Broken Pieces (Riverdale #2) (28 page)

“That’s a good thing right?” Nick asked, uncertain of what she was trying to say. He took her hand in his and his thumb caressed her palm.

She smiled and a tear escaped, sliding down her cheek. “It’s a great thing. You came back into my life when I needed you the most. I just have one question for you.”

He reached forward and with his free hand, he wiped away at her tear and nodded, encouraging to ask her question, yet not trusting his voice. Hearing her say she needed him did something to him deep inside.

“Why did you really leave here?”

Something told Nick, that he had a lot riding on the answer to her simple question. He bit the inside of his cheek and wondered if Jake would think he would be betraying his confidence if he spoke the truth and then he remembered no one wanted Nick and Sam together more than Jake. He sighed and pulled Sam towards him. He wrapped one arm around her waist as he walked them towards the couch. Together they sat down and she turned slightly to face him, waiting for him to tell her what she had waited seven years to finally learn.

“I got a phone call one night from Jake. He didn’t sound like himself and he asked me to meet him off of Route 17. He told me that he had come across some parts that Luke and I would need to start up the business.” Nick tried to remember that night so long ago. The details were fuzzy and so he decided he would give her the short and sweet version. “When I got there, I didn’t see your brother at first. I saw a trailer on the side of the road, the trucker that had been driving it was badly beaten, so badly beaten I wasn’t sure he was alive.”

Sam showed no reaction, she just listened to him tell his side of the story, and she listened intently.

“Jake stood in the back of the trailer, throwing around automobile parts. He looked so out of control, holding a tire iron in his hand.” Nick swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering vividly that part. The manic image of Jake as he waved around that iron speaking frantically, that had stuck with him, even when everything else faded.

“Anyway, the trucker, I finally realized was Cara’s father. I figured Jake had thought the time had come to pay the son of a bitch back, for all the times he used Cara as his punching bag.” He looked down at their joined hands and noticed how small her hand looked, in his and how much he liked it. “The cops came and I made Jake run.” He looked up at Sam, and gazed into those eyes, he wanted so badly to lose himself in. Those eyes had the power to bring him to his knees and make him want the things that he never pictured a man like himself, would want. She captivated him in more ways than one. He licked his lips and continued. “I was arrested and charged with assault.”

“You took the rap for my brother.” She stated softly.

“And I would do it again. No questions asked.” He said sincerely.

“But you didn’t go to jail.” She said and cocked her head to the side, trying to understand.

“No, I didn’t. The charges were dropped thanks to my mother.” He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear that had fallen from her braid. His mother’s words rang in his head and not the ones from that ill-fated night in the police station, but the words of her apology and the reasons behind her actions. “She found my phone and knew that I hadn’t been the one responsible but that Jake was. She knew I’d rather go to jail before I went to Seattle, and she knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t let Jake go.” He let out a breath. “So I agreed to go as long as she kept what she knew to herself. She held up her end of the bargain and I held up mine.”

Sam wiped at the tears that fell from her eyes with the back of her hand. All these years she harbored such resentment for him, and all the while he had saved her brother from prison. 

“I’m sorry.” She said automatically and squeezed the hand of his that held hers. “I’m so sorry I’ve given you such shit about leaving.” She shook her head as her eyes searched his. “I’ve been so selfish this whole time.” She said more as a revelation to herself than a statement directed at him. “I don’t understand though. Your mom wasn’t around much back then, why did she want you out of Riverdale so badly?”

Nick’s head throbbed from rehashing this sordid past of his. He rubbed at his temples and decided he had come this far with the truth, might as well go all the way.

“She wanted me away from your family. Mainly she wanted me away from you.” He dropped his hands to his knees and glanced over at her. “That much I didn’t know until recently when she paid me a visit after Jake passed away.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Why did she want you to be away from me though? We weren’t even serious at that point. We never had the chance to be.”

He smiled faintly at her as he thought of the young girl she was and how she had him wrapped around her finger even back then, how obvious it had been that even his absentee mother noticed. “We may not have had the chance to be serious, but you had me back then, regardless. Even she knew that.” He leaned back against the cushions of the sofa and spread his arms along the back of the couch.

“When she came to see me she feared I’d find myself in Luke’s situation, only instead of it being some random girl, it would be the daughter of the only family I had ever known and because my parents were too self-centered to teach me a damn thing, she had been terrified I wouldn’t know how to do the noble thing and stand by you. I guess in her mind, I wouldn’t be able to do the right thing by you and ultimately I’d lose you and your family.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked at Sam. “So that’s it… that’s the whole truth.” He let out a breath and slung his arm over her shoulders, bringing her into the nook of his arm.

“I feel horrible.” Sam said honestly. She felt awful for thinking so poorly of him and the reasons he left. “Your mom thought you couldn’t do the noble thing, but you were going to take the rap for Jake, well, it doesn’t get much more selfless or noble than that.” She leaned her head against his chest. “I’ve been so scared to feel anything for you.” She lifted her head and turned in his arms so that her eyes bore into his. “I’ve been struggling to deny what I already feel for you because I’m so scared I’m going to lose you again.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that, I think you’re going to pick up and go back to Seattle.”

“I’m not going back to Seattle, Sam.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Everything I want is right here, in Riverdale. Right here in front of me, right here in my arms.”

She gasped at his words. She had waited so long to hear them and be able to believe them. She wrapped her fingers around his wrists and her eyes stared into his. “I want you.” She said softly. “I want it all and I want it with you.” She smiled softly as she leaned her forehead against his. “Will you have me?” She whispered the question.

