by SJ McCoy
When they got to the bar, Kenzie greeted them with a warm smile. “Hey. I didn’t know you two were an item.”
“We’re not,” said Lily.
Nate looked hurt. “We’re just getting started.”
Kenzie raised an eyebrow. “Okay, how about I get you a drink while you figure out which it is.”
Once she’d turned her back, Lily scowled at Nate. “This is just for the benefit of last night’s conquest, isn’t it? We don’t need to pretend to our friends.”
“She wasn’t a conquest. I told you.”
“Whatever.” She tried to look like she didn’t care, but she was relieved to hear him say it. He’d told her earlier that he’d dropped the girl back off at her room and gone home, but she wasn’t quite sure she’d believed him.
“And besides, if I’m going with you next weekend, then we are just getting started.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Yes, but we don’t need to lie to our friends.”
Kenzie set their drinks in front of them with a grin. “So, what’s it to be? Are you together or not?”
Nate grinned back at her. “Let’s just say we’re in the process of working that out.”
“Fair enough.” She turned to Lily. “More power to you if you can tame that one.”
Lily laughed. “I couldn’t if I wanted to, and besides I’d hate to disappoint all the tourists.”
“If anyone could tame me, it’s you. And besides, the tourists have a whole new team of guys to chase now.” He took a swig of his beer and jerked his chin to where four, good-looking guys were sitting.
Kenzie laughed. “You’re right there, Nate. I think the pilots are more than ready to take up where you and Eddie left off. And I’d say all the visiting ladies will be more than happy with the fresh selection of local talent they have to choose from.”
Nate shook his head. “Nah, the pilots are good guys, but they’re definitely a downgrade from Eddie and me.”
Lily slapped his arm. “Would you get over yourself? You might have been the only game in town for a while, but now you’re just one of the options on offer.” She looked at Kenzie. “Have you and Chase heard anything from Eddie? Do you know when they’re coming back?”
Kenzie smiled. “Yeah. We talked to him yesterday. They stayed up there for the week, trying to get things sorted out. April’s ex is locked up, but they still needed to figure out what’s going to happen with the ranch. Eddie’s hoping they can lease it out until Marcus is older.”
“That’d be good,” said Lily. “I hope they find someone who’ll want the place.”
“It sounds like they might have. April’s keen to get back down here and get Marcus back in school. They should be back in the next few days. Anyway,” Kenzie looked around the crowded bar. “I can’t stand here gas-bagging with you two.” She shot a grin at Ben who was headed their way. “The boss man might fire me.”
Ben smiled at her as he joined them. “No chance of that. I’d be lost without you. Plus, you can take the time to chat with the regulars since you’ve trained the team up so well. They can handle it all; we’re just figureheads now.”
Kenzie laughed. “You’re the figurehead. I need to keep busting my ass to make sure everything keeps running smoothly. I’ll leave you to it.” She made her way down the bar serving thirsty customers and chatting with everyone.
Ben gave Lily and Nate a curious look. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
“We …” Lily put her hand up over Nate’s mouth before he could say anything else.
“I am helping him out. Apparently, he disappointed a young lady last night, and he’s afraid she might want a second chance. I’m acting as a decoy.”
Ben nodded with a knowing smile. “Okay.”
Nate bit Lily’s finger, making her pull her hand back. “She's my girlfriend for the night.”
“And next weekend, too?” asked Ben. “Sounds like this is becoming something of a habit.”
Nate grinned. “Yup.”
“Err, no.” Lily scowled at them both. “Not at all. Anyway, Ben, is the gang here?”
“Yeah, they’re out on the deck. I’m supposed to be joining them as soon as I can get out from behind the bar.”
“Then go!” said Kenzie as she reached into the fridge behind him. “Get out of here and make some room for those of us who are working.”
Ben laughed. “That’s me told. I’ll see you guys over there.”
Lily picked up her drink. “Shall we?”
Nate scanned the room. “Okay.”
