The Devil She Knew

by Talia Hunter

  “What are you doing?” her sister hissed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ron’s engaged. His fiancé is right over there.” She nodded to a woman sitting at the table Suzie had collected Ronny from.

  “Oh. Well, it was just a dance. Besides, I don’t think she minds.” The woman wasn’t even looking in their direction, but talking to the person next to her.

  Her sister sighed. “I sat you next to Nate for a reason, Sue. He’s single, successful, and smart. Just this once, why can’t you go for someone who’ll be good for you?”

  “Thanks, but I don’t need you to set me up with anyone, especially—”

  “I’m trying to look out for you. Those bad boys you like so much aren’t good for you.”

  Suzie blew out her breath. The effort of pretending she wasn’t drunk and defending herself was almost too much. “I’m fine on my own. Better than fine. Did I tell you about the wedding I’m catering on Friday?”

  “Yes, but wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to share things with? I want you to be as happy as I am.”

  Her sister meant well ,but she’d been dating Luke since she was in high school. She’d never really been on her own.

  “I don’t need a guy to make me happy.” Suzie declared, probably a little too violently. “If one comes along, then fine. But I’m not—”

  Laura grabbed her arm, looking over her shoulder. “Look, there’s Nate. He’s coming along. In fact, I think he’s coming after you.”

  Suzie turned. Sure enough, Nate was making his way through the crowd of dancers. Was it her imagination, or did the fire torches pushed into the sand around the dancing area burn brighter as he walked past them?

  “I wouldn’t date him for a million dollars,” Suzie started to say.

  But it was her sister Nate stopped in front of, not Suzie. He leaned in to kiss Laura’s cheek. “Congratulations, Laura. I’m afraid I need to excuse myself early.”

  Laura frowned. “You’re going back to your room already? But I’m about to toss my bouquet, then we’ll cut the cake.”

  “I have work to do, and a deadline to meet.”

  “Don’t you at least want to dance with Suzie before you go?” Her sister put one hand on Suzie’s back and pushed her toward Nate, sending her stumbling into him. As Nate steadied her with his hands on her upper arms, she breathed in his delicious cologne. He was taller than her, and it was only because his chest wasn’t far below eye level that she was forced to admire the way his shirt stretched over his muscles.

  He drew in an audible breath and his hands squeezed her arms. When she lifted her eyes, his gaze was on her mouth. Her heart started beating so hard, she was afraid he’d see it trying to break free of her chest.

  “I don’t want to dance,” she managed, though her mouth had gone dry.

  “We should talk,” he said, his voice sounding as strained as she felt.

  “That’s right,” said Laura. “You too should talk. No need to leave just yet, is there, Nate? You can talk while you dance.”

  “I don’t want to dance,” Suzie said for the second time. Why did her sister refuse to listen to her? Though Laura was a year younger than Suzie, her smarty-pants little sister always assumed she knew best.

  She put her hands up to push Nate away but instead of pushing, her traitorous hands rested on his chest. It felt as hard with muscle as it looked.

  “Then let’s talk away from the dance floor,” said Nate. For some reason, he was still staring at her lips, and somehow the intensity of his gaze was dragging all her air away. That had to be why she felt so breathless.

  She opened her mouth to tell him to go to hell, but what came out was a weak, “Fine.”

  It was only when he took her hand and tugged her out of the crowd, away from the wedding party, that her lungs managed to inflate again.

  What was he so set on talking about?

  Maybe she shouldn’t have called him Milhouse, but as nicknames went, it wasn’t so bad, was it? The lie he’d told about her had been a million times worse.

  He pulled her along until the wedding was behind them and the noise of the band had faded. Her bare feet were suddenly on grass and she staggered a little. Where was he leading her? Behind the bures?

