Salvation (60 page)

I sagged into him, arms folding over his. The raging beat of his heart thundered against my back, his ragged breath hot against my neck. After a minute, I twisted and kissed his jaw. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

He laughed softly. “So am I.”

We stayed that way, temples nuzzling, hands caressing. “Fuck,” Nate muttered when he pulled back. “I’ve marked you.”

I lifted my shoulder to see the spot his thumb was stroking. Teeth marks had broken my skin, but only just, and a small bruise was forming. It didn’t hurt, and I certainly hadn’t felt pain at the time. Knowing how hard I made him come, that I’d driven him so wild and abandoned, was a crazy turn-on.

Not wanting him to worry, I lifted his chin so his regretful eyes met mine. “You left your mark on me a long, long time ago, Nate.” He blinked slowly, the corners of his mouth lifting as I kissed him. “Now, I hate to ruin the moment, but my legs are killing me.”

“DO you ever have any food in here?” Nate leant on the open refrigerator door, inspecting the sparse contents of the shelves.

“Not really,” I said, arriving in the kitchen. I sipped my coffee. Nate straightened and shut the door. Even in yesterday’s clothes he still looked impossibly handsome.

“What do you eat? Besides yoghurt and grapefruit.”

“I get by with the bare necessities. Coffee, bread, fruit.” I tipped my head, lips pursed as I stifled a smile at his displeasure. “I told you, I’m a lousy cook so I get food as and when I need it. Here,” I said, tossing him an apple from the bowl. His reflexes were fast and he caught it easily.

“You need to look after yourself, Kara.” Nate shoved off the counter where he’d been leaning finishing his own coffee, and prowled towards me. “You’ll have to stay with me more often,” he purred, “so I can ensure you’re well-fed.”

My stomach flipped and my heart missed a beat. I’d heard that smoky, implacable tone many times before. Nate wasn’t only talking about eating actual food. It was a direct reference to my newly found sexual appetite for him.

“Well,” I stammered, “you certainly never leave me hungry.”

He tipped up my chin. Longing swirled through my body when I glimpsed the sensual curve of his mouth as it neared mine.
Would I ever grow immune to that smile?
His lips lingered on my own, teasing, waiting for more.

Obviously, going down on him first thing had done little to curb his desire for more. And honestly, the orgasm he gave me in return had only succeeded in making me crave him further. But, with the time approaching 8.30 a.m., we had little time for round two. With that in mind, I smiled sweetly and freed myself from the sexual force field surrounding him, and edged towards the door.

NATE insisted Ross stop en-route so he could get breakfast for us both. I promised to eat at my desk and tucked the yoghurt and granola pot into my bag. We shared the apple and discussed plans for tomorrow and the weekend. Getting away together would be perfect and I wished Friday would hurry up and get here.

I stood beside Nate on the pavement outside work and waited whilst they arranged their day. My hair was tied back, and I wore a simple camel fitted dress with nude heels. The warmth of the sun prickled my bare arms and legs.

“Have a great day, Miss Collins, Mr. Blake.” Ross addressed me, then Nate.

I slipped my hand into Nate’s as we approached the revolving doors. He glanced sideways at me, the side of his mouth curling up. “You sure about this?” he asked, lifting our joined hands in the air.

“Oh, yes.” I smiled. “Everyone needs to know you’re off the market.”

“Sweetheart, that happened weeks ago.” With a reassuring squeeze of my hand, he steered us towards the stationery doors and breezed through without breaking contact.

We attracted more than one interested glance. With a smug smile, I could only imagine their thoughts. This wasn’t the first time we’d been seen together, but it was the first time we’d made a conscious statement confirming our relationship. The fact Nate was so underdressed for business was adding to the heightened level of curiosity.

“Has no one ever seen you like this before?” I whispered, nudging him as we approached the security turnstiles.

“Not here, no.”

“Imagine their faces if they knew you were commando underneath?”

Nate beamed from ear to ear, knocking me off my feet as only his smile ever could. I still couldn’t believe we were a couple sometimes. He steered me away from the turnstiles and through the brushed metal gate one of the guards held open. “Perks of dating the boss,” he teased, nudging me back playfully. He knew I still hated thinking of him like that.

When the lift arrived, we stepped in last after the few late starters. My hand was still tightly clasped in his as he waved his card over the panel and pressed our respective levels. This time, nobody offered polite greetings. Instead, there was an expectant silence filling the air.

Nate released my hand and snaked an arm around my waist. A couple of women behind me gasped, not too discreetly. I wanted to giggle but managed to muffle my amusement with my hand. He was playing games with them. So I decided to join in. The car slowed at level eight.

“Have a fantastic day.” I touched my hand to his cheek, loving the tickle from his overnight growth, and brought his mouth to meet mine. It was a simple kiss, but it spoke volumes to him, to me, and to the few who witnessed it.

The breathtaking smile he gave me stayed with me for the rest of the day.

IN a day that had been long and busy, I’d managed to run a few errands and pick up some lunch for myself, Nate and Mai whilst out. When I popped upstairs to deliver it, Nate was on a conference call so I had to leave it on his desk. Other than a brief phone conversation to inform me he had a rescheduled meeting at five, we’d barely talked all day.

I travelled to the condo with Ross, preferring the company of my own thoughts to polite conversation. It was nearing six when I exited into the private lobby and ran into Maria.

“Buenos tardes,” she greeted me, black eyes searching behind me. “No Señor Blake?”

