Seduced 2 (4 page)

Chapter 5

Nikki

Where the hell am I?
I was covered in a different sheet.
I was driving my car and then Tristan...is this Tristan’s house?
” Yes, I remembered. I drove back to his home and then crashed on his bed.
But who placed the sheet on my body.
I looked down; my clothes had been changed, too, I was wearing his t-shirt and shorts. I felt like my cheeks were turning red. I pushed the sheet off and got down from the bed, but then a weakness consumed my body. My head started hurting, sickness flowing through my whole body.

“Good morning, sweetie.” A deep, male voice along with the sweet aroma of coffee and eggs seduced my nostrils. Tristan entered carrying a plate in his hands.

I looked at him; he was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and track pants. His hair hung loose on the either side of his head; he looked sexy in the morning. “Do you have anything other than eggs here?” I asked. Not that I hated the eggs, but it was the third time straight I was eating eggs in his house.

“Sorry, I’m still a bachelor and these satisfy my protein needs better than anything else.” He looked like a puppy when he apologized, I felt like getting up and taking a sweet piece of his lips, but I lacked the energy.

“You are a jerk,” I said, teasing him more. I wanted to see his puppy face longer.

“Why am I a jerk?” His eyebrows raised. He was looking damn cute with his clean face and sleeveless t-shirt showing the curves on his pumped up biceps.

“Because … I don’t know.” I pushed myself up by the pillow, but I was feeling weak, very weak, like someone had sucked the juice out of my body. “I feel so weak.”

“Because you were down and unconscious with fever when I came home last night.”

“How was the party with Trisha?” I was down and weak, but the jealousy about woman was still there.

“I went alone, I didn’t ask her.” He looked confused,” And why are we talking about my party? The question is why were you unconscious?”

“Was I?” That explained the symptoms. “But I was perfectly fine yesterday evening.”

“I don’t think so. I took you to a doctor. You were unconscious when we went there. He gave you a shot and asked me to put you in the hospital if you don’t feel better by noon.”

“Holy shit.”I held my head in my hands. I didn’t remember any of it.” I just remembered sneaking into his house from the back window. My phone buzzed; it was from Carrie. “Fuck, she will kill me. I bailed on her last night.”

“Where the hell are you, Nikki?” Carrie yelled from the other side.

Tristan came forward and took the phone out of my hand, “Hey, Carrie. Tristan, here. She is with me and safe. Just down with a fever. If you want to meet her, come by.”

Carrie said something and then Tristan hung up the phone. “Thanks.” He’d saved me from the misery. “If you were all right yesterday evening, how come you were crashed dead by the night?”

It must be the emotional fear.
But I couldn’t tell him the truth. I started eating breakfast. The taste was as good as the smell; he was a good cook.

He stood there watching me until I finished the breakfast. I liked the way he took care of me. I felt vulnerable, but at the same time special. When I saw him standing there, I could see many layers of personality in him. From the outside a rough, weathered man, but from inside, as much caring as he could get.

He handed me a tissue on the bed as I finished my breakfast and then took the dishes back to the kitchen.

I should go and help him.
I didn’t like being a helpless and dependent woman. I slowly put my legs on the ground and, with the help of the corner of the bed, I stood. For a second it was good, but then I lost my control and fell hard on the ground with a thumping sound.

Tristan came running, I could hear his footsteps closing fast. “Are you out of your mind?” The next thing I knew, he lifted me in his hands, swiftly.

“I wanted to help you,” I said, a sharp pain was shooting from my knee to my brain.

“Did I ask you for any? You are not moving from here. Doctor said two days rest and you are going to spend those two days here in this bed.” He put me back on the bed.

“Drop me at home, please. I’ll ask Carrie to help me.” The last time I’d fall ill, my mother had been there. It was way in the way past, a few years ago. "I can’t take advantage of you.”

“I’m not listening to you, babe. I asked Carrie to come here. And you are going to stay here until you get well.” He sounded determined, like a stone.

“But I’ll get bored. You don’t even have a TV in here. I have that in my bedroom,” I complained.

He looked around for a while. “Okay, we can do one thing.” He bent down toward me and slid his hands under my body and then lifted me like I was a feather. he carried me to the hall and put me on the couch. “Enjoy the TV from here. I’ll get you a remote and a sheet.”

I looked at him with an appreciative look. He was a man of few words.

Before I could thank him, the doorbell rang.

“Let me check.” He went ahead to check on who it was. I tried to peek from the couch. A girl in her Nineteen was standing outside with a bag in her hand. She instantly hugged Tristan.

“Hello, Tristan, how are you?”

Tristan wrapped her in his arms and then pushed her away, holding her at arm’s length. “Hey, Trisha, how are you? Aren’t you suppose to take few days off?”

So this is the Trisha he was talking about.
I looked her up and down, from her head to her nails.

“I brought you some food I prepared. I hope you don’t mind,” She looked inside and the moment she looked at me, I saw a flash in her eyes, like she was surprised to see me there, "Sorry, I didn’t know you had a company. I’ll come back later.”

“It’s all right, come in. This is my friend, Nikki,” Tristan assured her and walked in. While coming in, Trisha closed the open space in between them; she was walking so close to Tristan that her breasts were touching his arm.
Why is she behaving like that?
A desperate feeling to snatch Tristan away from her churned inside my stomach.
What is this? Am I jealous of her?

Tristan pulled up a chair for her. “Have a seat. How are you feeling now?”

“Thanks to you, I’m good.” She grabbed Tristan’s hand and spoke in a seductive voice.

“Don’t sweat it. I’ll do it again if I need to.” He smiled back.

What the heck is going on in between them?

