Protect Me

by Lacey Black

  “It’s Ave,” he says as he takes the call.

  “What’s up?” he asks and locks those intense blue-gray eyes on mine. “She’s right here. Hold on,” he adds and extends his hand across the table to hand me the phone. “Avery wants to talk to you.”

  “Hello?”

  “I’m so sorry to bother you guys, but you weren’t answering your phone,” Avery says.

  “Sorry, I probably left it on vibrate since work. I always forget to turn it back on,” I reply.

  “Well, the girls and I are all going to get manicures and pedicures on Friday afternoon for the gala on Saturday. Sandra is coming in to finish my shift and close up the bakery. Want to come with us for some girly spa treatments?”

  “I can do that,” I say. Nate looks at me and nods towards the restrooms. I give him a smile as he slides out of his chair and heads towards the men’s room.

  “Great. As your boss, I was going to order you to do it anyway,” she adds with a laugh.

  “Well, I don’t want to upset my boss,” I say, smiling back at her through the phone.

  “Oh, and we’re making a stop at the mall, too. It’s sort of a tradition for us girls to go buy sexy new underwear anytime we can,” Avery says in a hushed tone.

  “I’m in,” I say with a smile, finding it hard to conceal my excitement at Nate discovering a little surprise later on Saturday night.

  “Okay, well, we are meeting at the bakery at two. Everyone is going to park in the back and hop into the new Tahoe,” Avery says. Maddox bought Avery a new Tahoe last week. Between her constant moving around big boxes of baked goods and their growing brood of children, they needed more room. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t find out about a pending arrival of a new Jackson in the near future.

  If I’m still around for that announcement, that is.

  “Sounds great,” I reply.

  “How’s the restaurant? Nate took you to The Fisherman’s Wharf, right?

  “Yep, and so far so good. Although, I want to throat punch the hostess for hitting on Nate,” I say with a chuckle.

  “Oh my gosh, is that girl still there? The same thing happened to Maddox and me on our first date! She was openly flirting with him like I wasn’t even there.”

  “Well, I’m guessing it’s the same girl,” I reply.

  “Don’t take her crap, Lia. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” Avery says.

  After quick goodbyes, I hang up the phone and set it on the table. Just as I release my hand, though, it starts ringing again. I don’t even glance down at the screen as I answer.

  “What did you forget?” I say with a chuckle.

  “Excuse me?” I hear on the other end of the line. Nope, definitely not Avery. While still a woman, this voice is deeper and huskier in that I-just-woke-up kind of way.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else,” I respond.

  “Is Nate there?” the woman asks.

  “Not at this moment. Can I take a message?” I ask, wondering who this woman is to Nate. My gut tightens with an emotion I’m not too familiar with, yet find myself feeling more and more where Nate is concerned. Jealousy.

  “Yes, please tell him that Vicki called. I will see him at the gala on Saturday,” she says.

  “I’ll give him the message,” I reply. Nate is meeting someone else at the gala?

  “Thank you,” she purrs before hanging up.

  I’m just setting the phone back down on the table when Nate returns to our table. “What did she want?” Nate asks.

  “Which one?” I reply, trying to keep my jealousy in check.

  Nate’s eyebrow shoots to his hairline as he says, “Who else did you talk to?”

  “Vicki,” I say as I look down, taking a big - very big - pull from my margarita.

  “Vicki? She called?”

  “Yeah, sorry about answering it. I thought it was Avery calling back because she forgot something,” I respond, wiping my suddenly sweaty hands on my dress.

  “What did Vicki want?”

  “She said to tell you that she’ll see you at the gala.”

  Nate reaches forward, extending his hand across the table for mine. I hesitate, but only briefly. I place my hand in his.

  “It’s okay, Nate. You don’t have to explain anything. We aren’t exclusive or anything. Hell, we really aren’t dating,” I say, trying to will my voice to be more casual than I know it is.

