MY HOPES OF a relaxing evening were thwarted the second I stepped out of my car and got accosted by two men. One bombarded me with questions about my relationship with Nate—how long had we been dating, where did we meet, and so on. The most bizarre question he asked was the one troubling me the most—did I know who he was with on the East Coast? As if it was any of his business.
The second pursued me across the lawn to the front doors of my building taking photographs. They didn’t let up until I was out of sight. I struggled into my apartment and collapsed on the sofa, panicked and breathless.
“I’m so sorry.” Nate let out an exasperated sigh. I hadn’t planned on mentioning it to him, but he knew something was bothering me and eventually prised it out of me.
“I should toughen up,” I said quietly, heading into the bathroom. Maybe a long, hot soak would calm my nerves. “Dating a tabloids dream means I should get used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” he snapped out. “I’ve never been hassled to that extent before. As much as they’re annoying, the press is usually courteous with me. There are laws they have to adhere to. Did you catch who they worked for?”
“No.” I perched on the edge of the tub, picking at the hem of my robe as the water ran.
“This is all I fucking need after the day I’ve had.”
My skin prickled at the severity in his tone. He hadn’t greeted me in the usual loving way, which I’d put down to him being in company. Now, I sensed there was more to it. “They didn’t get anything from me,” I reassured him. “I was too frightened to speak.”
Nate murmured some kind of vague response. He sounded distracted.
“Is everything all right?” I asked warily. His silence doubled my anxiety. I heard him talk to someone in the background, his voice muffled. He usually managed to separate me from his work so I received all his attention. “Nate?” I prompted again.
“You’re staying at the condo tonight. I’ll arrange for Ross to come collect you.”
“Nate, I’m fine. I’ve locked all the doors.” I didn’t tell him I’d wedged a chair under the front door handle, like that was going to prevent someone from breaking in.
“Why the fuck did this happen now? When I’m not there to protect you?” His annoyance and frustration was rising. “Get your things together. I’ll call you back.”
The line went dead before I could object.
I turned off the running tap, then paced in my bedroom, confused and edgy. My mobile spun repeatedly in my hands as I waited, growing more and more agitated with every passing second. I hadn’t dared peek out the window to see if the men were still there. When my phone finally rang again a few minutes later, I was so wound up I cried out at the intrusion into the strained silence.
“Ross is on his way.” Nate’s voice had lost its edge of belligerence, the knowledge I was being taken care of appeasing him.
“It really isn’t necessary.”
“The hell it isn’t! Don’t fight me on this, Kara,” he warned. “I’m not in the fucking mood.”
“Fine,” I snapped. For tonight, at least, I’d let him have his way. Nate’s condo had state of the art security and private entry, making it virtually impossible for outsiders to get into the building. It would give us both peace of mind, but I was mindful it couldn’t happen indefinitely.
Nate’s tone was much calmer and warmer when he spoke again. “Baby, I want to protect you.”
I drew a deep breath through my nose. He could get to me so easily. As I exhaled, the tension left me in a rush, all irritation forgotten.
“Get settled in, open some wine, take the bath you were running,” he said quietly. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
I did everything he asked. I packed an overnight bag to see me through until Monday, on the assumption we’d be spending the weekend together. Ross was pressing the intercom barely twenty minutes after I’d hung up from Nate.
“Why aren’t you with Nate?” I asked him from the backseat as he drove us to the condo.
“Mr. Blake doesn’t like to take me away from my wife,” he offered, full of admiration and respect for his boss. “Our first baby is due in a couple months.”
“Congratulations.”
His teeth flashed white, a genuine smile filled with expectant father pride. As much as he was ruthless in business, Nate was a considerate boss; another layer of him I found utterly endearing. I pulled the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my hands, having pulled on leggings and the nearest top in a rush to dress, and snuggled into the leather seat.
Ross parked up in the underground garage between the Bentley and a BMW SUV, and took me upstairs, ushering me into Nate’s home. With an assurance that he wasn’t far, should I require help, he left me to settle in for the night. I headed to the master suite that spanned the entire upper level of the condo. Swathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, it was warm, calming…safe. I stood on the threshold for a minute, staring at the sparkling city through the windows, but my gaze eventually snagged on the sumptuous bed.
The last time I’d seen it, it was a delicious mess of sex-crumpled sheets. Now, it was pristinely made…and a large white gift box sat at an angle on one corner. I edged towards it, my stomach quivering with nerves and a little excitement. Should I open it? No, I shook my head. I’m not even supposed to be here.
