Chapter 177: Raw and Unpolished (5)
Georgia’s POV
I dangled over Nick’s shoulder like a sack of rice, completely speechless at the ridiculous thing he’d just said. My face was burning—partly from embarrassment, partly from the way his shoulder pressed against my stomach.
Then I saw him reach for the wall and tap at a hidden panel. A keypad lit up, and he entered a code with practiced ease.
"Where are we going? Nick! Put me down!" I whined, my head spinning from being upside down.
The wall slid open with a soft mechanical hum, revealing a sleek door. He carried me straight through it.
It was a bedroom. His bedroom.
My mouth fell open. "Wait... this is your room? Why is it hidden like some secret vault?"
He smirked, not even out of breath, as he tossed me onto the bed like I weighed nothing. I bounced against the mattress and scrambled upright, eyes darting around the room until—aha! A door. That had to be the bathroom.
"Vicky used to stay here when I was in the maritime academy," Nick said casually, watching me like a hawk. "And my mom used to drop by often. I didn’t want either of them snooping around in my space."
I made a break for it, but before I could take two steps, he grabbed me, pulling me back and pinning me down to the bed with maddening ease.
"The heck, Nick! Let me go!" I cried out, wriggling beneath him.
But instead of listening, he stole a quick kiss from my lips, so fast it caught me off guard.
"What are you doing? I’m serious!" I snapped, shoving at his chest. "I need to go to the pharmacy. I’m not on the pill, Nick."
His answer? A devil-may-care smirk and, "So? You’re not going anywhere. I told you—we’ll make sure it’s a boy." Then he crushed his lips against mine again.
I pushed him back, breathless, glaring as his maddeningly handsome face hovered over me, that stupid, mischievous smile tugging at his mouth.
"Are you crazy?!" I blurted out.
"Yes," he said without hesitation, his eyes gleaming as if this was the most obvious truth in the world. "Crazy about you. Now, can you stop protesting and just kiss me already?"
I shoved at his chest again, my voice trembling between panic and longing. "Nick! We need to think about this. This is serious!"
But he didn’t even flinch. His eyes locked on mine, unwavering, his voice deep and steady. "I’ve already thought about it, Georgia. Not just one, not twice, but many times. I’m sure. I want you. I want this. If it means one, two, or three—I don’t care, as long as it’s with you. Unless..." his jaw clenched slightly, "...unless you’re not sure about me. If you don’t want that future with me, then you’re free to go."
His words knocked the air out of me. My whole body froze under his gaze. Did I want him to be the father of my future children? God, yes. I’d imagined it more times than I’d admit, the thought of little versions of him—or us—running around, making my heart swell. But now? Right this second? I hadn’t let myself think that far...
"So," Nick pressed, his voice rough with emotion, "what’s it going to be, Georgia? Are you walking away, or not?"
I broke his gaze, staring at the ceiling, then at the far corner of the room, anything to escape the intensity burning in his eyes. My voice came out small, almost afraid. "I... I don’t know."
He leaned closer, his breath warm against my cheek, his tone softer but no less certain. "This is the last day. You may not conceive at all. But if you do..." his lips brushed the edge of my ear, sending shivers through me, "...then I’ll be the happiest man alive. So trust me. Trust us."
His words pulled me back, my eyes finding his again. And there it was—that smile. The one that disarms me every single time, tearing down every wall I’ve tried to put up. My heart leapt before my mind could catch up, and I found myself nodding.
He smirked, lowering his lips until his forehead rested against mine. "Good girl..." he whispered, the praise curling around my heart like a warm embrace.
And then his mouth claimed mine, sealing the choice I hadn’t realized I’d already made. I melted into the kiss with everything I had—heart, body, and soul. Whatever happens, happens. If fate gave us this moment, then I’d embrace it with him. And if not... then maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. At least, not yet.
Gods... I love this man. More than I can ever put into words. And I want him—no, I need him—to be a part of my future.
What I felt with Nick was nothing like what I had with Raymond. With Raymond, it was obligation disguised as love. A relationship built on time, on routine, on the heavy weight of "what should be", set by society, by our traditional family.
It always felt like I was walking down a path someone else had chosen for me, one I couldn’t step away from no matter how much I wanted to.
But Nick... Nick was different. He wasn’t an obligation, he was a choice—my choice.
Every beat of my heart screamed for him. Being with him wasn’t about expectation; it was about freedom.
It was as if something greater than fate itself had tethered me to him, pulling me closer with a force stronger than gravity.
I wanted him. All of him. His scars, his flaws, his past, his present—and I wanted him to claim everything in me in return. My body, my heart, my soul.
With Nick, it didn’t feel like falling. It felt like flying. I feel at peace whenever I am with him. Any problem I have, any worries I think of, just vanish whenever I am in his presence, and that’s how I knew this was real love.
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Thank you for the Golden Tickets!
KATHLEEN_COLL
Kristen2025