by Layla Hagen
I was going to talk her into it the clean way, by using logical arguments, and my own parents as an example. Using people’s guilt against them is a tactic I only resort to when I need to make my brothers pay for something, but this is almost like a sign, really. I have to act on it.
“Nate worries about you.”
Her head snaps up. “He told you about my troubles with the house.”
I nod. “It’s a beautiful house, and Nate earns more than enough. You’d be doing him a huge favor by allowing him to buy it for you.”
“I’d be doing him a favor?”
“Yes. He wouldn’t worry about you working two jobs and so on. You owe him some peace of mind.”
I’ll burn in hell for this but it might all be worth it, because by the pensive look on her face, she’s considering this. Then she narrows her eyes at me.
“Alice Bennett, you trying to guilt me into accepting my son’s help?”
Damn it. I wasn’t expecting her to catch on so quickly. Am I really such an open book? At least if I confess, I might stay out of hell.
“Yes, ma’am.”
To my surprise, Babette bursts out laughing. “Girl, you’ve got a sharp mind to go with that sharp tongue.”
“I do what I can.”
Shaking her head, she dials down the laughter to a chuckle, then frowns. “He really worries about me?”
“Yeah. A lot.”
“But I don’t want him to worry.”
“Which is why letting him help you is a good idea. Look, my brother Sebastian also bought my parents a house.”
Her fingers slash the air, pointing toward me.
“I know the whole story. Your parents sold the ranch to give him capital to start Bennett Enterprises. Not the same.”
“Babette? Don’t be so stubborn. It’s good to know when to give in. And allowing your son to do something nice for you doesn’t in any way mean you’re less hardworking or that you don’t deserve what you have.”
Well, well, well, listen to me, morphing into Logan. Just a few years ago, I cringed when he was saying those things to me, but in the meantime, I agree with him. The wisdom of age. Maybe I should listen to my older siblings more often.
Babette winks at me. “You sure as hell have a way with words.”
We put the topic to rest afterward, talking about everything else under the sun, but I’ve planted the seed and she’s seriously considering it. That was my goal for today, because I know one thing about stubborn people: it takes time for them to change their mind.
After what seems like forever, Nate joins us again, announcing that he’s finished fixing everything. We stay with Babette a while longer, then head out.
Babette’s house is in a clearing surrounded by a small patch of forest, and we had to leave the car at the edge of the land. I’m trying to be careful where I step because the tree roots are thick, protruding from the earth. Nate’s arm is around my waist, firm and dependable. He usually keeps his hand entwined with mine, or at the small of my back when we’re walking. It’s endearing because it always seems like he’s doing it to protect me, and I love his protective side. I usually don’t need it, but by God, I’m glad he’s with me right now. Twice his strong grip keeps me from twisting my ankle when my heel catches on a root.
Once the road evens out and surviving doesn’t require our utmost concentration, he asks, “Did you manage to talk to her about the house?”
“Yes, and she’s considering it.”
“Impressive. Every time I talked to her, the only thing she was considering was slapping me through the phone.”
“I have my ways,” I say with a shrug. “And I might or might not burn in hell for them.”
“Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“It means I play dirty to get what I want sometimes.”
Nate tucks me into his side as we head to the car, which is still a few minutes away. But I’m glad we get to walk a little more around here. There’s something peaceful and serene about this sleepy town. I can almost understand why Babette moved here. After a tumultuous life, she probably needed this calm and silence. Hard as I strain my ears, there are no sounds reaching me beyond the chirping of birds. The other houses are miles away, so there’s only the occasional sound of a car in the distance.
“Ah, but I already knew that about you, darling.”
“So, what are the plans for the evening? Do I get you all to myself, or do you have to work?”
“I have to finish some stuff for the London studio, but it won’t take me too long.”
Ah, there it is, the elephant in the room. Until now, I’ve avoided questioning him about this directly, but I feel it’s time I did.
