My God, I thought. This is a guy that could kill me softly.
And he wasn’t even done. “I don’t think I can let you go just yet,” he continued. “I haven’t had nearly enough of you. I want to look at you some more. I want to feel you.” He licked his tongue softly across my lips, closing his eyes briefly as he did. His grip on me tightened, and I could feel the potent, rapt tension in him like a magnetic pull. “And the way you taste drives me out of my fucking mind.”
I kissed him deeply, dipping my tongue into his mouth. He played mine with his own, drawing me into him. I grasped at his shirt and he helped me pull it off. “I like you, too, Nate Walker,” I told him. “I like you a whole lot.”
“How much?” His voice was low, graveled, and his eyes were still closed.
“Come and take a shower with me before we use up all the hot water in Texas. I’ll show you how much I like you.”
It took about three seconds flat for us to get our clothes off. Nate lifted me and carried me into the shower. I think he could’ve lifted twelve of me without breaking a sweat. Anyway, I wrapped my arms and legs around him to ease his burden. He was still saying things between our insatiable kisses. The shower was huge and modern, with a bench and lots of nozzles, which sprayed us from various angles. Water sluiced across our skin, running in tickling, sensual rivulets. Words escaped into the steam now and then, between long, lush kisses. I heard ‘beautiful’ a couple of times, ‘crazy’, and a few others that weren’t exactly repeatable. The whole shower was full of steam. Nate leaned me up against the tile wall. I could feel him pressing against me. Into me. The heavy bulk of him was voracious, starkly hot, insanely hard. As soon as he touched me, there, opening me with his body and forcing his thick possession, the pleasure rushes began. Already. I tried to form a coherent thought. The consideration of consequences ghosted outside the fringe of my body’s storming urges.
I gripped onto him, fighting to stave off my release. But it wouldn’t be held. I came in jolting bursts, and each wet, welcoming compression drew him deeper, and deeper, until his massive arousal was fully rooted. The stretching totality of his slick depth caressed me as one gigantic trigger. He thrust once and I came again. Just like that. Rolling surges that tugged him strongly, lavishing him with soft, clamping adoration.
“Fuck,” he groaned, and pulled himself from my boneless body. I unwrapped myself from him, and he set me down on the high cedar bench. Taking his outstanding cock in both my hands, I fed the head of it into my mouth. He was so close. I licked my tongue across the crown and that was all it took. Milky jets pulsed out of him, spilling into my mouth and down my chin, dripping onto my breasts.
I held him and I licked him until the final twitches of his climax had calmed. He muttered a few curses and we both let out a shaky laugh.
Nate pulled me up to him and held me against his big frame. He held my face between his hands as the water rained down on us. “I can see why your middle name is danger,” he half smiled, but his expression was textured, almost confused. “That was close. I’ve never done it without a condom.”
“Never?” I asked, intrigued. Why not? And why now?
“Never,” he confirmed.
“Me either,” I admitted and as I did, I understood. I’d been on the pill, until I hit the road yesterday and left them behind in my haste. Still, I’d always insisted Cal wear condoms, just in case. The last thing I ever wanted to be saddled with was a baby, I’d thought at the time. With Cal’s baby. I had no idea why I’d suddenly become a sex-crazed hussy who thought of nothing else but getting laid as thoroughly and immediately as possible, throwing all caution to the dusty wind. To say that I was glad Nate had summoned the control to pull out would have been an understatement. A baby would definitely have cramped my slumming-it-while-working-three-jobs style. The good news was, I was no longer a frigid ice maiden. I would take my triumphs where I could.
“Really?” Nate said. “Never?”
“Nope. Never.”
We sort of stared at each other through the mist, coming to terms with the connectivity of what was taking place. It was heavy, in a way. We’d both been in long term relationships that, on some level, we’d been less prepared to commit to than this extended one night stand, or whatever this wild ride might be classified as. We’d jumped in at some ridiculously-uninhibited deep end and were now attempting to swim to shallower waters, just to get our footing a little.
