The Boyfriend List

by Jeannie Moon

  “ ‘Our people’, Mom? Really?” Tina snapped, disgusted.

  “The last time your sister went for one of these hotshot business types she left her family for years and came home broken,” her mother responded sharply. “I’m just reminding her not to do anything stupid.”

  Well, now she knew how her mother felt. But the truth was, Mom had a point. Jenna was falling hard for Nate—even though it was a bad idea, even though she promised herself she wouldn’t.

  “He’s coming over later.” Jenna spoke quietly, hoping they might miss what she said.

  Tina jumped up and clapped. “Yay! A date! Are you going out? Or, uh, staying in?” She winked. Her sister the surgeon winked like a cheeseball. What was the world coming to?

  “I think Mom got your meaning, Tina. You can stop winking at me.”

  An uncomfortable chuckle from her mother let Jenna know her mother might not approve, but she wasn’t going to say anything else. Considering a year ago they were all still in the throes of mourning her brother, it was nice to know they could spend time together without Tom as the focus. Jenna didn’t love that she was the focus of all conversations, but at least her mother wasn’t dealing with the crushing grief that had consumed her since Tom’s death.

  But in spite of what Mom thought, maybe it was Jenna’s turn. Maybe she should take a chance and see where it went with Nate. It didn’t mean she had to marry the guy.

  But wasn’t that a lovely thought?

  ***

  The best part of summer was the longer days. It always made Nate feel like he could accomplish more. Now, walking down the path toward Jenna’s cottage, he stopped thinking about everything that could go wrong between them and started thinking about everything that could go right.

  If he played his cards right, Jenna could be the best thing that ever happened to him. He thought long and hard about what Harper said, and he decided against going to Piper’s wedding at all. It would be awkward, and, while he wished his ex well, he didn’t think she would really care if he was there or not. Bringing Jenna, however, would have stirred a pot that had no business being stirred.

  Now he had to focus on making Jenna part of his life. And while he knew she had reservations, Nate admitted it was a step for him, too. He’d never been serious about anyone, had never met a woman that took him out at the knees the way Jenna had. The question now was if he could convince her to make the leap with him.

  If he could convince her, and that was the operative word . . . If.

  As he approached the cottage, he heard something crash around the corner along with a few choice words from Jenna. He dropped his keys on a table and raced toward the sound. When he found her, he saw she was trying to untangle two big easels. “Damn, stupid things . . .”

  Nate took hold of the larger of the two easels and helped her separate them. “Thank you,” she said while brushing her hands together. The look of her was perfect. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, her hair was pulled up in a clip, and she wasn’t wearing a stitch of makeup. He’d never seen anyone more beautiful.

  “Do you need help with anything else?”

  “No that’s the last of it. It’s nice I have a place to keep my paints and equipment.”

  “Planning on painting?” He closed and latched the shed door for her.

  Jenna motioned to the wide expanse of yard that sat right off the patio. It was filled with flowers of every color. “Are you kidding? I feel like I’m in Monet’s garden. It would be a crime not to paint here.”

  Nate smiled and took her in as she pushed her hair back from her face. There was innocence there, but fire burned in her soul. He’d seen that over the course of the past year and when they were together at the wedding. This woman felt everything to her core. Every thrill, every defeat.

  Love with Jenna would be messy, exciting—life-changing.

  When she talked about art, her passion bubbled over. Her joy reached out and grabbed him, consumed him, and more than ever, Nate knew this was where he wanted to be, even if she was still uncertain. Closing the gap between them, he kissed her.

  “Ugh, stop. I’m all dirty and sweaty. By the way, are you early?”

  “No, I’m a little late.” His hands settled on her hips and he yanked her to him. “You look beautiful to me.”

  “You’re crazy. I’m a mess.”

  Taking advantage of her hair being pulled up, Nate didn’t back off and left a trail of kisses on her neck to just below her ear. She was sweaty and salty, and Jenna sighed. “Nope. Beautiful. Just like I said.”

  “I have to shower.” Her voice was breathy, distant.

  “I think I should join you. In case you need me to, you know, wash your back.”

  There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation. Jenna looked at him with those big brown eyes and led him into the house, taking the clip from her hair and letting it tumble in waves down her back. “So are you any good at this backwashing thing?”

  “I’ve never done it before,” he said when they crossed into the bedroom. “But I’m a quick learner.”

  Loosening his tie, then pulling it off, Jenna tossed it on the bed. “Maybe we’ll use that later.” Just hearing her soft, sexy words had him getting more and more worked up. Thinking about what they might do with that tie—there was a possibility Nate would be in a coma before the night was over.

  Her lips landing at the center of his chest brought him from the fantasy in his head to the one right in front of him. And she most definitely was his fantasy. Sexy, smart, bold—he didn’t know if he could keep her interest, but he was damn well going to try.

  Most of the buttons of his shirt were undone, his trousers were open, and he sucked in a breath when Jenna’s hands reached in and stroked him from base to tip. Holy fucking hell.

  Her hands moved around to his ass, and Jenna pushed down his pants and underwear, freeing him. He was so hard it hurt, and part of him wanted to throw her on the bed and do her until she screamed.

