by Sandy James
She dug her fingernails into his shoulder as she arched her back. A moan of pleasure fell from her lips before she bit her bottom one, not wanting Emma to wake and disturb their interlude. Thankfully, the monitor remained quiet.
Nate shifted to her other breast, the roughness of his unshaven face adding to the sensations he sent racing over her body. This wasn’t going to be one of their lingering sessions. No, as desperate as Dani was to feel him deep inside of her, and the way he seemed to be every bit as frantic, this would be fast and rough. Exactly the way she liked it.
He held his cock up as she rose over him, rubbing it between her folds before he plunged inside of her. A moan of pure ecstasy rose from deep in his throat, a similar sound coming from her. Every time they were intimate, she couldn’t help but believe they were meant to be together. Despite all the obstacles, despite the struggle they faced to make a future together, here they were entirely compatible. Here, they were true mates.
Cupping her neck, Nate pulled her down, kissing her as she flattened her breasts against his lightly furred chest. The cadence he set sped up and she didn’t resist the tightening in her body that signaled she was close to release. Squeezing him strongly, she let the coil contract, every nerve, every muscle preparing for climax.
He came first, clenching his fingers into her hips as he chanted her name with each thrust of his hips. Dani was a moment behind him, the heat of his essence bathing her insides, forcing her own orgasm.
* * *
Nate turned off the light after they’d both cleaned up and crawled back into bed. His mind and body were content. Each new day he spent with Dani only convinced him more that they belonged to each other.
Dani snuggled up against him, hauling the blanket over them. “That was wonderful.”
He kissed her forehead. “Damn right. But then again, isn’t it always?”
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “I sure think it is.”
“I mean it, Dani. Every single time we make love, it just gets better.”
Before she could say anything, his phone vibrated, skittering across the nightstand. He snatched it up and let out an exasperated sigh. Another text from Kat. At least Dani couldn’t see the screen since he held it in the hand of the arm he had wrapped around her. A quick couple of touches yielded Kat’s latest appeal.
good night love you
All the flattery that had first accompanied her quest to win him back had become pure frustration. If she didn’t let up, Nate would have to either keep lying to Dani or tell her about the kiss. For all her strength and fortitude, deep down Dani was insecure where their relationship was concerned. He’d worked so damned hard to earn her trust. He wasn’t about to shatter that precious trust simply because Kat had thrown herself at him.
Women were funny about some things. He’d learned that lesson the hard way—by watching his mother struggle in her relationship with Mark. After a couple of great dates, Mark hadn’t called for several days. Each hour that passed without hearing from him made Jackie more restless and forced her anger higher. A guy would’ve just picked up the phone and called to say, “What’s up? Haven’t heard from you in a while.” Instead, she’d put herself through hell, refusing to break down and contact him first. Turned out Mark was conflicted, feeling like he was betraying his dead wife by falling for Jackie so quickly. One call would have fixed the problem, or at the very least prevented a ton of worry.
So why couldn’t Nate open his mouth and tell Dani about Kat?
Because she would be distraught, and the weeks of helping Dani realize that he could be reliable would be washed away in one great wave.
His conscience niggled at him.
You kissed her back. You loved the attention.
Plus the day Kat had walked away, Nate had sworn that he’d always be there for her if she changed her mind. He’d been so young, so naïve, and so convinced his first love would be his only love.
Dani taught him otherwise simply by being the wonderful, loving person she was. What he felt for Kat was easily eclipsed by the strength of his love for Dani.
Before he could pop off a quick text, saying the same thing he’d already told Kat every time she’d reached out to him—that he wanted her to leave him alone—Emma’s voice filtered through the monitor. “I wanna drink.”
When Dani started to stir, Nate patted her shoulder. “Stay in bed. I’ll get her this time.” He pulled his arm from under her, dropped his phone on the nightstand, and winked. “You can get her if she wakes up at three in the morning.”
“Who texted?” she asked as she grabbed his abandoned pillow and hugged it to her chest.
“Just my mom.”
“Something wrong?”
“Nope. She’s been checking in a lot lately. Probably miffed we didn’t stay very long.” He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant even though lying was so against his nature.
He headed to get Emma a drink of water.
* * *
Dani stared at the phone, trying to talk herself out of picking it up and reading the text, knowing she was fighting a losing battle.
Nate was lying. She had no doubt about it. Did he realize that he tugged on his right ear whenever he fibbed? Not that he did it often, but even when he lied about something as simple as whether she looked good with bed head, he gave that earlobe a pull.
That, and ever since they returned from Indiana, he was fielding a slew of text messages. His phone sounded every hour or so. Sometimes more frequently. He always said it was his mother. Or Mark. Or his brother, Patrick.
So why didn’t she believe him?
That damned right ear.
Through the monitor, she heard him whispering to Emma, probably patting her back to help her get back to sleep. Angry at herself for being suspicious, Dani picked up his phone. It wasn’t locked. Quickly checking his text messages, she found what she’d feared the most. A string of texts from Kat that stretched the length of the screen no matter how far she scrolled. Words of love. Promises for the future. Pledges to bear his children.