“Do you think they’ll ask you to take over the position there?”
Nate’s grip on me tightens, as if he wasn’t expecting the question. “Horowitz keeps saying Abbott will break under the pressure, but I give the guy more credit. He’s going to learn the ropes.”
That isn’t much of an answer, but I’m a coward and don’t press for more. I couldn’t handle a straight answer.
“Thank you for bringing me with you today. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Babette said something about how she thinks you didn’t have a happy family life and it might have impacted you. She thinks it was why you chose to have ‘meaningless liaisons’—her words, not mine—with women.”
“Funny, Clara said something similar once.”
“Do you think it’s true?”
Nate is quiet for a long while, and I wait with my stomach in knots.
“All experiences mark us in some way. But I think everything comes down to choices. For a long time, I chose not to get attached because it was easier.”
“And now?”
My heart is in my throat as I wait for him to reply. We’re right in front of the car but we stop before we reach it, under the shade of a tree with a beautiful crown full of blooms in shades of pink and white.
Nate is half turned to me, holding my gaze captive with his.
“Now I choose us.” Stepping closer to me, he kisses one corner of my mouth, then the other. Suddenly I feel like someone lit a match inside me, joy spreading throughout me to the very tips of my fingers. He keeps teasing me, his mouth moving from the corner of my lips to my cheek and then heading to my ear. His proximity makes me shiver and want more of him. I yearn to hear him say more sweet nothings.
“Say it again,” I whisper.
“I choose us, Alice, and I’ll say it as many times as you want.”
The shiver intensifies and he wraps his arms around me, his lips still to my ear. I want to feel closer to him still, climb inside him, as it were. I don’t remember fisting his shirt but here I am, tugging at it with one hand. My other hand has slipped under it, feeling him up shamelessly.
“Someone’s having dirty thoughts,” he whispers.
“I need to feel closer to you.”
“I aim to please.”
Before I can react, he hauls me into his arms, pushing me backward until he has me against the car. Then he lowers his head, kissing me like a man determined to get me to melt at his feet… or at least get me so turned on that I forget where we are. Nate swipes his tongue over my lips, then dips it inside my mouth, exploring me, driving me crazy. My blood spikes with adrenaline and desire within seconds, and for the hundredth time, I wonder how this man can awaken my craving for him so quickly.
A low growl reverberates deep in his throat just as he unhitches his lips from mine.
“Alice, what are you doing to me?”
“Nothing you’re not doing to me as well.”
When he pulls back enough that I can look at him properly, the glint of desire in his eyes is so overpowering it takes my breath away. He exudes masculinity and power, and the expression on his face is feral. He pushes his hips flush against me, and I lick my lips when I feel his hard-on against my belly, heat pooling between my thighs. I’m so turn
ed on I’d let him take me any way he wants right now. It scares me that I’m giving him such power over me.
“Sweet and wild Alice,” he murmurs. “I need to be inside you.”
I lick my lips. “Now? Here?”
In response, he cocks a brow. We’re in a small forest with thick trees surrounding us. The chances of anyone seeing us, or even passing by, are close to zero.
“Anything against that?” He opens the door to the back seat, then guides me backward until I feel the soft cushion of the seat against my ass.
“No.”
“Good. Climb inside.”
A delicious shudder licks up my spine as I crawl onto the back seat, lying on my back. Luckily, Nate’s car is spacious and I’m wearing a dress, which he pushes up my thighs as he joins me in the car, shutting the door behind him.
He spreads my legs, running his hand along my inner thighs before rubbing his fingers against my wet panties. Need zaps through me. He pushes the fabric covering my entrance to one side, bending over and swiping his tongue over my folds, his nose gently touching my clit.
“Oh God.”
“Fuck! I want to lick you, but I also need to be inside you right now.” He comes up to me until our faces are level. His arms are at my side, caging me and sustaining his weight. On a whim, I kiss his jaw, licking down his neck while I undo his zipper, freeing his erection. “How do you want this? Hard and fast? Sweet and tender? Either way, I’ll be inside you in about five seconds.”
