Be My Revenge: A BWWM Romance (Make It Marriage Book 12) by Nia Arthurs

Author:Nia Arthurs [Arthurs, Nia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-03-20T18:30:00+00:00

Eighteen

Nick

It’s not even sunrise when my eyes jerk open. Darkness fills the windows outside. Birds haven’t begun to caw yet.

I feel a pain in my shoulder. As I shift, I hear a loud slurp and sense something wet seeping into my sleeve.

Is that… drool?

“What the—” Gem darts up, wiping her mouth. Her expression is pure confusion. “Why am I sleeping on your shoulder?” Then she winces and holds her head. “Ow. It hurts.”

“Headache?” I rotate my shoulder to pull the life back into it.

It was my intention to leave when she fell asleep, but she kept holding my hand tightly every time I tried to shift out of the bed. I must have given up on escaping sometime last night.

“Don’t talk so loudly, Nick,” she moans, wincing in pain.

I brush her hair away from her cheek. “What do you remember about last night?”

“I remember drinking that liquor with your dad. Then I saw you and I…” She gasps. “Oh no.”

The grin escapes me without permission. “You get frisky when you’re drunk.”

“I was out of my mind.”

“You were adorable.”

“I don’t think I was going for adorable.”

My pulse rattles. “No, you weren’t.”

She glances away, her eyes closed tightly and her nose scrunched.

I ease off the bed, still a little stiff in the shoulder blades. “I’ll get you something for that headache.”

Gem calls me back when I’m almost to the door. “Nick.”

“Mm.”

Her fingers dig into the blankets around her legs. “When I was throwing myself at you last night, why didn’t you…” She stops and seems to think better of asking the question. “I mean… thanks for… you know.”

I nod, hearing the words beneath the gratitude. If I’d wanted to take advantage of her, that would have been the time to do it. And damn, the way she’d been kissing and rubbing on me, it was hard not to tear her clothes off.

But I don’t sleep with women who aren’t in full control of their faculties. And I especially wouldn’t do that to Gem. She’s precious to me. And when something’s precious to me, I treat it as such.

That doesn’t mean last night’s show of restraint wasn’t tough. Right now, I’m aching everywhere and I’ll definitely need a cold shower to calm down.

I saunter down the hallway, deep in thought. When I hear footsteps pounding behind me, I turn around thinking that it’s my mother.

It’s Gem.

“What are you doing up?” I rush to her side and clamp her upper arm in concern. “You should have stayed in bed and gotten some extra sleep.”

“I want to make breakfast,” she says, wincing hard but fighting to hide it.

“Sweetheart—”

“Your parents have been so amazing to me.” Her eyes hit the floor. “And I feel awful lying to them.”

My chest pinches tight. “That’s not your fault. You’re doing me a favor.”

“Still.” She bites the inside of her cheek. “I want to do something nice for them. Something to show my appreciation.”

I can tell by the look in her eyes that she’s not going to be talked down, so I ask instead, “Do you… know how to cook?”

“Don’t insult me, Nick.

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