He chuckles. “So are you, princess.”
She doesn’t say anything to this and lets him hug her as waves of guilt wash over her.
They hold each other for a while until Blair finally pulls away.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” Nathan asks, looking down at her.
“No, I can’t. I wish I could, but I can’t talk about this.”
“I’m a good listener.”
“I know you are.” She meets his eyes, steady and calm.
His voice softens as he takes her hand. “Blair, I’m here for you. You can tell me anything.”
She lets out her breath. “Not this.”
“Why? What could be so bad?”
“I just can’t talk to you about this.”
He’s still studying her with compassion, trying to understand, when suddenly his whole demeanor changes. His jaw tightens. “Think I get it.”
“Get what?”
“What has you all worked up.” He lets go of her hand. “This is about him, isn’t it?”
“Who?” Blair is baffled.
“The dipshit. That guy you’re apparently still in love with.”
Blair doesn’t know what to say, though she knows what she wants to say. Nathan, it’s you! You’re the dipshit!
“Blair, I thought we had . . . something going here.”
“We do.”
“Then why are you still thinking about that guy?”
She shakes her head and sighs. “I’m not. This has nothing to do with him. It’s just other stuff, stuff with my family.” What’s one more lie? I’m already hip-deep in them anyway.
“Oh.” Nathan goes still with what appears to be embarrassment. “Guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
“That’s all right.”
“I have an idea that might help, though.” He takes her hand again.
“You do?”
“Yeah, definitely.” Leaning in close, he grins. “How about I make you some authentic Hungarian goulash?”
Blair keeps her apron on and helps Nathan by chopping onions as he works with the beef. Some of the other ingredients appear to be bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, paprika, and lard.
“Lard?” she asks. “Do Hungarians have a lot of clogged arteries?”
Nathan smirks. “Don’t know, but it’s the way Judit and Bandi showed me how to make goulash. You won’t care once you taste how good it is.”
The onions are making her eyes water, and she keeps wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. Nathan turned on Tori’s iPod, still in its docking bay, so Heart’s “What About Love” is playing on the stereo as they cook.
“My sister should have been a teenager in the ’80s,” he muses, cutting the beef into small cubes on the wood board.
All three of the dogs are hanging out in the kitchen, watching them, hoping for scraps.
“I know.” Blair laughs with agreement. “I’ve always thought she would have fit in perfectly.” Tori loves vibrant-colored clothes, big hair, and of course all those ’80s bands.
Nathan eyes the dogs then finally feeds each of them some cubed beef, which they gobble up in two seconds.
“Sucker,” she says. “Now those dogs will never leave you alone.”
He glances down at Eddie, Duff, and Tommy Lee. “Look at those faces, though.”
Blair smiles down at the dogs. They’re watching Nathan’s every movement with soulful eyes. Each one of them was a hard-luck case from an animal shelter, and it makes Blair happy to see them all so well-cared for.
“They’re hard to resist,” she agrees.
“So, how’s your OCD doing anyway?” he asks. “Other than today.”
She sighs. “It’s been fine. Better than fine, actually.” It occurs to her that her OCD has improved lately.
“No more checking toaster cords or front door locks?” he teases. “Lining up fridge items?”
“Just a little bit.” Blair thinks about how she’s been rechecking locks lately, but it’s mostly because of that Chase guy who’s been calling Tori. She wonders if she should mention it to Nathan. Tori won’t like it, but Blair decides to anyway.
“There’s this weird thing happening lately with some guy calling Tori.”
Nathan looks up from giving the dogs more beef. “What do you mean?”
So Blair tells him about Tori dating Chase and how he won’t leave her alone. “He calls Tori every day wanting to see her again.”
Nathan listens with concern. “What does Tori say?”
“She says he’s young and harmless and thinks he’ll fade away like the others.”
“My sister is too damn nice sometimes.” He frowns and shakes his head.
“I know. I’m not trying to alarm you, but I just thought I should tell someone.”
“Yeah, I’m glad you told me. I’ll talk to her. Maybe I need to have a conversation with this guy.”
Nathan takes the onions she chopped and adds them to the lard already melted in the pot, lets them brown before adding the garlic and beef.
They chop the rest of the vegetables and Blair asks Nathan if he wants a beer.
“Sure.”
She takes her apron off and grabs two bottles, uncaps them, and hands one over. Then she leans back against the counter to sip her beer and admire Nathan’s perfect backside as he continues to cook. She realizes there’s something about him that both excites and calms her at the same time.
When everything is finally set up and simmering in the big pot, he turns around. “That should do it for now.”
“How long does it have to simmer?”
“Couple hours.”
“Really? That’s a while.”
“It is.” He steps closer.
“Do you want to play Scrabble? Or how about a nice game of Old Maid?”
He smirks. “Think I have a better idea how we can pass the time.”
“You do?” Her eyes go wide as she feigns innocence.
He puts his hand on her hips and pulls her in. “Where did that apron go? Thought you looked real cute in it.”
Her breath catches.
“Turning me on, babe.”
