He’s so warm in the way he looks at me.
“Ready,” I answer, watching him light up as I kiss him.
“Save it for the ball drop, beautiful.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I whisper against his mouth as I steal another kiss. His pupils dilate, and a growl escapes his throat. Those dimples come out to play as his smile deepens.
All around us, people begin the ten-second countdown, but we’re so caught up in our own little world that we barely hear it. I’m lost in his eyes as he takes me in, making me feel actually like the most beautiful woman in the city.
“Five!” I hear everyone shout.
“Thank you,” he says.
“Four!”
“For what?” I ask him.
“Three!”
“For walking into my bar.”
“Two!”
I smile so hard it hurts, and my eyes dip to his lips and then back up.
“One!”
“Kiss me,” I demand.
He does.
The noise of the bar drowns out, and all I can hear, feel, taste, smell, and see is Nick. He eclipses everything else in my path. My eyes close as our tongues dance across one another. His free hand moves to my hair and then to the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him.
The Ingrid Michaelson version of “Auld Lang Syne” begins to play through the bar as he breaks the kiss.
“To us,” he says and clinks our glasses together. We both take a drink, and then he takes the glass from my hand. Setting both of the drinks on the bar, he holds his hand out to me. “Dance with me, Holly.”
I take his hand and hop off the stool. He wraps one arm around my back and holds my hand with his free hand as we begin to spin in a slow circle, moving with the music. I lay my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and breathing in his scent.
“Can I tell you something that might scare you a little?” he asks, his chin resting on the top of my head. His words rumble through his chest, and I take a steadying breath, wondering what bomb he’s going to drop on me now.
“I don’t think I have a choice in the matter. You’re pretty hardheaded when you decide you want to do something,” I say, smiling up at him as I wait for him to tell me. His dimples pop through his beard as he looks down at me.
“I think I could spend the rest of my life like this,” he admits, his grip on me tightening just enough that I feel it. “With you in my arms, your scent in my lungs, and your taste on my tongue.” I feel myself go hot from my toes to the very top of my head. Everyone deserves to be looked at the way Nick looks at me, like nothing else in the world exists. I have his full attention all the time.
He’s been like this since the first night I met him: open and honest. So I decide to give him something back.
I decide to give him the truth.
“Me, too.”
“Hi, Seth!” I call out as I approach the bouncer. He’s bundled up, and there’s an intimidating scowl on his face, but when he turns toward me, he smiles.
“He isn’t back yet,” he tells me as he opens the door to the noise of the bar. “He said he’ll meet you upstairs.”
I hum as I pass him, the warmth of the bar flooding into the street. There’s a back door that leads straight up to his apartment, but I like walking through the bar sometimes, being able to talk to Seth or the bartenders I’ve made friends with over the last couple months. Nick is normally working or hanging out in the bar anyway.
“Valentine’s Day and he’s late?” I ask him with a teasing smile.
“Give him hell for it.” He winks as I disappear inside. It’s busy tonight, all of the couples dressed up and taking advantage of the bar’s dim lighting to get closer.
“Hey, Holly!” Jessica yells from behind the bar. I give her a smile and wave back but keep moving down the hallway and unlock the door that leads up to Nick’s apartment.
The moment I hit the top of the steps, I take in the warm scent of him that fills the space. There are flowers on the counter in the kitchen, and I breathe them in as I read the little note he left for me.
“I like your butt.”
I snort and make my way back to his bedroom, letting my bag drop to the floor when I see what he’s laid out for me on the bed. There’s a gorgeous emerald-green dress with brand-new black heels, and I run my fingertips over the smooth fabric until they land on the wrapped box that’s sitting on one of the sleeves.
It’s about the size of my hand and wrapped in bright red wrapping paper. As I begin to unwrap it, I hear the door downstairs open and shut. The white box peeks out as he makes his way up the stairs, and when the picture of the little pink toy appears from under the wrapping, I feel my face catch fire.