Nathan squeezed Catherine’s hand and leaned down to whisper in her ear. She shook her head to let him know she didn’t hear him and leaned closer.
“Is this okay?” A shiver raced down her back as Nathan’s words came to her on a hot breath in her ear. She smiled and nodded, letting him lead the way to a small group at the end of the bar. The music stopped as they approached and Nathan made hasty introductions. She vaguely nodded at each, suddenly uncomfortable when she realized she was the only date present.
“Has Alec been here?” Nathan asked one of them.
“Yeah. He’s back in the courtyard.”
Nathan nodded then leaned over to Catherine. “I’ll be right back. I have some business to take care of with him.”
She watched him walk away, suppressing the urge to beg him not to leave her alone. The urge grew when she turned around and noticed five pairs of eyes glued to her. Their scrutiny was oppressive, and Catherine wondered why the band had chosen now of all times to take a break. One of the men suddenly stood and motioned to his vacant stool.
“Here, you sit now.” The deep voice was so thick with a Slavic accent that Catherine almost didn’t understand him.
“Um…” Her voice refused to work so she hesitantly took the offered stool, conscious of the way her hemline drifted up as she sat. She pulled at the material, trying to cover more of her leg, and noticed several of the players watching her. She folded her hands in her lap and offered them a weak smile.
The scrutiny lasted for several more seconds, then quickly disappeared as the players circled around her, eager to make conversation, all talking at once. She looked from face to face, only catching a word here or there, not knowing what to make of it. Suddenly it was too much for her and she laughed, a clear, infectious laugh that surprised her.
“I think she finds us amusing.”
“Not us, Ian. You. I told you women found you funny.”
Catherine covered her mouth with her hand then turned and saw Nathan standing a few feet from her, a bright smile on his face as he watched her. Catherine’s laughter caught in her throat when she saw the naked desire burning in Nathan’s eyes.
The music started again, drowning out everyone around her as Nathan closed the distance between them. He reached out and curled his hand around hers, then gently pulled her from the stool, holding her closer than necessary.
“Let’s dance.” His voice was deep and husky, echoing the sultry notes of the song that vibrated around them. Catherine nodded as he led the way to the dance floor, where she stepped into his arms with no hesitation.
They stood outside her front door, the night-light casting a soft glow around them. Nathan shifted his weight, suddenly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, about to speak when Catherine took the opportunity away from him.
“I had fun tonight.” The words came out in a soft whisper, hesitant, as if the admission startled her.
“Me, too.” He stepped closer. “I guess I’d better let you get inside before you freeze. It’s gotten a little cold out.”
“Yeah, it has.”
Nathan noticed the way she ducked her head and the soft blush that blossomed across her cheeks. He reached out and clasped her chin with one hand, tilted her head up and leaned closer until his lips lightly brushed across hers. Heat instantly rushed through him, urging him to deepen the kiss, to give in to the desire that tore through him like a ragged wound. He groaned and pulled away, afraid of losing control.
Catherine pulled at her lower lip with her teeth before offering him a small smile. He knew the safest thing he could do right now was leave, just mutter “good night” and walk away. He opened his mouth to utter the words but couldn’t force them past his lips. Instead, they just stood there, watching each other.
“I didn’t think this would be so awkward,” Catherine said with a small laugh, finally breaking the ice.
“I feel like a sixteen-year-old on his first date,” Nathan admitted. He sighed and stepped back. “I should leave now.”
“Um…would you like to come inside? For coffee, I mean?”
The invitation, whispered with so much hesitation, struck a nerve inside Nathan and unleashed ideas he didn’t want to admit having. Watching Catherine standing there, so uncertain, so vulnerable, made him want to do nothing more than wrap his arms around her and protect her, keep her safe. The thought was like a punch in the gut, robbing him of breath and reason so that the only thing he could do was nod in response. A part of him wondered why he was agreeing. It was a dangerous move.