Blair laughs with surprise. “It was?”
He nods then bends his head to kiss her. She opens her mouth to his, lets their tongues stroke each other as her arms tighten around his neck, and the kiss goes from sweet to dirty very fast.
“Damn, you taste good,” he murmurs, his hand gripping her ass. “Feel good, too.”
She leans closer and bites his lip. He growls with approval and they kiss some more, but then Blair notices something. “Um, I think we have an audience.” She motions downward. All three dogs—Eddie, Duff, and Tommy Lee—are staring up at them with rapt attention. Tongues lolling.
Nathan looks down and grins. “Guess these boys like to watch.”
“Yes, that’s what troubles me.”
He laughs. “Sorry, guys.”
Nathan takes her hand and they leave the kitchen, with him stopping by the entryway to pick up his leather backpack. When they get to her room, he closes the door.
“Poor doggies,” Blair says, getting onto the bed. “I think we disappointed them.”
“Probably.” He drops his backpack next to the nightstand then climbs on the bed beside her. “Don’t care, though, because nothing is getting in the way of you and me right now.”
And then without another word, he reaches for her. They kiss with frantic passion, neither of them bothering to contain themselves. Nathan is on top of her and Blair can barely think straight as everything about him fills her senses—his taste, smell, the weight of his body. All so amazing.
God.
She knows he’s been holding out waiting for her, but it’s a wonder she’s held out this long, too. It doesn’t take but a few minutes before they’ve stripped each other naked, and Nathan is reaching down into his backpack for the box of condoms. He tears one open, slides it on, their frantic sexual energy still filling the room. Blai
r can’t remember if she’s ever wanted it like this before.
And then he’s on top of her again, pushing inside, and they’re both groaning with pleasure.
It’s so good.
She’s half out of her mind when she notices Nathan watching her face. He bends down to kiss her as she grabs his back, but then he pulls away abruptly. His lips part as he starts shaking his head. She’s confused at first, but when he clutches her ass and starts groaning again she understands.
He’s already coming.
“Shit,” he mutters, still breathing hard. “Can’t believe this.”
“It’s okay,” she gulps, trying to catch her breath, too. She puts her hand on his jaw. “It happens.”
Nathan rolls off her onto his back, still trying to breathe. “Sorry, babe, I was just really turned on.” He looks over at her. “Been thinking about you a lot.”
“I understand.”
“Fuck.” He snorts. “I even jerked off earlier, not that it did any good. Christ, you probably think I’m lousy in bed again now.”
“Pardon?” Blair is taken aback. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s what you told me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She sits up halfway onto her elbows. “I never said anything like that.”
He nods, chuckling. “You sure did. After you drank all those margaritas, you told me I was the worst lover you ever had.”
“What? There’s no way I would have said something like that!”
“Guess you don’t remember.”
Blair frowns and tries to think back to that night. Was I really that rude? She thought she remembered all the embarrassing stuff, but apparently there’s more.
“Is it true?” Nathan asks. “Was I really the worst you ever had?”
“No.”
“Then why did you say it?”
“I don’t know. I had too many margaritas.”
“For some people, tequila is like truth serum.”
Apparently, I’m one of them.
“Be honest,” he says earnestly. “I can take it.”
“Okay.” Blair lets out a long sigh. “Yes. You were the worst I ever had.”
Nathan nods. “Now, don’t try and candy-coat it to spare my feelings. Just be blunt.”
She grabs a pillow and hits him with it.
He laughs, so she hits him with it again.
“I hope you’re happy,” she says. “Forcing me to tell you that.”
He takes the pillow from her and tosses it aside. Grabs her, pulling her in close, then rolls on top of her again.
“Seriously, babe, just stab me in the heart next time. Be less painful.”
“Maybe I will!”
He laughs some more, but then his laughter dies off and he goes quiet. “How about now?” he wants to know.
“What do you mean?”
“Am I still the worst lover you ever had?”
She looks into his green eyes, sees them flicker with humor, but there’s something else, too. Vulnerability. Blair decides to be honest. I can give him this much truth.
“No, you aren’t the worst I’ve ever had.” She puts her hand to his jaw, then pulls his head closer to whisper, “You’re the best.”
Nathan’s expression goes heated. She can see he likes this, can feel he likes it, too, as his hard-on presses against her thigh.
“Third time is going to be a charm,” he says. “I just know it.”
Blair is confused at first, but then she gets it and can’t help giggling. “I have faith in you.”
“Glad to hear that, princess.”
And then he shows her just how well-deserved that faith is.
“LET’S JUST STAY naked all day,” Nathan murmurs as Blair gets up to put her clothes on again. “Or better yet, you could wear that little apron and nothing else.”
Blair laughs. “Maybe I’ll bake you a cake sometime with that little apron on and nothing else.”
“Mmm, sounds good.”
Blair searches around through the covers for her shirt. She finally finds it on the floor along with her jeans and underwear. “Shouldn’t we go check on the goulash?”