I went to the closet to unpack. I was carrying my toiletry bag into the en-suite when I heard my text alert chime from inside my bag in the bedroom. It had to wait because what I found in the cupboards and drawers of the vanity literally knocked the air from my lungs. They’d been fully stocked with all of my usual products—everything I could possibly need for overnight stays.
God. I leant into the vanity, my legs shaking. In fact, my whole body trembled. But I wasn’t freaked out. His generosity was profoundly touching. He’d taken notice, been interested in getting to know me and what I liked. It was an intimate demonstration that he genuinely cared, and of his hopes for a future together.
My phone beeped again, reminding me of the text: YOU CAN OPEN THE BOX
So I did.
A strapless corseted satin bodice in the palest pink, with detailed beading, accented with a small bow at the waist, gave way to a chiffon overlaid floor length skirt. My hands were shaking, because intuitively I knew, as I searched inside to locate the label, this wasn’t simply any old dress. It was vintage Christian Dior, finished with year and identification number. It would have cost a fortune.
I sat on the bed and did the only thing I could think of. I called Mai.
“Wow,” she muttered, adding a whistle for effect after I’d told her everything.
“It’s far too much,” I said soberly. “The toiletries I can deal with, but not this.” I ran an awed hand over the gown as it lay beside me on the bed.
“It’s a gift,” Mai scolded me. “You can’t give it back. You’ll kill his feelings.”
That was the last thing I wanted to do. I’d offended him enough already with my inherent insecurities that prevented me from fully committing to our relationship. Nate knew I had my reasons, and I knew this was his way of letting me know how important I was to him. “God.” I wiped away a tear as it trickled down my cheek. “I sound like such an ungrateful bitch.”
“You sound like someone scared to fall in love,” Mai said gently. “You are, aren’t you? Falling in love?”
“I didn’t think I could do that again,” I sniffed. But this week had been hell. I yearned for Nate so badly it physically hurt. I longed to see his face, touch his skin. See the look in his eyes when he gazed at me. Wake up and have the first thing I see be his smile. “It’s only been a couple of weeks. I sound ridiculous.”
“I think he loves you, too,” Mai offered sagely.
“Because he’s lavishing me with expensive gifts?” I mumbled, slipping off the bed to get a tissue from the vanity. “Any man can do that. Doesn’t mean he loves me.”
“There aren’t many who go out of their way to find one that means something to the woman receiving it. A guy who only wants to fuck around, even a rich one, wouldn’t spend the time and effort personalising the gifts like he has. No matter how awesome the woman is in bed.”
My laugh was a garbled mix of crying and genuine happiness. Mai always made me see how stupid I was being. I said goodbye to my omniscient friend, reminding her I wouldn’t need a lift in the morning.
I took the dress to the closet. The rich smell of polished wood and leather warmed my bones. Comforting and welcoming, as I hung it up, the stress of the past few hours began to abate.
“THEY were supposed to be a surprise for you tomorrow.” Nate had called back about an hour later to check I’d settled in okay. There wasn’t the sound of music, laughter and chatter that had been in the background when we spoke earlier. Instead, it was eerily quiet, with only muffled sounds of his movements. I suspected he’d left the dinner early—if you called sometime after 11 p.m. his time early—and gone home.
“The dress is gorgeous. Thank you. I can’t wait to wear it to the dinner in a couple of weeks.”
Nate exhaled quickly, sounding relieved. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “It’s fast, isn’t it? What’s happening between us…”
My heart started thundering, my stomach churning. “Yes,” I answered quietly, afraid to say more. I pulled myself up using the edge of the bathtub and reached for my wine, sending a slosh of water over the rim and onto the tiled floor.
“Where are you?”
I laughed. “In the bath, doing as I’m told, drinking a rather nice glass of vintage Chardonnay and reading a book on European Architecture and Design.”
Nate’s breath hitched. “God, I wish I was there with you.”
“Me, too,” I breathed, rubbing the twinge in my chest. “Tomorrow?”
He laughed quietly, and I knew he was wearing that naughty smile I adored. “It’s a date, baby.”
I relaxed, happy he sounded better than when we first spoke. Putting it down to tiredness, I figured it best to let him go. “You should get some sleep.”
“I should, but I don’t want to,” he murmured. “I treasure our conversations.”
My eyes closed. With few words, Nate could touch my soul. Before I blurted out things I shouldn’t, I said, “You’ll be no good to me if you’re tired.”
“Oh?” His voice grew husky. “Planning on doing those naughty things you’ve been dreaming about to me all night?”
