Moon over the Bay (Moonlit Nights) (4 page)

Jess watched Nathan as he sat
back in his seat and took a drink of beer. She was fascinated by the way his
throat moved as he swallowed. How his forearm flexed when he moved the glass.
How his legs were shifting . . . She caught the telltale sign of
an erection. Her
gaze snapped to his, and she saw him staring at her as she ate him
up with her eyes. Heat sizzled between them as they held each other’s gaze.

The scraping of chairs at the
table broke the moment, and Jess watched Kyle pull Sadie over to the fountain
where they danced to a song playing through the speakers from Sadie’s windows.

A pang of envy ran through Jess
as she watched them. They’d been dealt a bad hand early on and still found love
with one another. She wanted that someday. But she didn’t have to love someone
to sleep with them, did she?

“So you and Kyle met in college
or did you know each other before?” Jess asked before talking another sip of
her wine.

“Yup, we did. We had two classes
together back to back and ended up sitting next to each other.” Nathan watched
the dancing couple for a moment before turning his searing blue gaze back to
her.

“Did you click right away?” The
wine was really taking effect now as her panties dampened just from his look.

“We annoyed each other at first.
Anyone worth their weight could tell the man was suffering from a broken heart.
He was pitiful. So I bugged the crap out of him until he agreed to come out
with me. Being in Miami, there was never a shortage of beautiful women, so I
managed to gather a couple, and we all went back to my apartment to party more.
I thought he could screw his way out of a heartache. Yeah well, while I had a
good time, he ended crying on this chick’s shoulder. I was pretty pissed he
wasted an awesome opportunity, and he was pissed I was forcing it on him. We
went back and forth for a while. But ultimately he ended up helping me with
school, and I helped him have fun.” He took a drink of his beer then started to
pick at the label.

“Did your tactic work to make him
feel better?” Jess was a little jealous of the idea that Nathan had sex with
beautiful women.
Sure, she knew she was cute, but she was nowhere near the tall,
tanned dark-haired beauties she was imagining he dated.

“I’m not proud to admit this, but
yes. Eventually he bit the bullet and hooked up with someone, and then he never
had the same girl for more than a month. Eventually we managed to balance each
other out. Since then we’ve been inseparable. He’s my family.” Nathan smiled as
he looked over at Kyle again.

Jess couldn’t help but admire his
loyalty to his friend. While his plan was a little salacious for her taste, the
idea of Nathan wanting to remove the haunting look of a broken heart from a
stranger’s face said a lot about his character. He may be an aspiring actor with
nothing but his looks going for him, but he was good people.

Except that he’s got all the
signs of being a gold digger
, she reminded herself.
Jess knew all about those kind of men; she’d promised herself and her parents
she would stay away from them. But Jess really liked Nathan, and the attraction
she felt for him was out of this world. Was it enough to take a chance?
Wouldn’t it be better to take a chance with a good person rather than a total
dirt bag?

Jess remembered a romance novel
she had recently finished, and the heroine’s favorite motto was “seize the
day.” That sounded like a lovely idea, starting now.

_____

Nathan couldn’t look away from
the beautiful, tipsy creature across the table. Her cheeks were flushed and her
pouty full lips were slick from her drink. He didn’t miss the way she kept
looking at him while he talked. She was on fire, and it was all over her face.
Typically Nathan would’ve had her naked and moaning by this point, but she
wasn’t like the other girls he slept with. She was smart, witty, determined,
and above all else, Sadie’s best friend. Talk about an awkward situation if he
never called her again.

The song finished and Kyle and
Sadie walked back over to the table. Kyle started to take the dishes back into
the apartment and when the girls offered to help, Nathan stood and shooed them
away. He’d let the girls talk while he got himself under control.

He finished tossing the leftovers
in the fridge while Kyle loaded the dishwasher in Sadie’s apartment. Nathan
moved to look out the window and watched as the girls giggled and kept their
heads together. Why did women do that? What on earth were they talking about?

“I’ve always wondered the same
thing,” Kyle said as he dried off his hands. Nathan hadn’t realized he’d spoken
aloud.

“You know, normally it would
annoy me because I would assume they were talking about us. But with them, it’s
cute.” Nathan shook his head at the thought. He liked the idea of Jess talking
about him with Sadie.

“I agree. Of course I think Sadie
is the hottest woman I’ve ever seen, so her giggling like a school girl does
weird things to me.” Kyle smirked at his friend.

“All right, that’s enough of
that. I’m going to be a nice guy and take Jess home since she’s had a few
glasses of wine. I might hit up a bar on the way back. Don’t wait up.” Nathan
wiggled his brows at Kyle on the way out of the apartment.

He walked up to Sadie and touched
her shoulder to get her attention. Both girls sobered and stopped laughing
before looking up at Nathan. Damn, the way Jess looked right now, all happy and
flushed from the wine, was messing with his head.

“Your man is waiting for you, and
I’m going to make sure Jess makes it home.”

Sadie popped up from the chair
and hugged Nathan tightly, almost making him lose his balance.

“Thank you for coming this
weekend; you’re a good friend. You were there when I wasn’t, and I’ll always be
grateful. Now be careful,” she whispered the last part before heading to the
apartment. She waved, and at Nathan’s confused look she winked.

Winked!
What the hell?

“I think I’m going to head home
too. Before I get myself into trouble,” Jess announced as she stood and started
to lose her balance. Nathan quickly grabbed her waist to steady her. She threw
her arms out to the sides for balance then smiled brightly up at him.

“I’ve got a better idea, let’s go
back to my apartment and have some coffee, and afterwards, I’ll drive you
home,” Nathan said with a nod toward his unit then dropped his hands.

