Trouble in Disguise

by Sonia Stanizzo

  “Honey, if that man is here to see you, I’d be happy. And I mean happy in all the right places.” Then she sighed and rubbed her belly. “I can’t wait until this baby is born so I can get back to being happy in all the right places.”

  Jade sniggered.

  Lauren glared at them and held a finger up to her lips, signaling for them to be quiet. That only made Jade and Ava laugh even more. Lauren shook her head and continued to watch Nate.

  Until now, Jade had avoided looking at him. Afraid that if she did, she’d run to the stage and throw her bra at his feet with her phone number on it. But luckily for her, he’d already seen her bra and had her phone number. So maybe it was safe to have a quick peek.

  She turned her head, and bam, the sight hit her like a blow to the chest. A black t-shirt hugged his broad chest, and he wore faded denim jeans. A lock of dark sandy hair fell over his forehead as he sat on a stool strumming his guitar. Tonight, he sang something about trailing his fingertips down his lover’s spine.

  It made her own spine tingle and her heart race. Her palms grew sweaty, and she was short of breath. Maybe she was coming down with something and needed medical attention. Or maybe she just needed Nate doing all those things he sang about to her. She squirmed in her seat.

  Finally, when he finished the last notes of the song, he leaned the guitar against the stool and gave a little wave to the audience who rose to their feet as they applauded.

  “Wow, he’s fantastic.” Lauren clapped enthusiastically then turned in her seat to give them her attention after going fangirl over Nate. “Why haven’t I seen his albums anywhere? Surely someone would want to sign him up.”

  Keeping who he really was from her friends was the worst. Actually, not being naked right now with Nate was the worst, but keeping secrets came close. She wished she could tell them.

  After his set, Jade hoped Nate would come over to say hi, but he walked to the bar and ordered a drink. She watched him pull back on his beer, not giving her any attention at all. She looked away. Maybe he didn’t want to interrupt her while she was out with her friends.

  Should she go to him and say hi? God, she felt like she was back in high school trying to pluck up the courage to talk to the hottest guy in class. They’d gotten to know each other pretty intimately, so why was she suddenly feeling so shy? Then a tingling sensation along her spine pulled her gaze to his face. His hooded stare locked onto hers, and she flushed red hot.

  “It’s seriously getting hot in here. Don’t you think, Lauren?” Ava said, waving a hand in front of her face. “If you don’t go over there and drag that man away, I will do it for you.”

  Jade broke eye contact with Nate and lifted a dubious brow at Ava. “Really?” There was no way in hell she would cheat on her husband. And if she did so with Nate, Jade would strangle her.

  “No. One man in my life is more than enough,” Ava replied.

  Once upon a time, Ava never wanted only one man. Didn’t believe in relationships. Now, Jade had never seen her friend looking so happy. How things can change.

  Things can change… Could they for her too?

  She mentally shook her head. The curse situation was out of her hands. No point getting her hopes up. Disappointment sat heavy on her heart, but she shrugged it away. She may not be able to plan a future with a man, but nothing stopped her from having a lot of fun with one. And Nate had come-and-have-fun-with-me written all over him.

  “Sorry, girls, but I’m cutting our night short,” she said as she rose from the seat.

  “About time.” Ava cheered.

  With that, Jade gave her friends a quick kiss on their cheeks and headed toward Nate with the thundering of her heart beating like a drum in her ears.

  She slid onto the stool next to him. “I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided tonight it’s guys before girls.”

  * * * *

  Nate should have felt guilty Jade ditched her friends for him. Wasn’t there some kind of code about friends that shouldn’t be broken? But if she was okay with it, why the hell should he feel bad? From the moment she stumbled into the pub he wanted to stop singing and take her somewhere private so he could do all those things he’d been fantasizing about for days.

  And when she’d approached him, it took all of two seconds to usher her out of the room. Once outside, he remembered he’d walked. His house was only a block away, but it was now raining hard.

