White Orchids

“You know, I had this whole sentimental, explanatory speech planned out for you,” Nicki said, once Tyler finally let go of her.

“I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just…”

When he hesitated, she cut him off. “I liked what you said better.”

Nicki put a hand on the side of his face, guiding him to her. His cheeks were wet; she couldn’t tell if her tears had transferred onto his face or if he’d been crying himself. There was no reason to ask. She nudged her lips between his and felt him let out a long breath through his nose. It was a short kiss, but one full of promise.

As she pulled away from him, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to give him a summary of what she’d been about to say.

“I was going to tell you that while I’ve been here, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. A ton of it, actually. Mostly about the wedding; Lisa has been up my ass about every last detail. But I’ve been trying to figure out what I want out of life. I know that I love interior design, and I know that I want to have my own business… but I just don’t think I’m ready for that. Not yet. And then I thought, if I don’t have that, what the hell am I going to do with my life? The only thing I could come up with was, well, to raise a family. I had no idea that you’d want to do it this soon. I was thinking more along the lines of a few years from now,” she admitted.

Tyler grabbed her hand between his. “I feel like a dick. I didn’t even bother to ask you what you wanted.”

“Tyler, I want the same thing you do. To be honest, I’m a little scared. But you being so sure… you make me feel like it’s going to be okay. Babe, the look on your face when you were holding Danny,” she said, shaking her head.

He smiled a little. “I know, it was unreal. That’s what I want. I want to lie on the couch with you, watching stupid little kid movies, with our baby. Can you even imagine?”

“No,” she said, laughing at the absurdity of it. “I really can’t. I have to say, Ty, I’m genuinely surprised that you’re so okay with this. I kind of figured I’d have to beg you when the time came.”

“I don’t know what happened. It was like one morning I woke up and I just knew that I wanted it.”

“So why did you wait to say something?”

“I guess I didn’t think the timing was right. It was a month ago, maybe longer. You were so tied up with school and the whole business thing and I was still on the road constantly. If things were going to be that way, there’d be no room for anything else. Never mind something like that.”

Nicki nodded. She understood why he wouldn’t say anything; it would have been preposterous to think they could have handled a child on top of everything else they were doing.

“You really want to do this?” she asked, still sensing the need for confirmation.

“I really do. But if you’re not ready, I can wait. I don’t want to force you to give up anything because of this. You’re still young, I don’t want you to miss out on something.”

“What the hell would I be missing out on? The only thing I don’t have, you’re offering to give me. To be honest, I think I was looking for an excuse to give up on the business. I haven’t even started it yet and I feel like pulling my hair out. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to do it someday. But not now.”

Tyler grabbed her hips and pulled her onto his lap, and Nicki wrapped her arms around his neck.

“If you’re sure,” he said slowly, trying to gauge her reaction. She responded by pressing her lips against his, drawing a soft moan from him. When she stopped, he looked at her like he was going to say something. Nicki waited patiently for him to speak again.

“So… when do we start?”

His question flicked a switch in Nicki’s head. She’d been so overcome by his words, she’d managed to completely forget what trying to get pregnant entailed. Nicki was inclined to say ‘right now’, but thought better of it. Even if they could, had Bella not been there, she still had to ease her body off of the birth control.

She thought it over for a while before answering. “After the wedding?”

Tyler’s faced saddened, he’d obviously been hoping she would want to start right away. Nicki wondered just how long he’d actually been thinking about it; definitely longer than she had.

“I’m sorry, babe. First of all, I need like a solid month to get off of my birth control. And second, it will give us the whole summer to get comfortable with the idea. Of course I’m excited, but I’m nervous, too. I just think it would make sense to wait until we’re actually married.”

He gave her a squeeze and kissed her cheek, but didn’t say anything. Nicki assumed it meant that he was okay with it.

“Thanks, Ty,” she said, making herself comfortable on him.

