Strip Tease (24 page)

Hope lit a warm fire within him. “Why are
you shutting me out? What did I do? What can I do to make it up to
you?”

“What do you want from
me
, Nate? Why
do you want to drag all this out?”

“Drag what out?”

“This.” She gestured between them. “What
happened between us. Are you coming here to break it off with me
properly?”

“Break it off? Why would I want to do that?”
Scratching his head, he frowned, confused as hell. Didn’t she
realize he wanted to take it to the next step?

She smiled though it didn’t reach her eyes.
No, it was the saddest little smile he’d ever seen. “I understand.
You were looking for my sister and I was easy to hang around with
because we—got along so well. Now the case is over, the job is done
and you’re finished. Moving on. I get it.”

“You think I’ve moved on.” His voice was
low, his mind like mush. He was confused by her words, by the
sadness in her eyes.

Nate didn’t want her sad. He wanted to make
Janelle happy. Wanted to show her she meant the world to him.

“I know you’ve moved on. You haven’t called
me all week.”

“You told me not to. You said you would be
busy.” His tone was an accusation he couldn’t help.

Her eyes closed and she grabbed the back of
the couch, drawing a deep breath. Her breasts moved and shifted
beneath the tank top, her nipples hard and damn tempting. He swore
she was gathering the strength to tell him to get the hell out.

Edging toward her, he waited.

“I don’t know what to say,” she finally
murmured, her eyes opening, widening when she noticed he stood much
closer.

“I don’t know what to say to you either, so
why don’t I do this instead.” He gathered her in his arms and
kissed her before she could protest.

Her lips were warm and soft, the little gasp
of pleasure that escaped giving him the advantage, the courage to
take what he so desperately wanted. He opened his mouth over hers,
his tongue tentative, brushing against her lips, not wanting to
push.

Cradling her back, he slid his hands up and
down in a soothing motion, treating her like a sketchy wild animal
ready to run away—which she was. He wanted to calm her with his
actions, since he blundered every word that left his mouth.

He wanted to show her how much she meant to
him.

“Nate.” Her name was a protest murmured
against his mouth but he ignored it. Ignored her tiny fists pushing
into his chest, ignored her tense posture as she held herself
straight and stiff in his arms.

He continued to kiss her with gentle sweeps
of his mouth and tongue, not forcing it. Smoothing his hands over
her curvy body, he settled them on her hips, pulling her close,
squeezing her abundant flesh.

His cock was already hard, painfully so, but
he wouldn’t rush it. Knew if he did, she would put a stop to it
immediately. He couldn’t risk it.

“I’ve missed you, Janelle,” Nate murmured
after he broke the kiss, his gaze locked on the swollen curve of
her delectable mouth. He kissed her cheeks, her forehead and her
nose. The sweet smelling spot behind her left ear, along the
delicate line of her jaw, down her soft neck. She shivered beneath
his lips and he smiled.

“Nate.” She pushed at his shoulders with the
barest of force, not enough to make him quit.

The minute she said the words no or stop, he
would. He wasn’t going to force her. He loved this woman, was
desperate to show her how much.

“I love it when you say my name.” He licked
a hot path down the column of her throat, felt her pulse beat
wildly beneath his lips and tongue. She was reacting to his coaxing
touch. That realization gave him hope.

“Nate.” This time his name wasn’t a protest,
but a quiet surrender. Her body went pliant in his arms, her chest
settling against his. She relaxed her clutched hands, sliding them
up and over his shoulders. He shifted away slightly so he could
study her.

She gazed at him, her blue eyes shining,
lips swollen and damp from his kisses. So beautiful, so sweet and
about to become all his. His heart swelled at the realization. How
much he loved her, cherished her.

He wanted to say the words. He wanted to
tell her how he felt, how much she meant to him but they lodged in
his throat.

Chicken shit.

Ignoring his conscious he swooped in and
kissed her again, harder this time, his tongue tangling with hers.
She accepted it, accepted him, her hands squeezing his shoulders
tight, griping him with all of her might. He slipped his hands down
further, cupping her ass, kneading her flesh through the thin
material of her pajama bottoms.

