But she didn’t. A whole week passed by, and he didn’t hear from her once. But the world went on around him, and he went with it, going ahead with the plans he had worked out with Leah. She moved into his house on a warm Saturday in mid-October, marking the beginning of a new life for him. It was not a life he had expected or necessarily wanted, but that was just how things worked. He would make do and live with it, for his conscience allowed him no other choice.
To say the Boys were shocked when he told them would be a gross understatement. Kevin and Brian were both disappointed in him, he could tell. Disappointed in him for getting a girl he didn’t love pregnant, yet relieved that he was at least taking care of her. Howie and AJ were more supportive, focusing only on the positives and wishing him good luck, offering to be there for him if he needed anything and congratulating him on becoming the second “Backstreet Daddy.” Not by choice, Nick thought dismally.
Of course, his family knew nothing of this yet, and he didn’t plan on telling them. In fact, he hadn’t talked to any of them in months, except for Aaron, who had secretly called him a few times over the course of his late summer tour. But there was no point in phoning his fifteen-year-old brother to tell him that he had knocked up some girl and was now letting her move in with him.
He knew Jane would be beyond pissed when she found out that her famous oldest son had gotten “that stripper” pregnant. But he didn’t care one bit what she thought of him. She had tried the whole “mother” act a few times since he had kicked her out of his house, calling him up and leaving tearful messages on his machine, begging him to call her back. After the TRL interview announcing his remission, she had called even more frequently, but after he continued to ignore her, the calls died off. Now it was back to the two of them pretending the other didn’t exist, and that was the way he preferred it, wanting nothing to do with the heartless woman who called herself his mother.
The day Leah moved in was chaotic. She had borrowed a large pick-up truck from a friend and had used it to haul suitcases and boxes of her stuff from where she been staying to Nick’s house. He met her out front and hastily started in with the moving, grunting as he slid a large box out of the truck bed. Leah made to help him, grabbing one of her stuffed suitcases, but he swatted her hand away. “You shouldn’t be lifting stuff, should you? That thing looks heavy,” he said, eyeing the bulging piece of luggage.
Leah giggled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, Nicky. Okay then, I’ll just go inside. I’ll make lemonade for when you’re done, okay?”
“Sure,” Nick groaned, struggling under the weight of the box he was trying to carry.
It took nearly an hour to get all of her stuff moved from the truck to the largest guest bedroom upstairs, where she would be sleeping. Exhausted and out of breath, Nick stumbled down the stairs for the final time and went into the kitchen, where Leah was perched at the table, legs crossed, sipping a glass of pink lemonade. “There’s more on the counter,” she said, pointing to a pitcher of the pink liquid.
Without a word, Nick staggered over and poured himself a glass, downed it thirstily, and poured another. He joined Leah at the table, glad for a chance to sit down and relax.
“So,” he said after a moment, “your stuff’s all upstairs.”
“Good.” Leah smiled. “I’ll go unpack later. I thought we could go out for dinner tonight and maybe rent a movie on the way home?”
“Oh... well, do you think we could just order in tonight? I don’t really feel like going out to eat. Maybe we could just have pizza or something delivered.”
Leah considered this a moment and then nodded. “Okay, that will work.”
So that’s what they did. Nick called for pizza in the evening, while Leah went to the video store. She returned with three different chick flicks, sappy romances that Nick could care less about seeing. They watched “Romeo and Juliet” first, the newer one with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Nick had never seen it before, nor had he ever had the urge to, for Leonardo DiCaprio was just irritating, and Claire Danes wasn’t that hot. He had to admit, the opening action sequence filled with guns and fire held his attention, but after that, the movie quickly went downhill.
He sat beside Leah on the couch, stuffed with pizza and daydreaming, his mind on anything but the movie. He couldn’t help but think of the time he and Claire had sat on the couch in her apartment, watching reruns of “The Man Show” late into the night. For a brief moment, he wished Leah could be more like Claire. But he quickly pushed the thoughts of Claire out of his mind, for every time he thought of her, he felt sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“Are you okay, Nicky?” Leah asked softly, and Nick quickly focused his attention on the movie again. Romeo had just showed up at some costume party dressed as a knight... was it Halloween already?
