by Coleen Kwan
Stop. What was she thinking? She couldn’t have a fling with Nate.
Could she?
So what if it was only temporary? She could handle that if she went in without delusions. She knew what Nate was—a footloose stud who’d never be domesticated—and as long as she remembered that she’d be okay, she wouldn’t expect anything more. Hell, she didn’t have a single expectation of Nate.
She circled the room one more time. It was too stuffy in here. She had to get out, get some fresh air. The keys were in her palm before she could think, and a second later she had slammed the door shut. She headed out of town, telling herself a long drive would clear her thoughts. But the rebellious part of her seemed to have taken control of her body, because after twenty minutes of circumnavigation, she found herself parked outside Nate’s house.
Oh, God. She was really going to do it. She was going to knock on his door and say…what? She had no idea. And why hadn’t she changed into something a bit more inviting than these raggedy old jeans and oversized T-shirt? A bit of lipstick and mascara would have helped, too. But then again, she didn’t want to look too obvious, did she?
Anxiously she finger-combed her hair and tied one corner of her T-shirt to make it fit better. That would have to do. Not giving herself time for second thoughts, she climbed out of her car, hurried up to the front porch, and knocked on the door. Light glowed from behind the drawn shutters at the windows, and she could hear an old Beatles song drifting out from somewhere. She held her breath as Nate opened the door.
“Hey.” The corners of his eyes crinkled up. Barefoot in jeans and a casual checked shirt, his ebony hair a little mussed, a pencil in one hand, he didn’t appear the least bit surprised to see her on his doorstep.
“Hey.” She tried to match his nonchalant grin, but it wasn’t easy when her body was twitching with nerves.
He opened the door wider. “Come on in.”
“I hope I’m not disturbing you.” The moment she said it, she wanted to thump her head. What an inane thing to say.
“Not at all. I was just doing some work.” He was all suave politeness.
She glanced around the living room they were standing in. She’d never been inside his house before. There were large abstract paintings, metal lamps, and a drafting table covered with papers. The furniture looked like it had been bought for a much bigger, more urban space, and here in this modest weatherboard cottage the slick pieces seemed out of place. She gestured toward the drafting table. “Landscaping work?”
“Yeah. I’ve just landed my first job. It’s not very big—just a couple of retaining walls and a new pergola—but it’s a start.”
“That’s great.”
“So you’re pleased for me?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. You blow hot and cold around me. Sometimes you seem real friendly, and then other times you freeze up for no apparent reason.”
She gulped, her throat dry and tight, and tried to flick her hair back casually. “I do have my reasons.”
“You like torturing me? You still hold a secret grudge against me? You like to lead me on just so you can slap me down?”
“No! You think I’m a tease?”
He folded his arms across his chest, the sleeves of his shirt drawing taut over his biceps. “So why are you here?”
His expression was cagey, and he looked impervious to her charms, such as they were. A cold spasm fluttered low in her belly. Shoot. Either she was going to scuttle out of here with her tail between her legs or she was going to take that risk she’d been telling herself to.
Angling her hip into what she hoped was an insouciant pose, she shrugged. “Can’t you guess? I’m here because, well, I enjoyed what we did this afternoon, and—and I’d like to take it further.” Damn, why did her voice have to wobble like that? And what should she do next? Lick her lips lasciviously? Bat her eyelashes at him? Her heart rattled as she took a couple of steps toward him. Nate’s focus on her intensified. He followed her approach like a lion sizing up a gazelle, his wariness giving way to watchful expectation.
Just a few inches away from him she paused, her mind a complete blank. “Uh, I really have no idea what I’m doing here, so jump in any time you like.”
His eyes warmed as he smiled. “From my end you’re doing great, so keep going.”
