The Kiss (8 page)

Chapter Eleven

Eliza reached her dorm an hour or so later, just in time to see Cal exiting the front door. She should have braved the rain, she thought. Getting soaked would have been the lesser of two evils.

“Eliza.” Cal nodded. “I was just getting these from a friend.” He indicated the armful of books he carried.

She’d expected him to apologize when he saw her next, but he was obviously going to pretend the whole thing at the party never happened. She was too exhausted to confront a third man in less than twelve hours. So when he said he’d see her around, she smiled tiredly and went straight to her room counting the seconds until she could be in bed.

She was pushing her key into the keyhole, when a large hand grabbed hold of her left shoulder.

Her first thought was that Cal had followed her up the stairs, and the invasion of her private space was too much after the day she’d had. Years of martial arts called forth the primal instinct to defend herself against whoever dared touch her. Without looking at his face, she cut her gaze to the floor and spotted his left foot. She was about to stomp on it and spin around to thrust an elbow into the guy’s ribs, when she realized she was looking at a familiar combat boot.

“Was the overgrown boy scout what you felt like doing?” Nate whispered against her ear.

His breath smelled like tobacco and alcohol, a scent she’d associated with the promise of a fairy tale before she’d realized it was
his
scent.

She wanted to kiss him again.

Instead, she went ahead and stomped on his booted foot with her heel, despite knowing he’d feel nothing through the tough leather. When he withdrew slightly, she raised her bent arm, ready to strike.

He jumped back awkwardly, regaining his balance at the same moment she turned to face him. He was leering at her, and she couldn’t help herself. Her fist flew towards his face, but he was faster.

He grabbed her wrist and used his entire body to pin her against the door. “I kissed you because I wanted to,” he said. “Wanted
you
, since I first saw you.”

She might have asked him why he’d been such an asshole to her for all that time—might have tried to push him away—but his lips found hers, and she forgot how to think.

*

He’d done what his father had said he should, and went to find Eliza, meaning to talk to her and work things out. When he’d seen her talking to the man who’d treated her like dirt the night before, however, he’d seen red. All thoughts of a talk had vanished from his mind, and he’d run after her, driven by sheer panic.

He was kissing her now—that same panic making the kiss more urgent, more demanding than before—and she was kissing him back, this time fully aware of who he was.

He let go of her wrists, giving her a chance to push him back, and was afraid she’d do just that when she placed her palms on his shoulders. She bunched her fingers in his shirt, however, and only pulled him closer.

*

He was pressing against her, his body hard and firm. She needed more of his body. Closer. Needed to feel his skin on hers. She didn’t care if the following morning he’d call Greg to say he’d nailed her. All she cared about was being naked with him. She withdrew from the kiss. “You’re a jerk.”

“I know.” He searched for her lips again, but she turned her face from him. “I’m sorry. I’ve wanted you for so long, but you were his, and then you were hurting.” He found the column of her neck and placed open-mouthed kisses along its curve, his hands roaming the sides of her body. “Wanted to piss you off. Pissed off is better than hurt.”

Once again, she had before her the Nate she’d seen in his bedroom. If what he was saying was true, if he’d gone through so much trouble to make her hate him just so she wouldn’t hurt anymore… His words brought tears to her eyes. He’d sounded pleading, yet she felt her ire rise at the memory of all that had happened between them.

How did he dare choose for her? How did he dare try and make her despise him, when she might have—
they
might have—been so much different if he’d shown her this side of him, with the hopeful eyes that looked at her as if she were more than just a girl? “So you’ve been an asshole for two years for my sake?”

He nodded against her shoulder, his hand playing with a lock of her hair. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“So I’d hate you and get over Greg?” He mumbled something she couldn’t hear. “Huh?”

“That was the plan.” He’d stopped moving completely.

“You suck at plans.” She pushed him away, but the hurt in his eyes softened her. “Let’s hope you didn’t plan this.” She turned back toward the door and unlocked it. “Are you coming?”

She didn’t have to ask him twice; he followed her in and kicked the door closed behind him.

She pushed aside all fear and turned to face him when she reached the middle of the room. Her gaze locked on his, she started unbuttoning her top.

He froze in place. “Eliza.” Her name was a gruff whisper, coming from deep inside him.

She had no doubt he wanted her; no man had ever looked at her with so much naked lust evident in his gaze. She took in the flaring of his nostrils, and her fingers slipped over the smooth surface of the third button. He acted as if he needed her, his body tense with the obvious effort to stay still. Her decision to say to hell with consequences was reaffirmed. Whatever the outcome, for just one night she’d know passion the likes of which she’d never felt before.

*

The damned button was frustrating. Watching her fumble with it, it was all he could do not to go to her and rip her shirt open. He was about to snap, when it finally gave way, revealing the pale pink bra that encased her breasts. Nate’s hand rose of its own accord, fingers splayed, aching to release her curves from their confines. He was hard for her.

