by Fiona Miers
He shrugged and let his lips lift into a semblance of a smile. He was giving her an apology and an out, and she wasn’t taking it. He liked that.
“Well, let’s forget about it and you can tell me more about your career aspirations over dinner.”
“Oh. No, Nate, we shouldn’t.”
He chuckled and stood up, rounding his desk and heading towards her. He didn’t stop when she gasped and jumped away from him, just kept moving forward, reaching out to shut the door and looked directly at her for the first time.
“Oh, I’m Nate again, am I?”
She softly whacked him on the chest. “Stop it, you know what I mean.”
“No, what do you mean?”
She glared at him, the fire that he so loved about her, returning. “I mean we can’t go out for dinner again.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re my client and it would be inappropriate.”
He heaved a sigh and stuck both hands into his trouser pockets. Those same excuses were not going to fly with him now. He’d tasted her lips, held her body through the best night’s sleep he’d had in decades and he missed her. He couldn’t continue like this.
“Emmy, seriously, let’s be done with the excuses. You volunteered at my charity for years before you came to work here officially, and you know there are no laws to say we can’t have dinner, or even sleep together if it comes to that.”
“It won’t come to that again. Not after what happened last time.”
He grinned at her, ignoring the last remark. “Don’t go laying down rules just yet, okay?”
She heaved a huge sigh, her shoulders going up, and then settling much lower. “Nate, why do you want to have dinner with me?”
“The truth?”
“Always.”
Something lurched inside his belly once again and he stared at Emily, her clear, brown eyes as honest as a child’s. He wasn’t sure where she got her optimism from, but he wanted some of it.
“I have to ask you something first. Are you a bitch underneath all of these bright-eyed smiles and goody-two-shoe behavior?”
She took a step back, her lower lip actually quivering a little.
“No! Don’t get upset. Look, the reason I ask is, the only woman I ever got close to caring about went from sunshine and roses one minute, to an utter abusive bitch the next. I’ve never met a woman who didn’t, and I need you to tell me now if it’s going to happen, and I’ll be prepared for it.”
He stared at her, watching the pain flicker across her face as she swallowed and shook her head. “I’m sorry to disappoint you but, no. I’m not a bitch. Never have been, never will be.”
“Good.” He heaved a theatrical sigh of relief and gave her a smile. Nerves flickered in his belly and something was crawling over the back of his neck. Fear this old and ingrained was not going to disappear anytime soon, but he wasn’t willing to walk away from her just yet.
“Em, I want to get to know you. You’re beautiful, kind and funny. A combination I have never even remotely seen before, and I’m sick of finding excuses why we shouldn’t get to know each other better.”
Her eyes widened and glistened for a moment before she blinked and glanced away. “Okay.”
He straightened up and grabbed the door handle.
“Let’s go, then.”
“But it’s only six o’clock.”
He shrugged and held the door open. He owned the business. What was the problem?
“Good, then we’ll have time to talk before bed.”
Her cheeks flushed pink and he laughed as she glared and shuffled off towards her office[DC3]. Warmth filled his chest, his shoulders expanding and growing with strength.
He had her again, for tonight.
“Oh, Nathan,” Martine called out to him, her voice impregnated with laughter.
He stopped and turned, Martine’s giggle catching his attention.
“Leaving so soon?”
He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth lifting up.
“Time to get some dinner.”
She walked over to his door and grabbed the handle, shutting it with a concise click. She nodded at him once and gave him an approving smile.
“See you in the morning.”
He turned away as Emily came walking back, lightness inside his chest making him grin far too much.
“Hey, what’s so funny?” Emily asked as they walked towards the elevators.
He shook his head. “Nothing. Just Martine being her normal self.”
“And what’s that?”
“Someone who knows me far too well.”
Chapter Ten.
Emily couldn’t believe how quickly dinner flew by, which was very unusual for them. They somehow managed to stick to topics of work and the weather, thus stopping any possible fight.
Soon, they were walking outside once again and Nate reached over and grabbed her hand. She jumped a little at the contact, but soon settled to it, her arm tingling from awareness.
She linked her fingers with his and stepped closer, not fighting him when he pulled her to him once again.
“Come home with me.”
“We need to talk about last Saturday night first.”
He groaned and rolled his eyes. “Do we need to ruin the night already?”
“That’s not fair.” She glared at him and he finally laughed.
“Okay. What about it?”
She took a breath and squeezed his hand. These questions had tortured her all day Sunday, her anger towards him the only thing stopping her from crying over the whole thing.
“You obviously didn’t hate it, or you wouldn’t be wanting to repeat the experience.”
He groaned and stopped her in their tracks, swooping down to kiss her hard and fast. “It was hot and very memorable. I couldn’t get you out of my mind for days. I had to make you come back into work.”
Come on, give me a little bit more than that.
“So you could…”
“Talk you back into my bed.”