  “I don’t have my car.” Standing under the awning, he asked, “please don’t tell me you came here on your little bumble bee.”

  Placing a hand on her hip, she feigned being offended. “My moped is excellent transportation, but no, I brought my car because I knew it would rain.” She lifted a lock of hair and examined it. “I got stuck in the rain anyway, and look at the mess it made of my hair.”

  Nate took the strand from her hand and twirled it around his finger, gently tugging her head closer to him so their faces were inches away. Her sparkling, light blue eyes deepened, and her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip, drawing his gaze to her mouth.

  Oh God, that mouth. He wanted to taste her again so badly. But he had to restrain himself. Because if he kissed her now, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop, and having Jade up against a wall in front of a busy pub was not the way he wanted her.

  “Let’s get out of here.” His voice sounded husky. He held onto her hand and they darted out into the rain. “Which way?”

  She pointed left, and they ran about six meters down the road. Both of them were soaked through when they jumped into the car. Nate made out the lace pattern of Jade’s bra under her pink top. Her nipples peeked.

  Inwardly, he groaned. He’d been a teenager the last time a glimpse of a girl’s bra had turned him on. Now he’d seen his fair share. Women constantly flashed them, and much more, at his concerts. But it was only Jade’s he wanted to see. The sooner the better.

  “Your place or mine?” she asked, her voice sounding a little breathless. He hoped it was because of him and not from the jog to the car.

  “My place is two minutes away. How far is yours?” he asked.

  “Too far. Your place it is.” And she preceded to get them there in under two minutes. Thank God her car was faster than her moped.

  Arriving at his house, they entered the living room and were greeted by the cat sitting beside the door like he was waiting for them.

  “Dorito!” Jade smiled and kneeled on the floor. “How are you, baby? Did you miss me? Has Nate been good to you? He’d better be.” She spoke to the cat like he could understand her.

  The cat rubbed up against her legs, something Nate wanted to do and would not be outdone by it.

  He pulled Jade up onto her feet and led the way to his bedroom. She followed close behind and so did Dorito. “No, you don’t, buddy. The only claw marks I want on my arse tonight are from Jade.”

  Jade snorted but didn’t complain when he gently pushed the cat out of the room and closed the door.

  For a moment all Nate could do was stare. Her flaming hot hair sat in wild, damp curls, framing her round face. The freckles on her nose stood out against her fair skin. She might not like them and tried covering them up, but he thought they were sexy as hell.

  His heart was in his throat as he took in the rest of her. Her wet top stuck to her like a second skin, showcasing everything he wanted to touch. She was gorgeous. She made his mouth water and his pulse beat fast.

  He reached for her, but she held out her hand to stop him. “Wait, we need to talk.”

  Christ! She wanted to talk now? “Can we talk while we’re taking our clothes off?” He reached for her again, but she stepped out of his way. He blew out a frustrated breath and dropped onto the edge of the bed. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I know we mentioned this before, but I just want to double check that we’re still on the same page. You’re leaving and going back on tour?”

  Nate nodded. Although the thrill of tour had died a long time ago, he knew it wa
s where he needed to be.

  “And I’m cursed, so there is no chance I’ll get attached and have you break my heart when you leave. It’s obvious I have the mega hots for you, but I will not fall in love.”

  That curse was absolute bullshit. One day some guy would convince her of it, and she’d fall madly in love and have the happy relationship she deserved. An urge to punch that phantom man was strong.

  She continued, unaware of the anger for her future boyfriend bubbling in his gut. “So as long as you keep to your part of the deal and go back on tour, forming no attachments, I’ll keep to mine.” She held out her hand. “Do we have a deal?”

  He grabbed it and pulled her down. She squealed as she fell on him. Then he rolled them so she was on her back and him on top. He trailed his lips along her smooth neck, nipping with his teeth at her racing pulse. “Freckles, we have a deal.”