Nate’s eyes were an unusual shade of dark blue. His eyelashes were black and spiked from the water that dripped from his hair. As I stared into those eyes, every cell in my body sort of calmed and melted with a vast, effortless craving. I wanted to stay with him, to share things with him and explore all the complexities of who he was.
I didn’t know what was happening. Or why. All I knew was that something was happening. A shift. A curling, rambling bond was taking hold. I’d never experienced anything like this before but I could recognize it for what it was. A beginning.
“I think you’re beautiful,” he whispered.
“I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven when you’re inside me,” I whispered back.
***
Nate wore a black suit jacket with a blue shirt and no tie, and jeans. His dressier clothes, I noticed, looked expensive and were worn with an almost-artistic flair that to me seemed outrageously sexy and sophisticated, especially against the bronzed, beefed-up backdrop. He’d floored me with the sheer magnitude of his handsomeness before, but this was taking it to a whole new level. Then again, I liked dusty cowboy Nate just as much as I liked swish, professional Nate. There wasn’t a version of this man I’d yet to be floored by, come to think of it.
I was in my new red silk dress. I’d pulled my hair up into a simple twist, leaving a few wavy strands loose. Nate couldn’t keep his eyes – or his hands – off me. I didn’t mind. Of course I didn’t. But I wondered, as we walked into the bar, if Nate’s possessiveness had anything to do with Riley. Presumptuous of me, possibly, to think that I might play any role in coming between the two of them – something I most definitely did not want to do. I knew it, and Nate knew it: tonight would probably be the last I spent in his company. For now, all I wanted to do was bask in Nate’s presence, Riley or no Riley. I’d already made my decision.
It hardly mattered either way. Most likely, we’d part ways in the morning, and they’d laugh it all off as one hell of a crazy road trip.
Maybe. Or he would think it was too soon, too good, to say goodbye.
I shook off that little fantasy that kept creeping in. Damn. I was getting swept away by this Mustang-driving, smooth-talking, cowboy-sophisticate sex-god whose burly arm, even now, was snaked around my waist in a protective hold that infused me not only with desire but with a sense of safety so profound I almost stepped away from him. Almost. Who wouldn’t get swept away? I was only human. A realistic human, for better or for worse. And I knew this fantasy would soon come to a jarring end. We’d made a few heartfelt declarations in the heat of a steamy moment, but I didn’t allow those sweet nothings much airtime.
What I could do, to give me something to concentrate on, was to was put Nate’s mind at ease. He’d made it clear and I agreed: last night was a one-off. A very spontaneous, uninhibited orgasm-fest that probably couldn’t have been bested or even recreated if we’d wanted to. I didn’t know what Riley thought about the matter one way or the other. I just hoped to spend some time talking to Nate, maybe enjoy a nice dinner, and beyond that I had no plans aside from making my way to Austin to find myself a very necessary job. As soon as our gilded moment sputtered out. Tonight, I would stick close to Nate, and give him whatever he asked of me. Because I wanted to, with a dedication that could have disarmed me a little, if I’d let it.
We walked into the bar. The décor was swanky and modernistic, all glass and chrome, decked out with orange globe chandeliers and colorful neon-light wall art of longhorn bulls’ heads. Some decorator had gone nuts with this place, but the overall look w
orked, in an over-the-top Texas kind of way. The music was loud and the place was crowded for happy hour.
I saw Riley standing near the bar. He was being fawned over by not one but two scantily-clad girls. They were laughing at some story he was telling, riveted and coy. He wasn’t telling the story to them, he was talking to two men – the clients, I could only assume – both of whom were ogling the girls. The girls paid little attention to the clients. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why they’d set their sights on Riley. He was as dazzling as ever. His blond hair gleamed along with the chrome, and I could see the blue of his eyes even from a distance.
