Hardball (37 page)

His gaze snapped up to her, his eyes heavy-lidded and sensual, flaring with a ravenous heat. He nuzzled her mouth, his tongue slipping hotly between her lips as he continued to play, rubbing her nipple with his calloused palm. Liquid heat shot straight to her groin, and she could feel herself starting to come.

Holly clamped down hard. She wouldn’t do it without him. If this
was
the last time, she wanted him deep inside, driving into her with all the passion he had in his powerful body.

She broke away from the hot, oh-so-wet kiss, panting. “Nate. I need you inside me. Now.”

He didn’t even answer. He just eased her down off his leg to put her feet on the floor, then, surprisingly, he turned her to face the wall.

She gasped and pressed her hands onto the wall to maintain her balance. When his hands went to her ass, flipping up her robe and short nightgown, she shuddered. The cooler air hit her skin, increasing her sense of vulnerability and excitement.

“Oh, Nate,” she moaned. “Hurry.”

“Hold on,” he said in a deep, shaky voice.

She heard the rasp of a zipper, and then his hands were back on her bottom, sliding down over the globes and between her legs. His fingers probed her wetness, and he made a rough noise low in his throat. He used one knee to gently move her legs further apart. She spread them wide and pushed herself into his pelvis, loving the feel of rough jeans rubbing against her bare ass. Then his cock came thick and hard between her folds to nudge her clit. With a cry, she almost climaxed on the spot.

Nate gave a breathless laugh and then his hands grasped her hips, lifting her. He fit his cock against her opening and, in one smooth movement, surged all the way into her, pressing her into the wall. He felt huge this way, overpowering, and she could barely breathe.

He stilled for a few moments, letting her get used to him. Then he began to move. Not gently, either. Neither of them wanted that, and she didn’t have to tell him. They were connected by a frantic sense of urgency, a visceral desire that wove them together in a matrix of sexual and emotional need. He set up a pounding rhythm, sending shock waves through her body and rippling along her nerves. He drove her hard, using hands, pelvis, and cock to lift her on to her toes, clutching the wall as she fought to maintain some semblance of control.

But she couldn’t. With a sob, her head fell back onto his shoulder, and she let him take over. Murmuring rough, exciting words of passion into her ear, Nate made love to her. And it
was
love, not sex, she could tell. She could feel it in the way he caged her with his body, as if he would never let her go. She could hear it in the desperate note of his voice as he told how much he wanted her.

Holly recognized it for what it was, but did he?

Then one hand moved across her belly, slipping low between her thighs, and her thoughts scattered. Delving through her nest of curls he found her clit, stroking and rubbing gently as he pounded into her. Her body practically convulsed, and she threw her arms out against the wall, screaming. Her orgasm crashed through her and her channel throbbed around his cock, milking him as her flesh contracted with brutal, glorious intensity.

Nate surged up, crying out, and shudders began rocking his body as he came. She whimpered, his climax sending a second throb of contractions rippling through her body. They panted together, pressed into the wall, both barely able to stand as their mutual release rolled through them. If not for Nate propping her up, Holly would have slid off him and down to the floor. As it was, all she could do was turn her damp cheek to the wall and let him hold her up as she struggled to catch her breath and restore her sanity.

After a minute, Nate sucked in a wavering breath and slowly pulled out. Holly winced and bit her lip as he carefully eased her to the floor. He kept a firm hold on her hips until she could steady herself on her feet. Then he gently turned her around and leaned with her into the wall, resting his forehead against hers.

“Jesus, Holly,” he managed in something of a croak. “That was fucking unbelievable.”

Still dazed, she was about to agree with him when her eyelids snapped open. Panic charged through her. What the hell had she just done? “Nate,” she gasped. “We didn’t use a condom.”

He gazed down at her from under heavy eyelids, arousal still darkening his eyes. He looked so damn sexy that she could hardly think. Then anxiety reasserted itself and she tried to push away.

“But you’re still on the pill, right?” he said.

