Return of the Jerk (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 2) (43 page)

Going to work at the garage winds up being a whole other thing. The guys there hassle him nonstop about going on TV tomorrow.

“Jesus Christ, can’t tell you assholes anything,” Nathan mutters, closing the hood on a Volkswagen that came in with a substantial oil leak. “Should have kept my mouth shut.”

“We’re just jealous,” Brody says with a grin. “Next thing we know, you’ll be a movie star, and people will be asking for your autograph.”

“He sure is pretty enough to be a movie star,” one of the other mechanics, Chavez, teases. “All that long, blond hair.”

“Let’s see if you still think I’m pretty after I knock a few teeth out of your head,” Nathan growls.

“Hey, bring it on, Goldilocks.”

“Don’t tempt me. It’s been a while since I’ve given anybody a good ass-kicking.”

Brody laughs. “Now, ladies, let’s try and keep things civil. And besides,” he turns to Chavez, “I can’t have my pretty cousin here going on TV with swollen and bruised knuckles from punching your skull in.”

At least the jokes keep his nerves at bay. By the time Nathan heads over to Tori’s in the Honda, he’s already edgy again. Knows he’ll feel better once he’s around Blair, though.

I’ll be dammed if it wasn’t a miracle to discover she’s in love with me.

A woman like that? He knows he doesn’t deserve her, knows she’s too good for him, but he’s accepting this gift life has brought him anyway.

She still hasn’t agreed to move back home, though. He keeps trying to convince her, but for some reason she seems determined to put him off longer, keeps saying the timing isn’t right yet.

Unfortunately, when he gets to Tori’s, Blair isn’t there yet. He takes a quick shower and after getting dressed, hears voices in the living room, discovers his sister and Blair, both of them chirping with excitement like two little birds.

“It’s so wonderful!” Tori grins when she sees him. “Fiona just called. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Blair goes over to hug him. “Congratulations!” He closes his eyes at the feel of her body pressed into his, enjoying it.

“Thanks,” he murmurs. He inhales the clean scent of her hair, enjoying that, too. She pulls back, but he doesn’t want to let her go, and only does so reluctantly.

“Fiona said you’re going to be on TV tomorrow, promoting your book.”

He lets out his breath. “Yeah, not sure how I got talked into that one.”

Blair watches his face then reaches up to put her hand on his cheek. “You’ll be great. Just be yourself.”

He nods, feeling unsure again. Nervous. It’s not hard to imagine the whole thing turning into a disaster. “Brody and Kiera invited us out tonight to watch some live music. If you’re interested,” he tells her.

“That sounds like fun. I’m going to go clean up first and get all this powdered sugar off me.”

Nathan hangs out with Tori while he waits for Blair. They go over some of the new pages she added to his blog. It’s crazy, but he’s been managing his whole enterprise from Brody’s office these days, his laptop set up next to the garage’s main computer. Brody finally hired someone permanent, though, so it looks like his mechanic days are over. For a while, anyway.

Downtown, they meet Brody and his girlfriend, Kiera, at the same club they went out to last time. Unsurprisingly, it still reeks of alcohol and stale sweat. The band is good, though, and so is the company, but in truth, he’s regretting going out at all. Wishes he hadn’t mentioned it to Blair. Probably selfish, but he doesn’t feel like sharing her with anyone.

They’re sitting at a table having drinks. Kiera and Blair are discussing Kiki’s upcoming wedding in great detail, the way women always discuss weddings, and he can hear Blair describing the cake she’s making.

“That sounds incredible,” Kiera says. “I can’t wait to see it. I’ve heard your cakes are amazing.”

“Thank you.” Blair smiles.

Brody is talking to him about the new mechanic he just hired, how he hopes the guy has enough experience, though Nathan is only half-listening since he can’t take his eyes off Blair.

She looks both sexy and elegant sitting there. Her hair long just the way he likes it—those wild, cinnamon curls bringing to mind the way it feels in his hands, or better yet the way it brushes against his face when she’s moving on top of him.

Damn
.

