there."
'Doesn't matter."
'It was the heat of the moment. And I know that's not a very good excuse, but it's the truth. I swear it will never happen again, sir. Nothing like this has ever happened between us, I assure you of that. We were nothing but friends, and then things recently changed."
'Nicholas hit on you when you were first hired and you stayed strong. I had high hopes he could never taint you. But two years later, he did it. Did he keep chipping away at you, little by little?"
'No, not at all."
'Then how did he break through your titanium armor? At first, I thought you two were pretending to date. But it's real?" He shook his head. 'And having intimacy in public when anyone could take pictures and sell them to just about any trash magazine? Nobody should know that better than you and Nicholas. How the hell do I keep my son out of trouble? Out of the spotlight? Hiring you was supposed to stop this kind of shit."
I'd never felt so low. Never. 'I'm so sorry."
At this point, even Nicholas had the decency to look ashamed. Yes, he was in a relationship like his father had commanded, but the entire point had been to clean up his image for the company. Having sex on the floor of a boxing ring was hardly what the board had in mind.
Mitchell rewarded each of us with a long look.
'Fortunately, I was able to reason with the man and obtain the flash drive for myself."
Both Nicholas and I blinked up in shock. But it was Nicholas who asked the question.
'...how?"
'By promising him an interview," Mitchell replied. 'Every news cooperation on the planet will be fighting for the inside exclusive on the wedding. I promised it to him."
Nicholas and I both started nodded in automatic compliance, but then stopped at the same time, frowning at the one word that didn't fit in with the rest. Again, Nicholas took the lead.
'I'm sorry," he shook his head blankly, 'whose wedding?"
Mitchell's lips curled up in the darkest smile I had ever seen.
'Yours."
In the whirlwind of chaos, I found her,
Avery Winchester, with eyes that could calm storms,
And a heart, steadfast and true,
Yet I, Nicholas Huntington, a tempest unchained,
A reckless soul, a magnet for trouble's embrace.
Assigned to tame my wild spirit,
To find me a path where chaos yields to calm,
She navigates the storm within me,
With grace and purpose, amidst the tempest's dance.
Her words weave a tale of restraint and control,
A narrative to frame my unruly ways,
Yet beneath her professional guise, I sense a flicker,
A spark of something unspoken, uncharted.
Does she feel it too, this undeniable allure,
That draws us closer against all odds?
Or is it merely the play of circumstance,
A game of hearts entangled in fate's design?
I watch her, as tension mounts between duty and desire,
As lines blur in the heat of whispered moments,
For Avery Winchester, the PR whiz with a heart of gold,
Is on a wild ride she never foresaw.
In her eyes, I see reflections of what could be,
A future beyond the headlines and scandalous tales,
Where her touch soothes the restless spirit within,
And my reckless heart finds solace in her steady hand.
So here I stand, amidst the storm she bravely navigates,
Yearning for her to see beyond the chaos I create,
To unravel the man behind the headlines,
And discover in me, Nicholas, a soul laid bare.
For in this dance of hearts and headlines,
In this tale spun by fate's relentless hand,
I find myself hoping that Avery Winchester,
Will find in me not just a challenge, but a love untamed.
Nicholas
In the whirlwind of headlines and hearts,
I found Nicholas Huntington, a tempest unbound,
A reckless soul, a challenge set before me,
To tame his wild spirit amidst chaos's storm.
Assigned to weave his narrative with care,
To find him a partner who could anchor his gaze,
Yet beneath his charisma, his unpredictable charm,
I feel a pull that defies all my plans.
Nicholas, a man of contrasts and contradictions,
Whose laughter echoes through corridors of doubt,
Whose gaze pierces through the walls I've built,
Stirring emotions I thought long subdued.
Can I remain the steady hand, the impartial guide,
Amidst this dance of professional veneer and personal yearning?
Or will our chemistry ignite a blaze of scandal,
A risk that threatens the foundation I've tirelessly laid?
He challenges me, this billionaire of bold demeanor,
To see beyond the headlines and crafted image,
To unravel the man behind the façade,
And discover if love can bloom in the midst of chaos.
For in his presence, amidst the tumult he conjures,
I glimpse a vulnerability that calls to my own,
A longing to understand the complexities within,
And to navigate the currents of his turbulent soul.
So here I stand, at the crossroads of duty and desire,
In a wild ride that defies all expectations,
Where Nicholas Huntington, with his reckless allure,
Becomes the ultimate test of my resolve.
In his eyes, I see a reflection of what could be,
A future where passion and purpose intertwine,
Where my heart finds solace in his unpredictable embrace,
And where love, unexpected and unbidden, takes flight.
For Avery Winchester, the PR whiz who spins chaos,
Finds herself spinning in the whirlwind of Nicholas's world,
Ready to brave the storm, ready to risk it all,
For a chance at a love she never saw coming.
Avery