She rolled her eyes and pulled on his hand to keep on walking. He tugged her back, wrapping his arms around her properly, embracing her there on the street for everyone to see.
“You want more. Okay, look. I woke up the next morning and didn’t handle it that well. I know I practically threw you out—and I shouldn’t have.”
Wow. I think that’s almost an apology.
“But that doesn’t mean the night wasn’t amazing, or you weren’t a beautiful lover. I don’t have much experience dealing with those sorts of situations and wasn’t quite sure what to do.”
“So you just got up and decided to start a workout?”
He pressed a soft kiss to her lips again, then shrugged. “That was what I always do on a Sunday morning. I find comfort in my routine.”
She squeezed his biceps. “Me, too.”
Should she really let him off the hook that easily? “But what about all the other women who have slept over?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What other women? No one’s slept beside me in fifteen odd years. I don’t let people stay, but you—”
“But with me?”
He grinned. “You fell asleep and you were so beautiful on that pillow. I didn’t want to wake you up.”
Her heart tugged at his words. She wasn’t sure that was enough. She wanted so much more, but for now, she’d have to take it. He hadn’t woken her up and kicked her out, instead choosing to sleep beside her and cuddle her all night. That had to mean something.
Didn’t it?
“Okay, then.”
“Okay, what?”
“I’ll come home with you tonight.”
Nate opened his mouth as though to fight her on it, and then obviously registered what she said. The smile he gave her was worth putting her fears aside.
His Jekyll and Hyde routine had to be due to his childhood, or his mother’s death. Something made him switch from warmth to ice in seconds, and if she could get closer to
him, she could try to help him, heal him. Maybe love him enough that he might trust her.
“Great. My car’s parked back near work.”
They hurried back to his tiny black sports car and she got in while shaking her head.
“What’s wrong?”
She giggled and motioned to his car.
“Don’t they say guys with sports cars are trying to compensate for something—and you don’t have that problem.”
She gave him a huge smile and he laughed, the stress lines she usually saw around his eyes smoothing out. “Why, thank you, ma’am.”
They drove the two minutes back to his apartment and held hands as they rode the elevator up to the third floor. It felt right coming home with him. She’d be a loser if she slept with him and he didn’t respect her.
They had a long way to go, but she was beginning to see that there was a lot more to this man than met the eye.
As soon as the front door shut, their arms wrapped around one another with a hunger she hadn’t expected. Her heart thumped against her breast, his breathing ragged in the room.
This time, they made love with no words, no fancy moves or sexy foreplay. He slipped inside her and lay on top, kissing her deeply, staying close, heart to heart, until they climaxed together in a shower of moans.
As she began drifting off to sleep, her body sated and her heart strangely full, she snuggled back into his warmth. His hand landed on her hip as he tugged her to him.
“It’s all right if I stay, isn’t it?”
It was a weekday and she’d have to haul ass in the morning to get home, change and get back to work on time, but there was no way she was leaving him after what they’d just shared.
He didn’t answer and she twisted around to stare at him. He had his eyes closed and a strange frown on his face. She wanted to stay, but she may not have a choice.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head and glanced at her. “Nothing. Of course, you can stay.”
He looked down, his eyes shadowed even in the dark. There was something so sad about him, tortured.
She reached up a hand and cupped his cheek.
“Hey, you can tell me if you don’t want me to stay. I’ll be a bit upset, but I don’t want to impose on you.”
When he didn’t respond again a lead-like vise wrapped around her heart and squeezed. She must have been alone in her delusion of a blossoming romance.
“All right, I’ll go.” She made to get up and his arm snaked out and pulled her back against his solid chest so fast, the breath oomphed out of her.
“No. I want you to stay.”
He held tight, wrapping both arms around her. She couldn’t help smiling as she settled back against him.
“Good night, Nate. Thank you for tonight.”
“Good night, beautiful girl.”
Emmy awoke to an electronic alarm, contented snoring in her ear and a hot male body pressed against her back. They’d barely moved since falling asleep.
She reached out and turned off her alarm, Nate rolling onto his back and stretching like a cat.
“Good morning,” she said as she turned and snuggled into him, holding onto the hope that he wouldn’t turn on her this morning as he had the other time.
He kissed her on top of the head and wrapped his arms around her.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
She squeezed tightly as her breath hitched in her throat and unshed tears stung her eyes.
Oh, thank you.
“What time is it?” he asked, his throat thick with sleep.
“Before seven. I have to rush home and get some new clothes before work so I better head out.”
“Seven? Are you kidding me?”
She raised her head. “No, why?”
He stared at her for a minute and then laughed, rolling on top of her and settling between her open thighs like he was meant to be there.
“Hey.” She pushed playfully at his chest, although she wasn’t really trying to push him off. His weight felt so perfect on top of her. His bulk a comfort, his heat perfect for nestling into. “I was trying to get up.”
“Do you know that I haven’t slept past sunrise since I was a teenager? You’re some awesome sleep aid.”
