by Nana Malone
Elizabeth faltered and leaned back an inch. Damn. He really had to work on softening the edges. He worked his carefully constructed mask back into place.
This time, she visibly relaxed with a deep sigh. “Now, let's go meet the mayor. He's a terrible golfer, but he's a good man to have in your corner. You should suggest a game.”
Golf? He'd rather shoot himself in his left nut. But he nodded benignly and followed her.
For the next thirty minutes, he chatted and made small talk, mentally cataloguing everyone he met. All of them had some distinction, and were, so far, fooled by the façade. Good. That was what he wanted. He only had to do this for a couple of months. He could do anything for that long, right?
In his peripheral vision, he occasionally caught sight of Delilah laughing and smiling. This sort of thing came so easy to her. Sure, she was working, but there was an authenticity about every interaction that helped her connect to people. She’d always been like that. That was probably the reason she had clients in the first place. People wanted to trust her. Wanted to talk to her because she looked like she was listening.
When Delilah headed toward the far corner of the ballroom, Ross followed at a discrete distance, and the hairs on Nate’s arms stood upright. Shit. Excusing himself from some useless bullshit conversation about local politics, he followed Ross to the rear exit.
Once he was in the darkened hallway, he didn’t see any hint of Delilah or Ross. He took a chance and headed down the corridor with quick strides. He passed the fire exit and halted as he spotted a swatch of black through the window.
Making sure he wasn't being followed, he opened the door and ran after her. The click and clomp of her heels echoed through the stairwell with deafening clarity. “Delilah, wait.”
All he heard was a muttered curse, then the clanging echo stopped. “Nate?” she asked, her voice tinny and raw.
When he caught up to her on the landing, she was leaning against one of the large cylindrical ducts. Behind it was a darkened storage closet. He gripped her shoulders. “Are you all right?”
She shook her head. “I was going to take the elevator to the pool area, but Michael thought it might be fun to join me inside, so I waited till the last minute and slipped out.” She smiled sheepishly. “I’m hiding from my client. How perfect is that?”
“I saw him follow you, and I was worried. That guy’s a piece of work.”
She swallowed hard. “That he is. And he is also a client. And currently under the deluded impression that I'm going to go out with him. I’ve made it clear he’s mistaken. I even made up a boyfriend, hoping to throw him off the scent. He’s not usually so persistent. Drinking doesn’t help. And of course, Jake wanted me to stick to him like glue.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be working with me tonight?”
“I don’t think Jake took you too seriously when you said you’d only work with me.”
Nate made a mental note to read Jake the riot act. Her voice might have been calmer, but her eyes were still overly bright, and she trembled. Fury made his hands shake. When he got that pretty boy actor alone, he was going to shred him.
He forced himself to take a breath, then another. “Let me take you home. I'll put you in the limo and call Elizabeth from there. To be honest, I think I was beginning to bore her anyway.”
She shook her head. “No, Nate, I can’t ask you to do that. You need to be at this party. This is work for you. It needs to come first. I'll just head home. I'll go out the back way. I've already texted my car service. Honestly, I'm fine.”
His anger boiled over. “Would you stop saying that? You’re clearly not fine. That asshole had his hands on you. He's a problem, Lila. He’s the kind of guy who won’t take no for an answer. He’s the kind of guy who takes what he wants, no matter what. He thinks it’s owed to him.” He shuddered as his mind tried to reel in dark memories.
She sighed, and her shoulders slumped. “Nate, I know that. He's slimy. But so far, I'm able to keep it professional. I'll talk to Jake about it. I think Michael’s full of hot air, but I’m not going to take chances. I'm not a fool, you know, I can—”
The echoing creak of the fire door being opened startled them both. Three flights up, where she'd made her escape, Nate heard voices. Both of them familiar. He couldn’t really make out what they were saying though.
Delilah leaned in and whispered, “Is that Jake?”
Nate nodded. “And Ross too, it looks like.”