“I take it she’s not here?”
“I can’t see her if she is, but maybe she’s out on the deck. Maybe we should find ourselves a quiet corner in here?”
What was he playing at? Lily was out to see her friends tonight. She’d agreed to this pretense with him because she thought he wanted to come out with everyone, too. It wasn’t as though they were on a real date. She shook her head. “No, come on. You’ll have to brave it outside.”
He took hold of her hand again as she made her way around the dance floor.
She looked up at him. “Do you really need to do that?”
“I don’t need to, but I like it. Don’t you?”
Lily looked down at their joined hands and then back up into his eyes. Before she knew what she was doing, she’d nodded. Crap! What had she done that for?
Nate’s eyes widened in surprise. “You do?”
She shrugged. “I think I misunderstood the question.” She started walking again, needing to get to the others now. Being alone with him was turning out to be way more difficult than she’d expected.
As they approached the table where the gang was sitting, she started to wonder if finding a quiet corner with Nate might not have been easier. Pete had spotted them and fixed a hard stare on Nate. He turned to Lily and smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Hey, Lily. I thought you had more sense than that.”
She had to laugh. Pete didn’t know how to beat about the bush.
Emma slapped his arm. “Don’t be horrible, Hemming.”
Pete shrugged. “I’m not. I’m looking out for an old friend.” He turned his steely gaze on Nate. “I’d hate to see her get messed around; that’s all.”
Nate grinned at him, but when he spoke there was an edge to his voice that Lily didn’t recognize. “Good to see you too, boss. And you seem to forget, Lily’s my friend, too. There’s no chance of her being messed around.”
It seemed to Lily that the two men were having a silent conversation, and it wasn’t too hard to guess what it was about. Pete was Nate’s boss. He’d brought him out here to work on the new development at Four Mile. He’d no doubt warned Nate about his womanizing ways before he came here. And, if Lily knew Pete—and she did, pretty well—then he’d probably laid down the law about not sleeping with any of their friends, or any of the locals at all. It was too small a town to go leaving jilted women in his wake and stirring up drama. “Don’t worry, Pete,” she gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m not that stupid. I’m just helping him out.” She turned to smile at Nate, but he didn’t smile back. He let go of her hand and went to take a seat at the end of the table by Smoke. She shrugged at Pete and sat down beside Holly. She wasn’t going to follow him around like a puppy.
Holly leaned in and spoke in a low voice. “Don’t let Pete put you off. You go for it, girl. Nate’s one hot guy; if you want some, you should get some.”
Lily laughed and shot a look at Pete. “I wouldn’t let him hear you say that.”
Holly laughed and reached up to stroke the back of Pete’s neck. “He hears everything I say these days and does his best to understand.”
The smile he gave his wife did more than just reach his eyes; it transformed his whole face. This was a new, softer Pete, who Lily liked a lot. She was so glad the two of them had worked out their problems. “I do my best, sweetheart.” He looked at Lily. “And I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn there, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just …Nat
e. He’s …well, we all know what he is. And I don’t want to see … I mean, I’d hate for you …”
Lily laughed. “It’s okay, Pete. I appreciate your concern, but you know me. I’m not going to get swept off my feet by good looks and sweet talk. And besides, Nate’s my friend.” She shot a look down the table to where he was chatting with Smoke. He met her gaze and gave her a forlorn look, then winked. She shook her head. “I’m just helping him out.”
Pete met her gaze and held it. “I do know you, and I know him, too. I know you both well enough to know that I shouldn’t worry. But something about the way you both looked as you walked over here hand in hand like that set the alarm bells ringing.”
Lily stared back into his eyes for a long moment but said nothing.
“Just be careful, okay, Lil? There’s something about this place that seems to make everyone fall in love. I hope you find it if you’re looking for it, but I doubt it’ll be with Nate. He’s not made that way.”
“Don’t, Pete.” Holly shook her head at him. “You never know what might happen. You shouldn’t go saying things like that.”
