“Fuck my rule. I broke it already anyway,” he smiled. “I never wanted to break a rule so badly as I have with you, Hallie.” He inhaled a breath, “I never felt like this with anyone.”
I caressed his cheek, “I love you, Nate.”
His lips came down on mine, firm but gentle, as if he was rediscovering me, “I’ve missed you so fucking much, Hallie.”
I laughed, “Me too.” I gripped his shirt again. “I’m sorry I just left. I should have said something, but I--”
“I know, baby,” he pulled me close, holding my head to his shoulder. “I have a reputation. I wouldn’t have risked it either.” He pulled back. “I didn’t risk it, and I had no reason not to. You’re smart, sweet, kind...I should have hunted you down and told you to come back.”
“I wanted you to.”
“Fuck, baby. I’m sorry,” he kissed me again, this time turning the heat up so that not only was my heart feeling happy but all my girlie parts too.
“Nate, no one has tried the pool yet. What do you say about christening it with me?”
His eyes flashed with heat, “I don’t have my swimsuit.”
“Swim in your underwear.”
“I don’t want to get it wet,” his smile was wolfish.
“Then I’ll go in without you,” I unbuttoned the front of my dress, pushing it down until I was in my bra and panties. I stared up at him as I unclasped my bra.
“What are you doing?” his voice was husky.
“It’s my pool, I can swim naked if I want to,” I said, tossing the words he’d said to me when he’d swum naked in his pool back at him.
He groaned, “We won’t make it to the pool.” He whipped his shirt over his head. “I feel like I’ll die if I don’t touch you, Hallie.”
I was now naked in front of him as he undid his pants, “I don’t want you to die.” I led him to a chaise chair and told him to sit. His long legs stretched over the chair. His cock stood straight up, long and hard, and he was right; I was going to die if I didn’t have him soon.
I straddled his thighs, running my hands over his tattooed chest, “You’re the sexiest man that has ever lived.” I leaned over and ran my tongue along his star tattoo and then flicked it over his nipple.
“Good to hear,” he said on a harsh breath. His hands caressed my hips, and I was glad he was letting me run the seduction.
I kissed him, tasting wine and Nate. His fingers brushed over my nipples and then squeezed, making me moan into his mouth.
“I need you, Hallie. I need you to fuck me.”
Those words were my second favorite only to I love you, Hallie. I looked into his sexy dark eyes and saw the truth of his need. His desire for me. His love.
“Yes, sir,” I straddled myself over his long cock and brushed my wet pussy lips over him, aching to feel him inside me.
“Don’t tease me, baby,” his hands gripped my hips, but he didn’t pull me over him. He continued to surrender his pleasure to me.
“No teasing,” I lowered down over him, taking him in inch by slow inch. He filled my body and replenished joy in my soul.
“Oh, fuck yeah,” he said on a long exhale.
When he was fully inside me, his arms banded around me, holding me still. He kissed my shoulder and then my neck, “You’re mine, Hallie. Tell me you’re mine.”
I knew he meant more than just in the physical sense or even love. With him deep inside me, it was two beings merged into one. Our souls were joined. I gladly answered him, “I’m yours, Nate. All yours.”
He lifted his head, looked into my eyes, “Everything I am is yours, Hallie. You’ve completely taken my heart.”
I cradled his face in my hands, “I promise to take good care of it.”
His expression turned serious, “I promise I won’t hurt you. This isn’t like the others. I’ve never loved like this. I can’t guarantee I won’t fuck up somehow, but I’ll never lie or cheat.”
I nodded that I understood, “I know.
His fingers gripped tighter, “It’s important that you understand that. You mean the world to me.”
I smiled, “I can see it in the way you look at me, Nate.”
He let out a relieved breath and then pulled me to him in a kiss. At first, it was slow and sweet, like his words had been. But then his cock pulsed inside me and he turned up the heat on the kiss until I felt it all the way to my toes.
