I scoffed at her foolishness. “He’s constantly picking me up and I don’t like it.” Even if I did like the feel of his muscles when he carried me, I’d never admit it out loud. “Anyway, I’m focused on finding a new line of work.”
“You’re just giving up? He gives you one lousy no and you’re not gonna ask him again?”
“Nope. He’s not interested, so I moved on. Besides, I think I have a line on becoming a virtual assistant. Doesn’t require a lot of standing, and I can do it from the comfort of my home.” It was by no means my dream job, but it was something I could do with this stupid boot and it would pay the bills.
“Oh crap, I forgot!” An alarm went off on Max’s phone, and a frown spread across her face as she read the notification. “Callie has soccer practice tonight and I totally forgot.”
She hopped up, rushed over to the fridge, and stuck her head inside. “I have to find snacks for after practice, but I’m pretty sure the last bag of oranges I bought is more mold than fruit.”
“That’s why I never buy fruit by the package.”
Max emerged with a pineapple and some other leftover fruit and dumped it all on the counter. “After the excitement of the camping trip, Callie needed comfort food and I indulged a little too much. She’s not even sure if she likes soccer, but there’s an adorable little boy on her team who is as big a dork as she is and they nerd out together. It’s friggin’ adorable!”
I frowned. Callie was just seven years old. “Isn’t she a little young to be interested in boys?”
“Oh, it’s harmless — this has nothing to do with gender. They both have big brains and bond over things other kids their age aren’t interested in. It’s healthy, and I’m encouraging the friendship because I’d rather she have someone she can talk to than force toxic boy-girl issues on her before they come naturally.”
“You’re a good mom, Max,” I told her, admiringly. I’d known some truly awful foster mothers, so the compliment was genuine.
“Thanks.” She smiled, proud and wistful, before fixing me with a meaningful look. “So, there’s really nothing going on with you and Preston?”
Max’s expression shifted from hopeful to sad as I replied, “Nope. Nothing at all, just a few days as housemates.”
My words were punctuated by the sound of the doorbell ringing, and Max shrugged before turning to answer it. I leaned back to wait for her return — I didn’t need to know who was there.
Max came back into the kitchen almost immediately, her arms folded and brows arched inquisitively. “Want to repeat that, Nina?”
“Repeat what?” She looked smug as she stepped back behind the counter, but before I could press her for more information, Preston appeared in the doorway. I groaned.
“We need to talk,” he proclaimed. No smile or friendly greeting; just a barked-out order.
“Pretty sure we don’t,” I replied coolly, crossing my arms over my chest. There was nothing more to say.
“You left,” he shot at me, accusation coloring his tone.
“I always was leaving, Preston — that’s your home, not mine. And now, you have your bachelor pad to yourself. Again.”
He looked angry, but I didn’t intimidate easily. Not even in the face of a man with the body of a Greek god and the face of a dark angel. “Did I do or say anything to make you feel unwelcome, Nina?”
We both knew he’d been raised too well to ever do that. “No, of course not. But it was time for me to move on.” Before I overstayed my welcome, I added in my head. I knew all the tricks people used to get rid of you when they were tired of having you around and I always made sure to leave before that time came.
“So you decided to trade my guest room for Max’s?” His scowl and outraged tone were starting to piss me off. Who did he think he was, barking at me like I owed him something?
“Actually, it’s my couch — my guest room is out of commission,” Max offered with a smirk, and I stuck my tongue out at her.
“You’re supposed to be my friend,” I whined, feeling defeated.
“I am, sweetheart, but the truth is that between the business and Callie, I can’t always be here for you. What if you need help and I’m not around?”
I understood what she was saying, but I was hurt, angry, and totally irrational. “I didn’t realize I was such a burden,” I snapped. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time without anyone’s help and there’s no need for that to change.” It took me a few indignant tries, but I finally got to my feet and moved toward the door.
