See You in My Dreams: Speed, Book 1 (13 page)

Nathan’s eyes flashed. He straightened, well mostly, and took her arm, walking them quickly towards a destination unknown. “I was more honest with you than I’ve been with any woman in years,” he muttered. Then he said no more until he’d steered them off the platform stage, across a small strip of grass, through a tunnel and into a room. He slammed the door behind them, enclosing them in what could only be his dressing room.

He backed her instantly against the wall, crowding her with his body, allowing her no room for escape.

Not that she’d have tried if she could have. She may be pissed off at his deception, may want to strike out, but she wasn’t completely crazy. Nathan Pace was right where she wanted him. So was Jamie Speed, for that matter. Crushed against her body, as close as he could get with clothes on.

“You should have told me,” she said again, just as angry as she’d been, only now that anger was all mixed up with a dizzying sense of arousal, a small matter of breathlessness and a bad case of tachycardia. To complicate matters, every time she managed to inhale, she drew in Nathan’s heady scent, which befuddled her senses further.

“I should have.” He crowded even closer. “But I didn’t.”

Sophie grimaced. “Yeah, you said that already. You also said you were honest with me. Funny way you have of showing your honesty.”

“Damn it, Sophie,” Nathan snapped. “I never told you because I didn’t want you to know I was Jamie.”

That had her flummoxed. “Why not?”

“Because for once, just once, I wanted to meet a woman as Nathan. I wanted her to get to know him. Get to know me, the real me. Not Jamie.”

She shook her head in confusion. “You are Jamie.”

“Jamie is merely one aspect of my personality. I’m Nathan.”

“Nathan is Jamie. Jamie is Nathan. You’re one and the same.”

“Semantics. When it came to you, I didn’t want you to know Jamie. Didn’t want you to lust after him, like every other woman I’ve met in the last three years has. I wanted a real, honest-to-God chance with you, and the only way I’d get that was if I hid Jamie.”

“You hid an essential part of yourself from me.”

“I showed who I am inside. The real essential me. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve done that? Since I’ve met a woman I wanted to share myself with?”

“But you only showed me part of you.”

“The important part.”

Her anger began to wane. How could she possibly remain angry with a man who’d shared his real self with her?

“I feel like the world’s biggest idiot.” Her cheeks filled with heat. “I’m the only person alive who can’t recognize Jamie Speed.”

“You’re not. I’ve spent two months living incognito. Most everyone in Queensland had no idea who I was.”

She glared at him. “Did most everyone in Queensland sleep with you?”

His response was instant. “None of them slept with me. You, Sophie Rose Butler, are the only woman who’s tempted me in a very long time. The only woman I’ve slept with in just as long. And more importantly, the only person I’ve wanted to meet as Nathan since
Speed
made a name for itself.”

Her heart lurched. He wasn’t feeding her a line. Every word he uttered was true. And if she doubted it, she need only replay Luke’s response during the concert. He’d been just as dumbstruck as she had by Nathan’s actions.

“I slept with you, Nathan. Got as up close and personal as I could possibly get. I still didn’t recognize you.”

“I didn’t want you to.”

Tentatively she lifted her hand to stroke his cheek. “Who are you now? Nathan or Jamie?”

“I’m Nathan.” His voice gentled.

She ran her palm over his cheek. “Nathan has a week’s worth of hair on his face. Your cheeks are smooth as a baby’s.”

He nestled into her hand, the warmth from his face burning her alive. “I shaved. Men do that.”

Sophie tangled her other hand in his hair. “Nathan’s hair is long. Blond. Wild.” Beautiful. It was one of the first things she’d fallen in love with.

“I cut my hair.”

She must have shown her disappointment, because he hurried to add, “It’s not unheard of. And I always wear my hair short when I’m performing.”

Aw, who was she kidding? He looked as good with short hair as he did with long. And he just flat-out turned her on, regardless of the length of his hair.

His eyes still freaked her out, though. They just weren’t his. The scar was still there, on the outside of his left eye exactly where it had always been, but that was where the familiarity ended. “Your eyes…” she began, but wasn’t sure how to continue.

He shrugged. “Contacts.”

“I don’t recognize you.”

“I’m still me, regardless of my eye color.”

“You’re Jamie.”