Next thing I know he’s teasing my tender spot with the thick head of his erection. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Any way. All the ways.”
Breath rushes out of me when Nate slams into me, entering me to the hilt. I wasn’t prepared to take him all at once, and the pleasure of him stretching me is so intense, I nearly break out of my skin. I widen my thighs even more, allowing him room to move, to drive into me hard and wild. He feasts on my neck and lips, and my moans fill the car. When his teeth graze the skin on my neck lightly, the pleasure burns through me. Pulling back, he looks between us, and I push myself up on one elbow. The sight of him sliding in and out of me is exquisite. Drops of sweat dot his forehead, one of them falling right onto my chest. It’s incredibly erotic and intimate.
“Make yourself come, Alice. Touch your clit.”
“I like it when you go all bossy on me.”
I was meaning to tease him, but he drives inside me hard, stopping the rest of the words in my throat. God, he’s so deep inside me, I feel like he’s about to split me in half. I lower my hand to my clit and stroke it. An orgasm ravages through me within seconds, coiling through my body with lightning speed.
“Oh fuck, Alice.” Nate cries out his own release, cradling me in his arms, holding me tightly to him.
We cling to one another for long minutes, both spent.
“You’re a wild thing, Alice.”
“Hey! You’re the one who bossed me into climbing in the back seat and opening my legs.”
“So it’s my fault?” He chuckles, his voice soft.
“Of course. You and your irresistible charm. You’re just as wild as I am.”
“It’s a good thing we found each other, then.” Nate kisses my forehead, then pulls back, looking at me with warmth and something more… something that fills my stomach with butterflies. The moment feels raw and full of emotion as one thing becomes clear: I’m falling hard for this man, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alice
“You’re amazing,” Nate informs me two days later, scaring the hell out of me because he snuck up behind me. We’re at Blue Moon. It’s the first corporate event we’re hosting here, and I want it to run without a hitch. Blake is overseeing the bar, and I’m in charge of the restaurant and the kitchen. Nate is here as eye candy. “Just talked to Mom on the phone. She’s letting me help her with this month’s payment.”
“Wow! I’m really glad.” One of the waitresses comes to tell me about a customer complaint. “Sorry, Nate. I have to take care of this.”
“Go ahead. I’ll be at the bar.”
I put out fire after fire the entire evening. Blake helps me out too when everyone’s eating and the bar is less crowded. After dinner’s over, I switch to the bar because my brother can use all the help he can get. To my surprise, Nate hops behind the counter too, lending a hand. We’re so busy that we don’t have time to exchange a single word.
“A gin and tonic, please,” a familiar voice says in a thick British accent. Snapping my head up, I notice Colin in front of the bar. This is surprising. I haven’t seen him since that last time he asked me out, months ago. I didn’t know he had ties with the company who booked the event.
“Right away,” I tell him with a smile. I was hoping not to see him again, but since he’s here, I have to treat him like a customer. “Elegant choice. Very British.”
“Someone who likes to be kissed at her workplace like a cheap whore isn’t much of an authority on elegance.”
His words feel like a slap. The woman to his right turns abruptly, gasping.
“That’s no way to speak to a lady, young man,” she chastises.
“This one’s no lady, trust me.” He looks at me with disdain, and a vein twitches in my temple.
“Enough,” I cut in, barely keeping my rising temper in check. “I was fair to you. Don’t be a dick.”
The woman’s jaw drops. Yeah, there goes her theory about me being a lady. Crap, I don’t want to cause a scene.
“I’m sorry you were disappointed—”
“Oh, I was. Not because I necessarily wanted in your pants, but I hoped I might get an introduction to Sebastian Bennett.”
I blink. “Let’s move this conversation outside.”
