Protected (6 page)

That was the second time my father
rejected me.

Throughout the entire service, the
knowledge that Nate’s warm body was pushed up beside me kept me from falling
apart at the seams. The tears had flowed, and he had pulled me closer to him,
his mouth at my hair as he whispered endearments.  I couldn’t fathom his presence
or have the strength to turn him away, right now, he was my protector.

When the coffin disappeared behind a
curtain, the crowd stood to allow my father, and a handful of people that I didn’t
recognise, to leave the chapel before the rest of us departed.  As he
turned, his eyes found mine, and I watched as he physically blanched.  He
recovered well, his face instantly returning to an unemotional mask as he
exited the building without a word.

Nate guided me out, his hand on my lower back
until we found ourselves standing amongst the crowd of mourners that gathered
outside.  There was a mixture of attendees, young and old, the majority of
them surrounding my father, eager for a piece of his attention and pandering to
his every demand. 

‘You okay?’ Nate whispered down to me.

‘Thank you,’ I smiled up into his
concerned face, ‘for being here, I don’t understand why you are, but I’m glad
you are, nevertheless.’

His hand curved my nape and squeezed in
response, but his eyes flared with affection.  Our gaze clashed and held,
in silent communication.

‘Excuse me,’ a man, approximately
mid-thirty in age stopped before us, dark hair, pretty green eyes.  ‘Are
you Sophie?’ He asked.

‘Yes!’ I felt Nate step closer to me, his
hand curving around my hip in a possessive gesture.  I stepped into his
warmth.  ‘Sorry, I don’t know you,’ I apologised.

He eyed Nate for a second with a hint of
amusement before returning his gaze to mine.  ‘I’m Carl,’ he holds out his
hand. ‘I was a friend of Ollies.  He told me all about you, and I have to
say the resemblance is uncanny,’ he comments, as his gaze roams my features. 
‘The eyes,’ he deduces.

I smile, ‘why thank you. We apparently inherited
our eyes from our mother.’ I turn to Nate, ‘this is a friend of mine, Nate,’ I
introduce the two men.  Nates eyes take on a hooded stare as he evaluated
the man standing before us.

Carl holds out a hand to Nate, which
meant he had to release his hold on me, but as soon as Carl releases his grip,
he moves back to me.   We chat casually with Carl, as he recites a
few tales of him and Ollie in their college days, before I sense my father’s presence. 

I tense, and Nate squeezes my waist
reassuringly.

‘Sophia,’ he mutters.

‘Actually, my name is Sophie,’ I
announce, ice evident in my tone. How the fuck can he forget my name?

‘Yes, of course,’ he fidgets
uncomfortably. ‘I did express there was no need for you to attend,’ he
continues, his cold grey eyes penetrating mine.

‘Unfortunately, that isn’t something you
decide,’ Nate growls from beside me.

‘Excuse me, I was talking to my
daughter,’ he pins Nate with a glare so glacial, you can almost see the icicles
dripping from it.

‘Your daughter?’ Nate’s voice is
dangerously low.  ‘No, man. You don’t get the privilege of that label.’

‘What the hell do you know?’ Dad growls
to Nate.

‘You’d be surprised what I know, Mr.
Parker,’ Nate lifts his jacket to expose his police badge snapped on his belt.
‘In fact, expect a visit real soon to discuss the events that led to your son’s
death,’ he threatens.

My father holds Nate’s all-pervading
stare for a few more seconds before his cheeks flush.  ‘I’ll look forward
to it, Mr?’

‘Detective Nathan Austin,’ Nate notifies
him, ‘Denver Police Department.’

‘You have no jurisdiction here, Mr.
Austin,’ dad provides an evil smirk as if the information has provided a shield
for him to hide behind.  Does Nate seriously believe that my father has something
to do with Ollie’s death? Ice runs through my veins.

‘I have jurisdiction wherever my leads
take me, Mr. Parker.’ Nate updates him, ‘it just so happens that I have been in
Boston for three days investigating your son’s homicide.’  He notifies
him.

My father’s gaze falls to mine, his face
impassive, before he responds. ‘Investigate away, Mr. Austin.’

As we walk towards the car park, I hiss
to Nate, ‘you think he had something to do with Ollies murder?’