“Umm, okay. I mean, I shouldn’t
have coffee this late but I don’t care. That sounds really lovely.” Jess
grabbed her bag and jacket and slowly walked with him over to his temporary
home.

Thankfully Kyle had nagged
Nathan’s messy habits into submission, so he wasn’t worried about her getting
upset over a mess. He carefully hung her things on the hooks by the door before
heading to the kitchen.

“Would you like an espresso or
straight coffee? I have some hazelnut creamer too,” Nathan asked as Jess
wandered around the living room. It was crowded by his laptop setup and his printer
on the table.

“Just regular is fine. This is a
pretty high-end laptop. I thought you were an actor?” She ran a finger along
the top of the screen.

“I do a little work on the
Internet. Besides, a laptop like that is great for Skyping with my agent or casting
directors,” Nathan stated. He was finishing pouring the two cups of coffee when
he heard movement behind him.

He turned around in time to find
Jess stalking toward him.
She wasn’t walking, or even gliding, but stalking like a puma with
her prey.

“Did you know you’re incredibly
sexy?” Jess whispered as she stopped just an inch from his face.

Her cheeks were still flushed,
but now he wasn’t sure if it was from arousal or the booze. Either way he
couldn’t help but be flattered.

“Oh, I know, but I’m glad you
agree with me,” he smirked.

“I most definitely agree.
You’re so gorgeous.
I’ve never dated an actor before, you know.”

Nathan was now leaning against
the counter, boxed in. Jess had placed a hand on each side of him holding the
ledge. He felt a faint tingle of déjà vu. He was starting to feel like a piece
of meat, something that was a too frequent occurrence back in LA.

While his cock was on board with
what she was selling, Nathan couldn’t help but be disappointed. He had hoped
she’d be different than all the other rich girls he knew.
The ones who always
wore the newest trends, had the nicest cars, and the cutest boyfriends.
He’d been there, done
that, and had the T-shirt. Jess hadn’t seemed nearly as shallow as the other
girls, yet here she was making a move.
He knew he should end this now, but he
hesitated.

“Did you also know I’ve not been
able to stop thinking about the kiss we shared, right here?” She breathed
before gently pressing her lean body against Nathan’s.

Her soft words and gentle touch
made him reconsider. They touched from knees to chest, and he could feel her
breasts pillowed high on his stomach. Jess wasn’t fake and plastic as those
girls typically were. She was lean, yet had great curves and fantastic breasts.

“I’ve thought about it too,” he
said as he gently wrapped his arms around her back. It was the truth; there was
no denying it. That one hot, searing kiss had helped him through not one but
two showers.

“Kiss me, Nathan.” Jess wrapped
her arms around his neck, digging her nails into his shoulder blades. “Please,
kiss me again.”

Nathan wasn’t sure what game she
was playing with him, but he couldn’t deny he wanted to kiss her again. The
same desire to strip her and love her until she sobbed with pleasure.

“This is a very bad idea, Jess,”
he murmured even as he pulled her closer.

“I know, but isn’t it true
everything that is bad for us is oh so good?” She was staring at his lips. The
very lips that were just seconds away from devouring her.

“Fuck it,” Nathan growled before
closing the distance between them. While he wanted to inhale her, he decided to
be gentle
.
She was so small and sweet, and he should cherish her
.
Jesus, he was waxing
poetic about a woman who was likely playing him for a boy toy.

He gently caressed her lips as
his hand worked its way up her side. When he grazed the side of her breast she
gasped, opening her mouth enough to allow him entrance. Nathan slid his tongue
in and gently coerced her to come out and play. His hand moved to the nape of
her neck where he wound it in her hair. Jess’s tongue danced with his as her
hands pulled him closer still.

Nathan broke the kiss and made
his way down her slender neck. Her head fell back and to the side to allow him
access. Her hands came around and she ran her fingers over the sweater against
his chest as he nibbled on the spot behind her ear. When he hit her sweet spot,
she dragged her nails across his nipples as she moaned. Shivers shot down his
spine and what little blood remaining in the larger of his two heads, vacated
and moved south.

_____

Jess couldn’t think. She felt
bubbly and tingly all over. And hot. Oh gawd, she was so hot, and she felt as
if she was standing in the desert with no shade. This man lit her fuse unlike
any other. Of course, drinking all that wine was like setting kindle to the
flame, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about a single thing except
touching his skin.

She pushed her hand under his
shirt, running her fingers over chiseled abs. But it was his chest that
fascinated her the most. Nathan had perfect pectorals that flexed and moved as
he did. His wide shoulders created the perfect backdrop for his even more
perfect chest. Just as she was about to rip his clothes off, he turned her and
lifted her onto the counter behind him. She squeaked in surprise at the quick
movement, and Nathan dove in for another kiss.

When she expected him to be hard
and demanding, he was gentle and sweet, and oh so damned sexy. His hands moved
up from her waist to her ribcage where his thumbs lightly brushed the sides of
her breasts. The sensation made her tense all over, craving more. He left off
the kiss and pressed his lips to her collarbone, the sensation causing her to
tingle again. Who knew it was an erogenous zone? It was new information to her
and she was going to make a fool of herself if he kept doing that. Jess threw
her head back, banging into the cabinet loudly. She lowered her head and
started to giggle but stopped when she looked up. Nathan’s face had changed
from the sexy, lazy look to a frown as he stepped back.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
taken it so far. This is a bad idea,” he rubbed his hand over his face and
turned his back to her. Wait, what?

Then it hit her.

He didn’t want her. Any man would
react the way he had if a woman threw herself at him, but only truly interested
men would close the deal. Shame and embarrassment washed over her. Another man
she couldn’t satisfy. Another man who found her not good enough.