  “First off,” Nate starts, “we are dating, and we are exclusive. I’m not dating anyone else, Lia. Ever since you slammed that pan upside my noggin, I have no desire to date anyone else. There’s no room in my life for anyone else because you consume my thoughts, day and night. And second, I haven’t seen or talked to Vicki in over a month. She was a friend I hung out with on occasion,” Nate says.

  “A friend you slept with from time to time?” I ask with a knowing smile. Let’s face it: Nate is hot. Any woman in Rivers Edge, St. Charles, and, well, the entire Midwest can see that. Case in point: the slutty hostess.

  “Yeah,” Nate says and holds firmly onto my hand like he’s afraid I’m going to pull away and fly out of the restaurant.

  “It’s okay, Nate. You don’t have to explain anything to me,” I tell him. And it’s true. Whoever Nate slept with in the past isn’t really any of my business. I know that Nate wasn’t a virgin when I met him. Hell, the man has moves that are legendary. However, it still doesn’t settle that uneasy fluttering in my chest.

  “Yes, I do. I haven’t really told you too much about my past, Lia. I want you to know everything. I have nothing to hide from you,” Nate says.

  Nate takes a big drink from his beer bottle before he begins. “When I was in high school, I fell hard for a girl named Jill. She was my first everything. I was completely shocked that she even liked me, let alone loved me. When we graduated high school, I thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I was heading off to the fire academy within a few weeks, and I knew that I wanted her waiting for me when I returned, even though she was heading off to college. I proposed to her and she said no,” Nate says.

  My heart is beating at an unhealthy level and my breathing is coming out in quick pants. How could anyone tell Nate Stevens no? He’s the kind of man any woman would love to marry. Smart. Funny. Loyal. Sexy as sin.

  “She told me no because she was afraid I would make her a widow because of my job. She also wanted to go out and live life, not be saddled down at eighteen and expected to start popping out kids.”

  Nate’s hands have a slight tremor in them as he tells me about Jill. His eyes are dark and stormy as he continues. “So, I decided right then and there that I would never put a woman in that position. My job could take me on any given day, and it’s not fair to her to sit back and deal with the aftermath. If I don’t get married, then there’s no chance of her getting hurt. That’s why I’ve dated casually, but not seriously. I can’t take that chance.”

  I sit there, absorbing everything he’s confessed to me. I knew that Nate didn’t intend to marry, but I didn’t realize the extent of his hurt. Fourteen? Fifteen years? That’s a long time to hold on to hurt and pain of a lost love.

  “Nate, there are dangerous jobs everywhere. You could be driving to the grocery store or crossing the street and be involved in an accident. Yes, your job is dangerous, but you save lives. That’s what you do. It’s who you are. The right woman won’t care about your job or the fact that you may not come home one night. The right woman will only care about the fact that she had you at all; for whatever amount of time that would be. The right woman would want to be with you for however long you both have together because she loves you so much, she can’t imagine not having you in her life. The pain of losing you would be more bearable than the lifetime of regret. The right woman will be worth the risk.”

  A woman like me, my brain practically screams at me.

  Nate stares deeply into my eyes. I’m lost in the sea of color and intense feelings that are swirling around
within them. It’s at this exact moment that I want to tell him that I’m that woman. That I love him for who he is and that I would be honored to have him for a day, a year, or a lifetime. I’d take whatever amount of time I was given.

  But, I know that our time is limited.

  “What if I already found her?” Nate asks in a soft, yet husky voice. My insides practically explode with joy and sadness.

  How do you answer that when you know you will eventually leave? How do you tell the man you love that you, in fact, do love him but you can’t stay? How do you tell the man that you see spending the rest of your life with that you’re going to break his heart, just like the woman before you did?

  Our food arrives at that exact moment which saves me from having to answer. I’m not sure I could get the words out anyway. Nate and I both silently dig into our food. I’m devouring my steak and butterfly shrimp like I haven’t eaten in a week. In all honesty, I know that as long as I have food in my mouth, there’s a better chance I won’t say something stupid.

