Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (8 page)

“Denny was buzzing around her for a while. I think I saw them leave together,” Jessica informed him.

A sickening mixture of jealous rage and uncontrollable worry clouded Nate’s mind.
No
. Lilly wouldn’t have left willingly with someone she didn’t know.

Would she?

She’d do anything to get away from you, remember? You made sure of that, dickhead
.

“Who’s Denny?” he ground out.

Jessica shrugged as she wiped down the bar, leaning over in a way that made her look obvious and pathetic in her attempts to attract his attention. He’d already told her earlier he wasn’t interested.

“He’s a regular,” she said. “He owns a farm up on County Line Road. Comes in a few times a week. Usually leaves with one pretty blonde or another.” She chuckled at his murderous expression and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, sugar. She didn’t look like she was going anywhere she wasn’t willing to go. Denny tends to have that effect on the ladies.”

Nate dropped the denim jacket and stormed out of the bar, his heart hammering in his chest so hard he’d probably have bruises on the inside tomorrow. He was two seconds away from completely losing his shit.
Why the hell would she do this?
Had he pissed her off that badly, to the point she’d put herself in danger just to escape him?

She didn’t know this Denny fucker. What if he hurt her? What if he—

He heard her voice. He froze. A laugh? He was going out of his mind and she was somewhere
laughing
?

He stomped around the corner toward the source of the mirth and stopped when he saw her. Lilly was huddled under the eave, sheltered from the rain, with some douchebag in a Virginia Tech baseball cap. He was guessing this was Denny.

Well, Denny was about to get the beat-down of his life if he didn’t remove his goddamned hand from the small of her back. Nate would be damned if he stood by and let another man touch her so intimately when his handprint was still branded on her ass.

If she kept pushing him like this, he was going to give her another to match it.

Douchebag Denny whispered something in her ear and she laughed, the sound light and free. Her damp dress now clung to every dip and curve of her lithe little body. And that bastard had his paws all over her.

Lilly crouched down and he spotted the source of her joy. A little scruffball of a mutt was lying in front of her chewing on a bone. It paused only to look up and burrow its head into the palm of her hand as she scratched its ear. A dog? She was out here feeding a damn stray
dog
?

“I’ve always wanted a dog,” she murmured. “We couldn’t afford it when I was little. And now my apartment complex doesn’t allow pets.” She pushed out a breath. “Not that I’ll have an apartment in a few weeks.”

“Falling out with the roommate?” Denny asked.

“No. Nothing that serious,” she said. “She’s opening up a new yoga studio across town. There’s no way I’ll be able to afford our loft on my own.”

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. Who knows, maybe you’ll find an even better place. One that allows pets, then you can have a little mutt like this to call your own.” Denny draped an arm around her, brushed a hair from the side of her face.

She smiled up at him. “Yeah. Maybe.”

Nate saw red. She might be out here for the mutt, but this asshole had his own agenda.

Nate strode forward, accepting the fact that he might go to jail tonight. If she’d been trying to make him jealous with this little stunt, good for her. It had worked. But jealousy was an ugly emotion, and one he didn’t deal well with.

Lilly looked up at the sound of his footsteps, and her face paled.

“That’s right, Princess,” he said evenly. “You want to play? We’ll play.” He folded his arms over his chest to stop them from doing something foolish. On second thought, he was done with the fucking games. He’d take her to a damn motel and lock her in if he had to. “Time to go.”

“I don’t think she wants to leave with you,” the jerk in the hat drawled.

Nate looked at him with murder on his mind and the douchebag loosened his hold on her. She looked up as if surprised the other man had gotten so close, and scooted out from under his hand.

“She came with me,” Nate said, voice harsh. “She’s leaving with me.”

She stood up and scowled at him. “Fine. Let’s go, warden.”

She leaned over and nuzzled the dog’s nose, whispering something soft and sweet to it.

Nate nearly groaned at the sight of that damp dress stretched across her backside.
Jesus H. Christ
. Clearly, she had no idea what she was doing to him. Or hell, maybe she did.

He shot a look at D-Bag, who was enjoying the view, as well, and made a warning sound. “I’d avert your eyes, motherfucker, unless you want one of them black.”

The bastard cursed under his breath, nodded at Lilly, and stomped back into the noisy bar.

Lilly glared at Nate as she stormed past and he followed, hot on her heels. When her fancy high heels hit the gravel parking lot, she stopped searching for the truck, and he grabbed her by the arm. She spun right into his chest. He felt dizzy from her proximity, her warmth. He closed his eyes and breathed her in. She was intoxicating, and this was where she belonged.