‘Not here, London,’ he opens the
passenger door of a black SUV, and I climb in.  When he settles beside me,
I turn to him questioningly.  ‘I can’t tell you, Sophie; you know
that.  Just be assured I am as eager as you to wrap this up,’ he pulls out
of the car park and drives into the awaiting traffic. 

‘You do know that once this is solved,
I’m going home to London?’ I advise him.

His eyes hold mine for a moment before
darkening, ‘where are you staying?’

‘Boston Park Plaza,’ I announce, shakily,
my brain still processing my father’s behaviour.

********

Nate escorts me through the reception
area of the sleek hotel foyer and towards the lift.  He has respectfully
worn a navy suit, over a white shirt, that only enhances the colour of his
magnificent eyes.  I watch as he bends and presses the button to call the
lift, my eyes lingering on his long fingers.  We have barely uttered a
word since our conversation that ended with me telling Nate I was leaving as
soon as Ollie’s murder was solved. 

We step into the awaiting shaft and move
backwards as another couple enters with a polite greeting.  Nate holds out
his hand for the key card to my room, and I naturally pass it to him.

As soon as our feet hit the carpeted
floors of the small, double room, he shrugs off his jacket, placing it over the
chair set beside the desk.  I drop my handbag onto the bed and walk
towards him.  He is wearing a holster that contains a firearm and for a
moment I just stare at the gun, never before being so close to something so
dangerous.  His hand extracts it from the holder, and he places it gently
on the desk.

‘We need to talk,’ Nate murmurs, softly. 

‘Okay,’ I nod.

His glance falls to my lips, and my
tongue automatically moves out to moisten them, his eyes flare with a light I
recognise as desire.

‘Fuck this!’ he strides forward and cups
my jaw with both of his hands, crushing his lips to mine with bruising
force.  I whimper as his teeth suck and nibble, delving, exploring the
depths of my mouth. 

I push myself against his firm body,
groaning deep in my throat at the sensations that are trickling through my
veins.  I know nothing other than how he makes me feel, my hands explore
the flexed muscles of his back as he pushes me roughly against the door. 
I feel his erection at my abdomen and grind against it, wantonly. 

‘Jesus, fuck, London,’ he groans against
my lips, ‘I can’t stay away,’ he admits, one of his hands travel to my waist
and slide up, his thumb brushing my puckered nipple.

‘Want you,’ I pant, nibbling his full
bottom lip. 

His eyes are black with desire as he
regards me for a split second, ‘you sure you want this?’ He checks.

‘Nate,’ I breathe, ‘please,’ I beg.

His hands move behind me to unzip me
before moving down to gather the ends of my dress and pull it up to expose my
black lace thong. ‘Those fucking legs go on for ever,’ he growls as he eases
the dress over my head and off, leaving me with nothing but the black lace of
my underwear. Dropping to his knees, he pulls down the scrap of lace covering
my sex and encourages me to step out of them.  He glances up into my
flushed face, his eyes alight with longing.  Pushing one of my legs over
his shoulder, he moves in to kiss a trail from my inner thigh up to my wetness.

‘Bloody hell,’ I whisper as he sucks hard
on my wetness. 

‘Fuck, you taste like heaven,’ he growls
against my swollen lips. 

I grasp a handful of his hair with one
hand and hold onto the door frame with the other as my body purrs with
delight.  I pull tight against the strands of his soft hair as his tongue
fucks me deep.

‘God, Nate,’ my voice sounds breathy even
to my own ears. I grind my hips against his tongue as he laps up my
juices.  My body is humming with pleasure as I feel his fingers plunge
deep inside, ‘Oh my,’ I purr, as he sucks in my clitoris and swirls his tongue
around the hardened nub over and over.  My body is climbing high, building
for a release.

‘Come for me, baby,’ he growls, as his
tongue sucks in my clitoris, hard.

‘Oh fuck,’ I gasp, as my body soars
uncontrollably and I am drenched in pleasure, my legs buckling beneath
me.  If it wasn’t for Nate’s hands taking my weight, I know I would be a
puddle of goo on the carpet. 

‘Fuck!’ He stands, his hands clasp my
thighs and lift until my legs wrap around his waist.  I push down against
the evident bulge in his trousers. 