“My dick is aching,” he growled against my lips.
I laughed, “We can’t have that.” With our gazes locked, I slowly lifted my hips and lowered, sliding over his dick. Each time, he thickened, the friction grew more intense.
“Faster, baby,” his hands pushed me to speed up, and wanting to make my man happy, I did. “Ah, fuck, I need to come…” he leaned forward, sucking my nipple into his mouth.
I felt the tug of his lips straight to my pussy. “Nate!” I cried out as I slid up and down and felt myself teeter on the brink of oblivion.
“Come on, Hallie. I need you to come...Christ, I’m nearly there...”
I was riding him hard and fast now, sliding along the sharp edge of desire, “Yes…yes…” and then I was there. With a final thrust of his cock up inside me, I was soaring through bliss.
He yelled out and thrust up again, his warm liquid filled my body. Together we rode out the waves of pleasure until I collapsed on him. His arms wrapped around me, and I couldn’t ever remember feeling so protected and cherished.
“I love you, Hallie. So fucking much.”
I held onto him tighter, “But not as fucking much as I love you.”
“Not possible,” he kissed me again, “but I don’t mind debating it.”
I laughed.
“Now, how about we christen your pool?” he carried me and strode down the steps into the pool. The cool water was a shock, but his hot body against mine kept me warm.
“This house is too much, Nate,” I said as I wrapped my arms and legs around him, buoyed by the water.
“Did you know I have money? More now, since you helped me with the IPO.”
That made me wonder about the fake marriage, which we still weren’t officially out of. But not wanting to bring it up, I didn’t ask.
“That IPO thing doesn’t feel like enough,” I said to him. I wanted to give him something as perfect and wonderful as he’d given me. A fake marriage just didn’t seem to fit the bill.
He looked into my eyes, “Tell me you love me.”
I grinned, “I love you, Nate.”
His face lifted heavenward as if he were savoring my words. He looked at me again, “That makes us even.”
We christened the pool, and later the couch, the kitchen counter, and finally my bedroom, where we took our time touching and tasting, bringing each other pleasure. It reminded me of the last time he’d touched me when it felt like we’d made love. And now I knew that was exactly what it was.
Making it Real
Chapter Twenty-Three: Making it Real
Nate
I woke from a most spectacular dream involving Hallie. At first, my heart dropped as I realized I’d been sleeping. But then I took in my surroundings. This wasn’t my room. Not my bed. I turned my head and saw Hallie’s gorgeous red hair strewn over the pillow next to me. Not a dream. Reality. Halle-fricking-lujah!
I rolled over and moved close to her. I wanted to be near her but not wake her. I’d kept her up late, and woke her several times through the night, trying to make up for all the nights I’d missed during our separation. We’d made good headway, but I still hadn’t had enough of her. If I lived to be a hundred, I probably wouldn’t have enough of her.
I finally understood how Gabe felt about Samantha. I knew he loved her, but I hadn’t truly understood love. Its essence infused every cell in my body. It made my heart beat. It encompassed my entire soul. The intensity and magnitude of it should have scared the hell out of me. I’d be lying to say I didn’t have some fears, but the truth was, I welcomed it. She loved me. I loved her. Li
ke some schmaltzy song, love made my world happier, brighter, sweeter.
There were still unresolved issues. She’d wanted to have a home to care for parents. It would be hard to swim and make love in the pool when they were here. I’d told my lawyer about our fake marriage and impending break-up. He’d suggested I’d put off the announcement, which I had, but I still needed to come clean with my staff. I just had to hope that it didn’t get out to the world and impact my stock. But even if it did, as long as Hallie was by my side, I could weather anything. All of it was just logistics that we could work out.
“I can hear you thinking,” her sleep-filled voice said.
Glad for the chance to touch her now that she was awake, I slid a hand over her hip, “There’s a lot to think about.”