She squinted. “I can’t hear them.”
They both fell silent. Nate was able to make out Ross poking Jake in the chest. “You said she was mine. Who the fuck is that other guy?”
Jake hushed him. “Look, he’s a client, and he’s insisted that he wants her as his primary. He’s important. Or rather his company is important. I need to give him what he wants. And you need to calm down.”
Michael shoved Jake. “Don’t tell me to calm down. Fix it.” Then Ross dropped his voice and said something muted that sounded like “....Better not....disappoint...in charge.”
Nate dragged his attention back to Delilah. “I didn't get the last part.”
Suddenly, heavy footsteps caused the stairwell to vibrate. Delilah’s eyes went wide. “Shit, is that Michael or Jake coming down?” she whispered.
“Not sure. Look. Take off your shoes and head downstairs. I'll distract whoever that is.”
Delilah looked from Nate, to the stairs, and back to Nate again. “I don’t think we have time for that. Besides, the last thing I need is you and Michael in some kind of fight. Getting in his way will be ugly for you, and we can’t afford that.”
He glanced back up the stairs, and adrenaline thrummed through his veins. “What do you suggest? We keep standing here, and one of them is going to see us. Either Jake will see us together and we need to start explaining ourselves, or Ross is going to get his ass beat.”
She sucked in her bottom lip and raked it over with her teeth, then slid a glance back up the stairs. “I don’t know.”
“Fine, then I’m deciding.” He tugged her behind the duct and tucked her into the closet, following close behind.
“Nate, what are you doing?” she whispered.
“Giving you an escape plan.” He shrugged.
“Yeah, great plan, except for the big ol’ window anyone can see through.”
He grinned. “You seem to forget that you’re tiny. All anyone will see is my back. If anyone comes down, they’ll assume I snuck in here with someone for a little privacy.”
“This isn’t going to work.”
“You’re going to have to trust me at some point.”
Chapter 10
Delilah wasn't sure if she should thank Nate or hit him. Sure, no one would see her in here with his body shielding hers, and she’d escaped Michael Ross, but now she was pressed up against Nate, her breasts pushing against the hard planes of his chest—in the middle of a party where she was supposed to be the picture of decorum.
This was a mistake. But knowing didn’t stop her heart from thundering. Knowing didn’t stop her from salivating. Knowing didn’t make her knees any steadier or stop her body from softening for him.
She was primed. She knew what to expect, and her body wanted to twine itself around his. That kiss yesterday had sent her on a spiral, and she hated feeling like she was losing control. Helpless and vulnerable were so not a good look for her. But Nate had a way of making her feel this way. Unsettled. As if she were teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Delilah steeled herself. He wouldn't know a damn thing about her feelings unless she told him. Sure, he knew she was attracted to him, but he was not going to know how much he affected her. That was going to stay a closely guarded secret.
“Nate...” Her voice trailed.
“Mmm?” He studied her closely and trailed the back of his finger along her jaw.
She shivered before clearing her throat. Being this close to him made it really difficult to exercise her best judgment. The hint of m
usk in his cologne, mixed with a smidge of scotch and mint had her swaying into him. “What are you doing to me?”
His voice was hoarse when he spoke. “I hope the same thing you’re doing to me.” With a groan, Nate kissed her.
Quickly, the kiss went from a meeting of the mouths to a desperate attempt to fuse their bodies. Nate backed her up into the corner of the closet, bracketing her in with his big body. Then, bracing his hands on either side of her face and angling her head so he could deepen the kiss, he teased her lips with the tip of his tongue until she parted them. He slid his tongue in on a sigh.
Even as her body melted, her brain tried to register a warning. Enjoy him, then let him go. Do not get too close. But as he licked into her mouth, it felt real...and potent.
Stomping feet, and a brief snicker of laugher registered somewhere in the back of her mind. Distantly, she thought she heard someone mutter “get a room” but then the hulking steps continued on down the stairwell without stopping. The moment their voyeur passed, Delilah could feel tension ebb out of Nate’s body.
