I did my best to shake all those thoughts out of my head before answering the door. As soon as I opened it, Gigi barreled past me and practically knocked him over.
“Gigi, down!” I hissed. She jumped down quickly, but stayed at his side, wagging her rump and begging for pets. “Excuse her,” I said, smiling at him.
He was just as handsome as yesterday, only a little more put together. He’d replaced the black tee with a black button down and darker Levi’s, his hair brushed back from his face, which only highlighted those ocean blue eyes and his wide smile that left the lines by his eyes crinkling just right. I wanted to reach out and trace the lines but we certainly weren’t at that level yet.
In his hands, he held a bouquet of deep maroon-colored peonies.
“Hey, Little Bird,” he said, his voice a slow drawl, as he presented the flowers to me. “How’s it going?”
Another flash of his charming grin and my insides melted.
“Thank you, these are so beautiful!” I said, taking the flowers and smelling them. “I’ve never seen them this color before.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “They’re rare, actually. I picked them from my father’s garden. My mother brought a huge amount of bulbs back from a trip to Asia, so there’s a large patch of them in my father’s garden. ”
“Thank you again, I love them,” I said. “You’re right on time.”
“Am I?” He shrugged. “Ready to go?”
“Just let me put these in water,” I said, heading for the kitchen for a vase. “Where are we going?”
“I was hoping you like barbecue?”
“Oh, sure,” I said, filling the vase and unwrapping the flowers before placing them in the water.
“I know a little hole in the wall in North Portland.”
“Okay, I’ll just grab my bag,” I said, leaving them on the counter and walking to the closet. He leaned down, petting Gigi and looking at my house.
“Nice place,” he said. “You lived here long?”
“Just a few months, actually,” I said. “I love the neighborhood. What about you?”
“Oh, I don’t live here.”
“You don’t?” I asked, as I grabbed my bag and we walked out. He waited while I locked the door, towering behind me, heat pouring off of him.
“I live in Los Angeles,” he said. “My dad lives here. I’m just visiting.”
“Oh,” I said, my heart sinking. Of course he was too good to be true already. Just my luck.
We walked out to his truck and I slid in, remembering him asking me if I wanted a ride yesterday. At the time, I hadn’t thought I’d be sliding my ass across his bench seat twenty-four hours later, but here we are.
Immediately, I felt transported back in time. The long leather seat, the vintage dashboard, the rounded windshield, not to mention the huge gear shift sticking out of the wide steering wheel. After he closed my door with a heavy thud, Nathaniel jogged around and slid behind the wheel, winking at me before putting the truck in reverse and backing out of my driveway.
I looked over at him, warning myself not to get too attached. One date, and then that was it. I didn’t have time to get involved, and he didn’t even live here. Which made things easier, right? I could just relax and have a good time and not have to worry about the future at all.
“So, you’re from Portland?” he asked, as he headed down Broadway.
“Born and raised.”
“I grew up here, too,” he said. “Moved to Los Angeles about five years ago.”
I nodded and smiled, drinking in his profile. His jaw was strong and I thought I saw a hint of a dimple in one of his cheeks.
“What do you do?” he asked.
“I’m a nurse at OHSU. Well, Doernbecher’s, really. I’m a pediatric nurse.”
“That’s amazing,” he said.
“Thanks,” I replied. “It’s exhausting, actually. I work a lot.”
“I bet,” he nodded, keeping his eyes on the road, which gave me the opportunity to stare at him unabashedly. I’d never really understood the term boy-next-door till now, but that’s what he was. He was that guy that looked like a million other guys, but with absolutely no flaws whatsoever, which is what made him stand out from all the others. And it was the only thing I could think of that made him look so familiar.
“Have you ever been to Matt’s?”
“Matt’s?”
“Matt’s Barbecue?”
“Oh, no,” I shook my head.
“It’s the best, one of the best in the country, actually.” He pulled up into a small parking lot and parked next to a small, low-slung blue building. I looked it over and was so happy I’d listened to Violet and wore jeans instead of a dress. She’d been right about keeping it casual.
We slipped out of the truck and walked towards the entrance on the corner. Nathaniel put his hand on the small of my back, sending shivers up my spine. Within moments, we were settled in a booth in the back of the restaurant, sitting across from each other. The restaurant was only half full but it was Saturday night and I knew it would fill up soon. While Nathaniel perused the menu, I looked around at the other dozen people seated around us.
A woman at a nearby table caught my eye and smiled and I smiled back. She leaned over and whispered to her date and he looked over at us, first looking at me, then looking over at Nathaniel with wide eyes and whispering back to her.
I looked back at Nathaniel and he smiled at me again.
“I’ll order for you,” he said.
“Oh, well, okay,” I said, silently hoping he wasn’t going to be ordering ribs or anything too messy. The last thing I needed was barbecue sauce all over my face. Nothing sexy about that.
The waitress arrived and I had my first taste of Nathaniel working his charm on someone else. He flashed his smile and blinked those blue eyes and I swear she was fawning over him before he even asked for a glass of water. She took our order and I watched as she walked into the kitchen and started whispering to her coworkers.
