by Joya Ryan
“I think I’ll get these,” Natalie said.
“Great!” Michelle said and picked up the set. “And you know what, consider this a gift.”
“No,” Natalie protested. “I’m going to pay you.”
“Not a chance,” Michelle said. She walked toward the register and started wrapping up the lingerie. She was effortlessly graceful and beautiful. Natalie didn’t want to know what kind of lingerie that girl was always rocking. But she had a feeling she rocked it regularly.
“So…” Michelle asked as she finished wrapping. “Who is it tonight?”
Natalie raised a brow when she realized what Michelle was asking. “Oh, from the profile. Ah…I think his name is Will. He’s from Charlotte.”
“Oh,” Michelle said with a wink as she folded the red panties in tissue paper. “Well, it’ll be a good night, then.”
Yeah, too bad all Natalie could think about was a certain search and rescue medic.
She glanced around. “Why does it feel slow in here today?” she asked Michelle. Normally, there were at least a handful of women browsing. Michelle had struggled with her business the first few months after she’d moved here, but had really come into her own the past year, and there was always a crowd at her shop.
“I don’t know where everyone is today. Just quiet I guess.”
Natalie nodded. “So, you getting excited for Matt’s wedding?”
Michelle nodded. “I love meeting new people, and Dex cleans up real nice, so I’m looking forward to that. Although, I gotta say, I like the dirty thing he has going on, too.”
Natalie just laughed. Michelle was so ridiculously in love, and it was great. She was happy for her friends. Part of her wanted that—to be so crazy about someone you couldn’t see straight. East just made her crazy, and the only reason she couldn’t see straight was because her glasses came off when they were having sex. Not exactly the same thing.
“Dex mentioned you were taking the big S and R van to transport the cupcakes? I think it’s so sweet you’re making more for the wedding. Seriously, everyone loved them at the party the other day.”
“Thanks.” Matt had called her yesterday to ask if Natalie would make more for the wedding, since they’d been a hit with Bridget and everyone else. “Yeah, I need the van to move all of them, and was going to borrow the S and R one, since it has enough room for that many cupcakes.”
“It’s down at the search and rescue office, but I think I heard that East was using it to transport groomsman gifts or something.”
“What?” Natalie exclaimed. “What the hell is he getting them all?”
“Knowing East? They could all be getting ponies.”
Natalie let out an annoyed breath. She’d have to face this because she needed the van to move all the cupcakes without messing them up, and the surface area in that vehicle was perfect.
She took her bag of red lace and silk and thanked her friend. It would appear that she had one more stop to make before she could be done with today.
East let out a long breath and looked over the crowd. The place was packed for CPR class today. It was pretty basic, a couple of straightforward hours, but a ton of people had shown up. All of whom were women.
He set up his demonstration as everyone was chatting and finding a seat. The door opened once more, and he didn’t know if there was room for anyone else. But when he saw it was Natalie, he did a double take and smiled.
She was a brunette in a sea of blondes…or a sweet, pure face in a sea of heavy makeup. Whatever. Metaphors weren’t his specialty. But she was lovely. So fresh and honest-to-god pretty it made his chest twitch.
She stalled, looked around, then her eyes were back on him. For a moment she looked uncomfortable, but she walked toward him and pushed her glasses up her nose, her mouth set in a determined line.
Ah hell, he knew that look. She was going to chew him out about something.
“I don’t mean to interrupt—” she said as she reached him.
“You’re not,” he cut in. He glanced at the table in front of him and the bag of medic gear he was prepping. “Haven’t even started the class yet. You’re just in time.”
“Not here for that. I’m here because there’s a rumor you’re taking the S and R van the day of the wedding?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, I already reserved it. I need it for cupcakes.”
“Reserved?” he asked. “I work for S and R and last time I checked, we weren’t Enterprise.”
She glared at him. Damn, he loved her fire. “It’s for the wedding,” she said in a low tone.
“My reasons are, too. I have the groomsmen’s gifts to transport.”
“And you need a whole van?”
“Well, five kegerators is a lot.”
She closed her eyes and ran her fingertips along her temple. “You got everyone kegs?”
“Kegerators, very different. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
She shook her head and glanced around. People were still bustling to find their seats but it was quieting down.
“Look,” she whispered. “I need the van. So just figure out something else for your kegs.”
“Why don’t you figure out something else?”
“Because I don’t know anyone with a car that big. And I can’t put the cupcakes in the back of a truck, for Christ’s sake.”
“Sounds like you’re in a pickle,” he said.
She was pissed, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t enjoying poking at her a little. She was damn sexy when she was riled up. “Why don’t you stay for the CPR class, and we’ll talk after?” he offered.
“I don’t need a CPR class, and I think you already have the entire female population of Beaufort here, so I’m good.”
He didn’t miss how she said those last words and wondered if she was a tad jealous. Not that he wanted her to be…exactly. He just liked the idea that she cared. What he didn’t like was how she couldn’t see she was so far beyond all these women.
