Trouble with Nathan

by Anna J. Stewart

  “Too late.”

  “That’s not funny. I don’t think either one of our hearts will be able to take it when this is all over.” Risking her heart was one thing; risking her daughter’s was another.

  “As long as your heart feels better now that you’ve seen and spoken with her. It does, doesn’t it?”

  “It does.” And she would never be able to thank him enough for the peace of mind he’d given her.

  “Great. Oh, and we’d best get one thing straight, Laurel.” He pressed his lips against her fingers. She bit her lip, focused on breathing as reason and desire battled it out inside her chest. “You don’t get to tell me who I fall in love with. Now, back to why those printing plates matter so much to Kolfax. I think that might be the answer behind his failed attempt to arrest my sister earlier this year.”

  Laurel happily shifted topics and she kicked off her shoes, stretched out her legs. She almost felt free of the worry that had plagued her for years. Almost. Enough that maybe she could take some risks. “Didn’t that whole thing have something to do with that burglar Nemesis and some drug cartel out of Florida?” She watched his face for a hint of reaction to Nemesis. It had taken her a while, longer than it should have, but Mac had provided the confirmation she’d needed. Now she got to play. Before she got to . . . play.

  “It did. Kolfax has laser focus. And by focus, I mean he nearly destroyed the foundation and my sister’s relationship with Gage.”

  “Well, that worked out just fine. Near as I can tell, this Nemesis is part guardian angel when it comes to your family. Put that room service menu down.” She shoved herself up and sighed as she plucked the menu out of his hand. “You might be willing to spend half a month’s salary on a hotel room, but we’re blocks away from one of the best burger joints in the city. Dinner is on me. Now fill me in on Morgan’s past with Nemesis and Kolfax while I change.” He caught her arm as she passed. “What?”

  “You had me cancel the second bedroom when we checked in, remember?”

  She remembered. Oh, dear Lord, his voice. The deep rumble, the hint of promise, combined with the gentle stroking of his finger down the inside of her wrist. All her life she’d been careful with her heart, hadn’t given it freely. Hadn’t given it at all, not when she knew it would matter, and yet right now, with Nathan, all she could think about was being with him . . . for as long as she could. She’d tried so hard not to play with fire, but now, more than anything, she wanted to be burned. It was time to take what she wanted. For however long she could have it.

  “I’m a practical girl.” She twisted her arm free and popped up on her toes to kiss him. “I can sleep on a sofa.” Grinning, she stepped back, not at all surprised when his hands whipped out and caught her arms, dragging her to him. “Don’t we have some work to do?” She angled her neck as his lips found her throat and sent tingles coursing through her with the force of a category four tornado. She pressed her lips together, tried not to let the moan building up in her throat escape as she tangled her fingers in the hair at the base of his neck. She’d been playing this game for so long, but it had never felt like this. “Some plans to make. Nathan?”

  “Hmmmm?” He worked his way around to her ear, nibbled at the skin, nipped and soothed with his tongue. Oh, man. He was so good at that, of making her forget how to think and just . . . feel.

  “I just need to know one thing first.” She pressed herself into him, trying to keep focused on the task at hand while she . . . focused on the task at hand. God, he felt so . . . good. She moved against him, felt him harden against her, and knew she had him in just the right place to . . . “I need to know.” She clasped his head between her hands and waited until he opened his eyes to look at her. She kissed him, long, deep, and felt his body go taut as he wrapped his arms around her and nudged her to the bedroom. Not yet. Soon. But. Not. Yet. Oh, God. Her head spun. But there was one question she needed an answer to first. “Will I be making love with Nathan Tremayne?” Another kiss. Another wave that set her heart to hammering. She wanted him to touch her. Despite the warnings glaring in the back of her mind, she wanted . . . everything. “Or am I sleeping with Nemesis?”

  His hands stilled. His mouth flattened into a hard line as he took a deep breath. But when he opened his eyes again, when he looked into hers, she couldn’t decide what she was seeing. And neither, apparently, could he. “Well, shit.”