“If you’re lucky.” My flirtatious response didn’t surprise me. I was beyond that, having accepted the effect Nate had on me a while ago. “So the sooner we sleep, the sooner you’ll be back.”
“Kara.” He said my name with that hint of a whisper that frequently made me ache for his touch. “I…” He paused as if about to say something important. Something that set my pulse soaring with expectation. “Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”
“I won’t. See you soon.”
“You will.”
THE pulse in my neck throbbed wildly, an unsteady rhythm, missing a few beats as the speed increased. My eyes flared open as I struggled for air. Everything was strange…this wasn’t my room, wasn’t my bed. For a minute, I was disoriented. I clung to the pillow I was wrapped around, hugging it closer. Gradually, the sleep-induced haze began to recede, my fogged brain clearing as the beloved clean, fresh scent reminded me of my whereabouts.
The bedroom was dark. I was on Nate’s side of the bed closest to the door. It was ajar, allowing a narrow strip of light from the hallway in. I frowned, unsure whether I’d left it that way when I finally collapsed into bed around midnight.
With a deep sigh, I rolled over to face the windows and closed my eyes again. The unease faded, but a hum of recognition tingled my skin. “It’s because you’re in his bed,” I mumbled, rationalising why I sensed Nate’s presence.
But it didn’t go away. It grew stronger. When I heard movement from the corner of the room, I bolted upright, clinging the sheet to my chest.
“Hey, beautiful.” A distinctly familiar voice came from the darkness. The shadow in one of the armchairs moved, edging forward. Gradually, his face filled the strip of light shining through the door.
“Nate.” My shoulders dropped with relief.
He unfolded from the chair and came over, settling beside me on the edge of the bed. “It’s okay,” he whispered, stroking my hair reassuringly behind my ear. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
I leant into his hand, reaching for his face in a similar embrace. It was rough with a dusting of overnight growth. “What time is it?”
“A little after five,” he murmured, his thumb brushing my cheekbone. He was still shrouded in shadow, but his eyes glittered in the dark.
“What are you doing here?”
“Try keeping me away.” He shifted, drawing one knee up onto the bed, keeping his hand on my face. “It made no sense being there, when the only place I wanted to be was here, with you.”
I climbed into his lap and wrapped my body around him, covering his mouth with mine. It was a languid, romantic kiss, the culmination of days of pent up desires, the violent passion we shared simmering beneath the surface. Love flurried around my stomach, every cell in my body revving with arousal and the physical desperation to be with him as he licked into my mouth the way I adored.
“I thought I had to wait another day to see you,” I whispered, holding his face in both hands and covering it with relieved kisses.
“Surprise,” he whispered back. And it was. He must’ve gotten on a plane not long after we spoke, and now, here he was. I wondered how long he’d sat in the chair before I woke. He tipped me back and stared at me without a word. I could barely see him, but there was something about his silence that niggled me…a feeling that all wasn’t as it seemed.
His thick cock pressed through his trousers, hard against my naked sex. The urge to make love grew, my muscles reflexing in hungry anticipation of having him inside me. My hips rocked of their own accord as I pulled him closer by the nape and grazed my teeth down his tensed jaw.
“Go back to sleep,” he murmured, his breath welcome on my face. “I’m gonna grab a shower.” He lifted me off him and stood, moving away towards the closet.
I recoiled into the pillow, his rejection like a physical blow. Why didn’t he want me as much as I did him? When the light came on as he moved down the passageway, I got to see the man I’d missed terribly…the man who was saying one thing but doing another.
“What’s wrong?” I managed to choke out.
“Nothing,” he said calmly, reappearing. It looked like Nate, but something was different. He was detached, growing more withdrawn and subdued with every passing second. The unbelievable beauty of his face was marred with worry, his brow drawn in, his jaw rigid. But it was the haunted look in his tired eyes as he studied me while unbuttoning his shirt that sent a chill across my skin.
He pulled the belt from his trousers and moved out of sight. I scrambled forward on the bed, craning my neck to see down the passageway. “Something’s wrong. Talk to me,” I pressed, even though I was dreading his response. I hoped absence had made his heart grow fonder, not make it forget.
“There’s nothing wrong, Kara,” he scoffed. “You’re tired. Go back to sleep.”
His outright lie infuriated me. “Don’t patronise me,” I snapped. “I’m not a fucking child.”
He reappeared, barefoot, and stood in the hallway, his powerful frame illuminated like a halo surrounding him. He exhaled harshly and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “It’s been a strange week, that’s all. My mind’s fucked.”