  Chapter 14

  Jade let out a long, needy moan as Nate continued kissing her neck and a hand went exploring her breasts. Hopefully, they would be naked soon, with Nate between her thighs. She could hardly wait. But for now, she enjoyed Nate’s magic fingers as he tugged and flicked her nipples through the thin fabric of her top.

  Wanting to do some exploring of her own, she pushed her hands between their joined bodies and slid them down his firm chest. The man had steel behind his shirt. She grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, placing slow kisses along his chest.

  He groaned as he tunneled desperate fingers through her hair, pulling her lips to his and sweeping his tongue in her mouth. She shivered.

  “Are you cold? It’s probably your wet clothes. I should take them off for you,” he said with a sinful smile.

  “I’m glad you’re looking out for my health.” She giggled.

  In a flash, her clothes were off and thrown all over the room. All she was left in was her bra and undies. Nate looked down at her undies, threw his head back, and laughed. This was the second time he’d laughed at her vagina; she’d start to get a complex.

  “Thor undies? They make this stuff for grown arsed women?” His eyes sparkled with mirth.

  “Yes, they do, and I happen to be a fan of superheros, especially Thor’s powerful hammer.” Her lips twitched.

  Nate’s gaze traveled down her body, sending sparks of lightning through her veins. Desire sizzled in all her good spots. She could only imagine the way she was looking back at him. Like he was a giant Krispy Kreme donut she wanted to lick all the icing off of first before taking a huge bite. But in a sexier kind of way.

  Putting his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “I have a hammer more powerful than Thor’s.”

  She trembled. “Maybe you’re all talk?”

  “Freckles, I’m about to show you,” he promised as he licked and sucked her neck while his hand massaged her breast.

  Arching her back off the bed, a long moan escaped her lips, and she slid her hands down his strong back, clinging onto his butt to pull him closer to where they were joined. She rocked against him; she needed to feel more of him. Wanted him inside her. The denim jeans he wore were a barrier against her happy place, and they needed to be removed.

  She reached the front of his pants, popped open the buttons, and slid her hands inside the waistband. Wowza! He was going commando. Just one more thing to heat her body.

  As she reached what was so obviously happy to see her, Nate’s head dropped to her shoulder, and he sucked in a low breath. She nibbled and licked his shoulder—so much tastier than a donut—as he ground into her hand.

  But there was still the problem with the jeans on his body and him not being inside her, so she pushed them as far as she could down his legs. When he stood to pull them all the way off, she got an eyeful of a beautiful man. This guy was better than Thor, and his mighty hammer was more impressive.

  He gazed down at her like she was the most gorgeous woman in the world. A girl could get used to being looked at like that.

  No, this is temporary. But I’ll take it while it’s hot.

  She slid her hands down her body, slipped her fingers into the waistband of her undies, and tugged them off. Nate stood as still as stone. Then she rose to her knees, reached behind her back, unclipped her bra, and let it fall off.

  For a beat he closed his eyes and swallowed hard then left the room.

  What the hell? She’d gone all-sexy-striptease mode and he left!

  Before she could bound off the bed and follow to demand answers, he walked back in carrying a box of condoms. She’d been so turned on, protection hadn’t crossed her mind. Thankfully, Nate was better prepared.

  “We need a whole box?” Her voice shook.

  He chuckled low and sexy. “I’m up for it if you are.”

  The challenging words vibrated through her, sending liquid fire through her veins, and her eyes dropped to exactly what was up. “I’m game,” she said and laid back on the bed.

  This time there was no laughter in his eyes. Only heat and a promise of a sinful night shone through them.

  He took the foil packet out of the box and ripped it open, rolled it onto his erection, and joined her on the bed. She whimpered as he settled himself between her legs, and she wrapped them around him, encouraging him to take the next step. And thank God, he took the hint. As he kissed her long and deep, with so much passion, he slowly slid into her. She sighed, moaned, whimpered. It was that good.