She looked at the TV, watching all of the animated babies run back and forth across the screen. Tyler’s silence allowed her mind to wander. Now that they’d finally spoken about it, she no longer felt the need to push the thoughts away.

Tyler’s hand made its home on her stomach, staying perfectly still with his fingers spread. He didn’t make any gestures and didn’t make a peep. Nicki knew that he was thinking about the same things she was.

** * * * *

“Look at them,” Lisa cooed as she hung her jacket over the arm of a chair in the living room.

Nicki was curled up in a ball on Tyler’s lap and they were both sound asleep, Danny’s baby monitor lying by Tyler’s leg. Zach’s arm slipped across her waist, pulling her back towards him.

“I wonder if they ever talked,” she muttered to herself.

Zach heard her and asked, “About what?”

“Well, neither of them exactly flat out told me, but it’s pretty obvious that they’re both thinking it’s time to start a family. I mean, look at the way they are with the kids. And those are our kids. Imagine what they’d be like with their own?”

Lisa leaned forward to get out of Zach’s grasp so that she could check on Bella and Danny. As she did, he pulled her back and whispered in her ear.

“I saw the test in the trash.”

She turned in his arms to look at him. She expected to see anger in his face. Instead, she was greeted with a softness that had been missing from him for months.

“I was going to tell you,” she started. He interrupted her with his lips, pushing against her own.

Lisa grabbed the back of his head and brought him closer. She couldn’t even remember the last time he’d kissed her that way.

“Lis, I love you so much. And I swear I’m going to try to be better to you. I can’t believe I let work take over my life that way… I’m so lucky that you didn’t pack your things and leave.”

She shook her head, crying for the fourth time that day. “I could never.”

** * * * *

“YOU’RE PREGNANT AGAIN?!” Nicki screamed, locking her arms around Lisa. “Holy shit! Did you plan it?”

Lisa laughed as Nicki let her out of the embrace. “Nope. He or she is going to be a beautiful mistake.”

“How long have you known?” she asked, ignoring the stares from the other people in the store.

“I just took the test yesterday morning. I was going to tell Zach last night, but things went so well I was afraid I’d fuck it up if I mentioned it,” Lisa explained, pulling up the zipper on the side of Nicki’s dress. “There.” She took a step back and held a finger up to her chin. “This one is my favorite so far.”

Nicki spun around in front of the dozens of mirrors, the white dress she had on twirling with her. She examined every inch of herself in the dress, looking for flaws. The only one she could find was the excess material gathering around her chest.

“I dunno Lis, this might be the one. But I’d have to get it taken in,” she said, looking down. It was strange to her, because normally if something fit her body, her breasts would be popping out of it.

“Or maybe you shouldn’t, just in case.”

Nicki turned to look at her. The implication in her tone hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Just in case what, Lisa?”

Lisa sighed, giving in to her. “I went to put fresh towels in the guest bathroom and just happened to notice that you didn’t take your birth control this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you miss one.”

“Oh.”

A smile formed on her face, answering any questions Lisa may have had. She patted a hand on the seat next to her and Nicki sat down, smoothing out the dress underneath her.

“You guys are really doing this, huh?”

Nicki nodded, smile still on her face. It seemed like she hadn’t stopped since the night before.

“Did it surprise you that he’s more ready for it than you are?”

“How did you know that?!”

Lisa put a hand on her back and chuckled. “Sweetheart, it is written all over that handsome face of his. I see it every time he looks at you.”

“Or you mean every time you look at him?” she asked, referring to the morning before.

“I can’t help it that your gorgeous fiancé just happens to walk around my house in his underwear. It would be unnatural if I didn’t gawk.”

Nicki laughed at her friend’s openness. Lisa had been born without shame, and it never really seemed to bother her, or anyone around her.

“You two are going to produce the most glorious children,” she said, shaking her head. “Please don’t tell me you started the process in my guest room.”

“No! God no,” she assured her, “I would never.”

