“So, what’s your hunch?”
“I think he was poisoning you.”
Vanessa gasped. “Oh my God! Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I were, beautiful. I don’t know how, but your food is the only way I can think of. I’m going to call Evan and try to get back in the house. It’s still a crime scene, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Listen, let me make a phone call before I pass out. Sam and I’ll be there before lunch tomorrow. You’re safe now, Vanessa. Try to get some sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night,” she quietly said before she disconnected the call.
7
I’m sorry, Vanessa girl. I should’ve never made that agreement. Please forgive me,” her father said. It was the last thing he said before he died.
She’d never get any more information.
Vanessa turned on the radio beside her bed and laid there for a few minutes. The channel played nothing but love songs which helped her relax.
“Sweetest Sin” by Jessica Simpson came on, and her mind drifted to Nathan. She’d never experienced the things that song talked about.
His lips upon hers—she touched her lips and closed her eyes.
His skin on hers—she hesitantly moved her fingers down her body and slipped them under her panties. She’d never touched herself because she was never turned on by Charles, and he was the only one she was ever with. But, Nathan…
The way he looked at her made her feel special, not like a duty to be handled. The way he called her beautiful every time they spoke. She remembered he called her baby on the phone yesterday as her fingers touched her clit. Her stomach jumped from the contact as her fingers slide down a little farther to feel how turned on she was. That was a new feeling for her. She brought her fingers back to her clit and rubbed in a circle. Nathan was a big man, and she wondered if he’d be big everywhere. Would it be a sweet sin?
The song changed to “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes, and her mind followed the words. Was she wanted? Nathan made her feel like she was. They’d never even held hands, but when their hands accidentally touched she felt warm and tingly inside. Her breathing grew heavy, and her heart raced. Would he make her fairytales come true? Would he wait for her? Was that too much to ask from a man like him?
Her hand moved faster, and her core tightened. A cool sensation ran down her spine before her body exploded. “Oh, Nathan,” she said in the quiet of her bedroom. Please wait for me. Her fingers slowed to a soothing touch.
Bang, bang! Ding, ding! “Vanessa!”
She quickly looked at the clock. It was barely nine in the morning. She threw a robe around her body as she hurried to the front door and flung it open just as Nathan was poised to hit the door again with a balled fist and narrowed blue eyes.
“Nathan? You’re here early.” She knew her body was still flushed from what she’d just finished doing. Would he know?
His eyes scanned her from head to toe as a smile crept across his face. “You look beautiful.” He grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. “I couldn’t wait any longer to see you.”
As her hand brushed across his face, he turned toward it and inhaled. His eyes widened as he sniffed again then turned to her with a glorious smile. “Were you thinking about me this morning?”
“What are you talking about?”
Nathan sat her down then guided her hand to his mouth as he sucked her fingers. He closed his eyes and groaned. “You taste good. I can’t wait to taste you for myself.”
She slapped him on his chest. “I can’t believe you just did that! Where’s Sam?”
“Waiting in the truck until I tell him he can get out. I needed just five minutes with you alone. I’ve missed you so much, Ness.” He pulled her to him.
She returned the hug and melted into him as she closed her eyes and breathed him in. This was right. Before she was ready to release him, he pulled away. Her head jerked up in surprise.
With a look of consternation on his face, he shook his head. “Not going to get you in trouble with your divorce, beautiful.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “Tell Sam he can come in. I’ll get dressed,” she said, her voice full of disappointment.
“Vanessa, I don’t want him here either. I want to spend the day with just you—no interruptions.” He stroked her cheek. “Look at me.” When she brought her eyes to his, she saw the hunger there. “Do not ever doubt that I want you.” He cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “We’re taking this slow because of the shit you’ve been through and the laws of South Carolina, but make no mistake, baby, I want to be with you so badly my entire body hurts from holding back.”
He just called her baby again. A small smile graced her lips. “Me too,” she whispered.
8
Instead of calling Sam to the house, Nathan walked toward the truck to give her a few minutes to get decent. He wasn’t about to let Sam see her with barely any clothes on.
Where did this proprietary feeling come from? He’d never felt that way, not even with Diane. Hell, he and Evan had shared several women, so why was he so determined to keep Vanessa for his eyes only? He was protective, sure. He even had feelings for her, but to never let anyone see her in a private way? Nope, never had that before. And seeing her after she’d just pleasured herself first thing in the morning? That was private, and that was his.
When he was almost to the truck, Sam jumped out. “Hey, man. Something wrong?”
“No, she wasn’t up yet. I told her we’d give her a minute.” Nathan adjusted himself in his shorts.
“You okay?”
“Fuck no, I’m not okay,” Nathan quietly said so he wouldn’t be heard by anyone but Sam. He pointed toward the house. “I want to go in there and make love to her every way known to man, and I can’t. She didn’t admit it, but I know she took matters into her own hands before we got here, and that pisses me the fuck off. I want to be the one to give her that pleasure. Me.” Nathan stretched his hands and balled his fists. He wanted to hit something.
“Is she ready for your intensity?”
