by Jill Shalvis
“Call me a prude,” he said. “But I’ve never actually had an audience before. It’s a bit unnerving.”
“Yeah.” Feeling very naked, she stood and reached for the panties still hanging off Sadie’s ear and the T-shirt on the floor.
Before she could put them on, Nick came to his feet and pressed up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. His forearms were tanned, tough and strewn with sinew against her fair-skinned, soft stomach, and when he slipped his hands up to cup her breasts, she nearly cried.
“Is she still watching me?” he murmured in her ear, his fingers stroking her nipples.
She wanted to melt, but managed to crane her neck toward Sadie.
Who had her gaze glued to a spot Danielle wanted to stare at as well.
Nick’s butt.
“I’m trying not to notice,” he said. His arms squeezed her close. “You feel so good against me, Danielle. So good. But—”
“No. No buts.” Her body was so keyed up, she couldn’t walk away now. Words were beyond her so she turned and showed him what she wanted with her body, sliding against him, gliding her breasts over his chest, her hips to the spot between his where he was hard and heavy.
“Foul,” he whispered, and with a movement that left her gasping in surprise, he scooped her into his arms and started down the hall.
“Hurry,” she whispered, then arched her naked body in his arms.
With a groan, he stopped in the middle of the hallway, pressing her against the wall, holding her there with his delicious body. His mouth took hers, and then, breathless, he lifted his head. “You’re sure you want this?”
“More than air.”
With a smile that tipped her heart on its side, he indulged them both in another long, lingering kiss. Finally, finally, he carried her into his bedroom and kicked the door closed behind them. Lifting his head, he asked, “Can she open doors?”
Danielle couldn’t think past the sight of the bed that she hoped he intended to ravish her on. “Who?”
“The man-eater.”
Oh Lord, the way he was eating her up with his gaze. “No, Sadie can’t open doors.”
“Good.” With his mouth teasing her jaw, he set her on the bed, his hands never leaving her body. A soft touch here, there…over her breasts, her nipples, her belly…between her thighs, urging her legs open so that he could watch while he stroked her to a slow burn with an erotic touch such as she’d never known before.
She was quivering now, with each stroke, helplessly arching into him. “Nick…”
“Yeah.” His fingers sank into her wet heat, and he let out a rough groan from deep in his throat.
“Now,” she heard herself cry, thrusting her hips against him. “Oh, please now…” She reached for him, but he evaded, gently but thoroughly capturing her hands, then pressing her back, his body covering hers. “If you touch me now, it’ll be over before it begins.”
“Then we’ll start again!”
Nick liked the sound of that, starting again. Her voice sounded thready, desperate, and her long legs wrapped around his hips so that he nearly sank into her. As he was feeling thready and desperate himself, it took every ounce of control he had to hold back.
Sliding down her body, he used his mouth everywhere he passed. Her nipples, her belly, high on her thigh, close to the one spot that would drive her over the edge, close, but not close enough.
“Nick!” Her eyes clouded over, her hands still at her sides, held by his, flexed.
“I know.” He released her to slide his hands over her thighs, opening them even farther, to lick her, there.
With a screech, she arched up off the bed, right into his mouth. “Perfect,” he whispered, and slowly and thoroughly devoured her.
She tried to hold back from him. Clearly, this was not the hot and fast she’d intended, but he refused to give that to her. This was no quick fix, this was more. And if he had to know it, recognize it, then so did she. “Come for me,” he whispered against her.
And she did, with a wild abandon that thrilled and aroused him all the more.
Damp flesh slid over damp flesh as he slid back up her body, every bit as hostage to this vicious need as she. He rubbed his cheek to hers as she fluttered her eyes open. “There’s still more,” he said.
“Yes.” She tried to draw him inside her body. “For you.”
“For both of us.” Putting on a condom was tricky, as his hands were shaking. Shaking. Danielle didn’t help matters by lending her ineffective yet over whelmingly arousing fingers to the task. Finally, he lifted her hips, stared deep into her eyes and sank into her.
She took him, every inch, then let him in even deeper.
“This,” he managed to say, fighting back the tide that threatened to take him over the edge with his first stroke. “This is more. For both of us.” And lowering his mouth to hers, he began to move.
9
NICK AWOKE IN THE DARK. From what he could gather with his few still-functioning senses, he was sprawled on his back, sideways across the bed. Given the breeze blowing across his lower parts he concluded the window was open. As for the restriction of air to his lungs, that was Danielle, who lay a deadweight on his chest.
She was also buck naked, which happened to agree with him.
Grinning, he slid her off, then settled himself between her legs. Murmuring something sleepily, she slipped her arms around him. “Nick?”
God, that voice. It did things to his insides, things he wasn’t ready to face, so he concentrated on what she did to him physically.
And physically, he wanted her again. “Yeah, it’s me. You’re so beautiful, Danielle.”
“It’s dark.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, Nick.”
“Open for me.”
Arching up, she wrapped her legs around his hips.
“Yeah, like that.” Tilting her face up for his kiss, he sank into her body and took her again. Took them both to a place he’d never been with anyone ever before.