“Ha! The look on your face right now. I was just kidding, if you want to go ahead. Just tell me so I can keep Bella out of there. That’s not something I want to be explaining to her. Ever.”

Nicki leaned forward, using her hands on her knees to prop herself up.

“I told him I wanted to wait until after the wedding. And my God, what in the world would you tell her?” she asked, as all of the tiny, scary things about being a parent began to register in her brain.

“I’d probably just tell her that you were wrestling. With your clothes off… I don’t know. Hopefully it never comes to that,” she said, giggling. “Has he realized yet that he’s going to have to use a condom while you’re off the pill? He’s going to hate you.”

She sighed. “I don’t think he’s thought of it yet. He’s so wrapped up in the fact that I said yes, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t really thought of anything.”

“Well, if you still don’t fight after an entire summer of bland sex, you deserve a freaking award.”

“Is it that bad?” she asked. “I don’t even remember what it feels like.”

Nicki had been on birth control since she and Mark started dating, as an unnecessary precaution by her mother. The first few times they had sex, they used a condom, purely out of fear that somehow the birth control wouldn’t be enough. Since then, she hadn’t used one.

“It’s that bad,” Lisa said, resting a hand on Nicki’s thigh. “I feel for ya girl, I really do.”

“Maybe I could keep taking it for a while…”

“I wouldn’t chance it. If your hormones are still out of whack and he knocks you up, it could mess with the baby. Just play it safe, doll. I don’t want to see anything like that happen.”

A groan escaped her lips. She’d been hoping that the last summer she had as an unmarried woman might be a bit more romantic. Nicki knew that the only thing keeping her sane over the next few months would be looking forward to their honeymoon. Two weeks, in Hawaii, with Tyler, after what was sure to be one of the longest summers they’d spent together, seemed like nothing short of heaven.

“C’mon,” Lisa urged, “We’ve been here for three hours. Pick something so we can go home.”

Nicki stood up and let the fabric of the dress she was wearing fall to the floor around her.

“I think this is the one,” she said, running her hands over the silky material.

“It’s beautiful. Really shapes your curves,” she added. “But are you sure you don’t want something with a little more poof?”

Nicki scowled at her. “That’s not funny. You know how much I hate poofy dresses.”

Lisa got a kick out of her hatred for all things poofy. Poofy hair, poofy dresses, poofy dogs. Anything. She hated it all. There was no rhyme or reason; it just irked her beyond consolation. Besides, it wasn’t something she was about to tell Lisa, but it was a near perfect match to the dress she’d envisioned herself in years ago, when she first dreamt of marrying him.

“How much?” she asked when she was through laughing.

“I’m afraid to look.”

“He told you to get whatever you wanted,” Lisa reminded her. “You get married once. Well, hopefully only once. He wants to give you your dream wedding, girl. Just go with it.”

Lisa was right. Tyler asked her at least once every day if there was anything else she wanted for the wedding. If she asked for a horse drawn carriage and Justin Timberlake, he would most likely find a way to get her a horse drawn carriage and Justin Timberlake.

“I can’t do it, Lis.” She sighed; she was so conflicted. “I really love this dress.”

“How about this. Get out of it and give me Tyler’s card. I’ll buy it. You won’t ever have to find out how much it was. Who knows? Maybe it’s a lot less thank you think.”

Nicki thought it over. It didn’t seem like a terrible idea, then again, she couldn’t even ballpark how much the dress might be. The crystals on the front suggested it might be costly.

“Okay. Thanks Lis,” she said, heading back to her fitting room to change out of it.

Trying on dresses brought on her first taste of pre-wedding jitters. There was no question in her mind that she was marrying the right person. Something she’d dreamed of her entire life was on her doorstep, and it was surreal to think that it was happening so soon. After years of playing dress up and holding fake weddings with each of the boys from NSYNC, she was finally getting married. It would be an entire day to celebrate her, and her husband to be.