Fantastic. Some femme fatale she’d make. And then as she gazed at him, his sexual charisma sizzled away her hesitation. The bare skin revealed by his open-necked shirt drew her attention, and the urge to touch him was a thirst she had to quench. Without thinking she closed the gap and pressed her lips against the base of his throat. His masculine scent flooded her nostrils. He smelled clean, earthy, wonderful. Inhibition crumbling, she slid her hands up the broad expanse of his chest, relishing the feel of his muscle beneath the crisp cotton, and when she reached his shoulders, she stood on tiptoe and angled her mouth toward his.
His lips met hers halfway. His hands closed possessively over her hips. The kiss was frank and hungry and sensual. Their tongues flitted together, exploring, tasting, relishing. She gave herself up to the pleasure of it all, the censuring, nagging voice at the back of her mind falling silent. She didn’t have to fight with herself, didn’t have to justify her behavior. She was free to do as she pleased.
“See? I said you were doing great,” Nate murmured against her mouth.
“Um….” She nibbled at his lower lip. “Shut up and kiss me.”
He pulled her tight against him and obliged. Now, he didn’t hold back, and a few minutes of his plundering left her panting. While she was still catching her breath, he pulled her onto the two-seater and reclined her against the cushions. The leather squeaked as he leaned over her and undid the knot in her T-shirt, and then his hands were roaming over her belly, stroking her sensitized skin.
“You feel so soft and silky.” His eyes glimmered in the lamplight. “I’ve been wanted to touch you like this for ages.”
He explored her torso, caressing each rib as his fingers slowly inched up her chest. Her lungs squeezed like an accordion, anticipation building in her, and when he reached her bra, she could scarcely breathe. He fingered the lace for only a few seconds before he withdrew his hand. She almost wailed in frustration until she realized he was tugging at her T-shirt. Lifting her arms, she assisted him to get rid of her top. A brief wave of embarrassment came over her as she realized she was only wearing her white, everyday bra, but the heat in Nate’s gaze seared away all her doubts. Cupping both her breasts, he buried his face in her cleavage and breathed in deep as if she were life-giving oxygen. The intimacy of his touch sent her temperature sky-rocketing.
A sensual rage took hold of her. Grabbing his shirt, she clawed it open. Nate chuckled, obviously amused by her haste, and then he inhaled as she rolled over on top of him and straddled his hips.
His hungry eyes ate her up. “Sweetheart, you’re full of surprises.”
Ally was surprised herself. She’d never thought herself as sexually voracious, but tonight she was caught up in a lustful tornado, and she didn’t know where the twister would drop her down.
Bending, she coasted her mouth over Nate’s chest and relished the feel of his taut muscles bunching beneath her legs. Sitting on top of him, she had access to all of him, could feast her eyes on his beautiful body. With his dark hair all rumpled, his eyes on fire, and his burnished skin glowing, his sheer gorgeousness took her breath away.
Nate’s smile turned molten. “This couch isn’t big enough for the two of us. Wanna go somewhere more comfortable?”
Ally’s heart leaped into her throat. Come on, scaredy cat. You knew where this would lead the moment you grabbed hold of him.
“Okay,” she croaked.
His smile widened and lit up his face. He looked eager and surprised, as if he hadn’t expected her to say yes so quickly. Pulling her to her feet, he led her down the short hallway and into his master bedroom. As she glimpsed the sprawling king-size bed, he
r heart hammered even faster, but she knew there was no turning back. The need in her couldn’t be denied. Tonight she was Nate’s.
…
The awkwardness of morning afters. Over the years Nate had perfected his method of handling them. Invariably, the first time he slept with a woman, he would be keen to get rid of her the next morning as smoothly as possible. It had nothing to do with how well the night before had gone, and everything to do with his need to reassert his independence.
But the morning after his night with Ally was different. He woke first, the sweet scent of her instantly reminding him of how they’d spent the night together. For a while he was happy just to lie there next to her head of curls buried deep in the pillow. Memories of the amazing night they’d shared warmed him. Ally had been such an incredible revelation in bed. But when she woke, would she regret what she’d done? He could never have misgivings about last night, but if she did, he didn’t want to be there to see her sleepy eyes open and gradually fill with dismay.