It didn’t sound like Nate talking. My heart beat furiously as I sat back on my heels, my palms damp as they rested on my thighs. The way he was closing off, shutting me out, took me back to the morning in my apartment and the rejection I’d felt. I drew a deep breath of courage, and cautiously asked, “Do you still want me?”
He moved fluidly across the room until he was kneeling in front of me on the bench. He tilted up my chin and gazed into my eyes. No words. Nothing. His eyes smouldered dark and fervent, unable to conceal his true feelings no matter what his actions suggested. “More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life.”
I blinked and jerked my chin away to get a better look at him. I ran my hands down his bare chest, the connection between us charging through my fingertips. It was still there. That energy, only stronger, more concentrated, a damn near tangible force crackling with sexual tension. I angled my head so my lips brushed his. “Then prove it.”
His hands dived into my hair, the force of his mouth crashing to mine almost knocking me backwards. I basked in his hunger for me, loving how he kissed me, firm and possessive, all-consuming. Any doubts I had absolved as I gave myself to him, my body telling him he owned me.
I broke free and shuffled backward to create some space between us. Using the fire in his eyes for courage, I reached for the hem of my chemise. With deliberate, exaggerated movements, I eased it over my head until I was kneeling nude in front of him, my hair tumbling down my back.
He sucked in a shaky breath, his hands flexing restlessly by his side. Nate could make me feel wanton and sexy with just one look. At that moment, when his deep blue eyes met mine, I could do anything—would do anything—he wanted me to. No inhibitions. No self-criticism.
Just be me.
I ran my hands over my hips, inching further up my body, all the while fixing on his eyes, drawing on them for strength. My breasts were heavy, aching and straining towards Nate, like an invisible current was there. I moaned quietly as I cupped them, the tiny bit of relief not nearly enough to satisfy me.
“Christ,” Nate hissed, “you’re more exquisite than I remembered.”
Nate told me he needed the connection of making love to fully understand me, so I had to give him that now, to bring him back to me.
I reached for his hands and placed them on my breasts, encouraging him to touch me. The bewilderment in his eyes was barely perceptible in the dark. But it was there. He palmed them, tentatively, his thumbs brushing the puckered nipples. The small growl in his throat hardened them to a painful point.
“Forget the shower,” I murmured. “I want you now.” My nerves were given away by my tremulous voice as I reclined back on the bed, my whole body a tangle of nervous energy as I waited with baited breaths for him to join me.
He moved fast, stripping off the last of his clothes before weighting me with his deliciously firm body. He captured my mouth, coaxing it open with gentle licks along my lower lip. His tongue slid inside and explored my mouth, making me physically long for it in other places.
“I’ve been starved of you, Kara. I want under your skin, want to crawl inside your head. To possess you completely, as you have me,” he rasped against my throat, teasing the pulse point with the tip of his tongue.
“You are…” I gasped, the combination of his mouth and hands on my burning flesh too strong to ignore, “…you’re everywhere.”
I arched my back, urging the hand cupping my breast to give me more. He circled the nipple, softly moaning, before sucking it into his mouth. Heat washed over me as I strained upward, desperate for the warmth of his body touching mine. His tongue, hot and slick, drove me out of my mind. I shifted my legs, wet and needy for him.
“Touch me,” I begged, clinging to his biceps.
“Where?” His voice was gruff against my breast as he teased the other, lavishing it with as much attention.
“You know where.” I was panting, writhing beneath him. The urge to come was so acute I was more than willing to do it myself if he didn’t get me off soon.
“Tell me,” he purred, darkly. “I wanna hear you say it.”
I moved his hand from my breast and placed it between my parted legs. “Here.” I pressed his middle finger into my damp, tender folds. A low groan resonated against my neck, his chest vibrating against mine.
I held him there, writhing with pleasure as his tongue invaded my mouth and he fucked me with his finger. He pushed in another, stroking the wall inside me, turning me on like never before. My hips moved, my clit rubbing his palm. I moaned loudly when he hit a particularly sweet spot. I threw my hands above my head, surrendering to his command.
“I’m so fucking turned on, watching you, seeing what I do to you.” Nate’s voice, husky and rough, drifted through my senses.
“Nate.” I climaxed without warning, shamelessly riding his fingers as my orgasm pulsed through me, my body convulsing beneath his.
“God, I’ve missed that sound.” Nate’s thumb found my clit. He kept up the pressure, prolonging the climax, making it roll through me over and over. The needy surge for him inside me took over. I hooked my leg around his and coaxed him on top of me. He reared above me, eyes wild, full of lascivious thoughts. I reached between us, finding his thick cock, swollen and hot, and positioned the crown against my slick opening.