“I’m Nathan.”

“Nathan has brown eyes.”

“And wears contacts when he performs.”

She frowned, wishing he’d just remove the damn things so he could be Nathan again.

“Zachary and Seth wear contacts too,” he told her.

“Why?”

“So we can be other people when we’re in the public eye. The world doesn’t get to see the real Pace brothers. It sees the people it wants to see. The Speed brothers.”

She watched his lips as he spoke. Wished they were on hers. Wished he was kissing her again.

He must have had similar thoughts, because he pressed his pelvis against hers, the outline of his erection pushing into her belly, making her weak at the knees.

How was it possible to want someone this much?

“Is there a difference between the two of you? Between Nathan and Jamie?”

“Jamie’s just a part of Nathan. Nathan is the whole person.” He twisted his head and pressed his lips against the palm of her hand, making her shiver. “I’m Nathan. The man who walked out of the shower, naked, and found you in his room. The one who couldn’t believe his luck when he stumbled upon you at the coffee shop.” He took a shuddery breath. “I’m the man who dreamed about you, who couldn’t get you out of his mind. I’m the one who…” His voice softened notably… “Who made love to you. Who never wanted to stop making love to you.”

Nathan quit talking long enough to ensure he had her complete attention. “I’m the man who said goodbye to you earlier, then realized he couldn’t let you go. The same man who wants to make love to you all over again. Every single day of my life.”

Sophie whimpered, his beautiful confession bringing a lump to her throat. She wanted to make love to him too. Every single day of her life. She licked her lips, imagining what it would be like. Being with Nathan every day. Loving him every day. Falling into his arms whenever she wanted. Making love to him…

It would be a dream.

His face was close, so close she couldn’t mistake the hunger in his gaze and the need in his green eyes. God, she wished he’d make love to her. She wanted him right here, in the dressing room. “Nathan,” she whispered. The name sounded so right on her tongue, she whispered it again.

“That’s me,” he growled, and kissed her.

Sophie melted into him, tugging his face closer, opening her lips to his, offering him her mouth. His silken tongue toyed with hers, caressed, seduced. Their breaths mingled, and his wanton groan whispered in her ear. Her nipples hardened against his chest.

“I’m still pissed off that you kept Jamie from me,” Sophie muttered halfheartedly when the kiss ended.

Nathan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I only kept that part of me secret for a few days. Just while you got to know the rest of me.” He grinned. “And in case you didn’t notice, I gave you Jamie tonight. I gave him to you in front of thousands of people.” He frowned. “Er, millions actually, since this concert was broadcast live around the world.”

Sophie’s mind reeled. “Oh, God. You did too.” He’d exposed Jamie to her in front of the entire world. “I’ve been so blown away by the fact that you’re Jamie, I never stopped to consider what pulling me on stage like that meant for you.”

“It meant I wanted you to know me, completely. And it meant I wanted the world to know I knew you. I want to keep getting to know you. Every day from now on.”

“Nathan…” His statement was so simple, so honest, it left her gasping.

“I want you, Sophie Rose. All of me wants all of you. It has since the first time…” He stopped, swallowed. “Since the first time I saw your eyes.”

She kissed him. Couldn’t not. Climbed onto him like she had earlier backstage. Tried to climb inside him. She couldn’t get close enough. Couldn’t get enough of him.

If he could only know how his last comment affected her. She’d wanted him since the first time she’d seen his eyes, ten years ago. Wanted to get to know the man behind the dream. Wanted to meet him in person. And here he was. In her arms, kissing her, holding her.

He was all she’d ever wanted, and more. So, so, so much more.

At that moment she almost blurted out the truth about her dreams. Almost told him she’d known him in his dream form for ten years.

Instinct stopped her.

She had yet to work out how anything like this could have happened to her. He’d think her crazy as a loon. Certifiable. Nobody, absolutely nobody, dreamt about a man they were destined to meet ten years in the future. And sure as hell, nobody had dreams as erotic as hers were about said man.

“Make love to me, Nathan. Right here. Right now. You showed the world how you feel about me. Now show me.”

“Want to.” Nathan’s chest heaved unsteadily against her. “But… I won’t be able to go slow. W-won’t be able to hold back.” He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “I’m still pumped from the concert. And pumped at having you here with me. If I make love to you now, it’ll be nothing like earlier. Nothing.”

