Fringe Benefits (20 page)

“You
what
?” Nate couldn’t stop shouting at Kat, but he didn’t give a fat fucking wildebeest whether he woke up everyone in the whole hotel. He was too angry to think about anything except the damage Kat had inflicted on his relationship with Dani. “Why? Why in the hell would you do that?”

“Kat…” Jackie shook her head. “Even for you, that was low.”

Folding her arms under her breasts, Kat frowned at her stepmother. “What’s
that
supposed to mean?”

“You know I love you,” Jackie said. “But over the years, I’ve seen you pull some dirty tricks to get what you want. Don’t you shake your head at me, young lady. You know damn well you’re the queen of subterfuge.”

“I’m not
that
bad.”

“Yes, you are. And I know exactly what you’re trying to do to Nate and Dani,” Jackie replied. “I heard the little ‘talk’ you had with her back in Indianapolis, and I think it’s time for you to put on your big girl panties and grow the hell up.”

“What talk?” Nate shifted his gaze from his ex to his mother.

Jackie inclined her head at Kat. “She tried to scare Dani off so she’d have a clear path to you. I set Dani straight, though. Told her you and Kat were old news.”

“We’re
not
old news!” Now Kat was shouting, too. “I love you, Nate. I’m just doing what’s necessary to be with the man I love, the man I want to make a family with. All’s fair in love and war.”

None of this argument even mattered to Nate, nor did he care about the noise. He was getting ready to stomp out. If Kat got kicked out to sleep on the streets, it would be nothing but pure karma. He narrowed his eyes at her. “You can really be a bitch when you want to be.”

Her mouth formed a shocked O before she started shaking her finger at him. “Don’t you dare call me a bitch, Nathaniel Ryan!”

“Then quit acting like one,” Jackie said before lying down on the rumpled bed. “You’re such a great girl, and you can be so nice and so caring when you want to be. But you’re tormenting people I love, and that I can’t allow. Why can’t you move on?”

“I’m fighting for the man I love,” Kat insisted. “You’d do the same.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Jackie said. “No matter how much I love Mark, if he didn’t love me anymore, I’d never do something underhanded to get him back. Hell, my pride wouldn’t allow it. If he didn’t want me, I wouldn’t beg, nor would I try to sabotage a relationship that clearly made him happy.”

“I have pride.”

“Could’ve fooled me. All I see is a pretty young woman who’s chasing after a man who doesn’t want her.”

Kat shook her head. “I can make him want me again. You’ll see.”

No way Nate would let that misunderstanding persist. “You think submarining Dani will make me want you again?”

She nodded.

“You know what, Kat?”

She cocked a dark eyebrow.

“If there were a plague that wiped out billions of people and the only humans left to repopulate the planet were you and me, I
still
wouldn’t have anything to do with you. Got it?” He shoved the last of the stuff he’d just unpacked back into his duffel.

“Where are you going, Nate?” Jackie asked.

“The airport. I’m catching the first flight back to Indy.”

“No, you’re not,” his mother ordered before softening her tone. “Stay. Please. You’re exhausted. Get some sleep. I just now texted Mark to get you a ticket ASAP. He’ll let us know when he’s got a flight booked.”

“I’ll go home, too,” Kat said.

Jackie shook her head. “You came here to help, so help you will. We’re going to Mom and Dad’s place tomorrow to clean the whole condo and catch up on all their laundry. Then we can go visit Dad at the hospital before we hit the grocery to get the stuff we need to cook and freeze a bunch of meals for them.”

Although he should feel bad for leaving Grandpa Delgado, now that he knew his grandfather was out of danger, all Nate wanted to do was get back to Dani. He needed to talk to her, to explain why Kat had ended up in Orlando, but he wasn’t going to call at four in the morning. As light a sleeper as Dani was, even a text would wake her. She’d obviously been up most of the night, and she needed her rest. An hour and a half from now, she’d probably be awake, getting ready to run.

