Destiny (7 page)

He finally had Kelly alone and he wouldn’t be choosing a restaurant where they could run into people he knew. Instead, he picked one close to the hospital but far enough from Serendipity so they’d have plenty of the one thing he craved—complete privacy.

Six

Exhaustion pulled at her very bones, hunger gnawed
at her stomach, and the events of today completely stressed her out. For all those reasons, Kelly had agreed to come to dinner with Nash. Then there was the fact that she just plain wanted to be with him. He clearly felt the same way because instead of taking a seat across the table, he slid into the booth beside her. She didn’t have the strength to fight him tonight. She blamed it on being tired and hungry because it made her feel better. Again, she just plain wanted him there.

He seemed to read her mind, asking the waitress for the bread basket before she could formulate the words and ordering her a soda for her empty stomach. She ate and drank in silence until her hands stopped shaking and she was breathing easily again.

“Better?” he asked when she leaned back against the booth, relaxing for the first time.

She smiled. “Yeah. Thanks. Actually, now that I have something in my stomach I’d like a glass of wine.”

He nodded. “Red or white?”

“White. Dry.”

“As you wish.” He placed that order too, and they both told the waitress their dinner choices, then settled in.

“I wish this weren’t happening,” Kelly said.

Nash nodded. He knew she meant Richard and his surgery. “There’s nothing we can do now but wait. I’m sure Annie will call when she knows something, but the doctors said the surgery could take hours.”

Kelly swallowed hard. “I know.”

Their server returned a few minutes later with her wine and Kelly took a grateful sip. “To relaxing,” she murmured.

He picked up his glass of club soda. Because he was driving, he’d said. “To relaxing.” He casually slipped one arm behind her.

She wasn’t sure if he’d also inched closer, but suddenly his body heat surrounded her. She hadn’t meant to get in over her head at an impromptu dinner… or had she?

“What are you doing?” she asked him seriously.

“Spending time with someone I want to get to know better.” His tone was equally solemn.

They weren’t playing games anymore. She sensed that right now—if she pushed him hard enough, he’d leave her alone. And this time it would be for good.

But was that what she really wanted? It was what she’d been telling herself was the right thing to do. But these feelings between them just wouldn’t be denied.

Warning bells went off in her head, but she didn’t want to listen to them. She wanted what he wanted.

“I want to get to know you too,” she admitted.

“I think you got to know me plenty during our tour of Serendipity. How about you return the favor?”

She laughed, but she wasn’t about to be as much of an open book as he might like. She had too much self-protection ingrained, too much fear of rejection she couldn’t let go of. Sometimes the people who left didn’t mean to, like her father. Sometimes it was a selfish choice, like her mother had made. Other times, it couldn’t be explained. Ryan Hayward had sworn he loved her and he’d chosen his almost ex-wife over her. The pain was still fresh a year later and she wouldn’t put herself in the same position again.

Her past prior to Ryan? That, however, she was more than willing to share. “It’s a pretty sad story, actually,” she told Nash.

“How so?” While he spoke, he played with her hair, sifting a strand between his fingers.

Distracting her. She cleared her throat. “You already know most of it. I tried and failed to raise Tess well. And here we are.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think you’re getting away with that?”

“It was worth a shot.” She peered at him over the top of her wineglass, then took a large sip for fortification.

“Let’s start with you, not Tess,” he said gently.

She inclined her head. His soothing voice urged her to explain. “I actually had a pretty good life until my father died. Heart attack,” she added before he could ask. “After that it didn’t take my mother long to hook up with her boss. Your father.” She ducked her head in shame over something that though already out in the open embarrassed her anyway.

She drew a deep breath. “But as wrong as that was, it seemed to keep her stable.” Another sip of her drink was in order, and to Kelly’s relief, Nash seemed content to wait.

He toyed with her hair and let his fingers brush her shoulders, a light skitter over her silk shirt she felt straight through to her bare skin.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said in that reassuring voice.

“Your dad died, my mom spiraled downward. She moved us to New York City where she indulged in a random succession of booze and men.”