“Do you always have this effect on people?” I asked him.
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind,” I laughed. “So tell me about life in L.A.”
He shrugged. “Not much to tell, actually. Nothing ever changes in Los Angeles and it lives up to every stereotype you’ve ever heard.”
“You make it sound so boring.”
“It can be,” he replied.
“So you’re here visiting your dad, you said?”
“Yeah, that was his house I was in front of when we met. He’s lived there for twenty years and no matter how much I try, he won’t move. Mom died a few years ago and he insists on living there because of the ‘memories’, he says.”
“That’s sweet.”
“I guess,” he shrugged.
“So what do you do in Los Angeles?”
“I’m a musician,” he said. “I don’t spend much time there, actually. I travel a lot.”
Oh, boy. I could just see Mom clutching her pearls in my mind. Not to mention Violet laughing.
“Oh,” I nodded.
“See?” He winked. “Stereotypical. I told you.”
I laughed, “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“It’s cool,” he shrugged. The waitress brought over our beers and waters and almost spilled mine in my lap because her eyes were glued to him. I shook my head, trying not to be irritated. I mean, yeah, he was handsome, but for goodness sakes, she needed to get ahold of herself. He looked like every other guy in Portland. Did she swoon over all the guys?
He leaned back in the booth, at ease and casual, the sleeves of his button down rolled up and exposing the tattoos on his arms.
“So, kids, huh?”
“Yeah,” I said. “My mom was a nurse. Peds, also. She’s retired now. It’s really rewarding work. The kids are amazing, and watching them go through so much and still keeping their spirits up is just…touching, really.”
He beamed over at me, his blue eyes seeming to lo
ok right through me. Breathless, I smiled back. Those eyes were deadly. I was afraid to look too long. In fact, I broke his gaze and looked around the room again just to catch my breath. Still, the woman at the table was watching us and smiling like I’d caught the biggest fish on the boat or something.
The waitress returned, putting our plates in front of us. He’d ordered ribs after all, and as I looked down at the plate, I knew my hopes of staying clean were dashed. With a shrug, he dug in and immediately smeared sauce on his cheek. I laughed and followed suit, no longer caring about looking like a fool.
“Mmm,” I moaned, the sauce just the right combination of spicy and sweet. He reached over, using his thumb to wipe the sauce from my bottom lip, his eyes peering into mine the whole time. It was the most sensual thing I’d ever experienced and my stomach quivered in response to his touch.
“You’re absolutely beautiful, Little Bird,” he whispered.
He smiled again, and it was like he was smiling just for me, like I was the only girl in the world. In fact, he had an uncanny way of acting like nobody else was in the room but us.
He deftly ignored the stares, focusing entirely on me.
I’d never felt so seen in my life.
Chapter 4
DOVE
“Dessert?” the waitress asked, her eyes still glued to Nathaniel’s face like sweet on honey.
“Sure,” I shrugged.
“No,” Nathaniel said emphatically, shaking his head. “I’m diabetic. Type 1,” he explained. “Born with it.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, my fantasies of the chocolate volcano cake I’d seen on the menu melting away.
The waitress left the check and sashayed back behind the counter to whisper to her friends again.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
“Oh, that’s okay,” I replied. “I didn’t really need dessert anyway.”
“That stuff is garbage,” he insisted.
“Yeah, of course,” I said, mentally doing an inventory of how much chocolate I had left at home. A visit to the store would be in order tomorrow.
He threw down a few bills and reached over for my hand. His palm was warm against mine and he leaned in and lowered his voice. “I don’t want this night to be over, Little Bird. But I think we should get out of here.”
“Okay, sure,” I agreed, butterflies fluttering in my belly. There was something about him that made me nervous and excited all at the same time. The way he said whatever he was thinking, the way he just took charge of everything. It made me a little uneasy but I quickly pushed that part away and chalked it up to the excitement of meeting someone new.
“Great,” he said. “Let’s go.”
He slid out of the booth, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the door, ignoring the stares of the other diners. We stepped out onto the now darkened sidewalk, his hand still firmly holding mine.
“Nash!” Someone shouted to my right.
I jumped at the loudness of their voice and turned to look just as a flash went off in my face. Another voice from a few more feet away yelled, pushing the first person out of the way.
“Nash! Nash! How long are you in Portland, Nash?”
“What the —,” I cried, holding my hand up to shield my eyes.
“Fuck!” Nathaniel growled, tightening his grip on my hand and pulling me towards the truck.
“Nash!” The door flew open behind us and our waitress ran out. “Can I get a selfie with you, please?”
I looked at Nathaniel, his head down as he pulled us away and I realized it was him they were talking to.
“Nash, Nash, Nash…”
“What the hell…” I mumbled, as he flung open the truck door and pushed me inside. I watched as he ran around to the driver’s side and jumped in, starting the truck and driving away quickly.
I stared at him in bewilderment, reality hitting me over the head like a hammer.
