Destiny (15 page)

He spread her legs and leaned over her until the head of his hard penis teased her moist center. Stars flickered in front of her eyes and she arched her hips, trying to pull him inside her.

His gaze intense and never wavering, he thrust deeply, filling her completely. She felt him everywhere, not just in her body but in her heart and also her soul. She’d admitted her feelings to herself and now she was ravaged by them, emotions clogging her throat. And when he started to move, oh God, she was undone.

“Nash, harder please.” She needed to feel him everywhere.

He complied. Every shift of his hips brought him deeper and she was drowning, lost in sensation and in watching his expression, wanting so badly to believe the emotions and feelings were shared.

Nash gazed down at Kelly, her beautiful body spread out before him. His position gave him leverage and power and he used it, manipulating her pleasure. From how fast he pumped into her to how much of him filled her, he was in control—and that was something he needed badly. But he’d underestimated her effect on him and soon, his control snapped, no match for being cushioned in her moist heat, her inner walls squeezing him tight.

A quick shift and he separated them long enough to ease her farther back so he could join her on the bed. Straddling her with his body, he placed his hands on either side of her head and came down on top of her. Skin to skin, hot flesh touching hot flesh.
Now
he had the closeness he craved. That he could find it at all caused a sense of relief to wash over him, even as he demanded more. Back and forth, round and round, he shifted his hips against her, until finally he found her, pushing his slick member in with one hard, smooth thrust.

Kelly cried out and every hot inch of her contracted around him. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she bent her knees, taking him deeper.

He raised his head, looked into her eyes. What he saw in those brown depths went beyond just sex. He knew it. Felt it. Didn’t know what to do with it.

“Just love me,” Kelly said.

He hoped it was that simple. And when he began to move inside her, it was. He owned her with deep, hard thrusts that left no space between them, no barriers. No question that he was demanding everything she had to give and not holding back either.

She met his rhythm, accepted his need for hard and fast, grinding her body into him each time he plunged deep. Everything came down to the connection between their bodies until her small moans came faster and faster.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Keep coming.” He clenched his teeth and tried to hold himself off, wanting her to milk him, ride hers out as long as possible.

“God, Nash, please.” Her voice echoed in his ear.

Her muscles pulled at him, urging him to join her, and he pumped his hips faster and faster until his world exploded.

A few minutes later, they’d shifted until they were beneath the covers and he pulled her into his arms, her back snuggled into him.

“Thanks for coming by,” he said, feeling like she was the only safe haven he had in a world that had suddenly shifted beneath him.

“You’d have done the same for me,” she said over a yawn.

“You sound sure.”

She shrugged. “I am.”

He pushed her hair out of the way and settled himself more comfortably against her. She had faith in him. “I had that kind of faith in Dare.”

“You still can. He was just looking out for you.”

Nash stiffened. “At the age of fifteen, I understand. As we got older? What’s his excuse for not telling me then?”

Kelly let out an almost painful sigh. “Sometimes the longer we wait, the harder it is to admit the truth. The right time never comes.”

Nash gritted his teeth, so tired of everyone else thinking they knew what was best for him.

She rolled over, facing him, her eyes solemn and serious. “I’m so sorry for all you went through today.” She brushed his cheek with her hand.

“It wiped me out,” he admitted.

“Then we should stop talking and let you sleep.”

He grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss against her wrist, pausing to run his tongue over her skin.

She shivered and her eyes darkened. “I thought you were tired.”

“Mentally drained. I didn’t say anything about being physically tired.” He grinned and rolled her on top of him.

They didn’t talk or sleep again for a good long while.

For the first few days after the revelation, Nash
ignored everyone except for his office staff and new partner. Burying himself in work seemed the safest way to cut off his emotions and so he ignored everyone. Including Kelly.

