“I believe you did not use the correct pronunciation in my name,” said Stephen, coming down the kitchen stairs.
“Oh.” Nate laughed. “Did Tío Stephen get you off to school on time?”
“Why would you ask them such a question?” asked Stephen. He opened the fridge and grabbed the gallon-sized milk container.
“Uh, because the last time you were supposed to take the girls to school, you overslept and they stayed home for the day.”
“Not all of us.” Stephen cut his eyes at their oldest niece.
Kimber blinked her lashes innocently the same way Amelia had last night. “School was fine, Tío Nate.”
“Miss Brittany has more paperwork for you,” Philly said, shoveling a chocolate chip cookie in her mouth. “She said you should come by after school today.”
The back of his jaw twitched as he ground his molars together. Brittany should not be passing messages on through his niece. “What? I spent all last week filling everything out. You can handle it this time,” Nate said to his brother.
“But she loves it when you work with her.” Stephen set the milk on the table and pinched Nate’s cheeks. Nate swatted his hand away. “She might be the only person in the world willing to put up with you and your wrinkly ass.”
“Oooooh,” Philly exhaled. She sat on her knees to try and pour a cup of milk without everyone helping. Nate cringed at the idea of milk spilling everywhere, but she did it without making a mess. Did she learn this while he was gone? Why didn’t Stephen text him and let him know?
“Girls, thank Tío Stephen for funding our trip to Abuela’s next week,” said Nate. He rested his arms on the table and spun the cold jug around.
“Ugh,” Kimber moaned. “Labor Day can’t get here soon enough. I need a break.”
Nate shook his head. “I thought you said school was great.”
“Yes, I did. I saw my old friends and made new ones. I had to listen all day to everyone’s wonderful summer stories, the summer I wasted because you two grounded me.”
Nate pretended to be really interested in what Kimber said, resting his face in his hand and nodding when she went on about how her evil uncles had grounded her all because they did not understand her. “Tell me more.”
When Kimber realized he was making fun of her, she stormed off, Philly in tow. Stephen took the opportunity to sit in one of the unoccupied chairs and dig into the cookies. The plastic container crackled with his meaty hands cramming inside. “So what’s really going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t seen you since Saturday and I almost put out an APB on you.”
Half smiling and half nodding, Nate chuckled. “I am okay. I needed to stop in and grab my contracting contacts. And some clothes.” He wasn’t sure why he added the latter.
“So the auction girl is working you hard, huh?”
“Don’t read too much into it,” Nate groaned. “Amelia is more about revenge and the chick is taking her anger out on me.”
“What did you do?”
“Distracted her, and by doing so, made her mess up a work duty.”
Stephen ran a hand over his bald head. “What am I missing here?”
“The auction chick worked with Natalia.”
“Oh, her producer?”
“Field producer,” Nate said with authority, now that he’d learned more about the reality television world.
Cookie crumbs fell from Stephen’s beard when he pressed his lips together. “Hmm,” he hummed. “You guys are getting close.”
“She’s prickly, but I’m getting through to her. I’m going to help her get her grandmother’s place fixed up. You ought to meet her.”
“The girl or the grandmother?”
“The grandmother. She’s pricklier than Caridad. And her attitude...” Nate went on. “Last night she threw her dessert at me, and this is after I agreed with Emily about her coming to Saturday’s wedding.”
“The grandmother?”
Nate shook his head, his eyes half closed. “What?”
“Who are you taking to the wedding?”
“Amelia,” Nate replied, a breath away from adding, “Duh.”
“You know what all this sounds like to me, Nate?”
“What?”
“Sounds complicated,” Stephen commented with a raised brow.
* * *
Stephen’s words resonated in Nate’s head the whole drive back to Four Points General. He didn’t understand how things were complicated. Amelia blamed him for the destruction of her life and he felt the need to set things right for her. Without a job or probably now any income, she needed to establish her life in Southwood. Whatever had happened here for her, he was sure could be fixed.