With him
.

“Are you trying to give me a damn heart attack?” he demanded. “Or do you just
want
to be kidnapped or killed by some sick fuck?”

She jerked out of his grip. “I was feeding a stray dog. I wasn’t out dancing on a pole. And for the record, last time I checked I was a grown woman. I don’t need your permission. Denny is a nice guy. He was just keeping me entertained while I waited for you to finish whatever it was you were doing in there with Lady McBoobs.”

“Do you even have a clue what could have happened to you?” he said in exasperation. “You’re in a strange city, wearing a dress that’s certain to lure every lecherous creep within a five-mile radius like a moth to flame. And you decide it’s a good idea to wander into a dark alley with a complete stranger? You didn’t even know that guy, Lil. He could have—”

“Nothing happened,” she said between her teeth. “Nothing was
going
to happen. He was nice. He asked if I wanted to go with him to feed scraps to a dog that always hung around the bar, so I went. End of story.”

Nate opened his mouth to launch into another tirade, but she stopped him with a shake of her head. “Don’t. You don’t get to do this, Nate,” she snapped. “I’m not yours to protect. I can take care of myself. So leave it alone. Leave
me
alone. I can find another ride.”

He pinned her with a hard glare and shook his head. She was right. She wasn’t his. She wasn’t going to be his. “Not a fucking chance. Get in the truck.”

He motioned to the tow truck that had agreed to give them a ride to a motel and take his ride to a shop.

She gritted her teeth. “Fine.”

Jesus. This road trip was definitely going to kill him.

After this, active duty would be a damn picnic.

Chapter Nine

Lilly chewed on her bottom lip as Nate rang the bell in the lobby of the backwoods motel where the tow truck driver had dropped them. Nate’s black T-shirt stuck to his skin like paint, every muscle and dip visible as he rested his fists on the counter, refusing to look at her. Damn him for looking so good. It made him so hard to hate. And right now, she really wanted to hate him.

While his caveman routine had the potential to be white hot in the bedroom, it was going to have to stop. This was just supposed to be a ride. Plain and simple. Black and white. And everything was getting twisted. She didn’t need a damn bodyguard.
Or a quick roll in the hay
, she reminded herself firmly. What she really needed was something he would never be willing to give.

More.

She blinked away the last of her humiliation and exhaustion, and fought against the urge to drag someone out of the motel office to give her a room. She needed a wall between herself and this man. And a solid door. With a deadbolt. Or three. Maybe then she’d be able to keep her panties in place and her fantasies to a minimum.

She smoothed her hands over her wet, wrinkled dress as an elderly woman came out of the back and asked, “Can I help you?”

“We need two rooms, please.” Nate pulled out his wallet and tossed a card on the counter.

The woman took his credit card and the ID he slapped down beside it and typed something at a snail’s pace into the laptop sitting on the counter. “We only have one room available.” She slid her glasses up her nose and looked him up and down.

Lilly’s heart dropped into her stomach and she exchanged a wary look with Nate.
No
. There had to be some kind of mistake. “How is that possible?” she asked incredulously. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“We’re the Happy Campers Lodge, not the Waldorf Astoria, sweetheart,” the woman said. “We only have six rooms and most of them stay booked with regular tenants.”

Nate rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “It’s fine. We’ll take the room.”

Lilly gaped at him. “I’m
not
staying in a room with you, Nate. No way.”

He turned to face her so fast her head spun. “It has a bed and it’s dry. If you want to take another hike through the rain, be my guest.” He turned back to the counter.

She gritted her teeth. He was right. Damn it. Hayden always told her the universe worked in mysterious ways. Lilly didn’t agree. The universe didn’t work in mysterious ways. It worked in really
fucked-up
ways. Like sticking her in a hotel room with the man she’d been deliberately teasing, torturing, and flaunting her ass to all day. She may as well have been thrown into a cage with a lion she’d been poking with a stick through the bars for hours. Except, of course, he’d already made it clear he wasn’t hungry. Not for her, anyway.

Humiliation complete.

While he retrieved the room key, she counted raindrops streaking down the window, letting the soothing rhythm of the patter calm her frayed nerves.
She could do this
. They would sleep in separate beds. It wasn’t as if she was some out-of-control teenager running high on hormones. She was a grown woman who was in complete charge of her actions. She would just ignore him. Go straight to bed and sleep. Yes. That was an excellent plan.

Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she tried to chase away the chill that ran so deep her teeth chattered. She probably wouldn’t have survived another hike through that storm, anyway.