He saw us walk in and he sort of froze for a second, halting in mid-story. He took in my dress, and the way Nate’s arm was coiled around my waist, and his eyes flashed a little. He recollected himself and started talking again, but his smile was gone. Nate shook hands with the clients, who clearly knew him and were mildly in awe or something. They sort of deferred to him like those hotel receptionists had. I guess he commanded respect, just the way he looked. Pure alpha and rich to boot. He introduced me to the clients and the fawning girls skittered back to the bar as we were led to the table by an attentive waiter.
We were offered a plush, two-sided booth and I was seated between Riley and Nate. I’ll admit my heart skipped a beat at the configuration but it was no big deal. All the cards were on the table. We all knew what was what.
Nate was talking to Jonathan and Reese, the clients, who had all kinds of questions for him. Riley leaned close to me and murmured, “Hey, Lace.”
I blushed a little. It was hard not to, after all that had gone down. I hadn’t seen him or spoken to him since … we’d shared an intimacy that made my face feel all hot just recalling it. “Hey, Riley.”
“How’s life?” He leaned his shoulder against mine lightly, a playful punctuation to his question.
“Life’s good.”
“New dress?”
I smiled at him, feeling embarrassed, happy, shy and sexy all at once. “You know it is.”
“I like it. You look …” he paused, and his expression was sincere, a little heart-breaking. “… amazing. Like you always do.”
“Thanks. So do you.” He was all swish, too, with his hair semi-smoothed and his white shirt.
Nate was talking, immersed in conversation. Riley noted this, then said, “My cousin’s taken a liking to you.”
I didn’t reply, just looked at his eyes, reading whatever I could there. Humor, always. A light note of regret, maybe.
“Bastard,” he said, smiling. “I can’t take him in a fight, regrettably. Have you seen the size of those fucking guns?”
I laughed. “Yeah.”
“You wouldn’t,” he said, “have chosen me in a line-up, by any chance?”
“I did choose you in a line-up.”
“That was a line-up of two, and you chose both.”
Again, my cheeks burned, but I couldn’t help laughing along with him. “Yeah.”
“Best thing that ever happened to either one of us.”
I let that go, taking comfort from his easy-going, teasing vibe. But I wanted to be crystal clear. Nate was still talking, immersed in the sale he was making. The business he was building. We’d talked about trust and I made a choice to start earning his, whether he was listening or not, whether this was the only time I’d ever get the chance. “Me and Nate. We’ve got some stuff in common.”
“You do.” It wasn’t a question, just an understanding. Riley looked at Nate, then he looked at me. It was a few seconds before he spoke again. “Yeah, maybe you do.”
“I hope we do, at least.”
“So does he, by the sounds of it.”
“Thanks for enlightening me, by the way,” I said.
“Anytime, sugar.” He held my gaze a second longer and there was a connectivity there, too, that felt real. I’d known him for less than a day but we’d shared something I could only describe as profound. Even if we parted ways right here and now and I never saw Riley Walker again, I’d remember him for the rest of my life. I’d remember his sunny smile and the lazy, golden temptation of him. He’d been the ice-breaker, the gift-giver, the link. I would treasure all that, and even moreso because I knew we would never travel that road again. I knew it, and so did he.
It was Reese, I think, who pulled Riley back into the wider conversation.
We ate dinner and the talk was all about the business deal, the plans, the details. It was interesting to listen to but I zoned in and out. I thought of Cal. I didn’t miss him, God knew that. I wondered if he would miss me. If he’d give all my stuff away, if he’d cry or if he’d laugh.
After the meal was cleared away and some coffee was served, they all shook hands and the two clients left.
Nate ordered three whiskeys and we sat back and let the fiery liquid mellow us from the inside out.
“So what’s the plan, then?” Riley said. “With all this stuff Lacey says you two got in common?”
Nate’s gaze slid over me. My face. My eyes. I thought I might liquefy under the crazy potency of his scrutiny. He didn’t answer right away. “You know that property manager’s job at 1515 Tower that’s open?” he said to Riley, but he was still looking at me.
Riley nodded. “The one with the apartment thrown in as part of the employment package?”
“That’s the one,” Nate said.