He followed her into the house, blinking against the sudden brightness as she turned on the hall light. She offered him another small smile before leading the way into the living room.
“Um, you can just make yourself comfortable. If you want.” She indicated a large sofa covered in a maroon-and-white country check. “I’ll go put on some coffee.”
Nathan watched her leave, again noticing how uncomfortable, how uncertain she seemed. He sat down on the sofa, leaning forward with his elbows braced on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him as he looked around the living room.
It was vastly different from his own place, which was decorated in a combination of modern abandonment, a term he used to describe the major lack of decoration in the condo. This place, or what he could see of it, was carefully decorated with warm woods and cheery colors, a combination of country accents meant to welcome. He noticed the odd spacing between some of the furniture and realized that while the house was decorated to welcome, it was also designed for a young boy in a wheelchair.
Instead of worrying him or scaring him, the thought unleashed another urge to protect. They had been through so much, Catherine and Matty, that they deserved to be taken care of, to have somebody else to lean on.
Nathan swallowed against the sudden anxiety balled in his gut and wondered if any part of his mind possessed the ability to reason. He decided it didn’t because he was still sitting there when Catherine came back in.
She had removed her shoes and was walking barefoot, now wearing only nylons. No, Nathan corrected, she was wearing stockings. Which were a lot different than nylons. He remembered the feel of soft flesh against his hand and shifted on the sofa, clenching his fists more tightly. If he had any sense at all he would get up and leave while he could, before it was too late.
“The coffee should be ready soon.” Catherine stood a few feet away, her hands clasped in front of her. She forced a small smile then started walking by him to the matching love seat.
“Oh, hell,” Nathan muttered, knowing it was too late, that he had long ago lost all sense. He grabbed her hand as she sidled by him and stood up; her body stopped against his, all soft curves and sweet flesh. Catherine’s breath left her on a surprised whisper as she looked up at him, her dark eyes wide as they searched his face. He saw the apprehension in them, and below that, a reflection of his own desire. His breath quickened as they stood there, their bodies touching.
“I —”
Nathan placed a finger against her lips, cutting off whatever she had been about to say. He lowered his finger to her jaw, caressed the delicate planes of her face before running his hand behind her head and pulling her even closer. Nathan’s body tightened in response and still he made no move to kiss her, afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop once he started. Afraid of how much control he lost around this one woman.
Catherine seemed to sense his hesitation and looked baffled by it. The air around them thickened with desire as they watched each other. And still Nathan was afraid to do anything, afraid to break the spell, afraid of losing all control.
In the end it was Catherine who made the first move. She placed the flat of one palm against his chest and leaned up, briefly meeting his lips with a soft touch before pulling away. The quick contact shattered Nathan’s hesitation. He pulled her tighter against him, lowered his head and claimed her mouth with a searing possession that left no doubt about how he felt.
A groan rumbled in t
he back of his throat as Catherine’s arms slipped inside his jacket and wrapped around him. Her lips molded under his, her mouth opening under his gentle insistence. His tongue darted in, swept the heat of her mouth, then joined with hers in a wild frenzy. He dug one hand into her hair, gently tugging until it fell free from its knot and cascaded over his arm in a tumble of waves. His other hand dipped lower, feeling each curve of her body until coming to rest on the swell of her bottom. She sighed into his mouth as he pulled her even closer, tilting her hips into his until he was sure she knew the extent of his desire.
Nathan broke the kiss, felt a rush of hunger sear his veins at Catherine’s groan when he dragged his lips along her jaw to her ear, then down her neck. He paused, waiting for some sign from Catherine. Things were going too fast but he was helpless to slow them down. The breath tore from him in a ragged rush when she pulled her trembling hands from his jacket and rested them on his shoulders, her fingers curling in his hair.
The soft touch of her fingers against his skin caused his control to waver then disappear, and he lowered his head, used his mouth and tongue to tease the soft flesh that peeked from the low neckline of her dress. Her body went limp under his touch and he braced her against his arm and turned, dropping onto the sofa so she was sprawled across his lap.