In the beginning, his brothers had been persistent, but obviously they caught on and he hadn’t heard from Ethan or Dare in a few days. Even Ethan’s wife, the woman with whom he’d had a confrontational relationship from the moment she returned to town, had tried to get through to him. She’d had no family unit for so long that now that she was married to Ethan and understood the value of family, she wanted him to do the same. He wasn’t ready.

The one person who could have gotten through to him was the only person who gave him space from day one. After spending the entire night losing himself in her, feeling as if she’d opened her veins and bled for him, giving him everything she had, he’d heard nothing since. Kelly, of everyone, understood. He’d needed that night and then he thought he’d needed solitude.

That he was wrong didn’t negate the fact that she’d been in tune to exactly what he thought he wanted. But he’d realized he needed her. Desperately. And so from the third day on, he’d taken to showing up on her doorstep after work each day and not leaving until dawn, when he’d head home to shower and dress for work. She welcomed him with open arms, didn’t force him to talk about anything in particular, just gave of herself when he needed it and provided company when he wanted to sit in silence. When the days got tough and he couldn’t turn off his thoughts, he knew he’d have her to turn to at night. Her small apartment became a safe haven, a place where nobody tried to call or push him to come to terms with things before he was ready.

She just gave.

He’d have been happy to continue this routine forever, but real life intruded. Richard had been home from the hospital for a week. Two weeks in total had passed since his surgery. But since his return home, Nash hadn’t been by to visit. Since there was no way he’d have been able to see Richard and hold back on questioning him, he’d waited until he thought Richard could handle it.

Today was the day.

Nash had been so busy thinking of himself and his problems, he hadn’t thought about running into Annie at her parents’, but sure enough, when he rang the bell, his ex-wife answered the door.

“Nash!” Annie seemed surprised to see him. She met his gaze for a brief second before looking away, an unusual blush staining her cheeks.

“Can I come in?” he asked. “Mary said Richard was up for a visit.”

She nodded. “Of course you can.”

He joined her in the foyer. She stood in front of him, twisting her hands together, obviously uncomfortable. He wasn’t feeling much better himself.

He hadn’t seen her since he’d caught Joe leaving her place, but she couldn’t know that. Unless… “Kelly told you I saw Joe leaving your house last week, didn’t she?”

Annie blinked, her pretty eyes showing her shock at his blunt question. “Well, yes. I didn’t expect you to blurt it out like that.”

“There’s something to be said for honesty,” he said. Heaven knew he’d had that lesson reinforced lately.

She nodded. “I would have told you if I’d seen you…”

He forced his tone and his expression to soften. He wasn’t angry at her. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Annie. Your social life is none of my business. But since we’re getting everything out in the open, I’m with Kelly now,” he admitted, unable to believe he and his ex-wife were discussing their love lives, even in a roundabout way.

Annie nodded. “I’m happy for you. Really happy. You deserve someone to love you the way I couldn’t.”

“I don’t think…”

Love?

The word, the very thought, startled him. Nash hardly thought Kelly loved him. But a flash of her warm eyes and her open expression as she took him inside her body broadsided him, clogging his throat with emotion.

Annie grinned, watching him intently. “You’ll figure it out,” she said, patting his cheek.

“Do you love Joe?” he asked.

“It’s all so fast. I was sick and he stayed to take care of me. And we’re going out tonight.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Everything you didn’t want from me.” He was surprised to find the truth didn’t hurt the way it once had.

She spread her hands in front of her. “I don’t know what to say. It’s… different with Joe.”

Just like it was different with Kelly, Nash thought. “I wish you nothing but the best. I just want you to be happy,” he said to his ex, meaning every word.

“I want the same for you.

Her smile put him at ease, freed him from any remaining obligation he might have felt toward her. And he hoped he’d given her the same gift.

Now to deal with her father.

Fourteen

“Nash, my boy! Come on in.” Richard beckoned him
with his deep voice.

“Are you sure you’re up to company?”

In bed, Richard held a large pillow in front of his chest. “I’m sure. I’m so bored I’m going out of my mind. Don’t mind this pillow. In case I have to cough or sneeze, they tell me to hold it against my chest.” He winced at the thought.

