by Jo Leigh
She came up to the table and smiled at Nate in a way that made him want to whisk her to Bali and help her forget all about New York and family ties. “Shove over,” she said. “I’m tired, thirsty and I have really exciting news. But first, did you hear back from Aiko?”
“Not yet.” Nate moved, but not much. He wanted to be able to touch her. “What’s so exciting?”
“Who’s Aiko?” Danny asked. “You holding out on me?”
“The Realtor” was all Nate said. He’d already told Danny about the back-and-forth countering that was driving Nate nuts. Right now he wanted to know about Shannon.
She gave him a dazzling smile, then turned to search out the waitress. “Give me a minute.” She put her purse on the outside of the booth, then let her head drop forward. Her hair cascaded into a fiery pool on the tabletop, until she sat up straight again when Peggy came to take their order.
“I’ll have the chicken Caesar salad, dressing on the side.”
“Screw that,” Danny said. “I want the potpie, but first I want the calamari.”
Nate wasn’t very hungry anymore, but he still said, “I’ll have the grilled salmon, please.”
“‘Please’?” Peggy said, sounding confused. “What’s that word mean again?” Then she looked at Shannon. “Your regular?”
Shannon frowned. “Water, thanks.”
Danny’s brows went up. “What’s with all the dressing- on-the-side business? You hate that.”
“I have to look my best,” she said, then grinned like she’d just won Miss Congeniality. “Because the camera adds ten pounds.”
“TV?” Nate smiled back at her, even knowing what he knew. She looked so damn happy. “They’re doing a reality show about your life?”
She waved him away as if he’d been joking, but now that he thought about it, she’d be great at that. “I’m being interviewed by WNYC. About Easter at the park. They’ve asked me to come in on Thursday. It’ll be live, on Local Happenings with Grant and Lisa.”
Nate took her hand and squeezed it. “That’s terrific. What’s the station?”
“It’s not a big affiliate or anything,” she said. “A local independent that broadcasts in Manhattan and some parts of New Jersey. But everyone watches it. They talk about what’s going on in town, and sometimes they do exposés on petty local scandals and profile pieces on charities and people who are making a difference. But mostly they announce book fairs and library programs, stuff like that.”
“The Easter thing is where you raise money for the church renovations?” Danny asked.
“Nope. That’s our Christmas program. This benefits outreach programs for feeding the homeless. But in each of the gift baskets there are cards from Fitzgerald and Sons, and we’re handing out trading cards to everyone who comes to the park. Two of the food trucks are letting me put up big banners. You know I’m going to talk about the printing plant when I’m interviewed.”
“There’s not a doubt in my mind,” her brother said, then shot a glance at Nate.
Shannon glowed as she went on about her plans, and as she talked, Nate thought about what Danny had asked him to do. An interview about Easter baskets wasn’t going to save the day. In fact, it made things worse. Getting her hopes up. Putting that look in her eyes.
He didn’t want to think about it, but after the interview was over, someone was going to have to tell her that the rest of the family wasn’t on board with her plans.
It made horrible sense that it should be him. He owed the Fitzgeralds so much, and he couldn’t picture any of them breaking the news to her. Theoretically he was part of the family, for good and bad, and this was not going to be good. But he would be careful. As careful as he’d ever been in his life. He’d try and take as much of the sting away as possible.
And he sure wasn’t going to bring it up before she had her last hurrah.
* * *
“YOU’RE TIRED,” HE SAID, his voice low, close to her ear.
“I am,” she agreed, letting her thumb run over the back of his hand as they walked slowly in the direction of home. She should probably be concerned about someone spotting them, but she wasn’t. “It’s a good tired.”
“Probably don’t want some crazy man sneaking into your boudoir later.”
“Depends,” she said, smiling in the dark. “How much later?”
“Fifteen minutes?”
She laughed. “Is that starting now, or when we cross the threshold?”
“Fine. We’ll wait. The basketball game’s over, though. It’s past your mother’s bedtime. So it’s only your dad, right? Or will Brady be home?”
