Chapter 5
The movie was hilarious and they agreed to grab dinner at the Love In before heading home. Chris’s eyebrows shot up into his hair when Nate pulled Kelly through the door by the hand and led her to a table in the corner. To his credit he managed to compose his features and supply them with menus and cold water without a smart comment. A squeeze of his shoulder told Nate there’d be a grilling to face the next time he saw the boys. He had visions of Nate rushing out the back to text Jasper and Ruben to spread the news amongst their friends.
“What’s good here?” Kelly asked and Nate’s attention was pulled back to his menu.
“I haven’t eaten here since the renovations but before that I always enjoyed the lasagne. You also can’t go wrong with a steak.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure. We’re on a date, aren’t we?” He grinned at her, while using all his bank manager skills to hide what he was thinking. No woman wants to know that the man she’s with can’t quite believe she agreed to a date with him. That Kelly had insisted on making his casual movie invitation into a date—that was the part that amazed him the most.
“Have you ever had anyone order your meal for you?”
“No. You?”
Her menu snapped shut and she placed it on the table. “One time only. I went out with this bodybuilder guy I met when we did a photo shoot together. He seemed to think ordering for me was a romantic gesture or something.”
“Did he get your order right?”
“Hardly. He ordered me poached chicken and an egg white omelette with white rice. It was the same thing he ate and I found out later it was a body building diet he was sticking to. Apparently, he didn’t want be tempted by a big juicy steak on my plate.” She snickered and looked around the restaurant. “I like it here. It’s cozy.”
“It is, isn’t it? The waiter is one of my friends from school. He and his girlfriend just expanded.” He waved his arms toward the left, “All of this section is brand new. It used to be called the U-Haul.”
“That’s a pretty awful name.”
“Hence the shiny new signage.”
“Did your bank lend him money for the extension?”
“Unfortunately, not. We couldn’t make the numbers work for him. He got finance elsewhere.” Nate glanced at his friend as he moved around the restaurant. Becca wasn’t here tonight but Nate knew she was probably upstairs with her daughter Emma, waiting for Chris to be finished for the night. With the money Becca had put into the business, they’d had no need for a loan in the end.
Chris returned to take their orders and Nate could tell from the smirk on his lips that he’d sent that text. If he’d been in any doubt, the arrival of Ruben and Jasper fifteen minutes later confirmed it for him. Their enormous frames filled the doorway as they entered in their yellow fireman uniforms, waving to a few of the locals and then sauntering up to the counter. When Chris had recorded their order, they turned around and feigned surprise at seeing Nate sitting with Kelly. They made their way over to the table as Nate waited for the ribbing to begin.
Jasper went first. “Excuse me Ma’am, we’ve had a report of a shocking event taking place at this table tonight.”
“Oh really?” Kelly looked Jasper up and down before meeting his eyes. “The only shock around here is why you have to wear those god awful yellow overalls. Is there a chance of you getting yourself lost while you order your dinner?” Nate grinned at Jasper but Kelly wasn’t finished. “Also, can’t you wear something a bit more fitted? It looks like your ass is as big as the Grand Canyon.”
“It’s pure muscle under here, I can assure you.” Jasper’s cocky grin never left his face. “I’d show you but I’m taken.”
“Thank God. It’d be awkward to have to call the police to arrest you with your friends looking on.” Jasper frowned at her words. Making Nate the butt of his joke wasn’t working out how he expected.
“We heard there was a date taking place here tonight,” Jasper tried again. “That’s enough of a shock to knock the power out for twenty blocks.”
“Har har. You’re so funny. Not! What else do you have? Maybe your friend wants to take his turn?”
Since Kelly had reduced Jasper’s cockiness to a respectable level, Ruben tried his hand. “If you need us later, you just call triple zero ma’am.”
“Why would I possibly need to call you?”
“Well, we have quite a supply of hoses. Just in case the one you have fails.” He winked at her and pushed Nate in the shoulder with a laugh as Kelly glared at him. “What?” He caught her eye and took an awkward step back. “It could happen,” he mumbled.