THE NEXT TIME Nick woke up, morning light slanted in through the windows, making him squint as he reached out for…nobody.
Given that the pillow he’d shared with Danielle all night long felt cold, he sat straight up, his heart in his throat.
And came face to face with a monster, a huge monster with dark, red-rimmed eyes and incisors capable of gobbling him up in one bite.
With a shocked gasp, he jerked back.
The monster leapt back, too, and let out a sharp, surprised bark.
“Damn it.” Flat on his back in the middle of the bed, Nick blinked at the ceiling and tried to recover his pulse. “You’re giving me gray hair.”
The bed shifted as two heavy paws hit it.
Nick craned his neck to the side, eyeing Sadie cautiously. “I suppose you think that’s funny.”
Head cocked, a line of drool puddling on his sheets, the dog eyed him and licked her chops.
Hastily, Nick scrambled for the sheet. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m not edible.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Nick lifted his head as Danielle came back into the room. She was dressed in another pair of khaki shorts and a sleeveless blouse—red this time—looking sleek, beautiful and more than a little wary. Her backpack was on her shoulder, her laptop tucked under her arm. She was holding the developed photos he’d given her.
Not a good sign on his chances of coaxing her back into bed.
“I wanted to thank you again,” she said quietly, staying by the door.
Uh-oh. Definitely, he had some fast talking to do in order to get lucky. “You’re dressed.” Oh, smooth.
“I’ve got to go.”
Stall. Not because he couldn’t let her go. Hell, he could let anyone go. He wasn’t the attachment sort of guy, but…
Damn it, he couldn’t let her go. “Hold on.” Eyeing Sadie, he got out of the bed and carefully walked around the dog, feeling very naked. He grabbed a pair of jeans. “At least l
et me get you some breakfast.”
She shifted, trying not to stare around the held-up jeans, but she couldn’t seem to help herself, which did stroke his ego somewhat.
And of course, encouraged his morning hard-on.
“Nick…”
There was that voice again, the soft, breathy tone that made getting his jeans on nearly a detriment to his health.
Her gaze was glued to his hands as he attempted to get the buttons closed, and when he had to carefully tuck himself inside the denim, she made a sort of choked noise.
“I told you I would have to leave in the morning,” she said quickly, when he looked at her.
“Yeah, but that was before last night.” Before they’d made love. Now that they had, he’d figured she wouldn’t really be able to walk away.
Or maybe he was the only one feeling that way.
No. There was heat and desire in her gaze as it lingered over his body, but there was more, too. Angst and a reluctant affection. Very reluctant.
Ditto, sweetheart, and I’m no more thrilled than you. Then he pictured her walking out his front door, which made his stomach hurt. “What’s the rush?”
“You know what my rush is.”
“Just breakfast, Danielle. Not a marriage proposal.”
She flushed. “I don’t need either. I’ve called Emma. She’s the friend I borrowed the car from, and she needs it back today. She’s getting a ride over here, then she’ll take me to Donald, the art director I told you about.”
“Where you’ll show him Sadie’s pictures, he’ll pay you enough to buy another car and you’ll jump town to start a new life. Happily ever after, right?” He shook his head. “Tell me you’re not that gullible.”
“It could happen.”
“Yeah, but there’s sure a lot of things that could go wrong.” He stalked to his closet, hauled out a shirt and jammed his arms into it. “Too many things.”
A honk sounded outside from the street.
Danielle froze, stared at Nick. “There she is.”
When she turned to go, he grabbed her arm. “Wait.”
“I can’t, I—”
“Yeah, I know. You’ve got to go. But how well do you know this Emma? And Donald? Are they friends of yours? Good friends?”
“Well, of course.” But she didn’t look him in the eyes. “I know them because of the industry, of course, but—” Another honk sounded and she looked up at him entreatingly. “Please. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
“Industry friends.” He followed her down the hall, eyes glued to the gentle sway of her hips. He’d be happy following her like a damn puppy dog every single morning.
She opened the front door and waved to Emma, who was standing by her car, then turned back to face him. “I’ve got to go, Nick.”
There were tears in her voice, which wrenched at him. Leaning past her, he stuck his head out the door and held up a finger to Emma, who crossed her arms and looked…uneasy?
A friend who rushed to the rescue, yet looked unhappy about it? Not reassuring.
“How did you meet her?” Nick asked Danielle, watching as Emma pulled out a cell phone.
Danielle fiddled with Sadie’s collar, looking busy.
He reached for both her arms and made her look at him. “How, Danielle?”
“I met her at a show, okay?” She shrugged free. “That was the one good thing that came out of being with Ted. He introduced me to some really great people.”
“Tell her I’ll take you to Donald’s.”
“Nick, we already worked this out. If I still need the car after seeing Donald, she’s going to let me keep it a little longer.”
“Just tell her.”
Emma clicked off the cell phone and looked right at Nick.
As a result, the hair stood up on his arms, as it always did when he was onto something in a story he was working on. “Do this for me,” he said to Danielle. And you.
“Nick—”
Striding past her, he walked right up to Emma. “Good morning,” he said politely. “So…where are you two headed?”