“No, he’s not there, and Dad likes to be in bed for the eleven o’clock news.”
“There you go. So, fifteen minutes after the start of the news.”
“Fine. Jeez. So impatient.”
He pulled her to a stop between streetlamps. “Damn right I’m impatient. I’ve never slept with a TV star before.”
“Well, whoever she is, you can tell her to get in line. I’ve got you booked for the night.”
He pulled her in as if they’d been dancing, her coat billowing behind her as she stepped into his arms. His kiss made an excellent day perfect. He tasted of beer, while she, being the most considerate person ever, tasted like peppermint. But she wasn’t complaining. Every kiss she got from Nate was another memory she’d store away.
There was another one, a quick brush of lips, but still sweet, three doors down, and then she was at the big red door, her key at the ready. Nate’s hand touched hers, stilling the turn. “I forgot something,” he said. “I’ll be back in half an hour.”
“What?”
“Condoms. I meant to—”
“Top shelf, medicine cabinet. Big old box. Probably Brady’s but he shouldn’t miss them. Grab a handful.”
Nate’s eyes opened very wide.
“Not all for tonight. For God’s sake, I’ve got work in the morning.”
He laughed and followed her inside, where the downstairs was quiet, and the evening was about to get juicy. After hanging up their coats, they hurried to the second floor. Luckily, Brady’s room was dark just like the rest of the hall. As if it were some kind of spy mission, Nate gave her a nod before he peeled off to Myles’s room. She hurried to her own and got undressed as quickly as she could.
Her thoughts were tripping over themselves, first about Nate, then about the interview, then back to Nate. She made a quick trip to the bathroom, and when she closed the bedroom door behind her, she let all her thoughts of Easter eggs and interviews go in favor of picturing how she wanted to look when Nate came in.
Robe off or on? Her first thought was off, but naked on the bed seemed so normal. Although he really liked her hair. Maybe she could arrange it so that it covered certain bits… .
Nate wouldn’t care at all. It wasn’t a show, and she wasn’t trying to dazzle him. He liked her. She liked him. They were good together. For now.
Her robe slid off her shoulders, and she pushed the comforter back on the bed. He would be here in a moment, and her heart was already beating faster, her nipples getting hard. He’d been so happy for her. Cheering her on.
The line she straddled was thin. Too much optimism and she feared the eventual crash would smash her beyond help. Too much pragmatism and why bother?
Two quick taps came seconds before he slipped inside and locked the door. It still felt like a spy novel, and that was good. The element of drama was important in this fragile game.
“You take my breath,” he said, walking slowly toward her. He was James Bond sexy in his robe. All he was missing was the martini. It helped that he’d run his hand through his hair, that his eyes were already dark with arousal.
“I’ll give it back before you leave.” She reached for his belt, then pushed the robe off, and the press of his skin on hers made everything fuzzy. He kissed her long and slow as they maneuvered between the sheets, breaking only when absolutely necessary. Finally, though, their heads were
on pillows and his knee was between her thighs.
“I almost came here last night.”
“Why didn’t you?” She smiled at the feathery swirls he idly traced on her belly.
“I had a very long conversation with myself. I was completely unreasonable for the most part.” He pressed a warm, moist kiss to the side of her jaw, then trailed his lips to her ear. “God, I can be an idiot.”
Her eyes briefly drifted closed. “How so?”
“I’d almost convinced myself that it would be in both our best interests for me to wake you at one-thirty in the morning when you had to be up at six o’clock.”
“That’s not idiotic.”
He lifted his head, moving the breath that had been warming the back of her ear to her cheek. “I ended up being noble. What did I get wrong?”
“It would have been okay, that’s all. If you’d come.”
“It was one-thirty.”
“I know. I’d have let you in.” She slid her palm across the contours of his chest. He felt so damn good. So solid and safe. So Nate. “Turns out I like you.”