“I need you, Kara.” He pushed gently, barely an inch inside me. My skin misted with a wash of heat.
“It’s okay.” I hooked both legs around his waist and tilted my hips in encouragement. He filled me, then stilled at my gasp. I could feel every inch of him, his heat, his hardness…all of him, inside me skin-to-skin. Nate’s face was raw with emotion, wonder and admiration flickering in his eyes. I’d never seen him so unravelled, so unguarded. I’d never seen him more beautiful.
“Kara.” The tremble in his quiet voice was excruciatingly revealing of his feelings. The sound slid, like a warm, comforting drink, through my body and seeped into my blood. He brushed his lips over mine. “Baby, you feel…”—he shook his head—“it’s unbelievable.”
“You are,” I whispered, consumed with him. I stroked his hair back from his eyes so I could see them. “Make love to me, Nate.”
His mouth covered mine, drugging me with love, lust and a million other highs I never wanted to come down from. With unhurried, deliberate rolls of his hips, he gave me what I wanted.
“I’ve waited all week for this,” he whispered against my mouth. “I won’t be without you again for that long.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t imagine my life without him either. “I’m scared you’re going to break my heart,” I blurted out of nowhere.
“I can’t break it, baby. It’s already broken.” His forearms framed my head, his hands coming to brush the hair from my face as he moved inside me, his breaths coming heavier and deeper. “I’m going to fix it back together again. I promise you that.”
In that moment, he owned me. He understood everything about me without having to hear it.
“No man will ever touch you like this again,” he muttered roughly, sinking into me with a deep roll. I shook my head. I didn’t want another man’s touch again. My hands cupped around his shoulders as I blinked away my emotions. The pressure was building again, his cock stimulating inside and out, the base rubbing the bundle of nerves in my clit. My neck arched as the tensing grew.
“Mine.” Nate groaned, sinking into me again with unhurried, tantalising movements. “You belong to me.”
“Yes.” Dawn was breaking, blanketing the room in a romantic light. I hugged him, our bodies grinding against each other, our lips moving over any skin they came into contact with. He was on me, in me, he was everywhere. It was heaven.
“Come, Kara. I have to feel it.”
His apparent wish for me was my undoing. I came on command, tensing around him. I dug my nails into his shoulders, clawing frantically to hold on and not fall away. Nate groaned against my neck, an almost agonised sound, as he filled me over and over, relentlessly thrusting into me. He came so brutally I felt every pulse of his cock. He stayed there for a long time, coming deep inside me, nuzzling into my neck, not allowing me to see he was as stripped as I was.
WHEN I woke and checked the time, it was nearing midday. I snuggled back into the position we’d fallen asleep in, on our sides facing each other, legs scissored and holding hands with the sheet bunched at our waists. Nate was fast asleep, any traces of stress gone from his precisely symmetrical face. Thick, long lashes curled over his captivating eyes, a straight nose, and underneath, the most delicious mouth, capable of giving such pleasure.
I drew a deep breath when I remembered what had happened a few hours earlier. Nate had made love to me again without pausing for breath. It was a strange, but very welcome, sensation to feel him growing harder and lengthening inside me. We’d rolled around the bed as the sun came up, not stopping until we were both exhausted. Only then did we fall into a satisfied slumber, neither of us willing to let go of each other.
Nate stirred and blinked open his eyes. “Hey.”
My stomach quivered purely from the way he looked at me, with unequivocal devotion. “Hi,” I said shyly.
The arm resting beneath my head flexed as his fingers sifted my hair, massaging softly. Worry flickered over his face. “Condoms.”
“Pardon?”
“We didn’t use condoms.”
I stretched my legs, sore in the most wonderful way. There was something sublimely primitive about the flagrant stickiness between my thighs. I felt branded. He’d claimed me. The affected pride in his eyes made me shiver. I’d done something with him that I’d never shared with another man, not even Stuart. I could tell he knew that.
“It’s okay,” I finally confirmed, releasing his hand so I could touch his chest. “I’m on the pill.”
He pushed up onto one elbow, his eyes flaring. “You are?”
I nodded, chewing my bottom lip. “I’ve always taken them as back up. I wanted to be sure about you before saying anything.”
“About me?” Nate didn’t conceal his shock, nor his widening smile. “I told you I’ve never been promiscuous.”
Nate laid back down and held me to him, his hands soothing me, calming his own mind too, as we quietly adjusted to the change in direction of our relationship. In our desperation to be with each other, neither of us had thought about safety. It was a clear demonstration of how much he trusted me.
Of how much I trusted him.