He rolled out of bed quick smart, pulled on some clothes, and padded to the kitchen to put on the kettle. He made himself some tea and sat at his drafting table where he looked over his plans one more time. His first landscaping job. An important step in re-launching his brother’s business. In Sydney, Nate had everything Robbie had always coveted. But that was just a lifestyle, not a life. He wanted more: peace, satisfaction, a sense of belonging.
“Hi.”
Almost knocking over his mug, he swiveled to find Ally hovering in the doorway. She’d pulled on her jeans and shoes, but she was naked from the waist up, her arms crossed modestly over her chest. The sight of her barely covered breasts made his blood pressure rocket.
“Good morning.” He stood, lust already rising.
She hurried across the room, picked up her fallen T-shirt, and pulled it on.
“Can I cook you breakfast?” he said. “I make a mean omelet.”
“Um, no thanks.” Ducking behind the couch, she retrieved her bra and stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans. “I should leave now.”
“There’s no hurry. I’m not doing anything.” Except mentally undressing her. This morning after was unlike every other. Instead of wishing her gone, all he could think was how beautiful Ally looked. Her skin had a soft glow to it, and her mouth was ripe like a juicy tomato. He wanted her all over again. He wanted to spend the whole day in bed with her.
But she was already edging toward the door. “I have to open the shop today.”
“Can’t you give it a miss just once?”
“No, I can’t. Sundays are one of my better days, and I haven’t yet made up all the rent money I owe Mr. Cummings.”
The loose T-shirt she was wearing didn’t do a very good job of concealing her bra-less breasts. He could see them perking against the cotton, could practically taste them between his lips like ripe raspberries. His mouth started to water. “You don’t have to worry about that.” The words slipped carelessly from his tongue, all his thoughts centered on her lusciousness. “I can lend you the money.”
She caught her breath and bristled. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“What?” He blinked at her, slowly realizing he’d put his foot in it.
“You want to pay me money so I’ll spend the day in bed with you instead of working!”
“I said ‘lend,’ not ‘pay.’”
“I’m not some floozy.” She stomped toward the front door, her face flushed and angry.
“You’re taking this the wrong way. I’m trying to help you here.”
“Trying to help yourself, more like.”
Before she could reach the door, he hooked her by the elbow and forced her to face him. “Why’re you being so prickly? Did I do something wrong last night?”
“No.” Her chest heaved as she fought her emotions. Eventually she said more calmly, “Last night was crazy good, but still crazy…”
His ribs tightened around his lungs. “So you’re regretting it?”
“Not at all. But…it doesn’t change anything between us.”
“Why would it?”
She frowned, lips tightening. “Yes, well, that’s what I want to make clear right here and now. You don’t have to go treating me differently just because of last night. I know the score.”
It was his turn to frown. “The score?”
She tilted up her chin and brushed the hair away from her eyes to give him a cool blue stare. “Nate, you don’t do relationships; I know that. It’s just sex, and I’m fine with that. Don’t think you have to give me special treatment. I don’t need it, and I don’t want it.”
“I see. And what about more sex? Are you fine with that, too?”
A faint trace of color bloomed on her cheeks. Her eyelashes fluttered down. “S-Sure. When it suits me.” She bit her lip as her blush deepened. “And you too, of course. But we’re just, um, friends.”
Friends with benefits. He’d had a few of those arrangements before, but this time it left a sour taste in his mouth. Ally wasn’t the kind of woman you made booty calls to. So why was she selling herself short?
Because that was all she wanted from him? Sex whenever it was convenient for both of them? Maybe she was right. After all, that was the message he’d been giving her all this time, that any woman who got involved with him couldn’t expect anything more than a blistering good time in bed. Call it playing to his strengths. When it came to sex, he knew everything there was to know, but relationships, that was a whole different ballgame. He’d never had a proper one, didn’t even know if he had it in him to sustain one. He rubbed his abdomen, vaguely aware of a cramp deep in his gut.
“Yeah, that suits me.”
