The Assignment (CLOSED)

[BeachBum25]

Alex found Nicole sitting by herself in the conference room. He walked in and sat down across from her. He was not ready for her reaction. Alex knew Nicole well enough that she very rarely, if ever, lost control of herself or showed her anger. In this moment, he expected her to blast away at him. What he got was the total opposite. Alex felt like he was being lectured by his mother. He heard Nicole say she was disappointed. Alex felt that Nicole believed that he had done what he did in order to hurt her personally.

At no time did she give him a chance to respond. Once she was finished making him feel like a total piece of shit, she got up and walked away. "Nicole!" he called after her, but she walked out the door and closed it behind her. He didn't hesitate. He got up from the table and ran toward the door. Well, ran is an exaggeration.. he hobbled to the door. He opened it and called out to her again, "Nicole. Stop. Please."

She didn't stop, and neither did he. It took some doing, but he was able to catch up to her. He stood in front of her, and then blocked her as she tried to go around him. "Just listen... just for a minute. Listen to what I have to say and then I will let you go."

Although it was obvious she was not happy, Nicole stopped and stared at him. It was not an affectionate stare. In fact, it was a stare that said, "let's get this over with so I can move on." Alex took a deep breath. "I know what I did was stupid, and it has nothing to do with my leg. It has to do with betraying you. Nicole, what you have to understand though is that I did it because I did not want you or your team or my team in danger. If anyone was going to be in danger, it was going to be me... well, and the recon team, but nobody else involved in this assignment. Maybe... no, definitely, I did not think it through. I heard them talking. They said it was a routine recon mission. I thought I could get some good footage and be back before you knew I was gone. I am not like you... I admit that... I did not, I do now, realize that routine can go sideways in no time, and that routine for you is deadly in the world of every civilian."

He paused.. looking at her. Her affect said that she was unmoved by what he said. "Nicole, I would never put you in danger.... NEVER. I care too much about you.... okay, I LOVE you." The LOVE came out louder than all of the other words and people walking past them looked in his direction. "I understand why you want out of this assignment. I messed up big time. I just want you to know that I am not continuing the assignment with another security crew. I have already notified the network that I would be coming home if a new detail was assigned to me."

Alex stepped back from Nicole. "I have said my peace. I am sorry I disappointed you. Trust me, hearing that hurt more than my leg wound. Be safe going back to the States. I hope we can get together and talk things out when we are back home." Alex turned and walked away. He wanted to find Lisa and Stephanie and tell them they were going home.

 

[zydrate]

He loved her.

That thought kept running through Nicole’s mind a lot lately. Even though it was nearing 3 months since she’d been back to the states, Alex never left her mind. She had always doubted if what she did was the right thing. Because of her actions, pulling her group out from the detail, Alex hadn’t wanted to continue with his work. Did he hate her for that?

She wasn’t sure. She could call him.

Then again, he could’ve called her.

None of that happened.

It was probably for the best. The team’s work intensified after being reassigned, almost immediately, when she left Alex and his team. It finished up earlier in the week and she found herself with some time off… how long? She wasn’t sure. It could be a few days up to a few weeks.

Now, she was here in Florence, Italy… one of the most romantic places in the world, waiting for her sister, who was also taking some time off and had met some guy here in Paris, who she was spending some time with. They were supposed to have dinner and catch up. And as usual, Tami was late.

Her phone chimed and she saw it was a text from Tami.

She was cancelling because someone had called in, so she needed to fill in for them.

Perfect.

Oh well. The small rooftop bar was nice after all. Nothing too fancy but still, nice. She had decided to dress up a little, something she was never able to do much while working. She wore a blue dress, it fit just right and was something different from her work attire. She was looking over at the city and sure, it was a nice view but all she could think is that it was a great vantage point to take someone out if needed.

A waiter asked her if she wanted another glass of wine...it would be her third for the night. Sure... why not?

 

[BeachBum25]

She looked beautiful... as usual. He thought she looked beautiful in her military outfit. It didn't matter what she wore, she made the outfit.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

The network executives had doubted Alex when he said that he would not continue the assignment if Nicole's team was pulled from his protection. That was their first mistake.

The military public relations department was constantly contacting him... wanting to talk about what had happened when he was out on the recon mission. Alex refused to talk to them.

When he met with the network president upon arriving back home, he was threatened with being fired for not continuing the assignment. That was mistake number 2. "Go ahead. Fire me. I am sure I will have a job offer before I walk out of the building lobby. That will look real good for you. Fire the guy who was wounded trying to get a story for you." He laughed at her.

Then came the threat of suspension because he refused to talk with anyone from the network about what had happened. Number three. "That's fine, suspend me. I am sure there is something in my contract that says you need to have cause to suspend me, and I do not think that one of the reasons considered to be valid reasons would be that I was unwilling to talk about my being shot. So, I will go and sit at home and ultimately, you will have to pay me for that time. Is that what you want?"

Ultimately, the network decided on a paid vacation. Take some time.. get your mind right... then, come back to work. There was no timetable associated with it.

Alex spent most of his time thinking about Nicole. He missed her, tremendously. Alex had reached out to Nicole's sister, Tami, to see how Nicole was doing. Tami told him that Nicole was on an assignment, and she hadn't heard from her in a while. Tami told Alex he should call Nicole. "I don't think she wants to hear from me Tami. She feels that I purposely did something to hurt her, which couldn't be further from the truth, but that is what she believes... she told me so."

A couple months went by. Alex rehabbed his leg, and got to the point that he was back to working out. With so much time off, Alex was running up to 8 miles per day in addition to some work in the gym. He had started working out, thinking it would take his mind off Nicole, but it didn't. His long runs were always with Nicole on his mind.

He also stayed in touch with Tami. He was pretty sure that Tami was getting tired of hearing from him, but she didn't tell him to stop bothering her, so, he didn't.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

The waiter came back to the bar and nodded to him. Alex picked up the glass of wine sitting in front of him and headed to the outdoor area of the rooftop bar. Wearing a black suit with a gray shirt and a pink and black tie, Alex approached the table where Nicole sat looking out over the city. As he got nearer, he noticed a man walk up and start talking to Nicole. It didn't matter. He was on a mission.

Walking up to the table, Alex placed the glass of wine in front of Nicole. "Your wine, beautiful lady." Then Alex looked at the guy in a way that said, "get lost."

Turning back to Nicole, he smiled. "Your sister told me I might find you here. May I join you?"

 

[zydrate]

This guy… he was back. Nicole had first rejected him when she had first arrived. She was being seated when he had come up to her table and offered to buy a drink. She politely declined, of course. She wasn’t interested in meeting anyone new.

She was only interested in one man and that she had probably blown that relationship.