Riley took a sip of his whiskey. “Yeah, I remember you mentioning it.”
“Well, depending on how stuck on Austin Lacey was, considering she doesn’t actually have a job lined up, or even a place to stay, I was thinking about tryin’ to talk her into applying for it.”
Riley contemplated me. “I guess it depends on what kind of references she has. If she’s got any skills, talents, that kind of thing.” Riley’s words made me blush again, damn him, but my heart was thumping in my chest.
“If I can get her to agree to come back to Houston with us tomorrow, to check it out, I was thinking of suggesting it.” I watched Nate’s mouth as he sipped from his drink before continuing. “She wouldn’t have to commit to anything, of course. Just look at it, think about it. Maybe give it a go for a while, just to see how things panned out.”
“That apartment’s been empty for weeks, hasn’t it? Ready to move into, if I recall.”
“Yeah,” Nate said. “Fully furnished, too.”
“She might not like the decoratin’, though,” Riley commented. “It might not be her style.”
I just sat there, watching them carry out their little charade, wondering if I was hearing them correctly. My fantasies were having their goddamn way with me or something. I half expected to wake up from a beautiful dream.
Nate’s finger twirled a loose coiled tendril of my hair, but it was Riley who said, “So what do you say, Lace? You up for it? I’ll accept defeat gracefully, but don’t go breakin’ his heart.”
Stunned, I looked at Nate.
“I’ll be right there the whole time,” he said.
His hand cupped my face. He kissed me, brushing his lips across mine, feather-light. I kissed him back, falling, falling.
“Come with me,” he said, his voice inflected with what might have been hope.
And so I did.
Epilogue
Four months later
As it turned out, the apartment I was given as part of my job description never got used. Not even once. My bag lived there for a couple of hours before moving upstairs with me, to Nate’s much larger, much more luxurious apartment on the tenth floor.
The job has been easy to learn, and it’s one I enjoy. More than any job I’ve ever had, in fact. To be fair, there wasn’t much competition on that front. Here, I do credit screenings and reference checks on potential tenants, then I show them through the apartment if their applications get approved by the Board of Directors of the building, which Nate’s a member of. It’s usually a fairly pain-free process, since the only people who apply to rent an apartment in 1515 Towe
r are successful and loaded. Very loaded. The cheapest apartment in here is $7,000 a month. More than ten times what Cal and I used to pay for our little shack, and worth every penny. The views over Houston are some of the best in the city. New-money oilmen, fashion models, CEOs and rock stars are just a few of the tenants who live here. The see-and-be-seen crowd, who enjoy the limelight and have something to prove.
My job interview panel consisted of one, and took place the day we arrived in Houston. I guess Nate had enough power to make some sort of executive decision. I started my job that very day. Actually, the next day, once the celebrations had been attended to.
I’ve made a couple of friends in the 1515 Tower administrative offices. Ella, who manages the banking side of things, and Zara, who runs the operations of the building’s cleaners, doormen and maintenance issues. We go out for drinks every Friday afternoon at the same little bar around the corner, which serves margaritas and tapas and has fun, festive live music. Sometimes Nate meets us there, with his brother Leo, his sister Casey, and even Riley.
I never did make contact with my old friend Sara. When I did a search online of the UT Austin student lists, I couldn’t find her name.
I’ve started taking a few classes in Houston. Business 101 and finance. Nate helped me with the applications, but his help consisted more of moral support than actual paperwork. Really, it was all very straight-forward and not nearly as intimidating as I thought it might be. I find the workload of my classes surprisingly easy, and the study comes naturally. I’m used to reading a lot, so it’s been a seamless adjustment. I think I’ll do just fine.
The more I learn, the more knowledgeable Nate seems about all things business. He says that when I’m finished, we’ll start a company together, and he’ll teach me how to invest our profits. I can’t believe he’d trust me with something like that, but the more the idea rolls around in my head, the more I get used to it. The more the inspiration seems to merge and grow and take form. We’ll see.
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