Before Dani could find the courage to read any of Nate’s replies, she heard him bid Emma good night and start back toward the spare bedroom.
Frantic about being caught snooping, Dani set his phone back on his nightstand and lay back on the mattress. Her heart was hammering and her mind was whirling. What was she supposed to do now?
If she confronted Nate, she’d have to admit to two sins—invading his privacy and not having faith in him. Somehow she felt the latter would be a greater crime than the former. Trust was everything to him, and he’d spent all their time together helping her learn to depend on him, to believe in him. To love him.
And then what had he done? He’d turned around and lied to her.
He crawled back into bed, but this time, Dani didn’t roll into his arms. She kept her back to him, hugging herself and fighting a cross between fierce anger and abject sorrow. If she faced Nate, she’d either shout at him or start weeping all over him. Neither would be helpful, so she held tight to her emotions and tried to find some calm in the storm. Only then could she figure out what to do.
She’d trusted him. With her heart.
Had she made the biggest mistake of her life?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Beth was released from the hospital the next day, and Dani was relieved. Not only because Beth felt better, but also because caring for Emma wasn’t easy. Plus, a whole week of fall break remained for Dani and Nate to enjoy.
He clicked away on his laptop. Sitting on the couch, he’d propped his feet on the coffee table, looking very relaxed. While he cruised the Internet, Dani watched a television show about renovating old houses and found herself grateful to Robert for building her such a beautiful new home.
“We could still do the zoo,” he said. “Even without Emma. We could drive up to Chicago tomorrow and spend the whole day. Maybe even stay in a hotel and hit a couple of museums the day after.”
“I figured
you might want to go back to Indiana to see your family.” Although the last thing in the world she wanted to do was deal with Kat Brennan again, Dani wouldn’t disappoint Nate. Their visit had been so short. He deserved a chance to return for a few more days.
He shook his head. “I saw my mom and Mark. I’m good.”
“We were supposed to have dinner with your brother and his wife.” His pregnant wife.
Damn, but she and Nate needed to talk. She just couldn’t manage to broach the topic of children. She loved him too much to lose him, but no matter how much she tried to convince herself he loved her, too, she couldn’t stop believing he’d leave if he knew she had no intention of having kids.
No. She needed to do this. For him. For herself.
After a deep, steadying breath, she dove right in. “Nate, I need to tell you something.”
Before he could say anything, his phone chimed yet another text. Kat again, no doubt.
That woman was another topic Dani should address. But if she said anything about Kat, it would show him that she’d been snooping. The texts she’d read from Kat were bound to come up. Trust was everything to Nate. He’d have a hard time forgiving her for invading his privacy.
“Shit.” He set his phone aside and closed his laptop, a pained frown on his face.
Dani immediately responded to the hurt in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“My grandpa—Papa Delgado—had a stroke.” Nate had spoken often of his love for his mother’s father and about how close he’d always been to the man.
“I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I need to talk to Mom and see what’s happening.” He laid the computer on the table and picked up his phone. After he dialed, he started pacing. The man seemed to have an inability to stand still whenever he had a lengthy phone conversation. “Mom? Fill me in.”
Although Dani could only hear one side of the conversation, she grew more and more worried by the minute. The old man was clearly in danger. Jackie seemed to be pressing Nate to go to Orlando to be with him, but he was resisting.
“My car would never make it,” he said, tossing Dani a look of helplessness.
All she wanted to do was make this right for him. She was about to suggest he take her car—and perhaps her, too—when he started talking about airlines and where he could fly out of to get to Florida.
Nate put up token resistance, but whatever his mom said convinced him to accept. “Thanks, Mom. See you when I get there.” After he ended the call, he took Dani’s hand. “I’m meeting Mom at the airport in Indy; then we’re taking a late flight to Orlando. She and Mark were supposed to go to Rome next week, but she cashed in those tickets so we could see Grandpa. I need to throw a few things in a bag and get going.”
“I could drive you,” she offered.
He shook his head. “I appreciate that, sweetheart, but I have no idea how long I’ll be down there. I’ll leave my POS in the long-term parking lot. Saves you a trip to come fetch me when I get back.” A glance at the wall calendar. “At least this happened during fall break.”
“This has been a really shitty break,” she grumbled.
“It sure has.” He kissed her forehead.
“Hopefully your grandpa will get well quickly.” She squeezed his hand.
After a nod, he eased his hand back. “I don’t have any banked personal days yet. Not ’til next pay period. I won’t be able to stay past Sunday.”
“If you have to stay longer, call Jim Reinhardt. He’s great about family stuff, especially emergencies. So is our superintendent. They’ll find a way for you to be with your grandfather.”
He shrugged. “I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
Dani brushed a kiss over his mouth. “One step at a time. Let’s hope it turns out to be nothing big.” Her curiosity was killing her. “It’s just you and your mom going to Orlando?”
“Yeah. Patrick can’t leave, not when the baby’s so close.”
“Mark?”
Nate shook his head.