She finally managed to get out from under him. “Yes, but I’ve only been on it less than a month, remember? I started after we began...” She fastened her robe with trembling hands. “Accidents can still happen in that first month.”

He shrugged, not looking concerned at all as he got himself back together and did up his zipper. That made her furious, which seemed a better response than all the other emotions swirling through her head.

At least for now. She’d have to sort out the rest of this mess later.

“Aren’t you worried?” she demanded.

“No,” he tossed over his shoulder as he headed to her bathroom. She waited for him by the front door, fuming. The taps in the bathroom went on for a few minutes, then off, and he reemerged, looking remarkably cheerful.

Holly drew in a big breath, trying to calm down as he came to her. “That was insane. We can’t do something like that again.”

He rolled his eyes. “Calm down, Holly. Everything’s going to be fine.” He picked up his bag. “We’ll talk about it when I get back.”

She crossed her arms and glared at him, feeling at a terrible disadvantage. He looked perfect again, and she was a rumpled mess. “No, we won’t,” she snapped. “This was a mistake that can’t happen again. And we’d better think about you moving out. This isn’t going to work.” But even as she said it, her heart clutched in her throat. Now that she’d been with him again, she couldn’t stand the idea of him leaving.

His eyes narrowed in warning. “That’s not going to happen.” He looked big and threatening, and he made her knees go weak with desire and love.

You are an idiot, Holly Bell.

She firmed her jaw.
Time to push back.

“Nothing’s changed between us, Nate. You know it and I know it.”

“Oh, yeah? For such a major brain you can be kind of dumb sometimes, because everything’s changed,” he said. Then he grabbed her chin, planted a quick kiss on her mouth, and slipped out the door.

Holly watched him stride down the walkway toward his car. As he turned to climb in, he pointed a finger at her as if to say
you’re the one
. Unable to help herself, she gave him a weak wave as he got into the Aston Martin and closed the door. With a throaty rumble, the car took off down the street. Holly followed it for a few seconds, then slowly slid down the wall until her butt hit the hard, wooden floor.

Nate was right. Everything had changed, and that scared the crap out of her.

* * *

The flight to Ottawa was uneventful and easy. Perfect sunny weather with minimal chop made for a smooth cruise. Landing at MacDonald-Cartier International Airport, Nate taxied the Bonanza to the Avitat flight service center. The staff there would tie it down for the night, and refuel it for the trip home tomorrow.

It was a good thing the flight had been so straightforward, since his mind had been preoccupied with the incredible emotions of that wild scene in the hallway with Holly.

Jesus
. Talk about every man’s fantasy come true. It was all that and then some.

Not that he’d planned it. Well, okay, he had. Kind of. In fact, he’d spent the better part of the night thinking about how he’d say goodbye to her, and the more he thought about it, the more he knew he had to kiss her. Kiss her with everything he had.

But what he hadn’t counted on was her passionate response, or himself losing control. But they had both lost it, and she hadn’t a snowball’s chance in Hades of hiding her feelings from him any longer. Thank God.

And Nate meant what he’d said to her. Everything
had
changed, even if she didn’t know it yet. Hell, he didn’t even mind the fact that she might be pregnant. Actually, it appealed to him, now that he’d had time to really think about it. And the fact that he hadn’t even blinked when she’d blurted out her concern also told him the direction they were heading in.

He took a cab into town and checked into his hotel, grabbing a quick sandwich in the lobby restaurant. Then he took another cab for the short ride to the ballpark. It was going to be all he could do to try to put Holly out of his thoughts for the next eight hours. She’d told him just to go and pitch, and not worry about her, but that was impossible. Right now, all he could think about was getting the rest of the day over with and getting back to Philly.

And back into his woman’s arms.

Holly had two parent appointments in the morning, but finished up early. Once she ushered the last set of parents from her office, she realized she was starving. She’d been so rattled by that crazy hallway encounter with Nate that she’d completely forgotten to eat breakfast. No wonder, she thought, giving a shaky laugh. The man had not only rocked her world, he’d turned it upside down. She still hadn’t decided whether that was a good thing or not.

Eat first, worry later.