He kissed her, smiling. She felt his grin, then matched it with her own. When he pulled back, his gaze grew serious and the smile faded. “I wish you didn’t have to go to work tomorrow. You could reacquaint me with your city.”
“You lived here most of your life.”
A single finger trailed down her neck, then lower, all the way to her breast. “That’s true, but I never lived in your city. Mine was crowded and noisy and selfish. You love yours so much it has to be something special.”
It was an odd thing for him to say, even his voice sounded a bit strained. She searched his face, but if something was wrong, his expression gave nothing away. “It’s New York,” she said. “Of course it’s special. It’s the best city in the world.”
One hand was holding up his head, while the other continued to play with her body. It felt delicious and intimate for all its unconsciousness, so she settled down and dismissed her initial reaction as her own weirdness.
He’d switched from the single digit to all the fingers and sometimes the palm as he traced her, mapped her. Everywhere he went left a trail of sparks, and it was difficult to split her attention between the sensation and his words. But she wanted both. It was important to fit in everything she could while she had the chance.
“How many big cities have you been to?” he asked. “Paris? Florence? Sydney?”
She shook her head, shifting to her side a little more so she could get in on the touching action. She ran her hand up his hip and kept on going. “The only foreign city I’ve been to is Toronto. Which was wonderful, but it wasn’t New York.”
“Too bad you haven’t visited Europe. It’s not a bad plane ride from here.”
“Nope. When I was young, my parents were always at the plant. Now I’m always at the plant. It’s the curse of a family-run business.”
“That’s crazy.”
“That’s real life.”
“Well, see,” he murmured, “now the best is yet to come.” He kissed her nose, then her lips, and that was the end of talking. That hand of his got serious. When he slipped between her thighs, stroking lightly on the tender flesh, she tipped onto her back, thrusting up with her hips to show him she wanted more.
Two fingers pushed inside her and before she could grab hold of any part of him, he was down the bed. He licked her all over and around where his fingers were before he settled in with pointed tongue.
Her knees went up and her heels dug into the mattress as he kept thrusting inside her, kept circling her clit with ever increasing pressure and speed.
Shannon’s back arched with exquisite tension, her hands fisted the sheets, and she could already feel the beginning of her orgasm starting low and deep.
“Now,” she said. She lifted her head and tried to focus. “Now, please, Nate, now.”
He looked at her from where he sucked her nub between his lips, and she could see he didn’t want to stop, but she did. As wonderful as it was, she wanted him inside her.
“Please.”
He let her go, his fingers as reluctant as his mouth.
She had enough sanity left to grab one of the condoms on the night table, but he had to take it from there. Even though he wasn’t touching her, except for his knees against her inner thighs, she was still close, still trembling, still moving her body as if his cock were already buried to the base.
Seconds later, he was there, he was sliding in and groaning as if it were the best feeling he’d ever had in his life.
The way he filled her made her writhe, made her crazy, and when she tasted herself on his tongue as he kissed her, she made noises she’d never heard before.
She came from his thrusting. He didn’t use his fingers again, and neither did she. But she came and the sensation was so strong she nearly bucked him off.
“Jesus, Shannon,” he said, holding her hips as if he’d never let her go. “I can’t…”
He came while she was still shuddering with aftershocks. There wasn’t enough air in the world to fill her lungs, and her heart was beating itself out of her chest, and oh, God, it was unbelievable.
“I’ve never…” she said between deep gasps. “I’ve never had that happen before.”
Nate had pulled out, flopped next to her. “What?”
“I’ve never come from intercourse alone.”
He looked at her and grinned. Smugly. “No kidding.”
“It’s true. You do have mad skills.”
“I’m inspired. You’re amazing. Everything about you gives me such pleasure.”
She curled into his side and brushed her hand across his chest. “I know. You, too.”
He petted her arm for a while. “Where would you go?” he asked. “If you could go anywhere at all?”
