The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (7 page)

It was the first day of summer and I was already running late for work. My car had started playing up for the last few weeks and sometimes took over twenty minutes for me to get her going.

This morning was no exception and I’d been banging my hand on the steering wheel for the last fifteen minutes, begging her to take pity on me and start up.

When I finally got the engine running, I noticed a ladder in my stockings. “Bloody hell!” I screeched running back in the house to change them. I was wearing my favourite black and white checked dress which was rather tight, so I say running but shuffling would have been a better description.

When I returned to the car, the bloody thing had conked out again so it took another ten minutes to splutter her back to life.

Making a quick pit stop to the bakery as it was Friday, I pulled into the NSC car park exactly thirty five minutes late.

Rapidly climbing out of my car with the pastries, grabbing my paperwork out of the boot and running across the tarmac, my phone started ringing. Trying to balance everything in one arm, I answered slightly flustered. “Hello, Olivia darling?” my mother’s voice greeted me.

“Yes Mum, it’s me. What’s wrong?” I could already sense her flapping about on the other end.

“Just ringing to let you know that Matt’s been sent home from school early ‘cause he’s been ill, so I’ve got him here with me.”

Running up the NSC steps to the front doors, Bert grabbed the pastry I held for him under my chin and opened me the doors with a big smile as we mouthed a ‘hi’ to each other.

“Right okay Mum, thanks for letting me know. I’ve got to go, I’m late for the second time this week and my boss is not gonna be happy.” I quickly ended the call without waiting for her to say goodbye.

With my head down, juggling my paperwork and pastries, whilst trying to put my phone in my bag, I bumped smack bang into a group of suited men.

“Fuck, shit, bugger!” I exclaimed with a hiss as I squatted down to pick up all my scattered paperwork.

“Miss Adams!” Peterson screeched. “Late again? That’s twice this week!”

Still crouched on the floor, I groaned inwardly and turned on my heels to look at him. “I’m so sorry, Mr Peterson. I’ve been having trouble with my car this week. I got here as soon as could.”

“Well fucking hurry up, woman,” he snarled.

Nodding quickly I spun back round and slammed my face straight into a man’s groin. “Bollocks!” I wheezed under my breath. Peterson tutted and one of the other men sniggered as I quickly stood up. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry Sir,” I muttered, without removing my gaze from the floor. Highly embarrassed, I refused to look up. I heard the man take a sharp inhale of breath.

“Liv?”

Oh—Jesus—Fucking—Christ!

Raising my face slowly, I also took a sharp breath. My blood pounded in my ears, my legs vibrated and my hands started sweating as my heart stuttered wildly in my chest.

My eyes slowly reached his, the pure bright blue beautiful eyes that had never left my memory. My lips parted and I struggled to breathe as his eyes surveyed mine. Time seemed to stop as we stood intently looking at each other.

“Liv,” he breathed. His hand reached towards me and then dropped back down to his side as though he wanted to touch me but changed his mind.

“Nate,” I croaked out quietly, my mouth suddenly seriously dry.

He shook his head slightly as though to clear his mind. “Jesus, Liv. I . . . I . . .” he murmured. “I . . . Wow, you look great,” he finally said as a smile grew on his face and his gaze roamed over me.

“You too,” I managed.

The man stood beside Nate coughed and raised his eyebrows at him as he looked back and forth between us.

Nate cleared his throat and grinned mischievously at me. “I should’ve recognised you when your head was in my lap.”

Laughing, I shook my head at him. “You should recognise every contour of the back of my head, Nate.” I shot back with a grin of my own. I heard Peterson snort and Nate’s sidekick chuckle. “But, seriously, it’s good to see you.”

He looked really
good. He was wearing a dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt and pale blue tie. The suit fitted his frame as though it had been specifically made for him. He still had the same head full of blonde curls and his chin was still square but was now peppered with a dusting of stubble. His beautiful eyes were now partnered with a few laughter lines and his body still had the same hardness, the same muscled physique I had loved all those years ago. He was still a very beautiful man . . . just
wow.

Peterson huffed at me, reminding me I was already in trouble. “Well, work to do,” I said with a disappointing smile. “Take care Nate,” I said softly as I started walking away.