  Jenna rid herself of her top and shorts, which left her in a thong and bra, and her body glistened with a light sheen of sweat. The desire swamped both of them, words were gone, all that was left were her hands, her mouth, her body, pressing against him, tasting him and pushing his control to the edge.

  “I can’t keep my hands off you,” she whispered. “Whenever you’re close, I want to touch you.”

  “I know. I went crazy the past three weeks. All I could think about was being with you.”

  The hot, running water was starting to steam up the bathroom. The large marble shower stall was built with a bench on one side and beautiful lighting. The epitome of pure luxury. The rainforest shower head soaked Jenna’s hair and body the second she stepped in. Seeing her wet and dripping under the light was the best thing that had happened to him in a very long time.

  She ran her hands over her hair, over her face, and down her body. Nate’s heart was pounding and his ability to reason was dissolving with every pass of her hands over her olive skin. Once their eyes locked, she licked her lips and Nate thought for sure he might die.

  There was no time to think as she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him to the bench. When he sat, the cold marble was a stark contrast to the hot water, but nothing could have shocked him more than Jenna dropping to her knees.

  Holy shit.

  His brain cells were frying one at a time. He felt the blood pulsing through his body as she pushed his thighs apart, scooted closer, and then took him in her mouth. It was slow, torturous, as she took a little bit of him, releasing and then a little more. Watching her was almost as much of a turn-on as the feel of what she was doing. Finally, she took all of him and Nate couldn’t breathe. “Christ, Jenna. Baby . . .”

  His hand threaded through her wet hair, holding her, forcing himself to let her set the pace. It was so tempting to let her finish him off, but he wanted
them to come together. They had all night to play dirty games, but he wanted to know she was feeling the same pleasure he was, to know he gave it to her. His body was raging, wanting to let go, but he fought it. Then she dragged her teeth gently up his shaft, and he snapped.

  Grabbing her wrists and pulling her to her feet, Nate spun her around and pinned her hands to the wall. He entered her so quickly they both lost their breath. He had to steady himself so he didn’t come just from being inside her. Never in his life did he think she’d go down on him like that. It blew his damn mind, but now he could slow it down, take his time.

  But damn if she wasn’t as wet on the inside as she was on the outside.

  Then she ground her soft, round ass into his hips, allowing him to go deeper, and heat surged through him. He lost control, driving into her like a man possessed. Not caring about finesse or romance, Nate wanted release for both of them.

  Jenna was sighing with pleasure, moaning, pressing back against him so he could go deeper. Go harder.

  When Jenna cried out, he couldn’t tell if it was in pleasure or pain. It almost didn’t matter.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. So good, Nate. So good.”

  Still holding her wrists, he brought one of her arms down with his and wrapped it around her midsection, pulling her closer. They fit each other.

  Her back and shoulders tensed, her legs shook against his as the orgasm overtook her. Letting out a cry that bounced around the room, she shuddered and convulsed in his arms. Nate thrust hard one last time and found his own release, just as intense as hers.

  Jenna’s knees buckled and Nate steadied her before settling on the bench with her curled against him.

  “Oh, my God,” she whimpered. “That was amazing. Did you learn those moves in accounting school?”

  Holding her close, he reveled in the feel of her, warm, wet and naked in his arms. “Nah, I’m just a natural, I guess.”

  “That’s quite a gift you have there.”

  There was so much he wanted to say, but when she tilted her face toward his, the emotion stopped his heart in his chest. Smoothing the wet hair from her face, Nate dropped a kiss on her lips. “There’s something special between us, Jenna, and I’m not going to pretend it’s not there anymore. I want you, and I don’t just mean in bed.”

  “Oh, Nate . . .”

  “I know something has you spooked, but whatever happened or whoever did something to you, I’m not him. And I’m not giving up on us.”

  Even at her most vulnerable at the wedding three weeks ago, when she was thinking about her brother, Jenna didn’t cry. Now Nate’s insides clenched as he saw tears well up in her eyes. These were tears that came from pain, from desperation.

  Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight. “I want this to work between us, but I just don’t know—we’re so different. You’re the most wonderful man and I still can’t believe you want me.”

  “I do. And, yeah, we are different. That’s what makes it so special. You’re not getting rid of me, so get it out of your head.”

  She sniffled and wiped her eyes, while a tiny smile teased her mouth. “This is your last chance to get away from me. If you stick around after this warning, I can’t be held responsible.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I’m going to make a mess of everything. You don’t—” A kiss silenced her. For now.

  “You won’t. If we focus on each other, if we lock out the noise, we’ll be okay.”

  ***

  Jenna could get used to this. After making love again, this time in her bed, and falling asleep for an hour, Nate picked up food from a local Thai place. They ate dinner on the couch, snuggled next to each other, alternating between talking and watching a movie. It was the kind of night she loved. Quiet and easy.

  He had a gym bag in his car and changed into more comfortable clothes, and Jenna put on pajama pants and a T-shirt. It may have been late May, but the temperature dropped to an unseasonable low, and the soft throw from the back of the couch provided just enough warmth.

