Return of the Jerk (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 2)

by Simonne, Andrea

  “Stop holding back.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You are,” he breathes. “I can tell.”

  She closes her eyes.

  “Don’t hold back from me,” he whispers. “I want to see everything.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  She senses his confusion. “Babe, I do. I want to watch you come like this, with me inside you.”

  Blair is worried, though. Worried he’ll see all the love bottled up for years, spilling out.

  “Come on, Blair.”

  She swallows, tries to catch her breath. Nathan is already moving again, and she realizes she doesn’t have a choice anyway.

  When her climax comes, it hits her like a tidal wave, a tsunami washing over her, through her, sucking her under. No more hiding anything. And in that instant, she doesn’t care if he sees the truth because all she can think is how grateful she is. Grateful to be with him in this moment. It’s love. There’s no shame in that. So, what else matters?

  Nathan’s gaze is fixed on her, his laser focus bright as a diamond. He looks stunned. Eyes open wide as she takes him inside her. And Blair realizes he sees it all, but he doesn’t understand it.

  Then his face changes. His mouth goes into an almost grimace—not with pain, but too much pleasure. Nathan is lost in her. Grabbing her hips hard, he groans and it’s like something torn from him.

  Afterwards, he doesn’t collapse against the seat, but is kissing her instead. Holding her head with both hands as he kisses her with a crazy passion she’s never seen before. When he breaks the kiss, he wraps his arms around her, hugs her tight, still vibrating. She runs her hands down his back, damp with sweat, trying to soothe him.

  It should be me who’s shaking.

  But it’s not, and instead she feels strangely calm. At ease. Blair realizes it’s because in her own way, for the first time in her life, she was finally honest with him.

  As they head back to her condo, Nathan keeps glancing over at her, his gaze lingering. Blair suspects he’s trying to make sense of what just happened between them in the car. As they take the elevator upstairs, she discovers she’s glad to be home, excited even. That is until she walks through the front door.

  “I don’t believe this!” Blair’s mouth falls open in shock as she looks around. Her condo is a mess, and not just because of her OCD—it’s a mess by anybody’s standards. “I’ve barely been gone a week. Can’t you guys at least clean up after yourselves?”

  “Babe, I’ve been trying. It’s Fiona who’s the slob.”

  Blair doesn’t know what to say. There are takeout boxes on every surface. Clothes and papers piled in haphazard stacks. She knows he’s partly telling the truth, sees that most of this mess is Fiona’s, though he’s not exactly innocent, either.

  “This is unbelievable,” Blair says. “I expect you guys to clean up this catastrophe!”

  “Sure, course.” Nathan is nodding.

  She resists the urge to start cleaning herself, and instead searches around for Mr. Maurice, finally finds him curled up on her bed. “There you are.” She sits down and the cat gets up, stretches his lithe body before finally coming over to let her pet him.

  Nathan sits on the bed next to her, and as she pets the cat, Nathan pets her. Running his hand down her arm, nuzzling her neck.

  “That tickles.” She can’t help laughing.

  “Take your sweater off.”

  Blair ignores him, though, and strokes Mr. Maurice instead, even though he’s already climbing over her lap trying to get at Nathan.

  “Mr. Maurice seems perfectly fine.”

  “Course he is. Now that you’re here.”

  She gives Nathan a look. “Tell me the truth. Did you make this whole thing up just so I’d come over?”

  His expression goes lazy. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She raises a skeptical brow.

  “Mr. Maurice was missing you,” he says, trying to push the cat away, who seems desperate to get to him.

  Blair watches as her cat finally makes it past Nathan’s hand and onto his lap.

  “He’s been forlorn,” Nathan insists, while Mr. Maurice purrs loudly with relief at having reached his destination.

  “I can see that.”

  “Don’t know what’s gotten into him all of a sudden.” Nathan tries to look earnest. “Guess he’s cheerful ‘cause you’re here.”

  Blair smiles. “God, you are the worst liar ever.”