Jabbing a finger at Kat, who was now pouting like a pro, he shouted one more time. “Stay out of my life, Kat. I mean it. Stay the hell away from me, and stay the hell away from Dani.”

“But, Nate”—she reached out to him—“you know I love you.”

“Love?” He snorted. “You love one person.
You
. If you really ever loved me, you’d want me to be happy. You don’t love, Kat. You try to own. And I’m done.” He flopped onto one of the beds, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes.

Dani will understand
. He kept telling himself that, hoping it would be true. His phone was charging, and he wanted so much to talk to her, to try to soothe away any hurt Kat’s selfishness had inflicted. His fervent hope was that Kat’s shenanigans hadn’t shattered Dani’s fragile trust.

Grandpa Delgado’s advice swam in Nate’s head, making him think he should act boldly, especially in light of Kat trying to destroy his relationship. Once he talked to Dani and assured her everything was fine, he’d reach out to Robert and the guys and make some serious plans.

Maybe a surprise engagement and quick wedding were exactly what he and Dani needed.

*   *   *

Seven miles. Seven whole miles, and Dani’s body still felt as tight as a knot.

Nate had called right after she woke up, and he’d given her a very logical explanation for everything that had happened—from his not calling all the way to Kat being such a manipulative bitch. He’d ended the call professing his love and asking her to forgive him.

What was there to forgive? He hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d been every bit as much Kat’s victim as Dani was.

Then why did she still hurt so damned much?

Walking to cool down, Dani habitually reached for her smartphone before realizing she’d purposefully left it behind. She had no desire to rehash any of what had happened the last few days if Nate called again. Besides, he’d be on a flight back this afternoon. They could talk more in person.

Would Beth be awake yet?

Probably not. Nor would Jules. Not this early unless she had a client appointment. Dani and Mallory were the early birds of the Ladies.

Mallory. Perhaps Mallory would like a breakfast invitation. Dani sure as hell needed someone to talk to. She’d done so little sharing with the Ladies about her relationship with Nate, and that had been a mistake. The Ladies were her support group, the people who loved her and understood her life even better than her family. Even better than Nate.

She didn’t even kick off her shoes when she went inside, heading straight for her phone. There were two missed texts from Nate.

Hope you had a nice run.

Flight is scheduled to leave at 3. Will let you know if it’s late.

She texted back a quick response.

Run was good. See you soon.

Then she called Mallory.

A shower and an hour later, Dani sat with her at Yia Yia’s Pancake House.

The waitress filled their coffee cups and took their orders. Once she’d left them in peace, Dani opened up. “Kat went to Orlando with Nate and his mom.”

Mallory rolled her eyes. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? I take it Nate didn’t know until he got to the airport.”

“That’s what he told me.”

“Why would he lie?”

“I didn’t say he did,” Dani insisted.

“You implied it,” Mallory retorted.

“I most certainly did not.”

Mallory nodded. “By saying that’s what he told you instead of that’s what happened, you’re hinting that he might not be telling the truth. Don’t you trust him, Dani?”

“I do. I really do…”

“There’s an unspoken
but
at the end of that sentence.” After spilling a couple of packets of sugar in her coffee, Mallory stirred the drink as she stared at Dani. “What has you so worried? Nate obviously didn’t want Kat on the trip, right?”

Dani nodded.

“Then why all this angst? He loves you.”

So he says
. “I know. I just… Kat’s not gonna go away.”

“She will. Eventually. She’ll move on. And Nate probably read her the riot act for going uninvited.”

“He said he did once he figured out she’d called me.”

Mallory set her spoon down harder than necessary. “She called you?”

“I left a message at his hotel since he wasn’t answering his phone and asked him to call me.”

“Did the hospital make him turn off the ringer or something?” Mallory asked.

With a shake of her head, Dani replied, “His battery died. He wasn’t sure what plugs were safe to use at the hospital, so he couldn’t charge it until he got back to the hotel.”