He wanted her naked. Wanted her pliant and
welcoming beneath his body. Reaching down, he gripped the backs of
her thighs and hauled her up. Her legs wrapped around his hips and
she rubbed wantonly against him. He almost dropped her. Even
through the fabric of her pajama pants, he could feel her.
Scorching hot, burning for him. If he touched her there, he knew
she’d be wet and ready.

That thought alone almost made him drop her
again.

Holding her close, he strode toward the
bedroom, not bothering to turn on the light. He set her gently on
the bed and began to strip, watching her watch him in the pale
light shining from the living room. She leaned back against the
pillows, seductively licking her lips.

No words were spoken when he joined her on
the bed, his hands going for the waistband of her pajama pants. He
eased them off nice and slow, skimming the smooth flesh of her
thighs with gentle fingers. A shudder moved through her and he
exhaled harshly at the sight spread out before him.

A decadent feast for the eyes, she was. She
wore no panties, her bare legs long and tempting, her equally bare
wet sex, pretty and pink He touched her there, his fingers stroking
across damp golden hair, sliding lower to test her hot wet
depths.

Janelle arched against him, crying out with
pleasure when he stroked deeper, testing her. He entered her tight
sheath with two fingers, her inner walls clutching around him as if
they didn’t want to let go. His cock bobbed eagerly, desperate to
be inside her but he clenched his jaw, taking his time.

He moved up her body, pressing his mouth
against her belly, just beneath her breasts, finally drawing one
and then the other nipple into his mouth. She thrust her hands into
his hair, holding him as he sucked and laved, relished the sweet
taste of her.

Blindly reaching toward the beside table, he
slid open the drawer, searching for condoms. He found one and moved
away from her, tearing open the package and ready to sheath himself
when she stopped him.

“Let me,” she whispered, taking the condom
from him, clasping her fingers around the base of his aching
cock.

Nate closed his eyes, groaning when she
stroked him, her fingers gripping him tight. Up and down, up and
down she went, until he thought he would burst and then she
stopped, rolling the condom onto his cock with slow, seductive
movements.

Opening his eyes, he found her settled back
against the pillows, a naughty smile on her face. She arched
against him, her wet sex brushing his cock. “Hurry, Nate.”

He gripped the base of his cock, teasing her
with long, deliberate sweeps against her wet core. She writhed
beneath him, her head thrown back, lips parted in erotic
surrender.

Jesus. Sweat misted his forehead. He was
torturing himself more than her.

Finally, he pushed home, entering her,
stroking deeper and deeper with his every thrust. She lifted her
hips, wrapped her legs around him and he sank fully inside her,
their mingled moans loud in the quiet room.

Again and again, he filled her, captivated
by her expressive face as they made love. Her eyes were tightly
closed, her lower lip caught between her teeth, her face a study in
concentration. He touched her, drew his fingers down her cheek and
her eyes slid open, glittering in the semi-darkness.

“You’re beautiful.” His voice was a husky
whisper, his throat raw. Unfamiliar emotion threatened to overwhelm
him, choke him and he swallowed hard.

Janelle didn’t answer. Her eyes sliding
closed, she moved against him, with him, setting a steady pace that
had them both panting in seconds. Already he was close, too close,
but he couldn’t stop. Increasing his pace, he rammed inside her,
his hips pumping, completely out of control. The muscles in his
neck strained, his skin grew tight, his body covered in sweat.

She stiffened beneath him, her entire body
quivering, her sex clenching around him in a rhythmic motion over
and over. Her climax was strong, making her shake, causing her to
whimper and cry out his name. He came with a yell, slowly pumping
inside her, the words he wanted to say hanging on the tip of his
tongue.

But they wouldn’t fall.

“Everyone is enjoying the fashion show.”
Marnie smiled at Janelle, shooting her a thumbs up. “The event’s
turned out great. We couldn’t have done it without your hard
work.”

Janelle and her boss stood on the sidelines,
watching the models strut up and down the catwalk, showcasing the
latest spring and summer fashions by Southern California designers.
A hushed crowd of nearly five hundred watched the show, accompanied
by a handful of photographers who hovered around the stage,
snapping away with their cameras.