“So you raised Tess.”

She squirmed at the admiration she heard in his voice. She didn’t deserve it. “The landlady and I shared most of the responsibility. I had school and then later work. I couldn’t let myself give up my path or I’d have ended up just like my mother, thinking I couldn’t survive without a man in my life.”

He nodded and treated her to a warm smile. “I always sensed you were smart.”

Not smart enough,
she thought, remembering the last few years. “I try.”

“What about men?” he asked, taking her off guard.

“What about them?”

He shook his head and laughed. “You already know my romantic history. Now I want to know yours.”

Not likely,
she thought. A man like Nash valued integrity and intelligence. What were the chances he’d understand her choices or forgive the results if somehow the scandal blew up in her face?

“I have men in my past.” She sipped at her wine, careful not to overindulge and repeat yet more of her mother’s mistakes.

“Anyone serious?” he asked, pushing.

“No one that matters now.” At least that much was true. She hoped he’d just drop the subject.

“Hmm. I guess I can live with that.”

Thankfully the waitress arrived with their meals and he did let the topic drop, allowing her to finally focus on filling her stomach.

Except, sitting next to him, all she could think about was his hard thigh pressing into hers. And though she ate, she could barely taste her meal. How could she when she found herself solely focused on him—his strong hands lifting his food to his mouth, his masculine scent enticing her more than the penne alla vodka on her plate.

They ate in silence, comfortable on the one hand, sexually charged on the other. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine how she could be experiencing both emotions. She did know the combination had lowered her defenses, making her vulnerable to needs she’d been pushing away and ignoring for too long.

He paid the bill despite her suggestion to split the check. And as they walked back to his car, when he slid his hand into hers, she didn’t argue.

He opened the car door and she turned to face him. He met her gaze with his and she sensed this was it. The point of no return.

“Come home with me,” he said, his voice gruff and deep, his longing obviously matching hers. Clearly she read him well.

She could go home and begin
something
between them or say no and probably end things right now. For good. A man like Nash wouldn’t come back for more if she rejected an outright invitation to sleep with him.

Bottom line, though, she wanted him. She wanted this. And she’d deal with tomorrow when it came.

“Yes,” she murmured, swayed by forces beyond her imagining a mere hour ago.

They drove to his place, Kelly’s nerves in high gear by the time they reached his town house complex. Her past might seem sordid, but
seem
was the operative word, and though she had some experience, going home with a man wasn’t something she did often.

Or ever.

But here she was, walking into Nash’s house, his hand on the small of her back, the object of her desire waiting for her to reach out and take.

“You’re trembling.” Nash helped ease her coat off her shoulders.

“You do that to me,” she said, finding herself at a loss for a witty reply. There was nothing funny about how she was feeling now.

His sexy smile sent her heartbeat skittering and she looked away, glancing around instead. The decor was strong and masculine, dark wood furniture, overly large, soft-looking beige cushions on the couch, and basic landscapes on the walls. It definitely looked as though he’d bought the showroom set, she thought, amused and yet strangely warmed by the thought.

“How long have you lived here?” she asked.

“About a year.” He hung her jacket on a coat rack in the front hall. “Can I get you a glass of wine? A beer? Soda?”

She shook her head. “No, thanks.” She drew a deep breath, then reminded herself that she wanted this man, and when she decided on a course she barreled straight ahead.

Enough with the shy, embarrassed girl routine, which wasn’t truly a routine. She spent so much of her life hiding her real emotions and putting on a tough front to get through the day that she was surprised at how easy she found it to be herself around him. To be open and real. But to let him see her vulnerability exposed too much of herself and of her heart.

“I can’t get you anything?” he asked.

She shook her head and smiled. “Just you.”

“Now that I can give you.” He stepped forward, pulled her into his arms and all her anxiety dissipated in a rush of heat.

She tipped her head back, expecting him to lower his lips to hers as he’d done before. Instead, he slid her shirt off one shoulder and pressed his mouth against her skin. She shivered and her entire body responded, her breasts grew full, her nipples puckered, and flutters picked up deep in her belly.