“Yeah, but I still think we should stay naked. We’d be like nudists.” He gets up from the bed and puts his T-shirt on, reaches for his boxers. “No one would see us, except the dogs, and they’d never say anything.”
“Please, those dogs are such blabbermouths. They’ll tell everyone they know we were running around naked.”
He chuckles. “You’re just saying that to get out of it.”
“No, I’m not.” She slips into her jeans. “And, come on, do you really want Eddie, Duff, and Tommy Lee sniffing and licking your balls every two seconds?”
A strangled noise comes from the bed and when Blair turns, Nathan has collapsed onto it, shaking with laughter. “Damn . . . babe,” is all he manages to say before he bursts into another laughing fit.
She laughs, too. “You know they would.”
When they check on the goulash, it still isn’t ready, even though the delicious aroma is drifting through the house.
“The smell is making me hungry,” Blair admits.
“Yeah, me, too.” Nathan stirs the pot then turns the heat down. “Needs more time, though.”
Grabbing a couple of beers, along with some chips and a blanket, they head to the back deck where it’s not quite sunset. Tori has a hammock in her backyard she puts up every year when the weather warms, and Nathan decides that’s where they should hang out.
The lawn is cool against Blair’s toes as she walks over to it, carrying her beer and the blanket she nabbed from the couch.
Nathan gets in first, and then helps Blair climb in so she’s lying half on him and half next to him. They don’t really need the blanket, so he tucks it behind his head like a pillow.
“This is nice and cozy,” she says, as Nathan hands her beer back to her, the hammock rocking a little. “Plus, I like watching the sunset.”
“Reminds me of you.” He puts his hand up to the back of her head.
“Me?”
He nods. “Your hair.”
“You really do like redheads, don’t you?”
“There’s one I especially like.”
They smile at each other, and Blair’s heart swells with joy. She realizes this is the happiest she’s ever been in her entire life.
Without knowing it, Nathan has made all my dreams come true.
After a while, Blair hands him her beer and he puts both bottles along with the potato chips on the ground.
She scoots up a little, slides her fingers to the back of his neck, and leans over to put her mouth near his. “Nathan,” she says softly, still enjoying the sound of his name. She kisses him on the lips first, then his cheeks, nose, and chin. Kisses him all over. Can feel him smiling the whole time.
Finally, Blair looks into his face. His eyes are closed, so she admires him. Runs her finger over his handsome features, tracing all the contours. Over his brow, forehead, and down his nose. Traces lightly over the bump where he broke it as a kid.
“Do you still remember how this happened?” she asks, curious.
“How what happened?”
“When you broke your nose. You fell off your bike when you were a kid?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “That’s right.”
“How well do you remember it?”
Nathan shifts position, so he’s lying more on his back and she’s on her side looking at his profile, her arm draped across his chest. “I remember it real well.”
“What happened?”
He glances at her then gazes up at the sky. “I was riding my bike on the street, going too fast, not paying attention. The bike skidded against the curb and I lost control. Fell off and hit my face right on the cement.”
“How old were you?”
“Nine.”
Blair shakes her head. “Was there a lot of blood?”
He nods. “Yeah, hurt like a sonof
abitch, too. My mom had to take me to the ER, where they set it, but it healed with a bump. Told us later we could have a plastic surgeon fix it, but I didn’t want to.”
“Why not?”
He shrugs. “Just didn’t.”
They’re both quiet after this while Blair studies the hawkish profile from his once-broken nose.
Nathan closes his eyes. “No.” He lets out his breath. “That’s not what really happened.”
“What do you mean?”
He turns, so he’s looking into her eyes. “I’ve been telling that same story for so many years. Truth is one of my mom’s drunk boyfriends threw a full bottle of beer at me and hit me in the face.”
“What?” Blair goes completely still.
“Broke my nose.”
“Oh, my God,” she whispers.
Nathan doesn’t say anything more as Blair stares at him in shock.
“And you were only nine?”
“That’s right.”
She can barely breathe. “He could have killed you!”
“Yeah, lucky he didn’t, huh?”
“I’m so sorry.” She puts her hand to his cheek. “I don’t even know what to say.” Blair can barely wrap her mind around how terrible it is.
“Not much to say.”
“Baby, you didn’t deserve that. You know that, right?”
“I know.” He licks his lips. “My mom made up that bike story on the way to the ER, and it’s the same one I’ve been using all this time.”
“That’s so horrible.” Blair’s eyes fill with tears and she wishes she could do something.
Nathan is still watching her. “Never told the truth to anyone before.”
“I’m glad you told me.”
He nods, puts his thumb up to her cheek and wipes some of her tears away. “That’s not even the worst part.”
“How can that not be the worst part?”
“The worst part is nothing happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“To him—Curtis, my mom’s boyfriend.” He shakes his head. “Didn’t expect her to call the cops, but I expected her to throw him out. Instead, he lived with us for another year. We all just pretended the bike story was true.”
Blair’s mouth opens, but no words come out. And to think she’s always liked his mom. She knew Lori had problems and was attracted to asshole men, but never realized it was this bad.
Return of the Jerk (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 2) Page 28