The part of him that insisted he’d sustained head trauma and was suffering from delusions had control of his mouth. “Eliza, what are you doing?”

She looked stunned by his question. Having just finished undoing her top, she clutched its sides together. “What do you mean? I thought you said you wanted me.” Her face betrayed such insecurity, that Nate’s heart ached for the wrongs done to her in the past.

He sagged down on the nearest bed. “I do. So fucking much. But what do you want?” He didn’t know what he expected as an answer.

She scrunched her nose and took a moment to reply. “I want something real, I guess.”

She hadn’t said she wanted
him
or had feelings for him, but it was good enough. With a nod, he stood and went to her. “This is real,” he said. He framed her face with his hands and laid a gentle kiss on the tip of her adorably upturned nose. He slid his palms down her cheeks, along the lines of her neck and the curve of her shoulders, until he finally drove her sleeveless shirt down her arms.

Then he took a step back to admire her, as she stood there in her bra and skirt. Despite her diminutive stature, she reminded him of an Amazon—shoulders squared, chin slightly lifted, chest heaving.

“You are beautiful.” He could tell she needed to hear it, but wouldn’t have said it if it weren’t the absolute truth. This was real.

A red tint, visible even in the grey afternoon light that filtered in through the curtains, colored her cheeks.

“Liar.” She smiled.

He shook his head. “You’re beautiful. Only a blind man wouldn’t see that.”

She reached behind her back with one hand and undid her bra. Her other arm snaked around her breasts, and her smile widened when his gaze zeroed in on what that arm covered. “Your turn,” she said.

Losing his T-shirt without tearing his eyes from her was hard, but he managed.

Her tongue flickered over her lips when his upper body was exposed, and his cock hardened more—to the point of pain.

Without a word, she let her arms fall to her sides, and the bra glided down their length and fell to the floor.

He was just as silent when he closed the distance between them and fell to his knees. Not bothering to take her shoes off, he unzipped her skirt, peeled it off her hips, and let it pool on the carpet. He caressed his way up her calves, tickled the back of her knees, and massaged her thighs, before finally cupping her buttocks. He leaned forward to lay a kiss right above her hipbone and reveled at the goose bumps that appeared on her flesh.

“Get up here, mister.” She let out a barely audible gasp when he grazed the same tender spot with his teeth.

He rose and stood before her, not touching her. “What do you want, Eliza?”

Chapter Twelve

Teeth worrying her lip, she tugged at the waistband of his jeans.

Nate shook his head and grinned, pulling her flush against him. “You’ll have to elaborate on that.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted herself up.

He guessed that could count as an answer.

Holding her the way he did now, her legs folded around his hips, was something he’d often dreamed of. In fact, he was still not entirely sure he was fully awake as he carried her to the bed she pointed him towards.

He tried to be gentle, laying her on top of the covers, but she wouldn’t let go of him. The end result was for them to topple over in a tangle. A couple of planks gave way under their combined weight, and the mattress drooped in a weird angle.

Eliza’s eyes widened at the loud crack, and Nate expected her to come out of whatever haze had made her treat him like he mattered. Instead, she just started laughing. It was the first time she’d laughed like that in his presence—the first time she was so carefree with him—and that meant more than the fact she was willing to let him into her body. Wanting to make the glorious sound continue, he climbed down her body and blew a raspberry against her stomach.

She looked into his eyes, no longer laughing. “I want you,” she mouthed.

He couldn’t lose his boots and jeans fast enough. He tried just getting rid of the latter, but one of the pant legs got snagged on his combats, and he stumbled, almost falling. Eliza giggled again, and he swore to himself he’d give her slap-stick comedy in the morning.

After.

*

Eliza couldn’t help the weird sound between a growl and a moan that rose to her lips at the first glimpse of his naked body. He was magnificent. She’d taken a course or two in Art and thought the Greek statues depicted the perfect male body. Nate could have put any sculpture to shame.

And his cock…

For a second she wondered if it would fit; she hadn’t exactly been working out that specific part of her anatomy.

He climbed back on the bed with a leer, and Eliza promised herself she’d make it fit.

He lay next to her, propped up on one elbow, and let his fingers roam the length of her body.

Her breath caught in her throat when he ran his knuckles along the side of one breast, and she arched into his hand when he ghosted the heel of his hand over one nipple, making it pebble. His touch burned her skin, but his gaze burned her soul.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, before bowing his head to kiss the valley between her breasts. “God, I want you.”

His lips found her nipple at the same time his nimble fingers reached and pushed aside her soaked panties.

She felt the urge to apologize for not having worn something sexier, but the way he said her name when he realized how wet she was for him drove it away. All she felt, all she was, was
need
.

Nate gently slid a finger inside her, and her hips bucked. She grabbed his hair and smashed her mouth to his. His thumb was barely touching her clit, and yet she was almost there.

