“Nate, I’m filthy,” she protested.
“You’re more beautiful now than I’ve ever seen you.” Letting go of her breasts, he pushed her shorts down her legs until she stepped out of them, leaving her naked. “No panties?” She just shook her head. “Good.” He captured her mouth with his again but pulled away to leave her standing there.
Joanne’s skin pimpled with goosebumps in the cool air, and she shivered without Nate’s heat to warm her. He turned the water on and adjusted the temperature. He kicked out of his boxers and reached out a hand for her.
Joanne paused to admire the sight before her. Her imagination hadn’t done him justice. Hard work had chiseled his body to perfection. From his broad shoulders to the curve of his ass, he was beautiful to look at. Aware of her perusal, his arousal jerked.
“Second thoughts?” he asked.
She took one last moment to admire the view. “Hell no.” She placed her hand in his and let him pull her into the shower.
For the first time in months, joy flowed through her. She felt free. Free from the sadness and the pain. Free from her past. Still unable to control her emotions after the tumult of the morning, she threw her arms around Nate’s neck and laughed.
Nate nibbled on her ear as he held her, which only made her laugh louder. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m just happy. Thank you, Nate.”
He pulled her head away from him so he could look at her. “I didn’t do anything. What are you thanking me for?”
She wiped water off his forehead and ran her fingers through his hair. “You helped set me free.” Pulling his mouth to hers, she kissed him with a passion she didn’t know she had.
“Wait, wait,” he mumbled against her lips. Resting his forehead against hers, he drew in a ragged breath. “I don’t have a condom.”
“Oh!” Jumping out of the shower, she rummaged underneath the sink, not caring that she was dripping water everywhere. “Here they are,” she called.
She rejoined him under the spray of the shower, a smirk on her face. “I knew there was a reason I stashed those in here.”
Nate raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You have naked men in your bathroom all the time?”
“Of course not. I’m just psychic,” she joked.
“Really? What am I thinking about now?” He squinted his eyes, pretending to think.
Joanne wrapped a hand around his cock. “Does it matter?”
“Not in the least.” Taking the package from her, he opened it and rolled the condom down his length. His lips captured hers again, and his fingers found their way between her legs. Nate ran a finger down her slit and circled her clit with his thumb.
Joanne moaned as a finger found its way inside her. She held onto his shoulders and widened her stance to let him in further. She writhed against him as he took her closer to the edge. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she grasped his erection. “Nate, please.”
Positioning himself at her entrance, he pushed himself inside. Joanne threw her head back, letting the water sluice over her as he buried himself inside her. As he thrust in and out, tingles began to spread outward to Joanne’s extremities. She held onto him tighter, afraid she wouldn’t be able to support herself.
Nate bent lower to nibble at her breasts and Joanne let out little cries of pleasure. She didn’t know how much more of his touches she could take. Every one seemed to bring her higher than she ever thought she could go. It wasn’t long before her muscles clamped down on him, and she cried out in climax. Nate gave two final thrusts before he too orgasmed.
Breathing heavily, he relaxed his hold on her and caressed her back. He nibbled on her ear until Joanne laughed and jerked her head away.
“That tickles,” she said.
“Mmm. Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind if I ever need to torture information out of you.”
She slapped his arm. “You wouldn’t dare!”
Nate raised his eyebrows in challenge. “Wouldn’t I?” After a pause for her to consider, he leaned his head in, pretending to tickle her neck again.
“Oh no you don’t!” She pulled out of his arms, trying to get away. When she stepped back, one foot slipped on the slick floor. Nate reached out and grabbed her until she caught her balance.
“See what happens when you try to get away from me? You just need to stay here in my arms.” He held his arms open for her.
Laughing, she shook her head. “We should get cleaned up.”
“If you insist. I’d rather get dirty all over again with you.”
Joanne sighed and ran her hands through his hair again. She couldn’t resist those sexy curls of his. “I wish we could stay here all day, but I have to go to work this afternoon.”
Nate kissed the curve where her neck meet her shoulder. “I need to get to work too.” He grinned down at her. “There might be more women waiting to be rescued by a knight in shining armor.”
*
After cleaning up, Joanne ran downstairs to round up his clothes. When they made it to the kitchen, Vera was sitting at the table working on the crossword puzzle in the newspaper and talking to Oliver.
She glanced up as they entered. “So you decided not to spend all day in the shower, I see.”
Her tone was innocent enough, but Joanne couldn’t help but blush. She’d never had sex in her grandmother’s house before, and even though she was an adult, it was embarrassing to think about.
“We both have to work, Grannie.” Joanne pulled two mugs out of a cabinet and went to work fixing coffee. “How do you like your coffee?” she asked Nate.
“Sweet,” he answered, winking at her. He took a seat at the table and looked over at the crossword puzzle. “I didn’t know anyone still did those.”
“It’s a habit. Wakes up my brain in the morning, just like coffee. My day couldn’t get started without it.”
“And what do you do? I’m sorry, I don’t even know your name.”