He had come back, probably seeing she had finished off 2 glasses of wine, thinking he had a chance with her.

“Listen, I’m not interested, all right?”

She looked at the guy pointedly, hoping he would get the hint and saw him starting to say something when someone behind him presented her with her wine. She looked around the guy and saw Alex. His tall form overshadowed the other guy, who was a little shorter than Alex.

Nicole was speechless when Alex said her sister had said she’d be here.

Tami talked to him…?

On instinct, Nicole stood and hugged Alex. She just needed to know he was here… After a moment, she realized what she was doing and pulled away from him, still looking at him, still extremely puzzled. It wasn’t often Nicole was taken by surprise.

“Sorry…” she said, flushing a bit, “I’m just surprised to see you here.” She waved to the seat across from her. Watching him sit down, she quickly took a big sip of her drink. She needed to gather her wits. She had a lot going on in her mind.

“How’s your leg?” She asked, looking calm on the outside but on the inside, her heart was racing. Goddamn, he looked good. He looked a lot healthier. Not that he looked bad before it was just… he looked really good. “How are you doing Alex?” She asked, genuinely wanting to know. She had been thinking about him all this time. It was just good to see him.

“I’m sorry, I’m just surprised to see you here… I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me again… And Tami? You talked to her?” Nicole wasn’t mad. She was just curious. Had he been keeping up tabs on her through Tami?

Although they were seated across each other, the tables were small and the atmosphere was intimate. It was Italy after all. She couldn't take her eyes off of him and noticed he was wearing the tie she had gotten him for his birthday earlier in their relationship.

 

[BeachBum25]

When she jumped up and hugged him, Alex held Nicole close to him. His hand caressed her back softly.

When she pulled back, Alex was a little surprised. He wondered if her initial reaction was not a reflection of her true feelings. Alex turned and watched the guy that was hitting on Nicole walk away. Then he looked back at her. She sat down and waved him to the seat across from her.

Alex watched Nicole; judging her reaction. He couldn't help but smile. It was a big, broad smile. Damn, he had missed her. She looked so incredibly beautiful.

"My leg is fine. I am okay. I took some time off from work. Needed to get my head right. Needed to straighten out the network executives a little."

Alex could see Nicole's mind racing. He wasn't sure if he was upset at him for communicating with Tami. Was she upset with Tami for talking with him? He needed to tell her how this all came about.

"So, yes, I have talked with Tami. No, it was not to check up on you. It was just me trying to make sure you were okay. I know I disappointed you, and I didn't think you would take my calls. She told me you were on a mission and she hadn't heard from you in a while. I asked her to let me know when she heard from you again, just so I knew you were safe. She would text me once in a while just to let me know she heard from you. Then she called me and told me that you were coming to meet her."

Alex paused for a minute to let Nicole process what he was saying.

"When she told me you were coming here, we worked together on a plan. She was never going to meet you here tonight. It was a way to get you someplace nice where I could sit down with you and talk with you. You will have a chance to see her tomorrow. She has reservations for breakfast at some fancy place on the water. She is a trip. She made two reservations. One for 4... if things go well with us this evening, and one for 2... if things don't go well."

The waiter who was in on the plan walked over to Alex and delivered a glass of water. It was the perfect timing. Alex needed something to drink, because his mouth was getting dry.

"I need you to know that what I did was not, in any way, meant to hurt you, embarrass you, or negatively reflect on you in any way. In fact, it was just the opposite. I was trying to keep you safe. Well, in my mind I was."

Taking another sip of his water, his eyes were fixed on her. Right now, she was the only thing that existed for him.

"Nicole, I know I was an ass the way I reacted in the restaurant when you told me what you really did. You know that I have a bit of a temper. In that moment, it just felt that we were a lie. That what we had up to that point was based on falsehoods, and that, if you had mislead me about that, what else was there? I may have walked out on you that night, but you have never been off my mind. I planned the assignment to get my head straight, and, then, there you were."

Taking a deep breath, he continued. Alex needed to get everything off his chest. He wanted a new, fresh start with Nicole... that was, if she was open to it, and Alex wasn't certain that she was.

"I know I flew off the handle then too, but you were there, and it wasn't what I had planned. Finally, after a day or so, I came to accept that you were in charge, and I was willing to go along with anything and everything you said. However, when I heard the recon team talking about the mission, and how it was just going to be routine, with no issues, I went to the base CO. He was pretty easy to convince. Then, while we were out there, shit hit the fan. The guys were asking where we were going. The team leader kept saying just a little further. Then, before I knew what happened, my leg was on fire, and the one person in the whole world that I wanted to keep safe, had to put herself in danger to rescue my stupid ass."

Okay, that was all off his chest. Now it was time for him to tell her why he was here. Yes, he was monopolizing the conversation, but she would have plenty of time once he was finished.

"I said something to you during our last conversation over there. I told you I love you, and I meant it then. I am telling you now, I love you. I have worried about you. I have missed you. I want to be with you. We are right together, when I am not screwing things up. I have accepted what you do. More than that, I respect what you do. I will do whatever I have to do to make it right.. to make US right."

With that, Alex reached over and took her hand. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. Looking into her eyes, "Nicole, I love you and I want us to be together."

 

[zydrate]

So that’s why Tami suggested this dress... thought Nicole as she took in everything Alex had said.

She looked down at her hand in his and wrapped her other hand over his, squeezing it assuredly. Nicole didn’t say anything for a minute as she thought about all he said. She looked up at him, “I won’t apologize for getting upset with you back there because you scared me. My only thought was that I had to get you. I knew about that leader but I it never occurred to me that we’d all get mixed up in his… crap.” She didn’t want to go into how she had heard rumors of his risk taking but now, he was facing charges for that very incident, but these were things in the background no one outside of the military needed to know. “So many things could have happened to you, and it made me feel like if it did… which it sort of did, that I would be failing at my job. Perhaps I was overprotective, but I feel it was for good reason. Which is why I had to pull us off that assignment. It was too personal. And something like that always leaves one to think they’re not doing a good enough job.”

She continued to hold his hand in hers, “I love you too… so much... I didn’t want to lose you and by pulling us off the mission, I knew I probably screwed things over a lot more than when I told you the truth that night.”

“As for talking with Tami, I’m not mad. She’s always been a romantic at heart… she had kept telling me to call you and I said I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to know that it was probably over between us. She put me in my place, that’s for sure.” Nicole said, referring to tonight. She smiled slightly at Alex, “I can’t believe you two did this… and by that, I mean in a good way. It’s very rarely I’m surprised like this.”

“I had wanted to tell you that night at the restaurant that I loved you. It sort of just hit me earlier and I knew I couldn’t go on lying about what I do. I took a chance and it almost felt like it had blown up in my face... I had just about given up and threw myself more into my work.”