‘You on the pill?’ He probes.

‘Yeah,’ I whimper, the aftershocks of my
release still shuddering through the length of my body. ‘But you’re a
man-whore,’ I pant.

‘I’m clean,’ he releases his erection,
and immediately plunges deep inside me, stopping to absorb the pleasure as his
eyes meet mine.  ‘Fuck, that feels so good,’ he whispers, his body tense.
‘I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you,’ his teeth nibble my neck, ‘you
with the huge hazel eyes and legs that go on for infinity.’

‘Move,’ I command, my body craving his
with a need that is foreign to me.

He complies.  He pounds me hard against
the door of my hotel room, the thudding of my body slamming hard against the
wood, which only enhances the desire. 

‘More,’ I demand, not being able to
satisfy the ache of lust that sits deep inside me.

Lifting me away from the door he travels over
to the bed, leaning my back against the mattress, my legs still wrapped around
his waist, ‘hold on,’ he pants, grasping my hips and fucks me downwards, the depth
of his thrusts immediately creating a building within me. 

‘Oh god, I’m going to come,’ I cry out, as
it feels like a million particles of gratification shower over me simultaneously
as he plants deep, stroking himself dry.

We roll onto the bed, still connected, as
we attempt to calm our erratic breaths.

After a few minutes, I giggle. ‘I’m surprised
that no one complained about the noise,’ I murmur, breathlessly.

Nate chuckles, ‘fuck, London!  You
certainly know how to fuck.’

‘That felt good,’ I confess.

‘I could tell,’ he rolls on top of me and
glances down, ‘you okay?’

‘Yeah,’ I wrap my arms around his
neck.  ‘You’re safe, no regrets,’ I assure him.

He nods, ‘good to hear,’ he runs his nose
down my jaw, ‘want to clean up?’

‘Yeah, then I want to explore some more.
I intend on taking full advantage of you before I leave.’

His grin is sensational, ‘thank fuck,’ he
drops his lips to mine.

********

It is nine at night, and we have spent
the entire afternoon in bed discovering every inch of each other’s body. We ordered
room service before we showered, the shower led to other things, which meant we
didn’t hear the waiter either knock on the door or transport the food on the
trolley into the room.  This also meant that whoever delivered our food,
were privy to our very loud sex through the opened doorway of the bathroom.

I was mortified to think that a member of
staff had listened, and possibly witnessed for themselves the erratic fucking
that transpired in the double shower cubicle.  Nate, however, found it
incredibly amusing, that was until I notified him that they must have seen my
naked body.  A frown had then furrowed his brow, and his jaw became tense.

‘Fucking perverts,’ he had growled.

After seeing the anger evident on his
features, I had then seen the funny side and rolled around the bed, the
mortification instantly being replaced with laughter.

‘Are you the possessive kind?’ I had
questioned, teasingly.

‘No!’ He had shaken his head adamantly,
‘never!’

I’m not convinced, ‘Nate!’

‘I’m not,’ he insists.

‘What’s happening with the blonde from
Jessie’s?’ I ask, casually.

He glowers, ‘my sister needs to be a
little more discreet.’

‘Relax, I’ll disappear in a few weeks, I
know what this is,’ I turn and face him. ‘I would hate for anyone to get hurt,
Nate.  The blonde for example,’ I murmur, earnestly.  ‘Plus, I
wouldn’t want to ruin anything for you.  Not for the sake of my own
selfish needs.’

‘You are not ruining anything for me, I’m
a free agent and intend on remaining that way,’ he confesses.

‘Forever?’ I test.

He shrugs, ‘if that changes, I guess I’ll
know, but nothing has so far persuaded me to revisit anything permanent.’

‘Revisit?’ I challenge, ‘so you have
visited it before?’

He glances at me assessing, before
replying, ‘I was married, out of university.  Didn’t work out, I’m now
divorced.  I prefer it that way.’

‘Want to talk about it?’ I check.

‘Nope!’ He expresses adamantly.

‘Okay, I guess you’ve been in love then,’
I press.

‘I thought we just decided we wasn’t
going to discuss it,’ his lips tilt, ironically.

‘Sorry,’ I smile, ‘just the once?’