She headed for the cafeteria to grab a low-fat muffin. As she passed her boss’s office, Rosen emerged. “Holly, wait. I was just on my way to see you. Got a minute?”

“Sure. I was just on my way to the cafeteria,” she said. “I skipped breakfast.”
Thanks to Nate Carter and the hottest sex she’d ever had.

Rosen put his hand on her shoulder, a smile softening his rough-hewn features. “Good news. The judge just handed down his decision about Tyler Arnold. We got the court order.”

“Yes!” Holly said, resisting the urge to do a little happy dance.

“You did a great job with the affidavit,” he said. “There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that we’d get it. Congratulations.”

It was very good news, except for the fact that Arnold would certainly know about the court decision by now. He’d be furious, but she could only hope he’d realize he couldn’t do a thing about it. “Thanks, Charles. Tyler is the real winner here.”

Rosen nodded. “When will you do the surgery?”

“I’ll book an O.R. for Monday.” The sooner she could get the new valve in, the better, for Tyler’s sake. The court order would also ensure that Tyler had follow up from social workers and home health care, who would also keep an eye on his father.

“Good. Let me know if there’s any problem getting the room and a team. I’ll move things around if we have to.” His brows narrowed. “That father must be pretty upset. He hasn’t contacted you again, has he?”

“Not since before the hearing,” Holly said, her voice starting to thicken as she remembered the menace in Lance Arnold’s voice.

“Hopefully, all that nonsense is over now.” He gave her shoulder a fatherly pat. “But of course we’ll need to contact him to let him know when the surgery is going to take place.”

Holly’s stomach clenched as tight as a fist. The surgeon always contacted the parents with that information, and offered a pre-surgery interview if one hadn’t already been conducted. That wasn’t going to happen this time. She couldn’t go anywhere near the man. Couldn’t even speak to him on the telephone.

He turned to walk away, but Holly caught his arm. “We’ve done the right thing, haven’t we, Charles?” Despite Arnold’s threats, she’d never wavered in her certainty before, but suddenly she felt the need for her boss’s confirmation. She knew she must really be off her game if she needed that.

“Absolutely. Be proud of yourself, Holly. I’m damn proud of you.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze and strode away.

* * *

Beverly Crump leaned forward and held the back of her hand to Tyler’s brow. The tried and true grandmotherly method of taking body temperature, Holly thought with a smile. As old as time itself. There was a monitor beside the bed precisely displaying Tyler’s vitals, including his temperature, but Mrs. Crump relied on her own touch and instincts to tell her what was going on with her grandson.

The woman’s back was turned to her, so Holly knocked on the open door so as not to surprise her.

“How are you, Mrs. Crump? I’m so happy you could make it in today.”

Mrs. Crump maneuvered her chair enough to be able to see both Tyler and Holly. “Oh, I’m managing, Dr. Bell. My daughter was able to get away for the day and bring me.” The woman gave Holly an appraising look. “Is everything all right?”

Holly smiled. She probably looked like a patch of rough road, what with the bags under eyes that she could never quite camouflage these days. “I’m fine, thank you.” She touched Tyler’s foot under the bedcovers. “How are you doing, Tyler? You’re looking better every day.”

“Okay,” the boy said with a tired but sweet smile. “Grandma came to see me.”

“That’s wonderful.” Holly sat on the end of the bed, on the opposite side from Mrs. Crump. “I’ve got some news that I think will make both of you happy.”

Mrs. Crump smiled, and Holly returned it. “Tyler, we’re going to be able to go ahead with the operation you and I talked about last week. We’re going to give you a brand new heart valve, and that’s going to make you feel a lot better.”

Tyler’s blue eyes widened. “But Daddy said…” His voice trailed off.

Mrs. Crump squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Your daddy’s going to be very happy, because you’re going to be so much better in a little while.”

When she glanced up, Holly gave her a thankful smile. “We’ll get you into the operating room on Monday, Tyler. You’ll have to stay here in the hospital afterward for a while, but it won’t be too much longer before you can go home again.”