“Oh, my God! You’re Nash?! Are you fucking kidding me?”
Chapter 5
DOVE
He pulled over a few blocks later and turned to me.
“Sorry about that,” he said, running his hand through his hair, a sheepish grin on his face.
“What the hell?” I asked, accusingly.
“I should have explained. I guess I thought you’d recognize me.”
“Yeah, well — I should have — I mean, I knew something was up — but I never thought — you should have told me!” I sputtered.
How in the hell could this be happening? Was I really sitting in a truck with Nate Nash, the biggest rock star in America?
Of course he’d been familiar to me — his face was plastered over every screen in the country multiple times a day, bigger than life.
Only the guy staring back at me was real.
He wasn’t some one dimensional photograph.
Gone were the signature, oversized, black sunglasses I’d seen him wearing in every picture, even onstage. Gone were the fringed leather pants and open leather vest, showing off his perfect washboard abs. Gone were the throngs of adoring fans surrounding him. Gone was the microphone, the stage, the flashing lights and cameras and limos and red carpet and starlets and supermodels.
All of that was stripped away, and instead I faced a humble guy in an old beat up truck smiling back at me with a twinge of mischief in his eyes like he’d just gotten away with something.
“You’re right,” he nodded. “I should have said something. The thing is, coming back here used to be a reprieve for me. Hanging out with my old man, working on his truck, and just tooling around town. Portland used to be a lot smaller and now that most of the population of California has moved their asses up here, I get recognized occasionally. I try to dress the part, do my best to fit in, but I guess I failed today.”
I looked over at him, a wave of confusion washing over me.
“I just have one question.”
“Anything.”
“What the hell are you doing taking me out to dinner? You could steal a supermodel right out of Leonardo diCaprio’s bed if you wanted to.”
He laughed, showing off those laugh lines and dimples, and I could have kicked myself for not recognizing him sooner. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No.”
He scooted closer to me, reaching up and cupping my cheek with his palm.
“Have you seen yourself, Little Bird?” His thumb raked across my bottom lip and I parted my lips, inviting his touch. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
He bent his head, his lips landing on mine, gentle as a feather, yet white-hot. I froze for a second, shocked, hesitating, thinking, doubting…but then, he moved his lips against my own, searchingly, his kiss a question that I already knew the answer to.
He pulled away, his eyes searching mine.
“Don’t hold this against me, please?” he pleaded. “You can’t blame a guy for wanting to just feel normal for a night, can you?”
“I guess not,” I said, my eyes searching his. Was he for real? Was this really happening?
He smiled softly, melting my insides into molten lava.
“Thank you,” he whispered, bending his head to kiss me again.
When he pulled away, I was breathless, still completely in shock and had no idea what to do next.
Apparently, though, he did.
“Let’s go back to your place.”
Again, he didn’t ask. He just scooted back under the wheel and put the truck in gear and drove back the way we came. I watched him silently, my heart racing violently. When he pulled into my driveway, he put a hand on mine.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “I want to make sure we weren’t followed.”
“Followed?” I asked, with wide eyes.
“People are crazy, Little Bird,” he said. “You can never be too careful.”
After a moment, he got out and came over to open my door.
“Looks like the coast is clear,” he said, grabbing my hand and walking me to my do
or. He took the keys from my hand, unlocked the door and walked inside like he lived there.
I followed like an obedient puppy — a very eager, obedient puppy.
As soon as the door closed behind me, he pushed me against the door and his lips fell on mine again, his kiss now hotter, harder, more insistent, more demanding than before.
So much more delicious.
I opened my lips to his, surrendering to him completely.
Chapter 6
DOVE
He wasted no time at all.
His hard kisses turned harder and within seconds, he was pulling at my clothes as he pushed me against the wall.
My eyes opened wide as I tried to gain my bearings. It was all happening so quickly that I had no time to think. My eyes darted around the living room as he pulled away.
Gigi sat on the couch, lifting her head for a moment to watch, but thankfully, once she saw me put my hand up to tell her to stay, miraculously she turned away disinterested. I turned my gaze back to Nathaniel and swallowed hard as he leaned back and pulled his shirt off. My mouth dropped as I saw his familiar physique…the snake tattoo slithering across his torso, the star on his right shoulder, the words ‘love’ and ‘strength’ etched into his biceps…all things I’d seen dozens, if not hundreds, of times before.
I’d already seen his perfect abs, rippling under the ink like they were coming to life.
I’d seen his perfect jaw line, that dazzling smile before, too.
But what I’d never seen before was the look in his eyes now.
Determined.
Hungry.
Laced with a darkness that took me by surprise.
I gasped as he came near, a twinge of fear mixing with excitement that landed firmly in the middle of my gut.
He reached up behind my head and sank his fingers into my hair, pulling it back slightly as his mouth claimed mine, his tongue delving in deeply, exploring the deepest parts of my mouth. I kissed him back, opening, welcoming, reciprocating his searching kiss with as much vigor as he gave.
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