Salvation (38 page)

“
Yeah,
”
I replied distantly as we entered my office. I set the box on the filing cabinet and made space on my desk for the vase, brushing aside the sandwich I couldn’t face eating at lunch.
“
It
’
s all so fast though. It
’
s scary.
”

“
Love is a funny thing. Happens when you least expect it and there
’
s nothing you can do to stop it.
”

Did Mai really think this was love? Much as I tried, there wasn’t another word I
’
d come up with to accurately describe my feelings.
“
I don’t know why, but when we
’
re together, everything makes sense. I spent so long freaking out about being used for sex, but he wants this entirely as much as I do.
”

“
Well, duh. I got that much the minute you floated in the office with the brightest smile on your face last Monday. You wouldn’t have given him that second chance if you didn’t think he was worth it.
”

I checked my phone for missed calls or messages.
“
The party is black tie. I
’
ll need something fabulous to wear.
”

“
Ooh,
”
Mai clapped excitedly.
“
Love a good shopping spree. Especially when I
’
m spending someone else
’
s money.
”

“
Get back to work.
”
I shooed her out of my office with a smile.
“
Your vicarious break is over.
”

I sank into my chair with only my thoughts for company. It would be hard, but I had to be mentally strong and believe that whilst we were separated we wouldn’t fall apart. The connection we shared was unlike anything ever experienced before. The sex, without question, was the best I
’
d ever had, but we weren
’
t just fucking. At least I wasn’t.

Realisation hit me like a blow to the chest. I spun the notecard from the flowers between my fingers. I was more than ready to take that leap of faith.

I
’
d already jumped.

DAMN alarm.

With tired eyes staying firmly shut, I found the culprit that had brought an early end to my delightful dream. Only when I couldn’t silence it did I appreciate my phone was actually ringing.

Excitement shot through me as I pressed the camera button on and waited.
“
Hello,
”
I answered, rubbing my eyes awake. After what seemed like forever, the image of Nate
’
s beaming face filled the small screen.

“
Morning, sleepyhead. Did I wake you?
”
Nate asked with a hint of humour.

“
Yeah,
”
I murmured, snuggling into the duvet, content spreading through me from seeing him and hearing his voice.
“
I was having a great dream.
”

“
Of me, I hope.
”
His eyes twinkled, his gorgeous face backlit with the daylight from the huge loft windows behind him.

I grinned. It was almost like he was laying beside me. Almost.
“
You might
’
ve made an appearance.
”
He
’
d done more than that. My vivid dream had been so real, I
’
m sure I actually climaxed in my sleep. My heart was still thundering in my chest.

“
Well, it sounds like it was a good one. Need a minute to catch your breath?
”

I flushed. The man could still embarrass me from over two thousand miles away. God, that sounded a long way. Too far.

“
Where were we?
”
Nate asked. The rasp in his voice sent a tingle across my already stimulated skin.

“
A deserted beach.
”

“
No audience?
”
he lilted.

I thought back to our erotic performance in front of the beach house windows, remembering how turned on I was seeing us making love.
“
No audience, Mr. Extrovert.
”

His warm laughter brought a whole new sense of loneliness to mind. Nate had only been gone a day, yet I felt like I hadn’t seen him in weeks.

“
Well, I can
’
t wait to make your dream a reality,
”
he purred, settling back. He was lounging on a bed set against the wall, with Manhattan as a picture-postcard backdrop.

“
Good luck locating a deserted beach in LA.
”

His smile widened.
“
I know one in Hawaii.
”

My cheeks ached from my own grin. Stranded on a remote beach with Nate as my only distraction sounded idyllic. I stretched, not wanting to leave the comfort of my bed, as we discussed our plans for the day. Nate
’
s first appointment was in forty minutes, still he was in no rush to end the call. It pleased me to hear he wasn’t cramming a week
’
s worth of meetings into five days, having missed most of yesterday travelling.

“
I
’
ve just had a great workout,
”
Nate said.
“
I thought of you while I showered.
”

A very real image of him in the shower came to mind. Shimmering wet, tanned skin, droplets of water clinging to the ridges of his muscles
…

My stomach fluttered, the pressure in my groin forcing me to squeeze my thighs together for some relief. Even though he had on a white t-shirt, I couldn’t stop myself from asking,
“
Are you still wet?
”

“
Are you?
”
he countered with a raised brow, his voice deep and perceptive.