“I don’t know, Sam, but dammit, I have never wanted a woman as much as I want her.” His voice was louder than he intended.
“Is there a problem? Is that why you’re out here?” Vanessa’s voice came from behind them.
Nathan turned, and his gaze landed on his beautiful dream. Her dark hair was pulled loosely to the side, and her face looked fresh with very little makeup on it. She had a light blue summer sweater with no sleeves that hung below her hips, a pair of very loose white linen pants rolled above her ankles and a pair of white Keds. Could the woman look any more innocent? Did she own anything that showed off her sexy shape? Just the black pencil skirt she wore the first day I laid eyes on her. Now that he thought about it, each time after that her clothes were baggier and baggier.
“Hey, Vanessa,” Sam said as he kissed her cheek.
Nathan swore a growl bubbled up from his chest. He wanted to kiss her cheek. Hell, he just wanted to kiss her. Her cheek, her lips, her neck, her breasts, her stomach, her pussy…
Fuck!
He had to stop this before he did something completely stupid like march her cute little ass back into that house and explore every one of those places.
“No, beautiful. We were just giving you some time to get dressed.”
She nodded toward his balled-up fists. “Doesn’t look that way to me.” She walked toward him and stopped when they were toe to toe. She placed her hand on his chest, and he thought she’d burned a hole into him. His blue eyes met her brown ones, and he tried to convey everything he felt into that look. Son-of-a-bitch. He was not going to make it four more weeks.
She’s off limits until her divorce is final.
“Dude, do we need to hit the cold ocean water?” Sam asked through a chuckle.
Nathan shook his head but didn’t take his eyes off Vanessa. He wanted this picture of her burned in his mind. He needed it for the next little while.
Only if it’s spiked with vodka. “Yeah, that sounds great,” Nathan said. On the way back inside, he thought it may help if he got a little tipsy. “Got anything stronger, Ness?”
“Nathan, it’s not even noon.” There was a trace of surprise in her voice.
“I don’t care. It’s five o’clock somewhere.” A playful smile stretched across his face.
Sam grabbed Nathan’s shoulder and leaned toward him. “Dude, does she know about your history?”
Nathan shook his head.
“Any of it?”
Nathan shook his head again.
“You may be testosterone overload for her. You’re going to scare the shit out of her if you don’t talk first,” Sam said.
“Not until I can hold her, dammit.”
“Y’all go sit in there.” Vanessa pointed toward the sunroom. “I’ll pour the lemonade.”
“Need any help?” Nathan asked.
“No, I’ve got it.”
As soon as Nathan and Sam were in the next room, Sam continued their conversation. “Dude, she may technically not be a virgin, but she’s as innocent as one. You’re going to have to go slow, and slow is not in your nature. What the hell do you think she’s going to do when she sees your piercing?” Sam dropped his eye briefly to Nathan’s crotch.
“I don’t know.” Nathan let out a frustrated breath as his head dropped back on his shoulders.
“Here ya go, guys.” Vanessa brought a tray of drinks to them and set it on the trunk in the middle of the room.
“Vanessa, would it be all right with you if I take my glass with me? I’d like to go walk on the beach,” Sam said.
Vanessa blinked at Sam. “Sure.” She turned quickly to Nathan with wide doe eyes.
Nathan looked at Sam. “You know we can’t be alone.” He was just as nervous as Vanessa. Women didn’t make him nervous, but this one was like no one he’d ever been with. “If we’re not out there in twenty minutes, your ass better be back in here. Twenty minutes, Sam.”
“Relax, I’ve got both your backs.” Sam took his glass and walked out the back door toward the beach.
“Is there a room with fewer windows where we can talk?”
“This is my favorite room because of the windows,” she said with a smile.
“When your divorce is final, it’ll be mine too. Until then, I think it’s best if we go to the beach where we can’t be accused of anything, or to a room where no one can see us.”
“I didn’t think of that.” She bowed her head.
“I’m thinking about it for both of us, Ness.” He followed her into the living room.
“What do you want to talk about?” Vanessa asked.
Nathan looked at her. He knew what he needed to say, but he didn’t want to until the time was closer when they could be together. Damn, he wished he had a beer. “Um, did you know I was from California?” That was something they’d need to discuss at some point, right? Starting with the mundane may be the best.
She smiled. “No. I knew you weren’t from around here because you don’t have a southern drawl. Why did you leave?”
“I went to college then to work for ATF.”
“ATF?”
“Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. I worked undercover for the last five years or so.”
“Oh, wow. What brought you to South Carolina?”
“Evan Riverton.” He chuckled. “We were partners for the most part, but he went undercover, and the perps moved here. Since he’s from here, he got out and I came in, so to speak.”
“Were you part of all the commotion a few months back?”
“Yeah, then Evan took the Chief of Police position and asked me to join him, so here I am.” Nathan flashed a broad smile. He figured hitting the high points now was okay. He’d go back to the sordid details if this moved in the direction he hoped.
“Wow, I’ve never been out of South Carolina,” she said with sadness in her voice. “Even my honeymoon was just to Charleston.”