“You two need to get lost. I was well on the way to convincing Nate to take me home tonight and you two idiots have set me back at least fifteen minutes.” She reached her hand across the table and wrapped her fingers around Nate’s as she stared up at the two firemen whose mouths gaped open.
“You were convincing him? Shouldn’t he be trying his best to convince you?”
“Oh, I was convinced the moment he managed to catch my dog and barely complained when a mouthful of sharp teeth sunk into the skin of his writing hand.”
“We hear all the complaining started once Cujo ate the seat in the car,” Jasper laughed.
Her lips quirked as she struggled to keep a straight face. “That may well be fact,” she lowered her voice, “but can you two piss off so I can get back to my plans for the night?”
Chris called out that their takeaway order was ready and they excused themselves to approach the counter. The wind had been taken out of their sails and Kelly and Nate watched them slink out of the cafe with their meals. When they were out the door Nate turned back and stared at his hand wrapped around hers.
“That probably didn’t do you any favours. They’ll be teasing you about being a kept man or something next.”
“How do you pick things about people so quickly? You’re spot on about them. I’m expecting a text any moment from one or the other.”
“It’s just a little skill I learnt in high school. I’m great at working out people’s character. If I’d gone to university, I would definitely have studied psychology.”
“You’d have been great at it.”
“I would have!” she grinned. “Now, enough about those two. How about we go back to my plans for the night.”
“Your plans?”
“Don’t play coy Nate. I like you. I think you like me. I see no reason to wait weeks to make that clear.”
“Umm… I’m sure there’s no right thing to say after a statement like that. Are you saying you want to have sex?”
“We’re about the same age, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’m just checking because you talk to me like you’re seventy.” She screwed up her face and spoke in a raspy voice. “Are you saying you want to have sex, Kelly? What kind of woman are you to make that so clear on the first date?”
Nate laughed at her impersonation of an old man. “That was awful. Truly awful.”
“Thank you. The message was in the words, though, not the sound of my voice.”
“I got the message loud and clear and I’m totally not judging what kind of woman you are. I’m not the kind of man that will jump into bed with you after the first date, though.”
She pulled her hand away from his and stared down at the table. “I should have tried harder to complete that psychology degree.”
He searched her face for any sign that she was unhappy but all he found was humour dancing in her eyes. He reached out to capture her hand again, and she examined their fingers twined together before looking up at him and waiting for him to speak. “You’re right, I do like you. A lot, but casual relationships have never appealed to me and I’m certainly not interested in that with you. Can we take it slow for a bit and see how things go?”
“Sure. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push you. You can blame Jasper—he started it and I was trying hard to deflect them and I went too far.” She winked at him and smiled. “I would have waited at least an hour before putting the hard word on you. I blame the modelling industry myself.”
He laughed as Chris placed their meals on the table and moved to serve a large group of people who’d just arrived. “At least I’ll never have to worry about you not saying exactly what you’re thinking or feeling. That could be a refreshing change.”
“Yeah. I’m a pretty straightforward girl.”
“It’s good. I like it. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” She tasted her first mouthful of lasagne and Nate laughed at the look of pleasure that bloomed on her face. She was a completely open book.
“Are you seeing anyone else?”
“Nope. I guess I don’t have to ask you the same thing?”
“Of course not. I thought I just made that clear.”
“Well, I’m not seeing anyone, casual or otherwise and there’s no one hanging around waiting for their opportunity.”
Nate took a bite of his steak and smiled at her like the cat who’d just discovered the jug of cream. “Good. That news makes me exquisitely happy.”
***
The drive home was short—after all Kelly’s house was just a few blocks from the Love In. Normally Nate would have fretted all the way home about whether he should kiss his date. Tonight, he was relaxed and calm. Kelly’s straightforward declaration had filled him with a confidence he didn’t normally possess and he enjoyed every moment of this new feeling.
Of course, he was going to kiss her goodnight. She wanted him to and he wanted to kiss her. He pulled up outside her house and got straight out of the car. She was already out by the time he got around to her side and he made a mental note to ask her to stay still or be a lot quicker if he wanted to open her door for her. She might be a model but she didn’t act like one. There was no waiting for doors to be opened, or things to be handed to her. She strode in and took what she wanted.