  “What? I’m not lying.”

  “You’re terrible at it.”

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” He finally gives in and pets the cat. “And for your information, I’m a great liar.”

  Blair only shakes her head and laughs.

  They both continue to pet Mr. Maurice for a little while and even though her cat clearly prefers Nathan, she’s glad to see he’s okay.

  Lucky for you, Mr. Maurice, I understand your obsession.

  “All right,” Blair sighs. “I guess you can take me back to Tori’s now.”

  “What?” Nathan stops petting the cat and stares at her. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m going back to Tori’s tonight.”

  “The hell you are.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  Nathan goes silent, and she can see he doesn’t like this. He gently pushes the cat off his lap. “We just went over all this.”

  “I know and I’m still staying at Tori’s.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Blair gets up off the bed. Nathan doesn’t move, just sits there with a scowl.

  “You have to drive me back.” She wonders if she should grab more clothes, but figures she’ll get them when she visits her cat next time.

  He shakes his head. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I need to.” She realizes it’s bizarre, but it’s like she’s following an instinct. All she knows is that if there’s a chance for them, it has to be this way.

  “Jesus Christ.” Nathan lets out his breath, gets up off the bed. “This situation is ridiculous.”

  “IS THAT CHASE calling again?” Blair asks. She’s been staying at Tori’s for a few weeks now, and this Chase guy has been calling almost every day.

  Tori sighs and turns her phone off. “Yes, he’s persistent.”

  “Too persistent. I don’t like it.”

  “He’ll get the message eventually. They always do.”

  Blair frowns. Tori is so sweet and pretty, but for some reason, just like her mom, she seems to attract asshole men. Unlike her mom, though, Tori wants nothing to do with them.

  Tori sighs. “I wish I would meet someone nice. It’s romantic the way you and my brother have been dating. I’ve never seen him act this way with anyone before.”

  Blair can’t help her smile. It’s true, since she’s been staying here, Nathan has been quite solicitous in his pursuit of her. She’s not sure what’s gotten into him, either. They’ve been going to the movies, to dinner, for walks around Green Lake. And he keeps bringing her little gifts. Flowers or scarves for her hair. The other day, he brought her a pint of her favorite ice cream from a local shop she likes.

  “Are you guys going out tonight to celebrate?” Tori asks.

  They’re sitting on the back deck where Tori is working on her computer. Apparently, she does a fair amount of work for Nathan’s blog, something Blair never knew until she moved in.

  Nathan has been coming over directly from the garage, though Blair doesn’t let him stay the night. Lately, they’ve been hanging out on the couch watching TV, or Blair reads while Nathan naps beside her. She’s starting to suspect it’s the only sleep he’s getting. Apparently, Brody is paying him for the work now, since one of his mechanics quit and he’s down a man. Nathan is filling in until Brody finds a replacement. It’s ironic because they’re basically in the same place they were years ago. He’s working at the garage while she lives with Tori.

  “Celebrate what?”

 
; “You haven’t seen this?” Tori turns her computer toward Blair.

  “What is it?”

  “Road’s book has made it onto The New York Times best seller’s list.”

  Blair’s mouth drops open. “Oh, my God! He hasn’t said a word!” She stares at the screen in amazement and sees Edge of Zen by Road Church at number seventeen.

  “Fiona emailed me about it a little while ago. Pretty cool, huh?”

  When Nathan shows up after work, he’s pleased, but typically mellow and understated about the whole thing. “Yeah, Fiona called me.”

  “You’re both a mechanic and a bestselling author,” Blair jokes. “Talk about eccentric.”

  He chuckles. “A real renaissance man.”

  After Nathan uses the shower, Blair sits in her bedroom with him. He’s rummaging through his leather backpack for a change of clothes as she admires his muscular back. His perfect ass is currently wearing white boxers. Only Nathan could make a pair of white boxers look this good.

  “This is kind of a big deal,” she says as he gets dressed. “I think we should go out and celebrate, don’t you?”