“I want to be with you too. I really do. I never thought I would find someone like you. I’m sorry if that sounds corny but it’s true.”

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex looked into Nicole's eyes as he listened to her talk. When she finished, he sat there smiling.

He didn't know what else to say.... what was there to say, really? They had both just poured out their hearts to one another.

He was emotional, and had difficulty processing what was happening. He wasn't sure what to expect with this meeting. Tami and he had planned out this get together, but only up to the point where he walked in. From there, Tami was out of it and Alex had run so many different scenarios through his head and none of them had involved things going this well. That was a good thing.

"Nicole, all I know is that I want to make up for lost time with you. I want us to start over and be together at every moment we can, and really enjoy being with one another. I want us to be together until you have to go on your next mission. Then, and only then, will I go back to work. Right now, I would like it to just be us." He gave her a funny little smile. "Well, tomorrow morning we have to go see Tami. After all, she did set this all up."

Alex stood up and moved over to Nicole. He leaned down and kissed her passionately. He did not care about the crowd of people around. All he cared about was Nicole. When he broke the kiss, he looked down into her beautiful eyes. "This was the perfect place for us to meet, but I want us to be alone. It is hard to get a better view than you do from here, but the suite right below here might have a nice view. I took it upon myself to book it for the whole week, hoping we would be occupying it. So, what do you think, would you join me?"

 

[zydrate]

She saw him get up and knew what was coming next. His wonderful kisses!

And she wasn’t wrong. God, did he know how to kiss her. Nicole didn’t hold back either. At that moment, no one else was in the bar to them. She whimpered a bit when he broke to kiss and told her about the suite. She nodded, her lips still close to his, “Sounds perfect since I am not due to return for at least 2 weeks...” she said, kissing him again.

They stood and he said something to the waitress about sending the bill to the suite. Before Nicole could protest, he had taken her by the hand, and they left the bar.

It took a lot to keep their hands off each other, not that they even tried. In the elevator to the next floor down, they almost missed their stop.

Hand-in-hand, she was led to the suite and as they stepped inside, Nicole didn’t have time to notice the luxuries the suite had to offer, she only noticed Alex as she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him hard. It was almost like the first time they had met. It was also at a bar in a hotel where Nicole was staying. It wasn’t as grand as where they were at now but that night, it was just them.

Just like tonight. Only, tonight was different. Tonight, things had been settled between them and that felt good. No more secrets.

They were still in the entry way as the door closed behind them as Nicole pulled away slightly, running her hands over his shoulders and down the front of his suit, “Did I mention how damn good you look tonight?”

 

[BeachBum25]

All that Alex could think about was how well the evening had gone. In fact, he could not have imagined it going any better.

Once they were in the room, he was conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to rip her dress off and get his hands on her body and spend the remainder of the night exploring every inch of her. On the other hand, he wanted to take his time. He had missed her so much. He wanted to take his time and make love to her.. .slowly undressing her.. holding her... kissing her... loving her.

"As a matter of fact, you have not said a word about how amazing I look. I must tell you that I am disappointed in that." He couldn't help but laugh, as hard as he tried to look serious.

"I must tell you Nicole that you make that you make that blue dress look incredible. That dress looks like a million dollar dress on you." He stepped to her and took her in his arms; pulling her close to him. He looked into her eyes and thought about how much he loved her. Then he kissed her; softly at first. It wasn't long before the kiss was deeper and much more passionate.

Without breaking the kiss, Alex slid his hands down to Her perfect ass and picked Nicole up. He was not going to hurry anything. He wanted to relish the night. Hopefully, this was the first night of the rest of their lives together.

He slid the dress up a little so Nicole could wrap her legs around him. The kiss continued as he carried Nicole to the bed. Alex laid her gently on the bed and knelt between her legs. He moved his lips from hers to her neck. He kissed and nibbled softly, savoring her delicate skin. Then his lips moved down between her wonderful breasts.. kissing and licking through her ample cleavage. His hands slid to the hem of her dress and pushed it up.

Moving on the bed, Alex positioned himself between her firm, muscular legs. He kissed slowly up each of those legs... his eyes on hers. Moving higher, he nibbled lightly on her inner thighs.

Yes, he was going to enjoy the night.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole laughed with Alex at his response, "Brat." she said before he kissed her again. She could live in his kisses, that was for sure. She tightened her hold around him, glad it was just the two of them now, in this gorgeous suite.

This was something Nicole had craved time and time again all these months apart and now, it was finally happening.

She moaned beneath his lips when he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He placed her down so gently, as he was going to break her. It made her feel special. Something she hadn't felt before in her life.

Reaching up, Nicole ran a hand through Alex's hair as he kissed his way down her body. She held him against her for a brief moment before he continued down. All she could do was lean back on her elbows and watch him. Yes, she wanted to remember all this. She wanted to watch him as he made her unravel beneath his touch.

He made her shiver as she whispered, "Please Alex..." and that's when she felt the swipe of his tongue against her inner thigh. It made her gasp outloud. She lay fully on her back and tilted her hips up a bit as she felt his fingers grasp the waist of her panties and slowly, painfully drag them off and down her legs...

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex s..l..o..w..l..y slipped Nicole's panties off... his fingertips dragging over her soft skin as he slid them down her legs. After dropping them to the floor, Alex spread Nicole's legs wider and kissed back up her legs... his tongue finally returning to her inner thighs as he watched he face.. noticing her reaction.

Slipping his hands under Nicole's firm ass, Alex pulled her to him as he dragged his tongue flat over her moist silkiness. Once again, he was in no hurry. His tongue moved slowly.. deliberately over her lips until the tip of his tongue found her button. He flicked it lightly, then slowly circled it with the tip of his tongue.

Moving his tongue over her again, he allowed the tip of his tongue to part her lips. Moving the tip between her lips, he slid it slowly, teasingly through her folds. His fingers dug into the flesh of her perfect ass... pulling her tighter to his face.

Then, he allowed his tongue to make an all-out assault on her clit. He licked it softly. Then, a little harder and a little faster. His tongue alternated between circling her clit and licking it... urged on by the gasps and moans he heard from Nicole. He wanted to please her... immensely, and he wanted to do it again and again.

His lips found her clit and he sucked it into his mouth.. .pulling on it lightly with his lips. Then, his tongue continued to play with her button.. circling and flicking.. moving faster as he pulled on it with his lips.