The fact that she was marrying a professional hockey player blew her mind. Never did she think she would grow up to be the girl that she’d always envied. And, as if things couldn’t get any better, he was the sweetest, most caring, most loyal man she’d ever met. And by far the most attractive.

Nicki couldn’t figure out how she’d gotten so lucky. Maybe it was time to start believing in karma…

“Nick! Hurry up! I want to go home!” Lisa shouted from outside her stall.

She quickly but carefully stripped out of the dress. If anything happened to it, there was a good chance of her breaking down in tears. As the minutes passed, she fell more and more in love with it. It was perfect; it was exactly the dress she wanted. Nicki was eager to find out if Tyler liked it, but Lisa made her promise that he wouldn’t see it until the day of the wedding. She’d even offered to keep it at her house over the summer.

“Sorry,” she mumbled as she stepped out of the changing room, handing Lisa the dress.

“Holy Jesus this thing is heavy,” Lisa said, arms weighed down by the layers of silk. “You wait here, I’ll go take care of this.”

** * * * *

“Uncle Tyler! Will you read this wiff me?” Bella begged, holding up Goodnight Moon.

He chuckled and leaned forward on the couch to pick her up, placing her on his lap.

“Bells, it’s not nighttime.”

“So?” she asked, eyes growing round as she looked up at him. How could he say no to that?

Tyler grabbed the book from her hands and was applauded by Bella. She curled up on his lap, the same way Nicki always did, and slung one arm around his neck, resting the side of her head on his collarbone while sucking her thumb on her free hand. She really had the whole thing figured out.

“Are you reading or am I?”

“You!” she said, briefly taking her thumb out of her mouth to speak.

He held the book in front of them and started to read.

“In the great green room there was a telephone and a red balloon and a picture of – “

“The cow jumping over the moon!” yelled Bella. It evidently was not her first time reading the book.

Tyler laughed and continued to read the words on the paper. “And there were three little bears sitting on chairs, and two little kittens and a pair of mittens. And a little toy house and a young mouse.”

As he went to turn the page, he heard the front door open and Lisa’s voice boom through the house.

“Tyler! We’re back! Where are you?!”

“In the living room!” he called back, trying not to scream in Bella’s ear.

“Good! Stay there!”

“Why’s mommy yelling?” Bella asked, staring up at him.

“Because Auntie got her dress and I’m not allowed to see it, so she wants to make sure I’m far away from them when they bring it inside,” he explained, not expecting her to understand.

“Ohh. Why can’t you see her dress? I wanna see it!”

He chuckled and let his arm fall across her lap in an attempt to keep her from dashing around the house trying to find Lisa and Nicki. All morning, he and Zach had been trying to wear her down; she’d been literally bouncing off of the walls.

“That’s the way weddings work, Bells. And I’m sure your mom will show you sometime.”

For a moment, she was silent. Tyler sensed another question coming.

“Why do people get married?”

Tyler sighed, trying to buy himself some time to figure out how to answer.

“Lots of reasons, I guess.”

He knew that it wasn’t going to be a sufficient reply; the girl had a hunger for knowledge and wouldn’t stop until she knew the answer to every question she had.

“Why are you marrying Auntie?”

Tyler ran a hand over her hair and said, “Because I like being with her. And if we get married, I get to be with her forever.” He tried to put it in words that she would understand. Hell, when he was four the only things he understood were hockey and food.

“But I wanna be wiff you forever. Does that mean we havta get married?”

He couldn’t suppress a chuckle. If only explaining marriage to a four year old could be easy.

“We’re family, Bella. You get to be with me forever no matter what. When Auntie and I get married, we’ll be family, too.”

“Oohh, I get it,” she said, lost in thought.

“What are you two doing?” Lisa asked, stepping into the room.

“Readin’ Goodnight Moon!” Bella exclaimed, bouncing up and down on Tyler’s lap. He wondered if she had completely forgotten about their previous conversation.

