Sunlight poured through the open doors and spilled over the bed. Betsy blinked as she slowly awoke, her eyes resting upon the table and the food which remained uneaten. It was a shame it had all been left to spoil. They had been too preoccupied to return to their meals the night before. Instead they had been too consumed with feeding another hunger.
Raising her hands above her head, the blonde stretched out with a yawn. Her body ached in protest but it was a good ache. An ache that reminded her of everything which had happened the night before.
An arm wrapped around her waist and warm lips pressed against her shoulder. She didn't have to turn to know who it was. Nick's scent surrounded her like a comforting blanket as his fingers lightly stroked across her stomach. Occasionally they would graze across the scar which ran across her stomach but for once she didn't shy away from the memories. Nick had replaced them. He had spent hours getting to know every inch of her with gentle touches and soft kisses.
Betsy smiled and tilted her head back. Nick stared down at her, the start of a shadow forming across his jaw line. He was adorably rumpled, his hair sticking up at off angles where she had run her hands through it over and over again the night before. He offered a lazy, satisfied grin before he captured her lips.
The fire between them hadn't dissipated. To Betsy, now that she knew the full extent of what they were capable of together, it only felt more intense. It was harder to ignore. Before she could part her lips to deepen the kiss, Nick pulled away with a tortured groan.
"Good morning?" Betsy asked, turning within his hold so that she was pressed chest to chest. The light spattering of hair across his chest tickled against her chest. Her heart fluttered and her things clamped together. She was all too aware of all of the different places their bodies touched. In the light of day it felt intimate.
"Good morning," Nick replied, his lips brushing hers as he spoke.
"For a moment I thought I was going to wake up alone." Betsy murmured, her eyes staring up at his, allowing him to see the vulnerability within her gaze.
"I would never do that."
Betsy didn't reply. She simply nodded her head before pushing him onto his back. Then, snuggling close to his side, she placed her head on his chest. Her ear was directly over his heart. The small spattering of chest hair tickled her check as she listened to his heart beat. It was strong and steady, skipping only when her finger tips stroked down his ribs. Who knew the big strong Nicholas Davenport would be ticklish?
"How long do you think we have before the children are awake?"
Nick chuckled, his chest shaking beneath her head. "They're already awake and having breakfast."
At the mention of food, a loud rumbling filled the air. Betsy's cheeks grew hot as she buried her face into Nick's chest. His hands stroked through her hair as he chuckled beneath her, his fingers disentangling her curls as he went.
"How about we get dressed and get some food? It's about time you made an appearance."
Betsy hid her face as it grew hotter. She knew there were people in the house. And yet, inside the intimate bubble they had created, it felt as if they were hidden away from the world. But they weren't. No doubt the rest of the house knew exactly what they had been up to the night before. Betsy knew that she hadn't been quiet the night before. Nick had managed to break her free from her inhibitions with each kiss and touch he bestowed upon her naked body. She had been so consumed with the way he was making her fee, she had given little thought or care to what the others might hear.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, because we only have the morning together before I get pulled into meetings with the board members. So you, my beautiful pixie, need to be fed." Nick's fingers tightened within her curls ever so slightly, gently tugging so she would lift her head from his chest. "I took the liberty of picking out your dress. It's hanging up in the bathroom. Wear it for me?"
He followed the question with a searing kiss, one that simultaneously stole her breath and ignited fires in parts of her body she really didn't need fires. At least, not if she was going to leave the room anytime soon that is. Inserting her fingers between their lips, Betsy pulled away.
"Breakfast," she panted, when Nick stared at her with glassy eyes.
He groaned aloud and Nick relaxed his hold on her waist. "You're right. Breakfast."
He slumped back into the pillows, covering his eyes with his arm as he attempted to regulate his breathing. Betsy shook her head, a smile playing across her lips. Leaning over, the blonde placed a small peck onto Nick's arm before rolling out of the bed.
As she landed on her feet, Betsy's hands moved to cover her exposed skin but ever so slowly she dropped her hands back down to her sides. Nick had already seen, touched, and tasted nearly every part of her body – it hadn't changed much in the last few hours. There were a few abrasions on her skin from where the stubble on Nick's skin has rubbed against her skin. If she looked down, she could even see the pink love bites on the side of her breasts from the ravenous attention he paid to them the night before.