Catching Blake’s attention, I gesture that I need a five-minute break, and he merely nods. Colin is lucky that Nate and my brother are too busy tending to customers to see him, or he’d be missing a few teeth already.
I step with him onto the terrace outside, leading him into a less crowded corner.
“What did you just say?”
“You thought it was a coincidence that I was in the same industry as your brother? Christ, you’re not just naive, you’re downright stupid. I got where I wanted without you or your brothers’ help anyway. Imagine my surprise when I received the invitation for tonight’s event and saw the name of the restaurant.”
I curl my hands into fists, not wanting to cause a scene in front of all these people. It’s been a few years since someone other than a reporter tried to get to my siblings through me. My instincts told me right from the start that something was off with Colin, and now I know why. Still, his words don’t hurt any less just because he’s a jerk.
“Get out of my sight, Colin.” Keeping my voice low is a monumental effort, and I fight against every instinct that wants nothing more than to slap him.
“Or what? Humor me.”
“Or I will forcibly remove you from here,” Nate’s voice booms. I hadn’t seen him approaching, but judging from the tightness in his features, he heard what Colin told me. “Apologize to her, or you won’t be able to talk at all tomorrow.”
Nate’s voice is loud enough to catch the attention of several guests. Now I’m not just angry but also mortified.
I touch Nate’s arm, hoping that will convey my message that I need him to calm down. It doesn’t. Nate yanks his arm away, glaring at Colin. The idiot smirks, looking between me and Nate.
“Ah, you’re the TV guy who almost shagged her while I was watching. She must be a hell of a good lay if you stuck around for so long. It’s sure not her brains. Dumb as they come, this one.”
Nate grips Colin by his suit jacket before I even have time to blink.
“Nate!” I say in a low voice, but that’s not helping much. We’re attracting stares already.
“You piece of shit,” Nate says. “Apologize to her.”
“Nate, let him go,” I say sharply. Instead, he just
intensifies his grip.
Finally, Colin starts looking frightened, possibly realizing Nate isn’t someone you mess with.
“I’m sorry,” he squeaks.
“Now say it like you mean it,” Nate says through gritted teeth.
“I apologize, Alice. I completely stepped out of line.”
“Apology accepted. Nate, let him go.”
Nate stares at Colin menacingly before releasing him with such force that Colin stumbles backward. Nate points at him. “You so much as look the wrong way at Alice and I’ll knock your teeth out.”
Colin scurries away inside without another glance, like the coward he is. The guests on the terrace are eyeing Nate and me skeptically, and I want to dig a hole in the ground and disappear inside it.
“You okay?” Nate asks, visibly calmer.
“Don’t talk to me right now,” I reply, once again fighting to keep my voice down. Realizing I need some fresh air—and by fresh, I mean someplace where there aren’t a dozen people watching us—I head to the staircase leading down to the terrace and into the small garden surrounding the building. Nate is right behind me. I stop once I reach the bottom of the staircase, turning to Nate.
“Alice?”
“Why did you cause a scene? The guests were watching.”
Nate cocks an eyebrow. “He was being a jerk to you, and he needed to apologize. I don’t give a fuck about the others.”
I swallow, trying to calm down. He was just defending me. “But I do. I own this restaurant, Nate. I need to make a good impression on the guests.”
“So I was just supposed to hear him talk to you like that and do nothing?”
“I was handling it.”
“By the smug look on his face when I joined you, you were in for another string of insults.”
“I was trying to handle it diplomatically.”
Nate smiles. “Not your strong suit, eh?”
“Well, no. I’m much better at being rude and straightforward, but as I said, I was trying not to cause a scene. I would’ve gotten rid of him eventually.”
“Let me do the dirty work from time to time. You’re mine, Alice. That means I’ll protect you from anyone, even if you don’t want me to. I’ll protect you especially when you don’t want me to because it’s when you need it most.” Before I can reply, he steps right in front of me. “You understand? You are mine.”