“So she called you back, probably to let you know about her scheming and implying Nate asked her to go with him.”

“Exactly.” Dani sipped her coffee before finally asking the question that was gnawing at her. “Is there anything I can do to get Kat to just… disappear?”

Mallory shook her head. “Women like that are pit bulls, especially women after a man who’s resisting. They don’t give up.”

Dani let out a heavy sigh. “Great. Just great.”

“But what you
can
do is not let her bother you. Look, Dani, I understand what you’re going through. Remember Ben and me? We had trust problems, too. At least
I
did. I know how hard it is to open up to someone, to make yourself vulnerable. But that’s love. It’s not easy, and you leave yourself without defenses. If you truly love Nate, then you’ve got to learn to trust him.”

“I do. I just—”

“There’s no ‘just,’ Dani. You either trust him or you don’t. And until you decide that, Kat isn’t the biggest problem in your relationship. Promise me one thing, okay?”

“Promise you what?”

“I jumped to all kinds of conclusions about Ben before he had a chance to explain. At least give Nate that same chance. Let him convince you that Kat doesn’t mean anything to him anymore. And remember, he said he loves
you
.”

Dani bowed her head. “That’s because he doesn’t know.”

Mallory’s brows knit. “Doesn’t know what?”

“That I don’t want to have kids.”

That statement left Mallory temporarily speechless. Slow minutes passed and the waitress brought their food. Although it smelled delicious, Dani’s appetite had fled. She picked at her eggs while Mallory buttered her toast.

“You two really haven’t known each other long, have you?” Mallory finally asked.

“Since August. Almost four months.”

“It was a rhetorical question, but do you see my point?”

“I know,” Dani replied. “We barely know each other.”

“You two need to sit down and have a long talk about a lot of things.”

“Easier said than done. What if he wants a family?”

“Then isn’t it better to know now than five years down the road?”

*   *   *

Nate kept an eye on the boarding gate while he waited to talk to Robert. Although he’d spoken with Dani again when he hit the airport, she sounded so distant and said something about the two of them sitting down to have a chat when he got home. That sounded too ominous for Nate’s peace of mind.

His mind was whirling with ideas of ways to show Dani exactly how much he loved her. A surprise wedding would be difficult but not impossible. A quick Google search told him that both he and Dani needed to be there in person to obtain an Illinois marriage license. Vegas was out of the question simply from a financial standpoint. So now his ideas centered on Indiana, a state that allowed same-day marriages. Then during the surprise engagement party, he’d get her to set the date.

Maybe then he’d quit worrying.

While he wanted to scream at Kat for all her ridiculous plots and plans, he knew this crisis wasn’t all her fault. Had he truly helped Dani learn to trust him, she would never have bought into Kat’s lies. He only hoped their “chat” wouldn’t be Dani trying to find a way to break up with him.

He couldn’t lose her, not now that he knew she was the love of his life.

His phone vibrated, so Nate plucked it out of his pocket. “Hey, Robert. Thanks for calling me back.”

“What’s up?”

“I need you and the guys to help me plan a party.”

“A party?” Robert’s voice held a smile. “And what exactly will we be celebrating?”

“My engagement to Dani. I want it to be a surprise, okay? Make sure the Ladies know that.”

“Seriously?”

The incredulity in Robert’s voice made Nate breathe an exasperated sigh. “Seriously. I want to sweep her off her feet, to give her such a romantic moment that she’ll remember it the rest of her life.”

“Nate, are you sure?”

“More than sure.”

“You’re not afraid it’ll all blow up in your face?”

Nate dragged his fingers through his hair. “There’s only one thing I’m afraid of—losing Dani.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I can’t lose her, Robert. I
can’t
.”

“All righty, then,” Robert said. “I’ll give the guys a call, and we’ll get the ball rolling.”

“Dani! I’m home!”