  “Sure.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  He grins. “Rent a hotel room and have sex all night.”

  Blair laughs. “I’m serious.”

  “So am I.”

  “Aren’t you excited about this? It’s not every day your book is a New York Times best seller. We should have a fancy dinner or something.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, babe. It’s great news, but it’s not like it’s at number one.”

  Blair blinks. “Are you actually complaining?”

  “No, just saying.”

  “That it’s not number one?”

  “Right.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You’re never satisfied.”

  He chuckles and gets on the bed, playfully pushing her onto her back. “Sure could use some satisfaction,” he murmurs before kissing her.

  She puts her hand up to his hair, still damp from the shower. The scent of coconut shampoo drifts toward her.

  “You should move back home tonight,” he says. “Because that would be something to celebrate.”

  She’s amazed at his persistence. Nathan asks her to move back every day. “I’ve already told you, not yet.”

  “How much longer is this going to go on?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Babe, I’m living with Fiona. Think about that for a second.”

  Blair laughs.

  “Yeah, real funny when it’s not happening to you.” He shakes his head with exaggerated anguish. “How has this strangeness come to pass?”

  “Is she still weeping every night?”

  “Course. Though, I think there’s progress with Sachi. She came over the other morning and visited for a while.”

  “Really? Wow, I wish I could meet her.”

  “She’s nice. Think you’d like her.” He rolls over onto his back and props himself up on his elbows, lets out a deep sigh as his eyes wander the bedroom. “Maybe I should just move in here.”

  “You can’t.”

  “Why, because you won’t let me?”

  “Yes, but also because of Mr. Maurice.”

  He shrugs. “I’d just bring him along.”

  “He’d never be able to handle Tori’s dogs.”

  Nathan nods slowly. “You’re right, those dogs would be too much for him. He’d need cat therapy after that.”

  They eye each other, and Nathan’s gaze lingers like he doesn’t want to look away. Blair has noticed him doing this a lot. She used to sneak glances at him, but now finds whenever she does, he’s already looking at her.

  “How about this,” he says. “Let’s go away for the weekend.”

  Blair smiles. “Uh-oh. Is the travel blogger getting restless?”

  “Yeah, I am. We should take a trip together. Be fun.” He rolls on his side toward her again and runs his hand down her hip. “Plus, I want to get you alone somewhere and have my way with you.”

  “You already did that,” she teases.

  He snorts. “One time. Two weeks ago. We need a firm mattress and a lot of hours together.” He gets a sly grin. “Plus, it’s been ages since I’ve visited Red Willow Valley.”

  Blair closes her eyes for a second and lets out her breath. He’s got me there. “What happened to being a gentleman and giving me space?”

  Nathan goes quiet as his laser focus turns on. “Aren’t I being a gentleman?” he asks softly.

  And she has to admit he is in every way. She gets the feeling Nathan has been trying to woo her in the manner he thinks she’s used to or maybe expects. The whole good girl thing. They haven’t had sex at all, not since they did it in Isadora, though they’ve made out a few times. She senses Nathan is waiting for her to give the okay. Of course, it’s clear he’s hoping she gives the okay soon.

  “Yes, you are being quite the gentleman.” She puts her hand up to his jaw and lets herself fall into his green eyes—warm as a summer day. She wishes she could gaze into them forever. “As a result, I’m inviting you to stay the night here on Saturday.”

  “You are?” His brows go up.

  “We’ll have the house to ourselves. Tori is staying at Kiki’s for some kind of bridesmaid wedding thing.” Blair was invited, too, but declined.

  “This Saturday?”

  She nods.

  “Thank God.” He lets out his breath and closes his eyes. When he opens them, he’s grinning. “Hallelujah.”

  Blair has four cakes to deliver on Saturday, but things go smoothly so she’s back at Tori’s by one. Two of the cakes were Ginger’s, and it was fun watching her protégée step out on her own for the first time. Ginger was nervous, but handled herself well.