  Sure enough, they went into the trees behind the resort. It was dark back there, and deserted, so nobody could hear her yell at him. He reached a palm tree and turned to face her. Her heart was pounding. He loomed half a head taller than her, his wide shoulders making her feel tiny in comparison. How did he get so big? His shirt did nothing to hide his powerful build. During the speeches, she’d kept catching herself shooting sideways glances at his biceps, and when they’d flexed, she’d gulped her drink so she wouldn’t be tempted to run her hand over them.

  In the darkness, his face was hidden and his scent seemed stronger. It was a potent musk, a no-doubt-expensive cologne that shouted ‘male’ at the top of its lungs. As she inhaled it, her knees weakened. Who was this powerful man, this stranger, in front of her? Alone in the dark with him she should be afraid. But it was excitement, not fear, seething in her belly. It was arousal making her legs tremble.

  What devil-sorcery had he used, to make her feel this way? She should be furious, not turned on. She refused to let him arouse her.

  Nate stepped close enough that if she hadn’t shrunk back he would have been pressed against her. The rough trunk of the palm tree was suddenly against her back. He may have her trapped, but she wouldn’t be cowed.

  “How dare you?” She meant it to come out as an accusation, but her voice trembled. “I won’t be pushed around, especially not by you. You’re a shitty excuse for a—”

  He cut her off with a harsh, low laugh. The sound seemed to be wired directly into her nerve center, because it made her weak with need. “You have a filthy mouth.” Grabbing her waist, he pulled her roughly against him. His mouth covered hers, smothering the insult.

  Though his anger was obvious, his lips were soft. His tongue caressed hers, knocking the breath from her lungs. His arousal jutted against her belly and answering warmth pulsed between her thighs. No! Sweet mother of mercy, why did he have to feel so good?

  She tried to push him away, but her arms were weak. What was wrong with her? She didn’t want this… did she?

  One of his hands moved up to her face, first stroking back her hair, then gathering a fistful and using it to tilt her head back and give his mouth better access. His kiss deepened and got more intense, and when he broke away she had to stifle a sound of protest. But he was only moving his lips to her neck, to bite and kiss her as though he was going to devour her. His other hand cupped her breast, his thumb rubbing over her nipple. The rough way he handled her made her groan with pleasure. She shouldn’t like it, but oh man, she did. She’d never been touched with such fierce urgency. It set her alight, made her longing so strong she couldn’t bear it.

  “Stop,” she gasped. But at the same time she arched her back to press her breast against his hand.

  He let her go and pulled away. “Whatever you say.” His tone was harsh. “You want to fight, we can do that instead.”

  “I—” She broke off, running her tongue over her swollen bottom lip. She could still taste him, and her body thrummed with need. Tell him to get lost. Instead she longed to order him to put his hands back on her.

  “Well?” he asked.

  It was too dark to read his expression, but it was his fault she felt like this. She hadn’t wanted him, but now he’d better damn well finish what he started.

  “Touch me.”

  With an impatient noise he reached out and yanked the top of her dress open. She heard the thin fabric tear and the buttons pop. What the hell? Her dress was ruined.

  She opened her mouth to berate him, but the words died when he pushed her bra down and took her breast in his warm hand, rolling her nipple between finger and thumb. A sound flew from her throat, but instead of a curse, it was a low moan of pleasure.

&nbs
p; She didn’t have to punish him with words. There was a better way. Grabbing his tie, she yanked the knot with what little strength she had left. She tore it off and dropped it, then reached for the front of his shirt. Judging by the silky fabric it had probably been expensive. Too bad. She tore it open and sent the buttons flying.

  His chest was every bit as impressively hard as she’d imagined. Her hand glided over the ridges of muscle running down his stomach. Then she pinched his nipple. Hard.

  He drew in a sharp breath and pushed his body against hers, shoving her back into the tree and claiming her mouth again. Both hands went to her face, caressing her cheeks while his tongue teased hers with an intensity that sent spikes of longing into her core.

  “Suzie.” Her sister’s voice drifted to her, faint, but insistent. “Sue, where are you?”

  Crap.

  She pulled away from Nate, her heart pounding. Everything was happening so fast, she felt dizzy.