Lily smiled. “It’s okay, Holly. He’s right. And besides, I’m not looking for love. If anything, my intentions are as dishonorable as Nate's.”
Holly laughed. “That’s all right, then. Like I said, you go for it.”
Pete shook his head at her. “Just be careful, Lil? I don’t want to see you get hurt, and I don’t want to have to send Nate back to work in Houston.”
Lily’s heart sank. She’d hate for Nate to move away, and she’d hate it even more if she had anything to do with him leaving.
Chapter Four
Nate listened to Smoke and Jack talking about the flight school. He wasn’t interested, though. He was more interested in what Pete and Holly might be saying to Lily. He couldn’t blame Pete, the two of them had had a talk before Nate moved here. Hell, he had wondered if coming to live here was such a good idea. He liked women, and a small town was no place for a guy like him. They’d agreed to give it a go, on the condition that Nate didn’t cause any trouble—and most importantly that he shouldn’t sleep with anyone Pete knew. It had the potential to get far too messy. But still. Part of him was pissed. It was none of Pete’s business. Lily was Nate’s friend now, too. And he wasn’t thinking about sleeping with her. Well, he did think about it—a lot—but he wasn’t planning to do anything about it. Well, he hadn’t been planning to. Dammit. What was he supposed to do? He did want to sleep with her. He was using this whole pretend boyfriend thing as an excuse to spend more time with her, to get closer to her. But not simply with the intention of getting her into bed. He blew out a sigh. Or was he? Was he just kidding himself? She turned him on. He wanted her. But he wanted more than sex.
“What are you huffing to yourself about?” asked Missy. “Did perfect Pete piss you off?”
Nate smiled at her. “Nah, I’m fine. How are you doing, Miss?”
She nodded. “I’m doing great, thanks.” She smiled at Dan who was sitting beside her talking to Gabe. “Life is good.”
“I’m glad to hear it. You got any pointers on how one makes that happen?”
Missy grinned. “I do. You have to go after what you know is right, even if it seems crazy. And you have to work your ass off to make it happen.”
Nate raised an eyebrow at her. Was she talking about Lily?
She nodded as if she’d heard his question. “There comes a point in life for each of us when we realize that we want more than what we’ve been used to. No matter how much we’ve enjoyed what we’ve always done.”
He shook his head. She was talking in riddles, and he wasn’t following.
“I had Scot when I was fresh out of high school. I spent the next fourteen years raising him by myself. I didn’t want to let anyone else into our little world. I worked hard, life was hard, but I was in control, and I didn’t want that to change. Then I met Dan. It seemed crazy that he and I would get together—I mean, look at us. We couldn’t be more different. But it was right. I knew it, and he knew it. We went for it.” She shot a look down the table at Lily. “What I’m saying is, when you find what’s right, you need to go after it, no matter how crazy it seems.”
He stared at her for a long moment. He didn’t know what to say. What would going after it with Lily look like? He had no clue. He didn’t even know if he was capable of it. He shook his head, wishing he could talk to Missy some more, wishing he could ask her how he would know if it was right, what he should do, but he couldn’t say any of that here. He’d do better to laugh it off. Forget about it. Tell Missy she was nuts.
She patted his arm. “You’ll figure it out, hon. You know where to find me if you need some help.”
Dan turned around to face them. “I hope you’re not flirting with my wife?”
Nate grinned. He liked Dan. “Of course I am! You wouldn’t expect anything else from me, would you?”
Dan smiled and put an arm around Missy’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t. In fact, I’d wonder what was wrong with you if you weren’t.”
At that moment, Nate spotted Vicky coming out onto the deck with a couple of her friends. “Uh-oh!”
“What’s up?” asked Missy.
Nate shook his head. “Trouble coming.” He looked down the table, hoping to catch Lily’s eye. She was talking to Renée, but looked at him suddenly, as if she’d heard his silent cry for help. He jerked his head toward Vicky and gave Lily a pleading look. She smiled, and for a moment, he wondered if she was going to abandon him to his fate, but she excused herself and came down the table to join him.