  She really loved spending time with him. He was so down-to-earth, a little stiff sometimes, but such a good man. She heard the rustling of cellophane and the snap of a fortune cookie. Jenna had learned a key bit of information about Nate—he loved fortune cookies.

  Right then he was crunching on the cookie, and was just so cute. So cute it was hard to believe the guy was worth billions. Wasn’t he supposed to be an arrogant asshole or something?

  “Okay.” He smiled. “Are you ready?”

  “Ready.” He’d been reading her the most horrible fortunes all night. She was convinced he bought a case of the cookies when he went to get dinner. “Keep your eye out for someone special.”

  “Aww,” she said.

  “In bed,” he added, going for the old joke.

  Jenna groaned. “You are twelve, aren’t you? You’re not going to get tired of that joke.”

  “Adding ‘in bed’ to the fortune? No! It’s classic.”

  “Classic. Right.”

  It was heaven when he pulled her closer and kissed the spot where her shoulder joined her neck. “Mmmm. You know the perfect spots.”

  “I have a question for you. Would you like to go to a polo match next weekend?”

  “A polo match?” What? That was just the kind of event that would trigger reminders of her old life. Her phony life.

  “Yeah, do you want to see me play? I’d love it if you’d be there. It’s a lot of fun and by then Owen and Kim will be back. You could drive with them.”

  “I don’t know. Do you think I’ll fit in? I haven’t ever been around the horsey set.” That was a lie—the first one she’d ever told him. While she hadn’t been around polo, a number of Royce’s clients, who were also her clients, owned racehorses.

  “The horsey set? Hmm. You fit in with me.” He kissed her again, so softly Jenna almost cried. “It’s not as pretentious as you’d think. Come on. Just be yourself. That’s all.”

  Be herself. Whatever that meant. Jenna could put on a show if she had to, but did she want to? It had taken two years to get her head back in the right place. It took making a decision to come back to her roots and abandon the studio and the work she loved so much to figure out what was important.

  However, she wanted to do it for Nate. If they were going to make a go of this, then she had no choice but to try to be part of his world. She hoped she could. The one thing she kept going back to was that Nate wasn’t her ex. He was a good man who cared about her. She’d seen it over and over again, and that was the tipping point.

  “What does one wear to a polo match?’

  He didn’t have to say anything. The sweet smile on his face told her he was happy. “You can wear anything you want.”

  “Oh, Lord.” She giggled. “You are such a guy. I cannot wear whatever I want. I have to dress appropriately for the event, which means I’m going to have to borrow clothes from someone. Probably Harper.”

  “I don’t care what you wear. Do whatever makes you comfortable.”

  Comfortable. She did not think a designer dress and shoes, along with the dreaded super-supportive-you-won’t-know-it’s-there foundation she’d have to squeeze herself into, would make her top ten things to climb into on a Sunday morning.

  “I really have no idea what to expect,” she said. “Is it a dangerous sport?”

  “It can be, I guess. I mean, a piece of my equipment weighs over a thousand pounds and has a brain.”

  “Oh. Okay. I’m going to be nervous for you, aren’t I?”

  In one quick move Nate turned her over, and pressed her deep into the couch. A quick kiss, followed by a deeper one. “Would you be worried about me?”

  “No, I mean . . . well . . . yes.” She brought her hands to both sides of his face and let herse
lf drown in the depths of his gold-green eyes. “I will be worried.”

  His kiss was like good wine, easing her into a warm, deep stupor. Everything was relaxed and slow. The way his hand slid under her shirt and caressed every curve, to the way his mouth teased hers, made Jenna feel like this was something that could last forever.

  “Let’s go to bed,” she whispered while nipping his ear.

  Nate smiled that panty-dropping smile of his, and Jenna felt completely swept away when he rose from where they were laying together and leaned in to scoop her up. Curled against him while he walked around the cottage, she reached out to flip off lights and lock the door.

  “You’re really okay with me staying? It’s your first night in your new place.”

  He was very intuitive for a man. When Jenna took the summer job with Harper, the big draw was living in the cottage. After being in San Francisco with Royce, then moving home, she was looking forward to living alone. Not that she and Nate were moving in together, but it was her first night in her new home, and she was with someone.

  Did she say yes? Or did she tell him to go?

  He laid her gently on the bed, then sat on the edge of the mattress. It was a full moon and light was flooding in through the large bedroom windows. “You’re not sure what to say, are you?”

  He wasn’t doing anything at that point except holding her hand, rubbing her knuckles with his finger and waiting.

  What was she going to say? Jenna had a plan. A well-thought-out plan. Was she going to chuck her life reboot to the breeze because of a man? Because of a kind, generous, handsome, sexy man?

  “Of course you can stay.”

  It appeared she was going to do exactly that.

  Chapter Seven

  He should be athletic.

  —#9, Jenna’s Boyfriend List

  Jenna swore she was suffering from some kind of wealth-related PTSD. Anytime she was around society, around people who never thought about money because they had so much of it, she was reminded of her seemingly perfect life in San Francisco.

  And the memories still cut deep because it wasn’t so perfect.