He lifted his head at the soft sound of surprise that escaped her, met her eyes and felt a hitch in his own breathing at the glazed passion in their dark depths. Time slowed, nearly stopped, as they stared at each other. Nathan lowered his head and again claimed her lips with his own, softer this time, slower, enjoying the way she molded herself against him. With his free hand he removed his jacket and tossed it to the floor.
He bit back a groan when Catherine pulled away and stared up at him, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen from his touch. She watched him with those deep eyes, stripping away his outside layers until all that was left was a vulnerable core. Nathan tried not to squirm under her gaze and felt his heart slam into his chest when she offered him a shy smile and whispered two words that destroyed all control and hesitation.
“Not here.”
Chapter Nine
Not here.
Catherine heard the words leave her mouth in a husky whisper but couldn’t believe she actually said them. Never before had she said or done anything so forward, so blatant. Nathan’s heart leaped under her palm. He lowered his mouth to hers in a hungry kiss that stole her breath as heat rushed through her body at his touch, spreading to dormant nerves.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, letting him know she didn’t want him to stop. The breath left her again when she realized she was being lifted, that Nathan now stood with his arms wrapped securely around her. She pulled her mouth from his and felt a strange tingling in the pit of her stomach at the heated look he gave her. Knowing what he wanted, knowing she was about to cross her own self-imposed boundary, she motioned to the open doors along the hallway.
A blush heated her face when Nathan’s gaze remained intent on hers, mesmerizing. She would have looked away, even tried to, but was stopped by the shake of his head and his whispered, “No.” So she continued to stare into his eyes, felt the play of hard muscles and heated flesh against her body as he carried her down the hall and into her room.
There was very little light, just the reflection from the living room lamp coming down the hallway, but Nathan had no problem finding the bed, seemed to find it instinctively as he carried her to the middle of the room. Catherine waited for him to lower her to the bed, wondered briefly what would happen next and felt the first twinge of uneasiness. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips as she pulled her gaze away, unable to read the emotions in his amber eyes.
“Catherine, look at me.”
She was helpless to ignore his whisper, touched by the thick huskiness of his voice, and slowly she looked up at him, felt herself drawn into his stare.
“Do you know how much I want you?” Nathan uttered the words against her lips on a warm breath that mingled with hers. Catherine’s eyes widened, surprised at the intensity in his voice, at the heat in his eyes. And something else, something she was sure she wasn’t meant to see. Vulnerability. Her breath caught in her throat as the last of her hesitation melted away and she reached up, suddenly hungry for more of Nathan’s touch.
Catherine stilled, feeling the heat of Nathan’s arms still wrapped around her. The air around them sizzled, giving her courage. She tugged his shirt free from the waistband of his trousers then reached up, gently undid the first button of Nathan’s shirt, then the second and third until all the buttons were free. Biting her lower lip, she peered up at him, suddenly shy. The naked desire in his eyes urged her on and she gently, slowly, pushed the shirt from his shoulders and slid it down his arms, where it stopped at his wrists.
Her breath caught at the sight of his bare chest, muscular and toned with a sprinkling of hair across the center. She lowered her head and placed a gentle kiss over his heart, felt power surge through her veins at his swift intake of breath and the quivering of his muscles under her touch. Her hands roamed across his chest, around to his back, caressing, hungry for the feel of rigid muscles and hot flesh beneath her touch. Greed took over, forcing an urgency to her touch as her right hand drifted over his stomach, skimming lower until her fingers tugged on the waistband of his trousers, shyly ventured inside before darting back out.
“Oh.” The word were a harsh rasp against her skin, muttered a second before Nathan pulled her tight against him and crushed his mouth against hers, demanding that she open for him, giving and taking with the same intensity. Cool air drifted across her back, followed by the burning touch of his hands as he released the zipper of her dress. She pulled her arms from the sleeves as he pushed the material down, shivered when the dress pooled around her hips.
