Free Worth the Fight by Vi Keeland

this junk?”
    “Which one?”  I look over at the pile of menus thinking he’s found one that he doesn’t approve of.
    “All of them.”   For the first time, I look at my heap of menus and recognize that it’s a pretty thick pile.
    “Only when I want to eat.”  I smirk and Nico shakes his head disapprovingly, but I can tell h e’s teasing me.  If I had a body that looked like his, I’d only feed it healthy food too.  I might even learn to cook if I looked like him.
    One menu catches his attention and seems to meet with his approval.  “Is there anything you don’t eat?”  
    “I’m pretty easy.”
    My response earns me a devilish grin before Nico takes out his cell phone and orders.
    After we’re done eating, Nico shows me the movie he brought and I look down at the movie, then at his face.
    “Do you really want to watch this?”
    The corner of his mouth twitches upward in barely concealed amusement. “Not really.”
    “Then why did you bring it?”
    “I thought you’d like it?”
    I tilt my hand to asse ss the man.  He earns credit for bringing something that he thought I would like, but I’m not going to let him off this easy.
    “Why?”
    “Why what?”
    “Why did you think I would like The Notebook ?”
    “Because you’re a woman and women like this mushy crap.”
    Taking his hand, I lead him to my closet off the living room and open the door to reveal two shelves filled with some of my favorite movies.   He peruses the titles and then looks back at me in shock, as if I had just showed him the dead body I kept locked in the closet instead of a simple movie collection.
    “You like action movies?”
    “The more jumping out of planes, the better.”
    Nico wraps his arm around my waist and turns me, pulling me to his chest before planting a chaste kiss on my mouth.  He looks down at me.   “Yep, totally worth it.”  I almost don’t hear his words, they’re spoken so low.
    “Worth what?”
    Another kiss is planted on my mouth.  “Nothing.”
    ***
    Throughout the movie we have periodic make out sessions.  Nico’s big hands glide up and down the side of my body.  His fingers slow as they pass the curve of my breasts and his thumb just barely grazes the swell underneath so that I can’t be sure if his fingers touched me or just came really close. 
    As the movie credits roll on the screen, w e’re locked in a steamy kiss that I don’t want to stop.  My hands slowly feel their way down from his muscular chest and stop on his abdomen.  I’ve never been the one to make the first move, but I don’t care at this point.  I want more from this man.  Need more.  My hands slip under his shirt and I gently score my nails against his tight flesh as my hands retrace their path down, stopping as I feel the top of his waistband. 
    A low growl erupts from Nico and he guides my back down on the couch as he climbs on top of me.  With his weight pushing into me, I can feel every muscle up against mine and I swear I might finish before our naked flesh ever meets.   He’s just that damn incredible to feel.  A low moan from somewhere within me escapes and our kissing becomes deeper, almost frantic. 
    Groaning, Nico sits up and leaves me breathless on the couch.   My body is desperate and I need more.  When I look up, I find Nico running his hands through his hair in frustration. 
    “Why did you stop?”  My voice comes out like a whiney high school girl who is unsure of herself with her new boyfriend.  But that’s what the man has reduced me to, heavy panting and desire with no happy ending. 
    “You have no idea how hard it is to stop.”  His voice is raw and honest and filled with emotion.  Somehow it makes me feel better knowing it isn’t easy for him.  But it also confuses me.  Why does he keep stopping?
    “So why then?”
    Nico struggles for a moment, “Because I want you to know me first, so I don’t scare you away.”
    “Why would you scare me away?”
    He