“Um, I’m not sure. Paris. London. I’ve always wanted to go there. Rome, Florence, Switzerland, India, a safari in Africa, Machu Picchu, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Banff—”
His laughter made her head bounce on his chest.
“What?”
“You surprise me. I was starting to think you’d evolved into a typical stagnant New Yorker.”
“Hey.”
“Don’t get me wrong. That’s a lot of dreams and I’m glad you have them,” he said.
She sniffed. “That’s all they are. Dreams.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true, but it’s not as if I’m trapped in some urban tragedy. It’s my family we’re talking about. Everything we’ve built for generations. I’m doing my part, is all. Times are tough, but the plant will—”
He squeezed her arm. “I don’t want to talk about the plant. In fact, I want you to pretend that you don’t have anything standing in your way. You’ve got the time, the money, the freedom to go wherever you want. Where would you go first?”
“No responsibilities, huh?”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t think my imagination is that good.”
“Sure it is. It’s just pretend. You can go anywhere on earth. Where would it be? The first place?”
She sighed and let the reality float away, let herself imagine a life that couldn’t be. “An island, I think,” she said. “Somewhere exotic and quiet and mystical.”
“Ah, now you’re talking my language.” He brushed her skin with the tips of his fingers. “That’s Bali. It’s a magical place. The mountains, the caves. The people are so generous, and you can lose yourself in the green jungles or in the water with coral reefs and brilliant fish all around you. Take a whole day and wander the beaches, or go to the temple where the monkeys are sacred. The scent of incense mixed with the smells of the earth, the water, the sky. It’s so beautiful there, Shannon, I don’t have enough words. It’s paradise.”
Shannon’s eyes were closed and she tried to picture herself on his island, but the passion he had for his true home overshadowed his descriptions. “It sounds perfect.”
&nbs
p; “It is.”
She smiled and kissed his chest. Promised herself she’d be brave and not choke on the words. “And you can’t wait to get back there.”
He stilled beneath her. Not even breathing.
12
NATE PURPOSELY LEFT FOR his noon lunch at ten. The meeting was at Eleven Madison Park, in the Flatiron District, and he wanted to walk. It was a beautiful day, he hadn’t even worn a coat, just his suit jacket. He headed north on 3rd Avenue, thinking about everything that had happened since his conversation with Danny at the pub.
There were a lot of things he’d had to do in his life that were unpleasant, even painful. He’d witnessed the devastation caused by tsunamis and earthquakes on people’s lives and their communities. But he’d been there to help people recover and rebuild. Now he was being asked to rip apart the foundations of Shannon’s life, and it was burning a hole in his gut.
All that travel talk had been illuminating. He’d wanted to get a feel for how much of her dedication was something she chose versus something she hadn’t been able to avoid. Naturally, he’d hoped her choices had been limited, and that letting the plant go would be liberating, but that wasn’t what he’d heard. Yes, it was hard and she’d sacrificed a lot, but she hadn’t been forced. At least not on a conscious level.
He’d wondered when he saw that big sign outside Fitzgerald & Sons how Shannon had felt about being overlooked. She’d been a surprise to the family, five years after they’d stopped trying for a girl, but still, she must have felt like an outsider from time to time. She wasn’t one of the boys in other ways, as well. She’d been a show pony to their workhorses. That they still called her Princess said so much.
Finding out the truth wouldn’t kill her, but it would be a close thing. At least for a while. Her emotional investment was so complete he doubted she gave herself any room to imagine a different kind of life. She’d have to start from the ground up. It wouldn’t be a quick transition, that’s for sure.
So basically, he was going to yank the rug right out from under her, then disappear, leaving her to find her way alone.
That sucked. That sucked so hard he wanted to smash something. He slowed his pace, surprised that he’d been speed walking. Escaping? He was on Lexington, at East 26th, at the Armory in Kips Bay, and he had barely any recollection of how he’d gotten there. The building was a beautiful example of Beaux-Arts architecture, one of his personal favorites. But then a lot of buildings in the city were his favorites.