“Nina, wait. You’re not a burden. I didn’t say that.” Max sounded annoyed but I didn’t care, not when it took all of my energy and focus just to make it to the door without falling flat on my face. Or worse, my ass.
“Don’t worry about it, Max. You’re right, I wasn’t thinking straight or I’d have never imposed on you. Thanks for your help,” I shouted over my shoulder, grabbing my bag and stumbling out the front door.
Max and Preston called after me as I cautiously made my way down the steps, but the moment my feet hit the sidewalk, I was a woman on a mission — and that mission was getting myself home in one piece.
I knew it was stupid and childish to just run away. In the moment, though, it felt right. It reminded me of who I was, a woman who had mastered the art of leaning on no one. Living in Tulip had almost made me forget the most important thing I’d learned as a ward of the state: the only person you can rely on is yourself.
“Nina, come back!” Preston stubbornly followed me as I fled the awkward situation at my friend’s house, and I forced myself to hobble a little faster down the road.
It wasn’t a solid end game, but in that moment, it was all I had.
* * *
I’d only made it a few blocks before Preston pulled up along the curb in his Escalade, crawling slowly down the street next to me. “Stubborn woman, you do realize you left your things at Max’s?” he asked me through the passenger side window.
Of course, I’d realized it, but pride dictated that my belongings were now lost forever — I certainly wouldn’t be returning for them after my spectacular exit.
“I have my keys and my wallet, that’s all that matters to me,” I replied, refusing to look at him. Everything else could wait until I was more mobile or until Max took pity on me and returned it.
“They’re in here with me.” His words stopped me short and I nearly toppled over the uneven sidewalk. For just a second, I allowed my gaze to meet his, and I sucked in a barely audible breath before I resumed walking.
“Since you took it upon yourself to take them, I’m sure you won’t have any problem leaving them on my side of the porch. Thanks.” I turned right at the next corner, arms pumping with determination, as I heard Preston’s vehicle stop and his door slam shut. I was about to whirl around to tell him off again when a big hand reached out and scooped me in the air. Ignoring my shriek of protest, Preston tossed me unceremoniously over his shoulder.
“Put me you down, you damn ape!” I ignored the relief that shot all the way up to my hips at being off my feet and continued to pound my fists against his muscular back, his tight ass.
“Be careful with that leg, sweetheart.” His words came out so calmly so casually, it was almost like he hadn’t just lifted me up off the street like a sack of discarded clothes.
“Don’t call me sweetheart,” I cried, “and put me down!”
“Gladly.” He lowered me gently to the passenger seat of his truck. “Happy?”
“No!” I retorted, sulking into the seat. “I’ll be happy when you stop man-handling me. I am a person, not a piece of luggage you can pick up and put down as you see fit.” Geez the man was infuriating as hell.
“Nina.” His voice was soft. “Why is it so hard for you to just accept my help?”
God, there were so many reasons, but they were none of his business. “If I needed help, I would ask for it.” And only if I truly needed it.
“Liar.” He fastened the seatbel
t around me, like that would stop me if I got the urge to run.
“What are you getting out of this, anyway? The whole town already loves you.” And the last thing I need is to be some rich dude’s charity project, I thought about adding.
“Because you need someone. You got hurt trying to save a kid, Nina. That was brave and stupid —mostly brave — and it’s not right that it’s now causing so many problems for you. Let me help you.” Before I could respond, he slammed the door in my face and jogged around the front of the car.
The short drive to the duplex I rented went by in a tense sort of stillness that made everything worse. My pain throbbed just a little harder, and the silence seemed more oppressive than ever.
When the truck came to a stop, I slid down the too-tall seat and nearly face-planted. “Whoa, that was close,” I muttered to myself, regaining my balance and continuing on the path to my place. It would take some effort to reach the top and I needed to prepare myself. I took a deep breath and turned back to Preston’s car. “Thanks for the… ride.”
A few feet behind me, Preston stood with a scowl on his face. “Will you feel better if you get hurt again? Because I’ll let you, if it means you’ll learn to accept some help!”