  At the store, Blair picks up a few snacks along with some beer. Nathan already told her he planned to bring the groceries since he wanted to make Hungarian goulash, something he learned from that couple he lived with in Budapest.

  “I want you to have fun while I’m gone,” Tori says as she folds up her bathrobe and tucks it into her overnight bag. “But please, don’t divulge too many details when I get back.”

  Blair laughs. “All right.” She’s sitting in Tori’s bedroom keeping her company, along with the boys—Eddie, Duff, and Tommy Lee. They seem to sense their mama is going somewhere.

  “Seriously, I’m glad my brother is finally seeing what was right under his nose for years.” Tori smiles. “And I like the way you call him Nathan instead of Road.”

  “It’s who he is.”

  Tori’s eyes soften. “I can see you’re in love with him.”

  Blair, who’s petting Eddie, the golden retriever, flashes up at her. “Is it that obvious?”

  “To me—yes. I doubt he knows, though. Men are so dense. But I think you should tell him how you feel.”

  “Really?” Blair’s eyes widen. “You don’t think that would freak him out?”

  “Maybe.” Tori thinks about it for a second. “I don’t know, maybe not. It’s so cute the way he acts around you.”

  “I doubt I have the nerve to tell him the truth.” Actually, Blair feels lightheaded with terror at the thought of telling Nathan her true feelings. “He’d probably run for the hills like he was being chased by wolves.”

  Tori laughs. “Hopefully, he’s smarter than that.”

  Blair thinks about how she hadn’t seen Nathan in five years before all this. He didn’t run because she professed her love, but he sure did run from their marriage. Fast and far, too.

  After Tori leaves, Blair gets ready for Nathan. She spends too much time blow-drying her hair, too much time on her makeup, and finally way too much time picking out something to wear. Basically killing herself to achieve the unattainable. Perfection. Her old enemy. Somewhere in her mind, she realizes, she’s still competing with his Skank Factor X girlfriends.

  Every one of them was as mean as a rattlesnake, but unfortunately, they were all knockouts.

&nb
sp; She can’t get what Tori said out of her mind—how she should tell Nathan her true feelings. But how can I? She’s too scared. Scared of what he’ll say. What if he feels sorry for her? Or even worse, pity?

  I couldn’t handle that.

  Another part of herself, the brave part, wonders if it’s a mistake not to tell him.

  He’s the only man I’ll ever love. Shouldn’t I tell him the truth at least once? What kind of ridiculous coward am I?

  But then she realizes she can’t tell him the truth, because then she’d have to come clean about all of it. About what she did to him, and the reason he had to marry her to begin with.

  He can never find out about that.

  The thought makes her blood run cold.

  My God. He’d hate me.

  By the time Nathan arrives at four, she’s obsessed about it so much that she’s worked herself into a state. In fact, the first words out of his mouth when she opens the door aren’t ‘hello’ or ‘hey, babe’ but—

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong!” She tries to smile, but her compulsive thoughts are like a train run off its rails. She’s already decided to wash all the towels and was starting in on scrubbing Tori’s refrigerator. The dogs were following her around, though they seem mostly baffled.

  “Is Tori still here?”

  “No, she left.”

  Nathan studies her. She’s wearing one of her frilly aprons over the blouse and turquoise capris she decided on. “What are you doing?”

  “Scrubbing the inside of Tori’s refrigerator.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  Because I’m terrified of all these secrets I’m keeping from you.

  “I don’t want anyone to get food poisoning.”

  Nathan keeps studying her. “Did something happen?”

  “No, I’m just having a little . . . fit.” She shifts uncomfortably. “Sort of.”

  “You’re having a fit?”

  She nods then swallows. “Yes.”

  Nathan is still holding the groceries, but he puts them down right there in the entryway. “Come here, babe.”

  Blair goes to him and he pulls her in, hugging her tight. Her eyes sting. “God, you’re so nice,” she chokes out.