His lips were still shiny with her juices and she groaned when he kissed her savagely, bruising her mouth and letting her taste the salty muskiness. She was wild for him now, slipping her hands inside his jacket and pulling him close, rubbing her bare breasts against his shirt and loving the way the fabric abraded her flesh. She kissed him back with equal force, sucking on his tongue and biting his lip until he swore softly.
She could feel the heavy thudding of his heart against her breasts, hear how his breathing was labored and uneven. He was grinding himself against her as they kissed hungrily, unable to get close enough. She slid a hand down his chest, over his stomach, until her palm opened and cupped his rock hard erection through his pants.
He moaned, a sound that was a mix of pleasure and pain, and he fisted his hand in her hair, still kissing her, as she stroked the length of his cock. “Ah, Julia, sweetheart,” he gasped. “Fuck, that feels so good. God, I’m going to explode in another minute. I want you so much, baby. Here, let me.”
He unzipped his fly and released his cock, which she immediately took into her hand, stroking and pumping it. He put his hand on her wrist, stilling her motions. “No, stop, baby. I’m going to come in your hand if you do that. And that’s not what’s supposed to happen.”
Nathan lifted one of her legs, wrapping it around his hip. Their eyes met in the semi-darkness, and she was almost afraid of the rawness of his expression.
“Because what he wants most of all,” he drawled seductively, “is to ram his cock so deep inside of you, fuck you so hard and so good, that you won’t be able to walk tomorrow. That’s all he’s been able to think about all night – fucking you just like this.”
“Ohhh, God!”
“Ah, Christ!”
Their cries of passion were vocal and simultaneous, as he thrust inside of her in one swift, hard movement. Nathan stilled briefly, holding her leg wrapped firmly around his, as he buried his face in the side of her neck.
“Nothing has ever felt this good before,” he uttered brokenly. “And it’s never felt so right.”
He started to move again, his thrusts slow and controlled at first, then increasing in force and speed as he pounded her against the wall. Julia was pinned between the wall and Nathan’s hard body, and she whimpered in mingled arousal and fear, never having seen this aggressive, domineering side of him, as he didn’t just fuck her but possess her. He rode her so hard that she saw stars, her head banging against the wall with each powerful thrust. Time and time again she felt herself on the very brink of orgasm, but she intentionally held back, wanting to prolong the bliss as long as possible. She clutched him to her, needing him so desperately that it brought tears to her eyes, her body starved for the lover she’d missed so badly. Greedily, she didn’t want this to end, wanted him to go on fucking her for hours and hours, until she was raw and bruised. It would be worth it, she thought incoherently, willing to pay any price just to have him back inside of her like this.
He was breathing so hard she could barely understand the words he whispered to her, his voice guttural. “I’m going to come any second now, baby, fill you up with cum until I’m drained. Touch yourself, baby, come with me.”
Gasping, Julia touched her clit, which was almost unbearably sensitive from her prior orgasms. But she obeyed his command, rubbing her fingers over and around the distended nub as he continued to fuck her like a madman, catapulting both of them over the edge to a screaming, shaking climax. Nathan called her name out over and over, like a chant, crushing her against him as he came, his mouth sucking her neck in another of those searing love bites. She tried to utter a cry, but only silence escaped her parted lips, too wrung out to make a noise.
When he finally lifted his head and pulled away to adjust his clothing, Julia’s wobbly legs gave out and she slid down the wall, too weak to stand. She was too dazed and exhausted to care what she looked like at this moment – half-undressed and thoroughly fucked. She sat on the floor, her legs sprawled out like a broken doll’s, her head lolling to one side.
Nathan squatted down beside her, grasping her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. He looked satisfied and almost smug, the side of his mouth curling up into a wicked half-smile.
“Your would-be lover might crave everything I just had,” he told her quietly. “but he’s going to know that I was there first. He’s going to smell my scent all over your body, see where I left my mark on your skin, and hear my name on your lips. And if he still dares to fuck you, he’ll feel my cum deep inside you.”