When he released her clit from its confinement in his mouth, he paused for a second. He saw Nicole's eyes open.. then, he slid his tongue into her wet pussy.... pushing it all the way in as deep as he could go. After moving his tongue in small circles, he started moving it in and out of her... a prelude of things to come.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole groaned in pure pleasure when she felt his tongue skim across her pussy. Her intake of breath was sharp as her eyes closed at the feel of his warm breath against her skin. Fuck, she had missed this so much… she had missed him…

“Yesss..” she moaned when the flick against her clit made her squirm.. but he held her ass in his big hands, preventing her from going anywhere. He kept her in place but had stopped and she lifted her head to look at him and their eyes locked for a brief moment before he dove in and started to fuck her with his tongue and mouth.

Nicole cried out loudly this time, calling his name over and over, begging him not to stop. If anyone else could hear her moans and cries, she didn’t care. Just like at the bar, it was just the two of them right now and that’s all that mattered…

Almost suddenly, Nicole couldn’t contain the pleasure building up from what Alex was doing to her. She tried hold off but his tongue kept on its assault, fucking her so good, her back arched off the bed as she came hard, screaming in pleasure, feeling wave after wave run through out her body, leaving her breathless and almost lost in it all…

What seemed like forever for her body to calm down, even for just a bit, she saw Alex standing over her, looking at her. She was still breathless as she sat up, getting on her knees in front of him on the bed... She was inches from him as she unzipped the side of her dress and pulled it up and over her head, tossing it to the side, not caring where it landed... She was then just left in blue bra as she reached over, running her hands over Alex's chest... His suit still immaculate... For now...

She pushed his jacket off of him and then, worked on his tie... what was it about him and his ties... She looked up briefly, giving him a small smile before holding the knot and then gently pulling it side to side in order to loosen it. She then pulled out the longer end...of course Nicole took her time with it, they had all night, right? When she got it off him, she placed it over her head and slung it around her own neck as she started to work on the buttons of his shirt.

Leaning up her head to meet his mouth, they kissed deeply and passionately as she fumbled with his belt, blindly unbuckling it before running her hands up his sides, under his shirt, dragging her nails along his skin.

"Please Alex.." she said in between kisses, "I can't wait..I need you inside me..."

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex absolutely loved Nicole's reaction to his tongue fucking her hot, wet pussy. He was determined to make her cum hard on his tongue and mouth, and when he felt her body stiffen and her sweet pussy spasm, he continued to tonguefuck her.. wanting to make sure that he gave her as much pleasure as possible.

As they kissed, Alex grasped his tie which was wrapped loosely around Nicole's neck. He held her close to him as his other hand slipped to her back and his fingers deftly undid her bra.

Her nails dragging over his skin, and her pleas to have him fill her heightened his arousal to the nth degree. He stepped back from her and removed his shirt; his eyes fixed on hers. Then, he unbuttoned his pants and let them fall to the floor. Kicking off his shoes and socks was followed by Alex stepping out of his pants. The only thing left was his boxerbriefs, and there was no way to hide how hard he was for Nicole; not that he wanted to.

Still maintaining eye contact, Alex pushed the boxerbriefs off, freeing his hard cock. After stepping out of the boxerbriefs, he moved back to Nicole, and slid the straps of her bra from her shoulders. Once she was naked, he stepped back just a little to let his eyes move over her. "My god you are incredible." His hands moved to her perfect tits as he moved in and kissed her hard and deep. As they kissed, Alex laid Nicole onto her back and moved between her legs, his hardness brushing against her thigh.

As he maneuvered his body over his, Alex slid his hard cock along Nicole's silky, wet pussy... yes, he was still teasing her... but not for long.

Pressing the swollen head of his cock to her, Alex slowly moved his hips to her; pushing his cock into her in one, long, steady thrust.... not stopping until his cock was buried in her. "Fuck yesssss," he moaned into the kiss. Keeping his cock buried in her, he pulsed it as he felt Nicole wrap her legs around him. Then he began to move.

Their bodies moved in unison. It was like they were made to be together. As far as Alex was concerned, they were. He moved his hips in long, deep, steady thrusts.... each thrust just a little harder and a little deeper than the one before it. Their bodies crashed together, echoing throughout the suite. His balls slapped against her ass. His hard cock stretching her tight pussy so good. Her wet pussy gripping his cock like a silk glove.

She was amazing. There was no way he could ever get enough of her. His cock continued to move in and out of her tight pussy... their hips slamming together. Never had he experienced anything like this... nothing as good as this... no one as incredible as Nicole.

Alex wasn't sure how much longer he would last. He started pumping his hips to Nicole faster... harder... fucking her wildly. "Cum with me baby. I want us to cum together. Cover my cock with your cum while I fill you with mine. Do it Nicole... NOW........"

 

[zydrate]

When she felt him enter in one, hard stroke, Nicole couldn’t help but cry out and gasp… goddamn, she had missed him so much! It wasn’t just nights like this but just him being close to her… near her… in her…

It had been far too long since it was just them together. She didn’t want it to end. She didn’t want another long break away from...

They did move together as she arched her back, allowing him to enter her deeper. She grasped one hand on the back of his neck while the other gripped his shoulder. Their eyes locked and something deeper within them connected. Their lips met and she felt him fucking her harder and yes, she welcomed it… even encouraged it by pushing against his ass with her legs…

Alex was pushing her so close to the edge, but she didn’t want to release…not yet… he was breaking her resolve and she didn’t fight it until she heard his command to cum with him and no, Nicole didn’t hold back! She couldn’t, she needed release and only Alex could get it from her. Again, her screams of pleasure filled the room, echoing throughout the whole suite and she wasn’t one bit sorry…

How long did it take them both to come down from that amazing ending? She wasn’t sure, nor did she care. Time didn’t count right now… all she knew was that they were both laying in each other’s arms, under the soft comforter, kissing each other softly, holding each other until they fell asleep…

****
It was sometime near very early morning when Nicole woke up slowly. It took her a minute to remember where she was but quickly recalled the wonderful night she and Alex shared...

Alex’s arm was draped across Nicole’s waist. She reached her hand back behind her, feeling him against her, she ran her hand up his thigh, feeling between his legs… he was hard and that made her smile sleepily as she sat up, getting on her knees before pushing the sheets down and straddling his waist… she reached between him and guided him inside of her and she pushed down slowly as his cock filled her once again.

Their eyes met in dimly light room and she smiled at him, whispering, "Morning.."

 

[BeachBum25]

Opening his eyes to such an incredible sight resulted in a soft moan escaping his lips. "Oh yes baby, it certainly is a very, very, good morning." He smiled up at Nicole as he moved his hands to her hips and held her down on him.. keeping his hard cock buried deep inside of her. "You can wake me up like this anytime you want Gorgeous."

They started moving together, They were perfect. Their bodies moved as one... like they were made to be together. Alex rose up to meet every downward movement of Nicole's body. The sounds of their bodies coming together echoed repeatedly around the room. The sounds of pleasure were loud, and neither one of them made any attempt to quiet them.