He rolls his eyes, ‘I guess we are
discussing this, yeah, just the once,’ he finally confesses. 

I nod, ‘okay.’

‘You?’ He queries.

‘Ever been in love?’ I question, he nods.
‘No!’ I confide, ‘I can honestly say I have never been in love.’

‘Never!’ He marvels.

‘No.  I’ve had attractions to men,
enjoyed their company, but no, I imagine if you love someone you can’t live
without them,’ I deduce.  ‘I’ve never experienced anything like that in my
life, but I’m happy in my own space.  I have needs, but I can fulfil them
and not be tied to anyone.  So I do.  Safely,’ I add.

‘You never had a long term relationship?’
He checks, evidently amazed by my admission.

‘Not more than a couple of months. To be
fair, I have been building a business,’ I defend.  I stop at confiding
that I could never give all of me to someone, trust that they will take care of
me.

‘That’s a damn shame,’ Nate murmurs, his
eyes moving over my face. I shrug, embarrassed by what I see in the blue gaze,
pity, empathy even.

‘It’s by choice, Nate, you don’t have to
feel sorry for me,’ I notify him.

‘I don’t, I feel sorry the fuckers that
you left heartbroken,’ he expresses, nonchalantly.

We had finished our food and were
drinking wine, naked on the bed when Nate begins to look slightly uncomfortable.

‘What’s up?’ I asked, ‘are you worried
about the ‘
implications
of all this?’ My stomach twists, has he had his
fill?

His face instantly clears, ‘no, of course
not.  It wasn’t something that we could ignore, it would be a shame not to
enjoy the attraction,’ he admits. 

‘So, we are clear that this is just an
itch that we had to scratch, right?’ I ratify.

‘Sure.  I told you I’m not looking
for anything permanent,’ he assures me.  ‘My job is the great love of my
life,’ he maintains.

‘Then what’s with the face?’ I press,
ignoring the twinge of regret. Even if I stayed here, Nate wouldn’t be
interested in a long term relationship with me, although this knowledge should
reassure me, it makes me feel sad.  Then I deduce that maybe the appeal
for him is the temporary status of my visit.

‘I need to talk to you about Oliver,’ he
moves the tray and places it on the trolley, before returning to a sitting
position, his back to the headboard.

‘Okay,’ my insides tighten with
apprehension.

‘Did you know that your father withdrew
all financial support from him?’ He asked.

‘Yes, I told you that. Oliver wouldn’t
comply with our father’s expectations of him, within the business, so dad gave
him an ultimatum.  It was that, which encouraged Oliver to pursue his
dreams of becoming a hairdresser.’

He nods before his eyes raise cautiously
to mine, ‘did you know he was in trouble, financially, Oliver that is?’

I sigh, taking a mouthful of wine and
placing the wine glass on the side table. ‘Only very recently,’ I
confess.  ‘He was in arrears on his lease, I had to pay off his debts at
the salon and his apartment,’ I confide, gently.  ‘The heart-breaking
thing is, I would have helped him if he’d approached me,’ I murmur, laying back
against the pillows and inspecting the ceiling, ‘why didn’t he come to me?’

Nate rolls over and covers his body with
mine, his eyes intent on my face.

‘None of this is your problem, London,’
he soothes gently.  ‘You are not responsible for Oliver’s bad choices,’
his lips touch mine in a feather like kiss.

‘He was the only family I had left,’ I
express, a lump forming in my throat.

‘I know, babe,’ his lips leave a trail of
light kisses over my face, making me smile.  ‘That’s better,’ he
hums. 

‘Is that all?’ I probe.  ‘Any more
surprises?’

‘He was in a lot of debt, Soph,’ Nate’s
face clears of humour.  ‘He did a lot of things that may seem out of
character, even for the short while you knew him,’ he explains, gently. 
‘He got involved with a lot of people that wouldn’t, and didn’t, stand for his
feeble excuses.’

‘Is that what happened?’ I croak, my
throat closing up.

‘I think so,’ he nods, ‘there is
information that I cannot share with you, babe, you gotta understand that, some
things that could be detrimental to the investigation should they become public
knowledge.’

‘But, you will tell me, when you can?’ I
check.

‘Of course,’ he promises.

‘Okay,’ I nod.