  She grinned and trailed a finger down the center of his lips. “Is that ‘well, shit, she’s right’ or ‘well, shit, how can she think that of me’?”

  “It’s more like your sense of timing sucks.” He kissed her again, this time with his eyes open, and she didn’t dare look away. He gripped her hips and slid his hands under her suit jacket, skimmed under the waistband of her pants, lightly enough to make her wish their clothes would magically disappear. “Does it change anything?”

  She linked her arms behind his neck and hooked one leg up and around his thigh, biting her lip as she felt him pressing against her core. She’d locked this part of herself away for so long, she’d forgotten what it felt like to surrender, to put herself in someone else’s hands—someone else’s heart. All her reason, her determination, even her fear had put her here, with Nathan, at this moment. She was tired of living under someone else’s control, someone else’s rules. For once, she was going to do what felt right . . . even if it was wrong.

  “Laurel?” He whispered her name, part question, part plea as his hands slid down to cup her butt and lifted her against him.

  “It changes everything.” She curled herself around him as he carried her to the bedroom, but they only made it as far as the doorway before he pressed her against the frame and covered her mouth with his. Her legs shook as she whimpered, needing, wanting to feel more of him, all of him.

  No regrets. No hesitation. This, Nathan, was all she wanted, all she needed. Nathan was all that mattered. “Tell me you packed protection,” she said when she could catch her breath. “If I have to run down to that damned lobby store . . .”

  “I’m always prepared, remember?” He ran hard, flat palms down her sides, dragging the hem of her blouse out from her waistband so he could skim his fingers underneath. “You feel so good.” He kissed her neck and she banged her head back, wincing and shuddering as his palms smoothed up and cupped her breasts through her bra. “Not enough.” He braced her against the doorframe with a knee between her legs and she groaned. “Damn tiny buttons.”

  Bracing her hands on his shoulders she lowered her forehead against his, licking her lips as his brow wrinkled; the fumbling of fingers as he popped buttons free more erotic than anything she’d seen in years. He was either nervous—which she didn’t believe for one second—or anxious, which she totally understood. In fact . . .

  She pushed herself down until her feet touched the floor, ridding herself of her black blazer as he loosed the last button. He parted the fabric with a sigh that sounded almost reverent. The black demi-bra strained against her breasts as she drew his head down, feeling powerful as he kissed and licked his way under the delicate lace. She pushed him back, walked him toward the bed, grinning at the flash of irritation that crossed his face when he had to abandon what he was doing to keep his balance.

  “Your turn.” She shoved his jacket off his shoulders and made lightning-fast work of his shirt buttons until she got to the bottom two, when she lifted her mouth to his, brushing the backs of her fingers against the hard ridge behind the zipper of his pants as she opened his shirt. The growl that came from the back of his throat triggered every female instinct to roar. The feel of his skin, the slight dusting of hair on his chest, tapering to the V beneath his waistband, electrified every cell and had her wanting to go faster, harder. But the idea of drawing this out, drawing him out . . . that sounded even better. She stepped away, flicked her gaze to his suitcase across the room, and while he retrieved what they needed, she discarded her pants, deciding
to keep her underwear on . . . for now.

  “Jesus,” he muttered when he came back to her wearing only his pants and dropped the foil packets onto the nightstand. He ripped the bedspread off the king-sized mattress. She moved into him, pressing her breasts against his chest, her hands roaming down to those captivating muscles carved into his hips. She scraped her nails against his firm, taut skin as she danced delicate fingers lower, teased the zipper down. His breathing increased, but he seemed content to let her explore and tease and . . . taunt.

  He groaned as she found him, stroked the length of him and lifted her face to see the desire in his eyes matching her own. She squeezed her hand, the heat between her own legs becoming too much. She moved against him, the need for release building inside her. She wanted him to touch her, feel her, everywhere.