“You want the van or not?” he said. He knew how to get Natalie, and that was by irritating her. But it got her to huff and stay, so he’d take it as a win.
“You’re a prick,” she muttered.
“You haven’t had any complaints,” he countered, under his breath but loud enough for her to hear. That got her to glare harder. But she did find a seat and sit down, so he was pretty pleased with himself. He turned his attention to the class.
“Okay, everyone. We’re going to get started,” he said in an authoritative tone.
He walked along the front of the room the way he’d seen professors do it in the movies.
“Normally, I have my CPR dummy to show you some basic skills on, but I thought today I could demonstrate on a real woman. That is, if I have a volunteer?”
Everyone’s hand shot in the air. Everyone but one.
“Natalie,” he called out. She was slouched in her chair, clearly hating life and likely hating him even more. She looked like she was ready to kill him. “Can you come up here, please?”
She made her way back to the front of the room to join him, and he couldn’t help but feel like he’d won a small victory. Or like she’d chop off his nuts at the soonest opportunity. It was a toss-up.
“Lie down right here,” he said and gestured to the long table.
“Are you kidding me right now?” she snapped.
“No, ma’am,” he said. “Go ahead and lie down. Don’t worry, this won’t hurt a bit.”
He winked, she snarled. But she was keeping her composure enough for him to know that he would so pay for this later. And he was looking forward to that. So far when he’d managed to get Natalie’s claws out, he’d ended up having some of the best nights of his life.
He also knew that everyone was watching, and she wouldn’t make a scene and give away that they were…whatever the hell they were. Intimate?
She went to climb on the table. And he might have helped her, just a little, by cupping her butt real q
uick. But she laid down on her back, and he arranged her arms at her side.
“I’m going to kill you,” she whispered so only he could hear, just as he took his place to address the class while standing over her.
“Looking forward to it, baby,” he whispered back.
Natalie was going to kill him. There she was, lying on a damn table in front of every damn woman in town, and East was standing over her, controlling everything.
“Now,” East said as he faced the class. He stood behind the table and seemed to tower over Natalie. “First thing you want to do is check for a pulse.”
He put two fingers on her neck, and just that small touch made her take a quick breath. Damn him and his touch. Damn him and his smell, spicy and woodsy and all manly. And all she could do was lie there and try not to let on how much this man affected her. She was ready to wring his neck and kiss him all at the same time.
She was on display. He’d picked on her on purpose. This was his way of annoying her. The way he’d called her out in front of all these people bugged her. She couldn’t help worrying that someone would notice…whatever it was this thing was between them. She wasn’t delusional enough to think what they had was anything special, but she hadn’t expected him to be so casual about putting her up on display. Her mother had tried that the whole time she was growing up. It hadn’t turned out well then, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to turn out well now.
East went on to discuss various things about CPR, and she tried to follow his voice, but all she could see were glimpses of his hard abs straining against his T-shirt, and flashes of his black belt.
She squeezed her thighs together and focused on hating him instead. Hating that he had this effect on her body. Hating that she knew exactly how he could move those hips as he entered her. Hating that she knew what those abs felt like against her palms when she ran them along his skin.
She was so lost in her own thoughts that she was surprised when she felt East’s hand cup her throat.
“You want to tilt the head back,” he said, and gently raised her chin so that it was pointed at the ceiling. His eyes met hers. “You want to make sure nothing is obstructing the mouth.” He gently ran his fingertip along her lips, and she parted them slightly. “Then you want to blow and start the count.”
He leaned in and place his lips on hers and gently blew as his hand trailed down just between her breasts. Her stupid tongue betrayed her and sought out just a taste of him. He clearly noticed, because he winked at her right as he pulled away.
“One, two, three…” he counted, and started pumping her chest lightly. “When you do this in a real-world situation, you’ve got to get really forceful with it. But Miss St. Clair here is a delicate thing, so I wouldn’t want to give her something she can’t handle,” East said to the class as he kept his hands on her.
“Then you do another breath.” He bent down, and his mouth was back on hers, and between that and the feel of his hands she was going to lose her mind. But she forced herself to stay still. Only this time, it was his tongue that took a brief foray of her mouth before pulling away.
Not fair! His insolence pissed her right off. She could see his dumb grin as he continued his count. He was getting to her, and he knew it as well as she did. Damn that dumb, earth-shatteringly sexy grin.
Finally, he addressed the class again. “Once your victim comes back to life, they will likely be full of gratitude and want to thank you in any way possible…”
And that was her cue to sit up. “Or they’ll run far and fast from the trauma they just experienced,” she said.
She hopped down off the table, and East just said, “Let’s give a hand for the lovely victim.”
Everyone clapped, and Natalie tried to tamp down the growing heat in her stomach as she walked back to her seat. She felt flushed with desire and hated that his hands and lips had been enough to raise that in her. She was angry at him for toying with her but desperately wanted more.