The hors d’oeuvres and cocktails flowed
freely before the runway show. Much of Los Angeles’s elite
appeared, including a few celebrities. Janelle was secretly beside
herself.

The Passion for Fashion charity event turned
out better than she could have ever dreamed. The estimated amount
they’d earned for the Women’s Cancer Center was record breaking,
Marnie had already told her.

A pang of sadness touched her even amidst
her night of success. She wished Nate was here celebrating with
her.

She’d sent him away that night he’d come
over. After he’d made love to her so tenderly, she hadn’t known how
to react. Had he been looking for a pity screw? Though he’d looked
at her as if he wanted to say something, he hadn’t. So she’d told
him to leave.

And she hadn’t heard from him since.

Granted, she hadn’t been home much. She’d
been consumed with event planning, checking over last minute
details, making sure everything was in order. She’d been at the
hotel conference suite since yesterday afternoon, setting
everything up, meeting with the vendors, the models, everyone.

Finally, after months of planning, the night
was almost over. It was a relief, yet she was also sad. It had been
fun, planning the event. The idea of returning to her slightly
boring receptionist job was almost depressing.

“I was going to talk to you tomorrow, but I
don’t want to wait. What do you think about becoming my assistant?”
Marnie smiled at her, an expectant expression on her face.

Janelle’s heart raced. This was the moment
she’d been waiting for. “Are you serious? What about Theresa?”

No way did she want to steal her friend’s
job.

“She’s being promoted. Theresa is going to
be our new director of research.” Marnie inclined her head toward
Janelle. “I hope you’ll consider the position. We can talk more
about it tomorrow. They’ll be an increase in pay, of course, plus
more responsibility, but I’m not worried about that. I know you can
do it. If you can organize this, you can do just about
anything.”

Joy blossomed inside her chest and Janelle
couldn’t help her big grin. “I don’t need to consider anything.
I’ll take it.”

“Perfect. I was hoping you’d say that.
That’s why I asked now.” Marnie drew Janelle into a brief hug. “I’m
so glad you’ll be joining my team. I can’t wait to work with you
more.”

“Thank you so much, Marnie. You don’t know
how much this means to me.” Janelle couldn’t believe this was
happening. That Marnie had offered her such an opportunity, that
she was excited to work with her.

“I’m thrilled you accepted, Janelle. I’ll be
back. I need to go check on something.” Marnie touched Janelle’s
arm before she walked away.

Finally.
Finally, she’d shown she was
good enough and found someone who believed in her.

Nate believed in you, too. Why did you turn
him away?

Her lips tightened into a firm line. Because
she didn’t want to be turned away first, that’s why. Rejection
stung. She’d been rejected countless times in her life, she didn’t
want to go through it again.

Really, she didn’t think she could take it,
having Nate turn her away. So she’d turned him away first—after
having one more night with him.

And oh, what a night it had been. The way
he’d touched her, looked at her. Their lovemaking had been fraught
with emotion, more intense. Though maybe that had been all on her
part…

Heaven help her, she’d made the mistake of
falling in love with him. So stupid. She’d warned herself when
she’d embarked on this little affair. Then she’d gone and done it
anyway. Fallen hard for a man who admitted he wasn’t good at
relationships. Well, neither was she.

What a perfect couple they made. The thought
almost made her snort out loud.

“Hey, Janelle. Someone is here to see you.”
Theresa approached her out of nowhere, a secretive smile on her
face.

“What? Who is it? Hey, why didn’t you tell
me about your promotion? Marnie just let me know.”

“Well, because she wanted to talk to you
first about taking my old job. She just told me you said yes.
Congratulations!”

“Congratulations to you, too. This is all so
exciting.” Janelle wrapped her friend in a quick embrace.

“I think you’ll be even more excited when
you see this.” Theresa gripped Janelle by the shoulders and turned
her around.

Nate stood before her, a nervous smile on
his face, a bouquet of vibrant spring flowers clutched in his hand.
He shifted from one foot to the other, looking so handsome and
nervous. Hope rose within her, leaving her breathless.