The sad look on her face almost gutted him. I will take this woman somewhere out of this state as soon as I can, he vowed to himself.
“Nathan, I need to ask something because, well, just because.”
“Shoot.”
Her hands were folded in her lap as her gaze went from them to Nathan’s eyes. “When this is all over with Charles, are we going to have sex?”
Nathan let out a huff of air as if someone hit him before he shook his head. “No, Ness. It’s going to be so much more than sex.” He touched her face and watched it turn bright red.
“Oh.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Well, what if I’m not very good at that? I mean, my limited experience wasn’t good at all. And you’re gorgeous. I know you’ve had other women, so it’s okay if you need someone else. I know I’m not going to be enough for someone like you.”
Nathan’s mouth fell open as she was rambling on with word vomit. How could she think she wouldn’t be enough for him? He finally placed his finger over her lips. “Hush. Just hush.” He furrowed his brows and shook his head waiting for her to be silent. “Vanessa, I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve had a…colorful past. A past we’ll eventually talk about. But until we have the chance to be together, we’re not getting into all of it, okay?”
She nodded. “I see how you look at me. It makes me feel beautiful and sexy and desirable. But if you can’t wait until then, it’s okay for you to, um, be with someone else.”
Nathan couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. He grabbed his lemonade and chugged it down before he took her hand and pulled her out the back door toward the beach.
“What are you doing? Nathan, you’re scaring me,” she cried as she tried to pull her hand from his grasp.
He immediately released her hand. “Shit. I’m sorry, Ness. I just had to get us out of there before I took you to your bedroom and showed you just how badly I want you—you. Not a substitute for you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, I think so.” She rubbed her wrist.
“Oh God, don’t be afraid of me. I’m sorry.” He gently took her hand and raised her wrist to his lips. He kissed the backside then flipped it over and laid his lips on her pulse point before rolling his eyes to look into hers. “I’m so sorry.” His lips lightly moved across her skin. Do not be afraid of me. I’m not like the asshole.
9
A whimper escaped from Vanessa’s mouth when he looked at her. This huge man, who had protected her, also worried she could be afraid of him. Her heart said he would never her hurt, but her brain said to be careful. “Nathan, all I know of men is the last nine years. I’ve been used and abused, literally. I don’t know how to do this.”
“Ness, I know, and I can’t apologize enough.” Nathan released her hand and cupped her face as he rested his forehead on hers. “I’m going to screw this up because I’ve never met someone like you. I don’t know how to take it slowly, but I don’t want to rush you.”
“The feelings you’re causing in me are foreign. I don’t know how to act or react to them.” She pulled back so she could look into his eyes. “Charles is the only man I’ve ever known, and it wasn’t good or fun. In fact, sex scares me. I meant what I said earlier. We have four weeks before we can even think about it, and…and…I don’t know if I can.”
“Okay, beautiful.” He wrapped his arms around her in a loose hug. “Sam pointed out to me that I may be too much for you, so we’re going to use a safe word. Do you know what that is?”
Vanessa shook her head.
Nathan smiled down at her. “A safe word is used in relationships where, um, intensity and pain are a part of sexual activities.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened. “How do you know about those kinds of relationships?” Will he want that with me?
Nathan removed his hands from her back and cupped her face. “Ness, I can see the fear in your eyes. Stop it, okay?” His thumbs caressed her cheeks as he cl
osed his eyes for a moment. “When it’s just us, I’ll go into all the details you need, but just so you know, I have participated in those types of sexual encounters, but that’s not what this is about.”
Vanessa swallowed. “Then I don’t understand. Why do we need a safe word?”
The smile that graced Nathan’s face was brilliant, and maybe backed with a little humor from the glint in his eyes. “Because of your past, and my…intensity.” He tilted his head from left to right. “You need to pick a word. Something that you’d only use when I scare you. When you say it, I’ll stop whatever I’m doing, whether it’s a sexual act or not. Just like earlier, okay?”
“What about scared?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
Nathan shook his head. “No, because you use that word with me in general conversation. It needs to be something specific to me.”
“I don’t know enough about you yet to decide on something specific. Can I just say stop for now?”
“Yes, beautiful, you can always say stop.” He looked around then placed a quick peck on her lips.
She gasped and placed her fingertips there. “You’ve never done that.”
Nathan smiled then placed his hand at the small of her back and nudged her down the wooden walk toward the beach. “So, this morning before we arrived, you pleasured yourself.” It was more of a statement than a question.
Vanessa’s face turned red, and she could feel the heat in her ears. How did she answer? What would he think of her after everything she’d been through?
Nathan put his hands in his pockets as they started walking. “I can’t hold your hand out here, but I want to so I’ll keep my hands in my pockets.” He took a deep breath. “Ness, you said that the feelings I cause are foreign. Were you thinking about me this morning?”
She put her hands in her pockets and nodded.
“Have you ever done that before?”
She shook her head but kept her focus on the beach just in front of her feet. “I’ve never felt the urge to before.” It was best if she didn’t look at him.
Unbridled Passion: A Riverton Crossing Novel Page 4