Her phone buzzed silently, and she checked the text. It was from Leslie McMann, the caterer she’d met at the party at Honey’s.
I hope you don’t mind, I got your number from your brother. Have you given any thought to my offer? I’d be happy to buy your recipe and brand your cupcakes. I’d also be happy to hire you on as my personal pastry chef. Look forward to hearing from you!
Natalie took a deep breath. It was the only offer she’d gotten lately that sounded worthwhile. Sure, it was terrifying and would be a huge change, but it was something to think about. Judging by the god-awful dates she’d been on in the last couple of weeks, she didn’t really have anything here worth staying for. She glanced at the front of the room, where East was. He’d gotten one thing right: she’d played the part of the victim well. It was time she took the power back and reminded him that she was not another Easton Ambrose plaything.
Chapter Eleven
East swigged from the carton of orange juice, not caring to use a glass. It had been a hell of an afternoon. After the CPR class the other day, Natalie had slipped out, and he hadn’t talked to her since. He felt kind of bad about that. Time was winding down, the wedding was around the corner, and Natalie was still on his mind.
He’d heard she still had a date lined up every damn night. But so far, no word of any of them sticking. He was relieved about that. He couldn’t exactly justify crashing every date she went out on, but he didn’t want her to get hurt.
And maybe he didn’t want her with anyone else, either.
He ran a forearm over his brow to clear some of the sweat from the workout he’d just finished. He’d hoped a long run and an endorphin boost would clear his head, but here he was, still fantasizing about Natalie and her tongue tasting him at the CPR class. He hadn’t meant to embarrass her at the class. In that moment he’d just wanted to be near her, in public, and for some reason he hadn’t been able to stop himself.
Stupid.
He was basically inviting problems, same as he’d done with going to her cupcake shop, same as he’d done with dancing with her at the party, same as he’d done the other day at the CPR class.
He kept putting them in positions to get caught. To get looked at funny. To get questioned.
What the hell did he think he was doing? This was a secret he wasn’t doing a great job of keeping, but whenever she came around, he had a habit of not thinking straight.
He put the orange juice back just as there was a knock on his front door. He’d hadn’t bothered to shower yet, or even put a shirt on, but it was likely just Matt back in town and coming to give him more wedding duties.
He opened the door. It wasn’t Matt. It was Natalie.
“Hey there, darlin’,” he said, trying to sound casual. “Pleasure to see you.”
She raised her chin and walked past him. She was looking extra sexy, and there was a confidence to her he couldn’t quite place. But he liked it.
“I came to get the keys for the S and R van,” she said plainly.
“Well, come in, sit down, make yourself at home,” he said.
“That little stunt you pulled the other at the CPR class was—”
“Awesome,” he cut in.
“Ridiculous.”
He winked. “Your tongue didn’t seem to think so.”
“Oh, please. I was trying to push you away.”
“With your mouth?”
“Yeah, since that was the only thing you put on me.”
“I can put more on you, baby. Just say the word. Or I can put my mouth on you in different places. Again, all I need is a word.”
“Oh, I have a word for you. It starts with ‘jack’ and ends with ‘ass.’”
“Feisty tonight?”
She crossed her arms and the gap in her sweater showed a red bra strap. He instantly wondered what kind of lace she was hiding, and if the panties matched. His fingers itched to tear them off her.
“You have a date tonight?” he asked. It was getting down to the wire with the wedding, so he was sure Natali
e had some kind of set up going on to find a guy to be her date. Which he hated. Not that he cared. Okay, he cared. But there was jack shit he could do about it, since he couldn’t obviously take her. Or date her. Or even be in the same realm as good enough for her.
But now all he could think about was that red bra and her date and the fact that if that idiot got to see it and he didn’t, he might have a stroke.
“I have drinks later,” she said.
So she did have someone lined up. A boiling rage threatened to spill over but he turned it down.
“Well, then you may want to tell him you’ll be late, because I don’t know where the keys are. It’ll take me a few hours to find them.”
She frowned at him.
“Unless you want to help me look?” he offered.
“Fine,” she said.
“Great, you start looking in my bedroom. Particularly the bed.” She rolled her eyes, and he shot her a grin. “Come on, that was a good one.”
“Is that all it takes to get women into your bed?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. You’re the only one who’s been there,” he said. Suddenly there was nothing but seriousness in his voice.
That got her eyes to soften, and he took the moment to cup her hips and tug her closer. She still kept her arms crossed. Fine by him, because he’d also been serious when talking about using his mouth on her.
“I thought about you today,” he said.
She frowned. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Because you’re a nice thought.”
She gave a small laugh. She reached one of her hands toward his chest and slowly traced a line along his pec with her finger. He was really happy he hadn’t put a shirt on now because feeling her touch, no matter how brief, on his skin was a slice of fuckin’ awesome.
“Did you think about why you keep testing our boundaries in public?” she asked.