Nash stepped into the room and sat down in a chair Mary had put by the bed for visitors. He glanced around the room, decorated with sunny yellow walls and old wooden furniture before resettling his gaze on Richard.

“Good to be home?” Nash asked.

The older man let out a groan. “Better than you know. If only my wife would stop hovering,” he said in a hushed tone, obviously not wanting to get caught.

“She’s worried. You gave everyone a scare.” Nash included, and despite the gnawing ache and ever-present anger, he couldn’t stop his love for the man from pushing through.

“I’ll outlive you all,” Richard promised. “Though I have to say when you face your mortality, it forces you to think about a lot of things.” His voice along with his expression grew pensive.

Nash leaned forward, until his arms were almost touching the bed. “Things like lies told years ago?” he asked pointedly.

What little color Richard had drained from his face. “What exactly are you referring to?”

Nash dipped his head, wishing the older man wouldn’t make him restate the facts. “That the Rossmans wanted Dare too. That he refused to live there and you all deliberately lied to me about it.” Pain shot through his skull at the reminder.

Richard suddenly sucked in a shallow breath and began coughing, holding the pillow to his chest as he winced and groaned through the post-op pain.

Nash shook his head. “I should’ve waited to do this.” He rose from his seat.

Annie had left after their talk, but Mary came running into the room. “What’s wrong?”

Nash glanced at Richard’s wife, knowing his guilt was probably obvious in his face. “I should have waited to come by. I’ll just go now.”

“No!” Richard said.

Mary wrinkled her forehead, confused. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a feeling Nash is right. Now’s not the time.”

“There’s never been a good time, damn it!” Richard yelled. “I’m not putting this off any longer.” He coughed again, probably due to the exertion of yelling.

Mary closed her eyes in frustration and shook her head. “I’ll tell you what. If you can manage to talk softly, Nash can stay. Otherwise he goes and you do this in… oh, about four to six weeks.”

Nash recognized the obstinate look on his ex-mother-
in-law’s face. He’d seen it often enough in her daughter’s. Nash had just chosen to disregard her feelings instead of realizing that by ignoring her needs, he’d doomed their marriage. Of course it didn’t help that though they’d been adults, they lacked the strong chemistry they’d now found with other people, he realized now.

“Richard?” Mary’s voice brought Nash back to the present. “Do you promise to speak softly and not get upset?”

Richard forced a nod.

Nash understood. What else could the man do when faced with such a strong woman? God, he’d been so young and stupid when he’d been married.

“Nash?” Mary turned to him, her hands on her hips.

“I promise. I won’t agitate him again.” Though Nash wondered how either one of them would keep their word.

Mary shot them warning looks. “I’ll be right in the other room,” she said.

Nash waited until Mary had walked out before sitting back down. “I shouldn’t have brought this up now.”

“No, I shouldn’t have waited so many years. I should have told you myself instead of letting you find out on your own.” He paused to gather himself. “How?” he finally asked.

“The files Kelly’s archiving have the original foster care application Florence and Samuel filled out.” Nash glanced down at his hands, then up at Richard. “Now I have a question. Why
didn’t
you tell me?”

Richard pointed to a glass on the counter.

Nash reached for the water and handed it to Richard, waiting while he took a sip and slowly swallowed. Richard gave him back the tall glass and he replaced it on the coaster on the nightstand.

“Dare begged me not to. He said you were so angry at Ethan he couldn’t handle it if you turned on him too. And you were the only family each of you had left. Florence, Samuel, and I agreed that preserving your bond with your brother was the best thing we could do. For both of you.”

Nash bowed his head, gathering his thoughts, waiting for his temper to cool. “I understand you making the decision when Dare was fifteen and I was sixteen,” he said, hating it but understanding. “But ten years have passed. Ten long years. We’ve been like father and son. How…” He shook his head, determined not to berate the older man.

