by R. Linda
A song I really enjoyed came on, and once again I began tapping my highlighter on my book while simultaneously kicking my feet and nodding to the beat. Multitasking at its finest.
Something brushed against my ankle and jerked my foot. Must have been a blanket or something. Then it happened again, only it wasn’t brushing. It was grabbing. Wrapping its warm fingers around my leg. I froze. Someone was in my room and touching me.
Heart pounding in my chest, and my breaths coming hard and fast, I yanked the earphones out of my ears and twisted to look.
Nate.
I breathed out a sigh and slumped back onto the mattress.
“Sorry.” He shifted my feet and sat on the edge of my bed. “I knocked, but you didn’t hear.”
“Music.” I held up my headphones in response.
His warm hands lifted my legs and placed them in his lap. He didn’t bat an eye at the fact I was only wearing a tank top and underwear.
“What are you doing here?” I asked after a while of silence. He looked broken. His normally styled hair was a mess. His eyes had lost their sparkle. They were red and puffy and had bigger black bags beneath them than I had in my closet.
His fingers began kneading the muscles in my calves, starting just above my Achilles and inching slowly up my leg. I bit my lip to stop from moaning. I’d never had a leg massage before, and it was amazing.
“I could do with a friend.”
“And everyone else is busy?” I couldn’t stop the bitterness in my voice even though his hands on my skin were making me feel everything but bitter.
“No. I don’t know. I didn’t try them. I wanted to see you.”
“Why?”
He didn’t answer. He concentrated on the movements of his hands, the pressure he applied.
“I haven’t slept,” he murmured.
“Since when?”
“The fire.”
“Nate…”
“I know. I just can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I’m back there.”
I pushed myself to a sitting position and picked up all my books, papers, pens, and highlighters and dumped them on the floor.
“You can’t go on not sleeping. Come here.” I grabbed his hands and pulled him toward me.
He let me, climbing onto the bed beside me. “I shouldn’t stay long, you know…” he said as he settled his head into my pillow.
All resentment I’d been feeling for the past week gone. It didn’t matter that he made me share my darkest secret. It didn’t matter that he told me we were only friends. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t bothered to visit or talk to me, his friend, for the last week. All that mattered was that he was here, and he needed me. He wanted to see me.
“You should…stay. Just to sleep.”
“I can’t sleep. I don’t want to.”
“With me. I’ll be right here. You’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t get some rest soon.”
“Harper.”
“I’m not taking no for answer.” I sat up and crawled to the end of the bed to remove his shoes. Pointing my finger toward the roof I said, “Up.”
Nate sat, so I removed his shirt and threw it on the chair in the corner of my room. Then I thought better of it and grabbed it for myself instead.
Nate groaned.
“What?” I turned to face him after I’d pulled his shirt on and removed my tank from underneath.
“You in my shirt.” He flopped back onto the pillow and covered his face with his hands.
“You don’t want me to wear it?” I looked down and fiddled with the hem.
“No. I mean…” He dragged his hands over his face and lifted them behind his head before nailing me with a gaze that made my knees tremble. “I just like you in it too much.”
“Well, that’s perfect,” I said, moving to lie beside him.
“Why?”
“Because I like wearing them.” I lifted my head when he shifted his arm to wrap it around me and rested it on his chest. Friends didn’t lie together like this. “And I like you better out of them.” I placed my hand on his chest and tapped my fingers in time with his heartbeat.
He cursed. “You can’t say that sort of thing, friend.”
We weren’t friends. When was he going to give up the charade? We couldn’t stay away from each other. We’d proven that time and time again. A three-month-long secret affair followed by a three-month-long break from spending time together in any way. And it all came undone when Indie returned, forcing us back together. The pull was so much stronger this time. It was undeniable. Tangible. Strong. There was no fighting it.
His lips pressed against the top of my head, and his fingers found their way under his shirt to trace small circles on my hip bone, searing my skin with his touch. Friends definitely didn’t lie together like this.
I fell asleep with my hand on his heart and his lips in my hair. But that wasn’t the best part. The best part was he fell asleep too.
Sometime through the night he became restless, tossed and turned. Shook his head and muttered incoherently while still asleep. The moonlight cast shadows on his face, outlining the pained expression, and I knew he was having a bad dream. Not wanting to wake him because he was finally sleeping, and he needed it more than anything else, I whispered, “It’s okay. It’s just a dream,” over and over while gently smoothing the creases on his forehead. He calmed down after a while, and I was able to drift back to sleep.
I woke in the morning to find myself completely tangled with Nate. Our bare legs were woven together, and I was practically lying on top of him. My arms were wrapped around his waist, my chest pressed to his, and his hands…
His hands.
I felt them everywhere.
My skin tingled from his touch. One hand twisted firmly into my hair, cradling the back of my head and holding me against him while the other dragged leisurely circles under my shirt…his shirt. Up and down my back, over my hips, down my thighs, up my inner thighs, dangerously close to the territory friends did not enter, across my stomach, and around my ribs.
He was awake.
I twisted my neck to look at him and was met by his dark blue eyes shining back at me. The bags under his eyes had faded, the redness almost gone.