Nate gave me a puzzled look and grabbed my arm. “How about I buy you lunch and we can catch up properly?” he asked, vaguely cocking his head to one side.

“I’d love to, but I’ll have to work through my lunch cos’ I’m late today.”

Nate turned to Peterson frowning. “Oh, I’m sure Simon can manage without you for an hour. Can’t you, Simon?”

Peterson nodded and smiled. “Of course. Olivia, you must still take your lunch break even though you’re running late.” His stern stare opposed his words.

“Great!” Nate declared. “I’ll meet you in the foyer about 12.30 Liv, okay?”

Flustered, I nodded my agreement and hurried through the building, stepping into the already waiting elevator.

Leaning against the thankfully empty elevator wall, I slid down to the floor trying to control my breathing.

“Holy shit,” I rasped.

My heart was racing and I rushed to the bathroom as soon as the lift doors opened. Splashing my face with cold water, I looked at my ruffled reflection and repeated my earlier sentiment. “Holy shit, Liv!”

I sat on the loo, locked the door and tried to fathom out what had just happened. I hadn’t seen Nate for twenty years, and then he just turned up at my workplace
and
was friends with my arrogant boss. I couldn’t picture the two of them as friends. At university, Nate had hated people like Peterson. He was always the first to stick up for the poor sap that ‘The Petersons’ of this world were bullying, not thinking twice about smacking the nasty sods in the face. That’s what I had fallen in love with, the sensitive, gentle side that he had. Although at the same time he had a dangerous edge to him that told people not to mess with him.

The bathroom door opened and I heard someone come in. “Olivia?” Grace’s voice asked. “You okay sweetie? You looked a bit pale when you exited the elevator.”

Straightening myself out, I plastered a smile on my face and opened the cubicle door to greet her. “Morning, Grace. Yes I’m fine thanks, just running a bit late . . . again. Peterson was in reception and gave me a fucking . . . again!”

I picked my things up from the vanity and waved the breakfast goods under her nose before I walked off towards our work area.

Following swiftly behind me she grumbled, “He’s really got it in for you, hasn’t he. Mind you, I don’t think anybody has ever turned him down before.” Trying to open the food containers, she added, “I think you wounded his pride, sweetie.”

“Well, it was either his pride or his dick.”

The morning dragged and I kept glancing at the clock. Grace caught me a couple of times and after spotting me for the sixth time she turned to me. “You expecting something, Olivia?”

“Nope,” I replied. “Just wishing for my lunch hour to hurry up. I’m famished,” I added turning away so she couldn’t see my blush.

By 12.15 I was a dithering wreck. My heart rate had sped up, my hands were shaking and I couldn’t concentrate on my work.

Peterson leant over my desk with a strange look on his face. “Olivia, because you arrived late this morning and you are
still
having a lunch break, I would be grateful if you could stay behind later and make up your hours.”

“Sure, of course Mr Peterson,” I replied warily, wondering what else he was going to say.

He narrowed his eyes and stared at me for a few moments but huffed and walked away, leaving Grace giving me a quizzical look. Shrugging my shoulders at her, I went to the bathroom to check my hair and make-up and made my way downstairs.

As I exited the elevator, I saw him, leaning against the main reception desk talking to Miss Wet Kipper. She was laughing with him and touching his arm, flinging her hair back and giving him a dazzling smile.

As if he sensed me approach, Nate looked over to me. His eyes skimmed over me and came to rest on my face. A slow, sexy smile covered his face, making my breath hitch as so many memories of that smile flooded back, heating my insides.

I returned his smile as I walked over to him. “Hi,” he said gently as he bent to kiss my cheek, inhaling my scent as he did.

“Hi,” I returned, catching the same unique smell that was always with him; musk, touch of spice and lots of raw male.

He grunted a “goodbye” to a very stunned Miss Wet Kipper as he took my hand and hastily led me out of the building.

A black Jag XJ was waiting at the entrance doors with a suited man stood at the rear door.

“Have a nice lunch, Olivia.” Bert shouted to me as I drew near the car. Feeling awkward I turned to smile at him and mouthed my thanks as Nate’s hand tightened its grip in mine.

The suited man opened the rear door for us and I climbed in. “Thanks Blake. Benny’s, please,” Nate instructed as he clambered in beside me.