They each knew what the other wanted and worked hard to give it to them. There were little battles that went on as each of them tried to take control, not because they wanted to be in control, but because they wanted to pleasure the other. They were amazing together..... they belonged together.

The sound of their joint climax was certainly heard in every room on the floor. It didn't seem like it was ever going to end for either of them. Neither of them wanted to stop. Finally, Nicole collapsed on top of him. Alex wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to him. He kissed her shoulder, her neck and her knee, whispering to her, "I love you so much."

As they laid there in each others arms, Alex thought that he would be happy to spend the entire day just like this. Having her perfect body pressed to his was better than being anywhere in the world. The sound of his cell phone ringing snapped them both out of the trance they were in. It was Tami. "I am sure she is calling me to see how it went and if we are coming to breakfast. I guess she will have to wait to find out."

He rolled Nicole off of him and then took her hand in his. "We can call her after we get out of the shower." Alex pulled Nicole out of the bed, took her in his arms... her hot body pressed to his.. and kissed her deeply... lovingly. Then, he led her to the bathroom and turned the shower on and waited for the water to come up to temperature. Patting her fine ass, he winked at her, "After you Beautiful."

 

[zydrate]

The shower was an adventure where they fucked each other senseless before quickly washing each other off. It was at the end of the shower when Nicole thought about her clothes… she didn’t have any… except for the dress she wore last night.

She should have known since both Tami and Alex set this up, Tami had sent a bag with a change of clothes for Nicole. A note in the bag was from Tami saying that she was told by Alex to buy whatever Nicole needed for a week in Florence. God, she wasn’t used to this, that was for sure. Not saying she couldn’t get used to it…

So, dressed in a dark green, calf length linen dress, Nicole and Alex made their way to the restaurant by the river where Tami and her new boyfriend were waiting for them. It was an overcast day, but it was still bright for Nicole. Today, nothing could dull the way things were going with herself and Alex.

Spotting her sister right away, Nicole led Alex to their table where he came face to face with Nicole twin sister.

Twins might have been stretching it because while Nicole’s hair was down the middle of her back, Tami’s was shoulder length but there was no denying they were twins, even down to their fiery red hair.

“I’m sure you both know each other… and by the surprise, I guess I forgot to say Tami’s my twin sister.”

“You forget a lot of things about me.” Tami teased as she gave Alex a quick hug, “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

That’s when Tami’s date spoke up, “Hey, don’t forget about me.”

Nicole looked around Tami and saw the man she was with, who was still sitting.

He was dressed in military fatigues and sitting there, comfy as one could be. Nicole saw the rank insignia patch on his uniform, and she couldn’t help but instantly become overprotective of her little (Nicole was 8 minutes older) sister.

Tami quickly spoke up, “This is Roger Fairbanks, he’s stationed nearby.”

“Private First Class, babe.”

Nicole thought about pulling rank on him but decided not to… obviously Tami hadn’t told him about her sister. Which was perfectly fine. Tami’s choice in men…well, they were more of flavors of the week. Her sister had no desire to be bogged down with anyone.

Tami shot Nicole a look that said Don’t Start.

Breakfast wasn’t too bad, so that was a good thing. Tami and Alex were getting along great, which was a relief to Nicole. They had already talked with each other previously so this breakfast meeting was just matching a face to the name.

After Tami and Roger had left, she couldn't help but be upset. Should she have pulled this guy aside and set him straight?!

No... Tami could take care of herself but still, Nicole worried.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex didn't want to leave the suite. If it was up to him they would have spent their entire time in Florence in the suite together. However, he knew they had to go to breakfast with Tami.

"You look amazing. Your sister did a nice job choosing your clothes, but I think you make that dress look great." He reached for Nicole's hand as they walked out and got on the elevator.

Stopping dead in his tracks as they approached the table, Alex looked at Nicole and then back at Tami. Twins? "Well, if you had told me that, I wouldn't be as shocked right now." He playfully punched Nicole's arm. Then, he gave Tami a hug. "Thanks for your help. I think things may work out well."

He enjoyed the conversation with Tami, and loved watching the interactions between the two sisters. If they didn't look so much alike, however, he never would have imagined them being related. Tami was much more outgoing, much more flirtatious, much louder than Nicole was. Nicole was her normal reserved self... .taking everything in and talking in a voice that nobody outside of the immediate conversation could hear.

Once Tami and her beau left, Alex and Nicole sat at the table for a little while longer. Alex ordered them each a mimosa and they drank them while enjoying their time together. "So, tell me, is that a typical guy for your sister? A guy that has to announce his military rank when introduced to someone? An announce that he is a Private First Class, at that?" Alex did not want to seem like he was putting Tami down. He liked Tami, and was extremely happy for everything that she had done to get him back with Nicole. "I am sorry, I don't mean to sound mean, but, I think she can do so much better."

Alex saw that Nicole was deep in thought, so, he didn't say anything else. He sat back, took Nicole's hand in his and lightly caressed the back of her hand with his thumb while they sat there. Alex was enjoying her company, even the time when they were just sitting quietly.

After paying the check, Alex asked Nicole if she wanted to walk through the city. They did so, hand in hand; enjoying the romantic city. It was a day together that the overcast weather could not ruin. Alex did notice that Nicole was pretty quiet as they walked. It was obvious to him that something was on her mind. He wanted to ask her about it, but decided that, if she wanted to talk about it, she would. He just hoped that whatever was on her mind was about Tami and not about him. Yes, it was greedy of him, but he finally had Nicole back and he didn't want anything messing that up.

As they were making their way back to the hotel, it started to drizzle. They walked a little faster. Then, it started to pour. They were both soaked. It wasn't even worth running, it would have done no good. Alex laughed about it. He wasn't upset about being drenched. He was in a romantic city in Italy, with the woman he loved and he was walking in the rain holding her hand. In his mind, this was a scene from a romantic girly movie. They walked into the hotel lobby and people watched them as they dripped all over the marble floor. Once they were on the elevator, and on their way to the room, Alex turned to Nicole, caressed her cheek and kissed her softly. "I love you."

 

[zydrate]

"No..no, you're not being mean. And you're right, she could do a lot better but she's Tami.." Nicole shrugged it off...for now. "Tami likes guys and this one, I can tell he's not going to be around for long. They never stay around, but I'm not sure about this guy." Nicole sighed and waved it off, "Sorry... it's all good." she finished up her mimosa and they left the restaurant.

This was the first time Nicole had been to Florence and she was glad to have Alex to walk around with... exploring the city. Nicole had no worries. She turned her entire attention to Alex, listening to him tell her about different works of art...statues, history... just everything about the city.