  Nate continues to watch me over his fork as he eats his dinner. His steak is medium and juicy. Mine is more medium-well since I don’t like to look down and see blood on my plate. Nate chose the honey-glazed shrimp while I chose battered and fried. Without even saying a word, we both exchange a few of the shrimp on each other’s plates. We just click like that.

  “So, do you have your dress ready for Saturday?” Nate asks, steering conversation back towards a safer topic. The gala.

  “Yeah, your mom helped me steam it so it’s ready to go. I’m lucky that Holly is so close to my size. Otherwise, I’m not sure what I would have worn,” I reply as I take a bite of Nate’s shrimp.

  “You could wear a burlap sack and still be the most beautiful woman at the party,” he tells me with bright, sparkling eyes. I prefer this look on Nate. He looks happier now, the previous conversation pushed out of his mind.

  “Well, I don’t know about that. I do know that I will have an actual gown for this gala. I think it’s the gown that Holly wore last month to some award show in Los Angeles with Jase.”

  “The red one?” Nate asks with that cocky smile.

  “Yes,” I say with a surprised look. “How do you know?”

  “Avery was showing all sorts of pictures of them the following week. If memory serves correctly, that dress is low cut and strapless, and it has a slit. A very, very high slit up the side,” Nate says in a husky whisper, leaning forward over the table. The look in his eyes is now predatory. Primal.

  I lean forward, mimicking his movement. “It does.”

  “I just got hard,” he deadpans.

  I laugh loudly and shake my head at him. “Well, I guess you’ll have something to think about for the next three days,” I reply and sit back up straight.

  “Oh, I’m already stripping that dress off of you and bending you over this table, in my mind,” he says without missing a beat and digs back into his steak.

  The rest of the meal is pleasant and the conversation flows enjoyably as we keep the topics away from our pasts. Nate pays the check and places his big, warm hand on my lower back as he steers me toward the door. The hostess is standing nearby, smiling at Nate. Nate pays no attention to her as he pulls me closer to his side and runs his big hand down my ass. We pass the stand without even a second glance her way. She huffs a big breath as we walk by, Nate’s hand clearly marking his territory.

  Point for me.

  It doesn’t take us too long to get to the other side of St. Charles and find the mall. We head inside and walk straight toward the men’s store. The windows are filled with mannequins wearing stylish suits and handsome tuxedos. The man at the counter greets us pleasantly with a smile.

  “Can I help you?” he says with a slight accent. I’m horrible at them, but I think it’s Australian. Or British? Hell, I have no clue. He could be from Canada for all I know.

  “Nate Stevens. I have a tux to pick up.”

  “Ah, yes. I received a phone call a bit ago from a gentleman named Will. He said you’re supposed to pick his up as well,” the man says before heading into the back of the store.

  “Of course. Leave it to Will to leave himself no time get his tux. I’ll probably have to pay for it, too,” Nate says as he shakes his head.

  “You’re a great brother,” I tell Nate as I wrap my arms around his waist.

  “I’d rather be known as great in bed,” he says with that cocky smile.

  “Well, you’re not bad,” I tease.

  “Not bad, huh?” Nate asks with mock hurt on his face. “I bet you by the end of the night, you will be singing a different tune. I bet I can give you no less than three orgasms,” he says huskily. The dirty gleam in his eyes shining brightly.

  “Three? Awfully full of yourself, aren’t you?” I tease.

  “Three is nothing. I bet you have your first before we even leave St. Charles,” he whispers as the salesman comes back to the front carrying two garment bags.

  “This one is yours, sir. The changing room is right through that curtain. Have your brother try his on as soon as possible so that we can get it fixed if something doesn’t fit right.”

  “Done,” Nate says as he walks towards the changing room.

  I stand on the outside of the curtain, patiently waiting for Nate to try it on. The salesman remains up at the front of the store, arranging dress shirts and ties in a meticulous way that boarders on a little OCD.

  “Lia, can you help me with this?” Nate asks from behind the curtain.

  “Sure,” I reply as I slip behind the curtain.

