Some Like It Geek: A Really Big Set of Romances

by Box Set

  She was…excited.

  Nate grabbed the length of satin from the foot of the bed and straddled her waist. She sucked in a breath, but he didn’t squash her. He just looked at her, the tail end of the satin whispering over her heated skin.

  “I forgot to warn you that this stuff is slippery. If you pull on it, it might tighten. That’s another reason why I tie this stuff up in a way that you can get out of it if you need to, okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Cara-bear, I need you to say yes, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Yes. Satin is slippery. I get it. Hurry up.” She was pretty sure she’d read that somewhere, in a dark corner, her cheeks burning holes through her soul because she couldn’t stop reading.

  Nate chuckled and took her hands in his. He wrapped the satin around one wrist, tied some sort of knot and then looped the rest of the length through the headboard slats. He repeated the same with her other wrist, then guided her hands to hold onto the part looped between the boards.

  “If you want to hold on or pull, do that here.” He guided her right hand to her left wrist and put the tail end in her hand. “If you need to untie yourself, pull the end. It’s a simple slipknot. Pull that.”

  She tugged and the satin went slack.

  “See?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Nate re-tied the wrist and let go.

  He still had an awful lot of clothing on for sex.

  “This is the fun part.” He planted his hands on either side of her chest, watching her face. “Now I do whatever I want.”

  “Uh…but I thought…”

  Nate leaned down, kissing her deeply, swallowing her words with his mouth. His tongue stroked hers. His fingers plucked at one nipple, then the other.

  Oh—what was she thinking?

  Thinking was so overrated, compared to feeling.

  She grasped the satin in both hands and curled her toes into the sheets. The way he kissed her made her feel…sexy. Desirable. As though he wanted her.

  Nate kissed her neck, robbing her of his mouth, but his fingers were still hard at work. No one had ever paid much attention to her breasts. They were too small to be interesting, and yet, he spent more time between them than he had on her mouth. The music beat out a counter rhythm to the way her heart was pumping.

  “Nate.” She groaned his name, lifting her chest.

  He chuckled with his lips around a nipple. She gasped and shifted, losing a little more of her mind, of her reservations, the longer he teased her too sensitive skin.

  Tying her wrists at least solved one problem. She didn’t have to figure out where to put her hands, she just had to hold on. But it also meant she couldn’t pull him up, or urge him to get a move on already. She wanted him, and she wanted him now.

  He kissed down her sternum, his hands stroking between her legs now, easing them apart.

  Except he was still half-dressed.

  What the hell?

  Nate pressed his lips to her stomach and she sucked in a breath. His fingers traced her slit and she trembled. The memory of sex was still fresh enough in her mind she could recall the feel of him. How they’d fit. And in a few moments—

  Wait.

  Wait.

  Wait.

  “Nate?” Her voice hitched up at the end.

  She lifted her head, staring down at his broad shoulders. He shifted, pushing her legs up onto his back.

  “Relax,” he whispered.

  This was not a relaxing pose. She hated the yearly girly doctor visits. Why the heck did he have his face between her—

  Oh…no…

  No, no, no—this didn’t happen in real life.

  Did it?

  He licked—at least she assumed that was his tongue—the length of her slit, pressing against her. She gasped, her nerves trying to sort between the sensations. Her muscles tightened, especially low in her stomach. Her head swam, her toes curled, her fingers dug into the material.

  Breathe.

  Nate plunged his fingers into her and his mouth found her clit, rubbing his tongue over the needy bundle of nerves. All the air whooshed out of her lungs on a moan she couldn’t control.

  Thought stopped, all she did was feel. This moment. The way he touched her.

  His fingers stretched her, stroking her inner walls, curling deep within her. There was nothing hesitant or unsure about the way he touched her. He knew what he was doing, and she was completely caught off guard. She shifted, seeking some way to move, but he had her hips captured under his forearm, keeping her at the mercy of his mouth. All she could do was…lay here. And feel.

  She crossed her ankles over his spine, hugging him closer. That much she could do.

  His tongue—it had to be—rubbed against her clit, bold, sure strokes.

  Her breath hitched and she shifted as much as he’d allow.

  “Oh—Nate…” She chanted his name, but couldn’t get the rest out. She was stuck on a loop, a word, him.

  Colors blossomed behind her eyelids and she groaned, holding on for dear life as the pleasure of it all threatened to drown her.

  If she died, at least she’d die a happy woman.

  Chapter Nine

  Nate let his jeans fall to the floor.

  Cara’s body glistened, her chest still heaving.

  He should wait, hold back, check with her again. There was a whole list of reasons why he shouldn’t be putting a condom on right fucking now, but they weren’t stopping him.

  “Nate?” She practically panted his name.

  “I’m right here, shortcake.” He leaned over her, stroking her hair off her brow.

  She lifted up, mouth first.

  No one could mistake that meaning. But he’d just…

  Fuck it.

  He kissed her, eating up her moans. Her lips moved against his, hungry nips. She wasn’t done, and neither was he.

  Somehow he managed to climb back up on the bed, his mouth never once leaving hers.