I sucked in a shaky breath. The sensation of my phone vibrating in my hand as the alarm went off made me laugh.
“
You
’
re incorrigible.
”

“
What can I say? My hands aren’t nearly as good as yours anymore.
”

I gave myself a self-congratulatory hug.
“
And I miss you, too.
”

That made him smirk.
“
Have a great day, Kara, I
’
ll call later.
”

I forced myself out of bed and drew open the curtains.
“
I
’
m out tonight,
”
I reminded him, resting my forehead on the cool windowpane.
“
I
’
m taking Mai to cheer her up.
”

“
She missing me, too?
”
Nate drawled.

“
Yeah, like every other woman in the building,
”
I shot back.

“
It
’
s all a fa
ç
ade, Kara,
”
he sneered, slightly irritated.

“
An incredibly beautiful one, though.
”

There was a moment of silence before eventually Nate said,
“
They might be missing me, but you
’
re the only one I
’
m lost without.
”

I blew out a breath, unable to respond. His voice was sad and dejected, like he
’
d rather be anywhere but the place he was. That, and the loneliness in his eyes, made me yearn to hold him in my arms even more. I wandered through the lounge towards the kitchen.

“
You call me then,
”
he insisted,
“
let me know you
’
re home safe. I
’
ll be awake.
”
I reached for my mug and started preparing my first caffeine hit of the day.
“
Now, go get your coffee.
”

AT 10 a.m.. I received a text:
I MISS YOUR HANDS

I tapped a quick reply discreetly beneath the table, as I sat in a particularly boring meeting with Michael and some other accountants:
I MISS YOURS TOO

When Nate
’
s immediate reply came back, it earned me a disapproving glare from my boss. I silenced my phone, resisting the temptation to read it until I got back to my office
…
MISS YOUR MOUTH

That made me giddy and hot.
MY BODY MISSES YOUR BODY
I sent back.

I heard nothing for fifty minutes until
…
I’M HARD

It was a mistake reading that as I sipped my water because I ended up snorting it instead. My phone vibrated again:
YOU, YOUR MOUTH, FRANKLY ALL AREAS OF YOUR ANATOMY, HAVE KEPT ME THOROUGHLY DISTRACTED THROUGH MY MEETING

I looked up and saw Mai heading my way.
YOU FREQUENTLY DISTRACT ME MR BLAKE
I text back, followed by:
GET BACK TO WORK X

Nate didn’t take heed of my suggestion as my phone went off again with another message:
I MISS THE WAY YOU PULL MY HAIR THE MOST…

“
Ready for lunch?
”
Mai called from the threshold of the office.

“
Give me a second.
”
I couldn’t leave him hanging, so I sent another as I grabbed my bag, determined it would be my last:
DO SOME WORK!

“
Sexting the stud again?
”
Mai linked an arm through mine as we left my office.

“
Hmm,
”
I replied, distracted by Nate
’
s fast response:
CONSIDER ME TOLD. GOING FOR A COLD SHOWER X

I could
’
ve spent the rest of the day flirting, but my body couldn’t cope with the torment. I was drowning in Nate Blake. And that frightened me.

“
Enjoy it while it lasts.
”
Mai peered up at me from beneath thickly mascaraed lashes, her wiser than her years observations sensing I was out of my depth.
“
Let
’
s get sticky ribs and wings, washed down with margaritas. I
’
m starving.
”

WE arrived at my place a little after six. The plan was to change, then have something to eat at The Mint before Millie hit the stage around 10 p.m.

“
Who
’
s the perv in the car?
”
Mai nodded at the unkempt man sitting in the driver
’
s seat of an old Lexus parked a few cars from mine. Even with us both looking, he made no attempt to hide the fact he was staring.

“
Not sure,
”
I said, locking the car.
“
He was there the other night, too.
”

“
He
’
s still staring.
”
Mai hovered by the front doors after I
’
d let us in, glaring daggers at the mystery man.
“
Think he
’
s a paparazzo?
”

I collected the handful of junk mail from my mailbox, tossing it straight into the recycling tub. Thoughts of my safety flashed through my mind.
“
Did he take pictures?
”

“
Not that I saw.
”
Whoever he was, Mai rewarded his persistence with a flip of her middle finger.

“
Forget about him.
”
I dismissed his relevance as unimportant as we headed upstairs. But truthfully, I found his presence disturbing. Was he watching me regularly?

I got my answer the next morning.

I
’
d been buzzing after a great night out. Millie had rocked the club, convincing me and the few hundred revellers that she was going to be a huge star. When I called Nate at almost 4 a.m. his time, I
’
d indulged him in a little flirtatious phone sex, aided by the fuzz of alcohol for courage. I didn’t go all the way, still shy and diffident when it came to my body. It wasn’t for lack of yearning to bring myself to orgasm, which I did once I
’
d hung up.