A few minutes later Nate pulled into Mary’s driveway and parked. He stared at her house, and when a curtain moved in her front living room window he knew he’d been spotted. There wasn’t any turning around now. He knew she’d felt rejected when he told her he needed to go to his parents’. If he’d been thinking straight he would have suggested coming over after he had dinner with them. Inviting her to his parents’ house would have been too awkward. It wasn’t as if his parents didn’t know Mary really well. She grew up across the street and their parents had been good friends. But explaining why he’d brought her home with him when he didn’t quite understand what he was doing here now would have been too painful. Especially when his mother probably would have figured out the truth of the matter before Nate did.
Mary dropped the curtain and turned her back to the window, tapping her fingers against her lips as her heart began pounding painfully. She would have a panic attack if she didn’t get a grip, and Nate would be at her front door any minute.
She’d already changed into her long nightshirt, ready for an evening-long pity party and possibly a hot bath. Once her nerves calmed she planned on making herself a nice meal. It was imperative she not give up or start reading Nate’s refusal as meaning anything other than what he’d said. He was going to his parents’ for dinner.
But now he was here. Maybe if she’d hung around longer instead of peeling out of there Nate might have said he only planned on being over at his folks’ for a bit. She’d humiliated herself, twice.
“Don’t do it a third time.” Mary bounded for her stairs, needing to change clothes before he came to the door.
She was halfway up the flight when there was a firm knock on her door.
“Crap,” she said, skidding to a stop and looking over her shoulder at her front door.
There was nothing to do. He had shown up unexpectedly and was going to catch her looking anything other than her best.
Mary retraced her steps, reminding herself how she managed to keep her cool when victims calling in at the station were hysterical, hurt, or terrified. She had training. More than once she’d witnessed a crime that tore at her heart. Over the years she’d learned to wear her mask, keep her emotions under wrap, and maintain a clear head. If she didn’t do that now she might risk her best opportunity to show Nate how they belonged together.
“Do this for your heart,” she whispered when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
Mary sucked in a deep breath, ordered herself to relax and be cool, then unlocked her front door and opened it. “Change your mind?” she asked, breathing in the moisture in the air as a steady rain fell behind Nate.
His hair was wet and, although short, still managed to form small curls around his face. His clothes clung to him like a second skin, showing off enough bulging muscle for Mary to forget all orders to be cool. It was damn near all she could do not to gawk at the strong, dark, incredibly sexy man standing in her doorway.
“I wanted to apologize.” Nate entered her home without invitation, forcing her to step to the side as he moved past her and into the middle of her living room. “I know I hurt your feelings and it took courage to extend your invitation.”
“Not really.” She was proud of how cool she sounded as she closed and locked her front door. The lock clicked and the thought that she’d just secured the two of them in her home sent a rush of confidence, along with something a lot needier, coursing through her body. “Two people don’t kiss each other the way we do without something stronger brewing between them.”
When he faced her, those dark eyes of his smoldered. He took his time letting his attention drag down her body, taking in every inch of her, and leaving sparks igniting her flesh until she sizzled with raw, damn-near-uncontrollable need.
“Were you headed to bed?”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t as if I had a backup plan when you declined my offer.” She walked past him into her kitchen, knowing he’d follow, which he did. “I figured I’d make supper and take a hot bath before bed.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No,” she said before she had time to think about it. It was the truth, though. Now that he was here, if he walked back out she wouldn’t be able to approach him again. “I want you to stay,” she said firmly.
Nate dragged his fingers through his short, wet hair, making it stand on end. He moved in on her slowly, his raw confidence a powerful mix with the turmoil burning in his eyes. It amazed her how well she read him. When he stopped, close enough their bodies almost touched, the fire burning inside her exploded as need surged inside her. Standing this close and not touching was worse than not having him here. Mary needed him inside her now, immediately, before she attacked him from cravings that had built over the years and ate her alive.
“What am I doing here?” His voice was raspy, rough, and tortured her as much as his nearness did.
“I think you know.” She leaned her head back and drowned in his milk chocolate eyes.
Nate touched her face and her eyes fluttered shut. His fingertips raked over her skin, igniting charges of electricity that zapped her repeatedly as he moved his hands until he cupped her head.
“Look at me.”
She opened her eyes.
“What do you want, Mary?”
“You.” It was all she’d ever wanted. There was her work, this home, normal goals everyone worked toward. She’d accomplished those. But none of them had filled the gap inside her. And nothing would, until she secured her childhood love.
He searched her face for only a moment before lowering his mouth over hers.
4
Nate had stared into Mary’s eyes so many times throughout his life. That didn’t explain why suddenly he felt he was coming home. Her open submission, the way she looked up at him, her eyes glowing with passion and desire, drew him to her as if she were a magnet. A part of his mind argued this was Mary, the girl who had followed him around growing up, determined to do anything he did. Another part of him pointed all of this out but also reminded him how he had always looked out for her, made sure no one hurt her, that she didn’t hurt herself. He’d protected her all his life. Why wouldn’t they eventually come together?