Nate dropped his duffel in the mudroom and hurried into the kitchen. No matter how many times Dani told him she didn’t blame him for Kat’s attempt to sabotage their relationship, he needed to see her with his own eyes and to hold her again. Instead of his girlfriend, he found a note propped against a scented candle.

Had she left strictly to avoid him? She’d known he was on his way. After making the mistake of staying out of touch on the trip down to Orlando, he’d overcompensated. He’d texted her when he got to the airport, when he’d boarded the plane, when the plane had landed, even after he got to his car in the long-term parking back forty and from the rest area when he stopped to take a leak.

Why would she go and leave nothing but a note behind?

He plucked the paper from its perch and read her precise, feminine cursive.

I’m happy you’re back. I have a special surprise for you upstairs
.

Her words hit him straight in the groin, which was probably what she’d intended.

Nate jerked off his jacket and kicked off his shoes. Then he took the stairs two at a time. He didn’t skid to a stop until he was inside the master bedroom and got a good look at the seductive scene that had been set.

The curtains had been drawn, the bed was turned down, and several burning candles littered the dresser and chest of drawers. Leaning back on pillows propped against the headboard, Dani wore a black lace teddy that revealed a lot more than it hid. She set aside her e-reader, rose to a kneel, and gave him a smile that made his already stiffening cock swell even further. “I’m glad you’re home.”

He said something, but the words had to be incoherent. His brain just wouldn’t function, and he’d lapsed into a primitive sexual need he had no desire to even try to fight.

Plucking a clip from her hair, she shook her head to let the long tresses fall around her shoulders in a blanket of sunshine.

Somehow, he got undressed. There was no memory of taking off his clothes, but he didn’t waste time worrying about how. Instead, he got onto the bed and knelt in front of her, his erection bobbing with each movement, pointing right at her.

A purr rose from Dani’s throat as she wrapped her fingers around him and stroked. Her mouth found his, her lips touching him as light as a whisper. Once. Twice.

Nate couldn’t take the teasing. He brushed her hand away, embraced her, and kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue over hers and loving how she moaned against his lips. His hands caressed her back, settling against her backside and pulling her hips hard against his.

She wouldn’t let him run the show, not this time. Her hand slipped between them, and she grabbed his cock again, rubbing her thumb against the crown. Then she cupped his neck and pulled him back into a wild kiss.

He tangled his fingers in her long hair, loving the feel of the silky strands sliding over his skin. Somewhere in his scattered thoughts, he wondered why she chose to greet him this way. Despite her reassurances she wasn’t angry, he’d feared a cold reception. Instead, Dani acted as though she were starved for him. Heaven knew he was every bit as hungry for her.

“Lie down, lover,” she ordered before releasing him.

She wanted to be on top? “Fine.” He dropped to his back.

But she didn’t move to straddle his hips. Instead, she took his cock in her hand and licked him from tip to root and back again.

Nate let out a hiss, fisting his hands in the sheets when she took him deep into her hot, moist mouth. After several deep breaths, he regained some fragile self-control and rose up on his elbows to watch her, loving the image of her licking and sucking him. A couple of times she had to brush her hair back, so he lifted the heavy mass aside, not only to help her, but also to get a more tantalizing view.

“I don’t know how much of this I can take,” he admitted.

Dani released him and sat back on her heels. “Well, then… since I want you to make love to me, I think that’s what you should do. Now.”

“Yes, ma’am. Anything the lady wants.” He held his cock. “Wanna be on top?”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“Fine, I’ll be on top.”

When she shook her head this time, a saucy smile bloomed on her face. “Nope.”

Already near fever-pitch, Nate couldn’t wait much longer to be inside her. “Then what exactly do you want, sweetheart? Name it.”

Instead of replying, she maneuvered around until her back was to him. As he watched in surprise, she got on all fours and wiggled her sweet ass. “From behind, lover.”

Only by closing his eyes and taking a few more deep breaths could he find enough strength to keep from coming right then and there. The view was exquisite. The pale globes of her shapely behind were barely covered in black lace. Before he could ask if he should undress her, she spread her thighs a little wider to reveal that the teddy had a rather convenient opening, exposing all of her to his gaze.

