“Hey relax, we are about ten minutes into the trip. We’ll get it all squared away. How about we were set up by someone you work with?”
“Yes, that’s a great idea,” she agrees. “I’ve mentioned a Vicki I work with, so it can be her.”
“See, done with that. Well how about you tell me a little about yourself. You’re a nurse, is that something you always wanted to do?” I ask, merging onto the interstate.
Shifting slightly in the seat, she clears her throat. “I have wanted to be a nurse since I can remember. It’s all I ever wanted to do. My parents are less than thrilled with my choices, but I’m very happy.”
She’s living her dream. That’s pretty fucking admirable. “Why wouldn’t your parents be thrilled about you accomplishing your dream?” I don’t understand.
“Because I’m not living their dream,” she says, laughing without humor. “I told you they want me married and popping out kids. They don’t like the idea of me working, living on my own, and being single.”
“Well, I think it’s great you went out and accomplished your dream. Not many people actually get to do that. So, we’ll convince them you’re in a very happy relationship, don’t worry about that,” I say.
It’s strange her parents wouldn’t be proud as hell for her accomplishments, but I guess everyone is different. That is the least of my worries though, we have to figure everything out before we get there and I have a feeling this isn’t going to be very easy.
We talk the entire ride and I noticed halfway through that she was much more comfortable with me. Her body relaxed, she was laughing, and telling me all about herself and her family. Her siblings, Abigail and Andrew are both married and starting families.
When we are about ten minutes from her parents house, I can sense her change in demeanor again. Everything is figured out, right down to what she was wearing when I first laid eyes on her. She just needs to relax and trust in my abilities now. She’ll see soon enough that I’m good at what I do. Really fucking good.
Chapter Four
Addilyn
When we pull up to my parents the knot in my stomach tightens. This is such a horrible idea. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Nate places his strong hand on my shoulder and I turn my head. “Relax Addilyn. I promise you no one will know,” he says with a smile.
I should mention that he’s hot. Like fucking make my under used pussy take notice, hot. He’s got these dark chocolate eyes that are mysterious, dark hair that is wildly perfect, and I’d have to be blind not to notice his body. The man must work out hourly to maintain that. In real life I’d never be able to score a guy that looks like him. But paying him to be mine, yeah that’s more believable.
He didn’t let the conversation stall out once on the ride. It didn’t even feel that long, because honestly he was easy to talk to. Making sure that every detail was in place, but in a way that made it feel like he was just getting to know me. Felt kinda good actually. It’s been a long time since I had the full attention of a guy. Even if I’m paying him for it.
Searching his clear eyes, I nod my head. “Okay, let’s do this.”
We get out of his unbelievably sexy car and he grabs our bags, tossing them over one shoulder. It kinda makes me grin, until we start walking to the door and he grabs my hand. Jerking my head to him, he lets out a soft laugh.
“I’m going to have to touch you Addilyn. Jumping when I do that might not be a good idea,” he says, giving me a wink.
I close my eyes briefly and blow out a breath. “Right, sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Just get used to my hands on you,” he says, giving my hand a little squeeze.
Damn, having his hands on me would be fine by me. Having his hands on me while I was naked in bed with him on top of me would be even better. The door swings open and I feel myself blush when I see my mother. I can’t let my thoughts go in that direction or this will be even worse.
“Addie, oh my baby you’re home,” she says, ripping me away from Nate. “He’s very good looking. Introduce us.”
Rolling my eyes as she lets go of me, I plaster on a fake smile. “Mom, this is Nate Wheeler.”
“Nate, it’s an honor to meet you. We were starting to lose hope that our Addie would ever find someone,” she says, laughing.
Putting his muscular arm around me, he smiles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Mitchell,” he starts.
“Oh don’t Mrs. Mitchell me, I’m Bridget or Mom whichever you prefer.”
Oh my God. This is not happening.
“Bridget it is. Thank you for inviting me. Being away from Addilyn for two weeks would have been unbearable for me,” he says, laying it on thick.
“Aren’t you sweet. Well, come in, come in. Everyone’s waiting to meet the guy that Addie finally decided to bring around.”
Following her inside, Nate glances over at me. “Sorry,” I mouth to him.
Shaking his head slightly, he drops our bags by the door and pulls me in for a hug. “Don’t apologize for everything they say. I’ve got this, relax alright,” he whispers in my ear.
Not going to lie, having his arms around me feels pretty fucking good. He has a tight hold on me, not some pussy hug where his arms are limp. No, he’s got me pressed against his solid chest with those powerful arms around me.
“Charles, come look at this. He can’t keep his hands off of her.” I hear my mother yell to my dad.
“Addilyn, let’s go have some fun,” he whispers again, before pulling away.
He grabs my hand and we walk into the living room. I’m grateful it’s only my dad. Seems we’ve beat everyone here. Which is surprising considering they all live within a few minutes of each other.
“Charles, turn off that TV and come meet Nate,” my mom yells.
Standing up he looks Nate up and down before turning his attention on me. “Hey little girl. Give your old man a hug,” he says with a small smile.
“Hi Dad,” I say, wrapping my arms around him.