Richard was weak and tired and he needed his strength to recuperate.

“You’re not saying anything I haven’t thought over the years. But the more time passed, the harder it was to bring it up again, let alone tell you. And we all agreed it was Dare’s story to tell. Not ours.”

It all came back to Dare, who hadn’t trusted Nash enough to confide in him. The whole crazy story blew Nash’s mind. “Everyone in my life made this decision about what I needed to know. Nobody once thought about the life I was living.” Nash forced himself to remain in his chair, to speak in low, steady tones, when everything in him wanted to pace and yell.

“Nash, we tried to look at things from your perspective.”

“And did that perspective include the fact that I was torn in two? Gratitude, on the one hand, that the Rossmans gave me everything. They put a roof over my head, food on the table, and a private school and college education. While at the same time I
hated
them for not taking Dare. I hated myself. Why me, I asked over and over. Why me and not Dare?” Nash braced his hands on his temples, as if he could steady the thoughts rioting through his brain. The thoughts that had tormented him for as long as he could remember.

“I don’t have answers that will satisfy you,” Richard said at last. “I’m not even sure I can satisfy myself.”

A glance at Richard told him the man had aged another decade in the last five minutes, and damned if despite being the wronged party, Nash still felt guilty for upsetting him now.

He rose from his seat. “Get some rest, okay? There’s plenty of time to go over this when you’re better.”

Richard nodded in agreement. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“I know.” Nash inclined his head. That Richard never meant to hurt him was a given. So was the fact that he had. “I’ve got to get going.” There wasn’t anything more to say anyway. “Get some rest and I’ll check in with you again tomorrow,” he said, because the only way Richard would heal and to return to his normal self was with rest.

And no stress.

Nash reached the bedroom door.

“Do you forgive me?” the older man asked.

He turned and gripped the doorframe. There were many lies he could offer in reply, the most glaring being “There’s nothing to forgive.” Richard was too smart to believe a platitude designed to make him feel better and too weak to hear the truth.

So Nash settled for an old standby. The truth. “In time,” he said. And then, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Walking out, he shut the door with a soft click.

Joe stepped out of the shower, one eye on the clock
as he dressed for his date with Annie. He was supposed to pick her up at seven, and because he was shorthanded at the bar, he was running late. They’d agreed to a casual night, so he pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved light blue shirt his sister had bought him for his birthday last year. He tried not to get overly excited about tonight. After all, he’d spent plenty of time with Annie over the last two weeks, first while she was recuperating and then whenever he could find time to stop by and say hello.

When she started insisting she didn’t need him bringing her meals, he’d known she was feeling better and switched tactics. He asked her to take on the bar’s accounting, but she’d seen the request for what it was—a blatant excuse to spend more time with her. Eyes blazing, cheeks pink with anger, she’d called him on it.

Her honesty never failed to both amuse and arouse him, and he wasn’t about to take no for an answer. By the time he was finished praising her accounting skills, she was impressed with his due diligence in asking her current business clients about her work, and she’d agreed to take him on.

Score another point for me,
he thought, pleased with himself. But it was also a smart business move. His old accountant had been his father’s crony, half drunk and mostly incompetent. The change was long overdue.

He was about to grab his keys and head out when his doorbell rang. He was in no mood for a delay and he swung the door open, ready to rip his visitor’s head off. Until he saw who stood on his doorstep.

“Annie!”

A vision in form-fitting denim and a gold turtleneck that set off the color of her hair, she greeted him with a smile. “Hi! Are you ready?”

He narrowed his gaze. “I thought I was picking you up.”

“Surprise!” She dangled her keys in front of him. “So? Are you ready?”

He grinned, liking this impulsive side of her. “I sure am. Want me to drive?” he couldn’t help but offer.

“Nope. You’re going to need all your skills and energy for later.” She wriggled her eyebrows seductively.

