Return of the Jerk (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 2) (44 page)

“Or maybe I should write a book on the delights of forbidden fruit,” he murmurs.

“You keep saying that . . . but I was never forbidden to you.”

“Course you were.” He kisses her lips softly. “My little sister’s best friend, plus your whole upper-crust family. There would have been a shit storm if I’d laid a finger on you.”

Blair rolls her eyes. “Give me a break, you didn’t even know I was alive.”

“Trust me, babe, I knew you were alive. Hard to ignore since you were at our house all the time.”

She goes still, and he can see his response has surprised her. “You always acted like I was invisible.”

“It’s the way things were back then.”

“Do you remember that day we talked about
The Razor’s Edge
?”

He nods. “Yeah.”

“We were at the library downtown.”

“I remember. Never met anybody who liked that book as much as I did.”

Blair quieted, and her eyes became troubled like they were earlier. It’s as if she wants to tell him something.

“What is it? Tell me,” he insists.

Those hazel eyes roam his face and he wants to banish whatever is worrying her. “I want you to know I love you,” she says. “Always remember that, okay?”

He puts his thumb on her brow, strokes the delicate arch, trying to figure out what could be the problem. “I love you, too.”

Nathan wonders if maybe this whole thing has been too soon for her. Having her heart broken by that guy, the dipshit, is probably still lingering. And then he thinks of what happened between them years ago, knows it bothered her how he left, and hopes that isn’t part of it.

“I won’t hurt you, Blair. I promise.”

“I know.” She smiles. “You’re a good man.”

Sweat cools on his chest as Blair rides him sweet and slow. Like warm honey. Like the taste of sunshine at midnight.

Knows she enjoys being on top, and it suits her, too. Her long hair sweeping over his face and shoulders as she moves with focused heat, gasping a little each time she comes down onto him.

Nathan’s hands travel over her body, her skin soft and smooth. He’s so aware of her, of every breath, amazed at the way she fills his senses. No empty spaces left. Just Blair. Her fragrance rich and clean, the musk of it enveloping him.

This is all that matters. Right here in front of me. Beautiful and simple.

Her gasps change to something shaky as she increases the pace. He knows she’s close, reaching for it.

“That’s right, babe,” he whispers. “Take what’s yours.”

Finally she cries out, long and loud as she gives in to ecstasy. When their eyes meet, even in the dark bedroom, he sees the way she looks at him. Unlike anything he’s ever experienced. A brilliant light hitting him square in the chest. Leaves him wrecked and dazed every time.

When she lies down on him, Nathan closes his eyes, smoothing his hands over her back. He decides there aren’t words invented yet for pleasure this ripe.

“That’s my favorite part,” he tells her, his voice low as it vibrates through the room.

Blair laughs against his chest. “You say that every time.”

“Because it’s true.”

She rises off him and smiles. Runs her hands over his chest, tracing the letters in Sanskrit. He starts thrusting into her a little again, his hips moving of their own volition.

They do this for a while, lazily enjoying each other. Both of them have come twice, so there’s no sense of urgency.

“Let’s go from behind,” he suggests, caressing her hips. “Haven’t done that with you yet.”

Blair hesitates, her eyes flash to his. “I don’t know. I’ve never really enjoyed that.”

“Babe, I’ll stop right away if you don’t like it.”

She nods and lifts up, goes onto her knees. And there’s something about it, Blair offering herself to him like this that speaks to his most basic self as a man. A primitive sorcery heats his blood.

He doesn’t enter her right away, but slides his hands over her hips and ass. His fingertips trail down her spine, followed by his mouth. Tastes her skin—so sweet. He wraps his arm around her waist, her body firm yet pliant beneath him.

Can hear her unsteady breath. Her arousal. Wonders why Blair never enjoyed this before, but doesn’t like to think of another man with her, especially someone doing something she didn’t enjoy.

He caresses her all over as her hips move, her back arching. Be lying if he didn’t admit he enjoyed seeing her this way. Hot and needy.

“Do you trust me, babe?” he asks, a fresh animal want growing in him.

“Yes,” she says.

He pushes into her slow, resisting the urge to thrust hard and deep. Blair gasps, lifting and pushing her hips toward him, making it impossible to go either slow or shallow.

“You okay?” he asks, his voice guttural to his own ears. His body screams at him to keep moving, but he stops anyway.

Her arms stretch before her, grasping the sheets. “Nathan,” she breathes. “Don’t stop . . .”

His mouth opens as he pulls in a lungful of air, awash with lust and love. Groans.