He pressed his lips against hers, hardening to stone when she opened for him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Mary leaned against him, letting him feel her body heat, how her heart pattered in her chest, and her full, round breasts with nipples hard enough to make his flesh tingle where they poked him.
The T-shirt she wore was a simple oversized shirt that fell to her thighs. It was a community service shirt, one they’d given out over a year ago to volunteers who assisted with cleaning up their city parks. He had one just like it. Obviously Mary’s was a few sizes too large for her. Had she asked for that size on purpose, knowing she would use it to sleep in? It looked hot as hell on her.
Nate ran his hands down her back to her ass and found skin. When she groaned he fought for control. If she wanted this, he sure as hell wanted to give it to her. But if he did, it wouldn’t be a one-night deal.
“I want to fuck you,” he growled into her mouth.
She either laughed or choked. His eyes blurred when he raised his head to see her face. Violet eyes glistened under her hooded gaze. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips parted and moist.
“It’s about time,” she whispered.
“Oh yeah?” He needed her in a bed before he took her right here in the kitchen. She definitely giggled when he scooped her into his arms and headed toward her stairs. “Where’s your bedroom?” he demanded, deciding he would understand what she meant by her comment later. Right now any discussion would be mute with the intense ringing in his ears and his body so hard and rigid it was all he could do to climb stairs.
“First door on the left.”
Mary was surprisingly light considering how toned and firm her body was. He’d expected more muscle on her but reminded himself she spent most of her time answering phones. He knew she’d
been required to undergo the same training all police officers go through during training. She might not be on the streets, but Mary’s role was important. Anyone in town knew if they needed the police Mary would answer the phone, and although the mayor’s daughter handled the night shift, no one reacted to her the way they did to Mary. She had a confident, relaxed tone that aided anyone in a crisis situation.
That wasn’t the only part of her nature that really appealed to Nate. Her confidence didn’t make her cocky or overbearing. There was her beauty, her body that drove him mad with desire, but what was inside her added to that physical beauty. Suddenly Nate understood Mary’s comment about it being about time.
She’d been by his side for years, right there next to him. He remembered watching any boy like a hawk who asked her out. Nate always knew when she came home from a date. Any girl he’d taken out in high school would put out or get out of his car. He’d been an asshole about that. Which was why he’d never considered asking Mary out. Just the thought of anyone touching her the way he craved touching girls back then would make him mad with rage. He’d been too young to understand why during high school.
After school both of them had jumped into their careers, making the best of themselves. Nate went out with ladies from time to time. Now that he thought about it, he’d always compared them to Mary. Why hadn’t he seen that before?
He’d been in love with her for years.
Crap!
Was she in love with him, too?
“This isn’t a one-night deal.” He laid her on her bed and straightened, stripping out of his clothes as he watched her face for her reaction.
When the corner of her mouth curved into a grin, his heart swelled until he was barely able to breathe.
“Nate,” she began, coming up to her knees.
“Not now.” He dropped his shirt to her floor, then kicked off his boots. “Later. When we can actually think straight.”
Mary smiled as if he’d read her mind. Her eyes glowed in her dimly lit room and her shirt hung over her breasts, creasing and draping those wonderfully curved mounds. Her legs were slim and her thighs curved into hips he couldn’t wait to grip as he drove deep inside her.
“What do you mean about this not being a one-night deal?” she asked when he was naked. Apparently she wasn’t going to wait until his head was clear.
Nate didn’t answer at first but instead took her shirt and pulled it over her head. He sucked in a hard, fast breath, ignoring her when her attention shot to his face. There couldn’t possibly be any way she was insecure about her body or concerned he wouldn’t love what he saw. Easing her down next to him, he began running kisses along the side of her neck. She smelled like fresh strawberries and tasted sweet and warm.
“How long have you wanted this?” he asked instead of answering. He found her pulse beating rapidly at the base of her neck and pressed his lips against the steady throbbing.
“A while,” she whispered, her voice rough with need.
Nate lifted himself onto one arm, staring down at the sly grin on her face. She looked at him, showing him clearly with her expression that she didn’t intend to clarify.
“A while, huh?” he asked, lowering his head and brushing her lips with his. “A day, a week, a month, all your life?” he whispered into her mouth.
“Does it matter?” she whispered back at him, her lashes fluttering until she decided to close her eyes and stretch like a cat against him. “Will it make any difference in how we proceed from here?”
“I’ve been a fool, Mary.” He dragged his fingers from her belly button up her middle, watching her jerk under his touch as her breath caught. Her eyes flew open and she stared up at him, her mouth forming a small circle. “You’ve always been right here. Where the hell was I?”
“You’ve always been right here, too.” She reached for him, taking his arm and pulling him on top of her.
Their bodies pressed together, flesh against flesh. As he began exploring, letting his hands move over skin softer than silk, his need to understand the intensity of his feelings and the emotions he read off Mary wouldn’t leave him alone. The need to have her wrapped around him, her heat suffocating him as he worked to make up for lost time, possessed his body.
