Brianna:

Feeling Nick moving inside me, with his lips genuinely moving along with mine and his tongue exercising with mine once again, was exactly what I needed right now, and I was feeling selfish. Very selfish. He is married, and to the one person, I hated working for. Just the thought of it made my stomach ill. But at the moment, I didn't care.

He fought hard for me this week, and now he was with me, with him buried deep inside of me. With his lips pressed hard to mine, and was kissing me like Tessa never even existed.

For that, I was in heaven.

And if knowing he's still married to her, and how he is with me by making love to me, was wrong and selfish? I will shrug it off. Because as of right now, I don't care. My heart is truly with him, and what he is showing me now is, his heart is with me. And I do believe him when he says I'm his world.

With Nick lying on top of me, moving and showing me how much he loves me while feeling his heart beating against mine, a song I have always loved came to my mind, with the song's lyrics explaining precisely what is going on with Nick and me. And that's Open Arms, by Journey.

Nick has asked repeatedly for me to believe him and that he has nothing to hide from me. He also wants to prove and show me what my love means to him. Then, I start thinking about how laid up I was in this house all week and how it felt so cold being alone and without him. Even though I'm hurt and upset with him, and how I've felt so much hatred for him, I knew in my heart that I still wanted him here, next to me, and to be in his arms, holding me like he's always held me. And now that he's come for me, he's turned my night into the day, and I needed him to stay.

Nick parted from my lips, rested his palms on either side of my face, and looked me in the eye, sincerely whispering, "I love you so much, Bri. Please forgive me."

My hands roamed up his back, to the back of his head, then pulled him down to me and kissed him until there was no more air to breathe. Needing air, I released my lips from his with a smile. "I love you, too," I said, then when I felt my orgasm was about to hit. I latched onto his neck, nibbled, then covered his lovemaking tool with all the warm fluids that my body had been wanting and wishing to release all week.

Nick rolled off, pulling me with him, and having me lay on top of him. As my hair fell and covered his face, he slid his fingers through my hair, gripped, then held my hair behind as he looked me in the eye. "I want you to know you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I will never forget that day we met, and I refuse to think it was ever wrong of me to ask for your phone number. And I mean that with all my heart."

My heart just melted.

My heart melted so much that my stomach suddenly felt sick, and everything I had earlier was about to explode out of my mouth. I covered my mouth, maneuvered quickly off Nick, then bolted to the bathroom as fast as I could.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked as he rushed to my side.

I shook my head. "No. I've been like this all week," I said quietly, choking as more liquid came shooting out of my mouth. "My nerves have been so unstable all week. Anything I've tried eating this week has refused to remain in my stomach."

"Alcohol doesn't help, you know."

I lowered my forehead to the cold seat and closed my eyes. "I know," I quietly said. "I just didn't care, though. I wanted something that would take my mind away from you to forget everything. Even if everything came back into my mind after I sobered up."

"I think you should try to eat something. It could help you feel better."

"I don't know if I can."

"You should at least try," he said, handing me a glass of water. "If I were to make you something to eat, will you try to eat?"

I nodded. "I can try."

Nick lowered his hand, and when I placed my hand in his, he helped me stand, walked me to the living room, then he sat with me on the couch and pulled me in his arms. As we sat in silence with him caressing my arm, the comfort I've missed and have needed all week instantly came back. I was more than comforted; I was soothed and relaxed so much that I fell asleep. He, too, must have felt relaxed, that instead of making me something to eat, he fell asleep.

The next morning I awoke to the smell of food. The sausage and eggs' aroma was cooking, and it wasn't sitting too well with me. I looked at the table, saw Nick had a glass of water waiting for me and reached for it. I quickly raised it to my lips and drank the entire glass of water.

As the water found it's way to the bottom of my stomach, it didn't take long for it to make its way back out, causing me to vomit all over the floor when I stood.

"I'm so sorry," I said as Nick came to my aid and started cleaning up the mess I made.

"It's alright. I think it'll help once you get some food in that stomach of yours."

"Maybe," I sighed as he helped me stand.

I sat at the dining room table, staring at the plate of food Nick placed in front of me. I wanted to eat. And I knew I needed to eat. But the problem was, I couldn't. The food didn't smell right, nor did it look good. I looked across the table, and as my eyes met Nick's, I shook my head. "I can't eat this."

His brows formed together and stopped chewing the sausage he had just put into his mouth. "Why not?"

"Because. It smells fucking terrible."

He chuckled. "There's nothing wrong with it. See. I'm eating it," he said, opening his mouth and showing me the remnants that were waiting to enter into his stomach.

It made me giggle, but I covered my eyes, anyway. "Don't show me that. It makes me feel sicker."

"Try to eat. Please," Nick begged. "You said yourself; you haven't eaten. And by the sounds of it, you've been filling your body with alcohol. Not good, Brianna. And that could be why you're feeling as sick as you are. So, eat. Please."

