“Did I wake you? Oh my God, I’m sorry, Nate.”
He immediately recognized Val. “Don’t worry about it. What’s up?”
“I just called to tell you the press conference is all set up and if you need to get home I understand.”
“Do you need help?”
There was a pause and he held his breath. “No. I think I’m okay.” Another pause. “Will you leave tomorrow then?”
“Probably.” He was waiting for her to say something meaningful.
I can’t do this without some sign from her. I can’t put myself out there… I’ll look like an idiot if she doesn’t want the same thing.
She cleared her throat and his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. “You’ve been a tremendous help and there’s absolutely no way I can ever thank you; no way the hospital can ever thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
I don’t want you to thank me.
“Yes, I do, and though words, despite being our chosen medium, are woefully inadequate, I’ll just say you’ll never know how much easier dealing with his crapfest was since I knew you were there to help.”
Apparently she was choosing not to remember the spats they’d had about how to handle the crisis, and that was fine with him. Nate licked his lips, trying to relieve their sudden dryness. “I’m happy I could help. Doug’s always been a good friend to me when I needed one.”
“Anyway, I’ll let you go. I’m sure you’ve got arrangements to make and all that.”
He wasn’t sure what else to say. Never in his life had he been faced with the prospect of losing something he actually cared about. “Okay. You take care of yourself.”
They ended the call and he lay back. That was the single most depressing phone call he’d ever had. With a start, Nate sat up. Even though he wasn’t about to chuck rocks at her balcony—if she’d had one—and declare his love, there was unfinished business between the two of them and he’d be damned if he left things like this.
Within minutes he was in the Porsche and speeding toward her house. She lived outside of Buffalo and as the minutes ticked by he became more and more impatient. By the time he reached her, Nate was tapping his fingers on the wheel and his left leg was bouncing.
Vaulting out of the car, he hurried up her porch steps and rang the doorbell. When she didn’t respond immediately, he started pounding on her door. He hammered away until the door flew open, and there was Val, her hair still wet from a shower, standing there looking so beautiful his breath seized.
He walked into her house without a word and she took a step back.
“Nate?”
He picked her up and carried her over to the couch, placing her down gently and immediately following. He’d intended to talk, to tell her how much he’d enjoyed their time together, but seeing her like this, her skin dewy from her shower, his brain short-circuited.
Plunging his hands into her wet hair, he plundered her mouth, pouring every ounce of feeling into his kiss. She met him parry for parry, her own hands scrabbling for purchase in his much shorter hair. His hand parted her robe and found her wet already. Without finesse he pushed one and then two fingers inside of her and swallowed her surprised gasp. He was like a madman, completely consumed by lust for this incredible woman.
Finally he forced himself to pull away, but only long enough to open the sash of her robe, baring her to his gaze while also making quick work of his pants. Nate rolled on a condom, sending up a quick litany of thanks he’d remembered to bring some, and was back between her legs and pushing inside her warm, wet heat within seconds. Her back arched and a burst of primal male satisfaction overtook him.
Nate hitched her legs up on his shoulders and began to pound into her, hoping like hell he wasn’t hurting her, because he wasn’t sure it was even in his power to slow down. Val held onto his forearms, her mouth open and her eyes squeezed shut.
“Open your eyes. I want to see you when you come.”
She did, her eyes wide and filled with heat as he continued to power into her with long, full strokes. It didn’t take long for either of them to find their climax and, with a shout, he pushed inside as far as he could and let go. He couldn’t catch his breath. Unfortunately he feared for the viability of the condom, given the strength of his release and, with no small amount of regret, pulled out and went to the bathroom to dispose of it. When he returned, Val was sitting up, her robe closed once more, and he wondered if she regretted what had just happened.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted before he could think better of it.
A furrow appeared between her brows, and she said, “It’s okay. It’s not like I was pushing you away.”
“I know, but—” He chewed the inside of his cheek, as he tried to decide how best to put how he was feeling. “I shouldn’t have attacked you like that.”
She indicated he should sit next to her and he sank down, wondering what she would say next. He didn’t have to wait long.
“I want to say something to you. Nate, you could do so much more. You could be so much more.” She looked down for a moment before meeting his gaze once more. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but why are you wasting your talent on people who aren’t worth it when there are so many who are?”
“It’s what I chose. It’s what I’ve always done. It’s what I’m good at.” He shrugged.
“You’d be good at public relations no matter who or what you were doing it for. I just hate to see people who could be making a difference not taking advantage of it. That’s all.”
“Your kind of work is perfect for someone like you,” he argued, rising and pacing to the other side of the room. Turning back, he said, “People like me should stick to what we’re doing.”
Val shook her head. “I have no idea what you mean by ‘people like you’. You’re a good man, Nate.”
“I’m glad you think so. Anyway, I just really came to say good-bye. After we talked I just felt…unsettled.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
“So, um, I’ll be watching to see how everything plays out, and please don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.”
