Time Out (Nashville Nights Next Generation -6)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Wonder how many other women you’ve made love to in this bed.” She squeezed her eyes shut when humiliation washed over her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so… mortified.

  He moved his face into the crook of her neck as he stroked her hair. “Baby, you have every right to feel that way. If the situation was reversed and we were makin’ love in your bed, the same thought would’ve crossed my mind.”

  She opened one eye. “Really?”

  He smiled before kissing her cheek. “Really.”

  “I’ve never… uh… felt that way before. Even with Brock, I never thought to ask him… you know…”

  His smile turned into one of those mega-watt grins that left her breathless. “I love that I’m the first then.”

  She rolled onto her side and faced him. “I don’t like the way I’m feeling, Nick.”

  “Tell me how you’re feelin’.” He glided his hand down her side to rest on her hip.

  “Jealous, possessive, terrified.”

  “I’m right there with you, baby.”

  “Really?”

  “Honey, the thought of you bein’ with another man like this tears me to shreds.”

  Megan reached out to pull him into her arms because she had no other way to express her gratitude. For the first time, she didn’t feel alone.

  Chapter Ten

  Nick watched Megan’s emotions play out on her gorgeous face, and he felt himself slip a little deeper in the quicksand. Instead of trying to claw his way out, he was content to just sink. Getting lost in her, in his feelings for her, suddenly seemed like the smartest risk he’d ever taken.

  Having her in his bed seemed like the most natural thing in the world. He wouldn’t lie to her by pretending she was the first woman he’d shared his bed with, but she was the first who looked as though she belonged there. He imagined waking up next to her, pulling her into his arms after they’d made love…

  “Now it’s your turn to tell me what you’re thinking,” Megan said, brushing her fingertip over his lower lip.

  “This feels right,” he said and pulled her closer. Even through his thin cotton T-shirt, he felt the heat radiating from her body. “Havin’ you here feels right, like this is where you belong.”

  She sighed as she burrowed deeper into his arms. “How’s a girl supposed to resist you when you say things like that?”

  “I’m hopin’ you’ll stop tryin’. We could be so good together, Meg. You just need to stop fightin’ it and let it happen.” He kissed her forehead.

  “I’ll only be here a little while longer.”

  “I’ll take what I can get.” Not fighting for what he wanted with everything he had went against his instincts, but if he pushed for too much, too soon, he risked losing her.

  “You deserve so much more than I can give you,” she said, tilting her head back to look at him. “There must be dozens, hell, maybe hundreds of women who would love to be in my position right now. Why me?”

  He couldn’t tell her his heart made the decision for him. That would only reveal the depth of his feelings, and she wasn’t ready to hear that. “Like I said before, havin’ you here feels good.”

  She teased him with a brief kiss before saying, “I can’t deny being here feels good.”

  “So stay.”

  “What would your parents say if they found out I spent the night with you?”

  He laughed. “Honey, my parents haven’t asked about my sex life since they were sure I had the common sense to use protection.”

  She slapped his chest. “That’s not what I mean. I’m staying with them. If I don’t come home, they’re going to wonder why. Like I said last night, I think it’s best if we keep this under wraps.”

  “I’m not interested in bein’ your mystery man, Meg. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

  The flash of fear in her eyes told him he’d stepped over the line, but he wouldn’t retreat. He would respect some boundaries, for now, but staking his claim on her was too important.

  Megan was a gorgeous, successful, talented woman who routinely rubbed elbows with the rich and famous. If she wasn’t clear about the fact she was taken, guys would think she was fair game. Nick didn’t care if he seemed like a Neanderthal. That was a small price to pay for the privilege of calling her his woman.

  She tried to pull out of his arms. “I don’t do well with committed relationships. I told you things didn’t work out with Brock because-”

  He kissed her hard and fast to silence her. “He wasn’t the right man for you. I am.”

  “You can’t possibly know that.”

  Deciding to force her to face facts, Nick grazed her shoulder with his lips. “Tell me what you’re feelin’ right now.” When she didn’t respond, he said, “Tell me how bein’ in my arms makes you feel, Meg.”

  “Safe.” She trembled when he flicked his tongue across the swell of her breast. “Protected.” Threading her hands through his hair, she exhaled in a whoosh. “Helpless.”

  He knew the latter would irritate her, but he was pleased he wasn’t the only one who felt defenseless against their powerful attraction. He traced his tongue just beneath the lace shielding her breasts. “You are safe with me. Always.”

  Nick felt shivers move through her body in waves, each more intense than the last as he tore away her silky thong and bared her sensitive flesh. He couldn’t get enough of her. She occupied his thoughts when he was supposed to be working, and now that she was finally sharing her body with him, he knew he would hunger for more until he could quench the urge again.

  She arched into his touch, silently begging for the satisfaction she craved. “Please…”

  He watched the look of rapture cross her face as he sought and found the vault hiding her deepest, darkest desires. Whether she realized it or not, with every little moan, sigh, and stroke, she was letting him in. He was getting to know her, what she needed from her man, and he gave it to her.

  “I love to watch you like this,” he whispered, licking and kissing her with the attention and reverence she deserved. “I love it when you give yourself to me… completely.”

