Burn
Page 5
She glanced up to see her smokin’ hot co-worker, who also happened to be her neighbor and very best friend, coming toward her. Grace tapped her pencil on her desk as she watched Mr. Hot Pants himself walk with that easy confidence that drove women wild. Black dress pants hung low on his hips, tightening over hewn thighs with each sexy swagger. His button-down shirt rasped across broad shoulders, showcasing a firm body that had the opposite sex shedding their panties in record time.
Nathan Wright. Nate. Chick bait. Chick bait who knows how to date. Yeah, this was the kind of thing she did when she had writer’s block.
Regardless, unlike her, Nate most definitely did know how to date. He also knew how to fall in love, which—if the gossip around the water cooler could be believed, not to mention the noises she heard between their paper thin apartment walls—he was known to do every other weekend. Of course, none of those relationships ever lasted very long, but at least he knew how to fall in love and was clearly having great sex. The perma-smile on his handsome face was a true testament to that. Damned if she didn’t want to be having hot, break-the-headboard sex, too. The last guy she climbed into bed with went down on her like he was munching on one of Albert’s famous prime rib roasts. Cripes, she was about to ask if he needed a knife and fork.
“Hey Gracie,” Nate said, as he approached.
She warmed at the lazy yet sexy way her name rolled off his tongue. Gracie… She’d always gone by Grace, but for some reason, he was the only guy she ever let get away with cutsey-fying it. Yeah, okay, so she wasn’t immune to his charm, either. But they were friends and had been working across the hall from one another at the Gazette since they both graduated university and moved to Deerfield a little over a year ago. For Nate, the oldest of four boys, the small town was home, and his folks still lived in a quaint bungalow the brothers had all grown up in. For Grace, the mountain town was hundreds of miles away from the east coast suburb where she’d grown up, a place she called home, even though it lacked the warmth, comfort, and loving parents most associated with a home.
Nate, on the other hand, had grown up with everything she’d ever wanted, and she often joined him and his family when they all gathered for their big Sunday dinner. They welcomed her with open arms and treated her like she was one of their own. Grace was an only child, and while she loved the camaraderie, teasing jibes, and friendly rivalry among siblings, it also made her long for what he had all that much more. If she ever found herself walking down the aisle—and with the way things were going, she didn’t see that happening anytime soon—she’d want it to be with a guy who had what Nate had, so she could have one big crazy-ass family of her own.
Grace and Nate hung out often, but he had never looked at her as anything more than a friend. Then again, there were times he joked about taking her out, but she knew he was teasing. They were good friends, completely at ease with each other, and when they both ended up dateless on a Friday night, as they often did, they usually ended up eating pizza and watching scary movies together. Even though he was more of an action-packed, blow-things-up kind of guy, he always let her have her pick of shows. Probably because he loved watching her get scared so he could tease her. Regardless, she loved horror movies, and he always let her snuggle in to him when something really frightened her.
Now that she thought about it, they’d been hanging out together a lot more often lately—no doubt because she was on a dry spell, and he felt sorry for her. She’d even considered taking him up on his offer to take her out, but didn’t want to make things uncomfortable between them, forcing him to spend time with her on an actual date when he wasn’t serious. Whenever he asked, she always came back with some smart-assed comment to keep things between them light and easy. Besides, with a little too much junk in her trunk and wiggle in her thighs, she was about as far from his type as a girl could get, which was, she surmised, why he’d never paid her a lick of attention sexually.
Damn. She really wished she hadn’t just thought of licking and Nate in the same sentence.
He plunked himself down on the edge of her desk and handed her a much needed mug of coffee.
“Thanks,” she said and wrapped her cold hands around the warm mug. She took a sip and released a happy sigh. French vanilla latté with whipped cream, her favorite, and bless Nate for knowing that. Nothing in the world tasted better. Seriously. She flicked her tongue out and licked the cream, and while all that sugary sweetness wasn’t helping that thigh situation she’d just lamented over, right now, she didn’t care. She had more important things to worry about, like her job.
“You looked like you needed a cup,” he said, scrubbing his hand over the sexy scruff on his chin.
She peeked at him over the rim. “What gave it away, the curses rolling down the hall or the pile of crumbled up paper in the trash?”
He leaned close and she caught his scent. Damn the man smelled good—like clean soap, fresh laundry, and something uniquely Nate. The combination of the three brought heat to her face, among other parts of her body.
Needy parts that Nate could sate.
She took another huge drink of her coffee to smother a moan but only ended up burning her damn tongue. But a blister was better than Nate knowing how he truly affected her. Nate thought of her as his asexual friend only, and she didn’t want to ruin what they had or cause tension in their relationship by making her interests obvious.
His brow furrowed as those clear blue eyes moved over her face. “You okay?” he asked.
“Just bummed at what Audrey said at the meeting this morning about next week’s comic having to be about Kate falling in love.” She gave him an exasperated look. “I have no idea what love looks like, so I sure as hell can’t draw it.”