When the door shut, he turned to me and grabbed my hand again. His other hand instantly came up to caress my cheek. “God Liv, it’s been forever,” he whispered with a sad smile.

I tilted my face into his hand. “Too long.” I sighed, closing my eyes and cherishing his touch.

His thumb started stroking my cheek bone and then slowly skated down to my bottom lip. Catching my breath, I placed my hand over his as a forbidden tear trickled down my face. He caught it with his thumb and placed it on his lips. “Oh, baby.” He blew out a breath and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping me in his arms and tenderly stroking my back.

It was like the last twenty years hadn’t been, as though it was just the day after he left and my whole body roared to life at his touch as my soul coupled with its mate.

“What happened to us, Liv?” he asked, resting his chin on top of my head.

Frowning, I pulled away and slid back over to my seat. I couldn’t believe I had melted into him within the first ten minutes of being back with him. Our lives were different now and things were not the same.

“Lots of things have happened to us, Nate,” I muttered solemnly, looking away from him and out of the window.

“Liv?” he questioned. “Liv?” I turned to look at him, my eyes full of unshed tears. “Why didn’t you answer your phone whenever I called?” he questioned as he looked into my eyes, his own full of sadness and longing. “Why didn’t you write back? I sent you letter after letter but you never replied. I even came down from Scotland to see you but you had moved house, just . . . just gone.”

I gazed back out of the window as I chose my words carefully. “Nate, you had your career and life in Edinburgh. Our relationship would’ve just been a burden. I loved you too much to become a burden. It was better that way.”

He grabbed my chin and tilted my face back, his anger palpable in the confines of the car. “God damn it, Liv. I fuckin’ loved you. You were never a burden,” his voice a deadly hiss as his eyes scrutinised my face.

I tensed at his forceful caress and knew he had sensed the change in me. I snatched his hand away from my chin as I glared at him. “Don’t fucking touch me like that again, Nate.”

“Baby, I would never hurt you, you know that,” he worried, studying my face.

“Don’t call me baby either. It’s been twenty years since I was your
baby
Nate,” I snapped.

The car came to a halt and the driver got out and came round to open the door. “You will always be my baby, Liv” Nate asserted, narrowing his eyes on me as he got out of the car.

He took my hand in his again as he strode into the bistro. The place was packed and I was sure there weren’t any tables free but Nate walked over to the bar.

“Nate man,” the barman exclaimed, giving Nate a powerful hug and slapping him on the back. “It’s good to see you. Where have you been hiding? Eh?”

“I’ve been in America for six months Ben. Don’t worry, I would never abandon you,” he winked.

America?
What the hell would he be doing over there? His career must have really taken off.

Nate turned to introduce me. “Ben, this is Olivia. Liv, this is Benny. The namesake for this place.”

Taking my hand in a firm grasp, Benny lifted it to his lips. “It is a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman.” He beamed with a twinkle in his eye. “You need to keep this one Nate, such an exquisite smile.”

Nate took my hand back and with a wink and a grin, he asked Benny for a table. He led us over to a booth in the corner and I slid in as Nate wedged his large frame into the opposite bench. “Here’s the menu,” Benny smiled, passing us each a leather bound folder. “Would you like a drink while you choose?”

“A bottle of chardonnay, please Benny,” Nate acknowledged, raising his eyebrows at me in a query. Nodding desperately at Benny in confirmation to Nate’s choice, I silently wished the man would hurry up with the damn wine. I needed alcohol before my nerves gave way.

“Still enjoy the odd glass then, Liv?” Nate questioned with a smirk when Benny retreated to fetch our wine.

“Ha, of course,” I scoffed. “Wine and Haribos have always been a constant in my life.”

He picked up his menu and ran his fingers over the gold embossed lettering, tracing each letter with a stern expression. “What else is a constant in your life, Liv? Married? Partner? Kids?” he probed, searching my face.

“Divorced, no and yes,” I answered honestly and evasively to the three questions. “You?” I queried, quickly bringing the conversation round to him.

“No, no and no,” he answered frankly.

“Oh, I expected you to be married by now.”

“Nope,” he spoke bluntly with a pop of the ‘P,’ looking directly at me.

Benny came over with our wine and to take our order. Pouring the wine into my glass Nate continued with his interrogation. “So, how long have you been divorced?”