“Good morning.” I bit my lip to hide my smile. His hair was a mess, worse than it was last night, but he had some colour back in his cheeks and didn’t appear as drained.
“Hi, friend.” He gave me a lazy half smile.
“Still going with that name, are you?”
“Of course. We’re friends.” He wiggled beneath me and closed his eyes. Getting comfortable again, he adjusted his hold on me so both hands were clasped behind my back.
“Friends don’t get this close.”
“Friends who snuggle do. We’re friends who snuggle.” His voice was tired and thick with sleep, so I didn’t say anything else. He needed to rest.
We didn’t snuggle. It was so much more than snuggling.
As much as I didn’t want to move, I had a lot of studying to do. So, once Nate had fallen asleep again, I reluctantly unwrapped my body from his and moved to the floor. I immediately missed the warmth of his skin against mine. Sticking the tip of my pen in my mouth, I chewed on it as I contemplated getting back in bed and “snuggling,” as Nate put it.
Common sense prevailed, and I turned away from the bed and attempted to concentrate on what I was reading. But it was useless. I couldn’t stop myself from sneaking glances at Nate every few seconds. He was beautiful when he slept. So peaceful. Innocent. Not a worry in the world. It was when he woke up fully that I feared. I just hoped the night’s sleep he had was enough to get him back to normal.
My bedroom door opened, and I whipped my head around to see who it was. Uncle Johnny and Aunt Julie always knocked, so I knew it wouldn’t be them.
“Hey,” Kenzie greeted when she stepped into the room before stopping short, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide.
“It’s not what it looks like.�
� I raised my hands in defence.
“It looks like Nate is sleeping half naked in your bed.” She crept over to the bed and tilted her head as she inspected him.
“Okay. It is what it looks like. Sort of. He’s sleeping. Nothing else. That’s all that happened.” I didn’t know why I was explaining myself to her. Maybe because she’d likely ask a trillion questions later. But I knew why I lied.
I couldn’t tell her that sometime through the night, I woke up to find Nate’s hand under my shirt, cupping my breast. And I couldn’t tell her that his hand drifted south. Just like I couldn’t tell her that he removed my underwear and his boxer shorts. I also couldn’t tell her that he set every nerve ending in my body alight with only a few touches, a few kisses, and a few strokes of his…
“How could you let nothing happen? Have you had a look at this man?” She waved her hands over his body and interrupted my memories of the night before.
Nate groaned and rolled onto his back.
“For the love of…look at that,” she huffed and pointed to his…hips? Abs? Crotch? I wasn’t sure. “How could you pass up an opportunity to lick that body?”
“Will you keep your voice down?” I tried to shush her and purposely ignored her previous question. Because I didn’t pass up any opportunity to lick that body. My lips were rather well acquainted with the fine specimen that was Nate. “He’s sleeping.”
“I can see that.” She stretched out her fingers and lowered them toward Nate.
“What are you doing? Stop.” I grabbed her hand and pulled it back before she could touch him.
“I just want to feel. See if it’s as hard as it looks.” She winked and yanked her hand out of mine, slowly lowering it until she hovered just over his shorts.
“You are not going to feel him up.”
“Oh, come on! Get your mind out of the gutter, Harper. I just want to see if…” She moved her hand again and touched his…hair? “If his hair is set rock hard like it always looks, or if he uses a soft product. I need something soft to tame all my curls.”
I hadn’t realised I’d been clenching my jaw until that moment when I suddenly relaxed because I knew Kenzie wasn’t going to touch Nate inappropriately. I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and dragged her from the room.
“What are you doing here, Kenz?”
“The question is, why is Nate asleep in your bed if nothing is going on?” I followed her downstairs to grab some food.
“He’s just…he was tired. He’s been having trouble sleeping since the fire, and he came in here last night. You should have seen him. He looked dead on his feet. I made him lie down and go to sleep, and he hasn’t moved since last night.”
“Yeah, I heard. Brody told me.”
“Oh, you are Brody are such good friends now, huh?”
“Uh-huh. And you’re wearing Nate’s shirt because…?”
“Because I like it,” I said, and Kenzie nodded.
“Because you like him,” she said.
I nodded once then realised what I was doing. “What? No.” I shook my head furiously to get my point across. “I like him as a friend. That’s it. We’re just friends.”
If that wasn’t the biggest lie I’d ever told, I didn’t know what was.
“I don’t believe you, but I’m going to let it slide because I have news. Sort of.”
We sat at the counter with our food. It was well past lunchtime now.
“What?”
“Brody’s friend dug up some stuff on Chace, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Like what?”
“Like pretty bad stuff. Like assault. Attempted sexual assault. It was only stopped because Ryder beat him within an inch of his life,” she said before taking a huge bite of her burger.
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope.”
“Who did he assault? It wasn’t Bailey, was it?”
Kenzie’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Ryder would have told me if it was. Brody’s friend didn’t give too much information, just enough to make me wary. So now, do I mention it to Chace so he knows I know what an asshole he is? Or do I take it to the lawyers and fight for custody of Cole?”