He picks up his beer and takes a long swallow.

Blair’s wearing a dress that’s blue with little white flowers. He likes that, too. Demure enough to be classy and short enough to show off her legs. Has to admit he’s mostly eyeing the back zipper, taking note of the latch on top, making sure he’s figured out the fastest way to get it off her later.

He sure as hell hopes Fiona isn’t going to be around tonight. She mentioned she might be staying at Sachi’s.

Blair turns to Brody and asks if he saw the email she sent him recently about new tire rims for Isadora.

“Yeah, I saw it,” Brody says. “Think they’d look slick on her, too. What do you think, Road?”

“Sure, I suppose.” He’s still watching Blair, admiring her skin now, imagining the ways he’s going to slide his hands all over her.

“You don’t sound convinced,” Brody says.

Nathan clears his throat and tries to bring himself into this conversation. “New rims would be all right, though have to admit, I’m more interested in getting Isadora painted red again.”

“What?” Blair’s eyes widen. “I hope you’re kidding.”

“No, I’m not kidding. That car’s supposed to be red, not green.”

She frowns at this, holds his gaze for a few seconds before turning away clearly unhappy. “I guess she’s
your
car, right? So, I have nothing to say about it,” she mutters.

Brody is eyeing them both with raised brows and looks over at Kiera, who gives a half-smile, but neither of them seems to know what to say, either.

Finally, Nathan licks his lips, motioning with his head at Blair. “Hey, do you know how Isadora got her name?”

Blair is still turned away, but this gets her attention. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard.”

“Kind of a tragic love story, really.”

“It is?”

Nathan leans forward in his chair. “Isadora was this girl Uncle Lance was sweet on in high school.”

“Isadora was a real person?”

“Yeah, her family was well off, and they weren’t too happy about my uncle and Isadora dating, so they had to keep it a secret. The Mustang was her car, parents gave it to her as a gift on her sixteenth birthday.” Nathan grins. “And apparently, Uncle Lance and Isadora spent a lot of quality time in that car.”

They both smile as their eyes meet.

“Despite her family’s disapproval,” he continues, “Lance and Isadora fell in love and made plans to get married after high school, but it never happened.”

“Why not?”

He lets out his breath. “Because her parents discovered their plans and talked Isadora out of marrying him. She broke it off and gave my uncle the Mustang as a parting gift, said she didn’t want it anymore. He found out later she was marrying some other dude.” Nathan shakes his head. “Before the wedding, though, Isadora realized the huge mistake she’d made and called it off, tried to find Uncle Lance, but by then it was too late.”

“Too late how?”

“He already left town. Took the Mustang and just drove. Wound up in Florida for a while, then California. Isadora tried to find him, but he didn’t want to be found.” Nathan picks up his bottle. “Uncle Lance never got married. Said Isadora was the only woman he ever loved, and that’s why he named the car after her.” He takes a swallow from his beer.

Blair is silent, taking this in. “That doesn’t explain why it has to be red.” Her eyes flash to his with understanding though. “Did Isadora have red hair?”

“She sure did, babe.”

Brody leans forward. “Didn’t Uncle Lance finally meet up with Isadora again years later? Thought he did, and it turns out she never got married, either.”

Nathan nods “Yeah, that’s right. She still loved him, too, but he said he just couldn’t trust her again.”

Kiera sighs. “That is sad. It would be hard to love someone and have them betray you though.”

“It’s a terrible thing,” Blair says quietly. There’s an odd expression on her face and when she meets Nathan’s eyes for a second, hers are troubled.

“You all right?” he asks.

“I’m fine.” Blair smiles and her eyes almost clear. “I’ve just never heard that story about Isadora before.”

Nathan and Blair decide to leave before the second band comes on. Kiera tries to convince them to stay, but Brody leans back in his chair and doesn’t say a word. His cousin’s been grinning at him half the night.

“Can’t believe I was worried about Blair, when you’re the one I should be worrying over.” Brody laughs after the women go to the restroom. “Dude, you look ready to go caveman and throw her over your shoulder.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, sure you don’t.” He shakes his head. “Damn, I haven’t seen you this bad off since Gwen.”

