Salvation (21 page)

Later, as I drifted into a contented sleep, I hadn’t forgotten the events of the past twenty-four hours or so, but for my own sanity chose not to dwell on them. Whether I liked it or not, Nate had stirred feelings in me that had been dead for a long time. And the tiny voice in the back of my mind that rarely made an appearance had chosen this moment to tell me I had to give him a chance, because I believed in him more than I was ready to admit.

EVEN though it was unusually cold, I breezed into work with a spring in my step and a sense of serenity absent from my life for a while. Drinking my cappuccino whilst waiting for my computer to load, a frisson of excitement rushed through me when my mobile rang and Nate
’
s name illuminated the screen.

“
Good morning, Mr Blake,
”
I answered perkily, rolling the lip of the mug along my mouth and grinning inanely. He laughed, the mellow sound curling my stomach into a tight knot of desire.

“
Good morning, Miss Collins,
”
he replied in that sexy tone that sounded even more arousing first thing when he
’
d barely woken up.
“
How are you?
”

“
Fine, thanks. You?
”

“
Not so good.
”
His tone switched from playful to serious.
“
I have to cancel our date.
”

“
Oh
…”
I slumped into the chair, returning my mug to the desk. Warning bells started ringing in my head again. Had I made a huge mistake in giving him another chance?

“
Sorry,
”
he whispered.

“
Whatever.
”
Feeling way out of my depth and uncertain of where I stood, I went to hang up. I had to protect myself and guard my heart by not gifting him the opportunity to hurt it again. Nausea washed over me in waves.

“
Kara?
”
he prompted after my weighty silence. With my finger hovering over the
‘
End Call
’
button, I swallowed hard and brought the phone back to my ear.

“
I
’
m not interested in excuses,
”
I managed, my stomach cramping.
“
Truth hurts, but at least it
’
s honest.
”

Nate let out an exasperated sigh.
“
You want the truth? Call me arrogant but I cleared my calendar for last night expecting to see you. I agreed to tomorrow without appreciating I have a business function to attend.
”

Oh
.
“
I didn’t realise
…
I
’
m sure you
’
ll have a great time.
”
I hadn’t intended it to sound as sarcastic as it did. I scrubbed at my face, exhausted by my own internal battle of wanting to have faith, but unsure if I could.

“
Dressing up and walking the red carpet isn’t as glamorous as it sounds,
”
Nate said dejectedly.

“
Believe me, I don’t envy you one bit. I
’
d hate living in the spotlight.
”
Nothing could be worse than being under constant media scrutiny. My hostility towards Nate dissipated when I remembered how uncomfortable he was with the attention, too.

“
Having the same conversation repeatedly becomes tedious very quickly.
”

My brow rose. Was he indirectly letting me know there were only so many times he was willing to reassure me before he got pissed off?

“
Be patient, Kara. The next couple weeks will be chaotic, but after that it should settle down.
”
His tormented voice made my heart ache.

Resting my elbow on the desk, I spun the mug between my fingers.
“
We can do another time. Let me know when you
’
re free, and I
’
ll check my calendar.
”
I didn’t want Nate assuming I
’
d hang around, waiting for him to fit me in.

“
I will. First, I have to go kick someone
’
s ass. Talk later.
”

IT wasn’t long after lunch when Michael rushed into my office, running a hand frantically through his greying hair, the other resting on his hip. He played squash every Tuesday lunchtime, and obviously hadn’t been back long because his hair was still damp from a shower, and his face beetroot red from exertion.
“
Where are you with the Star business case projections?
”

Pleased with myself, I said,
“
It
’
s completed.
”
Michael visibly relaxed. I began searching my folders on the server for the file.
“
Shall I send it to you?
”

“
No. Mr Blake wants to review it. He
’
s called us upstairs for a meeting.
”

I choked at the mention of Nate
’
s name.
“
Now?
”
Behind Michael, Mai sat at her workstation gaping. She
’
d obviously heard him.
“
It
’
s all self-explanatory
…
he can review it
…
you can explain
…
answer his questions
…
you don
’
t need me there
…”
I was rambling, talking wildly with my hands.

“
Kara!
”
Michael glowered at me, shocked by my odd and thoroughly unprofessional reaction. I shut up immediately.
“
You did the work. Running Mr Blake through it will increase your exposure.
”

“
You
’
re right,
”
I mumbled, clasping my hands to stop them flailing.
“
Sorry.
”
This was all I needed, and proved my concerns over sleeping with the boss were entirely justified. How was I supposed to conduct a meeting with a man I
’
d recently seen nude? I
’
d heard the saying about overcoming nerves when dealing with people by imagining them naked, but really, this wouldn’t take much imagination.