Nate came up behind her and touched her elbow. “Come on,” he said. “Apparently we’re in the Hunter’s Delight room.”

“Hunter’s Delight?” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You know what? Never mind. Let’s get this over with.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked and she grabbed the room key out of his hand and pushed out through the doors, back into the cool night air. It was past ten, and despite the fact that it was July, the stormy late-night temperatures had dropped enough to make her wish she was wearing something dry. Ducking under a dripping gutter, she started searching for room 5. She could feel Nate behind her, his very presence making it hard to focus on what she was looking for. When she spotted their room, she fumbled with the key, shivering so badly she was unable to get it in the lock.

Nate planted his hand on the door and leaned in from behind, placing his lips at her ear, his chest to her back. A tremor rolled down her spine and butterflies took flight in her stomach.

“Let me do it.”

She sighed and released the key into his waiting hand. The lock clicked and the door swung open. She walked in first, flicking the light on, and her heart sank.

Oh, hell no
.

A rustic-looking desk and chair sat on one side of the room, and big framed picture of a moose hung on the dark wood-paneled wall over the queen-size bed. A Jacuzzi tub was tucked into the corner of the room, surrounded by mirrors. Her eyes gravitated to a set of large antlers that adorned the spot above the dresser. A bearskin rug was the focal point of the room, complete with vacant eyes and a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth.

Lilly gasped in horror.
Dear God
. She was in a vegetarian’s nightmare. How many animals had been slaughtered in the name of decor for this awful room?

Nate closed the door behind them with a final-sounding
click
. His breath fanned across the back of her neck and she closed her eyes. He wasn’t even touching her, yet she could feel every inch of his heat.

“There’s only one bed,” she said.

“And?”

“And you’re sleeping on the floor.”

“Fine.” His tone was clipped, and she flinched at the anger lacing it.

The jangle of his belt buckle and zipper going down echoed through the room.

Oh, God
. Was he seriously getting naked?
Now?

“What are you doing?”

“Getting out of these wet clothes,” he said. “You should probably do the same unless you want to get sick.”

Oh, man.
Distraction. She needed a distraction
.

She scowled fiercely. “You owe me an apology first.”

Nate stalked across the room in nothing but a pair of skin-tight boxer briefs and her mouth watered momentarily before she gave herself a mental slap upside the head. He tossed his jeans over a chair to dry, then jerked back the sheets to grab a pillow.

“For what?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t know.” She tapped her finger to her lips. “For manhandling me on the side of the highway?”

He smirked, going to the closet and opening it. “If memory serves, you handled me right back.”

Her cheeks flushed and anger lit her up from the inside. “I meant
after
that. Do you not recall going all caveman and throwing me over your shoulder?”

Nate pulled out an extra blanket, turned, and shook it open, refusing to look at her. “You weren’t being cooperative. I did what needed to be done to control the situation, to get you to a safe place.”

She jerked the blanket out of his hands to get his attention. “And what about the handprint on my ass?” She stuck a hand on her hip. “Was
that
necessary to control the situation?”

Nate grabbed the blanket back and finally met her gaze. “No. That was just because you pissed me off.”

“You have serious issues. You know that, right?” she ground out. “Don’t you ever get tired of trying to control everything?”

“Don’t you ever get tired of
talking
?”

Frustration boiled under her skin, and Paige’s words whispered through her mind.
Show him what he’s been missing
.

Fine. If the man insisted on manhandling her and ordering her around, then she had her own brand of torture in mind. One that would leave him with a lethal set of blue balls that would hopefully keep him up all night.

“Speaking of tired…” Sending him a return smirk, she nonchalantly slid one strap of her dress down her shoulder, then the other.

Nate froze beside the bed.

The dress slid down her body to pool at her feet, leaving her in her bra and panties. Wet, nearly transparent bra and panties.

Make that
completely
transparent.

He hissed in a breath on a curse. “What are you doing?”

She shrugged. “Just following your orders and getting out of these wet clothes.”

She reached for the front clasp of her bra, pausing when a growl rumbled deep in his chest like a warning. “Lilly…”

The gravel in his voice and the fire igniting behind his eyes made her feel as if she’d just raked a stick across the bars of that lion’s cage. This time the lion looked hungry.

Really hungry.

She swallowed, and projected a calm mask of confidence. “I’m going to take a shower.” She hiked a brow. “Or do I need your permission to do that? Maybe you’d feel more comfortable if you gave me
explicit
instructions?”