  He should go slower. Give her a moment to come down, but damn.

  “Nate.” She whimpered his name against his lips.

  Her legs wrapped around him, holding him prisoner in the best way possible.

  He should hold back, savor the picture of the gray satin against her skin, the way her hair was spread out over his pillow, how she looked at him. Before he was ready, she’d be gone, and these moments were all he’d have left until he could convince her to come back to him. But the need was too great. Her taste was still on his tongue, and she was calling his name.

  Nate grasped his cock with one hand and guided himself to her pussy. She was soaking wet, ready, and still, he took a moment to make sure. To touch her again.

  Her heels dug into his back, urging him on in a way that was so unlike typical Cara. She’d become a slave to sensation, what he was making her feel. It was a small victory. She hadn’t run from him, she’d dove in, and man, did he love her for this.

  “Easy, shortcake. Look at me?”

  Her lashes fluttered and she stared up at him, the longing in her eyes answering his.

  “That’s it,” he whispered.

  He flexed his hips, her arousal making the penetration easy. Her mouth opened on a long, low moan.

  “Fuck,” he muttered.

  His vision blurred a bit. She was so damn wet, her body fitting around his perfectly. As though they were made for each other. Like this was always meant to be.

  Mushy thoughts like that were going to make his dick to limp.

  Another little thrust—and there—he was all the way in.

  He levered down, kissing her mouth while her pussy tightened around him. Her body was still so sensitive from orgasm. This wasn’t going to be the slow lovemaking he’d envisioned. He needed her. Like this. Now.

  Nate reached up, grasping her hands in his, twining their fingers together. He kissed her mouth, and knew he was a lucky son of a bitch.

  Cara loved him.

  He loved her.


  She wasn’t running from him, from what he wanted and she felt. There was hope. If he could just brand every one of her cells, make her remember him, this, when she left.

  He pushed up to his elbows, and rolled his hips. She gasped, chanting his name again.

  Nate was going to make her scream.

  He forced her legs open wider and pulled out. She whimpered, digging her heels in. He held out a moment longer, then thrust. She stared up at him, her pupils dilated, eyes sightless with pleasure.

  That’s it.

  He pumped in and out, her heels driving him on, her lips chanting his name. Never in his life had he imagined this moment would become reality. That Cara would lose her inhibitions and want him as much as he wanted her. He wasn’t alone in his desire. The way her body reacted to his was proof of that.

  One of her hands came free from the satin. She wrapped her arm around his waist, her nails digging into his skin. He drove into her, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

  He felt her body go tense, the slight arch of her spine, the bite of her nails and the whoosh of breath into her lungs. And then—she called his name. Loud. Heels driving into his ass, her hips pumping, pussy tightening.

  Her orgasm caught him completely unaware. He thrust, his motions automatic, driven by need. This—between them—it wasn’t just an orgasm. It went deeper than ejaculating or lust. It was as if part of him reached out and touched her soul, finding a part of himself—that was her.

  Nate buried his face into her hair, squeezing his eyes shut.

  Sex with Cara changed things. Him. There was no way they could go back. He couldn’t just be friends with her, and he couldn’t be without her. What if she didn’t feel the same? What if…she left and never looked back?

  She hugged him to her, the one free hand curled over his shoulder, their bodies entwined.

  He never wanted to move.

  He wanted to live in this moment, forever.

  “Nate?”

  “Hm?”

  “I can’t breathe.”

  “Sorry.”

  He shifted, easing their bodies apart, and rolled to his side. He used the satin cloth to keep her prisoner for another few moments, tugging her into his arms. She buried her face against his shoulder and held on tight.

  “Cara?” He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

  “Hm?”

  “Look at me?”

  She peered up at him, her cheeks rosy, lips swollen. Yes, there was a touch of shyness there, but…also that sparkle of happiness.

  He unwound the satin from her wrist, stroking the skin with his fingers. She didn’t wince or glance away.

  “Was that…okay?” he asked.

  “There’s a lot the word that can refer to. I’m going to assume everything and say yes. Less talking that way.” She scooted closer, curling her arm around his waist and her head against his shoulder.

  “Okay.” Her statement didn’t ease the tension in his stomach.

  What was the next step? Where did they go from here?

  He roused her from bed long enough for to use the bathroom before he did. Unlike last night, she didn’t avoid eye contact, she looked at him, she didn’t try to cover herself in that silly onesie.

  They were growing more familiar with each other in a new, deeper way.

  What did that mean?

  He had less than twenty-four hours to figure that out and he didn’t know where to start.

  Nate slid their pizza in the oven and collected his thoughts.

  What he wanted was simple. Cara. Any way he could get her. For now. Soon enough, he’d want more of her, and that meant…one of them would have to move. He didn’t want to go back to Omaha. His work was here, but her life was there. Even if she said she didn’t have much of one, it was where she had roots. Family. Stuff that was hard to leave behind.

  The only reason Nate didn’t go home more often was because Dad had remarried. Nate’s step-mom was a great woman, with three daughters that kept their house full and lives busy. There wasn’t a place for him there anymore, except with Cara.