And then he’s deep within her. So deep, he wonders at all the places he’s touching, certain her heart has to be one of them.

“IS ANYONE MANNING
the front?” Blair asks, looking around their bakery’s backroom as everyone crowds into the small space to watch Nathan on television.

“I’m keeping an eye on it,” Carlos says. “The morning rush has died off, so we’re good.”

“There he is!” Natalie points to the screen.

“That’s Blair’s man?” Zoe, one of their bakers, leans in close. “Not what I expected, but he’s hot.”

Blair doesn’t say anything, just watches as Nathan walks out and takes a seat in the chair next to the show’s host. He looks great. Hot, like Zoe said. Jeans and a light blue Henley, not his usual red and black sneakers, but a dark pair Blair doesn’t recognize. His hair’s parted off-center and looks blonder on camera. She listens as they introduce him as ‘Road Church, bestselling author, travel blogger, and Seattle native.’

“Welcome to Seattle Morning Edition,” the pretty brunette host says, smiling at Nathan, and Blair feels a twinge of jealousy.

He nods, leans forward a little. “Thank you for having me. It’s good to be here.”

The brunette smiles again as she asks him about the success of
Edge of Zen,
then asks how it feels to be back in Seattle after traveling the world for the past five years.

Nathan seems relaxed, not in the least bit nervous as he talks. He cracks a joke about how when he started traveling, one of the biggest surprises was seeing people use umbrellas.

“I may come from Seattle, but I’ve never owned an umbrella in my life.”

“That’s so true!” The pretty brunette laughs with bubbly delight. “Nobody here uses umbrellas!”

Answering each question, Nathan is witty and engaging, and the host seems legitimately taken with him, though her flirtatious laughter is starting to get on Blair’s nerves.

He’s obviously in great spirits, really in the zone, and Blair can’t help thinking back to last night and this morning, to how amazing things were between them.

They barely slept at all. Though, instead of feeling tired, there’s a delicious energy humming through her. Every time she closes her eyes, she sees Nathan. Beautiful Nathan. The way he looked last night and this morning. Gazing at her with bliss, his eyes clearer and greener than she’s ever seen them.

I can’t believe it’s me he was looking at with that expression.

Blair finally went down on him this morning, could tell he was surprised when she moved between his thighs, took him into her mouth. He watched her with rapt attention the whole time, breath harsh and unsteady, trembling with pleasure near the end. Blair felt guilty enjoying his strong response so much.

“I’m sorry I waited so long to do that,” she told him quietly afterward, embarrassed for not doing it sooner. In some misguided way, she’d been trying to keep a small part of herself separate, a futile attempt to spare herself pain when this ends.

But maybe this won’t end.

The thought has been coming to her more and more lately. That maybe she won’t have to give him up.
Maybe he’ll stay in love with me.

“Figured you weren’t ready, is all,” he said afterward, and then grinned. “Glad that’s changed.”

She scooted up next to him, put her head on his chest, her fingers tracing the Sanskrit above his heart.

All those years she spent trying to imagine how good it would be between them.
Turns out, it’s far better than anything I could have imagined.

Which makes the strange unease that’s settled over her lately all the more mysterious.

I need to relax and enjoy this.

Blair can’t seem to shake the sense of foreboding, though.

A couple of times recently, she even thought of confessing everything to Nathan. Just take her chances. Be brave.
If he really loves me, wouldn’t he stay?

But then fear sinks in. Panic. What if he doesn’t stay? And even worse, what if the truth hurts him? Because it will, and that’s the last thing she wants.

She’s been telling herself this foreboding is just her anxiety. She’s just having her usual compulsive thoughts. Tries to remind herself there’s no way Nathan will ever find out the truth.

And yet, the unease persists.

Hearing that story about Isadora last night didn’t help matters. It hit way too close to home. Lance punishing the real Isadora their whole lives for one awful mistake.

“He’s doing a great job, especially for his first time.” Natalie looks over at her. “I’ll bet he gets people interested in his book. Anthony’s been interviewed on live television and he told me it’s nerve-racking.”

“Thanks, I’ll tell him you said that.” Blair watches as they wrap up the interview and go to commercial.

“How is everything between you two?”

“Incredible.”

Natalie smiles. “I had a feeling things might work out. Especially after our girls’ night. He seemed very . . . eager to be with you.”

“I agreed to move back home finally.”

“Really? I’m glad.” Natalie grins. “Of course, I have to ask, does he pass the Bandito Test?”

Blair doesn’t even have to think about it. “With flying colors.”

Except Blair doesn’t move back in right away.