His 'news' persona crept out every now and then as he talked about the city. It usually did when he was passionate about what he was talking about and Nicole loved it. With that, she gave his hand a squeeze as they continued walking.

As the sky opened up, drenching them almost instantly. Her new dress was totally soaked... normally, she wouldn't care about such a thing but this was something Alex had purchased for her... she just hoped it wasn't ruined.

His sincerity of his touch made her smile, "I love you too." she said, kissing his lips softly before they entered their room.

They had spent the rest of the evening in the suite, worshipping each other's bodies as they couldn't get enough of each other. Dinner was also in the suite. Yes it was a beautiful city but so much time had passed when they weren't together it was as if they were making up for lost time.

The rain continued for most of the remainder of the week and come their last full day before Nicole had to leave the following morning, she lay next to Alex in bed, holding him. No one said anything for a long time as they just enjoyed each other's company.

This was the first time Nicole dreaded going back to duty. It never bugged her but today... she was irked by it. There was no way to ask for more time off because the paperwork... and the advance noticed needed... yeah, it was a lot. She would just need to wait until her next break...

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex could think of a hell of a lot worse ways to spend a week than locked in a room with Nicole. There were days that neither of them put any clothes on. On those days, one of them would put on a robe to greet the room service waiter or waitress, but that was it.

Now, reality was setting in. Nicole had been informed of a new assignment, and that meant they were going to be apart. She wasn't sure of the length of the assignment, and that was hard for Alex, and he was certain it was hard on Nicole as well. They laid in each other's arms. His thoughts were on how much he was going to miss Nicole.

They rode to the airport together in a taxi despite Nicole's flight departing 5 hours prior to his. He wanted to spend every minute possible with her. After Nicole left, Zach sat in the airport lounge and had a drink. He thought about what was next for him and he decided it was time to go back to work. He hadn't discussed anything with Nicole. They were focused on their time together and didn't want to talk about what was to come.

When he got back home, he made arrangements to meet with the network executives. While waiting for the meeting, he received several calls from competing networks to gauge his interest in a new venue. He thanked them, and said he wasn't interested, at that time. He thought about the offers, and decided to remain loyal to his current network, as long as they remained loyal to him.

The meeting with the network brass went very well. During the meeting, Alex proposed a 2 part special where he would report about what he had seen during his brief time in the war zone. He insisted that Lisa and Stephanie be allowed to work on the special with him and that they be given credit for everything they had done. There were no objections.

So, it was back to work for Alex, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't just that he missed Nicole. Yes, there was definitely that. However, what was worse than missing her was the worrying about her. He had seen first hand the work she does, and that had been on a "babysitting" assignment. He could only imagine what a "real" assignment was like. Of course, Alex could only envision the worst possible assignment, and that thought kept him awake with worry for hours every night.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole was thrown hard onto her knees... the jolt made her wince as someone grabbed her by the back of her head and forced her to look up... Her hands were cuffed from the front. and she was blindfolded so she didn't see the camera off to her right, filming it all. Someone asked her a question and she didn't answer. The butt of a rifle was brought down against the side of her head and she lost focus for a second as she fought to not pass out.

Her blindfold was yanked off and she was forced to blink at the sudden brightness. She felt the side of her head bleeding from the hit.

Someone told her to read was in front of her.

When she didn't, they hit her again. This time in the stomach. She was able to prepare herself as much as she could at least, but it still knocked the breath from her, making her double over, gasping and coughing.

Nicole straighted up as best she could, doing her damnest not to show any pain...

She read was in front of her, it was written in their language but she read it as though it was her second language... her brain (what wasn't hurting) was able to decipher it to English. No sooner was she finished when the blindfold was placed back over her eyes.

The video ended.

It was then she was dragged back to her small cell where she was thrown haphazardly into it and the others with her gasped at the sight of her....

It was supposed to be 'routine' solo mission.. encourage some missionaries that this wasn't the right place to set up camp... among them, a senator's daughter... who had been killed as she tried to help the others to safety.

Their captors didn't know who was who so Nicole took on the identity of the Senator's daughter. It was the only way to keep the others safe... until someone mentioned that the daughter was dead and Nicole was from the US Military so that didn't help their situation at all...

The others in the small cell tried to help Nicole and someone pressed a torn piece of their shirt against her head.

She had been successful in sending out signal to her team so she knew they'd be here eventually.

The problem now was just the waiting.

...................

The executive producers looked at each other as they finished up the video.... This was great!! They had received first dibs on the video from a very reliable source and now, tonight... well, in an hour to be exact, they would broadcast it... what a way to welcome Alex back.

Of course, before that could be done, they would all meet to go over all the news that had occurred that day ranging from national news, even some weather (if serious enough) to perhaps something stupid trending on social media. But no, this story would be first.

------

Tami was beside herself as she tried to get in touch with Alex. But she was in Egypt and her signal wasn't too great as she waited in the terminal for her flight home.

Since she was Nicole's next of kin, she was contacted and told something happened to Nicole. They wouldn't go into details until she got home.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex jumped back into his work with both feet. He put everything he had into it. It was the only way that he could keep his mind off how much he missed Nicole and how worried he was about her. She had said she would call him when she could. Alex didn't expect that would be very often, but when he didn't hear from her at all, he worried more.

The special report came together very well. Lisa and Stephanie were great, and Alex actually wanted them to have credit as reporters since some of the information included in the report was information they got while they were all out there. Alex watched every second of the video from the front lines that was to be included in the report. He wanted to make sure that Nicole and her team members did not appear anywhere on the report. He now knew that they were, at times, engaged in dangerous, secret missions, and he did not want them to be seen in a military news report. Now it was just a matter of when they would be able to air the special.

He was getting ready for the evening news report. The make-up girl was finished. It was his first night back on the air. It was much anticipated. The network had publicized it, ad nauseum. He had done several interviews with newspaper columnists and online news services about his return. He was looking forward to getting back in front of the camera and having the circus about his return coming to an end.

Walking onto the set, Alex felt great. He was welcomed back by all of the staff. Everyone was happy to see him. The guy that had replaced him while he was gone was a jerk. He talked down to staff and constantly barked orders. Alex always treated staff well. He realized the hard work that they did helped to make his job easier and helped make him look good. When he sat down in his chair, he looked around. "I want to thank each and every one of you for everything that you do. You guys are great. Thanks for having me back. Let's have a great show tonight." He clapped in everyone's direction, then looked down at his notes.

Alex heard the countdown, and when the red light came on on the camera, he looked right into it. "Good evening everyone, my name is Alex Campbell, and it is great to be back with you this evening." As he was talking, he heard a voice in his earpiece. "We have breaking news.. a video just in." Alex paused for a second. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is just in. The video you are about to see just came to us. You will see it just as I am seeing it for the first time."

