16. Nate
16
NATE
D ammit.
I should’ve known better.
She told me she was na?ve. That she was clueless. Of course, she’d be overwhelmed with this slow buildup and gradual lust burning slowly between us. We’d been teasing each other all night, every chance we could get.
This was probably the first time she’d ever fielded real interest from a man. If her dorky high school boyfriend never put out, this was likely Rachel’s first introduction to refraining herself from desire.
I was on edge too.
I wanted her so damn badly, and here I’d pushed her too far, dancing on the fine line of forbidden desire. Each kiss we stole had me wanting more. And when she tried not to make eye contact, too riled up from the electricity that sparked between us when we made a connection across the pool table, I felt impatient to have her to myself.
“Are you overworking her?” Brandon asked.
“No.” I frowned at him. “She’s just…”
He nodded. “She’s always been like that. At school. With college. She’s a go-getter.”
Right now, I was trying my best not to rush after her and get her for myself. “Yeah, she is.”
“I meant what I said, though, that she could stay here.”
“Is she really committed to that job she’s supposed to start in January?” I asked.
“Not really. Well, maybe. But only in the sense that it would be a way to stay out of the house with Mom and Dad.”
I raised my brows. “She only wants the job to get out of town?”
“I think so. She’s sick of everyone thinking of her as Kyle’s girlfriend. She wants a new identity, to find herself away from the small-town life.”
I smiled. I had a hunch she was already trying on a new identity—with me, as my girl, in the city.
“You know, she’s balancing her work time well,” I said, pausing to fake a long yawn, “but I’m not. I’m beat.”
If I hurried, I’d catch up to her.
“I bet you’re not sleeping well with the stress about the big party next week, either.” He shook his head. “I hate that it gets to you like this. All the memories. Maybe you could move on from Yasmin faster if you skipped the party for once. A clean cut.”
“You know, someone really smart recently suggested the same thing.”
He huffed and rolled his eyes. “But I doubt you’ll follow that advice.”
Nope. I already had my plans for the holiday party. I’d be there with Rachel.
“I just want you to move on already, man, and not suffer the whispers and reminders of humiliation at that exact party.”
Consider it done. I was moving on—with his sister.
“I know. I know.” I headed out, tossing out another wave and farewell as I went.
Once I was on the sidewalk, I broke into a run to chase after Rachel. I knew where her building was. It was the same one Brandon lived in. But fortunately, he’d be walking in the other direction to head to work.
I sprinted, pumping my arms to run as fast as I could to find her on the way to the apartment building. It wasn’t far. Only minutes had passed since she left.
Come on. Please let me in. I knew the building, but not the apartment she was renting. It’d be far easier if I caught her outside instead of trying to hunt her down inside.
And there she was. Her blonde waves tossed from shoulder to shoulder as she walked ahead.
“Rachel!”
She spun at hearing me shout her name. Stopping just before the front door, she waited for me to run up to her.
“You came?—”
I collided with her, kissing her hard. She moaned into my mouth, parting her lips immediately. Cupping her head between my hands, I poured my need into this kiss and prayed she would understand.
“I will always come after you,” I promised on a ragged breath when I broke the kiss.
The slow, small smile she gave me had me grinning. In reply, as she gazed at me with adoration and lust, she took my hand and led me inside without another word.
Kissing her in her building felt different, like it was the most natural lead-in to something so, so much more. We kissed in the elevator. Then when we reached her floor, I picked her up so she could direct me where to carry her. At her door, as she fumbled with the key, I held her against the wall and kissed her more.
We couldn’t get enough of each other, hungry and impatient. With our mouths, and then once we were inside her place, with our hands, we explored and strained to connect as close as we could.
“Rachel, fuck, I want you,” I said, panting hard.
She nodded, unable to stop tugging at my shirt. “Yes.”
“I…” I growled as I kissed her harder. Once more, she was in my arms. Again, her back was shoved against the wall.
We had privacy now, though, and I didn’t want to slack in taking advantage of it, of losing a moment to show her what she wanted.
“Show me,” she begged. “Take me, Nate.”
“No. I’m not taking anything. I want to give. I want to give you the pleasure of coming for me, sweet girl.” I kissed her quiet as I slid my hand lower. Her skirt flipped up with ease, and I didn’t waste time dragging my fingers toward her crotch. No slip or other layer stopped me from reaching her damp panties.
“Yes, Nate. Please!” She widened her legs, giving me access as I held her against the wall. Her lips were glistening wet in the dim light of the street shining through the windows. Shadows cut over her expressive face, and I wished I could see all of her, could witness every bit of her coming for me.
“You’re so wet,” I taunted, kissing along her neck. Sucking on the sweet flesh below her ear had her gasping, but the second I teased my fingers under the wet fabric of her lingerie, she cried out.
“Oh…” she moaned.
