The guy had a hold on her elbow urging her toward the front exit. Nate had never seen Liberty look so out of it. She could barely put one foot in front of the other.
“Angel, I have to go. Take care.”
Nate shoved his phone into his pocket, bumping into people as he shouldered his way through a crowd that had formed not too far from the entrance. Liberty didn’t know this man. And Nate knew that because the guy had sidle up to her after watching her from the end of the bar for the first thirty minutes after her arrival.
There was no way in hell he was letting her leave with the guy.
“Where do you think you’re going with her?” Nate asked, blocking their path.
“Who the hell are you?” The man pulled her roughly against his body and Liberty sagged against him, her head dropping to his shoulder.
“I’m a friend of hers, and I can’t let you take her out of here. Liberty,” Nate called her name. Her eyes were partially closed, but seeing him, she blinked several times as if trying to figure out if he was really standing in front of her.
He reached for her hand. “Liberty, can you hear me?” He moved closer.
“Na—Nate,” she whispered, barely able to hold her head up.
The man turned her away as if protecting a toy from getting taken. “Dude, get the hell away from us, and mind your own damn business.”
“She is my business. So you need to let her go.” Liberty slurred something else that Nate couldn’t understand. “Do you want to leave with him?” Nate asked her.
She started to shake her head but stopped and grabbed it. “No. I’m…I’m so tired.”
That was all Nate needed to hear. “Let. Her. Go,” he growled through gritted teeth, his voice carrying a lethal edge as he held onto the hand Liberty extended to him. He didn’t want to make a scene, but he would if it meant keeping them from walking out. It had been a long time since Nate took a swing at anyone.
“Is there a problem over here?” Jerry stepped into view to the right of Nate.
The man’s eyes grew large. Jerry could be intimidating standing well over six feet tall. His muscular frame was like that of a bodybuilder’s.
Nick approached from the left, and Nate figured the others were pretty close by as well. Rarely did any of them get into jams, but family first had been drilled into them since birth. Nate found it comforting to know they always had his back.
The guy holding onto Liberty looked from one to the other before glaring at Nate. “Shit. She ain’t worth all of this.” He shoved her against Nate and stormed away.
Liberty gripped the front of Nate’s shirt tightly, her head resting heavily against his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ve got you, baby.” Nate scooped her limp body into his arms and headed for the door.
Now, what to do with her.
Chapter Seven
Nate held Liberty close to his body as he carried her up the stairs to his guest room, relishing in how good she felt in his arms. He almost chuckled thinking that he had only carried a woman to bed, literally, twice in his life. Each of those times happened to be the same woman—Liberty.
Stepping onto the second-floor landing and heading down the long hallway, Nate wondered if bringing her to his house was a good idea. But where else could he take her? She had fallen asleep in his car before they even left the bar’s parking lot. He’d been such a jerk each time they were together, he knew nothing about her except what little she revealed during her break down earlier. Since her driver’s license still had a Chicago address, he had no clue where she lived. Did she have any family in town? Did she know anyone besides him?
More damn questions.
The only thing he knew for sure was that he was glad he’d been at Teddy’s tonight. Anything could have happened to her. When Jaz had caught his attention, and nodded toward Liberty leaving with that guy, every protective instinct within Nate kicked into gear. He had no right to be so possessive, but there was no way he could let her walk out of that building with a random stranger.
Nate entered the semi-dark guest room, lit only by the moonlight shining through the window and casting a soft glow over the room. He gently deposited Liberty onto the queen-sized bed. The moment her body touched the mattress, she turned onto her side.
A smile touched his lips. Seeing her curl into the ball reminded him of how she used to sleep in that position when they were together. Except then her ass had always been rubbed up against his crotch.
Nate shook the memory free. No sense in going down that road. It was a lifetime ago.
He turned her onto her back. Carefully, he lifted her upper body in order to remove the small, over the shoulder purse from around her and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. Her shoes were next. After setting them on the floor, Nate covered her with a lightweight blanket and stared down at her sleeping form. She was still one of the most beautiful women he’d ever known. She looked so peaceful and…tiny in the large bed. He had a sudden urge to kiss her tempting lips, but instead he pushed some of the strands of her disheveled hair away from her face. Taking in the softness of her features a feeling he couldn’t identify lodged in his chest.
God, he missed her. Even being angry that she had walked away, there were so many times that he thought about her, wondered what she was up to, and if she was happy.
He didn’t know how long he stood watching her. Tempted to camp out in the chair that sat in the corner to make sure she was all right, he nixed the idea. The last thing he needed was to catch feelings for her. Instead he closed the curtains and turned on the light in the attached bathroom just in case she woke in the middle of the night.
He headed for the door but stopped and glanced over his shoulder at his guest. After graduation, Nate thought he would never see her again. Now fate had brought her back into his life and he wanted to know everything about her.