The smell of antiseptic snapped Nate out of his daze. A candy striper greeted him at the front desk after he walked in through the sliding glass doors. “Hi, I was here a little while ago with my, uh, friend, Amelia Marlow. She’s here visiting her grandmother.”
“They’re in the cafeteria.” The young girl pointed in the opposite direction from the waiting room. “If you need me to walk you down, I’m more than willing.”
Nate offered a wink to the girl, who couldn’t be much older than Kimber. “I’ve got this, thanks.”
The soles of his tan Timberlands squeaked against the linoleum floor. At least the yellow caution sign near a bucket made him aware of the need to slow his pace. He did so and began walking to the beat of his heart—quick. Why did his heart skip a beat with the anticipation of seeing Amelia again?
The soft laugh he’d heard her make floated into the corridor. Nate wondered what her grandmother had said to cause such a genuine sound. An image popped into his head of the two of them sitting on the porch in one of the rocking chairs, sipping on some iced tea and Amelia laughing at something witty he’d say. Light spilled into the hallway at the entrance. The smells of stale coffee mixed with some probably unsalted chicken breasts and plain rice filtered in the air. The closer he got, the more the scent of the food overpowered that of the cleaning materials.
He stopped at the entrance, letting his eyes find the Marlow party. People—patients and doctors—filled the large room. The tables were square and colorful in shades of pale turquoise, pink, green and yellow. In the back of the room, a line formed in front of a dinging cash register. The laughter sounded off and Nate narrowed his glance toward the back of the room. Amelia faced the doorway. Her hand clutched her pearls and her head dipped back at whatever someone was saying to her. The sun shone against her dark hair and haloed her head like an angel’s.
“Damn, you clean up good.”
Nate had been so caught up on Amelia, he hadn’t noticed Helen Marlow being wheeled up to him by a girl favoring Amelia in looks. Amelia had mentioned she came to the auction with a cousin. Because she met him backstage, Nate never met the relative face-to-face. The similarities were uncanny. This must be her.
“Grandmamma,” the girl who wasn’t Amelia scolded, giving a shake to the rubber handles of the arms of the wheelchair. “Don’t embarrass the man.”
Pressing his hand on his chest, Nate glanced down to inspect his attire—denims and a fresh white V-neck T-shirt. “Don’t be too hard on her. This is a step up from what I wore earlier.”
“Well, on her behalf, I’m sorry.” She leaned forward and extended her hand. “Please to meet you, Mr. Reyes, I’m Cayla Marlow-Beaumont.”
Helen Marlow rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth with the same sound he’d heard Kimber produce whenever irritated. “She’s Cay Beaumont. I don’t understand why you young women have to hyphenate your names.”
Tight-lipped, Cay Marlow-Beaumont patted her grandmother’s shoulder. “Because we want to preserve the prestigious Marlow name.”
“Whatever.”
<
br /> Nate hid his smile.
“Boy, you better hurry up and get over to the table,” Grandmamma Helen barked, “instead of standing over here drooling like a fool. Parker will done scoop Amelia right out from under you.”
“Grandmamma...” Cay said, frowning with disapproval. “I’m sorry, she’s ready for her nap.”
Out the corner of his eye, he saw Cay wheel her grandmother away under loud protest. The commotion she caused captured everyone’s attention. Parker Ward, the fireman, turned and nodded his head in Nate’s direction. Nate scratched his beard, not sure what to do. Did he interrupt them? Now this was complicated. Clearly they had been an item once before. Was it puppy love or her first real love? Nate didn’t want to find out. Instead of turning around like his brain told him to, he stalked across the room toward the table. Parker stood and extended his hand, probably to show he was being the bigger guy.
“I came to collect you,” Nate said to Amelia after showing he was the bigger man by shaking Parker’s hand.