  Nate is standing there, fully dressed. “What do you need help with?” I ask, not seeing what’s wrong with the tux. In fact it looks perfect. Ravishing.

  “This,” he says as he tugs me against his body.

  His lips are pressed firmly to mine, licking the seam of my lips. I can’t control the moan that erupts from my mouth, Nate absorbs it with his own. Nate spins me around and gently presses me forward slightly.

  “Put your hands on the wall,” he commands quietly, his voice filled with need.

  I do as instructed, leaning forward just a little. Nate places his hands on the back of my thighs and slowly slides them upward towards my ass. His big, strong hands kneed the globes of my bare ass before making their way to my wet front.

  “Nice choice of underwear,” Nate says, referring to my lace trimmed thong. “We’re going to make this quick and you definitely need to be as quiet as possible.”

  Nate wraps his big body around my back, running one hand over my throbbing core. He slides the panties to the side and begins his assault. His fingers are firm and as he concentrates on the place I need him the most.

  “God, you’re so fucking wet,” he whispers against my ear. His tongue running up and down the column of my neck as he places open-mouthed kisses in the path.

  One finger slips inside of me, quickly followed by a second. My legs quiver and shake. Nate’s strong arms pull me tightly against him; his shorts-covered erection pressed firmly against my bare behind. My dress is up around my hips as his fingers continue their quest for pleasure. I grind back against him as he pushes me towards the orgasm I know is within reach.

  “Fuck, I love the little noises you make while I do this. I love the way you feel pressed against my body. I fucking love the way you feel on the inside,” Nate all but growls in my ear. “Come for me, baby,” he adds as he flicks his thumb over my pulsing nub.

  I come. Hard. I come so hard I have to bite down on my lip to keep from screaming out in ecstasy. I wither against Nate’s body as I slowly float back down to earth. My legs weaken as he slowly runs his fingers inside of me one last time. He slowly pulls his fingers out and rubs around on the outside without letting go of me.

  “Sir, do you need any assistance?” the salesman asks from outside the curtain.

  I tense against Nate’s body as Nate replies, “No, I think I’ve managed just fine.”

  I look up and realize
I’m staring directly at Nate and myself. I didn’t even notice the mirror when I came in here. I was so focused on how amazing Nate looked in his tux that I didn’t even realize I was being fingered against a mirror.

  I make quick work at righting my thong and dress. My face is flush and my breathing is labored. The look on Nate’s face is fierce. Primal.

  “Watching you come in that mirror was the best fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispers before placing a hard kiss against my lips.

  He pulls back, adjusting his hard-on in his tux pants, and gives me that famous smile. “I might have to install mirrors above my bed,” he says. “You better go back out before you get us in trouble,” he adds with a slap on my ass.

  I yelp and give him a shocked look as I open the curtain and step outside. The salesman is standing there with an unpleasant, knowing look on his face.

  Busted.

  “He’ll be out in just a minute,” I mumble and walk towards the front of the store.

  A few minutes later, Nate steps out wearing his street clothes, tuxedo stuffed back inside the garment bag, and wearing the world’s biggest grin on his face.

  “I take it everything worked out for you, sir,” I overhear the salesman say to Nate.

  “Everything was perfect,” Nate replies.

  After Nate takes care of paying for the tuxedos at the counter, we head back out to the Mustang.

  “Where to?” he asks as he holds open the door for me.

  “How about the creek?” I reply, sliding into the hot, sticky car.

  “A woman after my own heart,” he agrees with a smile.

  Nate walks around the front of the car - yes, I’m checking out his ass as he goes - and slides into the Mustang. He fires up the horses and pulls out of the parking spot. We’re heading down the road, back towards Rivers Edge, before I know it. Our fingers are linked as we chat the entire way. I’ve never felt comfortable with casual talking. When I was with Garrett, I was afraid to talk. His friends and colleagues always accused me of being snobby. The truth was I was afraid of what might happen if I said the wrong thing so I played the shy card and plastered on a fake smile. Smiled big for the crowd and the cameras. Hid the pain.