“Vera.” She held out a hand for him to shake. “But you can call me Grannie, if you want.” Nate shook her hand, and Joanne put a mug of steaming coffee on the table beside him. “I’m a retired teacher, but now I volunteer down at the animal shelter.” At that moment, Oliver jumped up on the table and batted at the pen lying on top of the newspaper. Vera reached out to scratch his back, and he arched up in satisfaction. “That’s where I got little Ollie here.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Joanne interrupted. “What she does is meddle in everyone’s business all day. She actually managed to convince the family that she was old and frail just to make me move in to ‘take care’ of her. She’s healthier than anyone I know.”
“You needed a place to stay and a clean start. What’s wrong with wanting what’s best for my favorite grandchild?”
“You just wanted to make sure I wasn’t moping. And you call everyone your favorite grandchild.”
Vera shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it? I don’t see you moping anymore.” She focused on Nate. “Or do I have you to thank for that?”
Nate brought the cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip to keep from answering that question. He had no idea if Joanne had changed because of him. He’d only known her two days. Returning the cup to the table, he finally said, “I doubt it was me.”
“See what I mean?” Joanne said, gesturing at her grandmother, who sat there grinning like the Cheshire cat. “Meddling. Want some breakfast?” she asked Nate.
“No thanks. I really have to get to work.”
“Let me grab my purse and we can go.” She kissed her grandmother on the cheek. “I work until seven tonight. I’ll see you later.” Oliver meowed at her from his perch on the table. “You too, Oliver.”
Nate was waiting by the front door for her when she came down from her bedroom with her things. She grabbed her keys from the table by the door, and they walked in silence to the car.
As Joanne pulled onto the street, Nate spoke. “So where do you work? I mean, I know you’re a nurse, but we never really got that f
ar into introductions.” He rubbed a hand along his neck, embarrassed. He felt like he knew her so well, yet they’d skipped over the basics.
Joanne glanced over at him before turning her attention back to the road. “Saint Thomas. I’m a nurse in the emergency department.”
“Wow. That’s impressive. And probably a lot of responsibility.”
Joanne just shrugged. “I like it. Helping people doesn’t seem like work to me.” Realizing he was still in his suit from yesterday, she asked him, “Do you need to go home and change or anything? Where did you leave your car, or motorcycle, or whatever it is you drive, anyway?”
“Let’s see. No, I don’t need to go home. I keep a change of clothes and coveralls at the garage since my job can get messy at times. I left my bike at the garage since that’s where your car was. And I have a car in addition to my bike. It’s at home. Any other questions?” He counted each point off on his fingers as he spoke.
“Oh, I have lots of questions. But they’ll have to wait until later.”
Nate leaned toward her as much as he could with the seatbelt restraining him. “Really?” His voice was low and suggestive. “Then we will have a later? I can’t wait.”
As she stopped at a red light, she looked at him. “Of course we will. You did invite me to dinner, after all. Unless you’ve changed your mind.”
Nate reached over and clasped her hand on the steering wheel. “Not on your life.” Traffic stated moving then, and he let go of Joanne’s hand so she could drive.
When they got to Bubba’s Towing, Nate stepped out of the car and leaned in the open passenger door. Behind him, he heard two of his coworkers whistling and making comments about his clothing and about Joanne. He grimaced and wondered what Joanne was thinking. She didn’t look like the type of woman to have dealt with the kind of rough men he dealt with every day.
His eyes met hers and she grinned. “At least I don’t have to deal with that all day.” She gave a little wave at the men, and one of them grabbed his chest, faking a heart attack.
He laughed, relieved that she wasn’t offended. “They’re just jealous. Call me tonight, okay.”
Joanne nodded. “Sure. We still have to plan that dinner.”
“Yes we do. See you later.” Nate straightened and started to close the door.
“Nate!” He stopped and bent down again. “Thanks again. For everything.”
She had a soft smile on her face, and in late morning sun that glinted off her blonde hair, she looked like an angel. He still couldn’t believe that she had somehow fallen into his life. A woman like Joanne was not the type of woman he’d have even attempted to get to know. Yet here she was, more than willing to get to know him and give him a chance.
“You’re more than welcome, sweetheart. You can call me anytime you need to be rescued.”
“I’ll take you up on that. Bye, Nate.”
He closed the door and headed for the taunting he knew was coming from his coworkers.
Chapter Nine
‡
The day had felt both too long and too short. Nate’s thoughts had been consumed with Joanne from the second she’d left his sight. Remembering her smile and her laughter kept him occupied during his sometimes boring job and helped the time pass faster. He already missed her though. Somehow, she’d invaded his entire world. He’d never felt this way about a woman before. He’d never wanted to just sit and talk, to cuddle up with a movie, to share a bed, to laugh at each other’s stupid jokes. Not even Mandy had made him feel this way.
He shook his head as he checked his phone for the address of his next tow. The vehicle was at a gas station on the corner of Church Street and 19th. He checked the time on his phone—2:49 p.m. It was still hours until he would hear from Joanne again. He sighed and turned onto West End, making his way carefully back towards the city while trying to avoid the worst of the drivers. The rain had stopped, but water still puddled on the streets. No one in this town seemed to know how to drive in the rain, in spite of the commonness of storms, and his day had been busy enough as it was.