“Fine. I’ll see you around, then.” She opened the door and almost bolted down the path.
He started after her but stopped at the bottom of the porch and watched as she hurried into her car and drove off, the gears grinding in protest. With a muttered curse, he leaned against the porch railing. This wasn’t at all the way he’d envisaged this morning.
“Just like your brother, eh?” A morose chuckle accompanied Mrs. Bennett’s head rising above the fence. Her gray hair was twisted around pink plastic curlers, giving her a bizarrely malevolent look. “Robbie was always kicking them out the morning after. Treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen. Looks like he taught you well.”
Fury thudded through Nate’s veins. Curling his hands into fists, he stomped up the porch stairs. “No wonder no one ever bothers to visit you, you interfering old busybody.”
Mrs. Bennett gasped and started to sputter, but he’d already slammed the door behind him.
Chapter Eleven
“Where were you last night?” Jess asked over the phone.
Ally fidgeted with the pens on her shop counter, glad her sister couldn’t see her. As soon as she’d gotten back from Nate’s place and opened the shop, she’d rung to check up on Jess. Her sister was fine. She was taking things easy for the next few days, and Brian had taken the twins out, which meant she had plenty of time to quiz Ally.
“I rang your mobile and your apartment at about nine last night,” Jess continued, “but you didn’t pick up.”
Ally remembered she’d left her mobile phone behind in her apartment when she’d gone out. She hadn’t even taken her purse, she’d been that agitated.
“I was so tired last night I fell asleep really early. I must have just slept through your calls.” Glancing at a mirror on the wall, she saw her cheeks growing pink. Why was she such a terrible liar?
“Oh, gee. Sorry for putting you through all that yesterday.”
“Hey, I’m just glad you and the baby are fine. You gave us quite a scare.”
“I hope it wasn’t too uncomfortable for you delivering those flowers to the Kerrigans?”
Ally grew still. Seth and Paige’s wedding. She hadn’t thought about that at all, not once ever since she’d left the Kerrigans’ mansion with Nate following behind her. She wasn’t even curious to know ho
w the wedding went. A few weeks ago she’d thought Seth’s wedding would be a sour day for her, but the events of yesterday confirmed even more that she’d purged Seth from her system.
“Honestly, sis, it didn’t bother me. I had other things to worry about.”
“But I heard Crystal Kerrigan gave you a hard time. She rang Brian and complained about you and the centerpieces.”
“Oh, that.” Ally heaved a sigh. “I’m afraid I messed things up for you.” She quickly explained what had happened to rouse Crystal Kerrigan’s ire. “I’m sorry, Jess. I might have ruined your future business prospects with her.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with her when I’m back on my feet,” Jess grimly said before her voice altered dramatically. “But forget about the Kerrigans. Nana tells me Nate Hardy brought you back to the house and stayed with you until Brian called.”
Ally fiddled with the pens again. “Yeah, I bumped into him at the Kerrigan place, and I was upset about you, so I told him. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Never mind that. Why did he sit with you? I didn’t know you two were so friendly. I thought you couldn’t stand him.”
“I’ve bumped into him a few times,” Ally found herself saying casually. “He’s not so bad once you get to know him.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He’s starting up a landscaping business. Did you know that? Actually, it used to be his brother’s business, and now he’s re-launching it. A lot different from his old finance job, but he wants a change.” She was babbling, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “And he’s changed, too. He’s not the old Nate Hardy we used to know.” She forced herself to shut up. Silence lengthened between them.
“Oh my God.” Jess breathed out slowly. “Don’t tell me you were with him last night. Is that why I couldn’t get a hold of you?”
Ally clasped the bunch of pens tight in her fist. “Um, well…”
“Oh, no. Don’t tell me you slept with him?”
Excuses and evasions leapt instinctively to Ally’s lips, but she pushed them away. She was old enough to decide whom she slept with. “Yes,” she blurted out, “as a matter of fact I did. I spent the whole night with Nate, and—and it was pretty damn good.”