Sneaking away from a party to make out wasn’t her. She had every intention of stopping him. Just as soon as—Nate's hand scooped down her back and made contact with her ass, drawing her closer to him, and she couldn’t think. He molded their bodies together. The hard ridge of his erection throbbed against her belly, and she fought back a moan.
He levered himself lower and wound his arm round her waist. Understanding what he wanted, she wrapped her legs around him. Nate growled as her tongue slid over his, gliding against it as she involuntarily worked her heated core against his erection.
Quickly, he pressed her more firmly into the corner, and she realized she had to extend no effort to hold on. All she had to do was keep her legs around him, and he did all the work of holding her up. Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, he devoured her lips. His tongue dipped playfully into her mouth and artfully wove lust and bliss and need around her so tight, nothing could have penetrated it.
Delilah dug her hands into his hair, relishing the silky feel of it between her fingers. Nate slid his tongue in and out of the warm depths of her mouth in time to his hips rocking into hers. Or maybe that was her rocking her hips into him? All she knew was she wanted to be closer to his heat. Feel the delicious way their bodies fit.
With every stroke of Nate’s tongue, she moaned, and he took what he wanted from her. Everything she was willing to give.
Nate cupped her face as he sucked on her bottom lip, teasing her, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. His other hand skimmed up her torso, then stopped as it reached the start of her deep ‘v’ of cleavage. Delilah drew in a shuddering breath and arched her back into him, waiting for him to touch her. Gently, his thumbs traced where the material met flesh. She tried to pull him closer, but she had no leverage and was at his mercy as he drove her slowly insane. When his thumb finally nudged aside the flimsy material, her double-sided tape put up no fight. When the fabric gaped, exposing her pebbled nipple to the air, she shivered, and he groaned.
“Better than every fucking fantasy,” he whispered.
The jolt of electricity was instant and hit her molten center as she rotated her hips into his. Nate sucked her tongue into his mouth before slowly drawing back. With her eyes still closed, Delilah tried to follow his lips, but he held the back of her neck firmly. Eyes heavy with lust and longing, she dragged them open, the question ready on her lips.
He watched her with clear need and fire in his eyes, but his gaze held hers as if he needed to see the connection to convince himself it was real.
Still holding her gaze, he rolled her nipple with his thumb and forefinger, gently plucking.
“Oh, my God. Nate, I—”
“Damn. You are so fucking soft.”
She just needed him to do that one more time, and she'd be so close to—
His lips descended onto hers, and she gave a muffled cry of relief. The hazy fog of lust started to drown out the real world again and she sank into the feeling.
But then he drew back. This time drawing a slow circle around her exposed nipple. When he spoke, his voice was ragged. “I want to taste you here.” He rocked his erection against her center and added in a whisper, “I'm going to taste you here too. In fact, I'm going to spend the majority of my time here, exploring every inch of you with my tongue.”
Delilah drew in a shuddering breath. Yes. She wanted it all. Wanted to feel his mouth on her. “Nate, I—” But he interrupted her by kissing her softly instead of doing that delicious thing with his tongue again.
“Shit, I don’t think I can stop.” He groaned against her lips.
She arched her back. “Then don’t.” Her brain scrambled for purchase, but she couldn’t stop either. She needed him.
He dipped his head and drew her nipple into his mouth again, taking deep pulls. Heat snaked down her spine, making her skin tight and itchy, and her body bowed into his. She slid her hands into his hair and moaned as he sucked harder.
Nate released her and let out a low growl as he panted. “Jesus, Lila. I need to stop before I can’t.” As if to punctuate his comment, his body pressed into her.
She moved her head up and down. Yes. Storage closet. It didn't matter. As long as he kept touching her and rubbing that delicious spot where—wait a minute. She blinked rapidly and tried to make sense of what he was saying.