  “Nathan,” she whispered. One word. Of surrender. Of promise. She released him and in an instant, he’d kicked away his clothes, turned, and hauled her against him before she could get a full look. When he lowered her to the bed, the cool blanket caressed her back and he lowered himself over her. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this wanted before, this desired. The look in his eyes—as if she was the only thing he’d ever needed—overwhelmed her.

  It wasn’t enough when he stroked his hand down between her still-covered breasts, trailed his fingers lightly down her stomach, which quivered under his touch. He dipped his fingers under the lace band of her panties, where he covered her with his palm.

  She arched off the bed, exposing her neck to his mouth again as he drew his finger down and around, stroking her, moistening his finger with her wetness before stroking her again. The pressure built inside her, hot, throbbing, and she bit her lip, clawed at him, silently demanding he finish what he’d started. Her legs fell open as he inched down, allowing his lips to trace the same path his fingers had taken moments before. This time, he scraped his fingers under the sides of her panties and drew them down and off.

  “Nathan.” She reached down, tangled her fingers in his hair as he returned to stroking her. “Please.” He pressed his lips where his fingers had been and she came, gasping her way through the tremors, her body gripping his fingers as he pressed into her more intimately than before. Before she could catch her breath, he was gone, the warmth of him vanishing as he moved away. She heard the rustling of foil and she pushed herself up on her elbows to watch him cover himself. Inching into the middle of the bed, she shot him a come hither look and as their eyes met and she shifted onto her still trembling knees, reached behind her and unclasped her bra.

  She let him draw the straps down her arms as he joined her on the bed, his fingers barely skimming her flesh as he drew the lace and satin from her, then ran his roughened palms against her nipples, catching her gasp in his lips. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured when he released her mouth. Kneeling in the middle of the bed, their hands explored, dancing over each other before urgent need took over once again. She pushed him over and onto his back, shifting over him and as she clasped their hands together, she lowered herself onto him.

  He filled her, completely, and had her panting as she gripped his fingers between hers, lifting herself again, only slightly, but enough to hear him pant to keep control. She squeezed her knees against the sides of his hips, watched his stomach muscles clench as she rode him. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he watched her, the mingled expression of pride and masculine arousal the most powerful aid she could have imagined. Her body began to tingle again, to heave again, but she wasn’t ready for it to be over. She wanted to go on and on, with him inside of her, for fear that once he left, she’d be alone again.

  “Laurel.” He pulled a hand loose and stroked the side of her face.

  “Not. Yet.” She bit her lip, tried to stop herself from moving, from bringing him with her, but she couldn’t. It was as if her body had taken over. So she surrendered, releasing him, and when she did, he sat up, gripped her waist and rotated them so he could drive himself more deeply into her.

  She cried out, her knees pressing into her chest as he drew her pleasure to the point she thought she would shatter. One touch, one more thrust and she’d . . .

  Nathan arched his back, this time erupting with her and she watched as his face glistened, his eyes glazing over with the passion she knew she’d given him. And when he lowered himself on top of her, she curled into him, around him, burrowing to where she couldn’t imagine ever leaving. And finally, for the first time in her life, knew what it was to be loved.

  ***

  He was done for. Nathan rubbed the creases from his forehead as if he could scrub the admission from his psyche. Damn it, she was right the other day when she said this would complicate things, but right now he didn’t care. Sure she was frustrating, irritating, stubborn as hell, but she also turned the color on full blast, to the point she blinded him.

  He blamed the baseball bat. Watching her swing that bat at the van had sent him spiraling headfirst into something that until Laurel, he hadn’t been convinced would ever be his. Yet he hadn’t been able to utter the words, hadn’t been able to completely grasp the concept he was in love with her. Was he? Could he be even though a part of him knew he couldn’t trust her? She held so much back, continued to dance around truths that, as far as he was concerned, there was no reason to avoid. What did he have to do to prove she could trust him?