Missy grinned, and Dan looked shocked as Lily put a hand on Nate’s shoulder and smiled down at him. He was shocked himself as she stepped closer and lowered herself into his lap. He sucked in a deep breath as his body reacted to her. Her round little ass nestled into him. She must be able to feel the effect she was having on him, but she showed no sign of it. She looped her arm around his shoulders and turned to smile up at him. “What do you think? Will this do the trick?”
He couldn’t help it. He tightened his arm around her waist and held her a little closer, letting his aching cock push up against her. “Yeah, it’s working already, can’t you tell?”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t move away from him. Instead, she surprised him by turning to look over his shoulder, and in doing so pressing her breasts into his chest, giving him the best view he’d had of them yet. Damn, this was torture.
“Which one is she?” she breathed into his ear, making all the little hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
It took him a moment before he could reply; he needed to catch his breath. “Tall, long blonde hair, blue dress.”
Lily pressed herself even closer to him as she craned her neck to look around.
Dan gave him an inquiring look while Missy grinned at him encouragingly.
“So, she’s nothing like me, then?” asked Lily.
Nate closed his eyes for a second, trying to concentrate on her words instead of the feel of her body against him. “She’s nothing like you at all, Lil.” His hand involuntarily closed around her hip as she squirmed some more. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.
“Oh. I think I see her.” She turned around and settled back onto his knee.
“Did she see us?”
“I don’t think so.”
Nate couldn’t care less about Vicky at this point. He just wanted to keep Lily right there, in his lap, in his arms—in his bed, one part of him kept screaming. The weirdest thing was that another part of him spoke in a still, small voice, and that voice was saying he wanted to keep her in his life. His heart was racing, his head was swimming, he felt like he was losing control. He looked at Missy. Was that what she’d been talking about? She gave him a knowing smile and nodded wisely.
“She’s gone.” Lily smiled up at him. “You’re safe now.”
“Thanks.”
She made as though she was about to get up, but hi
s arm tightened around her, and she stilled.
“Maybe you should stay put for a while,” said Missy. “Just in case.”
Nate shot her a grateful look. Missy was awesome.
~ ~ ~
Lily hesitated. She should get up. She should get off Nate’s lap, smile at him, and go back to the other end of the table—back to safety. The trouble was, she didn’t want to. Her body was on high alert, all her senses were heightened, and every one of them was enjoying what it felt. Her eyes drank in Nate’s handsome face as he looked at her pleadingly. Her nostrils flared as they filled with the scent of him—she could smell his cologne, and on a deeper level, she could smell man. She’d swear she could hear his heart beating in time with her own, but that could just be her imagination. There was no arguing that she could feel his erection pushing against her, or his arm around her and his hand on her hip, holding her in place. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and tasted wine. Nate’s eyes widened as he watched and his hand tightened on her hip, sending ripples of excitement coursing through her. That decided it for her; no way was she getting up. She was enjoying this far too much. She hadn’t been with a man in far too long. She was going to enjoy the sensations for a few minutes longer. She turned to look out over his shoulder again. The girl had gone back inside. Lily was sure of that, but the feel of Nate’s chest as she pressed her breasts against him, the smell of him as she leaned closer to him, was too much to resist. Part of her felt self-conscious; Nate must know that she was dragging this out because she wanted to. The others must know it, too. But part of her didn’t care; she just wanted to enjoy the moment and all the sensations that were rolling through her.
“Do you see her?” Nate asked.
“No.” Lily almost wished she could still see the girl, that would give her an excuse to stay here on his lap.
“I’m sure she’s inside somewhere,” said Missy. “She’s likely here for the evening.” She gave Lily a knowing smile. “Looks like you’re going to have to be his bodyguard until you see him safely home.”
Lily raised an eyebrow at her. Did she know? Could she see how Lily felt? Was it too obvious?