  “Hey, shortcake.” He pushed off the kitchen counter at the sight of her in his T-shirt and nothing else. It was a damn fine sight. “Hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  He wished he’d have trusted his gut and snagged two pizzas. If she was relaxed enough to be starving, he wanted to feed her as much as possible. Take care of her. Love her.

  They met at the sectional. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the tip of her nose, because that act never failed to make her smile.

  He couldn’t bring himself to ask the hard questions, not when she was hungry and smiling.

  They ate, polishing off the whole pizza and at least a dozen cookies between them, before he guided her back to the bedroom. He wanted to hold her for as long as possible.

  Lying in bed, Cara curled up next to him, he couldn’t shake the gnawing sense of dread.

  Relationships were hard at the best of times. But a long distance one? How would that work?

  “Nate?” Cara sighed and shifted.

  “Hm?”

  “What are…we going to do?”

  “I don’t know, Cara-bear.”

  “I wish I were staying longer.”

  His sentiments, exactly.

  He hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head before leaning back to look down at her. He needed to see her face.

  “You could, you know?” Nate wanted to kick himself. That was too vague.

  “I don’t have that much vacation time. It’s a sucky job.”

  “So, quit?”

  “I can’t quit. I need a job so I can…maybe come back and see you?”

  “Cara?” He smoothed her hand out over his heart. He had to put it all out there, because this thing with her mattered. “You hate your job. You hate living with your parents. So…why go back? Why should you go back to that?”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Do you like that pillow?”

  She blinked at him, then glanced at the fluffy white pillow under her head. He’d bought them before her visit, because the ones he’d had were years old and…he hadn’t wanted anyone else to touch them.

  “Yeah, it’s nice,” she said.

  “Then it’s yours.” He flicked his fingers at the nightstand on the other side of the bed. “That one’s empty. My clothes don’t even fill up half the closet. If you want a place, you’ve got it. If you want to move here, give this a try, then welcome home.”

  Cara stared at him, and he stared right back.

  Yes, this was crazy and a bit rash, but if it meant having her in his life, he’d make it work. Figure things out.

  “I love you, Cara-bear.”

  “A-are you serious, Nate?”

  “I thought we covered that already.”

  “No, I mean, about me living here?”

  “Yeah. I am. We’ve both wanted to be together for so long, why not start now? We’ve got a lot of time to make up for.”

  “I don’t have any money. My credit is crap. I—”

  “Shortcake?” He kissed her lips, her nose, her forehead. “Doesn’t matter. I got this.”

  She buried her face against his chest and hugged him.

  “What do you say?” he whispered.

  “I love you, Nate. I want to be with you, too.”

  In a million years, he’d never imagine this reality. Holding Cara. Loving her. This adorkable girl that he couldn’t shake, and all she needed to do was say yes…

  “Is that a yes?” he asked.

  “Yes, Nate. Yes.”

  Chapter Ten

  Cara didn’t want to move off the sofa. She was so full she was going to pop. Breakfast and lunch in the same day? This had to be some sort of record. Most days, she could only muster enough interest for two meals. The way Nate was talking, they were going to have three more meals today alone, and they’d pretty much slept half the day away already.

  So why did she
think she needed to get off the sofa anyway?

  There’d been a reason…

  Oh.

  Right.

  Figuring out her life.

  “You look like you need a nap.” Nate chuckled and leaned over her.

  “I might. Someone was chatty last night.” She poked his arm and smiled. “I need to call and move my flight.”

  “Shit. Right.” Nate pushed to his feet and went in search of her phone.

  To her knowledge, his was still in the top drawer of the dresser, which she appreciated. Nate returned with her purse and phone.

  “How’s this going to work?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  Cara sat up and stared at the coffee table. It was fine and all to talk about what they wanted last night, but today needed an action plan. There were logistics and realities to figure out.

  “Like, when am I moving the flight to? What am I going to do while you’re working? What am I going to do about money? Insurance? Crappy adult stuff.” She grabbed her pillow and hugged it to her chest. They’d jumped into this without thinking things through, and now it had to be done.

  “I…don’t know.” Nate sat down next to her and perched his elbows on his knees.

  She hated this whole mess. How her life seemed to flounder from point to point.

  “Well, what if you stay for a week? That’ll give us time to sort everything else out, make plans, decide what we want to do. I’ll pay for the transfer.”

  “I don’t want you to.”

  “Cara.” Nate stared at her.

  “What? I don’t want you to have to take care of me because I’m sad and pathetic and can’t do it myself.”

  “You can. You’ve just had a bad run of luck.” He wrapped his hand around hers.

  “What am I going to do while you’re working? For groceries? That sort of stuff.” Here she was, doing it again. Leaping into something with no idea how to proceed.

  “Well, it’s January. Most places are still getting everyone back from the holidays. With tax season coming up, I bet there are lots of places in need of an experienced accountant. You should take a break for now. Relax. Think about what you really want to do. I know you got your number-crunching degree, but it’s clearly not making you happy. So…what would?”