I wasn’t entirely convinced Ryder would tell her if it was Bailey. He didn’t tell her he was arrested for assaulting Chace, and he didn’t tell her Johnny bailed him out
“Both. I think it’ll be the only way stop him from harassing you any further.”
“Maybe. It’s all so messed up. Why can’t things ever be simple?”
“Life isn’t simple.”
Chapter Thirteen
Nate
It was boys’ night, apparently, or so Jack insisted when he got to town that morning. But I had no desire to go out or be social. My much-needed sleep had been short-lived. I’d not slept again for the last two nights, and I blamed therapy.
I swore my therapist was a masochist. She seemed to enjoy making me suffer, making me relive the incident over and over again. Like it was going to make it any better. Surely, moving on and trying not to think about it would be better than going through and analysing every last detail and thought or emotion that occurred as a result of the fire. But no, she liked to get me worked up and frustrated, only to tell me our time was up for the day.
I stormed out of the therapist’s office and got in my car, in desperate need of a drink. Maybe a boys’ night wouldn’t be so bad. We were meeting at the one place I failed to avoid no matter how much I tried. The roadhouse. Jack wanted to try the best burgers in the state, so I raced home to have a shower and get changed. Our options for a night out were pretty limited in a town this small. There was only one bar, and it was a dive. But it had cold beer and a pool table, so that was where we were headed after dinner.
I walked into the diner at the roadhouse an hour later and waved at Julie. The guys were in the booth already. It seemed as if that one particular booth was reserved for us, even though I’d never seen anyone else in the diner.
“Nate,” Jack said and held out his hand for a fist bump when I sat down.
“Hey. Good to see you, man.”
“Wish I could say the same.” Jack frowned and pinched my cheeks. He tilted my head back then pulled it down before turning it from side to side. What was he doing? This guy had no boundaries and no clue about personal space. I slapped his hands away, and he simply laughed. “You know, bloodshot eyes and pasty skin aren’t a good look on you.”
“Whatever.” I knew I looked like shit. I wasn’t sleeping, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Sleeping tablets weren’t even working. Nothing worked, except for those few peaceful hours in Harper’s bed. I just figured I’d crash eventually.
My thoughts drifted back to Harper. We gave in again. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t mean to fall asleep in her bed. I didn’t mean to lose myself in her. But I did, and I wanted to again, even though we swore no more. It couldn’t happen again. Brody was my cousin, and it would kill him to find out.
“So, this is Blackhill.” Jack looked around the diner as though Blackhill was only the roadhouse, his nose screwed up in disgust. “Why does everyone like it so much?”
“It’s home,” Ryder said.
“It’s not so bad. The beach is pretty good,” Linc said.
“Oh, can we go surfing while I’m here?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You’re the most uncoordinated person I’ve ever seen. You want to surf, Ace can teach.”
“Ace.” Jack sniggered as though he knew the meaning behind the nickname.
“Shut up.” Linc balled up a napkin and threw it at him.
“Aww…I’ve missed you so much, Lincoln.”
Ryder laughed, and Linc sighed. “Why did we invite you, again?”
“Because I’m Jack.”
“Jack-ass.” Linc grinned, causing Ryder to cough on air.
“I resent that. It hurts, right here.” Jack beat his fist on his chest, his smile d
ropping from his face and his eyes glazing over. Hell. He looked like he was going to cry.
“It does not.” Ryder rolled his eyes.
“You’re right, but I totally had you there, didn’t I?” He tipped his head back and let out a laugh.
The kitchen doors swung open, and Harper walked out carrying a tray of burgers and fries. My jaw dropped. She looked hot. Hotter than normal. Something about her in biker boots and skin-tight black leather pants. They looked painted on, and I had the sudden urge to peel them from her long legs. Linc kicked me under the table and shook his head once. She approached the table and gave me a small smile before saying hi to everyone else. I snapped my jaw shut and sat a little straighter.
“Harper?” Jack’s eyes widened, and his lips pulled up into a smile. He shoved me sideways, forcing me out of the booth so he could greet Harper properly.
“Hi, Jack.” She pulled a face that was equal parts confused and amused when he wrapped her in his arms and spun her around.
“It’s so good to see you.”
“Ooh, you’re a friendly one, aren’t you?” She laughed when he kissed her cheek. My stomach churned, and my chest tightened. She never laughed like that when she was with me.
“Too friendly,” Linc seethed.
“Hey, I told you I missed Indie. And it’s not my fault she’s, like, the best kisser in the world,” he teased.
“What?” I gaped at him before flicking my gaze to Linc, whose jaw was set, his lips pressed in a firm line. “You kissed my sister?”
“Oh, wait.” Jack folded an arm across his chest and tapped his chin with the other hand while looking at the ceiling in thought. “It’s totally my fault she’s a good kisser. Taught her everything I know,” he said with a squeal of delight that soon turned into fits of laughter.
Ryder banged his head against the table while Linc groaned and gripped a knife in his hand.
“And to answer your question, Nathaniel, yes, I totally kissed your sister. Multiple times. Remember? Fiji? The plan?” he asked.
How could I forget? He acted like a total dick, treated Indie like a piece of meat, kissed her every chance he got in the hopes Linc would finally man up and stake his claim…or whatever. It worked.