Nothing that felt this good could be wrong and she tilted her head, giving him better access. The smart man took advantage, trailing his tongue over the sensitive flesh of her neck. He was gentle, which somehow caused every nerve ending she possessed to come alive under the arousing strokes of his tongue. A soft moan escaped her lips and she felt a responding shudder go through him as well.

“Let’s go somewhere more private,” he said roughly in her ear.

“I thought Dare was working.” She hadn’t seen him around the apartment.

“He is. But haven’t we been interrupted enough?” he asked, winking at her and thereby easing her anxiety.

What was it about him that he calmed her as easily as he often agitated her? She didn’t know, but right now she wanted to find out as much about him as possible. Every part of him.

“Lead the way,” she said in a husky voice she barely recognized.

She shed her shoes and followed him upstairs, making her way down the carpeted hall and into the master bedroom. Once inside, she had no second thoughts, no hesitation.

She sat down on the bed’s navy comforter, making herself at home. She glanced at him standing by the door, silently watching her, looking sexy in his dark khakis and long-sleeved shirt, unbuttoned just low enough to give her an enticing peek of his dark chest hair.

She wanted to see so much more.

“What are you waiting for?” she asked, leaning against the pillows and patting the space beside her.

With a wolfish grin, he stepped closer, unbuttoning his shirt as he approached the bed.

Inspired and feeling braver by the second, she followed his lead and undid the buttons on her blouse too. He slowed his steps, giving him more time to undress. Garment by garment—pants for pants, her bra, his socks, her panties, his boxers. By the time he reached the bed, they were equally naked.

Beneath the polished clothes was a magnificent male body. He clearly worked out. His shoulders were broad, his upper arms muscular. His chest was also a treat, hard and toned for her viewing pleasure. Below the waist… well, that defied description and made her want to do more than watch and admire.

He devoured her with a hungry gaze. A hunger she hoped he found reflected in her own eyes. Just in case, she crooked a finger and he joined her on the bed.

His thigh brushed hers and his body heat caused a rush of warmth to envelop her and a sweet feeling of anticipation to course through her veins.

He leaned back against the pillows, propped up on one arm. “You’re beautiful,” he said as he brushed her long hair off her shoulder.

She shivered and knew without glancing down that her body flushed at the compliment. “Thanks.” She shivered and he pulled her close.

“So, tell me, are you having second thoughts? Or wondering why we fought these feelings so hard?” he asked in a husky voice.

“Wondering,” she murmured as he rolled her onto her back and came down on top of her.

Her soft body fit perfectly against his rock-hard one, and his erection nestled between her thighs. He felt delicious. “I’m definitely wondering why we were so stupid,” she said, as liquid heat lit a fire inside her and she arched against him, enjoying the intimate contact.

“As long as we make up for lost time, I think we can go easy on ourselves.”

She had no time to reply.

He lifted one breast in his hand, then lowered his head and pulled her rigid nipple into his warm mouth. Heat slammed through her like wild fire. Though he started slowly, letting her acclimate to his touch, he quickly accelerated his pace. His tongue flickered over her breast, fast and furious licks that had her thrusting her hands into his hair and pulling him closer to her body, not wanting him to stop.

He sensed her need, and while he worked at one breast with his lips, his tongue, and his teeth, he grasped the other with his free hand. Using his thumb and forefinger, he rolled that nipple back and forth, creating exquisite friction that pulled like a never-ending band between his fingertips and the dampness that pooled between her legs. He was eternally patient, relentlessly determined.

Her throat filled with need and her body bucked beneath his, searching for more of what he was giving her, needing to be filled by the hard ridge pulsing with life and desire against her mound.

She curled her fingers into his back and moaned. “Now—you—inside me,” she managed between gasps.

Suddenly he released her breasts, allowing the sensations to ebb and the yearning for him to be inside her to grow. She forced her eyelids open and discovered him going down. Down her stomach, trailing soft kisses over her rib cage and her belly until he reached the place that throbbed with emptiness.