Nate pulled into the tiny gas station, looking for the Mercedes he was supposed to pick up. Something felt off to him. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but his stomach churned. Spotting the Mercedes, he jumped out of the cab of his truck and walked to the car. As he got closer, he saw a man leaning against the wall of the building directly in front of the car. The top half of the man’s body was shaded by the overhang until he stepped forward into the mid-afternoon sun.
Stan stopped a few feet away, his arms hanging at his sides. Nate glanced down and thought he saw something in the man’s hand that was half hidden behind his leg. This was not going to end well. He knew it in his gut. Taking a deep breath, he confronted Stan.
“You called for a tow truck?”
“I had to see you for myself. You stole my fiancée from me. I won’t stand for that, and I’m going to make you pay.” His voice had risen to a higher pitch toward the end as he spit the words out.
Nate held up his hands in appeasement. “I didn’t do anything but tow her car,” he lied.
“Oh right. That explains you both being practically naked this morning.”
“Man, she was drunk. Because of you. Because of your behavior. I drove her home. That’s all.” Nate ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not doing this. You’re wasting my time, and I have a job to do.” He turned on his heel to get back in his truck. Hearing movement behind him, he looked back to see something metal swinging through the air toward him. He didn’t have time to do more than duck and get his arm partway up, trying to ward off the blow.
Pain shot through his arm, and then it went completely numb. Stan shoved him, and Nate stumbled and fell to the pavement. His hip and shoulder stung where they caught his weight on the rough surface. Expecting a blow to his head, he raised his arm as best he could to protect himself. Instead, a kick landed on his now unprotected ribs.
Nate could barely breathe. Every inhale set his chest on fire. He tried to take shallow breaths as he fought to get to his feet. It was hard to control his body with an aching shoulder and hip, a numb arm, and pains in his chest. He was sure Stan wasn’t done and expected to get hit again at any moment. He couldn’t just lie here and wait to die.
As he finally managed to get his good arm to support him, he heard shouts. A car door slammed near his ear, and he shoved himself against the opposite car to avoid the tires of the Mercedes as they pulled past him.
In seconds, someone was at his side. The voices sounded muffled. He must have hit his head at some point. He started to shake his head, trying to clear it.
“Just hold still,” the man beside him said. “Somebody’s called an ambulance.”
“I’m okay,” Nate protested. He tried to push himself up once again, but none of his shaking limbs would support him, and he collapsed back down and leaned his head against the car. “Just give me a minute.” He had underestimated Stan. In fact, he seemed to have completely misread him. He knew Stan was a doctor. Who would have thought someone like that would resort to violence?
His thoughts circled round and round, never coming to any conclusions. Before he knew it, a Metro police officer and a paramedic stood before him. “Can you stand, sir?” the paramedic asked.
Blinking to focus, Nate replied, “Yeah, I think so.”
With a hand under his good arm, the paramedic helped him to his feet. Nate almost stumbled when he saw all the commotion around the gas station. A couple of police cars and a Nashville Fire Department ambulance jammed into the tiny parking lot, lights flashing. People crowded around near the building entrance and on the sidewalks on both sides of the streets. All this for just a little fight, he thought.
The paramedic sat him on the gurney and began to assess his condition. Nate answered his questions in a short, monotone voice. All he wanted to do was get away from everyone, go home, and put an ice pack on his ribs or something. This fuss was over nothing.
The four police o
fficers had been questioning those who were witnesses. One of the officers, a short woman with dark hair, approached him.
“What’s your name, sir?”
“Nathan Whitmore”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Nate started to recount the events until the point he recognized his attacker. He paused in his story. Should I report Stan? He didn’t even know the man’s last name. What would this do to Joanne? Would Stan decide to retaliate? If he did, would he go after me or Joanne? Deciding he’d rather err on the side of caution for Joanne’s sake, he skipped mentioning Stan’s name and the reason for his attack but continued with the rest of the tale.
The officer didn’t miss his omission. “You said you recognized him. What’s his name?”
Nate shook his head. “I’d rather not say. I don’t want to press charges or anything. Besides, I don’t even know his last name.”
“And what was the argument about?”
Nate shook his head again, refusing to involve Joanne. “It was just a personal misunderstanding.”
“Mr. Whitmore, we already have the witness reports. A couple of them heard most of your argument. We’d just like you to confirm it.”
“No, I can’t.” Nate started to scoot off the gurney, determined to leave.
The paramedic put a hand against his chest. He didn’t press hard, but Nate stopped moving. He didn’t have enough energy left to fight even that little bit of resistance. “Whoa, you’re not going anywhere.”
“I’m fine. I need to get back to work,” he insisted.
“You need to go to the hospital. Just let them take some x-rays and make sure nothing’s broken.”
Giving up, Nate sat back on the gurney. His head still felt stuffy, and he couldn’t concentrate on anything. He needed to call his boss. Someone would need to come get the tow truck, and Nate would need a ride home from the hospital. It was all just too much to think about. Especially on only a few hours of sleep. He just wanted to rest for a while, then everything would be fine, he was sure.
Blue Colla Make Ya Holla Page 45