Nate moved behind her, smoothing his hands over her derriere and up her back. Lost in passion, he rubbed his cock between her folds before plunging deep inside her. He twisted her long hair around his fist, pulled her head back, and kissed her with all the love inside him.

Dani let out a gasp that he captured with another kiss. He let go of her hair, slid his hands around, and cupped her breasts. The nipples were tight pebbles straining against the teddy. He pinched them as he moved inside her, thrusting deep, again and again.

The feel of her tight heat overwhelmed him. His body was demanding release. Nate rose, holding tightly to her hips as he tried to postpone his own climax long enough for Dani to join him.

*   *   *

Sex with Nate had always been good. But this time? The way he pulled her hair and slammed into her again and again made the sensual heat inside Dani flare to an inferno.

She dug her fingers into the sheets, holding on for dear life as her body tensed, tightening as he pushed her higher and higher until her orgasm rocked her body, making her drop her forehead against the mattress as waves of pleasure consumed her.

Nate let out a low moan before he thrust into her one more time and then collapsed. His weight sent her falling forward, and she found herself flat on her stomach with his chest against her back and his legs tangled with hers.

There weren’t any words to express what he’d made her feel. Dani wanted to believe the connection was so intense because they loved each other.

But sometimes loving wasn’t enough.

She’d wanted him so desperately because she feared the talk they were bound to have now, the one that would probably change the course of their relationship. That was the reason she wanted to welcome Nate the way she had. She couldn’t open up and tell him all the things she really needed to without having a physical connection first, a way to drop all her guards and let him in.

He rolled to his side, and Dani lifted herself up on her elbows, happy to see the contentment on his smiling face.

“You have my permission to greet me like that every single time I leave home,” he said.

She giggled before she started to get up.

Nate stopped her by grabbing her arm. “Where are you going?”

“I’m just getting dressed.”

“Why? Figured we could snuggle for a bit.”

Most men would be thrilled she hadn’t wanted to cuddle and be held close after a romp in bed. But not Nate. His smile had vanished, and he looked pretty damned irritated that she hadn’t draped herself over him like a blanket.

“I think we should talk instead.”

“We can talk naked.”

“That would be… uncomfortable.”

He furrowed his brow. “Can’t say I like the tone of that.”

Crawling off the bed, she took off the teddy and picked up the clothes she’d folded and left on the chair when she’d dressed for seduction. Although she wasn’t normally shy about being naked in front of him, at that moment she felt far too exposed. Too vulnerable. It was as though once the sexual storm had passed, all of her guards, all of her defenses against emotional intimacy, snapped firmly back into place.

Dani jerked on her clothes as Nate reluctantly got up and put on his briefs and jeans. Then he sat on the mattress and patted the spot beside him.

She sat down and let him take her hand in his.

“What exactly should we talk about?” he asked.

A chuckle bubbled out of her. “So much… I don’t even know where to begin.”

“If it’s about Kat—”

“No,” she replied. “And yes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His defensive tone grated on her, especially when he was the one at fault. He’d been the one to lie, the one to shatter her trust.

Their first fight was brewing, and she had to wonder if it was long overdue. They’d skated through their romance, moving forward with far too much speed and far too little introspection. “It’s not just about her; it’s about you not telling me she was going.”

“I already explained all that, Dani. I didn’t know she’d wangled her way into getting a ticket to Florida.”

“But you didn’t call me from the airport to let me know. Instead, you let her be the one to have the upper hand and feel like she was putting something over on me.”

He let out a sigh that sounded rather guilty. “I should’ve called. I know. I just… I needed to see Grandpa, and…” He shrugged. “I guess I was afraid if I told you Kat was going that you’d tell me not to go.”