“Good,” Lisa said, laughing. “Honey, why don’t you go find daddy?”

“Okay! I will!”

Tyler helped her down to the floor and she took off sprinting down the hallway. He prayed that she wouldn’t run into a wall or trip over something.

“How’d it go?” he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Lisa reached into her pocket and handed him his credit card and a receipt. He took one look at the receipt and nearly choked.

“What the hell is it made from? Elephant tusks?”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Ty, welcome to the world of women’s fashion.”

“I can’t believe she would get something this expensive. That’s so unlike her.”

“She didn’t. Nicki has no idea how much it was. She was afraid to look so I told her not to and I rang it up myself. You did tell her to get whatever she wanted,” she reminded him.

“Of course I did. I mean, I wouldn’t care if it was ten thousand. I just want everything to be perfect for her. How does it look on her?”

Lisa’s lips curled into a smile and she rested a hand on his knee. “When you see her in this dress, you’re gonna wish you’d paid more for it. Hon, she looks beautiful in it.”

Tyler tried to imagine what it looked like. He knew it would be elegant; she always picked out classy dresses whenever they had an event to go to. It always made him feel a little proud when the other women would swarm around her, shooting out compliment after compliment. But this was different. Everyone’s undivided attention would be placed on her, including his own. It would be a day just for her. Suddenly, he became nervous. Nicki never ceased to intimidate him when she got dolled up. The last thing he wanted was to act like a bumbling idiot at his own wedding.

“What’s that face for?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I guess I’m just starting to get a little nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous, boo. I remember what I felt like before my wedding. You have to keep reminding yourself that you’re about to commit to spending the rest of your life with the one person you love more than anybody else. So, the whole ceremony can be a little nerve wracking. Once the time comes and you’re up there at the altar with her, everything else just fades away. There’s no fear, no doubts. Try to remember that.”

Even if Lisa could be a little eccentric at times, she always knew what to say to comfort the people around her. He was about to thank her when she started to speak again.

“And if all else fails, just think of the honeymoon. You’re leaving right after the wedding, right?”

He nodded. Tyler had made the reservations the previous morning at one of the most exclusive resorts In Maui. He’d done some digging online and called a few of his teammates, all of whom told him that it was the most romantic island in all of Hawaii. It was exactly what he was looking for.

“Believe me, after this summer, it’s going to be much needed.”

Tyler glanced at her. “What makes you say that?”

A long sigh was her only response at first. As the silence stretched, he started to become irritated.

“Okay, okay. So I figured out what’s going on between you and Nicki. She left her birth control on the bathroom counter and I saw that she hadn’t taken the one for today so I asked her about it.”

“So?” he asked, still not comprehending the point she was trying to make.

“Tyler, I’m really happy for you. I can tell you really want this. I can’t believe Nicki is leaving me to explain this to you.”

When she hesitated he said, “For God’s sake Lisa, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Listen, Ty. In order to get pregnant, she has to come off of her birth control, right?” He nodded. He wasn’t an idiot. “Generally, you’re supposed to give yourself a few months between coming off of it and trying to get pregnant, because your hormones are all messed up and something bad could happen to the baby.”

“We’re waiting until August, anyways.” He figured Nicki would have told her that.

“Right, I know. I’m just trying to be a good friend here, Ty. Your lovely fiancé failed to mention that between coming off of it and trying to get pregnant, you’re gonna have to use a condom, buddy.”

Tyler leaned back into the couch and covered his face with his hands.

“Fucking ay. I didn’t think of that.”

He’d been hoping for a summer full of days which they did absolutely nothing besides stay in bed and fool around. It had been years since he’d used a condom, but he remembered precisely what it felt like, and precisely how much it sucked. Tyler was positive that it would take a debilitating hit on both of their libidos.

“That’s why I figured I should probably warn you. And, you’re totally going to hate me for this, but can I make a suggestion?”

