Damn valentine f6, p.1
Damn Valentine F6, page 1
Damn Valentine
By Haley Travis
Copyright 2020 Haley Travis. All rights reserved. Cover design by Lexie Renard.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted or duplicated in any form whatsoever without express written permission of the author. This book is intended for sale to adults only. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual people or specific locations or details is completely coincidental, or intended fictitiously. All characters are over 18, no sex partners are related, all sex is consensual. This is fantasy. In the real world, everyone practices safe sex at all times. Right? Right.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One - Nikki
Chapter Two - Alex
Chapter Three - Nikki
Chapter Four - Alex
Chapter Five - Nikki
Chapter Six - Alex
Chapter Seven - Nikki
Chapter Eight - Alex
Chapter Nine - Nikki
Chapter Ten - Alex
Chapter Eleven - Nikki
Chapter Twelve - Alex
Chapter Thirteen - Nikki
Chapter Fourteen - Alex
Chapter Fifteen - Nikki
Epilogue - Nikki
Other Stories and About the Author
CHAPTER ONE
* Nikki *
I was determined to avoid meeting cute guys tonight. No matter what.
I’d never been so glammed up, sugar high, and slightly irritated. I told my friend Karen a thousand times that I would not be going out this New Year’s Eve, for fear of repeating the pattern that happened to me for the past three years. I’d meet a guy, we’d date, he would think I was getting serious when I wasn’t, and we’d crash and burn just before Valentine’s Day.
No more. For this New Year’s, I was going to stay in and watch the sparkling ball drop on TV from the comfort of my own couch.
But Karen whined and begged and pleaded for me to come to a New Year’s party with her. The guy she had a massive crush on, who was obviously the perfect man for her and there were no others, was her friend Monica’s brother. They were co-hosting the party so Karen absolutely had to go.
I really wanted to put my foot down, but Karen had been so wonderful to me during my weird three to five week relationships every January that I had to do a favor for her.
“Who knows,” she had said, “Maybe this year you’ll meet a great guy.”
“Not a chance,” I replied grimly. My determination was palpable.
Yet here I was, getting all dolled up at Karen’s condo while we ate an entire bowl full of candy and split a bottle of Moscato. Then an energy drink. I wasn’t tipsy at all, I was sugar high. It felt like I’d had an entire pot of coffee by the time we left.
The party was just a few blocks away, which was perfect. I could have walked home if I decided to leave early, or I could go back to Karen’s and crash at her place so that we could do a giant hangover breakfast.
She was weirdly excited to ‘accidentally’ run into Chris, this guy she had been drooling after in a most unladylike fashion. I found myself becoming swept up in her excitement. There’s nothing like that feeling of butterflies at the start of a new relationship when everything is bright and full of possibility. The first three dates are usually magical. But that’s when a few real conversations have to take place, and where things can start falling apart before they’re even really started.
New Year’s was supposed to be the time to break old habits and start new traditions. I was only twenty-five, and if it was going to happen again, this would be the fourth year of what I called ‘the curse’.
Sure, the beginning of the year was a great time to meet new people when they were all riled up after the holidays, and wanting to start a fresh new year with a fresh new person. It was great, until the pressure of Valentine’s Day loomed, and guys seemed to think that I was after something serious. I wasn’t. I mean, eventually. But I would have been happy casually dating for a few months until we figured things out.
I was much better off staying single for a bit longer.
Karen was practically bouncing up and down by the time we got to Monica’s condo. I don’t even quite know how Karen knew her – a work connection or something. But she got a look at Monica’s brother and pretty much lost her mind. Hey, everyone has a type.
As we went in, dropping off the obligatory hostess gift of a bottle of good red wine, and two bottles of cheap white that we were likely going to drink tonight, I noticed that it was already ten after eleven. Great, I thought to myself. I could make the rounds, chitchat, and leave by one am if I wasn’t having a fabulous time.
There were at least forty people milling around, and everyone was quite open and chatty. For once it was relatively easy to start talking with strangers. Everyone was in a festive mood, which made the evening much easier for me, since I’m usually pretty shy.
I had a wonderful conversation with a gal about her hot pink boots. Then I was chatting with a slightly older gentleman about how the transit system in Toronto is falling apart, and nobody is listening because the people in charge never even take the subway.
I was careful to only drink one more small glass of wine so that I could keep my mission on point. No guys, no matter what. Just friendly conversation.
As the living room became packed and rowdy, I did a sweep for abandoned glasses, washing them quickly and leaving them in the rack to dry. I knew that hostesses always became overwhelmed, so I usually tried to spend five minutes helping them catch up, even if they never knew it was me.
The huge flat-screen lit up, and everyone gathered in the living room as glasses of champagne were handed out. It was three minutes until midnight, and I grinned to myself. This was it. The year the curse would be broken. This was the year I was going to take charge of my love life, and figure out what I truly wanted, even though I wasn’t looking right now.