She moaned softly at his words, closing her eyes, until he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “God, don’t let him touch you, Julia,” he pleaded. “I know I don’t have the right to ask but I’m asking anyway.”
A single tear ran down her cheek as she opened her eyes and gazed at him. “And can you tell me you aren’t going to touch Cameron tonight?” she whispered shakily. At his startled expression, she turned her head away. “Don’t bother answering that. Just go now, Nathan. Please. I need to be alone.”
“Baby -“he began, only to shake his head as he got to his feet. “Julia, I’m not going to leave you here, not like this. Come on, I’ll walk you to the ladies room.”
“No.” She brushed away the hand he extended to her. “I want to be by myself for a few minutes. Leave me alone, Nathan.”
She curled herself into a little ball, wrapping her arms around her bent knees and hiding her face. Silent sobs shook her body, but she refused to let him comfort her. Moments later, she heard the quiet click of the door as he left, and only then did she raise her head, tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks. Once again, Nathan had made her cry, and she mentally kicked herself for allowing him to have this affect on her.
He was her addiction, the forbidden temptation that she just couldn’t leave alone, and he was slowly destroying her. The scariest part of that realization, though, was that she knew she didn’t have the strength to kick the habit.
Chapter Thirteen
Nathan sat in his car for more than ten minutes before he finally summoned up the nerve to get out. And then he stood on the sidewalk for a couple more minutes, staring up at the building in front of him, double checking the information on his phone to make sure it was the right address.
Just as he was about the mount the stairs to the landing, a tall, dark-haired woman came running down the street at a faster pace than he had ever been capable of. She slowed as she approached the building Nathan was standing in front of, coming to a halt as she reached him.
She looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. “Are you lost or something?”
Nathan took in her ultra-slender figure, clad in running shorts and a short-sleeved T-shirt, some type of hi-tech shoes on her feet. Her black hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, and her sweat-dampened face was free of makeup. She carried some sort of water bottle flask in one hand.
“No, I’ve got the right address, thanks,” he replied, and began to walk up the stairs.
“Wait.” He turned as she called out to him. “I know you aren’t here to see me, so that just leaves Julia. And she isn’t here right now.”
Nathan stepped back onto the sidewalk, frowning. “Are you her roommate or something?”
“Neighbor, actually. I live in the upstairs flat. Angela DelCarlo. And you are?”
He stuck his hand out. “Nathan Atwood. I’m, uh, Julia’s -“
“Yes, I know who you are,” she said in a tone that indicated she wasn’t at all impressed with this knowledge, giving him the briefest of handshakes. “What are you doing here?”
He cocked his head to one side, regarding her carefully. “Exactly what has Julia told you about me?”
Angela shrugged. “Pretty much all of it. She didn’t mean to, but we got carried away with the tequila poppers one night. But don’t worry, your little secret’s safe with me. It’s not like we know any of the same people.”
He couldn’t very well be annoyed with Julia at havin
g confided in her neighbor when he’d spilled his guts to Jared. “I, uh, need to talk to her. Do you know when she’ll be back?”
She checked her equally high-tech running watch. “It’s ten a.m. now. Her yoga class ends at ten-thirty but she usually goes to coffee with people from her class or sometimes her teacher.”
“Where’s the yoga studio?”
Angela blinked. “Well, someone’s anxious, aren’t they? What’s the matter – need to meet your fiancée afterwards?”
The dark-haired woman’s snarkiness surprised him, for she seemed like a relatively quiet, passive person.
He flushed. “No, I don’t, actually. I just really need to talk to Julia as soon as possible.”
“Fine.” She sighed in resignation. “The place is called SF Flow and it’s about four blocks from here on Divisadero near Pine. Good luck finding a parking space.”