I picked up my fork, dug it into the eggs, then scooped them into my mouth. As I started chewing and tried to swallow, I gagged, then opened my mouth and let the food fall to the plate. "I can't do it," I said, wiping my mouth. "Are these the eggs I had in the fridge?"

"Yes."

"I think they're bad."

Nick smelled, then took another bite of his eggs, and as he swallowed, he shook his head. "They taste just fine. Besides, I checked the date on the eggs before I cooked them."

"Well, I just bought the eggs, so I know the date will show they're okay. But something is definitely wrong with them. They taste really funny."

Nick twisted his lips as he looked at me. Or maybe even studying me. It looked like he was thinking hard. Then he looked down at his plate and scooped up some eggs on his fork. "I did see a pizza in the freezer. Would you like me to make that for you?"

"Sure. I did have a couple of slices of pizza yesterday, and amazingly enough, I didn't upchuck." I pushed my plate towards him. "Here. You can eat this."

Nick picked up my plate, slid my food onto his plate, then headed into the kitchen, and got my pizza ready. I have to say, the couple slices of pizza I had eaten at the bar yesterday was the only thing I've been able to keep down, and I was looking forward to Nick making that pizza for me. As I sat, waiting for my pizza to finish cooking, I watched Nick eat, thought about what got us here today, and wondered if I am who he truly wants in his life. I want and need to be sure before I make the biggest mistake of my life.

I can't be Nick's mistress when he feels he needs sex and can't get it from Tessa.

I can't be Nick's second choice when his wife refuses to give him what he wants.

I want to be Nick's first choice.

I want to be the one he opens his eyes to every morning. Who makes his breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.

I want him to be all mine. Which is what I thought I had in the first place?

Nick looked away from his plate and up to me, chewing as he spoke, "What are you thinking about?"

"Us. And what's next for us," I admitted.

He smiled. "I have a lot planned for us. And after you eat, I'll explain everything to you."

"You better explain everything. Because I feel an explanation is owed to me. And I would like to know why you've been lying to me this whole time. You also need to know; you're not out of the doghouse. Not yet. I'm a bit leery about what you want from me, and I'm still very hurt by you. And just because we shared what we did last night does not make up for how you've hurt me."

"I know. And I will do whatever I can to make this up to you."

"I still can't get over the fact I've been sleeping with my boss's husband... what a small fucking world this is..." I sighed.

Nick suddenly got quiet, and I could tell he was bothered or ashamed by what he's done. I noticed in his eyes that he wasn't happy with himself and saw it written all over his face; there was more to his side of the story that he wanted me to hear and really wanted me to hear him out. Which has been something I've denied him of all week.

Nick placed a plate with a couple of slices of pizza down in front of me, then kissed me on the temple, whispering, "I'm not going anywhere, so try to eat."

I slowly chewed my first bite, then closed my eyes as I swallowed, afraid of how my stomach would react once the food got to its intended place. But the more I ate, the better my stomach was feeling.

I looked at Nick and watched him slow down on his eating; actually, he played with his food. Using his fork to push the food around his plate. "What are you thinking about?" I asked finally.

"How I don't want to lose you," he said, then paused and stopped pushing his eggs around, still looking down. "When Tessa wanted me to meet you. I don't know why. But something in my gut kept telling me it was you. When I turned around and saw that it was you, she wanted me to meet. My heart instantly sank. The look on your face, the look in your eyes, and when you shook my hand and spoke, I thought I was going to die right then and there. It fucking killed me seeing and hearing your reaction. And it's been haunting my dumb ass all week."

"I was shocked," I sighed. "Very shocked."

"I know you were. And to be honest, I think Tessa noticed the expressions on both our faces."

I took another bite of my pizza and looked down as I chewed. "I called and left a message on Tessa's office phone the next morning. Telling her, I quit."

"I know. Tessa told me. Actually. She was evilly glaring at me as she told me... which has had me thinking all week. She knows. Well. I don't know for sure, but I honestly think she does."

I swallowed my food, then rolled my eyes up to his. "If Tessa knows. You do know she'll kill me. Right?"

He shook his head, disagreeing with me. "She may be a lot of things. But she would never do anything like that."

"That's what you think. Weeks ago, Tessa mentioned to me that she suspected her husband was cheating on her. She said that if it were to be true. Tessa would not only kill you; she would torture, then would slowly kill the woman he was having an affair with. She's not a nice person, Nick. Everyone at the clinic tiptoes around her. They're all scared of her."

Nick found a little humor in that, then sighed as he looked at me. "Try living with her."

"No, thanks."

"She's been a mess since you quit and was quite the pleasure to be around all week. Hell, I was ready to kill her. Not literally. But you know what I mean. Then, yesterday morning, she talked about calling you. Hoping to talk you into coming back to work."