Alex looked to the monitor as the video was shown over the air. "What the......" When the producers heard Alex's reaction, they immediately turned off his microphone. Alex ripped the microphone off, got up from the desk and approached the producer. "Did you know about this? How long ago did you get this? I am going to kill you if you knew."

He stormed off the set and to his dressing room. Grabbing his cell phone to call one of the military contacts he had made while they were doing the special report, Alex saw he had a missed call from Tami. He called her back. The connection was awful but he was able to make out that she had been told she needed to get home to get information about Nicole. Alex debated whether or not to tell her what he now knew. He decided she had the right to know about her twin sister. "Tami, it isn't good. Nicole is being held prisoner, and video of it was just broadcast across the country. When you get home come see me right away." The connection was lost. He wasn't sure how much Tami had heard.

The producer and other executives came into Alex's dressing room as he started to make a call. They were all asking him at once what the problem was. "What's the problem? You want to know what the problem is? That was Nicole on that video assholes. That is how you welcome me back? You ambush me with a video of my girlfriend bleeding from her head being forced to read some statement about how America is the evil empire and needs to be destroyed.... that is my welcome back?"

Everyone at once started saying they didn't know. They had an intern preview the video, but they didn't know it was Nicole. "I don't believe you... any of you. Get out, I need to make a call." He looked at them all. They were frozen in place. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE."

None of the military connections he had made answered his calls. He left messages for them, but Alex knew they wouldn't get back to him. His mind raced. There was nothing he could do. He put the phone down on his desk and opened the door. There was an intern waiting there. "Tell them I will go back on, but I get to make a statement first. Then we will continue with the news." The intern went running away. Ales took a deep breath.

When he got back to the set, he was briefed on where they had gone with the program. He found out they did a story on a tropical storm in the Caribbean and a story about a former sports star who was giving back to his community. They were now in a commercial break. Alex got back in front of the camera. The red light came back on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I owe you an apology for my unprofessionalism. I am not sure how much you heard when the video we opened the program was broadcast, but the words I said were inappropriate. The person in that video is someone very special to me.... someone I care very much about, and when I saw her I got very upset. I had no idea, nor did anyone here at the network, that someone I love was the person being shown. The video had just come to the network and the decision was made to put it on right away, because you deserve to know what is going on in the world. Once again, I am sorry for being unprofessional."

Alex went on and finished the news report. As soon as he signed off, and the red light went off, Alex jumped up and went to the production room. "I played nice with you in my statement. I took the bullet and absolved all of you of anything to do with what happened. You need to pay me back for that. Not in money.. I want information. I don't care who you have to call or what you have to do, I want to know what is going on. I want to know what is happening to get her home.. and get her home safely. My phone will be with me al the time. If I hear something from a source other than you, I will not be happy. Now, get on it."

He stormed out of the production booth and went to his dressing room, grabbed his keys and headed home. He started to pour himself a drink, but stopped. He wanted to be in complete control when he heard something. "Be strong baby. I know they are coming for you. They sure as hell better be."

 

[zydrate]

**** 3 days later ****

Jesse winced as he watched them stitch up the side of Nicole’s head. Initially it was supposed to be a solo mission, but Nicole had insisted she take the team as back up. And it was a good thing she did that or else, it would have taken a lot longer to get to her and the remaining survivors of the mission.

Nicole on the other hand, she was doing OK… from what Jesse could see… at least physically but mentally, he wasn’t sure. A bit roughed up, but he had seen her go through a lot worse. He knew she could handle this, but a counselor had already been assigned to her to help her out if she needed it. She had managed to kill 3 of her captors when they were distracted with the sudden ambush on the compound. There were, thankfully, no other fatalities other than their captors.

Nicole could see Jesse from the gurney she sat on and sighed. She was thankful for her team. Had they not been there, she wasn’t sure what would have happened. At this moment, she didn’t want to think about it. They had told her they informed her next of kin… which met Tami and with that, she knew Tami would have informed Alex. At this time, no one told Nicole that it was Alex who had broken the news during his first show back…

Perfect. Just perfect.

There were really no words to express her displeasure about that. First off, the higher ups were mad at Nicole’s failure and in conjunction with that, she made the news. Like they blamed her for being held captive.

Maybe Tami was right, maybe it was time to get out of this alive.

****1 day later*****
Tami had been staying at Alex’s apartment, taking the guest room. It was at his insistence as they needed to be together once they heard about Nicole. She hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep over worrying about Nicole. She had heard Alex up too… he was holding up better than Tami. She hated this. She had told Nicole many times over she needed to quit doing this heroic shit… it was all for nothing most times!

Of course, Nicole being Nicole had said dismissed her sister’s worries. Maybe she’ll listen now… thought Tami.

At 3:15 AM, Tami’s phone rang. Quickly, she answered it.

It was Nicole. She was safe. Tami was so grateful to hear her sister’s voice that she started crying. Nicole would be heading home and would be landing in 12 hours.

12 hours seemed like an eternity to Tami, but she understood. She’d see her sister in 12 hours. Before Tami could get Nicole to talk to Alex, Nicole had to go as they were on the way to the flight… she didn’t have time to talk to Alex.

**** 11 hours later ****
Tami grabbed her coat. She was going alone to meet Nicole. It was just how it had to be. Tami knew Alex was upset but Tami had been honest with him, he was just the boyfriend, and they wouldn’t let him be there when her flight arrived because, unfortunately, it didn’t matter, only immediate family was allowed.

Tami had promised to bring Nicole back to Alex’s place as soon as they released her to go home.

****
It was nearly 10 PM when Nicole finally was released and was able to see Tami. They hugged and Tami tried not to cry. It had taken longer than usual because Nicole had to go through another examine and get medical clearance and then a debriefing with her bosses. When she was done and had gone to meet Tami, she looked so defeated.

Tami didn’t ask any questions as they rode back to Alex’s penthouse. Tami informed her that she had been staying there because Alex insisted, they be together once they got word of her well-being.

Nicole nodded and understood. She was tired. It was either the exhaustion of everything that happened or the pain meds they had given her. She wondered what Alex would think seeing her like this…

Before Nicole could think any more, she had fallen asleep for the rest of the trip. She knew Tami would wake her when they got there.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex had returned to work. He had to. There was no way he could sit around and worry about Nicole. He was going to worry even at work, but sitting around doing nothing would just make it much worse, Being at work, he was able to occupy his mind while there, and give it a rest from the torment it was going through worrying about Nicole.

When he was at home, Alex and Tami spent some time together trying to console one another, and trying to keep each other's minds off of what was happening to Nicole. It was very hard on Alex. Although there were minor differences, looking at Tami was like looking at Nicole. It made it harder with Tami there, but he knew it was the right thing for them to be together while they waited for any news.

