Out of My Element by Taryn Plendl Page B

continue, Nick pulled me to him and kissed me hard. I pushed him
back, stunned.
    “Damn
it, woman, you are going to listen to me, and if you want to walk away after,
that is your prerogative, but I need you to stop for a damn minute and just
listen.” I stared at him, shocked.
    “Okay,”
I mumbled.
    “Okay?”
he asked, cautiously.
    I
nodded.

Chapter 20
     
    Nick
    This
day was turning into a nightmare. I honestly couldn’t believe that it was the
same day. I had gotten into a fight, kicked out of my game, drank myself
stupid, slept with a beautiful woman in my arms, shared an amazing kiss, and
then managed to screw that up, too. I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried.
    If
Chelsea didn’t look so hurt, I would have probably laughed at the situation. I
was a complete moron a lot of the time, but not so much so that I would be dumb
enough to laugh at a woman who looked like she could either burst into tears or
tear off my balls. I wasn’t taking that chance.
    “First,
you did see the blonde, but what was she doing, Chelsea?”
    “Leaving,”
she whispered.
    “Exactly.
She was leaving. She never even made it through the door. I told her I was off
the market.” She hadn’t taken it well.
    “You’re
off the market?” She asked softly. I took both of her hands in mine, pulling
her closer to me. “Nick, I just want you to know that if you come any closer,
I’m not going to let you go again.” There was just a hint of a smile on her
lips, and I could tell she was nervous. Shit, I was nervous, too. I was so out
of my element here.
    “I’m
counting on that, Chelsea.” After she had left, I had some time to think about
what I wanted. I wanted to still have fun, go out with my friends, enjoy my
life to the fullest, but the thing that I had no doubts about was that I didn’t
want to do any of those if Chelsea wasn’t with me. For so long I had denied
that Chelsea meant anything more than a friend to me, but I loved her—I needed her. Warmth filled my chest and settled in my heart as I finally admitted what I
think I might have known all along.
    My
hands shook and my stomach tightened. “I love you.”
    “What?”
she whispered.
    “I
love you, Chelsea; I want you to be mine. I want to be yours.” I placed my
forehead against her. “God, please tell me you want this, too.” Her bottom lip
trembled, and her eyes looked glassy with tears.
    “You
love me?” she asked as a tear rolled down her cheek.
    I
reached out and wiped the tear away. “ I'm a screw up, Chelsea, and I'm
so scared because I've never wanted to be with someone as much as I want to be
with you. I don't want to lose you.” I didn’t even care that I sounded like a
girl. I was past that. I knew what I wanted, and she was standing right in
front of me.
    “I
love you, too, Nick.”
    “You
do?”
    “Oh
God, so much!” I took her face in my hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
    “Well,
what do we do now?” I pressed my forehead to hers.
    “Will
you make love to me?” she whispered.
    I
groaned at the thought, “ Baby , I’ll do anything for you.”
    I
led Chelsea back to my bedroom, not turning to face her until we were standing
right at the end of the bed. She was trembling. “Chelsea, we don’t have to do
this. We can wait.”
    She
shook her head. “I don’t want to wait. I want this. I want this with you. Now.”
    She
pulled her shirt over her head and stood before me in just her jeans and a
small, white lace bra. My mouth went dry, and I couldn’t even speak. She was so
perfect.
    “What’s
wrong?” she asked.
    I
took her face in my hands and pressed my forehead to hers. Now I was the one
trembling. “I don’t know how to do this,” I confessed.
    Chelsea
laughed. “What do you mean? You have been with more girls than I care to think
about, Nick.”
    “Shit,
that’s not funny, Chelsea. But really, not like this— never like this. I
don’t want to hurt you.”
    She
stroked my cheek and smiled at me. “Well, I