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he muttered.
“Good.” As he stared unblinkingly at the TV screen, he felt her arm slide behind his head, her fingers creeping lightly along the nape of his neck. Her touch sent shivers down his spine, and he twitched a little. She giggled. “Ticklish?”
He glanced over at her and smiled a little. “Guess so.”
Their eyes locked, and even in the artificial twilight created by the TV screen in the unlit room, her beauty was evident. He felt her body brush against his as she shifted over a bit, never breaking her gaze from his eyes. Her arm tightened around his shoulder, bringing him closer to her, and her face began to drift toward his. He wanted to pull away, but her gleaming brown eyes were the song of a Siren, luring him ever closer to the unknown dangers that came with her kiss. Rendered senseless by the hypnotizing power she seemed to possess, he unconsciously dipped his head to meet hers, and their lips locked in a sensual kiss.
Leah’s kisses were like... M&M minis – “once you pop, the fun don’t stop,” right? Well, that’s how it was with Leah. One taste was all it took to leave Nick craving for more, ready to overindulge himself on her body. His lips found her again, and now that the heat was rising, his heart was racing, and his hormones were raging, there was no going back. Romeo and Juliet shared their first passionate kiss in an elevator on the TV, but no one was watching, for Leah and Nick were lost in each other’s arms, her arms caressing his back, as his lips blindly explored every inch of her face.
“Are you ticklish here too?” Leah asked in a sultry whisper as she traced his jawline with her mouth and then nipped and sucked her way down the side of his neck, finally resting her lips in the hollow just about his collarbone. His skin tingled with each soft touch, each gentle kiss, and his body yearned for more.
Leah was not one to disappoint.
She gave him more.
***
Nick woke up the next morning in his own bed, a smile on his face and a naked woman in his arms. Leah was still asleep, her head lolled on his shoulder, her body curled up against his, their legs entangled beneath the covers. He sighed blissfully, trying to stretch out without awakening her. But as soon as he moved, she left her dream world and awoke, sighing sleepily as her eyes fluttered open.
“Mm... Nick?” she asked groggily, pulling herself from his embrace and sitting up, pulling the sheet up with her to cover herself.
“Morning,” he said, smiling at her. Even after just waking up, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes glassy with sleep, she was gorgeous, and he couldn’t help but lean over and place a sweet kiss upon her lips.
“Morning,” she grinned, raking a hand through her blonde hair. “Are you hungry? Want me to make breakfast?”
“Make breakfast?” he repeated, impressed. “Sure!”
“Okay.” She slid out of bed, not bothering to conceal herself as she stood up, exposing her naked body to him once again. His eyes traveled over her, and he smiled a little as he caught sight of her stomach. He hadn’t really noticed it the night before, but her stomach was no longer flat, but protruding ever so slightly. She was already beginning to show.
Bending over to retrieve her clothes from the floor, she said, “I’ll be downstairs,” and walked out of the bedroom, leaving him alone. He found he did not like it that way and quickly got up, throwing on a pair of boxers before descending down the stairs. When he met her in the kitchen, she was looking angelic in her white satin robe. Yet, a wicked smirk spreading over his face, he remembered how devilish she had been the night before.
He came up behind her, resting his hand briefly on her hips before letting them slide down further.
“Stop that,” she giggled, turning and swatting his hand away. “I’m trying to cook.”
As Nick had suspected, Leah’s “cooking” didn’t turn out to be very good. The toast was burnt, and the scrambled eggs were scorched, while the bacon was undercooked. But hey, Nick thought, at least she tried.
He was beginning to regret the things he had said to her those many months ago, right after his tour had ended. Maybe she had been telling the truth the whole time. That she had been taken advantage of, that it wasn’t her fault. That she had never meant to hurt him. His mind had always told him she was not to be trusted. But then why did his heart always go crazy when she was around?
Follow your heart – wasn’t that what he had always been told to do?
Well, his heart was telling him that things were going to work between him and the beautiful Leah. So, against his better judgment, he followed its advice and let himself fall for her for the third time in his life.
***