“Where has the afternoon gone?” Amelia clutched the pearls at her throat again and stood up. “Parker, I enjoyed catching up with you.”
“Maybe you’ll save me a dance at Emily’s wedding,” Parker went on. “She told me she ran into you last night.”
And wasn’t it Emily who wanted to keep her visit to the pizzeria a secret? Nate smirked as a thunderous cloud darkened the window. “Hey, we better get going if we’re going to beat the rain before it gets to the house.”
Amelia offered a wave goodbye before following Nate outside. He didn’t slow his pace so she could walk beside him. Instead of walking to the beat of his heart, he stormed out to the beat of his pounding anger. Amelia’s flat shoes walked quickly behind him.
“What the hell is your problem?” she screamed over another clap of thunder.
“I don’t have one.” Nate maneuvered his way through the parking lot, hating himself. “Let’s go.”
“I think I’ll walk.” The patter of Amelia’s flat shoes ceased. He turned to face her, finding her standing on the curb with her hand on her hip. Fat drops of water hit the ground, sizzling away with the heat.
Nate smirked. “Walk, or go inside and catch a ride with Parker. Maybe that’s what you want.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on with you, Nate,” Amelia said. Rain began to fall harder. Nate stalked back toward her, damned if he let Parker save the day—again.
“I don’t share.”
“We’re not children and this isn’t kindergarten.” Amelia squared her shoulders. Water pegged the two of them. His chest rose with desire as the material soaked her dress.
“I don’t share,” he said again.
She opened to protest but he captured her by the back of her neck with one hand and dragged his face down to hers for a deep, soul-silencing kiss.
Chapter 7
The front seat of his SUV crackled with sexual tension. Like this morning, they drove in utter silence. Unlike this morning, Nate understood where this was going. The kiss he shared with Amelia generated its own lightning. He drove like a madman down County Road Seventeen to get back to the house. He thought nothing was going to stop them, but up ahead the red lights of the train tracks began to flash. Not wanting to chance the timing of the train, Nate veered to the right and pulled off to the side of the road into a cut of the woods in case other cars pulled up to the flashing lights. Heavy raindrops pounded the rooftop, filling the inside of the vehicle with a deafening noise when he cut off the engine. The darkness of the trees, thanks to the dreary clouds, helped conceal their position if anyone drove by.
Amelia turned in her seat to face him. The window behind her fogged with her body heat. Her red, completely kissable lips opened with question. Nate leaned across the console between them and pressed his lips against hers as if to answer. Her sweet breath touched the corners of his mouth. Aroused beyond desire, he pressed further into the kiss. The damn console prevented him from truly getting to her like he wanted, but he settled for a trail of kisses along her neck.
Amelia cupped his neck; her thumb traced his bulging vein, throbbing with desire. The material of her dress, now soaked, clung to her skin. A damn good way to find out she wasn’t wearing a bra. Nate smiled and dipped his head lower, tracing a finger along the swell of the top of her breast. Her chest expanded, urging him to probe further. The side of his forefinger brushed against a bud and twirling it between his two fingers he manipulated it into a hard nub.
Soft fingers caressed against the nape of his neck. Nate dipped his head a little lower and captured her other nipple in his mouth. A mew escaped Amelia’s throat. Hips thrusting forward, Nate took his cue and reached between her thighs. She propped one wet foot on the seat and opened her legs wider for him. A wave of desire washed over him as his fingers pushed aside her panties and sunk into the wet flesh. The shoulders of the white dress stretched and he pulled them down, exposing her deep pink nipples to him. His mouth watered. His other hand reached behind and to the side to lower her seat. From his new angle, he was able to have better access to her other breast and still toy with the wet folds. His fingers delved farther and the palm of his hand ground against her. She grounded her hips back. Harder. Longer. Amelia’s hands grasped for the headrest.