She knew she was playing with fire. And she’d been burned by this particular flame before. But she didn’t stop herself. Couldn’t. She needed a reaction out of him. She desperately wanted him to regret turning her away. Because she refused to believe that she meant absolutely nothing to him, while he consumed her every thought.

His heated gaze traveled over her nipples straining against the wet, lacy bra, then dipped to the silk between her legs. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.

She turned around, giving him her back, and unsnapped the clasp of her bra between her breasts. No way did he deserve that view. The scrap of lace slipped off her arms and fell to the floor. Cool air washed over her sensitive breasts and stomach, making her shiver.

She couldn’t see his reaction, but she felt the sound that came out of his chest all the way down to her core.
Damn it!
Her plan was backfiring. This wasn’t supposed to affect
her
.

But even as she fought against it, desire licked at her insides like a flame and spread a warm flush over her skin. An undeniable ache throbbed between her legs, and she realized she was subtly rubbing her thighs together to ease it.

“
Fuck
.” Nate was suddenly behind her.

Her heart tripped over itself, giving her the wake-up call she needed. “Good night, Nate.”

She quickly strode into the bathroom, feeling herself crack apart inside, and slammed the door behind her.

Bracing her hands on the counter, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair hung in damp curls around her face and her cheeks were scarlet. Her green eyes held a quiet desperation that looked too familiar for comfort.

For the first time in her life she could admit it. She looked like the one person she swore she’d never become. She looked exactly like her mother.

Wasn’t this just the kind of crap she would have pulled? Hadn’t Lilly learned
anything
through her mother’s mistakes? Or her own? It didn’t matter if Nate wanted her. He’d still walk away once he’d gotten what he wanted.

Damn it
.

Shame washed over her, extinguishing the heat completely.

“What the hell are you doing, Lilly?” she whispered in anguish. When her reflection offered no good excuse for her behavior, she twisted the knobs in the shower until the tiny room began to fill with steam, blurring the tears she refused to let fall. Tomorrow she had to get away from Nate. Even if it meant taking a damn bus the whole rest of the way to Vermont.

She jumped at a sudden knock on the bathroom door, and grabbed for a towel off the rack, hastily clutching it to her chest. He might have seen a good portion of her just moments before, but she’d be damned if he got the whole picture for free.

She pulled the door open.

He had one hand braced on the doorframe, head hanging low. Electric-blue eyes peered up at her and she swallowed.

“What do you want?”

His eyes flickered down to the towel, then he dropped his hand and pushed his way into the bathroom, forcing her backward until her bottom hit the edge of the counter. He braced his hands on either side of her hips, caging her in. Her breaths kicked up a notch—matching the frantic beating of her heart.

“You,” he growled.

That one word was the only warning he gave before his mouth crashed into hers.

He took advantage of her gasp of surprise and his tongue swept between her lips. Her moans mingled with his. Their tongues dueled for dominance. Nate grabbed the towel she had clutched to her chest and ripped it away, instantly replacing the cool air that rushed over her skin with the warmth of his bare chest. Wet heat spread between her legs, giving away just how much she wanted him.

He grabbed her by the hips and roughly sat her on the counter. The spark created by the simple act of him putting his hands on her forced the breath from her lungs. His touch burned her. Branded her. He wedged between her legs and his lips trailed down her throat as he shoved his palms up her thighs. His thumbs swept so close to her center that she almost came.

“Oh God…what are we doing?” she gasped.

“If you want me to stop, say the word, Princess.” His breath, all lemon and mint, danced over her lips, teasing, tempting.

“What do you want from me, Nate?”

“I want
you
, Lilly,” he said again. “I want your taste in my mouth. I want you riding my cock. Screaming my name. Begging me for release.”

“Nate—”

“Tell me, then.” His voice dissolved into a rumble of heat when he reached her breasts, stopping to stare while his thumbs teased the edge of her panties. “Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me you hate me.”

She trembled under his touch, knowing those were the exact things she needed to say to keep this train from going off the rails. But they would be lies. The way her body was vibrating with need for him was proof of that.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

His mouth descended on her aching nipple and he sucked. She arched up off the counter, moaning, and slid her fingers through his short hair. The way his hands dominated her body stole her breath. Every caress, every kiss, every touch of his tongue demanded she relinquish control and give him everything. And oh, God, did she want to give it to him. With the taste of him on her lips and his fingers bruising her hips, she couldn’t think of anything she’d ever wanted more. Her nails bit into his scalp and he growled against her breast, his teeth grazing her nipple.