This was the year I was going to work on being a little less shy, a bit more outgoing, and take charge at the office. Since I was younger than many of the staff, I’d never really asserted myself. It was time for me to, for lack of a better term, find some balls. I almost laughed out loud to myself realizing that women truly needed a better term for being confident and self-assured.
Karen came running over, gripping my hand tightly and practically bouncing in her perfect chocolate brown designer outfit. “Chris and I were just talking for over twenty minutes, and I think he really likes me.”
“That’s great,” I said, truly excited for my friend.
“Are you okay if I take off to stand right beside him for the countdown?”
“Go get him, girl,” I grinned. Being alone was never something I had a problem with.
As she took off, I moved into the center of the crowd where I could be part of the group’s excitement, yet ignored if necessary. Everyone here was smiling and friendly. Even though most of them were strangers, there was a very positive vibe.
I was so relieved to kick the energy of the previous years behind that I was actually smiling from ear to ear into my champagne glass. Who cares, I thought. Everyone was a bit tipsy. They won’t remember seeing the weird girl practically giggling to herself.
The thought of shaking off the negative energy caused actual butterflies in the pit of my stomach. But then I felt something else. Jerking my head up, I looked into the most hypnotic dark blue eyes I’d ever seen.
“Ten…” everyone chanted.
The eyes came closer, carefully pushing through the crowd. He was tall, dark and handsome in a scruffy, rough sort of way.
“Nine...” everyone hollered.
He stopped directly in front of me.
“Eight…”
He was staring at me with the strangest expression, and I felt my spine begin to twitch.
“Seven...”
He was huge, with broad, muscled shoulders barely concealed in a tight black t-shirt. I felt absolutely tiny next to him.
“Six...”
He slid an arm around me, slowly pulling me against his hard, warm body.
“Five…”
The draw toward him was unearthly. Magnetic. My eyes were wide, but I wasn’t afraid. Just curious.
“Four…”
Lowering his lips to my ear, he whispered, “May I kiss you?” His voice was so low, enticing.
“Three…”
I looked up at him, nodding as he smiled sweetly.
“Two…”
Like lightning, he set my glass down on the table behind me and wrapped one arm around my lower back, the other around my shoulders, with his hand stretched upward to cradle the back of my head as he tipped my mouth up to his.
“One…”
His lips met mine a second early, stopping my breath and causing my heart to race like a jackrabbit.
People screamed and cheered all around us, but all I could hear was my pulse in my ears and a soft low moan that may have been me.
His tender kiss drew heat from both of us, building to an enchanting burn that I felt down my back and through my hips. Winding my hands in the back of his thick black hair, I felt his lips part slightly, inviting me in.
Tentatively, I allowed the tip of my tongue to creep along his bottom lip, entering his mouth slowly. I swear I felt him shudder in my arms as he grazed his tongue against mine. His strong arms pulled us clo
This time I was pretty sure the next little moan was his, as I felt him curling around me, drawing me against his body so tightly it felt like he wanted to swallow me whole. His lower hand slid down to gently cup my ass, and I felt a wave of lust that was like a physical shock flashing through me.
My entire body was pressed to his, and I’ve never needed a man this desperately before. His tongue cradled mine, dancing and exploring as we rocked together in overpowering bliss.
Reluctantly, he pulled back, gazing gently into my eyes as if searching for something. “I’m sorry,” he said in a gravelly, low tone. “I don’t know what the hell just came over me.”
“That’s okay,” I said with an embarrassed little smile. “Um, I’m Nikki.”
“Alex,” he said, leaning back in to kiss along the top of my cheekbone. I’d never been held by a guy this huge before, and feeling like a tiny doll in his arms was overwhelming.
He released me quickly, giving his head a shake as if the magical spell were broken, then took off into the kitchen, where I saw him talking quickly and seriously to Chris. I was left feeling empty. Hollow. Taking a deep breath, I tried to clear the strange aftershocks.
Then a hand took mine, and I looked up as Alex dragged me out of the living room and down the hallway to where it was quieter.
Backing me up against the wall, his kiss was wild. Primal. Feeling his hot, hard body pressed against me was so sensual that I couldn’t catch my breath again.
“I’m so sorry, gorgeous,” he murmured in my ear. “I have to leave five minutes ago.”
Then his hands gripped my hips hard as his mouth nearly devoured me. I heard a buzz from a vibrating phone. “Damn,” he growled, pulling away, and releasing me. Staring into my eyes for just a second, he grinned. “I’ll call you, Nikki.”
He vanished out the front door before I’d even caught my breath. Slowly walking out to the living room again, I felt like I was floating.
Karen appeared out of nowhere. “What the hell was that?” she asked, laughing her head off.
“I have no idea.”
“Who was that guy?”
“I have no idea.”