“No time like the present,” he mumbled as he headed downstairs. He made a cup of coffee and carried it to his office. When he set it in the corner on the desk, his cell phone vibrated.
Nate dug the device from his pocket before dropping down in his desk chair. “Hello.”
“So, did you get sleeping beauty settled into your bed okay?” Nate didn’t miss the humor in his brother’s voice.
He brought the coffee mug up to his lips and took a tentative sip before responding. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Liberty is not in my bed. She’s in the guest room.”
“Are you sure it was a good idea to take her to your house?”
“Nick, what else was I supposed to do? What would you have done?”
After a long hesitation, he said, “Probably the same thing. If she’s new to town, I’m a little surprised she would go to a bar alone and then get drunk.”
Nate had similar thoughts. “I looked through her cell phone and there were only a couple of contacts in it. I didn’t bother calling either of them since I couldn’t tell whether any of them were family or friends in town.”
“You sure you want to get wrapped up in this woman again? She already screwed you once. Why give her the chance to do it again?”
“I’m not getting wrapped up into anything. All I did was stop her from leaving with some random guy and give her a place to lay her head. That’s all.”
Nate wanted to believe his own words, but deep down inside, he knew it was already too late. On the ride to his house, he kept stealing glances at her in the passenger seat. Liberty was a gorgeous woman who once was full of life. During the ride, he recalled how close they used to be and how much he had missed her. Seeing her again brought all the old feelings, good and bad, back.
“Tammy pointed out that Liberty ran out of J & S twice with red eyes. That doesn’t sound like your usual MO, my brotha. Maybe you’re losing your touch,” Nick cracked.
“Maybe.” Neither encounter with Liberty since her return had been normal. What worried Nate most was that she still had a strong effect on him. For years he’d been successfu
l at keeping women at a distance, but Liberty had been back a few days and already his protective instincts had kicked in where she was concerned.
“I’m not sure what’s going on with her, but based on our…conversation earlier,” he said for a lack of a better way to describe her breakdown, “she’s had some rough years.”
“What happened to her?”
“I’m not totally sure, but I plan to find out.”
Once he ended the call, Nate slid the chair back and pulled a lock box from the bottom desk drawer. Unlocking the metal case and moving some of the important documents aside, his gaze landed on the black velvet box that used to taunt him.
When he flipped open the jewelry box, his pulse amped up as memories rushed through his mind. The simple one carat diamond solitaire twinkled under the office light. Nate still remembered the day he had purchased the ring. It hadn’t been exactly what he’d wanted to get, but at the time it had been all he could afford. He hadn’t thought about the piece of jewelry in years.
He sat back in the seat still staring at the ring. At the time of purchase, he and Liberty had only known each other for four months. Their connection had been immediate, like nothing he had ever experienced with a woman. He just knew she was the one for him. They had discussed plans for after graduation only weeks before, but during exams and the days leading up to his graduation, they hadn’t seen much of each other. A text message here and there was at times their only communication.
So many plans.
Nate had been accepted into Xavier University for grad school, and he and Liberty had planned to have a long-distance relationship until after she graduated. She’d had one more year before completing her undergrad. After that, she intended to go to law school.
With them both having their own set of goals, Liberty didn’t think they could maintain their relationship, especially long distance. That was why Nate had planned to propose to her before he graduated from Northwestern. He wanted to prove to her that he had been serious about their relationship and about them being together forever.
But he never got the chance to propose. Never got the chance to recite the speech he had spent endless hours to perfect.
I love you, Nate, but I married Isaac yesterday.
Those words still haunted him. How could she love him, but marry someone else?
Nate slammed the box shut and clutched it within his hand, trying not to hurl it across the room. His gut churned just thinking about how she had betrayed him. But even remembering the pain she had caused, Nate still couldn’t stop thinking about her meltdown earlier.
“What did Isaac do to her?”
Nate returned the ring to the metal box, locked it and shoved the container into the drawer. He hadn’t done a Google search on Isaac and the Culpepper family since weeks after graduation, but tonight was as good of time as ever.
Isaac had come from old money and Nate could understand why Liberty might have left him for the guy. Culpepper could give her the fairytale lifestyle that Nate hadn’t been able to offer at the time. If her breakdown was any indication, life hadn’t been as glamorous as either of them thought it would be.
Typing her maiden name into the computer, nothing on her came up. Nate tried Isaac Culpepper. As expected, there were a number of articles on him and his family. Nate didn’t give a damn about his family. All he wanted was information about Kayla.
“No, not Kayla, Liberty,” he grumbled into the quietness of his office. Scrolling down the list of hits, he stopped.
Trouble in Paradise for the Culpepper Heir
Nate’s chest tightened and he clinched his hands into fists when he saw a photo of Isaac and Liberty. The sadness in her eyes was almost his undoing. She had always seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, but the haunted look in her gaze said something different.