I didn’t wait. Angling my fingers deeper and further, I felt her up. I stroked her soft, bare folds, smearing her cream. And then I slid inside, stretching her virginal entrance with two digits, just up to the second knuckles.
She cried out again, breathing so hard. Just this much was pushing her close to coming.
“It’ll be quick,” I warned.
She nodded, shakily, as I fingered her. Pumping my fingers in and out of her slick heat made my dick strain, so hard under the layers of my clothes. She was tight, but so wet, and I felt the first stirrings of her orgasm.
“It’ll be quick,” I repeated between kisses, “ this time.”
But the next time, I intended to savor all of her.
“Nate!” She tensed. Her face tightened as she strained to handle the emotions. The onslaught of desire and the threat of pending release. All those kisses, those hot looks. They’d built up to this occasion, and I felt like a king, a god, to be able to witness it.
“Go on,” I urged between kissing her and sucking the smooth, soft flesh below her ear. “Let go, Rachel. Give in and come for me.”
“I… I…”
“Just let it all go and come for me, sweet girl.” I covered her mouth with mine at the same time that I pressed my thumb to her clit. One gentle point of pressure, and she came apart.
Crying out, gasping, and breathing so hard, she was so splintered under the force of her orgasm. I couldn’t know whether it was her first one ever. Why wouldn’t she have played with herself? Everyone did. But I was smug with the confidence that I was likely the first man to ever make her come.
Kissing her softly, I let her ride out the rush of coming. She relaxed, her arms lightening up with their grip around me. She sighed, catching her breath. And those contented moans and breathy exhales? Yeah, they made me feel mighty.
I’d caused her to be boneless and sated like this. Me. I was the only one. And I couldn’t wait to?—
“Rachel?” Knocks followed.
We both stiffened at the sound of Brandon’s voice out in the hall.
“Rach? Are you there?”
Fuck!
She stared at me as she hurried to lower her legs. “Yeah.” She cringed, clearing her throat to try again. “Yeah.”
“You forgot your phone at the pub. I was just dropping it off.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! I backed up from Rachel, helping her to stand. I was careful not to touch my fingers on her, preventing an accidental smear of her cream from my fingers getting on her as she righted her clothes.
I did my best not to freak out as she shoved her skirt down. As she wobbled, her knees still shaky, I let her hold on to me to gain her balance. I smoothed down her hair where I’d mussed it up.
“Rach?” Brandon called out.
She shoved at me, urging me to hide. With panic shared between us, I crouched behind the couch to stay out of sight. He couldn’t come in and stay. He had to work. This hiding spot would do. Tucked down, on my hands and knees, I held my breath and listened.
Clicks of the lock came, and after a whoosh of the door sliding over the carpet, she said, “Thanks, B. I can’t believe I left my phone behind.”
“Yeah,” he said. His voice came closer, and I cringed with this hint that he had to be stepping inside. “You can’t go far without a phone.”
“I was just eager to get home,” she said.
“You seemed like you were in a rush to get home.” He cleared his throat. “You weren’t trying to run away from having to spend time with Nate, were you?”
I bit my lip at the irony. You got it wrong. We had been trying to run to each other without his knowing.
“No, no. Not at all.”
He laughed at her reply. “It’s not weird working for him, is it?”
“Why would it be weird?”
“You know what I mean,” he said in a teasing tone.
“I don’t.”
He laughed. “Rach, you’re acting weird.”
Fuck. He’s suspicious.
“It reminds me of how you acted when you were younger and had a crush on him.”
I grinned. Zoning out on the carpet as I listened, I wished I could see her blushing now. She had a crush on me? It wasn’t news to me, but I liked the reminder that I could’ve affected her then as I did now.
“Because it won’t help matters now,” Brandon warned. “Nate says he’s ready to swear off women. He had a bad deal with an ex and he’s scorned.”
“I heard,” Rachel replied. “Um, people at the office sort of hinted at what happened.”
“Oh, so you know?” Brandon asked. “It was a long time ago, but he was burned badly.”
“I hate that he suffered like that,” she said softly.
I smiled, knowing she meant every word.
I hate that you suffered because of Kyle, too, sweet girl.
“Sometimes, I wonder if he’s waiting for Yasmin to come back to him.”
I furrowed my brow, shaking my head. Hell no, man. Never.
Not just because I no longer loved that woman, but also because I saw how much room I had in my heart for Rachel.
“Oh, I’m not sure about that,” Rachel argued lightly.
My smile returned.
Yeah, you'd better be sure about that. She could claim to be clueless and na?ve about men, but I was rectifying her ignorance about how to be around me .
As soon as he left, I would get right back to giving her some more experience.
All. Night. Long.
Because a crush wouldn’t cut it. We had something mutual and solid. It was a start, this thing between us, but it was far from over.