“Nate huh? What’s that short for?” my dad questions, lifting a graying eyebrow.
“It’s short for Nathaniel, sir.” Nate sticks out his hand to my father. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you I feel like I know you,” he says.
My dad shakes his hand and smiles. “Oh yeah?”
“Yes sir. When you have time I’d love to see your train collection. I used to have a small train set myself, but from what I hear you’ve got the best there is.”
Slapping Nate on the back, his smile couldn’t be bigger. “Well damn son, after dinner we’ll have some cigars in the basement and I’ll show you. And please call me Charles.”
Holy shit. He’s good. I mean I know he said he was good, but wow. Watching him impress my dad that quickly was like magic. He’s not an easy man to get along with, but Nate knew exactly what to say. It’s kinda sexy.
“Sit, sit. I want to hear everything,” my mom says, patting the cushions next to her.
Just as we sit down the front door flies open. It’s like utter chaos ensues. Kids running all over screaming, my sister and her husband yelling for them to relax. My brother and his wife trying to talk over everyone. My parents are laughing at the kids and hugging everyone. Turning my head, I shrug at Nate.
“It’s only going to get worse,” I say, staring into his dark eyes.
“I can handle it. Stop worrying so much,” he says, wrapping his arm around me.
Instinctively, I move closer to him, feeling his body heat against mine. He’s good. The man is good.
“Oh my goodness,” Abigail, my sister, screams. “Will you look at Addie? She really did bring someone home.”
I feel myself tense up with anger and Nate must sense it because he gently strokes my arm.
“Don’t be so rude Addie, introduce us all,” Andrew, my brother, says.
Inwardly, I roll my eyes as I introduce Nate to everyone standing there staring at us. My sister and her husband Jake, my br
other and his wife Tracey and of course my two nephews, Michael and Matt.
The volume of everyone talking at the same time is like nails on a chalkboard. I can feel my body getting tense and my ears starting to bleed. I glance over at Nate and he has a small smile on his face taking it all in. This poor guy had no idea what the hell he signed up for.
“Shhh, everyone shut up. I want to hear how Nate and Addie met,” Abigail yells, clapping her hands like a small child.
It’s like she just promised them gold because everyone shuts up and silently stares at us. Shifting uncomfortably next to Nate, he puts his hand on my knee giving it a light squeeze. Pretty much reassuring me he’s got this.
“Addilyn and I were actually set up by a mutual friend. She told me that she knew the perfect girl for me, which I didn’t believe existed, so I figured what did I have to lose. We met in a small dimly lit restaurant. When I saw her walk in it was the first time in my life I felt my knees go weak. She was stunning and I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of her since. The longer we talked, the more I realized that maybe there was something to believe in. Well, we haven’t been apart since that night. She’s definitely the perfect woman for me,” he says.
I’m staring at him believing the story myself for a second. Damn, he’s good.
“Oh, that is beautiful,” my mom says, wiping her eyes.
“How long have you been together?” Andrew asks. He’s always looking for the faults in everything. If there is a problem, he’ll happily point it out.
“Almost six months,” I say, puffing my chest out with confidence.
Laughing, he turns to his wife. “Just wait,” he says under his breath.
“Until what?” I say, starting a fight that is completely unnecessary.
“Addie, it’s new and fun right now. Wait until you’re married and having kids. Shit changes fast,” he says, walking past us to go into the kitchen.
I glance over at Tracey who stares at the floor holding onto her very pregnant belly. “What the hell was that about?” I ask, looking between my mom and Tracey.
My mom waves her hand trying to dismiss me. “Oh, he’s just in a mood. Never mind him. Come on, let’s go work on getting dinner ready. I’m sure everyone is starving.” She starts toward the kitchen and turns back. “Addie, you and Nate can take your bags up to your old room and relax if you need.”
That is her way of trying to keep me away from whatever the fuck is going on. Which is fine because I’ll get it out of someone, but I’ll gladly take the break from everyone for now. Walking over to our bags, it suddenly hits me. We are staying in the same room. Fuck.
Chapter Five
Nate
Addilyn leads the way to her old room. She’s so worried about what everyone thinks of her being single, but being here the very short time I have I can already say she has nothing to worry about. They’ve all got their own problems going on, but that’s family. I’m not sure she knows or realizes but she’s probably been a good distraction for them to focus on.
Opening the door, she steps inside. “I didn’t even consider the sleeping situation. I’ll take the floor.”
I put the bags by the closet and sit down on the queen sized bed covered with a pink and purple floral comforter. There are boy band posters around the room and stuffed animals on a small chair in the corner. Pictures lining the walls of a younger Addilyn and friends bring a small grin to my face.
“Nice room,” I joke.
Covering her face, she groans. “This is so embarrassing.”
“It’s not embarrassing for me,” I laugh.
She jerks her head toward me and shakes it. “It’s bad enough you’re dealing with my family, but getting a glimpse into my past, that’s not what I wanted.” Falling face first onto the bed, she turns her head to look at me. “You really are good at what you do.”
Pushing a piece of fallen hair out of her face, I smile. “I told you I was.”
Her green eyes bounce around searching mine before she clears her throat. “That story you told about how we met. Is that umm, is that the script you follow?”