Instead of his skilled thumb teasing her nipple some more, he brushed the bodice of her dress back into place. His strong fingers kneaded the back of her neck, but in relaxing motions, not the fevered grip he'd had on her before. Gently, he slid his hands to her waist, picked her up again before setting her gently onto the ground.
Her brain barely registered any cohesive thoughts as it attempted to come online and failed. “What—I—”
He cleared his throat loudly. “You pack a hell of a punch, Delilah.” He then took a very deliberate step backward.
Delilah fought to clear her clouded brain. When clarity slowly dawned, so did the reality of where she was. “I-I have to go.”
Nate narrowed his gaze and studied her closely. “I’ll take you down to your car, then I’m going to come back and see my date home. After that—”
She shook her head. “Nate, it’s been a really long night. I need to crash and get my head straight.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets. “Eventually, we’re going to have to talk about what’s going on.”
She squared her shoulders. “I know, but right now, I don't feel like talking. Not about this. This—” she gestured between the two of them “—is dangerous.”
He opened the door for her, and she slid out. Slipping off her shoes, she padded down the stairs, not daring to look back to see if he followed.
Chapter 11
Of all the things Delilah needed the next morning, getting chewed out by her boss wasn’t one of them. Coffee she needed. Chocolate she would kill for. A night of Nate-free dreams she would have given her first born for. An ass handing, however, she could pass on.
She knew what he was mad about. Celeb Juicy had gotten a picture of her, Nate, and Michael in a tense moment at the Gala. The photo was of her with her hands on Nate’s arm before he could beat Michael to a pulp. But given she’d had a smile plastered on her face to keep up appearances, the blog site captioned it to make it sound like she was at the center of some love triangle. She vibrated with anger. The moment she’d seen it, she’d come straight to his office. Better to take her lumps early.
“Do you want to explain yourself?”
“Look if you’re talking about the story in Celeb Juicy, I—”
He arched a brow and crossed his arms. “You think this is about Celeb Juicy?”
She swallowed hard. “That story they posted about me with Michael Ross is bullshit.”
He cracked his neck. “Maybe you should start with the instructions I gave you last night. All you had to do was stick with Michael. Instead, I have him barking at me that he n
eeded more of your time, and next thing I know, you’ve vanished.”
Oh. That’s what he was angry about. She licked her lips. “He’s a problem, Jake.” She hated dragging her boss into this, but Michael was out of control.
His brows snapped down. “What the fuck do you mean?”
“His attention is becoming more than just a nuisance.”
“Spit it out, Delilah, I don’t have all fucking morning.”
Okay, well, he was asking for it. “He’s lewd and unstable. At the Gala, Michael grabbed me, and when Nate stepped in on my behalf, it almost turned into a fight. When he’s sober, he’s manageable. It’s mostly innuendo, and I can divert his attention, but when he’s been drinking, he’s out of control. He nearly gave me bruises, he grabbed me so hard.”
Jake paled. He sat silently for several moments then scrubbed his hand in front of his face. “Fuck, Delilah, why didn’t you tell me before?”
“He’s never put his hands on me before.”
Jake pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, okay, give me a second to think.”
What she wanted him to say was, “I’ll switch him to another associate,” or even better, “I’ll drop him as a client.” But she knew Jake well enough by now to know he wouldn’t. Besides, Michael’s production company had poured money into the firm two years ago. There was no dropping him. By Jake’s deep frown, it didn’t look like he was going to reassign the grabby idiot either. And not like she could really issue an ultimatum—Michael or her. She didn’t have the funds to pay them back for graduate school. Rock, meet very cold, dank, hard place.
“Okay look, I can’t drop him. And we’re stretched a bit thin. Both he and Nate have personally requested you, and they are both important clients, so I can’t reassign you.”
Shocker. “Got any ideas of what I’m supposed to do if he tries to put his hands on me again, because my preference is to taze him. Or maybe I need to talk to legal about personal safety.”