A CONTRACT ENGAGEMENT

Apparently, he didn’t do such a good job of keeping his feelings in check because Abby found out about it, and he had to make her promise not to tell. Leaving for college had helped and when Nina and her family moved to another state, everyone had just…. moved on.

Julian glared at his sister. “That crush was many years ago… People move on from stuff like that,” he said. “But you know what? I honestly think it would be nice to see her again… It’s been so long. Do you think she has changed a lot?”

Abby grinned at him. “And just what exactly do you mean when you say ‘a lot?”

———————–Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Nina Taylor breathed deeply as she knocked on Abby’s door. Her fingers tightened on her bag, not because she was scared, but because she was nervous as hell. She still wasn’t sure if she had made the right decision by coming to New York.

It hadn’t been an easy decision to make. And it was even harder because her father was against it. But she knew that had to leave. She was tired of having everything planned out for her. She hated it actually. She wanted something different. She wanted adventure and she wanted something to happen in her life that didn’t involve her father at all. So when she had told him that she had gotten a job in New York and quit her job at his company, he had been furious.

Wendy didn’t want to hurt her dad in any way, but this was something she had to do. And her father might be angry now, but she hoped he would get over it… eventually. He definitely wasn’t going to stay angry forever.

She smiled when Deborah opened the door and pulled her into her arms.

“Oh my God, Nina,” Abby said, still hugging her. “I can’t believe that you’re really here”

“I know. I can’t believe I’m here too” Nina replied as Abby finally released her.

“I really appreciate you letting me stay with you” Nina said as they both walked inside. “And I know it was kinda out of the blue so I’m very sorry. I was surprised too… honestly I didn’t think I was going to get this job and when I did, I just knew that I had to go for it…. I really didn’t know where else to go and when I was so relieved when you said that I could stay,”

“Oh it’s fine really” Abby replied, placing one hand on Nina’s shoulder. “You are welcome here and you can stay as long as you want. Trust me, I could really use the company. I hate living alone, it gets really boring and I’m really in need of someone to talk to…especially after work.” She led Nina to the living room where a young man sat. “I’m sure you remember my brother, Julian.”

Nina’s eyes fell on the man sitting on the couch and for a second, she almost didn’t recognize him. Julian Martin looked so different.. Good different… Not that he wasn’t good looking before, she had always thought he was cute, but this… This was on another level. Or maybe it was just because she hadn’t seen him in years.

“Of course I remember your brother” she said to Abby, then she turned to Julian. “Hi Julian, it’s really nice to see you again”

“Hello, Nina,” Julian replied as he stood and extended his hand to her. “It’s good to see you again”

Nina swallowed. Fractions of a second felt like an eternity as an excitement she didn’t quite understand oozed over her like lava. She could no more have kept her gaze from straying to his eyes than she could have stopped breathing. He towered over her by a good eight inches, making him approximately six feet six.

The glow of the light in the room touched his hair. With the beautiful eyes, the sharp slant of cheekbones, the arrogant nose, the wide, sensual, almost cruel curve of his mouth and the rock-hard jut of his jaw, he reminded her of a long-ago king from a mysterious country, standing on a wall, an unseen wind teasing his long black hair as he surveyed the land he ruled. Hard, shrewd, somehow removed from the masses.