  “How long have you known?” Nathan pressed his lips against Laurel’s damp forehead, unable to relinquish his hold on her. He’d shifted them beneath the soft sheets with what energy he’d had left. If she’d drawn out their lovemaking out any longer he wasn’t sure he’d have survived. As it was, his heart still hadn’t caught up with the rest of him.

  “About you and your father being Nemesis?” She snuggled into him, resting her chin on her hand as she blinked up at him. Her hair mussed, her face flushed, it was all he could do not to catch her face in his hands, kiss her again, and start all over. “I wasn’t certain. Not until we talked to Mac. It never made sense to me why your father went into the police station and connected himself to the case in the first place. Letting the van creeps go told me he was protecting more than himself. If it had only been his reputation and life on the line, he’d have turned himself in to put a stop to things. Mac’s comments confirmed my suspicions.”

  “And here I thought those slipped past you.”

  “Nothing slips past me.” Her fingers tapped down his chest, circled his navel, slid lower. He caught her fingers before he lost all coherent thought.

  “Got it all figured out, do you?” Oh, good God.

  “Hmmmm.” She scooted higher so she could stroke his face. “I believe I do.” She nibbled her way across his jawline. “It’s a joint effort. You and your dad playing modern-day Robin Hood and redistributing the wealth. Just like he did forty years ago. So when he confessed to the D.A.—” her tongue darted out to taste his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and pushed her onto her back into the pile of pillows, stroked his fingers through the spill of her hair. She was perfect, the curves of her body fitting exquisitely with his, the way she held on to him, guided him, encouraged him. He didn’t know if he could ever get his fill of her. “So when he confessed,” she repeated through the fog hovering in her eyes, her lips curving in that smile that told him she knew what he was doing as his fingers began their exploration again. “He was telling the truth. Tricky, your family. I like that.” She lifted her head and met his mouth, drawing him onto her as her legs entwined with his.

  “You’ve almost got it.” He groaned as her hips rotated against him, the teasing glint in her eyes all the encouragement he needed to eke out the final piece of the puzzle. “But you missed someone.” He kissed her. “Nemesis is a three-person job.”

  “Three . . . person . . . oh, God. Mmmm.” She arched off the bed, pressing her breasts against his chest as he pressed himself against her. “Jesus, I can’t think.” She lifted a h
and to her face only to drop it on the nightstand to grab a foil packet. Second later, he pushed forward. “You’re not letting me . . .” she panted. “Screw it. We’ll talk later.” She clasped his face between her hands, kissed him so softly his mind emptied except for thoughts of her, the scent of jasmine dancing off her skin Then she locked her feet at the base of his spine and pulled him in hard, driving him into her so fast and so deeply they both groaned. “Much, much later.”

  ***

  “I’m too tired to guess.” Laurel set her take-out box on the coffee table in the sitting room and flopped down beside Nathan on the couch. “Stay over there!” She held out her hand when he inched toward her, the grin on his face touching something so deep within her, she ached. “I need food before you touch me again. It can’t be Malcolm. He hasn’t been in town long enough and Nemesis has been—”

  “So you give up?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “I don’t get points for guessing who two-thirds of Nemesis is?”

  “I gave you your points.” He flipped open his own box and pulled out a double cheeseburger topped with fried jalapeños. “Stop pouting. Or I’ll tell my sister you didn’t have enough faith in her to think she was worthy of being part of Nemesis.”

  “Your sister!” Laurel smacked a hand against her thigh, which was half-covered by Nathan’s discarded shirt. She’d claimed it for herself the second she’d climbed out of his bed, leaving him to pull on his boxers and set her body to humming all over again. “Sheila. Of course.” Why hadn’t she made that connection?

  “What makes you think it’s not Morgan?”

  “Like that woman has the time.” She plucked up an onion ring and bit in. And here she thought Nathan could make her swoon. It was so nice to have her appetite back. “So, what? You guys take turns when it comes to breaking in?”