Since Jackie’s father was no relation to Kat, Dani had no reason to ask about her. She did anyway. “Kat making the trip?”
“What?”
Trailing her fingers over the island countertop, she tried to sound nonchalant. “Just wondered if Kat was going, too.”
“Why would she?”
To be with you. “I didn’t think she would.”
Nate cocked his head and stared at her. “Dani, are you jealous of Kat?”
Fuck, yeah. “Should I be?”
He gathered her into his arms. “No. Not in the least. Kat is ancient history.”
Then why the text messages declaring her undying love? And why are you lying to me if Kat doesn’t mean anything to you?
If only Dani could have read some of Nate’s replies… Perhaps then the jealousy could be easily put to rest. But having no idea what Nate said to Kat was killing her. “Ancient history, huh?”
Nate kissed her, a lingering and very loving kiss. “I’m in love with you. Remember that. Okay?”
Dani gave him a curt nod.
He nudged her chin up so she was looking into his handsome eyes. “I mean it, Dani. There’s absolutely no reason for you to worry about Kat. I. Love. You. I want to be with you.”
Instead of replying, she kissed him, hoping she could get a grip on her distrust before she ruined things between them.
* * *
Nate purposefully tried to ignore Kat, even though she was sitting right across the airplane’s tiny aisle. No matter how many times she attempted to draw him into a conversation or throw him a flirtatious bat of her eyes, he focused on the solitaire game on his phone.
She tried yet again. “I think it would be great if we could go out tomorrow morning and take a sunrise walk on the beach.”
He put a red eight over a black nine and counted to ten.
“You know how much I love seafood.” She sounded damned cheerful for a woman who was traveling to a hospital to see a stricken man. “We can check out some of the local restaurants. I can look for some good nightclubs, too. That would be so much fun.”
Thankfully, his mother finally intervened—the same way she’d been running interference since he’d met her at the airport. He’d been riding up the escalator to head to the airline’s check-in, and as he neared the top, there was his mom with an apologetic frown.
And Kat standing at her side.
Nate’s first instinct had been to jump over the rail to the descending escalator, hightail it back to his car, and drive straight back to Cloverleaf. The only thing that kept him moving toward her was his need to see his grandfather. If Dani ever found out Kat was going on this trip, she’d never believe he hadn’t planned for his ex to tag along, especially after she’d asked point-blank about just that. With the way her thoughts worked overtime, Dani was liable to think he’d lied about the stroke to arrange a secret vacation with Kat.
He’d eventually have to tell her that Kat went to Orlando with him and his mother. But not now. Not until he got home and could look her in the eye as he pleaded his innocence. Dani was a woman who needed to see to believe, so once he was with her again, he would explain how Kat had invited herself and that he’d had no idea Kat was heading to Orlando until he arrived at the airport.
But would Dani have faith in him? It boiled down to one thing—had she truly learned to trust him?
“Kat… enough. Okay?” Jackie, who was sitting in the window seat, leaned over Nate and smacked Kat’s armrest. “We talked about this before we left. Once we get there, we’ll be spending our time at the hospital with Grandpa or helping out Grandma. There won’t be time to go to the beach or to some fancy restaurant. Resign yourself to hospital cafeteria food and, for the love of God, suck it up.”
Kat pouted her lip. “A couple of hours won’t make a difference.”
Nate put a red queen over a black king and let his mother handle the princess.
J
ackie shook her head. “We’re there for my parents, not for us. And most definitely not for you.”
Thankfully, Kat simply frowned, shoved in her earbuds, and started fiddling with her phone.
“I’m sorry.” Jackie patted his arm and spoke in a soft voice. “I shouldn’t have let Mark book the tickets. I was so busy packing and getting things ready. Kat told him that since she was on break from school I’d asked her to come along to help. I wasn’t there to correct that ridiculous notion.”
He put his hand over his mother’s. “You already explained three times. I know it wasn’t your fault. You’d think Mark would know better.”
In all the time he’d known Kat, she’d never been remotely nurturing. Not once. Not even when they lost the baby. Sure, she’d wanted to be pampered and coddled after the miscarriage, but when Nate mentioned his lost child, she’d all but ordered him to “get over it.”
Although he valued life, especially helpless infants in their mothers’ wombs, he admitted to himself that he’d felt the loss of his baby. Yet the pregnancy was over before he’d even had the chance to get too accustomed to the idea of being a father.
Jackie shook her head. “He’s still kinda blind where his daughters are concerned.”
“Just Kat. Carly isn’t like her at all.”
“Even Carly has her moments. Mark sees them both through some kind of filter that softens what they truly are. And Kat has gotten a lot worse since… well, since you two broke up. I imagine he’ll always think they’re near to perfect.” She grinned. “Exactly like me with my boys.”
She had him there. Jackie had always been willing to forgive anything Nate or Patrick had done if they offered her a contrite expression and a muttered apology, even if it was a halfhearted one.
After they landed, they headed toward the baggage area to wait for their luggage. Jackie was talking on the phone to her mom while Nate grabbed their stuff off the large conveyer, not at all surprised Kat was standing next to his mother instead of helping.