  “Yes…” She fisted her hands in the duvet as she arched her back and pressed into his touch. She was shameless in her quest for satisfaction, and he loved that she felt safe enough to be so uninhibited.

  “I want you like this every night, Meg.” He teased her with his tongue. She would probably agree to almost anything as long as he promised he would never stop. “Tell me you want me too.”

  “Yes… I do…” She squeezed her eyes shut and tipped her head back. “Oh God, Nick… Yes…”

  He stroked her relentlessly as she scaled the peak and plunged off the summit into his arms. As her heartbeat returned to normal, he explored her mouth so thoroughly and got so aroused, he feared she could finish him off with the slightest touch.

  “Condoms,” she whispered, kissing his neck.

  “Yeah…” Nick knew he wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Protection hadn’t even entered his mind. He’d never had sex without protection, and he’d vowed he wouldn’t without benefit of marriage. “Jesus…”

  He was still trying to catch his breath when she rolled him onto his back and straddled him.

  “Why don’t you let me take care of this?” she said.

  Nick was almost afraid to let her touch him, but the sight of her, heavy lidded with lust, stripping and sheathing him left him speechless. As he watched her descend onto him, he knew he’d lost another little piece of his heart.

  “I love the way you feel,” she whispered, gliding her hands over his bare chest. “I love the way you make me feel.”

  In that moment, the rest of the world didn’t exist. Fears were relegated to a deep corner, apprehension gave way to satisfaction, and their bond grew almost too deep to be severed.

  He held her waist as he looked into her eyes. She was so intent on his satisfaction she couldn’t see in his eyes what she wasn’t ready to hear. He sank into a ch
asm where Megan, her touch, her body surrounding his, and the sweet words she whispered were the only things that existed.

  “Don’t ask me to let you go. I don’t think I can,” Nick said. He knew he couldn’t. Every battle he’d ever fought seemed insignificant compared to that one. The stakes had never been higher, and he’d never wanted anything or anyone more. “Just give us a chance… see where it leads.”

  She looked at him beneath the veil of her lashes as she surged and rolled her hips. Her hands were planted firmly on his chest, anchoring her, as she took and gave pleasure. She licked her lips. “I know where it’s gonna lead. All roads lead here, Nick. To your bed.”

  Sex was a start, but he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had all of her. “Let me make you feel this way every night, baby.” He seized her hips, coaxing her, hard and fast, toward another mind-blowing release. When he knew she was on the threshold, he stilled. “Say it. Tell me you want me as much as I want you.”

  “I do,” she whimpered, as though admitting the truth pained her. “You know I do.”

  Gliding his hands all over her body, he said, “Tell me this is mine. Tell me I’m the only man who has the right to touch you this way.” He wasn’t fighting fair, but she wasn’t playing by the rules either. He rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. “Tell me.”

  “I’m… yours.”

  He seized her hips when she moved against him. “Tell me again. Look me in the eye and tell me.”

  Her eyes held his for a highly charged moment before she finally whispered, “I’m yours.”

  He pulled her down into his arms, caressing her and whispering words of adoration as their bodies finally succumbed to the bliss of completion.

  ***

  Megan had barely had time to eat all day, and by seven o’clock, she was more than ready for a hot bath and a soft bed.

  “I thought I might find you here.”

  Megan looked up to see Shaw Carver leaning in her doorway. She smiled. “Hey, stranger. What brings you by?”

  “You haven’t been returnin’ my calls. I figured this was the only way I’d get to see you.”

  She hadn’t been avoiding him. She’d been so caught up in Nick for the past week, she’d barely had time to think about anyone or anything else. Every night, she ended up at his house, despite her vow that she would drive down the dirt road to his parents’ home. No matter how often she told herself being with him was a bad idea, a little voice in her head told her to steal moments of pleasure whenever she could. Once she left Nashville, the memories of their time together would have to last her a lifetime.

  She stood up and slipped into the high heels under her desk. “I’m sorry about that. I’ve just been so busy with work.”

  “How does a burger at Jimmy’s sound?”

  Since Nick had texted to tell her he couldn’t hook up with her until eleven, she knew she had time to spare. Her conscience told her she owed Shaw an explanation.

  “A burger sounds great. I’m famished.”

  They drove to Jimmy’s in Shaw’s truck while making easy small talk about her work and the upcoming Derby one of his horses was racing in.

  Once they arrived at Jimmy’s, Megan spotted J.T. behind the bar talking to one of his customers. J.T. lifted an eyebrow and frowned when he saw her with Shaw, but she just smiled and waved. She didn’t feel like taking on Nick’s family.

  Since it was Friday night, the bar was already crowded. The only remaining booth was near the door, but Megan and Shaw agreed they didn’t mind.

  Once they’d placed their order, Shaw reached across the table for her hand. “I’ve missed you. Where you been hidin’?”

  “I’ve been…”

  “What the hell is this?”

  Megan closed her eyes and sank deeper in her seat. Nick hadn’t said where he was going tonight, and she hadn’t thought to ask. Obviously, she should have.

