Get Bunny Love (23 page)

“Bunny?”

She turned to face him, shrinking under his intense glare. Suddenly, she remembered Miss Peabody’s warning. She and her creative goodies had been found out.

“Would you like to explain why bunny slippers have multiplied and taken up residence among my senior staff?”

Bunny swallowed, dread puddling in her stomach. She was so close to pulling off the Cup and her mortgage. Surely Nate would forgive a little well-intentioned creativity. She opened her mouth to explain, but snapped it shut as he continued.

“I’ll save your breath.” His sensuous gaze narrowed. “I’m sure you believe you were helping improve energy, or whatever claptrap you call it. I, however, prefer to run a dignified firm. I’m not sure why you’re incapable of grasping that simple concept, but you need to try harder.” His voice tightened, as if he were battling to keep his anger under control.

“You’re angry.”

His eyes popped wide, heat scorching from their depths. A thrill of victory whipped through Bunny as she scrutinized the rugged lines of his face. His life force had been enticing before, but now he smoldered.

“Good display of emotion, Nate.”

His mouth gaped open, obviously stunned by her bold assessment.

“See?” she teased. “Change is good.”

Nate pressed his lips together then trained his focus on the road. “This conversation is not finished.”

Bunny stifled a sigh. He and Melanie were so wrong for each other—like topping vanilla ice cream with more vanilla ice cream. Everyone knew you needed a little hot caramel to make the ice cream sing. Heat flushed her cheeks. What she wouldn’t give to be Nate’s hot caramel. Yum.

She peeked at the speedometer. Whoa. Thirty miles per hour on a city street. Nate McNulty speeding? There was hope after all.

“Am I going too fast for you?”

His sudden question made her jump. A sudden shiver traced its way across her shoulders. “Never.”

Nate glanced at her. For a moment their eyes locked, the shared heat unmistakable. He looked away as he pulled the car into the Convention Center loading zone. Bunny turned, looking out the window to hide her reaction. She’d been wrong. The man’s life force didn’t just smolder, it
smoked
.

o0o

A few moments later, they stepped into the main Convention Center arena. Armand stood in the distance, herringbone jacket draped over his shoulder, barking out orders to the work crew. Bunny frowned. The man could be a walking billboard for narcissists anonymous.

Chablis and Chardonnay broke into shrill yaps. Miller turned, eyes wide, polished smile perfect. “Bunny.” He opened his arms as if welcoming her home from an extended trip. When he spotted Nate, his grin morphed into a sneer. “McNulty.”

“Miller.” Palpable disdain tinged the word.

Two large boxes sat next to where Armand stood. Bunny pointed, tipping her head. “Are these our leashes?”

He flashed an overly dramatic wink. “You can thank me later for delivering them.”

“Oh, brother,” Nate mumbled.

Bunny tamped down a grin. “I appreciate the gesture, but it’s not your account. You had no right to-”

Nate interrupted. “What’s done is done. Armand, thanks for dropping them off. I’m sure you have to be somewhere.”

Armand frowned as he slipped on his sport jacket. “If you can’t appreciate my generosity, that’s on you.” He nodded toward the show manager. “You owe that gentleman twenty dollars for unloading my car.” He tossed a perfect smile over his shoulder as he left the arena. “Ciao.”

Bunny squinted. “Do you ever wonder if he practices-”

“In the mirror?” Nate finished her thought.

Their eyes met and held. Synchronicity. The connection was more serious than Bunny had thought.

“I’ll put these in the staging area.” Nate hoisted one large box from the floor.

“I’ll help.” Bunny moved to grab the second box, but Nate vigorously shook his head.

“No, you take it easy with that arm. I’ll do this.”

She warmed at his protective tone. “Okay.” She tipped her head. “I want to check out the backstage area. The girls and I will be over there.”

Chardonnay and Chablis raced ahead, pulling their leashes taut as Bunny watched Nate carry the first box away. What would it be like to wake up next to him tomorrow? Or next year? Or in fifty years? She shook off the idea. What was she? Nuts? Just look at her parents for crying out loud.

“Hey wait a sec,” Bunny called out to the tiny fur balls. “Let’s try out the new leads.” She reeled them backward until she could reach the second box. She stretched to pop the seam then slipped two leads from the hundreds inside.