“Yeah, that’s the least of my worries. I’m more concerned with Julia clobbering me with a yoga mat or something. Or not speaking to me ever again.”
Angela smirked. “Buy her a café au lait and a chocolate croissant and it might help. Food usually puts her in a good mood. God knows she’s always trying to feed me.”
Nathan privately thought he knew why that was, for Angela was at least ten to fifteen pounds lighter than she ought to be, her arms and legs like toothpicks. But he merely nodded and said, “Thanks for the tip. I’ll try that.”
“Sure. I’m not positive Julia will appreciate my telling you but what the hell. And, hey – Nathan?”
He paused by his BMW Roadster, about to open the door. “What is it?”
Angela’s big brown eyes darkened and her expression was grim. “Don’t fuck around with her, okay? In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Julia’s a real prize. And from what I’ve heard you sure as hell don’t deserve her.”
Grimly, he nodded. “You’re right on that count. I’m the first to admit I’ve been a total prick to her, but that’s going to change.”
She began to ascend the stairs. “It had better. Otherwise, I’m going to call Julia’s twin and tell her everything. And that’s bad news for all of us.”
Angela went inside before he could quiz her further, but decided he was better off not knowing more about this terror of a twin sister anyway.
He found the yoga studio easily enough, and lucked out getting a parking space just around the corner. It was a few minutes before ten-thirty as he waited outside the building, and he was glad he’d worn a sweater for the fog had rolled in this morning. He didn’t expect Julia to be exactly thrilled to see him, not after the way he’d accosted, seduced and fucked her, only to leave the banquet with another woman. This was the third time he’d done something like this to her, and right now he was feeling like the lowest sort of life form. But he had to see her – to apologize, to make sure she was okay, to say God knew what else.
The trick was going to be in getting her to listen to him without flipping him off or calling him an asshole. Truth be told, he wouldn’t blame her in the least for doing both.
“Hang on a sec, Julia. I need to ask you something.”
Julia paused in the doorway leading from the practice room into the reception area of the yoga studio, glancing back curiously at her teacher. “What’s up, Sasha?”
Sasha put her hand on Julia’s arm, a light tough that nonetheless conveyed the concern behind her words. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed a little off your game today.”
Julia sighed. “Yeah, I know. Not at my best for sure.”
She’d fallen out of a handstand, wobbled on an arm balance posture that was usually easy for her, and had none of her normal high energy during class. Even in this very advanced, difficult class Julia was normally one of the top students, able to do nearly every pose that Sasha threw at them. She and her teacher had bonded almost instantly, from the time of Julia’s first class, and occasionally hung out after class to have a cup of tea and talk.
Sasha shrugged. “We all have off days. And it is close to the full moon, you know, which can throw our balance off.”
Julia knew that her teacher fully embraced the yogic lifestyle – not just the practice but also the diet and the beliefs – and being in touch with the moon phases was only a small part of that commitment.
“I’m a little tired, too, and maybe a bit hungover,” confessed Julia. “I was at a banquet last night and didn’t get home until late.”
“That would do it. You should have a big glass of wheatgrass juice to help with the hangover. It’s a wonderful energizer and detoxifier.”
Julia thought privately that wheatgrass sounded completely nauseating but she wasn’t about to insult Sasha with that opinion. “Okay, maybe I will.”
“And I noticed you wincing a little, especially when you were in hanumanasana. Do you have a muscle strain?”
Julia did wince as she recalled the slight discomfort she’d experienced doing the full splits pose. “Um, no, just, er, sore. I, um, was –well, for lack of a better description, let’s call it wallbanged last night. Guess I’m just a little tender this morning.”
Sasha’s light green eyes widened, and then she laughed behind her hand. “Well, I hope it was worth it. Sounds a bit kinky, but I’m all for a little kink every so often.”
Julia flushed. “I can’t believe I just told you that. You must think I’m shameless.”