Emma glanced at Danielle, who had followed him.
“Emma,” she said. “This is Nick Cooper, and—”
“And you’re Emma.” Nick pinned her with his most intimidating stare. “So…?”
“I’ll take Danielle wherever she wants to go,” Emma said, smiling at Danielle. “Ready?”
“To the art director’s?” Nick pressed.
“Yes, right.” Avoiding Nick’s gaze entirely now, Emma took Danielle’s arm.
Nick grabbed the cell out of Emma’s hand and hit redial.
“Hey!”
With a grim smile, he held up the display to Danielle. “Recognize this number?”
Danielle looked at it and paled. “It’s Ted’s.” She turned to Emma. “You just called Ted?”
Emma’s smile crumbled, replaced by a fierce concern. “Don’t be upset with me, he told me how much you love him, how this is all one big misunderstanding. He truly loves you, too, Danielle. He’s devastated by this separation. When he came looking for you, he begged me to contact him the moment I heard anything, so I did. All he wants is to see you, talk to you.”
“You told him where I was? Even when I asked for your confidence?”
Emma reached out for her hand. “Danielle—”
“I trusted you. My God,” she said on a mirthless laugh, backing up. “When will I learn?” She pointed to Emma’s car. “You’d better go.”
“Danielle, listen. We’re friends.”
“Friends? Are you kidding? Sadie—”
“It’s not the dog I’m worried about,” Emma said beseechingly. “Ted said he just wants you back—”
“Wants me back?” Danielle nearly swallowed her tongue. “If he wants me back, Emma, why did he call the police?”
“Well—”
“Tell me you didn’t tell him where you were supposed to take me.”
“No, not yet—”
“Don’t tell him. If you care about me at all, then—”
“Of course I care about you!”
“Then don’t tell him.”
“Danielle—”
“Please go.”
“But—”
“Now, Emma.”
Nick watched Danielle watch her “friend” drive off. He watched her shoulders sag slightly. Watched while she rubbed her temples, looking defeated and exhausted.
Any moment now she’d catch her breath and momentum. Any moment she’d straighten those shoulders and give him a cool look, the one that would probably work on anyone else, and tell him she had to go, too.
Before she could, he took her hand, and—risking certain death—Sadie’s leash. “We’re outta here.”
“What?” She gave him that cool look he’d been expecting. “There’s no we.”
“There is now.”
10
DANIELLE WAS REELING enough to let Nick take over. Enough to watch while he took care of all evidence of her being in his place, including shoving his sheets in the washing machine.
He looked perfectly at home measuring out the detergent. He even dumped the trash, which included, as she knew all too well, three used condoms.
It was only when he came to the two huge land mines in his front yard, left there by Sadie, that he hesitated. Still, he gamely found a shovel and took care of that, too, though he did shoot Sadie several dark looks that the dog freely and openly returned.
Then Nick tossed a duffel bag in the truck bed and backed them out of his driveway. Sadie had gotten into the vehicle docilely enough—probably because Danielle had as well—but now, as Nick drove, she whined.
Danielle felt like doing the same.
After about twenty minutes, Nick pulled up to a hotel. He turned off the truck and turned to her. Reaching for her hand, he gave her a careful once-over. “You okay?”
“Peachy.”
“I take it that’s a no.”
Danielle closed
her eyes. “I just can’t believe how stupid I was. I would have let her walk me right into a trap.”
“Not stupid. You trusted her.”
“I keep forgetting trust isn’t an option.”
He slid his fingers beneath her hair, massaging the back of her neck until she looked at him. “You can trust me.”
“I—” The denial backed up in her throat at the open but fierce expression on his face. “I don’t want to trust anyone,” she whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back, and slowly pulled her against him.
He felt good, solid and warm, and for just a moment she let herself cling. And then somehow she sucked it up, found some desperately needed strength and pulled back. “What are we doing here?”
“Checking in. Then we’ll hunt down your Donald and make sure he’s on the up-and-up before you approach him.”
“Checking in?” She turned forward to face the hotel. “Here?”
“We can’t stay at my place.”
“We can’t, no. But you can.”
He waited until she looked at him, and his expression was light, neutral almost, but she knew him better now, and didn’t miss the determination. “I’m not leaving you alone to face this,” he said. “So just forget it.”
Why wouldn’t he just walk away? Why did he have to sit there looking so good, so right? So…hers? “I can’t let you do this, Nick. I don’t have enough money for the room, and—”
“It just so happens that I do. I know,” he said, putting his fingers over her lips when she would have spoken again. “You don’t like help, but you appear to be stuck with me for now.” Opening the door, he got out and held out his hand.
She followed, with Sadie in tow. “They might not appreciate Sadie as a guest,” she said as they entered the reception area.
“Given that I personally cleaned up after her this morning, I can see why,” he said dryly. “But this hotel takes dogs.” He pointed to the sign, Dogs Welcome. “Traveling with pets, especially dogs, is pretty common in this area. How many rooms do we need?”
He had the most amazing eyes, she thought inanely, her body tingling in reaction to his unspoken question.