Obviously sensing this was the end, Val rose and went to the door.
I’m a complete jackass. A second little voice said, and a coward.
“Bye, Nate. Drive safely.”
He was out the door and on his way back to his cold, lonely hotel room before he let himself feel anything. When he did, his eyes misted and he had to pull over.
Get a hold of yourself. This is for the best. She’s not for you, and you’re certainly not for her.
With a sigh, he got back on the road. He debated starting out tonight, but it was late, so he went back to the room and spent a fitful night tossing and turning before finally pulling himself out of bed, dumping a bunch of coffee down his throat, and then leaving for the city.
Chapter Seventeen
A week after Nate left, things had finally calmed down some and Val called Stacy to see if she wanted to grab dinner. Between working her ass off to wrap up all the press about the doctor and the unbidden crying jags that wouldn’t quit, Val was working on her last nerve.
As soon as they sat down, Val ordered a drink. One of Stacy’s eyebrows rose, but her friend remained silent. When she ordered a second and their salads hadn’t even arrived, Stacy said, “Rough day?”
Val gave an impatient huff. “Rough day, rough week, rough month…”
“Have you heard from Nate?”
Val’s head snapped up. How had Stacy cut right to the heart of the matter? “Only once when he let me know he was home safely. I assume he’s as busy as I am, trying to catch up with all the things he dropped to come up here.”
“And you haven’t contacted him at all?”
“What would I say?”
“Say anything. Give him an update about work, tell him about the weather, I don’t care. Just say something to get the communication lines open again.”
“W
hat good would that do?”
Stacy rolled her eyes, but when she fixed them on Val again there was sympathy apparent in her gaze. “You like the guy.”
“But he’s not here, and he’ll never be here, so I need to get over it. How will talking to him again help me accomplish that goal?” Val knew she was being argumentative to a friend who was only trying to help, but she’d said all these things to herself and was sick to death of going over and over the same territory.
“He’s not that far away, and there are these things called planes—”
Val cut in automatically with, “Nate’s afraid of flying. He absolutely despises it.”
“So you fly to him.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“What’s not simple about it? Hon, I’ve never seen you like this, and you can’t blame it all on what’s been happening at work. You’re wrecked. I’ve known you for over ten years and can see that right now you’re a basket case.” Val winced and her friend’s expression softened. “I’m sorry to be so blunt, but it needed to be said. Does he know you love him?”
“Love him?”
Now Stacy gave her a “duh” look and Val colored.
“Yes, love him. It’s written all over your face.” Stacy put her warm hands over Val’s cold ones and squeezed. “He deserves to know.”
“What, so he can reject me a second time?”
“He didn’t reject you. As I recall from what you told me just a few minutes ago, you didn’t exactly say you wanted to continue the relationship either.”
That was a fair point, but what was Val supposed to do? Call Nate and profess undying love? “Long distance relationships are hard.”
“Nothing good is ever easy.”
“Who are you? A philosopher or something?” Val snapped.
Stacy gave her a half-smile. “No. I’m someone who wants to see you happy.”
“I am happy.” As she said the words, she knew she was lying, both to herself and to her friend. She’d never been more miserable. “And besides, he’s got this whole glamorous life in New York City. He dates models, for God’s sake.”
“Only because he didn’t know you.”
“Oh yeah, I can compete with models.”
“You don’t have to compete. You just have to tell him how you feel.”
“He doesn’t feel the same way. I’ll be humiliated.”
“Are you sure about that?” Stacy challenged. “How will you know unless you put yourself out there?”
“That’s all I need to do; add a broken heart to my list of problems.”
“Hon, it’s already broken. But if you talk to him maybe you’ll have a chance to fix it.”
“Or maybe he’ll stomp on it even more.”
Stacy’s expression was thoughtful. “Of course there’s that possibility, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“No, but I know you. The Val I know wouldn’t fall in love with a man who didn’t deserve it.”
“He found a way to leave.”
“Yeah, when he no doubt thought things were over. Like you said, it’s scary putting yourself out there. You don’t think guys are afraid too? They’re probably worse than we are!”
“Okay, okay. If you’ll leave me alone I’ll think about it.”
“That’s my girl.”
An image of Nate saying that very thing as he brought her to ecstasy in his office flashed through her mind and her entire body heated.
“Yeah, yeah. I need to go to the restroom.” Val fled the table before Stacy noticed anything amiss, and spent an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom trying to get both her mind and body under control. This was ridiculous. How did one man manage to tie her in knots?
*****
Nate was standing at the window in his office, staring morosely out at the darkening sky, when his cell phone rang. With a sigh he turned back to his desk and snatched it up.
His eyes widened when he saw Val’s name come up on caller ID.
“Val?” He knew he sounded entirely too excited but also knew it was pointless to play it cool.
“Um, no. This is Val’s friend, Stacy.”