“Sure,” he said, still deflated. How did he overlook that?

“Before our wedding, Zach and I didn’t have sex for a month straight. We barely did anything else, either. By the end of the month, I was ready to sit through Chinese water torture if he would just stick it in me. But let me tell you. I still get chills thinking about the night after the wedding. And the week that followed. It’s honestly something to consider.”

Tyler pondered over it. He tried to recall the few times they’d gone more than a week or two without sex. It had been painful as hell, but he did remember very well the fire that Nicki had once the wait was over. He tried to picture what it might be like after a month, never mind after getting married. In Hawaii. With the thought of children pressing constantly on their brains.

“You sold me,” he said. Realizing that he’d gotten too carried away day dreaming, he leaned forward, trying to cover himself. He hoped Lisa didn’t notice; he knew that she would have no problem pointing it out. “Where is Nicki, anyways?”

“Probably still in my room, staring at herself in the dress. Oh, by the way. We’re getting it altered tomorrow. It’s your job to make sure she doesn’t lose or gain any weight until the wedding, or else the dress won’t fit her.”

“Okay,” he said, pushing himself off of the couch. “I’m gonna go talk to her. Don’t worry, I’ll knock first. Can you keep Bella occupied for a while?”

Lisa nodded. He thanked her as he walked out of the room towards the stairs. There wasn’t anything in particular he needed to talk to Nicki about, he just wanted to see her. On his way to Lisa’s room, Tyler stopped by Danny’s nursery. He leaned over the crib, and as soon as Danny saw him he started to giggle. Tyler couldn’t stop himself from laughing; it was one of the most adorable things he’d ever seen. His recent fascination with babies had thrown him off guard. They’d always sort of creeped him out before, but suddenly he was beginning to see how beautiful they were.

Danny’s arms reached up to him and he kicked his impossibly small feet, squirming around in the crib. Tyler wasn’t sure whether or not he should pick him up, but when his face scrunched up as if he was going to cry, he reached in and grabbed him, being careful to do as Nicki told him and support Danny’s head with his arm. As soon as Tyler picked him up, his body relaxed and his tiny eyelids fluttered shut.

“He loves you already,” someone whispered from behind him.

He spun around slowly to face Nicki, who was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and smiling.

“How long have you been there?” he asked. He’d been totally unaware that anyone else was in the room with him.

“Long enough.”

She came over to him and placed a long, simple kiss on his lips. Tyler kept his eyes shut for a moment after she pulled away. She always knew exactly how to make his head spin. When he opened them, he saw that Nicki had taken a seat on the old, beat up couch Lisa and Zach kept in the nursery, and was gesturing for him to join her. He sat gingerly, worried that any sudden movement might hurt Danny.

“I see you’re not afraid to hold him anymore, huh?”

Tyler chuckled softly and looked down at Danny. “No, not at all. To be honest, I can’t get enough of it.”

Nicki dropped her head, letting it come to a rest on his shoulder, and she reached out a hand to play with Danny’s tiny fingers.

“So Lisa talked to you,” she stated. It wasn’t a question; she already knew.

“Yeah, she did.”

“Ty, I’m really sorry I didn’t mention it. You were just so happy, I didn’t want to ruin it for you.”

Tyler turned his head to the left and pressed his lips to her forehead, drawing a sigh from her.

“It’s okay, it’s not that big of a deal.” He paused to leave another kiss. “She mentioned something else, too,” he said slowly, not knowing if Lisa brought it up with her as well.

“About not having sex for a month?”

He nodded. “What do you think?”

“I think that it would be really difficult. I also think it might really be worth it,” she said, letting go of Danny’s fingers.

Nicki straightened up and angled herself towards him. Tyler looked intently at her, studying her face. He had no idea how he was going to resist her for an entire month. Only a week had passed since they last slept together, and he was perfectly ready to take her on the floor, right there in the nursery.