*

Nate felt like a teenager making out with a girl for the first time. He was about to burst and wanted to be inside her when that happened, but he needed to make it last for her. Ignoring his cock took a lot of effort, since most of his blood felt pumping in his groin at that moment. Still, he managed to keep his exploration of her pussy unhurried and channel all his lust into his kiss.

He bit her lower lip lightly, then ran his tongue along the curve of her mouth until she parted her lips for him.

He broke the kiss and watched her face as he pushed a second finger inside her. Her eyes were hooded, her mouth a muted ‘O’. He pumped both fingers inside her slowly, then brought them to his lips and made a show of licking them clean.

She pouted, though her gaze followed his tongue. “I was so close.”

“I don’t want you to come like that.” He shrugged.

“Then how?”

“You tell me.”

She just looked at him, silent for what felt like an eternity. Just when Nate was sure she wouldn’t answer, she spoke. “Make love to me.” It wasn’t a demand but a plea, and she prayed he wouldn’t refuse her.

He stood, found his jeans, and got a condom from his wallet in the back pocket.

“Well, well. Weren’t we prepared?” Her tone was light, but her insecurities were resurfacing. Maybe it was all a plot.

He rolled the condom on and smiled. “I was a boy scout.”

He must have realized it wasn’t enough of an explanation by the way her body seemed to close up. She crossed her arms over her breasts and avoided his eyes until he leaned over her.

“Eliza, this wasn’t there for you.”

“Yeah, ’cause that makes things so much better.”

“It wasn’t there for anyone. My dad—” He flicked his gaze briefly to the ceiling before looking back at her. “Ever since he gave me the ‘birds and bees’ talk, he’s insisted I carry protection. It’s always there.”

She held up her arms at him with a smile. “Sounds like a wise man.”

“Oh, he is!” He draped his body over hers and gave her another kiss. “Now, where were we?”

“Right here.” She wrapped her legs around his hips and opened herself to him.

He entered her slowly, gently, both to make it good for her and because any sudden movement could have made him lose control. She held on to him, kissing his neck, pushing her hips upwards while he sank inside her inch by agonizingly slow inch.

When he was finally fully sheathed inside her, he let out a sigh. This was the most fulfilling and yet the hardest thing he’d ever done. He’d longed to be with her for so long, he’d convinced himself it was impossible. Now that he had her, he was afraid of doing anything that would make her go away. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he began moving, pulling moans from her lips with every downward thrust.

*

The way he was looking at her felt like he could see right through her. There was some expectation in that look, some hope that matched hers.

Something real.

Nate found a spot inside her she’d never really believed existed, and her body felt like it’d been hit with a jolt of lightning. She began pumping her hips off the mattress faster, clawing at his back, her nails leaving red trails behind as she tried to hang on to her control.

It appeared he was determined to make her lose that control.

He held her to him and rolled them over so she was on top. “Show me what you like. Show me how you like it.”

Eliza had no clue how she liked it, because she hadn’t actually liked it with someone before. Her legs were folded, framing his. Maybe she should lift them so she was balancing her weight on her feet? Should she be moving up and down or back and forth? What if she messed up the rhythm and ruined it for him? She realized she’d stopped moving when he took hold of her hips and began gently guiding her up and down.

When she took over, he moved his hands to her breasts, caressing them until the tips were fully erect. Bunching those wonderful abs of his, he raised his upper body enough so he could encircle a nipple with his lips and flick his tongue over it.

She was riding him now, her mind off the trivial stuff, her body enjoying the pleasure he gave her. She loved how he said her name every time she changed her rhythm, loved how his eyes darkened as he looked into her eyes and then down her body to the place where they were joined.

She was so close to something she’d never shared with a man before.

*

He couldn’t hold back any longer. His last ounce of self control was lost when she involuntarily grazed his nipple as the first throes of her orgasm bowed her spine. He palmed the apex of her thighs and pressed his thumb against her clit, at the same time driving inside her faster, harder.

She bowed and arched above him; moaned and mewled; pumped her hips and whipped her head from side to side in such wanton abandon that Nate didn’t care about his own pleasure. Watching her give herself to him so willingly, so completely was enough.

Her whole body trembled and tensed. Her back arched. Her heels dug into his thighs. Her nails raised welts into his shoulders and upper arms.

When she clenched around him, he came harder than ever before, his vision blurred by the intensity of what he was feeling.

She collapsed on top of him. “My nose is numb.”

He chuckled and laid a kiss on her temple, ran his fingers through her hair. “Then I did my job well.”

Her breathing gradually slowed, as she drifted off. After a couple of efforts to move to the side without disturbing her, Nate decided to ignore that his left leg was going stiff under her, and just be content with having her in his arms.

They’d talk in the morning, but there was something he needed to say to her right then. Something he was afraid she wasn’t ready to hear. When he was sure she was asleep, he whispered, “I love you.”