Why she’d decided to hold out on him for the last few nights was beyond him, but this pent-up desire only proved his point. She wanted him. The strain against his jeans indicated how much he wanted her right now, but he was too busy watching the rise and fall of her chest from breathing so hard with each deeper stroke he made into her with his hand. They moved in unison just as he remembered at the hotel. Faster. Nate leaned back in his seat, watching Amelia’s face as she came in his hands. The corners of her eyes crinkled. Her mouth made the cutest O shape and when she clenched against his fingers, her face softened angelically.
“Oh, my God,” she breathed. The raindrops slowed as her breathing regulated. Lazily she rolled her head to the left and opened one eye. “Why are you staring at me?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
Amelia covered her face with her hands at the reality of what they’d just done. “Oh, God, this is crazy.”
“Crazy is denying us this,” Nate said, taking her hand away from her face. He caressed her soft cheek.
“I didn’t buy you for this.”
Nate’s laugh reverberated off the interior of the car. “Thanks for making me feel sleazy.”
After a quick tug of her hand from his, Amelia playfully swatted his chest. “Shut up. That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” Nate recaptured her hand and kissed her fingertips. “You want forty hours of work from me and you’ll get it.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Nate.” She sighed.
“Why not?”
“Because we’ve crossed a line between us, and now what will everyone think?”
“What line? Between employee and employer?” he guessed. “This is ridiculous. What do we care whatever anyone else thinks? Who’s going to know?”
“What about the last time something like this happened between us?”
“Do you regret it?” he asked of her.
For a heartbeat she waited to answer. A strange vise tightened around Nate’s heart until she spoke. “Look where I ended up.”
“You mean, back in your hometown with me as your most prized possession?” Nate teased and tugged on her hand in preparation of her trying to pull away. “How ’bout I finish the work at your grandmother’s house and then we can talk about us?”
“What us, Nate?” She pulled her hand away again and succeeded.
“Why not an us?” he asked, not sure if he truly heard the words coming out of his mouth. “It’s not like you have a job to rush back to. Stay here in Southwood and at least see where we can go.”
Amelia stifled a laugh, covering the mouth he’d kissed, and glanced out the window. “Go where?”
“Emily’s wedding, for starters.”
“Even if I wanted to,” Amelia groaned, “I didn’t bring any sort of wedding attire.”
Glad she was beginning to warm up to his idea, Nate smiled. “Well, I have the perfect person for you to meet. You may already know her, she’s from here.”
Amelia turned fully toward him. “Who?”
With the way her voice went up in question, Nate wanted to learn more about what made Amelia so distrustful toward the residents of Southwood. She told him the people had turned on her and her family, but he’d never understood how. So far everyone they ran into acted like they missed Amelia. Everyone had accepted him and Stephen—well, at least him—so easily. “My future sister-in-law, Lexi Pendergrass.”
“I didn’t know her personally. She went to a different school,” said Amelia, the corners of her mouth turning downward. “My parents knew hers. Of course everyone knows her parents.”
He didn’t miss the way Amelia rolled her eyes. Then again, Lexi did the same thing whenever someone brought up her parents. “I wonder what time it is. We can probably go back and see her at her shop.”
“What shop?”
“Grits and Glam Gowns,” Nate said proudly. “She has all kinds of froufrou dresses you might like.”
Amelia frowned. “I don’t do froufrou and it’s about four-thirty.”
Nate sat up and turned the engine on. The blue lights indicated the time and Amelia’s correctness. He glanced over and caught her smug smile. “Hey,” she said, sitting up and readjusting her top, “that’s how it is in the summer. Always carry an umbrella.”
“I’m a man, Amelia.” He gave a sideways grin and began backing out of the cut. “I always carry protection.”
* * *
Monday afternoon’s shower halted any of the outside work Nate planned on doing that evening. But he continued clocking in his hours by helping her move the heavy things downstairs to her grandmamma’s new room. By the time they completed their project, they were too tired to move.
His Southern Sweetheart Page 10