Sasha gave a rather undignified hoot. “For getting fucked against the wall? Sweetie, not much shocks me anymore. I grew up in a very bohemian household, so I’m generally pretty open-minded about most things.”
“Well, thanks for checking on me. I promise to be back to normal by next class,” vowed Julia.
“So, no more wallbanging for you?” joked Sasha.
Julia’s mouth tightened. “Not with the same guy, anyway. I’m officially not speaking to him.”
“Too bad. Any guy who can fuck you hard enough to make you walk funny must be pretty awesome in the sack.”Sasha’s eyes twinkled. “Or in this case, against the wall.”
Julia rolled her eyes and gave her teacher a quick hug before leaving the practice room to retrieve her shoes, jacket, and mat bag. The reception area was already filling up with students for the next class, so she got ready to leave quickly.
Only to stop short upon leaving the studio when she saw who was waiting for her just outside, his tall, leanly muscled frame slouched against the side of the building.
It wasn’t fair, she thought wildly, that she kept having these sorts of reactions to him. He looked so handsome, so yummy, that he ought to be illegal. He was casually dressed today – dark jeans, loafers, and a midnight blue V-neck sweater with a white shirt beneath it. His beautiful, thick hair was as well-styled as ever, his expression somber and unsmiling.
And then she remembered how desperate, how passionate he’d been last night, only to leave the banquet with Cameron, the woman he was going to marry next Valentine’s Day. And given the way Cameron had been hanging over him all night, Julia wasn’t naïve enough to believe she hadn’t expected a rollicking fuck from Nathan. Had he gone from her arms right into Cameron’s? She shuddered at the thought, refusing to torture herself with it.
Julia gazed at him for a moment longer before recalling her vow not to speak to him. Sliding her yoga mat bag over her shoulder, she started walking down the block away from him, silently fuming that he would just show up this way. What the hell gave him the nerve to think she would ever speak to him again after the way he’d treated her last night?
Not surprisingly, he caught up to her before she’d gone half a block, his voice low and pleading. “Julia, wait. Please. We need to talk and you know it. Stop.”
Stubbornly, she kept on walking until he took hold of her arm, stilling her. She refused to look at him and tried unsuccessfully to pull her arm free.
“Let go of me, Nathan,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
“You don’t have to talk, just listen. Bu
t can we go somewhere more private? Can I buy you a coffee? Please, Julia. I need to apologize, make sure you’re okay, and I really don’t want to do that here on the sidewalk.”
She gave a small shrug. “I’m fine. You’ve apologized, Nothing left to say. Now let me go.”
“No. Hey, I get that you’re pissed off at me and I don’t blame you. But please – it’s just coffee, okay?”
Julia emitted a little huff. “Fine. There’s a place on the next block.”
“Is that where they serve the chocolate croissants?”
She blinked at him, wondering how in the world he would know about that, and then it dawned on her. “Angela. That rat. She told you where to find me. Nice to know I can count on my friends when I need them.”
Nathan smirked. “If it’s any consolation, she warned me to play nice. Threatened to tell your sister if I didn’t.”
Julia fought down a sense of panic at the very thought of Lauren ever figuring out that the bastard who dumped her back in New York was now her employer. “Well, that would be a very bad thing. My sister isn’t known as the Queen of Confrontation for nothing. And she’s coming for a visit next month so Angela needs to zip it.”
“How does your neighbor know your sister so well?”
“We all grew up together in Carmel, went through school and all. Angela is actually more Lauren’s friend than mine but we’re still close. When she learned I was moving here she told me about the flat for lease below hers.”
Nathan kept hold of her arm as they continued walking. “Your friend isn’t exactly warm and sunny, is she?”
Julia’s eyes flashed green fire. “She used to be, until some prick did a real number on her a couple of years ago. She was a total wreck for a long time – stopped eating, lost a ton of weight, wouldn’t leave her flat except to go to work. Things haven’t improved much, either.”
Serendipity (Inevitable) Page 26