On the inside, Betsy felt like a completely different person. It wasn't just the sex – though she could admit that Nick hadn't failed in that department. It was the way she had felt so completely safe within his arms, so safe she could enjoy and participate without feeling self-conscious of her scars, or her lack of experience in comparison to Nick. It had been so long - her ex-husband had been her last encounter which was so long ago she had almost forgot how incredible and intimate it could be.
Focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, she crossed over to the bathroom. She paused before she entered, glancing over her shoulder as she leant against the doorframe. Nick's dark gaze was focused on her bum, his teeth biting into his bottom lip as he lay there on the bed.
"Nick?"
"Huh?" He blinked and lifted his gaze.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready too?" She teased, her eyes twinkling as she did so.
"I will," Nick murmured lazily, his eyes doing a slow crawl up the length of her body. "I thought I would just enjoy the view first."
He rolled on to his side, the blanket sliding down to his waist revealing hard abs and the thin trail of hair leading below the blanket. Betsy swallowed. She forced her gaze away, a flush forming on her cheeks. Anyone would think she had never seen a naked man before.
"Stop messing around. We have some children to see. Now get dressed or I'll go down to breakfast without you."
When Nick started to argue, she waved her hand dismissively in his direction before hurrying into the bathroom. She closed the door firmly behind her, taking in a deep breath as she fought to steady her pulse. She felt so off kilter, an effect only Nick could stir within her. She couldn't even compare him to her ex-husband. The two men were so different, and she loved the both differently. There was no comparison in her mind and there never could be.
The bathroom was as neutral as the rest of the bedroom. White lead the colour scheme but there were dashes of vibrant colours in the details. Bright blue towels hung from the rail and a blue rumpled bath mat was laid upon the floor in front of the most amazing bath tub. It was round and when you stood on the far side of the room, it almost looked as if it was part of the sea outside – like those infinity pools but much smaller.
Betsy turned away, her eyes falling upon the knee length dress hanging on the back of the door. It was simple and beautiful. Reaching up, she unhooked it from the hanger on the back of the door and held it before her. The bright yellow cotton wasn't something she would have chosen on her own but it was cheerful which matched well with her mood.
After a quick shower and a manic attempt to tame her hair, Betsy finally slipped into the dress and headed down for breakfast. Nick had been waiting but, as she had walked out of the room, he had been speaking in harsh whispers down the phone. Betsy had caught his assistant's name once or twice so, after a wave, she headed out of the room.
She heard the Giannopoulos family before she even found her way to the dining room. Betsy used the sounds to guide her feet, her eyes taking in everything about the house around her. She paused in the doorway, her heart feeling full to see so many happy and smiling people. Her lips pulled up into a grin as she watched on, the atmosphere so infectious.
"Good morning Elizabeth," Markos greeted, standing from his seat at the head of the table and ushering her towards the table. "Sit down and eat."
"Yes, eat," his wife added, patting the chair beside her.
Betsy nodded her head politely and took the offered seat, feeling more than a little overwhelmed when Markos's wife immediately started piling lots of different food on to her plate. Yet, it felt nice to be taken care of. The woman had taken to mothering her at every chance she got. Usually it involved feeding her copious amounts of food. Betsy was grateful for the attention. After her night with Nick, she felt famished.
"So did you and Nico have a good night?" The woman murmured, bumping Betsy's shoulder affectionately.
Immediately Betsy's cheeks reddened. She ducked her head but with her hair tied up in a knot on the top of her head, there was nothing to hide behind. "Yes. We – uh – had a good night." She choked out before grasping her fork and shovelling a food into her mouth so that she wouldn't be asked any more questions.
"Nico, so good of you to join us." Markos greeted exuberantly, standing from his chair with his arms outstretched. And then slowly they lowered back down to his sides. "Is everything okay Nicholas?"
The Nicholas Davenport standing in the doorway to the room was the man Betsy had met all those months ago. Though he was dressed in casual clothes, so different to his favoured suits, the relaxed posture was gone. Instead there was that mask, the blank almost emotionless mask which fought to contain the fury simmering beneath the surface.