“Whatever.” Nathan picks up his beer, takes a long draw.

“So, what’s happening? Has Blair moved back in?”

“No, not yet.”

Brody considers this. “Don’t worry, she’ll come around. Her type just likes to be sure.”

“Suppose so.”

By the time Nathan gets Blair home, he knows Brody was right about one thing. He was ready to go caveman. Thank God Fiona wasn’t there because as soon as they get inside, he can barely control himself.

“Be dammed if I can’t stop thinking about you,” he breathes, pushing her back up against the door, his hands on her ass, his cock so hard he’s ready to burst. “Guess I’m the one having obsessive thoughts now.”

Blair laughs, but it turns to a moan when he covers her mouth with his. Feels her arms wind tight around his neck, holding him to her. She moans again, and it’s just one more thing about her that’s been fanning the flames.

Every time he touches her.

She’s all in
.

It surprises him for some reason, like he expects her to hold back, give less, but she never does. And it’s only making him want her more.

Nathan lets his hands slide up her body, enjoying the feel of her sweet curves. They’re both breathing hard, and he’s trying to keep it together. Pace himself. He reaches for the zipper on the back of her dress, remembers the latch on top, smiling as he pictures the trail of clothes they’re going to leave scattered across the floor.

But then there’s a mewing sound and something rubs against his ankles.

Blair pulls away from his mouth and looks down with delight. “Mr. Maurice!”

Nathan looks down, too, though it isn’t delight he’s feeling.

From one guy to another, give me a break here, cat.

“I haven’t seen him all week,” she says.

He watches Blair’s pretty face as she smiles down at the cat. “Could see him every day if you wanted to.”

“Yes, that’s true, isn’t it?” she murmurs.

Nathan lets out his breath, the breath he’s been holding since he told her he loved her. “Could see
me
every day, too.”

Blair’s looks up at him. She doesn’t reply, but he watches the way her eyes go soft, changing color, pulling at him, drawing him in so deep he knows he could get lost and never find his way out.
But maybe I don’t need to find my way out
. They gaze at each other, and he wonders if for the first time in his life, he’s finally found someone real. Someone who feels like home.

She puts her hand up to his cheek, stroking his jaw. He gives a wry grin. “Not that I’m as important as Mr. Maurice or anything.”

“Of course not.” Blair smiles, but then her smiles goes soft, too. “Okay,” she whispers.

“Okay, what?”

“I’ll move back in.”

“You will?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Let’s go get your stuff.”

“When?”

He snorts. “Right the hell now.”

Blair laughs.

“You think I’m kidding, but I’m not.” He puts his mouth to her neck, inhales her clean scent as he closes his eyes, letting relief wash through him.
Thank God
. “Need to make one pit stop first before we get your stuff, though,” he tells her in a low voice.

“Where to?” She’s playing with his hair, her fingers brush it behind his ear.

“Red Willow Valley. Still need to conduct further research for my book.
Lots
more,” he adds.

Blair rolls her eyes. “I think we need anoth—aaah!” she squeals suddenly when he surprises her by reaching down to scoop her into his arms. “What are you doing?”

“Gathering the subject materials I need.” He strides with her in his arms toward the bedroom. “Occurs to me now this is the real book I should be discussing on TV tomorrow anyway.”

“Oh, my God.” She squeals again, grabbing his neck. “Don’t you dare!”

“
Journey to Red Willow Valley
would sure get people’s attention once I explain what it is. Fiona will probably have a shit fit or,” he chuckles with dry humor, “maybe she’ll appreciate it.”

“I will murder you in your sleep if you do such a thing.” Blair laughs. “Just so you know.”

“Babe, you’re the one who said I’d make a million dollars. Don’t you remember?”

When he gets to the bed, he climbs onto it with his knees and puts her down, so she’s under him. Those legs of hers immediately wrap around the back of his thighs. She’s breathless, and he can tell it’s not just from laughing.