“I’d like to think you mean
later
later,” he said in a gruff voice. Because all he could think about was her bed or his and them together in it. “But for some reason I think you have something else in mind.”

She laughed. “Maybe I have both things planned.” Her voice dropped a sexy octave.

Unable to resist, he slid his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her against him, sliding his lips over hers.

“Mmm,” she moaned, softening her mouth and opening for him without coaxing.

He tasted her, toyed with her, touched his tongue to the corners of her lips before nipping lightly in the center.

“If we keep this up, we’ll never get out of here,” he warned her, never breaking contact with her mouth.

“Darn it.” She stepped back and he realized she’d gripped his shirt with both hands, curling the fabric into her fists. “I have too much planned to give in. Much as I want to.” She smiled and reached for his hand instead.

He shifted, trying to get comfortable when his jeans felt ten sizes too small. But he knew she’d planned something special. For him. The notion pleased him. And he wouldn’t deprive either one of them of whatever it was. Then he’d pick up where they’d left off.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Ever raced a car?” Her grin was miles wide and sexy as hell.

“No, you?”

“Nope. Ever hear of Grand Prix?”

He raised an eyebrow. “The racing place. Guys in the bar have talked about it.” He’d just never had a chance to experience it for himself. Go-karts and genuine tracks. Real racing suits and helmets. “You’re up for that?”

“Ever since I was diagnosed with MS I told myself that I wanted to experience new things, not let my life or disease hold me back. I left my husband, but other than that I haven’t done one thing to act on my desires.”

The word rippled through the air around them, sending currents of awareness shooting through his veins.

“Then you pushed through my defenses. You asked me out, you didn’t get angry when I forgot. Instead, you took care of me and for some reason it didn’t feel the same as it did when Nash tried to do the same thing.” She ran her tongue over her lips. “I saw him earlier. He knows about us and he actually wished me well. He’s over me.”

Losing Annie. Joe shook his head, actually feeling sorry for the man. “You sure about that?”

“He can’t see past Kelly. And I? I can’t see past you.”

Her lashes fluttered over her blue eyes and he lost a part of himself to her.

“The way you talk to me,” she continued, unaware of his emotions, but expressing so much of what he actually felt, it was like she was inside him.

“It’s like you understand who I am and you treat the MS like it’s a side order, not the main course.”

He grinned. “That’s because
you’re
the main course, baby.”

She smiled right back. “You have this whole laid-back attitude, but I know you too. You took care of your mom and your sister, and I know the bar is a huge responsibility. So I thought we could release some excess energy together. At the racetrack.” She drew a deep breath. “And then we could get rid of the rest of it… in bed.”

The flush in her cheeks told him how hard all this was for her to explain and admit. That she’d chosen him made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

He brushed his hand down her cheek, loving how she trembled at his touch. “I would love to release
all
my energy. With you.” He swiped his tongue over her lips. “In you.”

Her entire body vibrated with need. Need he’d take full advantage of later. “We have a racetrack to get to,” he reminded her.

This
would be waiting for them when they returned.

On Saturday, Nash was surprised by a phone call
from Faith inviting him to stop by the house. She hadn’t said what she wanted to discuss and she’d evaded the question when he’d asked. When he pulled up the long driveway, he saw Kelly’s car parked in one of the extra spots and a kick of pleasure spiked through him. Considering he’d been in her bed last night and woke up with her snuggled against him this morning, the pleasure shouldn’t be so acute.

Yet it was.

He couldn’t get enough of her.

He rang the doorbell and Faith answered. She wore jeans and a navy pullover sweater, and her blond hair fell around her face in a casual way. She wasn’t his type, but he appreciated a beautiful woman. And Faith was beautiful, something he hadn’t let himself think about or notice before, when all he felt for Ethan and anyone connected to him was painful betrayal. It hadn’t helped that her father had bilked people out of their money, Nash’s adoptive parents included, without a thought to the damage he’d cause. For Nash, Faith had been an easy target.