  What was she doing? This was Milhouse. She’d promised herself no more bad boys, that she’d stay away from guys who didn’t treat her right.

  “Laura’s looking for me,” she started. Then the reality of what had just happened hit her between the eyes and she grabbed the front of her torn dress. “I can’t go back to the wedding like this.” She let her breath out in a rush. “I can’t believe I just did that. With you.”

  Nate took a step back. “A mistake, no doubt.” His tone was harsh as he bent to pick up his tie. “I’m sure you’ll be able to blame the cocktails.”

  The words hit her like cold water. She drew her back up against the palm tree. “Just what I needed to hear from the guy who accused me of selling sex to get a better grade.”

  “This time you got an A.”

  He might have meant it as a joke, but it was far from funny. Her anger flooded back, clearing the last foggy tendrils of lust from her mind. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Where are you, Sue?” Laura sounded closer.

  “She’s here.” Nate raised his voice.

  “What are you doing?” hissed Suzie. “I don’t want her to see me like this.”

  “Too late.”

  “Damn you, Milhouse. You haven’t changed, have you?”

  Suzie slumped against the tree, her anger turning to despair. Only hours ago she wasn’t thinking about anything but celebrating Laura’s wedding and the big job she’d be preparing for as soon as she got home. Now she was hiding in a dark clump of trees.

  “Is that you, Nate?” asked Laura. “It’s so dark, I can’t see you.”

  Tie in hand, Nate turned and walked out of the trees.

  “There you are,” said Laura. “What happened to your shirt?”

  Suzie closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for Nate’s reply and wishing she was still dancing with Cousin Ronny. Better his bad breath and angry fiancé than this level of embarrassment.

  “I have work to do,” said Nate. “Congratulations again, but I have to go.”

  “Wait.” But Nate must have walked away, because she heard Laura make a frustrated sound. “Okay, where are you, Sue?” asked her sister loudly. “Time to come out of hiding.”

  Suzie dragged in a deep breath and walked out of the trees. She didn’t bother to hold the top of her dress closed. What was the point? Her little sister would judge her anyway.

  Sure enough, Laura took her in with wide eyes, then shook her head. “I’m glad you and Nate are getting along, but he’s not like the guys you normally date. Maybe you should try doing things a little differently with him.”

  Suzie pressed her lips together to keep from screaming. “It wasn’t like that,” she said, her voice tight. “I can’t stand Nate Mason. As far as I’m concerned, he can drop dead.”

  “Oh-kay,” said Laura. “Well, do you think there’s a way to fix your dress? I’m about to do the bouquet toss, and I want you to catch it. I know it’s a stupid tradition, but you never know, right?”

  Her baby sister was obviously convinced that Suzie needed all the help she could get. And wasn’t that just the poop-flavored icing on top of a perfectly screwed up day?

  “Laura, Iisten to me.” Suzie put her hands on her sister’s arms to make sure she had her full attention. “You’ve married a great guy and I couldn’t be happier for you. But that’s not me, okay? I don’t need you to set me up with anyone or try to marry me off. I’m going back to my room to change, then I’ll be back at your wedding with a big smile, ready to help you celebrate and do whatever you want. But honestly? Men suck. So please do me this one favor and throw the bouquet to anyone but me.”

  5

  Even after giving himself the relief he so desperately needed, Nate’s sleep was restless. Partly because he’d had too many beers. Mostly because he kept remembering the way Suzie had felt in his arms, and that made him hard. And being hard led to obsessive thoughts of last night.

  For years he’d dreamed of discovering whether her lips were anywhere near as soft as they looked, and whether she’d taste of cinnamon rolls, which was what her smell had always reminded him of. Now he knew, and the reality had been even better than his dreams. Whenever he closed his eyes he could smell her warm, irresistible scent. He felt again the way her lips had parted for him, the way her tongue had met and danced with his. And he could feel her hard nipples, pushing upwards and demanding attention from his fingers.