Nate quickly scanned the article which had been published six years earlier. According to the reporter, the couple had been married for seven years at the time. They’d been attending a charity event, and the photographer had caught them in a fiery argument.
Nate studied the photo carefully not liking the way Isaac was gripping her arm, as if trying to keep her from walking away. The long evening gown Liberty wore draped over her slim, but curvy body like it had been made especially for her. Diamonds dripped from her ear lobes and around her neck. She might’ve looked absolutely stunning in the navy-blue dress, but she was clearly unhappy.
Continuing to peruse the article, Nate’s irritation turned into disbelief.
Liberty on drugs? No way. There was no way in hell she’d use drugs, at least not intentionally. Would she? Nate had noticed some changes in her, but…
My life has been a living hell. Her words rattled through his mind as he continued reading. Drunken stupor. Drugs. Three days missing.
Nate rubbed his hand over his mouth, deep in thought. He didn’t believe half the things written in an article, but what if it had been true? That would explain her drunkenness tonight, but could she have changed that much?
Nate kept reading and skimmed an article that announced they were divorcing. After being married to a multi-millionaire, shouldn’t she have received a nice settlement in the divorce to where she didn’t have to work?
Liberty’s words from their first encounter came rushing back.
Please don’t do this, she had said.
Why had she seemed so desperate? Was her new job riding on the proposal?
Reading article after article, and seeing more disturbing photos of Liberty, he grew even more concerned. They needed to talk.
Nate shook his head. “No. She is none of my business. She is none of my business,” he repeated over and over. Saying the words out loud did nothing to slow his racing mind. She might not be his business, but…
Liberty had some explaining to do.
Chapter Eight
Liberty opened her eyes slowly, her gaze taking in all she could see without having to turn her head. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to. The stiffness in her body was nothing compared to the feel of a college band marching inside her skull. If that wasn’t bad enough, the saliva in her mouth had dried up like a Nevada desert.
I will never drink again.
Liberty slowly shifted onto her back. Glancing around the room even with her eyes barely open, it was easy to see that nothing looked familiar.
Fear crept through her body and she bolted upright, only to fall over holding her head.
“Dear, God. Just take me now,” she moaned, hoping the pain would subside. “What have I done?”
Bar.
Drinks.
Bruce.
Liberty’s heart rate doubled as panic consumed her. She searched her mind trying to put the pieces together of what took place. Had she really seen Nate last night or had it all been a dream?
“Good, you’re awake.”
Liberty startled at the sound of the familiar voice. So, she hadn’t dreamt him. She had actually heard him the night before.
“I guess I don’t have to ask how you’re feeling.”
The bed dipped when he sat next to her and Liberty met his gaze that was filled with concern. Her body heated with his nearness. Even hungover, that magnetic pull she always felt with him was stronger than ever.
After a long hesitation she said, “Hi.” The deep, raspyness of her voice sounded unfamiliar.
“Hi yourself.” Nate held up a small bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. “I have a feeling you can use these.”
He handed her two capsules, and helped with the water when her hands started shaking. She quickly swallowed the pills.
I’ll never drink again.
“Do you remember anything about last night?”
Lying against the comfortable pillow, she closed her eyes again and huffed. “The parts I remember I’m trying to forget.” She quickly closed her mouth. If the awful taste was any indication, her breath must have been horrid, but Nate didn’t seem to notice.
H
e chuckled. He actually chuckled. Liberty’s heart did a flip-flop inside her chest. The arctic freeze treatment he’d given her the last two times they were together had noticeably thawed. Actually, it had started melting before she left his office the day before, but Liberty was too afraid to hope the years apart had been forgotten. No, she planned to keep her guard up in case the other Nate that had made an appearance a couple of days ago returned.
“Well, if you haven’t figured it out yet, you’re at my place. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to. I’ll have some breakfast for you whenever you come downstairs.”
That last statement sent warmth spreading through her body. Maybe the real Nate was making an appearance. In college, he was one of the most thoughtful people she’d ever met. They were so young, but even at that age, he seemed worldly and mature beyond his years. Charming with a witty sense of humor, good looks and brains, she had fallen for him immediately.
Liberty felt his gaze on her, but didn’t look his way. How could she? This was the second time she had embarrassed herself in front of him in only a few days. And not knowing all that happened the night before left her at a disadvantage.
She released an exhausted sigh and took in her surroundings. The large room was decorated with a brown and white color pallet and was very masculine. The bed, with a leather headboard, took up much of the space, but the room still had space for a comfortable chair and table near the bathroom.
It wasn’t until the mattress shifted beneath her, signaling Nate had stood, did Liberty chance a glance at him.
“I put a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and towels on the counter in the bathroom. You should find everything else you need in there as well. Come on downstairs when you’re ready. I’ll make some coffee.” He flashed his sexy smile before heading out of the room.
“Nate,” Liberty called after he cleared the threshold. He stopped and peeked into the room.
“Yeah?”
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