“He’s still at the office.” She nodded, though I wasn’t sure she understood. “Hasta mañana,” I called after her as she pushed open the door leading to the service lift.

With a warm appreciative smile, she said, “Buenos noches,” and left.

I washed away the working day in the luxurious shower. After drying my hair, I opted for a gorgeous claret red silk floral slip that skimmed my thighs, finishing the look with a matching robe. Then I moved all of Nate’s toiletries from the second bathroom back into the one given to me, stealing a quick sniff of his Tom Ford cologne before placing it on the marbled vanity. Even that brief inhalation fanned the flames of desire flickering in the pit of my stomach.

I appreciated his thoughtfulness but wanted to share this space, be able to take a shower whilst he shaved, and not be separated by walls. Silly, but that’s what Nate did to me. I didn’t want to miss a second of his life anymore.

With everything back in their rightful place, I went to the closet and dug the purchases I’d made on my shopping trips from my cream tote. As I passed the centre island, the scent of coral peonies sitting on the top wafted into the air. Nate had added them to give the sumptuous room a less masculine feel; another example of how considerate he was.

I sat, cross-legged on the bed, worrying the black trinket box with my thumbs. This was a huge step for me, for us. Our relationship had intensified quickly, and whilst that might have frightened the old me, I wasn’t the least bit scared. Giving this to Nate, letting him know what he meant to me, and subsequently how much I was willing to let him in and trust him, felt so right it didn’t get a second thought.

I set the box on his bedside table where it would be seen just as my phone lit up on my own side of the bed. Crawling over to grab it, I was already smiling before I saw Nate’s name:
ON MY WAY X

Thinking I had about thirty minutes, I went to finish up in the bathroom. I was moving my Dior gown to hang beside Nate’s tux so it wasn’t forgotten when Ross collected our bags tomorrow, when…“Hey, beautiful.”

I jumped, spinning around. Nate leant against the arched entrance, watching me keenly. “Hey, yourself.” I moved towards him, licking my lips because he looked so damn good.

His hair was slightly messy, how it tended to be by the end of the day. Nate’s way of winding down on the ride home usually entailed the loosening of his tie, though not fully removing it—which I found incredibly sexy—and running a hand through his hair a few times as the public persona disappeared, and the private man took his place.

But what really did me in and hit all my buttons was the navy Lanvin two-piece. I swear Nate Blake grew more attractive with each passing day.

“Sorry I missed you today.” He reached out, welcoming me into his space. “Thank you for lunch.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What’s this?”

I looked at the trinket box in his other hand. From nowhere, my heart started pounding with nerves. “It’s nothing…silly, really.”

“It looks like something of the utmost importance to me.” After brushing his lips over mine in a sweet hello, he led me back down the hallway into the bedroom. Settling on the edge of the bed, Nate parted his legs and pulled me between them and onto his thigh. With his left arm around me, he held the box in both hands and opened it. He sucked in a breath. “Is this what I think it is?”

I nodded, chewing my lip. We both stared at the silver key attached to the keyring of an entry fob. The longer the silence stretched, the more I started regretting my decision. Nate obviously thought I’d been joking about having a key to my place. I covered his hands with mine and snapped the lid shut.

“Kara?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I pushed off his lap and went to his bedside table. “Keep it here for another time,” I told him quietly, nudging the drawer shut with my knee.

“Baby.” I squeezed my eyes shut, the softness of his voice bringing a lump to my throat. Reaching around my legs, he pulled open the drawer and retrieved the matte leather box. “This,” he said, rising to his feet behind me, “is the most precious gift I’ve ever been given.”

I turned to face him. “I’ll only accept it on one condition,” he said gently, sliding his hand over my jaw so his thumb reached my cheekbone, brushing tenderly in a familiar act of reassurance.

“Which is?”

“That you promise me it’s only temporary.” Only the mischievous twinkle in his eyes prevented a full on panic over what he meant. “That we’ll share our respective homes until we have one we can call
ours
.”

I threw my arms around his neck and hugged hard, breathing him in and becoming intoxicated by his uniquely masculine scent. If I had any doubt over the enormity of my feelings for Nate, they disappeared in the blink of an eye. He had my heart, locked away safely in the vacated space his own had left behind when it took up residence inside my chest.

My lips moved from the loosened collar of his shirt, up his neck to below his ear where his pulse throbbed. I undid the single button of his jacket and placed both hands flat on his stomach, loving the way his body tensed with anticipation. Slowly, I glided them up to his shoulders, listening for the change in his breathing as I relieved him of his jacket.

I wanted to show Nate how much he’d changed my life, needed him to feel my gratitude and ultimately, my love.

I TOOK A deep breath and sighed happily. God, I loved the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

When the built-in machine had finished, I carried the two mugs over to the fridge and added milk to mine. The golden early morning sun warmed the kitchen, casting light into the airy space through the one-way tinted glass as it burnt off the smoggy haze of the city at my feet. There was a stillness in the air—an absolute contrast to the riotous emotions dancing in my body. I’d been awake half an hour, too excited to sleep longer. From midday today, Nate was going to be all mine for approximately seventy hours—not that I was counting.

I crept back upstairs to the bedroom. Nate was still fast asleep, stretched across the rumpled sheets, head turned to one side. I set both cups down on the table next to his head, unable to take my eyes off him. I folded my arms over my chest and cocked my head for a better look. Standing to admire him without fear of being caught, I fell for him all over again.