“And what happens when you have a date? Or a shift at work, or some Worthington event you can’t get out of? Who am I supposed to rely on then? Myself, and that’s who I’m relying on now.”
He studied me for a long moment, his eyes focused like he was trying to figure me out. Well, good luck, I thought. I’ve got twenty-seven years on him and still haven’t gotten myself figured out. “So, better not to rely on anyone, ever?”
I forced a smile. “You got it. Glad we cleared that up.” Even the idea of the short seven steps up to the door sent beads of sweat dripping down my neck, but I sucked in a few more deep breaths and made it up to the porch with only a little panting. And swearing.
“You’re pissed,” Preston said, watching me from his truck. I tried not to look at him “I get it, Nina.”
God, the way he said my name made it sound so exotic, I nearly forgot he was watching me struggle to do something I’d been doing with relative ease since I was three years old. “I’m not pissed, Preston, I just happen to have things on my mind that have nothing to do with you.”
“Like money? You could have just told—”
“No, I couldn’t have. I don’t need you doing me any favors, and I really don’t want to be your latest charity project, okay? You don’t want to do the calendar; that’s fine with me. End of story, okay? Good,” I said without waiting for an answer. “Now, thanks again for the ride. I’ll see you around.”
I had something far more dangerous to focus on — making it up nineteen steps with this boot on my leg. The first three steps were no problem at all, and I allowed myself a short break before battling through the next three. By the third set, I was drenched in sweat and about to collapse on the staircase. With an audience.
“I’m gonna wring your pretty little neck.” With a low growl, Preston lifted me again, carried me up the final dozen stairs, and put me back down on my welcome mat. “Get off your feet while I grab the rest of your stuff.”
If Preston thought I would just obey his orders, he obviously hadn’t been paying attention. As soon as my door was open, I made a bee-line to the fridge and pulled out a beer to quench my thirst and cool my overheated body. “Exactly what I needed.”
“I asked you to do one little thing and you couldn’t even do that. What the hell, Nina?”
“First, if you had asked, I might have done it, but I don’t respond to barked orders, Your Highness. Second, thank you for bringing up my stuff, but you can leave now.”
“Who’s going to take care of you?”
I folded my arms and fixed him with my best glare. “The same person who’s been doing it my entire life, Preston — me. I’m not some damsel in distress; I don’t need a big strong man to take care of me.”
“It’s not a question of how capable you are, Nina. Even the strongest of us needs help once in a while, and only dummies refuse to ask.” He was right in my face, trying to get me to back down. Clearly, that meant I had to double down.
I pushed my face even closer to his, as much as my height deficit and the boot would allow. “I don’t need help,” I assured him. “I’m just fine on my own.”
He growled again, but in the next moment, his big hands cupped my face. Before I could pull back, he pressed his mouth to mine in a searing kiss that took me by surprise and stole my breath.
Like the rest of him, his lips were firm and insistent, but instead of fighting the kiss like I’d fought him on everything else, I let myself fall into it. I leaned toward him and savored every second of his delicious taste, his tantalizing tongue, and the feel of his warm, strong hands around my jaw.
Then I realized what we were doing. I pulled back, wide-eyed and shocked, and pushed his chest back, hard. For a quick second, Preston looked confused, but he caught me when I lunged forward and our mouths met again. He kissed me until my mouth went dry, until my panties grew damp, and I clung to him like life support. It was a damn fine kiss — the kind that led to other things, if a girl wasn’t careful.
Except I wasn’t careful. I hadn’t counted on being drunk on Preston’s kisses, on losing all sense of control at the way his hands stroked me gently while his mouth kept up an intense torture that made my whole body vibrate with a hungry kind of need.
As his mouth did wonderful, wicked things to my body, our clothes flew around the kitchen, our desperate hands grabbing and caressing each other inelegantly.
His eyes met mine, and our bodies slowly came together in a sweet, torturous agony that pulled a long moan from me.
He grinned. “You feel even better than I imagined.”