  And he made his fair share of noises too. Cursing as he entered and hissing low and raspy when he moved.

  Her hands got busy gliding over his shoulders, down his back, and onto his butt. His mouth got busy kissing her lips, neck, and then her breasts. A jolt of electricity flashed through her body as he sucked a nipple into his mouth, leaving her squirming and breathless.

  Nate rocked harder, faster, and heat boiled inside her. She wrapped her legs tighter around him, pulling him closer. Wanting their bodies so close they’d need the Jaws of Life to pull them apart.

  And when her body couldn’t take any more, she exploded into a magnitude of feelings and sensations. Stronger than anything she’d ever felt before. A moment later, Nate was right along with her as they both fell apart.

  When Jade came up for air, the only words she could string together were, “Holy crap balls!” as she lay panting and quivering beneath Nate.

  Nate laughed, the vibrations trembling through her body and his warm breath tickling her neck. And just like that, she was turned on again.

  “You’re a musician, right? I’m hoping encores aren’t only for the stage.”

  He shifted and leaned on an elbow, his hair falling over his forehead. The need to push it away felt a little too intimate even after they’d been as close as two people could get. Touching him that way was more of a lover’s touch, not from someone temporary.

  “I do encores only when the crowd cheers loud enough.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “I need to hear you scream.”

  “Oh, honey.” She rolled over and straddled him. “By the time I’m finished, you’ll be the one screaming for more.”

  * * * *

  Something warm and smooth snuggled against Nate’s side. He cracked open sleepy eyes then smiled as he looked at Jade. Her arm was flung across his chest, and her leg was tangled with his. Her red, curly hair fanned out over the pillow. A tug pulled at his chest. She was beautiful inside and out. It would be tough letting her go.

  Slowly, she stirred, stretched, and looked around the room. Like she just realized where she was, her eyes widened and she attempted to sit up, but he stroked a hand down her back and secured it around her waist, not ready for her to leave yet.

  Flicking a quick glance at the clock on the bedside table, she said, “It’s getting late. I should go.” But she made no more attempts at getting out of bed.

  Her voice was low and husky from sleep, and damn how it caused his blood to head south between his legs. After giving her three orgasms, he should let her rest—for now.

  To distract himself, he said, “Tell me abo
ut this family curse.”

  She stiffened, so he trailed his fingers along the curve of her hip, and she softened against him again. “I’ve already told you a witch—”

  “Yes, a witch put a curse on your family. But why?”

  He didn’t believe in witches and curses, but it was something that played heavily in Jade’s life. There must be a reason, a real reason, why she’d cling onto such a farfetched story.

  She chewed on her bottom lip then said, “When I was about ten, my family took a trip to Ireland to visit my grandparents. They had a room filled with antique furniture, paintings, and books, and I spent hours in there looking at all the stuff. One day, I found an old diary written by my great-great-great grandmother. In it she wrote how her son was cursed by the town’s healer.”

  “What did he do? And I thought a witch cursed him?”

  “My grandmother’s son got the healer’s daughter pregnant while he was engaged to another woman. And instead of ending the engagement and marrying her daughter so their child would be legitimate, he went ahead and married his fiancée. After she put a curse on him, the town started calling her a witch.”

  “A baby born out of wedlock would have been a big scandal back in those days,” he said.

  “You’re right. It was a small village too, so they all knew everybody’s business. The healer’s daughter became an outcast. No one would hire her for anything. No one wanted to marry a woman carrying another man’s baby. And to make my great-great-grandfather pay for ruining her daughter’s life, she put a curse on him so he would know what it was like to feel the heartache of any daughter he had losing the love of her life. So, in the future, all women who are fathered by a Brennan man will never find true love. The men they want will always leave them, and they’ll be left heartbroken.”

  He took a moment to process the story. The imagination of a ten-year-old girl reading an old diary could spin into overdrive. “Do you know how many women have had failed relationships?”