She rolled her eyes as his lips descended, kissing her neck and moving south to her breasts. “Thanks for the compliment.”
He must have heard her sarcastic tone and looked up with a confused expression in his eyes. “I’m serious. You feel like home.”
They both froze at that moment and he pulled back, rolling off her to stand up and move towards the bathroom.
“Ah, just going to use the toilet. Back soon.”
He disappeared and she sat up, holding the sheets to her breasts.
You feel like home.
No words had ever sounded sweeter. Not any “I love you” from her parents, not false compliments from past lovers. In four words Nathan had described everything that was important, and she never wanted to lose that.
She stared at the closed bathroom door and sighed heavily. He was running from her and how he felt about her, and she understood that. You didn’t get to be Nathan’s age and still be single without carrying a decent amount of baggage or scars.
His mother had suffered physical abuse at the hands of his father, she knew that. That in itself was enough to set most people on the path to rocky relationships.
She slipped her legs off the bed and stepped over to the bathroom.
“Hey, Nate. I better head off soon. Can I use your shower quickly?”
He opened the door with a smile. “Yeah sure, but you don’t need to run home. There’s a shop in the foyer that has some beautiful suits that would look amazing on you. They open at eight.”
She looked down at the tiled bathroom floor. “Thanks, but I really can’t afford anything new.”
He slid an arm around her waist and tilted her chin up. “Yeah, well I can. They have my details and I’ll call down to instruct to put it on my account.”
She frowned as different sides of her personality warred in her head. She didn’t want to be bought. She wasn’t a hooker. Images of Pretty Woman flashed through her head.
“When’s your birthday?”
She glanced up at him at the change of topic. “Third of December.” Which was a month away.
“How about the suit can be your birthday present, then?”
“That’s a very expensive birthday present, Nate.” She could feel herself softening as her hands slid up his bare arms and moved around his neck.
“Then make it a Christmas present, too.”
She weighed her next words carefully, but decided she’d push through the barrier despite the possible repercussions.
“That’s even further away. You sure we’ll still know each other then?”
His eyes grew shuttered and he kissed her lightly on the lips. “I’m sure we will, and even if we don’t, I want you to have breakfast with me, so I’ll buy you a suit and you can stay.”
She nodded before she thought better of it. It would be stupid to throw the offer back in his face, especially since it meant he wanted her to stay with him as long as possible. Sure, he wasn’t exactly making the declarations of intent that she would like, but one step at a time.
“What’s for breakfast, then?”
Two hours, one omelet, two showers, and another hot lovemaking session later, she was walking into her office slightly warmer than the weather called for.
“Wow, nice suit! Where’d you get that?”
Emily shuffled into her desk space, plopped down her laptop and briefcase and slid into her seat.
Kristy came barreling around the corner.
“Tell me, tell me!”
Emily frowned at her designer-loving friend as she carefully took out her laptop and turned it on.
“It’s new, nothing special.”
“You’re kidding me? Have you finally decided to spend some money on clothes? I am so impressed, Em!
You look amazing.”
Emily shook her head at her friend and shooed her away. Meanwhile, the heat in her cheeks had reached the point where she was shrugging out of her designer jacket to cool down.
Why did someone have to notice straight away?
A wolf whistle sounded behind her and she ignored it.
Kristy sent her an email that tinged in her inbox.
Hot blouse too!
Emily couldn’t stop the giggle that rose and she twisted in her chair and stuck her tongue out at Kristy.
It was a beautiful ensemble the woman had chosen for her.
A sky blue blouse and a navy pinstriped suit that accentuated her small waist and did nothing to hide her large breasts. She looked businesslike, but very feminine. Not a style she ever thought she’d be able to afford, or have the guts to wear. But after a night with Nate and a very persuasive sales assistant, she now owned a very beautiful suit.
This morning had been so very different from last Sunday morning. The whole experience had been so much more deeply satisfying. The sex on Saturday night had been hot, but last night had been better somehow. She woke up feeling loved, treasured, wanted by him. If that was her delusion, she’d own it when it came down to it, but for the moment, she was living the dream.
She set to work and around lunchtime she received a phone call she hadn’t quite expected.
“Hello, beautiful, how’s your day been?”
She giggled as she answered, the response totally inappropriate, but she couldn’t stop it.
“Great, how about yours?”
“Busy, but good. What are you laughing about?”
She bit her lip as she jiggled in her chair. “Nothing, I’m just happy you called.”
“Good.”
There was a comfortable silence and Emily decided to jump into the gap.
“Do you want to come over to my house tonight? I won’t finish until late, but we could probably watch a movie, or something.”
His low chuckle on the end of the line signaled the fact that he understood her message. Another night like last night was definitely on the cards for her. She was addicted to his kisses and craved those feelings that only he could give her.
“Sure. I can swing by and pick you up at eight if you like?”