Bunny fastened one metal clasp onto Chardonnay’s collar and the other onto Chablis’, removing their rhinestone leads as she did so. “Let’s feng shui some furniture, shall we?”

The dogs jumped in the air, wiggling and dancing. They headed across the floor, under the large purple draping hung ceiling to floor at the edge of the show arena.

“Watch it there,” a male voice bellowed. “Tie-down’s not finished. Stay away from those knots.”

Bunny glanced at the large ropes dangling from the curtain, tied haphazardly along the wall. She waved back to the concerned worker. “No problem. We won’t cause any trouble.”

Looping the handles of the two leashes over her wrist, she crossed her arms, scrutinizing the layout of the backstage furniture. Not good. The energy was completely wrong. She worked quickly to group the seating area into a pleasing arrangement then shimmied the table onto an angle.

“Yo!” the same male voice called out. “Lady! Your dogs!”

Cold fear washed through Bunny’s veins. Nothing tugged at her arm. She glanced down at the empty leashes. The poodles had somehow pulled free from the metal closures.

Chablis and Chardonnay had engaged in a frenzied tug-of-war with one large loose knot. As Bunny watched, the curtain sagged ominously. “Stop!” She raced toward the pair as the curtain sank further and further from the ceiling. Too late.

The massive satin draping cascaded down on top of her, enveloping both she and the dogs in a pool of purple satin.

o0o

Nate saw the curtain sag just as he stepped back into the main arena.

“Stop!” Bunny’s voice rang out.

The huge purple drape fell toward the floor. He broke into a run, but the curtain buried Bunny and the poodles in less than a second.

The two hairballs wiggled for survival, burrowing their way out of the fabric like two moles beneath soft earth. Bunny, on the other hand, resembled a large purple blob, thrashing wildly. Nate stepped across the satin and wrapped his arms around her. She shrieked.

“It’s me.” Her body stilled beneath his touch, the heavy fabric sliding between his fingers.

“This isn’t good for my aura,” she mumbled from beneath the material.

He grinned. “Or your chakras.”

“Them either.”

Nate held tight while the stage manager and crew rolled the material toward Bunny. One kind soul corralled the poodles, holding them by their tiny, troublemaking necks. Static from their ordeal had made them resemble tiny exploding sheep.

Nate did his best to stifle a laugh.

“What’s funny?” Bunny’s muffled voice squeaked.

“What’s not?”

The show manager worked the folds of material close to Bunny. “She’s gotta crawl out.”

“You’ve got to-”

“I heard him. Which way?”

Nate released his grip, watching as she lowered herself to all fours. “Toward your left hand.”

She obediently turned, scrambling for the opening. He rubbed his chin, admiring her shapely rear end wiggling beneath the satin. Damn, but the woman had curves.

Bunny emerged from the trap of purple fabric, her blue eyes huge. She smiled when she spotted Nate, her reaction sending electricity tingling through his nerve endings.

He pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair. “You okay?”

Bunny nodded, relaxing into his embrace. He savored the feel of her body pressed against his own, inhaling deeply. Vanilla. He smiled. Oh, how he’d grown to love the scent.

o0o

Bunny closed her eyes, praying the moment would never end. She took a deep breath and sighed—wrapped in Nate’s warm, strong embrace. His musky scent enveloped her and she snuggled closer. “Where are the fur balls?” she whispered into his broad chest.

“Who cares?”

His body shook with laughter, the rich, deep rumble music to Bunny’s ears. After all of the chaos she’d put him through, he laughed. She’d never heard a sound more sweet. She pulled back, lifting her chin to meet Nate’s gaze. Raw heat oozed from his dark eyes. “And you call yourself a positive chi expert.”

Their stares locked, and Bunny thought of the moment they’d shared at the dinner dance. The memory couldn’t hold a candle to how much she wanted to kiss him now.

He lowered his mouth to hers, and she was instantly lost in the sensation of his lips caressing hers. His fingers tensed into her back with light pressure, the heat of his body pressed flat against her own. His tongue and lips teased and tasted.

Heat pooled between Bunny’s legs. With any luck at all, Nate would ravage her right here on top of the damn curtain. A girl could dream. The stage manager cleared his throat. Nate broke the kiss. Bunny staggered from the loss of contact.

“Everyone all right here?” the man asked.