He took her hand and they walked to her front door. Nate waited for Fang’s barking to start up, but then he remembered he’d been excommunicated to the back room before they left. Confident he wouldn’t be interrupted, when they reached the front door he spun her around and slid his hands around her waist. She turned her face up to him and wrapped her hands loosely around his neck.
“Now, I want a firm promise that you’re not going to tempt me into your bedroom.” He grinned as his nose brushed against hers.
“I want to say I won’t, but I can’t promise that. I’ve had a great time tonight and I’d like it to continue.” Her arms tightened around his neck and she pressed gently against him. “You could come inside for a drink.”
“That’s a terrible idea you vixen! We have an agreement, remember. We aren’t getting intimate tonight.”
“I know, I know. I’m just teasing you. This may be the most anticipated goodnight kiss in the history of the world.”
“Maybe. I’ve sure been thinking about it quite a bit.” He moved closer and leaned her back against her front door. Her hands tightened again and her breasts pressed against his chest as his lips found her neck. “Mmm… you smell amazing.”
She sighed in response as he kissed and nipped the flesh that had tempted him the first day he’d seen her. Her skin was just as soft as he’d imagined and he kissed up and along her jawline, making his way slowly toward her mouth. He pulled back just enough to glance at her face and her eyes were closed, her lips parted. Waiting. Unable to resist any longer he kissed the corner of her mouth, moving ever closer to his prize. He nibbled her bottom lip and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath. He let his tongue glide along her plump skin, running it over the places where his teeth had nibbled just a moment before.
Her lips parted further and he was suddenly lost. He crushed his mouth to hers, seeking her hot tongue and sucking gently on it. A moan burst from her and her fingers tightened in the back of his hair. Her mouth tasted sweet and all he wanted was to taste that sweetness all night. For a second a forbidden idea flickered into his head but he pushed it away as quickly as it arrived.
Not tonight. He didn’t want their first time to be on their first date. If this woman was meant to be his, he wanted it to last a long, long time and that meant starting off with the right foundation. Friendship, shared interests and common goals were what he wanted in a partner. They seemed so similar in so many ways but still he hesitated. Nate wanted Kelly to know what she meant to him when their relationship moved to that next level.
His fingers slipped into the back of her hair and he held her mouth against his. He pushed her against the door, covering her body with his. His heart rate kicked up another notch as her foot wrapped around his calf and held on tight. His mouth teased her, biting and sucking and licking until she let out one continuous moan. She rubbed herself against him and he responded by kissing her more deeply. A little voice was telling him to stop; shouting at him that this was enough and he backed off slightly, slowing down the movements of his mouth on hers, pulling back as the tempo of their movements decreased.
Finally, he pulled away and looked into her eyes as she kept her hands locked tight around his neck. “I wish you would stay,” she whispered before dropping a light kiss on his bottom lip. There was an immediate and involuntary response from his body and she grinned at him before rubbing herself against him again. His hardness dragged along her upper thigh and she gasped at the feel of him so close. So aroused.
His whispered words gradually pierced through her haze of lust. “I have to go sweetheart.”
Disappointment showed clearly on her face and he immediately felt bad that he’d told her he wouldn’t stay. She quickly pulled herself together, though, as she whispered back to him, “I know.” Need coloured her next words, “When will you come back?”
He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose, concentrating on keeping his hands around her waist. Any more exploring of her body and he was likely to change his mind and drag her inside to the bedroom she’d shown him earlier. Somehow, knowing what her bed was like made it harder to leave her here, unfulfilled. Any normal man would carry her in there and give her exactly what she’d asked for.
Nate Black wasn’t any other man. When he gave himself to her, she would know that he meant it. No way would he let his body make any kind of promises that his heart didn’t intend to keep. When he and Kelly finally explored each other for the first time, he’d make sure she wouldn’t quickly forget it.
She surprised him by pulling away slightly. He slipped his finger under her chin and tipped her head up to search her eyes. They met his without hesitation and she stretched up to drop small kisses on his lips. “You’d better get going, Nate. Another few minutes and you’ll have no say in what else happens tonight.”
“Okay,” he whispered. “How about we see the other movie tomorrow night. Pick you up at six?”