“
C
’
mon, we don’t want to be late.
”
Michael
’
s words disappeared along with him as he headed out the office.

With trembling hands and legs, I stood, gathering my tablet, and followed. I glared at Mai as I passed, wordlessly pleading to be rescued from this imminent calamity. All she did was shrug, quietly amused by my predicament, trying and failing to hide a smirk with her hand.

Travelling up in the lift, I fidgeted with my outfit, picking imaginary lint from my skirt and ensuring my blouse was straight. My hair was piled high on my head, and tucked on top of the loosely pinned tresses were my glasses. No avoiding it, I was going to have to wear them.

“
You
’
ll be okay,
”
Michael assured me as we stepped into the vestibule,
“
he really isn’t an ogre.
”

I smiled weakly, his assurance having the opposite effect as my stomach knotted. I knew exactly how tender Nate could be. The blonde sat behind the desk buzzed us through. She greeted Michael by name and asked us to take a seat, informing us Mr Blake would join us shortly.

I can do this.
I repeated the mantra as we neared the seating area, taking deep breaths, my shoulders back and head held high. Before we could sit, Nate strode purposefully towards us from his office and I lost all focus.

“
Michael, thanks for coming at short notice,
”
Nate greeted him brusquely. He was without the jacket to his black pinstripe three-piece. A crisp white shirt and glacier blue silk tie were neatly tucked beneath the waistcoat, and the trousers draped over polished black wingtips. When I reached his face, I noticed his gaze had snagged on the black-rimmed glasses perched on my head.

Then they dropped to meet mine. A sensual smile crept across his mouth that lit his entire face. If I didn’t know better, I
’
d say he found the idea of me wearing them exciting.

“
This is Kara Collins. Not sure you
’
ve met before?
”
Michael introduced us. My eyes darted from Michael back to meet Nate
’
s amused expression. Both his hands extended towards me and took one of mine.

“
Oh, yes,
”
he murmured in that tone reserved solely for me,
“
we
’
ve met before. And the pleasure was
all
mine.
”

Nate
’
s suggestive smirk made my face flush. His bright eyes sparkled, waiting for my reaction. My body heated, my nipples hardening as his thumbs rubbed over the back of my hand, the same way they
’
d caressed my breasts.

“
Ahem.
”
Michael cleared his throat a little too obviously, causing us both to hurriedly let go.

“
Let
’
s use the meeting room.
”
Regaining his composure, Nate pushed the door open and Michael strolled through. There were ten chairs around a large oak table. Michael went to the far end and I started to follow.

“
Please,
”
Nate said, pulling a chair out,
“
sit here.
”
It was the opposite end to where my boss was now settling into his seat. I went from Michael back to Nate, who nodded encouragingly. Warily, I lowered into the leather office chair, setting my tablet on the table. I jumped when Nate
’
s hands came around my shoulders briefly before he took the seat beside me.

Glancing over at Michael, alone the other side of the gleaming wooden table, he appeared nervous, which didn’t inspire much confidence in me. He couldn’t see my tablet at all, so I was going to have to do this alone.

“
So, what do you have for me?
”
Nate asked smoothly.

I swallowed and flipped open the cover on my tablet. I hesitated for a long minute before finally relenting. Shuffling my chair closer, I lowered the glasses onto the bridge of my nose, clearing my throat as I took a discreet sideways glance at Nate.

His eyes flamed, but he gave nothing away to Michael. Composed and at ease, he stretched his legs, hooking a foot around the back of my right ankle and eased my legs apart.

Fuck.
I squirmed in my seat.
I couldn
’
t do this.

THE NEXT THIRTY minutes were the longest of my life. Sitting so close was a clever ploy on Nate
’
s part, because I spent the entire meeting trying to remain professional and answer questions whilst discreetly restraining his wandering hand beneath the table.

Forecasts and variances had never sounded so sexy when they were being discussed by the influential male beside me with a voice dripping of sex. Not content with only massaging my knee, he
’
d tried progressively moving his roaming hand further up my thigh, getting the surprise of his life when he discovered what I was wearing.

I flushed with relief when the blonde interrupted the meeting and Nate had to leave to take an urgent call. It took him a moment to stand, and for the first time, I saw a slightly flustered side to the man normally so held together.

Michael was telling me of his dinner plans for his wife
’
s birthday when the blondes soft drawl interrupted our conversation as we passed reception.
“
Excuse me, Miss Collins?
”

“
Yes?
”
I expected her to continue, but she said nothing else, preferring to tidy up instead.
“
I
’
ll catch up with you later,
”
I told an equally flummoxed Michael when the lift arrived.