If only she could do next week’s strip on lust. Yeah, she definitely knew what lust was, considering it was sitting right next to her and staring her in the face. She could whip out a three-page-spread on lust. But best to keep that tidbit to herself, so she shut her mouth and quietly admired Mr. Hot Pants from her chair instead.
He went quiet for a moment, thoughtful, the familiar sexy grin on his gorgeous mouth gone. “I could show you what love looks like,” he said softly.
She dropped her paper and was about to burst out laughing when she caught the seriousness in his eyes. Oh, God. Serious Nate was ten times sexier! Confused, she set her coffee down and held her hands out at her sides. “How can you possibly teach me anything about love or what it looks like?”
He glanced at the scribbling she’d jotted down moments ago and made a face that suggested she was in a whole lot of trouble. He lifted it from her desk, took a closer look, then shook his head.
“Well, if you think some guy handing a girl half a box of candy and dead flowers on Valentine’s is what love looks like, you need more help than I thought.”
She snatched the sheet from him and wadded it up into a tight ball. Honestly, how could she know what love looked like? Her mind went back to her upbringing. Her father had left when she was only two, and her mother had been alone ever since, burying herself in her job and paying little attention to the girl that needed her love, affection, and guidance so badly. For as long as Grace could remember, she had done everything on her own and had always taken care of herself. Cripes, no wonder she was so jaded. Without a good role model or personal experiences of love to draw on, she honestly had no idea how to recognize it when she saw it.
“Jesus Nate, you don’t have to be so…so honest.” She drew back her arm and lobbed the wad of paper toward the trash, the force behind the toss knocking several more out of the can.
He laughed and gave an easy roll of one shoulder. “Sorry,” he said. “But I call it as I see it.”
“Well, the way I see it, I’m going to be out of a job if I don’t figure this out soon.”
“Which means you should take me up on my offer and put yourself in my hands, because you obviously need me more than you realize.”
Oh, I realize just how much I need y
ou, thank you very much. As far as putting myself in your hands, well…
She pushed back in her chair and folded her arms, ready to hear him out, purely out of curiosity. Right, a little voice in the back of her head taunted. “So tell me exactly how you plan to teach me about love.”
His sexy grin returned, and she crossed her legs to stop herself from handing him her panties.
“Why don’t you leave that up to me,” he said.
She arched a brow. “I want to know what you have in mind, Nate.”
Naked Nate. Naked Nate on a plate.
Good God, she really needed to grow up or get laid. Or fall in love.
“You give me one week, and I’ll teach you all about love,” he paused and pointed at her comic strip. “So your Kate will know it when she sees it.”
“You know Kate’s not real, right?” she said. Then again, who was she kidding? Nate, of all people, likely knew the character in her strip was based on her pathetic love life. And Kate just happened to be her middle name.
His eyes bored into hers, then crinkled at the corners. “Yeah, whatever you say, Gracie. Now do you want my help or not?”
She gave him a skeptical look, wondering how he could possibly help her. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” He paused and angled his head, his gaze moving over her face. “You do trust me, right?”
“Of course,” she answered without hesitation. Nate was the one man—the only man—she’d ever trusted.
“Okay, then. Leave it up to me. You know I’ll take good care of you.”
She nodded, and even though she had no idea what he was up to, if she wanted to learn about love and keep her job, she had no choice but to put herself in his hands.
And let him take care of her, with his hands. And maybe even his tongue.
Oh, God.
He leaned in, so close she could feel his breath against her ear, and whispered, “We’ll start tonight. I’ll message you the details.”
As a fine shiver moved through her, she couldn’t help but consider what she was getting herself into, and more importantly, if it involved Nate getting naked.
About Cathryn Fox
New York Times and USA today Bestselling author, Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
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Also by Cathryn Fox
Hands On Serial
Hands On
Body Contact
Full Exposure
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Sun Stroked
Seaside Seduction
Dark Desires
Private Pleasure
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Stone Cliff Series:
Crashing Down
Wasted Summer
Love Lessons
Wrapped Up
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Captured and Claimed Series:
Yours to Take
Yours to Teach
Yours to Keep
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Firefighter Heat Series
Fever
Siren
Flash Fire
Burn
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Playing For Keeps Series
Slow Ride
Wild Ride
Sweet Ride
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In the Line of Duty:
His Obsession Next Door
His Trouble in Tallulah
His Strings to Pull
His Taste of Temptation
His Moment to Steal
His Best Friend’s Girl
His Reason to Stay
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Breaking the Rules:
Hold Me Down Hard
Pin Me Up Proper
Tie Me Down Tight
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Stand Alone Title:
Learning Curves
Hands on with the CEO
Torn Between Two Brothers
Holiday Spirit
Unleashed
Knocking on Demon’s Door
Web of Desire