  Just before dawn, he gave up on sleep and got out of bed to take care of his software instead of his cock.

  Dalton, the resort owner, had agreed to bring the yacht into the wharf and meet him there at nine. Nate couldn’t start work on integrating his system until he was on board and could see exactly how the yacht’s existing navigation system worked, but there were plenty of tweaks he could make to it in the meantime.

  By Wednesday, he wanted to have the software taking into account the movement of the water, the underlying current, and the force of the waves. While other auto-drive systems could only navigate threats they’d been programmed to recognize, Nate’s software was designed to learn. A nautical environment was totally different from a road, so it would need thorough testing. But he should be able to get it to steer safely around surface objects fairly quickly.

  Nate made himself a coffee and sat on the veranda of his bure with his laptop. From there he could see over the water, a view that the dawn light made even more spectacular. He admired it for a few minutes before jotting down some notes on his software modifications. Then, as promised, he called Tristan back.

  His business partner answered on the first ring. “I still want to sell,” said Tristan. “It’s too good a price not to.”

  “You’ll change your mind. On Wednesday, I’ll live-stream the yacht sailing with our system integrated, navigating obstacles. Then we’ll talk.”

  His business partner blew out a loud breath. “The car manufacturer is waiting to hear back from us. What about if we sold them some kind of licensing deal? I’m not sure they’ll go for it, but if we push hard, maybe—?”

  “Once we hand over control, they’ll get to dictate how the system works in their cars. Remember that terrible interface that ruined our Journeyman software?”

  “It won’t matter what they do to it, because the end product won’t be ours.”

  “But I want to own the first car prototype to drive itself around a track at high speed. A regular car manufacturer will make a boring, safe car. We could make beautiful, sleek machines. Imagine us cracking open the champagne as the first commercial models rev their engines and blow a few eardrums.”

  “You can’t seriously want to build our own cars? That would cost millions. There’s no way we could—”

  “Maybe we could, if I can get our software to plug into a yacht’s navigation system. Imagine if we could sell something basic that sailors could use off the shelf. It shouldn’t be that hard. We could have something in stores within a year, and the sales could fund the rest of the—”

  “A year?” His partner’s
voice rose. “We don’t have the money to last that long. And I don’t want to gamble away millions just because you didn’t like what happened with Journeyman.” Tristan drew in his breath. “Besides, selling products is a whole new set of skills. And reclusive programmers don’t make the best company directors.”

  Nate clenched his jaw. He wasn’t a recluse, just cautious about getting close to anyone, and for good reason. “Speak for yourself. This is exactly the kind of challenge I’ve been waiting for.”

  “Is it because of all those glowing headlines you got? You need to prove they weren’t wrong about you?”

  Nate bit back a sharp retort. Agreeing to a whole lot of media interviews after they’d sold Journeyman had been the best way to raise the profile of their new company. His business partner knew damn well he’d had to grit his teeth every time.

  Maybe it was time for him and Tristan to part ways. Problem was, he didn’t have enough left in his bank account to buy his partner out. Not if the price was half of fifty-five million dollars. Three long years with no income and a team of programmers to pay had eaten up their Journeyman profits.

  “There’s no point talking about it anymore.” Nate’s disappointment came through in his words. “I’m still going ahead with the test on the yacht. In the meantime, think about what you’ll accept for your half of the software, and I’ll figure out a way to get it.”

  “Wait.” Tristan sounded startled. “We’re a team, Nate. You’re not really thinking about doing this on your own? Listen, if the test goes well… I’ll… well, let’s talk about it some more when you know for sure. I still think it’s crazy to turn down that much money, but if you really want to do it all ourselves, I’ll consider it. I don’t want to be the fifth Beatle, or the guy who started Microsoft with Bill Gates, then sold out of the company before it even got going.”

  “The test will work,” Nate promised. And if it did, Tristan wouldn’t be able to say no. Although Nate didn’t like to get close to anyone, he and Tristan had worked together a long time. He’d be happier to stick with their partnership than he wanted to admit.