There was a second of embarrassment as Nathan pulled away and looked at her, a second when she wanted to hide herself from his gaze. The embarrassment disappeared, replaced by a fluid warmth that radiated outward, the heat intensified under his stare. He leaned forward, dragged his lips from the corner of her mouth to her ear and down, bringing to life sensitive nerves, touching them, teasing them with his mouth and tongue. Catherine’s eyes drifted shut as her head fell back, offering more of herself, an offer Nathan eagerly accepted.
Her body came more alive with each touch, each kiss and caress that he lavished on her. Her senses swayed and tottered under his onslaught, her breathing hitched as he released the clasp on the lacy bra she wore. A cry escaped her when his mouth closed over one hard nipple and she reached out, tightened her hold on his arms to keep from collapsing when he suckled first one breast then the other.
The sensation came over her all at once, the certainty that she was no longer in control, and she ruthlessly pushed the feeling away. She didn’t want control, not when Nathan touched her like that. There was only greed and hunger, a need to feel all of him, a need to give herself up to his physical onslaught.
Catherine pulled back, felt his hot breath against her moist skin as he moaned in frustration and looked up at her. She licked her lips, briefly wondered what would happen later and decided she didn’t care as she brought her mouth to his and inched forward, pressing closer until her body was crushed against his, bare skin to bare skin. A ribbon of sensation whipped through her and she leaned back, pulling Nathan with her as she toppled to the soft mattress.
A groan of desire floated to her ears but she wasn’t sure if it came from her or from Nathan. He broke the kiss and pulled back only an inch, balancing himself across her as he tried to free his wrists from the shirt.
“Damn,” Nathan muttered between clenched teeth and Catherine’s mouth curled into a small smile at his frustration. She reached over, intending to unbutton the cuffs for him, then pulled back when he pushed himself to a kneeling position. “Oh, screw it.”
There were two small popping noises, followed by a soft ping as the buttons flew from the cuffs and la
nded on the floor, quickly followed by the shirt. Catherine fought back the nervous giggle trying to break free. Nathan looked at her, one eyebrow raised as she pointed to the white fluff on the floor.
“Your shirt…”
“Oh, Catherine.” He lowered himself beside her, propped his weight on one elbow as he watched her. “I don’t care about the damn shirt.”
The nervous giggle that threatened earlier disappeared under his heated gaze, replaced by hot awareness as he leaned over her and claimed her lips. Catherine melted under his touch, reached out to pull him closer and swallowed her frustration when he resisted then pulled away. The frustration disappeared as he ran his hand along her body and wrapped his fingers around the elastic of the lacy thong she had dared to wear. He shifted to his knees and pulled, dragging both the thong and her dress down past her ankles. He carelessly tossed them so they joined his shirt on the floor, then settled himself more comfortably at her feet, watching her with those intense eyes, making no move to hide his desire from her.
Catherine swallowed, waiting, then tried to sit up and remove the stockings. Two large hands clasped around hers, rough with calluses but gentle in their touch.
“Don’t.”
She blinked against the raw need she heard in his voice, looked up and felt something inside her tilt dangerously as their eyes locked. Catherine swallowed again and rose to her knees even as Nathan refused to free her hands. She leaned closer and pulled them from his grasp, lifted her mouth to his as her hands slid down his front and undid his belt. A murmur passed from his mouth to hers and she pressed herself closer, willing her hands to stop their trembling as she fumbled with the button and zipper of his trousers. Nathan broke their kiss and once again his hands closed over hers, stopping them but not pulling them away.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
Catherine met his steady gaze and took comfort in the vulnerability she saw in his eyes, knowing it mirrored her own. She took a deep breath and nodded, not sure of the consequences that would come tomorrow, only knowing that she wanted this, wanted all he offered her at this moment, wanted it now.
Finding Dr. Right (Contemporary Medical Romance) Page 11