"Nick?" Betsy asked, her eyes meeting his as he remained statue-like in the doorway.
His head snapped in her direction, his back stiffening as he did so. The blonde's mouth dried in response, dread coursing through her veins.
"We need to talk." Nick said firmly, his hand still clasped around his phone.
Those words had the power to cause the undoing of any woman. 'We need to talk.' Betsy swallowed the lump which had formed in her throat.
"Have I done something wrong?" She asked, her eyes darting to the others who were watching avidly.
Nick's face softened for a moment, his eyes losing the hard edge as he took a step towards her. "No. You haven't done anything wrong."
"I'll take the children to the garden. You stay here to talk." Markos offered, standing and using hand signals to get people moving.
"Thanks Markos." Nick replied with a stiff nod. "I want to talk to you in a moment about a security breach."
The older man frowned but with a nod of his head, he led his family and the children from the room.
The door closed softly behind them, sealing the pair of them in the room alone. Betsy shifted in her seat. The afterglow from their night together has been sucked away sharply so she felt off kilter. Nick came to her side, crouching down beside her chair. His hands reached up and cradled her face in his hands.
"Despite how this all started, I never wanted you to get hurt. You know that, right?" Nick asked, his thumbs brushing over Betsy's cheeks as he did so.
Placing her hands over his, a furrow between her brows, she replied, "Of course I know that. You're not a monster." Her eyes watched as his lips twisted into a brief smile before it slipped away. "What's wrong Nick? Everything was okay just a few minutes ago."
Nick swallowed, his back straightening. "I received a call from Tina at the office. She received a news alert."
"News alert? Is someone hurt? Has someone died?"
"No. Nothing like that." Nick soothed, pulling away enough so that he could draw his phone from his pocket. His fingers danced rapidly over the screen.
And then it was in front of her face. Her eyes reluctantly pulled away from Nick to focus on the image before her. And when she did, her heart froze in her chest.
'Billionaire's Getaway: Davenport CEO is getting steamy in Greece.'
The words jumped out at her, a headline to match the pictures below. Her body, her naked body, was plastered all over the internet. Nicks too. Some of the images captured the pair on them in the throes of passion. Their bodies entwined, their eyes focused on one another as they made love. The voiles on the terrace doors had offered a small amount of protection so only small portions of their bodies were visible. And then there were full frontal shots of the pair of them.
After their first session had finished, the pair had retreated to the bath – the beautiful bath which looked out on to the sea. Nick had washed her back and massaged the aches from her body between snogging sessions. She had given the same in return. It had been sensual and intimate. And it had been exposed to the world for all of them to see.
"I feel violated." Betsy murmured, her eyes drawn to the images, unable to look away. "How did this happen? This was only a few hours ago and it's already been viewed thousands of times."
"I don't know for certain. We've had a few issues with drones at the estate before but somehow I never imagined they would be used in this way. Please know that I am doing everything in my power to get this sorted. I'll speak to Markos to see if we can get this removed."
Betsy pressed her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god, your deal. What will Markos say? This is the kind of scandal you wanted to avoid."
"Hey. Enough of that." Nick cut in before she could continue her rant. "Some creep has violated our privacy. If we were skinny dipping on the beach it would be one thing, but we are in the privacy of a friend's house. This should not have happened and I will ensure those responsible get their rewards. That is a promise."
His voice was steel as he made his vow, the cold certainty enough to send a shiver down her spine. Yet, even though her stomach was in knots at the very thought of thousands of people viewing her naked body, she felt reassured.
She still felt sick.
"I don't want to leave you alone but I need to speak to Markos. Why don't you go and find the children and I'll join you in a bit."
Betsy stood from the chair, nodding stiffly. She knew it was real and yet she felt oddly detached to the entire situation. Her body, the body she was still struggling to like, was out there for everyone to see. No matter what Nick did, there was no taking it back. When seen, it can never be unseen. Once posted to the internet, it can never be permanently removed.
"Come on, I'll escort you to the kids and, once I've spoken to Markos, we'll handle this." Nick murmured, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "We'll deal with this together."
Betsy rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Together."
A/N: My #WattpadBlockParty post is now up. I've put the link in the comments - please feel free to check it out!