Sophie’s heart slammed against her ribs. “Will it be hard?”

Nathan nodded.

“And fast?”

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Hell, yeah.”

“Foreplay?” Christ she hoped not. She’d never last that long.

“No time.”

Sophie undid the buckle on her belt. “Will we be disturbed?”

“Not if the door’s closed.” He reached over and locked it.

“You sure you wanna make love to me here?” She opened her button and pulled down the zip.

His green eyes narrowed. “More than I wanna take my next breath.”

“Do it.”

His next breath was an uneven rasp.

“Fuck me,” Sophie said. “Hard and fast, and forget about the foreplay.”

Nathan reacted before the words were out. He spun her around, pushing her against the wall, squashing her breasts against the cold paintwork. She found her hands pinned beside her head, her palms flattened against the wall.

“Christ, sweetheart, tell me you’re ready.” His mouth found her neck, trailed a blazing path of kisses down it as he pressed up close to her. They both wore jeans, but the restrictive material hid none of his excitement. His erection felt huge against her ass, and the way he thrust against her told her as clearly as his words how much he wanted her.

Almost as much as she wanted him.

Her breath escaped in short, shallow gasps. Her nipples had tightened into throbbing beads and her belly somersaulted deliriously.

“R-ready. So ready.”

His answer was a rough growl, and then his hands were on the waist of her pants, shoving them down her legs to her ankles. Her panties followed.

Nathan ran a finger over her pussy lips, penetrated her shallowly, and swore out loud when moisture trickled from her channel.

“Fuck, you are ready.” He removed his finger and stepped away from her.

She swung around to glare at him, immediately objecting.

“No,” he barked. “Don’t move.” His hands were on her shoulders, pushing her back against the wall. “Damn it, woman, you make me crazy. Make me wanna do crazy things to you… Just not without a condom.”

“No crazy stuff, Nathan. Just make love to me. Please.”

This time when he stepped away, she didn’t object. She just pushed her butt out, and waited, dying a million deaths in the process. How long did it take to find a condom?

Then he was back. His hands worked on his own jeans, knocking gently against her bare ass as he unfastened them, freeing himself.

His erection pressed against her buttock, hard, warm and pulsing. He rocked against her. “Ah, Christ, I could come just like this.” Pre-come spilled onto her hip.

“Nuh-uh,” Sophie gasped. “You sang to me, knowing full well what your voice does to me. There is no way you are coming anywhere but inside me.”

“Need you too bad, woman. Gonna last all of ten seconds inside you.”

Ten seconds would never suffice. She wanted him aroused and hungry for her for…for the rest of her life—at least. “That the best you can do…Jamie?” she taunted. “I bet Nathan could last a whole lot longer than you.”

“Got nothing to do with who I am.” Plastic tore, and he shuffled behind her, shifting this way then that. “It’s all about you. When you’re around I have zero staying power regardless.” He tapped her thigh. “Spread your legs.”

Sophie obeyed, spreading them as wide as she could with her jeans tangled around her ankles.

“Good, now brace yourself against the wall. You’re gonna need it for support.” His hands were on her hips, holding them firmly, pulling them back just a little.

The head of his cock poked at her pussy lips.

She sobbed his name.

With a curse, Nathan drove into her, hard and fast just like he’d promised, seating himself inside her fully on the first thrust.

The invasion should have been a shock, should have cleared her lust-fogged mind. Should maybe even have hurt a little.

It didn’t. It felt so damn good, so damn right, Sophie cried out.

Nathan gave a throaty moan and drove into her again and again.

Just two nights ago, Sophie had awoken in the throes of an orgasm, her pussy clenched tight around a phantom penis. The crushing disappointment of realizing it had been a dream had left her hollow and empty. Left her heart in a tight mass of knots in her chest.

This experience could not be more different. She had his cock deep inside her pussy. Yes, he kept pulling away, but only to drive back inside. Only to return to her, repeatedly.

Each time he propelled back into her, the remnants of that lingering hollowness disintegrated further. Her body wasn’t empty now. It was full. Of him. It was full of the shivers he induced in her, of the wholeness that came from joining with another person. It was full of delicious pleasure tingling through her.