Dani tried to hold tight to her temper, but if he kept saying stupid things like that, she wasn’t going to succeed. “Why on earth would you think that? I knew you wanted to see your grandfather. I wouldn’t have even considered bossing you around like some dictator. So Kat went along—uninvited and unwanted? Big fucking deal. I could live with that. It’s that you didn’t even tell me, which means I was blindsided by that bi—um… woman.”

“You weren’t jealous of her?”

“Jealous?”
Yes
. “More like irritated.”

“You would’ve let me go?” Nate sounded so damned surprised that Dani wanted to punch him on the arm. Hard. “Even knowing she was going, too, you wouldn’t have asked me to stay home?”

She stared at him, mouth agape for a moment. “Have I ever been that kind of clingy girlfriend before, Nate?”

“Well, no…”

The anger made her eyes narrow. “There better not be a
but
coming.”

“No
but
. You’re right. I should’ve called. Okay?”

“Why didn’t you tell me she kissed you?”

“Why didn’t you tell me she’d threatened you that she was trying to get me back?” he countered.

“You’re not Socrates. Don’t answer a question with a question.” Dani pulled her hand back, trying to ignore Nate’s responding frown. “You didn’t tell me she kissed you because you kissed her back.”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “For shit’s sake… I didn’t kiss her back.”

“Nate…”

“I mean it. I’ll admit I was flattered. Who wouldn’t love to have an ex suddenly realize she’d fucked up when she left you? But there was zero spark, Dani. Zero.”

“Then why have you been texting her?” The question was out before she could stop herself. Now he’d know what a snoop she’d been, and she’d look like exactly what he assumed she was—a ridiculously jealous girlfriend.

“First of all,
she
was texting
me
. Not vice versa. Second, why did you think it was okay to read my texts? Because that’s the only way you could possibly know she’d been texting me.”

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. That didn’t give him permission, however, to shout at her. “It wasn’t okay. I was just… worried. You saw Kat and then all of a sudden you’re getting a bazillion texts a day, every day. I knew they were from her.”

“So you didn’t violate my privacy?”

“You’re with me now. You shouldn’t be texting an old girlfriend.”

Nate arched a blond eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re blaming the victim now instead of admitting what you did? I didn’t ask her to text me. I told her to leave me alone.”

“You could’ve blocked the number.”

He thought that over for a moment. “You’re right. That’s what I should’ve done.”

The tension between them was thicker than London fog, and Dani figured if she was in for a penny she might as well be in for the whole fucking pound. Better to get everything out in the open. Nate was, after all, obsessed with trust. “I don’t want to have kids, Nate.”

He sat there and blinked as though he didn’t even recognize her. “Where did
that
come from?”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it for a long time,” she replied. “I just… I just couldn’t work up the guts to tell you.”

“Why now?”

“It’s all I’ve been able to think about since we were in Indiana. You and Kat lost a baby. How did that make you feel?”

Nate took her hand, and although she considered pulling it away, she had to admit she needed his comfort. “Empty.”

“Pardon?”

“When Kat lost the baby, I felt empty.”

“You’re gonna have to explain that, Nate.”

After rubbing his free hand over his face, he said, “I didn’t want the baby, not when we found out she was pregnant. I was scared it would ruin my life, that I’d have to quit school and end up working at some McDonald’s just to keep the kid in diapers. But then the idea of being a dad settled on me, and I remembered how great my own dad was when I was little. I started thinking about how I could teach my son to play catch or swing a bat. Or jog.”

Every word felt like a fresh knife buried in her heart. This man wanted to be a father. The reverent tone of his voice said even more than his words.

Dani closed her eyes against the stinging tears. She normally loved being right, something the Ladies always teased her about. Perfect Dani who knows everything. This time being right was going to break her heart.

Nate squeezed her hand again. “Then all of a sudden, it ended. Just like that. I didn’t know what to feel except empty. Make sense?”

She nodded, unable to look at him. If she saw the sadness on his face that she’d heard in his voice, she’d start sobbing.

“Dani, none of this has anything to do with us.”