Within a microsecond his heart leapt into his throat. “Is she all right? Is she hurt?”
“No, no, she’s fine.”
“Thank God.”
“I, um, I wanted to speak with you.”
When she didn’t say anything else, he replied, “Okay,” in hopes she would say something to calm his galloping heart.
“I’ve been trying to convince Val to come clean to you.”
He leaned on the mahogany of his massive desk, fearing he was about to fall on his ass. “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t say, but I really think you should come back here and talk to her. I tried to get her to go down there, but she’s afraid.” Before he could say anything, she continued. “Anyway, if you care about Val and you think you might want to keep seeing her, you need to get here. If you don’t, well…”
“I do. I do want to see her.”
He could practically see her smile through the phone. “That’s good. Come here and tell her that.”
“Does she know you have her phone and are calling me?”
“No. But I’ve never seen her so unhappy and, being the nosy friend I am, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
“If things go well I’ll buy you dinner.”
“You’ll owe me more than dinner,” Stacy shot back. “But I’ll take just seeing my friend get the happiness she deserves.”
“Don’t tell her you spoke to me.”
Stacy scoffed. “If I did she’d know I stole her phone.”
“Good point.”
“Hope to meet you soon.”
“Likewise.”
As soon as he hung up with Stacy he called Lesli into his office. “Book me on the first available flight to Buffalo.”
“Flight?”
“Yes. I need to get there as soon as possible. Charter a plane if you have to.”
“Charter?”
Nate was already packing up his laptop, but stopped and looked up at his assistant. “Are you going to repeat everything I say?”
That seemed to snap Lesli out of her shocked state. “No. I’ll get right on this.”
“Good. Call me with the details.” Without another word he strode out of the office.
Within minutes he was home and throwing clothes haphazardly into a duffle bag. Lesli called and had gotten him a flight leaving in a little under two hours. It would be a close call from Manhattan, particularly at this time of day, but he booked it out of his high-rise apartment building and told the cab driver he’d double the fare if the man got him to Kennedy in an hour. The cabbie pushed the pedal to the floor and Nate held on.
He made it to Kennedy and through ticketing and security with little time to spare. The aircraft doors closed behind him, and it wasn’t until he was seated that the nervousness took over. Thank God Lesli had managed to get him a first-class seat and he was able to down a couple of shots of Jack Daniels before the plane even left the ground. He white-knuckled through take-off and his eyes were still tightly closed when he felt someone’s presence next to him. Cracking one eye open, he spied the flight attendant, who asked, “Not a good flyer?”
“No.”
“I’ll keep an eye on you.” She winked and he didn’t have the wherewithal to do more than send a weak smile back. “Do you need anything?”
“Something to eat would probably be a good idea since I skipped dinner and I’ve got three shots of JD in me.”
“You got it. Cheese and crackers okay, or do you want a full meal? If you think you might get nauseous I’d go for the cheese and crackers.”
“Cheese and crackers are good. Maybe the crackers first.”
The flight attendant laughed. “You got it. Now relax. The pilot’s done this a time or two before and we’ve got clear skies straight u
p to Buffalo.”
Nate nodded and then closed his eyes again. He concentrated on the fact he’d be seeing Val again very soon and tried not to think about the fact he was in a large metal tube hurling through the atmosphere. The flight attendant brought him a cheese and cracker plate and he nibbled at the crackers, not wanting to show up at Val’s and promptly throw up on her feet. That wouldn’t make a good impression, and he desperately wanted to make a good impression.
He also thought about what he would say. In the past week he’d been thinking of alternate ways to make a living. As Val had said, his talent was being wasted on people who didn’t deserve it. That point had been driven home with a vengeance when he’d gotten back to his own work and been disgusted by the things people wanted him to do. Nate wondered idly if the hospital could use two PR people permanently, but then dismissed the idea, since there was no way he would be able to keep his hands off Val at work. Inevitably they’d get caught, and he’d cut off his left nut before he embarrassed her. Before it hadn’t seemed like that big a deal if someone saw them, but now things were different.
Somebody was smiling down on him from above, because the flight was over mercifully quickly and he shot out of that death trap in the sky like it was a cannon and he was the ball. He found a cab and gave the cabbie Val’s address before finally settling back. That’s when the shaking started. He couldn’t say if it was a latent reaction to flying or his nervousness about seeing Val or a combination of the two, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t stop the fine tremor working its way through his body. By the time they reached Val’s house he was vibrating like a tuning fork.
He got out of the cab and took a deep breath, feeling more than a little nauseous and sure his body’s reaction wasn’t entirely due to the experience of flying. If this was what being in love felt like he wasn’t sure he wanted any part of it. It was too late to not love Val, though. She was it for him. He’d found what he’d never realized he’d been looking for. Before he could wuss out, he rang her doorbell and waited. When she opened the door, surprise registered on her face.
“Nate?”
“I’m in love with you.”
Seducing Chase Page 16