“I think it might be, too.”

He got off of the couch to put an unconscious Danny back in his crib. It only took him seconds to fall asleep. Tyler left a gentle kiss on his head before lowering him in. A pair of arms wrapped around his waist, and a head rested on his back.

“You know,” he said, speaking over his shoulder, “Lisa said she could distract Bella for a while…”

The arms around him loosened and he turned to face Nicki, who was grinning up at him.

“What are you getting at?” she asked, with just the slightest hint of seduction in her tone.

It was just enough to get Tyler ramped up. He felt a familiar heat behind his zipper, the sensation caused him to grab her and pull her against him.

“You wanna go make out in the guest room?” he suggested, with a devious smile on his face.

“What are we? Thirteen?”

Before Tyler could conjure a worthy rebuff, Nicki had him by the hand and was pulling him down the hallway. Her lips were on his the second they entered the room. He heard the door slam softly, and as soon as it did, he picked her up and pressed her against the wall. The knowledge that their actions wouldn’t lead anywhere allowed Tyler to focus entirely on the kiss. His lips fought for dominance, and Nicki quickly submitted, permitting him to take over.

With Nicki still pressed to the wall, he slowed, savoring the way her mouth felt on his. He ran his tongue along her lower lip, the same way he had so many times before. The result was always the same; Nicki would shiver in his grasp, and he would repeat it as many times as he could before her tongue pushed through to meet his.

Her fingers pulled at his short hair and her hips ground roughly against his midsection, as if she simply couldn’t control her urges. Tyler was having a hard time himself, and took out his frustrations on Nicki. He lowered his head, brushing his lips against her skin as he approached her neck. The moans began the instant he grabbed skin, and increased in volume as he assaulted her with the single intention of leaving his mark on her.

“Let me down,” she said hoarsely, releasing her grip on his hair.

Tyler backed up from the wall and put her down softly, curious as to why she’d stopped him. He was just getting started. She answered his question before he even asked it. In the blink of an eye, she had his pants around his ankles and was bent at the waist, staring up at him.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” he warned, swallowing the saliva that had begun to pool in his mouth.

“It’s a very good idea.”

Nicki’s suddenly raspy voice shattered any self control he’d been holding on to. He entangled his fingers in her hair and watched as she began her slow torture. She never made it easy on him; never went straight for the kill. Her tongue danced around him, and her lips left soft kisses in his most sensitive spots. Her hands gripped the backs of his thighs as she finally took him into her mouth. Her teeth scraping lightly against him caused him to lean forward and use the wall behind them to keep himself from falling over.

He could picture the smug look on her face, knowing that she could make him feel a way that no one else ever could, knowing that she had complete and total command over him. Although she was a simple girl, when it came to the bedroom, she loved to toy with him, to fuck with his mind. It drove Tyler so mad, sometimes he wasn’t able to handle it. There had been times where his resolve was too weak, and his body too sensitive. When he told her to stop, it only revved up her confidence.

As his groaning grew more consistent, Nicki removed a hand from his thigh and wrapped it around him, aiding her mouth in the slow unraveling of his sanity. Reflex moved his hand to the back of her head, pulling her closer to him as he finally reached his high. She stayed down for a minute, taking full advantage of his freshly acquired sensitivity. Tyler closed his eyes and tried to relax as her lips soothed him, leaving a tingling sensation wherever they’d last touched.

When she straightened herself up, he opened his eyes and pressed his lips to her forehead, letting them linger long enough to let her know how much he appreciated it. He knew that most of his friends and teammates had to beg for the treatment he received on nearly a daily basis. Tyler would never take that for granted.

Nicki gave him a sweet smile when he pulled away from her. The beast that had taken over her body moments ago was gone. It amazed him how quickly she changed from one personality to the other.

“Well, maybe this summer won’t be so bad after all,” he said, before picking her up and tossing her on the bed.