I rest back on my elbows and turn my head toward her. “You can’t analyze everything I say and do or you’ll drive yourself crazy. Think of it like this, if you were in a new relationship, would you wonder if everything he said was something he’s said before?”
“No I wouldn’t, but he also wouldn’t be a guy that was hired to be my boyfriend so I wouldn’t think about it,” she says, slightly lifting one shoulder.
“Okay listen and I’m only going to say this once. No I’ve never said that story before. I don’t follow a script, I go with my gut. My gut told me if we were set up that’s how it would have went down,” I admit. Why do I admit it? I have no idea because the less she knows the better it is when I walk away at the end of this.
A small blush colors her cheeks as she drops her eyes for a minute. “Are you always this charming?”
I laugh and fall onto my back focusing on the ceiling. “No, I’m definitely not.”
“How’d you get into doing this? I mean let’s be honest here you’re damn hot, I don’t think you’d have a problem getting a date or a quickie.”
“I didn’t decide to do this to meet women, I told you my rules and I’ve never broken one. It’s about giving women the confidence they need to get out of their own way. To let them discover it’s not me they are in search of, it’s finding out who they really are,” I explain.
“And you do that in a day or two?” she asks, unconvinced.
Standing up, I motion with my head for her. “Get up.”
“What?” she asks, laughing.
“I said, get up,” I say a bit more forcefully.
She sits up looking at me for a second before she stands. “Okay, I’m up. Now what?”
She’s a real smartass, but I like it. “You asked if I’m able to do all that in a day or two, right?”
Crossing her arms, she raises a brow. “Yeah I did because no one is that good.”
I step toward her slowly and with each step I take forward, she takes one backwards. My eyes are locked onto hers, drinking her in and I can see her chest start to rise and fall a bit quicker. She backs right up against the wall and I push my leg between hers. Grabbing her wrists, I pin her arms above her head. My lips are a breath away from hers when I hear her let out a soft sigh.
“Close your eyes,” I whisper. Her smart mouth has nothing to say this time and she quickly closes them. Moving my mouth to her ear the urge to nip at it is strong, but I won’t break my rules. “Addilyn, you are a strong, beautiful, independent woman. You don’t need a man to make you feel good about yourself, you already do. It shows in the way you carry yourself. You’re extremely confident. You’re funny, sexy, intelligent and any man would be lucky to have you.” Moving my lips back to hers, I let them hover right above them. “You need to let down your guard and let everyone around you see how fucking amazing you are.”
I step back and grin when she stays pressed against the wall.
“Damn,” she whispers. Cracking her eyes open, she licks her lips. “You’re some kind of magician, Nate.”
“Told you. Now come on, let’s go impress your family.”
They are loud and crazy, but you can see they all have love for each other. It reminds me of spending Christmas with my family before they decided to pack up and move to London. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still close, we just don’t see each other.
“So Nate, what is it you do for a living anyway?” Charles asks as we finish up dessert.
Addilyn’s eyes widen a bit and I squeeze her leg under the table. She needs to stop giving away her fears so easily and have a bit of faith in me.
“I’m in personal investments,” I say, sipping my coffee as I toss my arm over Addilyn’s chair.
“Oh, that sounds interesting. What is it exactly?” Bridget asks.
“Sounds like he’s trying to hide the fact he doesn’t have a job,” Andrew m
umbles. That guy is a dick and I’m gonna end up punching him in the mouth. But, I get it, overprotective brother and all.
Clearing my throat, I look around the table at them all, pinning him with my stare. “No Andrew I do in fact have a job. A very good paying job actually.” Turning to Bridget, I grin. “I listen to what it is people want and I help them build that dream.”
“Wow Addie, you did good. I mean he’s good looking, smart, and has money. Don’t screw this one up,” Abigail says, laughing as she sips her wine.
“Jealous?” Addilyn asks and it makes me fucking grin. There’s her confidence.
“Jealous? Please, you’ve envied me for years,” Abigail comes backs with.
Charles stands up and everyone shuts up. “Enough girls. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Nate and I are going to the basement.”
Kissing Addilyn on the cheek, I stand. “Lead the way.”
I can hear the complaining of no one else being invited to come to the basement. It makes me chuckle as I follow Charles. Once down there he flicks on the lights and it comes to life. He goes on and on about where he got each piece of the train set. How it took years to get the display like this. The amount of time and money he’s spent trying to find just the right piece. It’s not my thing, but I have to give him credit that he loves what he’s doing.
“So, I guess you and Addie are getting pretty close, huh?” he asks, puffing on his cigar.
“We’re definitely in a good place,” I say, trying to cover up the truth.
Slapping me on the back, he smiles. “She’s a good girl, I’m glad she’s found such a good guy.”
For the first time I feel a cluster of guilt for what I’m doing. She’s going to end up having a mess to clean up after I walk away and I don’t like that thought. Not at all.
When we finally make our way back upstairs it’s late and everyone has gone to bed. I get into the bedroom and Addilyn is making a bed on the floor.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, picking up the pillows she’s just thrown down.
Hired for the Holidays Page 2