“So sweet of you.” She brushed her cheeks on his hands.

Is this a puppy show going here? Why is she getting so close to my Tristan?
A danger bell rang inside my head.
What was I thinking?

Tristan pulled his hand away; his face twisted a bit. “You didn’t have to bring anything, Trisha.”

“It’s the least I can do for you.” She looked at him with her dreamy eyes, like she was ready to seduce him.

“What are you twenty or nineteen?” I asked.

“Does it bother you?” She looked annoyed.

“No, not at all. Just asked, looking at you.” I smiled at her childishness.

“She is nineteen,” Tristan replied; he looked awkward.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” I pushed it a little further.

She looked at Tristan. “Not yet.” She looked back at me; her eyes were shooting daggers at me now. “Do you have an issue with me?”

“No, not at all, just asked.” I controlled my laugh again.

“Okay, Tristan, I’ll leave now. Let me know if you want me to cook dinner for you. You look pale after the fight.” She touched Tristan’s arm where he had been stabbed.

“No, that’s fine. It’s okay.” He pulled his arm out of her hand. “I’ll see you at the bookstore, then.”

“Yes.” She waved goodbye and walked out.

I couldn’t control it anymore and laughed out loud. I was so amused by that girl that I almost fall off from the couch.

“What was that about?” Tristan asked as he came back after shutting the door.

“Nothing, I was just checking how madly in love with you she is.”

“What rubbish. She is my employee.”

I rolled out again, “Seriously? Are you dumb? She was practically all over you.” I was laughing, but inside there was a little twitch about that girl. I didn’t like her.

“Shut up and watch the TV.” He tossed the remote at me and walked in his training room.

***

I was half asleep when he entered the room. He came close and checked my forehead. He bent down and placed a kiss on my forehead and put something on the table near me.

Before he could turn background, I grabbed his hand.”Where are you going?”

“Are you awake? I placed the tablets near you. Take one right now,” he said in his magnetizing voice.

“What did the doctor say?” I asked. I was getting bored sleeping in the room alone. Tristan had gone out some time ago and before going out, he put me in the bedroom.

“Nothing to worry about, you would be back on your feet in no time, but only if you take the pills.” He smiled confidently.

“So I can go home now?” I hated to be a burden on him.

“No, you are not allowed. Get well first and then you can go home.” He grinned.

“But...I want to go back.” I pleaded with him.

“I know one thing. You chose to come here when you needed someone and I’m not letting you go out until you’re back to normal.” He looked damned serious.

I threw a cushion at him, "Then watch a movie with me.” I got down from the bed and started walking outside. “I’ll make you watch the worst movie of the millennium so you’ll send me back home.”

He picked me up before I could walk four steps and pulled me in his arms. His manly cologne surrounded me and wrapped me in memories of him. He lifted me again and took me out on the couch.

“Anything for you, sweetie.”He hopped on the couch near me. “So what are we watching? I bet you’ll cry at the end of movie.”

“I don’t cry watching stupid romantic movies,” I said.

“Then why are we watching one? Can we watch something action-packed?” He chuckled. “At least you wouldn’t cry at the end.”

“No way are we watching any violence today.”

“I think you grew up watching faces getting smacked by the bully at your dad’s club.” He laughed again, but he didn’t know he’d poked the wrong vein. He reminded me of the horrible things Chase promised for my son. A feeling of hopelessness sunk inside my veins and dripped into every cell of my body. I felt like someone was dragging me into cold water. Stephen was standing in front of me trying to pull me out with his tiny hands, but then he couldn’t do much and I released him in fear that he would also drown with me.

“Hey, Nikki, what happened?” Tristan held my face in his palms, “Why are you crying, sweetheart?” He wiped the tears off my face. “I’m so sorry. Let’s watch a romantic movie.” He wrapped me in his arms and started a movie on ‘HBO’.

I gathered myself together; it wasn’t time to show my emotions to him, but how could I hide what I felt for my son?
How can I tell you the truth, Tristan?
I felt like I was stuck in my own head and there was no way out of there; the walls around me were shrinking. I could only watch myself dying in self-pity and remorse.

In an unexpected reaction, I hugged Tristan and rested my head on his chest. His fingers twined through my hair, his other hand slowly moving on my back, but there was no erotic touch to any of it; he was giving me hope and strength. He was a very nice man and, unfortunately, I was going to use him for my own purpose.

“Am I evil?” The words came out of my mouth without a thought.

“No, you’re not,” he said, without raising any question. His hand continued to give me hope and strength. "Look what is coming on TV.” He finally stopped on a channel.

I looked at the movie. It was a classic, nineties movie. I liked old movies and that one I hadn’t watched before, so we continued watching it while I was still in his embrace and he constantly moved his hand over my back.

The movie was about a man who’d lost his wife and son in a and flood finds them after three years of searching. And finally, they find peace in a remote village. The son they had was about Stephen’s age.

The movie scratched my fear deeper and a sudden flood of emotions burst through my heart. I’d had a dream to be happy with Stephen and his deceased father. That I’d live happily with them far away without the sea of people around. I looked at Tristan, and he was enjoying the movie.

“Do you know, I had a dream, a dream of having a happy family like in that movie. A husband, a son and me. I wanted to spend my life cooking for him, waiting for him to come home after work. I would wait for him in the door and when he came home, he would hug me and lift me in his arms and then I would serve him dinner. Just three of us, living far away from the world.”

“Why are you talking in past tense? I hope one day your dream will come true.” He looked at me and kissed me on my forehead. I felt the warmth of his kiss, and it calmed my mind from my worries. I felt like an angel had touched me and took away all the fear. He was different, but I wasn’t the right person for him.