The corners of his mouth ticked, and he couldn’t help the lopsided grin that spread across his face. He waited a damn long time for those words to come out of that mouth. “I’ll think about it.” He teased before pressing his mouth onto hers. Her soft lips opened, maybe to protest his response, but he took it as an invitation and slid his tongue along hers. He stroked her tongue with his own and heard the soft moan come from deep within her. He smiled against her mouth as she pressed herself closer against his body. She slowly untangled their tongues and pulled her lips away from his.

“You’ll think about it?” She asked as she ran her tongue along the seam of her lips, savoring the flavor of him that lingered on her soft flesh.

He grinned at her as he toyed with the thin strap of her tank top. “Alright, alright, you’ve pulled my arm.” He looked at her, a little more serious now. “No backing out now. No running to the bathroom and telling me you can’t do this. No more excuses.” He waited a beat. “If you get nervous, you talk to me about it.” He said sternly.

Her teeth grazed her lower lip before she slowly nodded. “I won’t back out this time.” She grinned at him sheepishly. “In fact, I think we should seal the deal.” She said as she tantalizingly started to lift the hem of her tank top.

His eyes roamed up her body as she lifted her shirt higher over her breasts and eventually over her head. He let out a sharp breath as he stared at breasts that were overflowing from the top of her scantily lace bra. He thanked Christ for the miracle bra, and lifted his gaze as she reached behind her to unclasp the bra.

Her lips curved into a grin. “You like what you see?” She unhooked the bra and dropped her hands to the side, not yet letting the straps slide down her arms. She crossed her arms and slowly brought the straps down each arm, her eyes never leaving his.

“You’re beautiful.” He said huskily and watched as she dropped the lace bra to the floor. She uncrossed her arms and tucked her legs under her so she was in kneeling position. She crawled across the couch and onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her bare breasts pressed against his fitted T-shirt. She leaned her forehead against his and looked at his lips. He looked up at her from his hooded eyes and exhaled sharply. “So fucking beautiful.” He muttered and wrapped his arms around her waist.

His hands splayed across the small of her naked back before they traveled down to her ass. Her thin linen pants not leaving much to his imagination. He cocked his head slightly, allowing his lips to fit with hers. Softly and tenderly his lips fused with hers. The kiss was different than usual. The urgency had been replaced after all they had all the time in the world, no need to rush their loving. She relaxed in his arms and returned the kiss in the same fashion he had initiated it. ‘His tongue dipped between her well-kissed lips and engaged in a lustful battle with hers.

Nick faintly heard the banging on the door, but chose to ignore it; apparently Sam and he weren’t on the same page with letting their intruder disappear. She pulled away slowly and glanced over her shoulder as the banging persisted.

Nick growled at the door and Sam turned around, her frown, turning into a slight smile based on his reaction. He reached for her again. His was dick straining against her as she shifted on his lap, causing him to groan. “Babe you’re killing me. C’mon, if you ignore whoever it is they will go away.” He reached for her again, and she leaned into him, her lips a whisper apart from his. The knock sounded louder. He almost had her on his side. He grimaced and cursed whoever was on the other end of that door.

“What if it’s Luke?” She said and pulled back, and slid off his lap. Her eyes pleaded with Nick’s. “I mean really who else could it be?”

Nick roughly rubbed his face with the palms of his hand. She was right, odds are it was Luke. No one else would come knocking like lunatic at this hour. He threw his head back against the couch and took a deep breath, mentally counting backwards hoping that did the trick in deflating his ever-growing dick.

“Nick?” Sam asked as she grabbed her tank top off the floor, forgoing the bra and just tugging it over her head.

“Okay.” He said exasperated and stood up. He glanced down at her making sure she was decent. Her breasts were standing to attention, saluting him, he made a silent promise to them that he would take care of them before he turned around and made his way to the door. Another knock sounded, even more frantic than the last bunch. “Jesus, man hold on!” Nick said and pulled the door open.

His mouth dropped slightly in shock, but he quickly recovered. Sam came up behind him and he felt her completely freeze beside him. He wanted to slam the door in Erica’s face and drag Sam back off to bed, pretending as if he never answered the door in the first place.

Erica rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip as she looked at Nick expectantly. “Aren’t you going to let me in? You left me out here long enough.” She went, to push him aside when she noticed Sam. “Sam.” She said in almost a whisper, not remembering the last time she had even spoken to the girl she once called her best friend, yet alone the last time she saw her.

Sam swallowed the lump in her throat. “Erica.” She said hoarsely.

Nick heard the tone of Sam’s voice and risked a glance at her, not sure what to expect. She was probably wondering why the hell Erica showed up at his apartment and at this hour to boot.  Hell, he was wondering himself why she was at his door. He didn’t suppose this looked very well, and had no fucking idea how to get himself out of this one. Sam didn’t look in his direction. Her eyes were firmly planted on Erica and he wasn’t sure what to make of the expression on her face. It wasn’t an expression of shock, but rather of pain, it was as if she knew of Nick’s involvement with Erica. He shook away that thought
quickly, knowing that the revelation
could ruin everything for them just when they were getting somewhere.  He reached behind him and rubbed his neck, feeling the tension in his body. He directed his eyes towards Erica.

“What are you doing here?” Nick asked, his voice full of agitation.

Erica snapped out of her stare down with Sam and looked back and forth between the two. “I’m sorry am I interrupting the two of you?” She said already knowing her answer. She wasn’t all that surprised that Nick would be here with Sam, in fact, she would have expected it, they were a force to be reckoned with, and she had always known that.

“Yeah, you…” Nick was cut off.

“No you’re not.” Sam shook her head and turned around to grab her stuff. Nick grabbed her arm, and turned her around abruptly.

“What’re you doing, Sam?” He kept his hold on her arm. She tried to pull her arm free but his hold was too tight.

“Let me go.” She said flatly. The eyes that were so full of hope when she had arrived were dull and lackluster now. Nick watched the walls slowly build around her, the walls he had only moments ago broke through.