“Right back atcha,” I managed to pant out as he pushed in deep, pressing my back against the cold door of the fridge. “Preston.” The moan was torn from me by his long, slow strokes that left me feeling lust-crazed. “Yes!”
With a satisfied smile on his face, Preston gripped my hips as he plunged into me, harder and faster, until my pulse kept time with the sound of our slick skin smacking together. “Oh fuck, Nina.” To see Preston, so handsome and proper, losing control like this, was my undoing.
He gripped me tighter and fiercely pounded into me until my pleasure overflowed as an orgasm washed over me. It was sharp and intense, sending shockwaves of electricity through every pore in my body. “Preston!” His name slid from my mouth in a slow, sensual rhythm as he pounded harder in search of his own orgasm. “Harder. Give it to me, Preston. Please!”
“Fuck,” he roared, slamming into me. It was rough and unsophisticated, raw and unpolished. It struck me that the way he made love was the exact opposite of the way he lived his life in public.
He didn’t fuck like the upstanding citizen he was, like the quintessential small-town boy next door. No, he made love like a man possessed. Like a man who indulged in the pleasures of life, no matter what simple minds considered right or wrong. “Oh fuck, Nina.”
“That you did, and you did it spectacularly, Preston.” My body was limp, sweaty, achy, and so satisfied I knew sleep wouldn’t be far off.
He laughed and pressed his lips firmly to mine, kissing me as slowly and as sensually as I’d ever been kissed. It was such a stark contrast to the way he’d just pleased my body, and I closed my eyes against the way his tenderness affected me.
Because this wasn’t about tenderness or affection, it was chemistry. A physical need had been satisfied. This was hormones and science — nothing more.
I pushed down the cozy post-sex glowing feelings and crossed my fingers, hoping that orgasm would give me more than just an incredible release. I needed clarity on my future.
Preston
I can’t believe I had sex with Nina, and I can’t believe I’m thinking about doing it again.
Repeatedly.
The next time — because there had to be
a next time — I would go slow, take my time and give her enough orgasms to keep that sexy grin on her face for days to come.
It was these incessant thoughts of Nina that kept me from having an effective workout. After thirty minutes of fighting with my distracted mind, I finally called it quits and left the gym.
Nina hadn’t called or texted, and although her silence wasn’t all that surprising, it still made me mad. Would it kill her to show her interest, just a little? Maybe it was ego, or maybe I had a lot more work to do when it came to her.
“Hey, Preston.” The voice was unfamiliar and when I looked up, a petite blond stood in front of me, tits pushed out just far enough to draw my attention.
“Hey, uh…”
“Ginger,” she filled in with a giggle. “What are you up to?”
I shrugged and looked down at my barely-used gym clothes. “Headed home.”
“Want some company?”
Seriously? “Not right now. I’ll see you later, Ms. Ginger.” I sidestepped both her cleavage and the disappointed look in her eyes to make my escape.
But luck wasn’t on my side — Max stood not ten feet away, anger flaring up around her as she glared at me in accusation. “What’s the problem, Maxine?”
She bristled at my use of her full name. “No problem here, Preston, that’s just your own guilty conscience. Or maybe it’s your mind telling you something you’re not ready to hear yet.” She flashed a satisfied smile, arched a brow, and turned to walk away. “See you later, Worthington.”
“Not if I see you first, Nash.” She waved me off with a laugh and we went our separate ways into the small parking lot.
It was a small gym, too — most folks in Tulip got enough of a workout doing daily chores on their ranches and farms. But the town’s little gym meant I could stop pretending to help out on Worthington Ranch on my days off, therefore limiting my chances of running into my mother. That alone was worth the cost of a year’s membership.
Boredom set in about twenty minutes after my shower. Instead of being soothed by my afternoon beer overlooking the lake, I felt restless. And it was all Nina Ryland’s fault. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, worrying about her. Wondering what she was doing.
Mr. Savior: A Roommate Hero Romance Page 7