Mary explored every inch of Nate, running her fingers over bulging muscle and feeling it twitch under her touch. Everything about him was perfect, not that she didn’t already know that. But there were things she didn’t know about Nate, although she was learning quickly.
His cock stretched between them, pulsing against her thigh. It was long, thick, and incredibly hard. Her pussy swelled, moistened, anticipation creating pressure inside her she could barely sustain. She ached for that first release more than she did for her next breath. Apparently Nate seemed intent on prolonging her agony.
“Why didn’t you ask me to do this sooner?” His eyes were so dark as he watched his fingers toy with her nipples. Charges of electrified cravings bolted down her insides every time he pinched or twisted the puckered flesh.
“I didn’t know it was my job to point out the obvious.” Mary gasped when he pinched a bit harder than he had before. Every inch of her jerked, then melted when he covered the tortured nipple with his scalding mouth and soothed it deliciously with moist, wet heat and his skilled tongue.
“It might be in certain areas from this point forward,” he said, moving from one breast to the other.
From this point forward? And he’d been rather insistent about this not being a one-night thing. Did he think they would start dating? Had it really been that simple to snag Nate?
Mary barely managed the simple act of breathing as he fondled, kissed, stroked, and tugged her breasts. Her insides were swollen with turmoil and need, a crashing mixture if they both exploded at the same time. Nate went from barely giving her the time of day to staring at her as if she were his world. She’d never considered herself insensible. Fantasies had their place, but living in the real world proved a lot healthier. There was less disappointment that way. Nate was saying all the right things, treating her better than she ever imagined.
Maybe it was because imagining being with him hadn’t been fantasies but simply a peek into how her life would become.
“I will guide you if you want me to,” she whispered, and ran her fingertips over his soft, short hair.
Nate looked up at her, moving over her body as he did. “I don’t have a problem with that, but I will always protect you.”
Nate slid off her before she could stop him, and she tried. Mary grasped at air for her efforts. “Nate, what?” she began.
“Lie down,” he instructed.
Mary watched him fish through his pant pocket. When he produced a small foil package, then crawled over her, Mary lay back on her bed and stretched her legs until they were around him.
“I’ve always protected you, Mary.”
Before she could respond, his mouth found hers. Nate made love to her with his tongue as he moved over her, sheathed his cock, then positioned himself so his cock danced with excitement at the entrance of her pussy. She brought her legs up, stroking his sides as she arched off the bed and eagerly tried bringing her pussy closer to his cock. The tip of him was right there, stroking her entrance. Need enveloped her with so much force she damn near dragged her nails over his shoulders before he lifted himself off her and took her hands in his.
His fingers were long and strong. He wrapped them around hers, their hands clasped as he stared down at her. When he slid into her, his expression hardened, his lips pressing into a thin line as his eyes narrowed into slits and finally closed. A low groan built in him and finally escaped. She was positive she’d never seen a man happier.
Whatever emotions flushed inside him, they ignited in her, too. Heat tore at her flesh, sizzling and exploding like hundreds of tiny firecrackers one after the other as he filled and stretched her.
“Mary,” he grunted, his voice raw and gravelly. “My God, darling!”
“Yes,”
she breathed, saying what came out without being able to give it much thought. “More, Nate. All of it. Now.”
He obliged with one fluid thrust. Everything erupted when he filled her completely. Her world ignited, light suddenly shimmering around her and growing darker, warmer, until she was engulfed with a sensual heat that swept her out of her life as she knew it. With that first orgasm, Mary experienced sudden clarity. Her body pulsed and tingled, and her mind knew she’d just melded with her soul mate.
It took a moment to focus, but Mary didn’t want to miss a moment of their lovemaking. She curled into him, allowing him to go deeper. It mattered so much to feel every inch of him, watch his expressions change from hard concentration to desperate efforts for control.
“You’re so tight. So perfect,” Nate gasped, letting go of her hands and lowering himself over her as he began a hard, steady rhythm.
It was perfect. Nate’s chest hair brushed over the tips of her nipples, electrifying her as he plummeted again and again, deep into her womb. Pressure built and released. Her world climaxed and crashed blissfully. Bright colors turned warm and sultry. The highs and the lows of their lovemaking made for an ideal combination, which sent her floating. It were as if she eased out of her body, riding so hard on the perfection coursing through her body, she experienced sensations she’d never known before.
Mary wasn’t a virgin. Neither of them were. Nate’s roguish behavior when he was younger had torn at her heart. But what they shared now, the emotional and physical climaxes he rode right along with her, were sensations she’d never known before.
The moment Nate’s body hardened, Mary focused and opened her eyes, suddenly seeing him and everything around her with incredible clarity. He swelled inside her as muscles bulged under his skin. His chest rippled and the cloud of chest hair before her was irresistible to her touch.
When she placed her fingers on him, Nate’s eyes opened and he stared at her. “I can’t hold on anymore,” he grunted.
Feel the Heat Page 6