“Oh?” she turned over, and I pulled her closer to me, my morning hardon pressed painfully between our bodies. Her soft voice continued, “What is there to think about?”
“Do I make love to you this way or that?”
“I like both,” she kissed my shoulder where my star tattoo was. She’d said it was her second favorite after the one I had in honor of my father.
“Do we make love here or there?”
“Both,” her hand drifted down my chest and lower until she had a good grip on my dick.
“Top or bottom?” I didn’t give her a chance to answer, as I rolled her under me and slid inside her.
Later that afternoon, we floated in her pool to cool off from the hot, humid day. Not wanting to let her too far out of my reach, I kept a grip on her raft as we drifted in the pool. Realizing we’d both been idiots to keep our feelings to ourselves, we spent the time talking, not just about feelings but anything important and sometimes not important either.
“Was it hard to break your rule?” she asked me.
“No.”
She turned her face to look at me. Her expression indicated she didn’t believe me.
I continued, “The truth is when you walked in my office to interview, and every time after that once I’d hired you, yes, it was hard not to break my rule.” I pulled her raft to me, “But in my kitchen, when you said you wanted me, no, it wasn’t hard to break my rule.”
She smiled. It was unfuckingbelievable how her smile made my heart sing.
“I think I was in love with you then,” I said.
“When did you know for sure?” she turned over to her stomach on the raft.
I thought for a moment, “It occurred to me that this crazy feeling in my chest might be love when Gabe called and asked me about my wife.” I turned over to my stomach as well and pulled her raft so that our heads were facing each other, “I wanted to tell you, but the best I could do was make love to you.”
She nodded like she understood.
“The thing is, Hallie. I probably loved you sooner. I was definitely attracted to you, but getting to know you, I felt more but didn’t realize it. You’re smart. You share my vision of helping people who suffer from debilitating disease. You’re willing to call me on my bullshit, which I like and don’t like.”
She laughed.
“Your love for your parents and your willingness to commit minor fraud to help them, how could I not love you?” I teased her.
“Minor fraud?” her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Well, a fake marriage. You’re an amazing woman.”
“I love how you see me, Nate,” she laughed, filling my heart with even more warmth.
She stared at me with her starry green eyes, making me feel like the king of the world. All I wanted to do was have her look at me like that all the time.
“When did you know you loved me?” I asked, taking her hand in mine and kissing her pruney fingers.
“I might have always loved you.”
I quirked a brow.
“Lust for sure from the first minute I saw you. I mean, look at you, Nate. You’re too handsome for your own good.”
I grinned.
“I think I realized that my feelings weren’t just friendly or horny around the same time, but like you, they’d been growing. Your selflessness around taking credit for your good deeds. Your dedication to ending suffering from chronic life-changing disease. The way you love your family. How could I not love you, Nate?”
“You’re right. I’m a catch.”
She shook her head, “There was no doubt, except for the fact you didn’t want to be caught.”
“I do now, Hallie. Only by you though,” it was scary and exciting how badly I wanted to be caught by Hallie. “Will you come to family dinner with me tonight? Not fake this time.”
She smiled at me, “Nate, it wasn’t fake before. At least not for me.”
I gave her a firm kiss, “Me neither.”
“I’m not sure Gabe will be happy to see me though.”
“Why not?” That didn’t sound like Gabe.
“I think he thinks I hurt you.”
“You did hurt me, but that’s only because you thought I didn’t care about you. Just like I hurt you because I thought you didn’t care for me.”
“You have a good brother.”
“He’s alright,” I rolled into the water, wanting to cool off more. I clung to the side of her raft to stay near her.
“Maybe soon we can have all our families here for dinner. I think they’d get along. My mom has a crush on Gabe, I think,” she suggested.
“I think that’s a great idea,” I agreed, then I pulled her off her raft. She gave a cry of surprise, which a few minutes later turned into cries of ecstasy.