She looked at me with her mouth hanging open for a solid three seconds. “You little skank,” she teased, as only a best friend could.
I tried to compose myself and focus. “Did you get that New Year’s kiss from Chris?”
“Not really,” she said. “Well, sort of. There was a circle of five people, each giving everyone a tiny peck. So it was a start, I guess.” She grinned again. “Not at all like what I saw happening over here.” I reached down to pick up my champagne glass, chugging the entire thing.
Strangely, I felt amazing. Like everything in my world was brighter. Luckily, Karen grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where we could dance off the sugar high for an hour.
CHAPTER TWO
* Alex *
I’ve never done such a crazy thing before in my life. Racing toward that gorgeous girl, grabbing her and kissing her the way I did… It was completely unlike me. If I had seen another guy do that, I would have been concerned for the poor girl. But I had waited for her to nod. She had certainly said yes with her eyes.
Then she definitely said yes with the rest of her body. I will never forget the feeling of her delicate little fingers caressing the back of my neck. The taste of her silky lips will haunt me forever.
Part of me can’t quite believe I didn’t haul her away to the bedroom immediately.
Having that sort of a reaction to a woman was not normal for me. Sure, I liked girls, and dated now and then, but this was different. It was as if the universe itself had tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey buddy – there’s your girl.”
It was devastating to have to run off on her, but I had to get back to work. I’d only dropped by because Chris needed some important files for a project he was working on, and I happened to be working a gig three blocks away. After I handed him the USB keys, I tried to leave immediately, but Nikki’s face caught my eye, then my heart.
The next day I waited until the afternoon to send Chris a text, not wanting to wake him up if he happened to have a New Year’s hangover.
Hey – I need the full name and number of a girl who was at your party last night. Nikki. Short light blonde hair, big blue eyes. Sort of short, with full, hourglass curves.
I had to wait almost an hour for a response.
Sorry, I don’t know her. My sister Monica had a bunch of friends over as well. I’ll ask her.
I felt a strange creeping darkness crawl through the pit of my stomach. There was no way I could have found the girl of my dreams and then lost her.
Hey – Monica doesn’t know her either. She recalls a girl like that dropping by with another of her friends, but can’t remember her name. She blames the champagne. Sorry.
Damn. I set my phone carefully on my coffee table so that I wouldn’t hurl it against the wall. Maybe in a couple of days, Monica would remember. I’m sure I could find her through Chris on social media. That would mean hours of checking through friends of friends. Or, maybe I’ll just wait a few days until all of the New Year’s photos were posted, and I could find her there.
There was no way I was going to lose this girl. Even though I had to quickly pack my gear bags and get ready to haul ass to the airport for another job.
CHAPTER THREE
* Nikki *
I spent the entire next day searching for Alex online, but I didn’t have any leads beyond seeing him speaking with Chris in the kitchen. I quickly confirmed online that it had been Karen’s big crush, but he had no friends named Alex on any social media page.
My mind raced. I wasn’t going to give up. Why would someone drop into a party for three minutes? Alex had said he had to be somewhere in a hurry. What if he wasn’t a friend, he was a coworker?
I checked out the company Chris apparently worked for, and found out that his office was not too far from mine.
Feeling like a crazy stalker, I spent every lunch hour, and an hour after work, sitting in the window of the coffee shop directly beside the doors of the office tower, trying to casually read a book. I rarely deviated from my usual schedule, so I tried to tell myself that this was a learning experience.
I felt ridiculous, but the thought of never seeing Alex again was too much to bear. Just three work days. That was a reasonable amount of time to be hopeful without being completely nuts. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
But at the end of the third evening, I watched as the clock passed six. Then six-ten. At six-twenty, I slipped my book into my purse, threw out my coffee cup, and left the cafe feeling completely dejected.
“Thank god I found you, Nikki.” The voice was so low. Nearly a growl.
I spun to look up into Alex’s eyes. There was something so sensual about him. It was almost unnerving, but I could feel his heat through my bones just from him standing so close to me.
“I’m so sorry I took off on New Year’s. I was trying to get your number from Chris because... There’s just something about you.” His deep eyes locked on mine with an intensity that was nearly paralyzing. “Nikki, I can’t stop thinking about that kiss.”
Alex leaned in cautiously, as if checking to see if I’d pull away. But I couldn’t. His lips on mine were so soft, as if he was testing my response. I nearly whimpered with instant desire, as our arms snaked around each other.
He pulled me off the sidewalk into a little nook between buildings. Part of me couldn’t believe that I was openly making out with this guy in public. Part of me couldn’t believe that I’d found him again. But most of me was simply melting, as he held me to the wall, pressing his body against mine.
Unzipping my coat, he opened it so that he could run his hands around my waist. Somehow he untucked my shirt, sliding his hands up my back. A cloud of raw lust had overtaken me, dulling basic functions like common sense and decency.