  “Get the hell out of here, McCall,” Shaw said. “The lady and I are just catchin’ up.”

  “Is that right?”

  Megan felt the hostility emanating from Nick. As much as she would like to slink away, she knew that wasn’t an option, so she forced herself to face him. “Can we talk about this later?” She looked past him and saw a group of guys about Nick’s age crowding around the bar, watching their exchange with amused interest. “Your friends?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he said, leaning closer. “Now you wanna tell me what the hell you’re doin’ here with him?”

  “She doesn’t owe you an explanation, McCall.”

  The tension between the two men had always been palpable, but Megan felt it getting thicker with every passing second. If she didn’t do something fast, they’d be spilling blood all over J.T.’s floor. “Will you excuse us for just a minute, Shaw? I need to have a word with Nick in private.”

  “Don’t be afraid to put him in his place, sugar. I’ve been doin’ it all our lives,” Shaw said, grinning.

  When Nick attempted to get closer to Shaw, Megan seized Nick’s hand and led him away. Deciding the dance floor was as good a place to talk as any, she found a spot and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him into her arms when he seemed reluctant to close the gap between them.

  He was still scowling when his hands came around her waist, pulling her closer. “Start talkin’.”

  “Shaw stopped by my office and asked if I wanted to grab a burger with him. End of story.”

  “I thought I made myself clear.” His blue eyes glittered with fury, his jaw clenched tight, when he looked at her. “You’re with me, only me. That means you don’t go out for a goddamn burger with a guy you know I can’t stand, or any guy for that matter.”

  Megan took a deep breath and counted to ten, promising herself she wouldn’t make a scene. People had started to recognize her from her TV show, and the last thing she needed was bad press. “I don’t appreciate being told where I can go. You don’t own me.”

  He drew her in tight, whispering in her ear, “I owned you last night. When you were beggin’ me to make you come over and over again, I owned you.”

  She pushed against his chest, heeding the warning bells going off inside her head. “You bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?”

  His arms tightened around her waist like steel bands. “If you think I’m gonna let you go back to your date, you’re crazy.”

  “Take your hands off me!” She felt his heart pounding, and she knew they were both on the verge of snapping. She’d never had a man try to lay claim to her before, and she would be damned if she allowed Nick McCall to get away with thinking he had that right.

  “Tell me you drove here,” Nick said.

  “No. I came with Shaw.”

  “You’re leavin’ with me.”

  “No, I’m not,” Megan said.

  “Yes, you are.”

  She felt his arousal prodding her stomach, and she cursed her body for responding even though she was furious. “I’m going to stay here and have dinner with Shaw. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”

  Megan was almost afraid she’d pushed him too far when she saw the rage in his eyes. She knew his feud with Shaw had gone on for decades, and she didn’t want to be the match that lit his fuse.

  “If he lays one hand on you, he’s gonna be pickin’ his teeth up off the floor.”

  She had no doubt he meant it. She would be a fool to fan the inferno raging inside of him. “I came here with him because I wanted to tell him in person I couldn’t see him anymore. This isn’t a date.”

  He relaxed marginally. “Do you know what it did to me, walkin’ in here and seein’ you with him? His hands on you…” He swore softly. “He wants you, Meg, and it’s eatin’ me up inside.”

  Because she knew how difficult admitting that was, she drew his head down and whispered, “I thought I did a pretty a good job of convincing you you’re the only man I want right now.”

  His fingers dug into her waist. “Why the hell do you always do that? Why d
o you qualify it like you need to remind me I’m just a temporary fixture in your life? I’m not good enough for the long haul. I get that.”

  She was rocked by the hurt lurking beneath the anger. “Nick, I didn’t mean-”

  “I’m not some A-list actor or a goddamn rock star. I know that. You could have any man you want. Why the hell would you want some worthless cowboy, right?”

  “What are you talking about? I’m with you because I can’t stand not being with you.” She framed his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her. For the first time, she wanted him to see what their relationship was doing to her. “I think about you all the time. I count the hours until I can find some stupid reason to show up on your doorstep. I hold my breath waiting for you to answer the door, praying you haven’t changed your mind about me in the last twelve hours.” By the time she finished, she was shaking and breathless… and he stared at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

  He hugged her fiercely. “I’d give anything to make love to you right now. Not because I’m jealous that you’re here with Carver and I need to prove that you’re mine…” He kissed her tenderly, resting his forehead against hers. “I need to show you how I feel about you, Meg. There are no words to describe this crazy connection. Only when I’m inside of you do I feel like you really get how much you mean to me.”

  Megan knew exactly what he meant. During the daylight hours, she worked tirelessly to convince herself theirs was a meaningless, temporary affair, but as soon as they closed his bedroom door, the truth closed in.

  “Can you just give me some time with Shaw? Please. I need to explain.”

  He seemed to consider her request. “Fine, but you’re leavin’ with me. You’re goin’ home to make love to me.”

  His fierce possessiveness should have sent her running, but for someone who’d never felt wanted or loved, it was a welcome change. “It’s a deal.” She reached up to kiss him, curling her arm around his neck. “That was just to tide you over.”

  Nick held her hand when she stepped out of his arms. “Meg?”