My eyes widened, my mouth dropped, then I shook my head. "No way. Do you know how hard that would be to go back and work for her? Especially knowing I'm sleeping with her husband? I wouldn't know how to act around her, and I would have difficulties looking at her."

He chuckled. "Haven't you ever lived dangerously?"

"Why, what do you mean by that?"

"Well. You could always go back and act like you know nothing," Nick nonchalantly shrugged.

Really?

I crossed my arms against my chest and huffed, "So, what you're saying is, you don't plan on leaving her."

"No. I never said that." He pushed his empty plate away from him, rested his forearms on the table, then folded his hands together. "Look, Brianna. I have wanted out of my marriage since the day I married that woman. When I met you and we started hanging out, you were my inspiration to end my marriage to Tessa. For months I've been working with an attorney, going through my financials, properties, banking, retirement, etcetera. And that night when you saw me at the bar, talking with that guy. He wasn't just some guy wanting me to sell his properties; he's my divorce attorney."

I swallowed hard, "He was?"

"Yes. My situation is a little different. I made a huge mistake when I married Tessa by never having her sign a prenuptial agreement. That night, I had to give him all my financials from the time we married until the time I filed."

"She told me if you were, in fact, cheating on her. She would take you to the cleaners," I sighed.

He scratched the back of his head. "See?"

I nodded.

"That's why this divorce is taking longer than I expected and had I told her I wanted a separation; she would have made my life a living hell."

"What makes you think she won't now?"

"I'm sure she will. And since I refuse to lose you again, I'm willing to live through hell for however long it takes. Because my heaven is sitting directly across from me."

I smiled. Then a thought entered my mind, and the corners of my lips curved into a frown. "How do I know you won't do to me what you did to Tessa? Isn't the saying, once a cheater, always a cheater?"

"The difference is. I wasn't in love with her... I'm in love with you."

I'm confused.

"You married her. So you had to love her at some point."

"I married her for all the wrong reasons and immediately regretted it the night we married. And I blame it all on my brother. I know whatever I say won't matter. Because it'll still be in the back of your mind, thinking I'll cheat on you. But Brianna. I need you to know; I would never cheat on you. And I want you to know. Tessa and I have not had any sex since before me, and you met."

"Never?" I gasped, surprised, trying to hide the smile that wanted to form.

"Not once... a couple of weeks ago she tried seducing me, but you'll be happy to know, I shoved her off me."

Now this made me happy to hear. A wide smile formed; I jumped from my seat and rushed over to Nick, straddling him while hugging him. "You hadn't kissed her either?"

"No. Not once. I'm telling you, Bri. You and I were at the right place at the right time. It was destiny for us to meet each other that night, and I have zero regrets about it. Do I need to spill another beer on you, just to get you to fall for my charm again?" He chuckled.

I giggled. "No. That's not needed." I loosened my arms from his shoulders and pushed back to look at him. "Everything you've just said to me. That's the truth?"

"Yes. You may not believe me, but the one thing I'm not is a liar."

My brows instantly furrowed. "You lied to me about being married."

His head shook. "No, I didn't. You've never asked. You assumed I wasn't. Sure, I could have said I was married. But I didn't consider me and Tessa married because I despised her."

"You always said you had a roommate. You always had to leave to go home and help your roommate with something. That's a lie. She's not a roommate. She's your wife."

He shook his head, then stopped and arched a brow when he noticed me glaring at him. "Technically, yes, she's my wife. But I've always looked at her as my roommate."

I sat straight, then looked down at our laps. "You're married to her."

"Yes. That's true. But I've considered Tessa a roommate for years, which you can ask all my friends. They'll tell you. And the reason I call her my roommate is that she is. We lived like roommates. I didn't love her, even when I tried to love her. We didn't have sex ever, and believe it or not. Tessa doesn't love me, either. I'm just a ring on her finger, and our marriage is one big lie. It's all for a show... believe me."

"You should have told me from the beginning, though. And I never should have found out the way I did. You have no idea how embarrassed I was. Even if nobody around me knew why I felt the way I did. But I was very embarrassed."

"I know. And I'll be the first to admit; it was wrong on my part. Very wrong. As I said, I thought my divorce to Tessa would've finalized months ago."

There was one question I wanted to ask Nick, and the question had been sitting at the tip of my tongue. I looked from Nick's eyes down to his chest and fixed one of his buttons while asking, "I have one question for you. And I'm curious to know your answer. Where are you going to stay when we get back home?"

"I was thinking about your place. But if that's not okay, I was thinking about my parents' place or even a hotel."

"You're more than welcome to stay at my place," I said, lowering my mouth to his. "Thank you for the pizza. My stomach is feeling a little better. But now my body is craving something else."

He smiled and trailed his lip along my lower lip. "Oh yeah? And what's that?" He asked, latching and sucking in my bottom lip."

"You. I want to spend the day in bed, with you, and making up for what we missed out on this past week."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!