“Yes.”

Was it Bunny’s imagination or had Nate’s voice grown deeper than usual? She stared at her toes, wondering how on earth she should react to what had just happened.

The work crew scattered. Nate touched her chin with his finger, raising her gaze to meet his. “I shouldn’t have done that.” His brown eyes sparked with life, sending a thrill rippling up her spine. “Caught up in the moment, I guess.”

“That makes two of us.” Bunny touched her fingertips to her lips.
Zing
.

Nate nodded to where a lone worker stood holding Chablis and Chardonnay. “We’d better get them back to Kitty.” His handsome features broke into a wide grin. “They may need a touch-up at the salon.” Laughter tinged his voice.

He wrapped an arm around her waist. Bunny happily tucked her body tight to his side, planning to milk this moment for all it was worth.

o0o

Nate silently reprimanded himself. Talk about a total loss of control. What had he been thinking? Hell. He hadn’t been thinking—he’d been feeling. And what a feeling it had been. The small sample only made him crave more.

He wrapped his arm around Bunny’s waist, pulling her close. He was only being cautious. After all, the woman had been trapped in a car window and engulfed in a tidal wave of purple satin within the course of an hour.

Yeah, right
. Who was he kidding? The signals his libido was sending to his brain were anything but gentlemanly. He tightened his grip on Bunny, intending to savor the feel of her body pressed to his as long as he could.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Nate sat in his car, staring at Melanie’s house. He knew what he had to do. He’d known from the moment his lips had touched Bunny’s. Hell. He’d known longer than he cared to admit, but holding Bunny had made the decision an urgent one.

He wanted to taste more than her lips. He wanted to feel more than the curve of her waist beneath his fingertips. Nate wanted to touch and taste every inch she had to offer. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm the pounding of his heart.

Had this been how his father had felt whenever his mother was near? Had he been unable to imagine a life without her?

If anyone had told him a month ago he’d fall for a mop-topped, feng-shui-practicing live wire, he’d have told them to have their head examined. But now? Now all he thought about was the creative lunatic and the way her smile lit up a room.

Nate pushed open the driver’s door and stepped into the cool October night, steeling himself as he glanced at Melanie’s house. She deserved someone who loved her with all of his heart, and he wasn’t that someone. He’d never been more sure of anything.

Loud rock music blared from inside the stately brick home as he stood on the front step and knocked. Nate frowned. He peered through the side window, but could see no movement. What in the hell was going on?

Several minutes later, he gave up, choosing to return to the car. Maybe Melanie had gone out and left the radio on to deter burglars. Who knew? He only knew he couldn’t deny his own needs any longer. He needed Bunny, and he needed her now.

o0o

Bunny swallowed the chocolate syrup and dragged a hand across her mouth. Her brain hurt. Her heart hurt. Only days away from closing on her apartment and pulling off The Worthington Cup, her verse-spouting mother had pillaged her apartment, her parents had decided to
date
after thirty years of marriage, and she’d kissed Nate.

“I think you’re overreacting.” Tilly glared at her from the overstuffed chair. “Kissing Nate was a good thing.”

Bunny tipped the syrup bottle over her open mouth and squeezed, savoring the sweet comfort before she swallowed. “His energy is changing so fast. He’s acting...he’s acting...”

“Human.”

“Scary.” Bunny shook her head. She upended the bottle for another mouthful. Lord, she was turning into her mother—seeking solace in a vat of sugar.

Tilly crossed the room and plucked the syrup from her grasp. She plunked the bottle on the counter then turned to shake Bunny’s shoulders. “Get a grip.”

Bunny’s stomach caught and twisted. Her heart tattooed against her ribs. She pushed Tilly out of the way, reaching for the chocolate. “Look at my parents. They’ve been married for thirty years and suddenly my mother decides she’s had her creativity sucked dry.” She searched her friend’s face. “I don’t want to end up like that.”

“You won’t.” Tilly hopped onto the counter, her short pixie legs swinging like a child’s. “Your energy will adjust.”

“What?” Bunny talked around a mouthful of syrup. “Why should my energy adjust? My energy’s just fine.”

Tilly shook her head. “Your energy was fine for you, but now that Nate’s in the picture, you need to shift.”

Bunny narrowed her gaze. “Shift?”