When Tami got the phone call that Nicole's team had rescued her, they both jumped up. After Tami hung up the phone Alex hugged her; holding her close as they both reveled in the great news. They couldn't wait to get her home. Tami started talking about how Alex needed to make Nicole stay home and get out of the military. Alex reminded Tami that it was still a new thing for him, but he agreed that Nicole needed to stay home and find something safer to do.

Tami and Alex got into a bit of an argument when Tami said she was going to pick Nicole up at the hospital. Alex strenuously objected to that. He wanted to go with her. He needed to go with her. Tami told him he couldn't go. "You are just the boyfriend Alex." That stopped Alex in his tracks. He sat down; defeated. He couldn't counter that argument from Tami. They wouldn't let him onto the facility.

When Tami left to get Nicole, Alex sat out on the balcony and looked out over the city. His mind wandered. His biggest worry was how this would change Nicole, if at all. He wasn't worried about the physical injuries, he knew they would heal. He was definitely, however, worried about the mental injuries. Would there be issues going forward? PTSD? Would her feelings toward him change?

As it got closer to the time that he expected them to get home, Alex moved inside and sat on the sofa. When he heard the elevator, he took a deep breath. He told himself that he could not react to any injuries he saw on Nicole. He went to the door and opened it as Nicole and Tami approached. He didn't say anything. He took Nicole in his arms and hugged her gently. He did not know the extent of her wounds, so, he was very careful with her. He kissed the top of her head and then they moved into the penthouse.

Nicole said nothing as he closed the door behind them. It hurt Alex. He didn't know what to say. Alex looked at Tami who gave him a look that said he needed to give Nicole time. "Why don't you go in and lie down Nicole." Nicole nodded slightly and walked toward the guest bedroom, moving inside and shutting the door behind her. Alex was shocked. He fully expected her to go into his room... what he considered to be their room. He looked at Tami, and then walked out onto the balcony. He leaned against the railing. He was worried. "Just giver her time Alex. She has been through some shit. Just give her time," he said to himself... out loud.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole woke with a start! She was breathing heavily and sat up in bed, grimacing as she did so since her stomach was sore. It took a few moments to realize where she was… the last thing she remembered was getting in a taxi with Tami… the doctors had said she'd be sore for another day or sore. Like she hadn't been attacked before. As for the stitches in her head, that would remain for another week and she would need to return to have those removed. Her sides were bruised but she was lucky that nothing was broken or fractured.

Tami… she was sleeping the same bed with Nicole, keeping an eye on her sister… some job she was doing if she just fell asleep also. That didn’t bug Nicole as she knew she had been worried about her. Those damn pain pills. They just about knocked her out and that’s why she never liked them, but the doctor at the facility had been insistent she take them.

Scooting out of the bed, she had realized she was still fully dressed… wow, had she been that doped up? She saw her small equipment bag at the end of the bed, and she grabbed it, rummaged through it and found several bottles of pills in there… the ones that had been given to her at the medical facility. Nicole went the small adjoining bathroom and dumped them into the toilet, flushed them down. She hated being out of control and knew they were necessary at times, but no, she wasn’t in too much in pain. It was mostly soreness that would disappear in a few days.

Nicole looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was nearing 4 in the morning… she needed sleep, but she also needed to see Alex.

Before she left the bedroom, she grabbed one of Tami’s oversized t-shirts and put it on after getting out of her uniform before exiting the guest bedroom.

She didn’t bother looking in the main room, instead she headed to his bedroom and walked in. She knew her way, even in the dark and without a word, she crawled into bed with Alex, not saying anything to him as she crawled into his arms. She just wanted to be held and could tell he wasn’t sure, so she put his arms around her as she rested the non-injured side of her head on his shoulder…

The next morning, the sun was shining, filling the room and Nicole winced at the brightness… she was still in Alex’s arms as she buried her head in his shoulder, “I’m hungry… I wish I had some tacos…” was all she said as she sighed before leaning up and looking at Alex, locking in his gaze, “I’m sorry…” she said as she leaned in and kissed him hard. She didn’t want anything else from him except his lips on hers. She had been thinking about this since the day they departed at the airport in Italy. Nicole wasn’t sure why she was apologizing but she felt she had to.

 

[BeachBum25]

After spending a couple of hours sitting on the balcony just staring out over the city, Alex went inside and got ready for bed. He could think about nothing but Nicole, and how worried about her he was. Finally, exhaustion took over and he fell asleep.

Alex felt her slip into his arms as he was asleep on his side. He wrapped one arm over her body, and he slid the other under the pillow her head was resting on. It felt so good to have her in his arms. In his mind, this was where she belonged. He wanted to hug her tightly, but was also afraid to do so. It didn't matter right now. All that mattered was she was in his arms. He kissed her shoulder lightly. Before he knew it, Nicole was asleep. That was fine. She needed rest. Alex laid there listening to her breathe before falling back to sleep.

He heard Nicole say she wanted tacos. Then, he looked up at her as she said she was sorry. He didn't know what she would say she was sorry to him about. "You are sorry for wanting tacos?," he smiled at her. "That is the breakfast of champions, and, if she wants them, it will be the breakfast of my beautiful girlfriend." Leaning up to her, he kissed her, returning her hard kiss.. thankful to have her lips on his.

Without breaking the kiss, Alex pulled Nicole over into his lap. His hands slid up and down her back, caressing through the t-shirt she was wearing. When they broke the kiss, he looked deeply into her eyes. "I have been waiting for that kiss for a long time. It is so good to have you back, Nicole. I missed you so much." He didn't say anything about her injuries of about her captivity. She would talk about that when she wanted to.. if she wanted to.

Leaning back into her, Alex kissed Nicole again. The kiss was hard, deep, and passionate. Alex was still careful about how tightly he hugged Nicole or how close he pulled her body to his. Without knowing the extent of her injuries, Alex did not want to do anything to hurt Nicole. He just wanted to have her in his arms and have his lips on hers.

Slipping his hands under the back of her t-shirt, Alex felt shivers run through his body as he felt Nicole's soft skin on his fingertips. Damn, did she feel good. He moved his hands slowly down her back and then back up her sides. As his hands slid up her sides, his thumbs brushed over her breasts.

Then there was a knock at his bedroom door. It was Tami. "Hey Alex, is Nicole with you? She must have got up in the middle of the night and I just want to make sure she is okay." Alex looked at Nicole and chuckled. "Yes, your big sister is in here with me. She came in asking for tacos. I guess were are going to have tacos for breakfast." He kissed Nicole deeply again. "I think your sister missed you, too." then he whispered, "but not as much as I did."