Later that afternoon, I hated leaving her, but I needed to go home to change before going to my mom’s for dinner. I called my mom to let her know Hallie would be with me.
“Oh, I’m so glad, Nate. I hoped you two would work it out.”
I hadn’t told her anything about my relationship with Hallie when we were on the outs, but I supposed it was obvious since she wasn’t coming to dinner anymore and I was walking around a shell of a man.
Then I texted Gabe, thanking him for the advice and support, and letting him know Hallie would be at dinner with me. A few minutes later, my phone rang.
“So, you two made up?” Gabe asked.
“It was a misunderstanding. She thought I was done with her since the deal was met. That’s why she left.”
“I told you you should have told her how you felt. Dumbass.”
I laughed, “You were right.”
“What? Say that again.”
I shook my head, “Don’t push it. But I thank you, man. And the house is fantastic. You really outdid yourself.”
“So you finally stopped by for a tour.”
“I did. Stayed the night just to be sure,” it wasn’t as obvious as his comment about conceiving his child in the treehouse, but I was sure he got my drift.
Gabe laughed, “I don’t want the details, but I’m glad you’re happy with the results.”
I was happy with everything in my life as I pulled up to my mom’s place with Hallie by my side.
She was greeted like a member of the family, and then almost immediately, she and Samantha went off to discuss home décor and babies or something. I grabbed a beer and headed to the deck, hoping beyond hope that Mitch was grilling instead of Will.
“Hey, look who’s back from the living dead,” Will said as I stepped through the doors onto the deck. Thank fuck Mitch was at the grill.
“I understood it when Gabe got in a funk over Samantha, but I have to say, Nate, I pegged you for a lifelong bachelor,” Mitch said closing the grill lid and taking a seat in a lawn chair next to me.
“If you’re lucky, your time will come,” I said, taking a drink of my beer.
Will shivered, “God, I hope not.”
“Why not?” Gabe asked, sitting in a chair on the other side of me. “Too much of a pussy to love someone?”
I snorted.
“One woman for the rest of my life when there are so many women?” Will shook his head as if that was the worst idea eve
r. At one time, I would have agreed. But now, I knew different.
“You want to tell him, or should I?” Gabe asked me.
Since I wasn’t sure what he meant, I said, “You tell him.”
“You ain’t never had the sex of your life until you’ve had it with a woman you love and who loves you back.”
“It’s fucking true,” I clicked my beer bottle with Gabe’s.
“Nate. Language,” my mother called from the window in the kitchen.
“How does she always hear that?” I asked.
“Does that mean Hallie is the one?” Mitch asked me.
“Pretty sure,” I nodded. Actually, I was damn sure. Since the moment Hallie and I shared how we really felt, the certainty grew and grew. Now I knew what it was like not to be able to love her or have her love, and I never ever wanted to experience that again. That had to mean she was the one.
“So, when you get married this time, it will be for real?” Will asked.
I shot Gabe a look. He held his hands up in mock surrender, “I didn’t say a word.”
I glanced at the kitchen window, hoping my mother didn’t hear. Then I turned to Will and Mitch, “How’d you know?”
“First, Gabe said your secretary told him you had a wife. Of course, you explained that away.” Will shook his head. “You know Nate, as my brother, I love and support you, man, right?”
“Right,” Now I felt bad for lying to him.
“So of course, I was going to invest in Sloane Labs IPO. Imagine my surprise to find people talking about your wife when I looked into it.”
Mitch laughed, “That’s nuts.”
I had to agree. “Hey, it worked. How much richer are you now?” I asked Will.
“Rich enough to be happy with my investment.”
“I suppose it’s a good thing I bought some too,” Mitch said.
“We got some as well,” Gabe said. “Samantha is already starting a college fund for junior.”
I looked at my brothers, feeling so much love and support from them. Yes, we beat the crap out of each other growing up. And we liked to hassle each other now, but underneath it all was genuine respect and affection.
Her Hero Boss Page 18
