Three Wishes (41 page)

Definitely predatory. And definitely
dangerous.

He strode directly to the bed, bent and with a swipe of his arm, sent her clothes flying.

At this, her eyes widened in alarm.

Then he strode, with determination, to Lily who stood rooted to the spot. He grasped her hips and lifted her upwards.

She cried out in surprise and threw her legs around his hips and grabbed his shoulders to steady herself as he turned her to the bed. Then she was falling, holding onto him as she went backwards, her back hitting the bed and Nate landed square on top of her.

“You think I’m holding back?” he growled, his eyes back to glittering dangerously, his face barely an inch away.

Regardless of all she had just witnessed, she threw caution to the wind. It
was
a grand gesture after all and she started it. She had to have the courage to follow it through and see where it ended or she might lose everything.

So she flung at him, “Yes!”

And then she felt his hand yank the skirt of her dress up around her waist.

“Nate!” she cried as she realised his intent and he buried his face in her neck, conveniently hiding his from view.

“You have more of me than I’ve given anyone,” he snarled against the sensitive skin at the base of her ear and then she felt his tongue there. She tried to push him away as the gymnasts, who didn’t seem to care about the dramatic events that had brought them to this pass, started to warm up with cartwheels.

At the gymnasts’ antics, Lily stopped pushing him away and slid one arm around him and the other hand into his hair, trying gently to move his head so she could see his face.

“I don’t mean this. I don’t mean here, in the bedroom,” she whispered.

It was as if she didn’t speak, one of his hands skimmed with delicious intent across her belly, up to her breast, his thumb expertly finding her nipple through the fabric and rubbed tantalisingly against it. Even though she tried to control it, Lily felt her insides melt.

“I’ve given you more than I gave my adoptive family,” he murmured, his voice turned silky and was still at her ear, the deep timbre shooting tremors through her.

“Nate, don’t do this. We’ve always been good at this.
Talk
to me,” Lily begged.

He ignored her and his lips edged along her jaw to her chin as his hand went between their bodies, teasing at the edge of her lacy panties.

With his lips against hers, he said, “More than I gave my mother.”

She gasped as she realised he didn’t mean Laura. It was the first time he’d spoken of his birth mother since, well, the only other time he’d ever spoken of her on their first date in the park.

Her gasp was cut off by his lips taking possession of hers in a brutal, demanding kiss, a kiss that was meant to tell her something, a kiss that coincided exactly with his fingers stopping their tantalising play. They shoved the delicate fabric of her underwear aside and two of them entered her in a beautiful invasion.

She immediately moaned against his mouth, instantly responding to his touch. Her arms went around him, her hands pulling his shirt out of his jeans so she could run her fingers along the hard muscles of his back, so she could feel the immense heat of his skin.

“So wet,” he muttered against her lips, “only for me.”

And touching her, he seemed somehow taken away from the current tense conversation, his voice almost reverent, disbelieving. The sound of it broke Lily’s heart.

His fingers started moving, she could think of nothing else, not their argument, not his secrets, just what his hand was doing to her.

“Only you, Nate,” she agreed softly.

At her words, he dropped his forehead to hers and closed his eyes that look coming over him that was so raw and intense, it shook Lily to her core.

He kept his lips against hers as his hand worked its magic but he didn’t kiss her. He’d opened his eyes and they bored into hers as his hand sent electrifying shockwaves of pleasure shooting through her body.

Finally, he said against her mouth as his thumb swirled and she cried out sharply as he brought her closer, ever so closer. “You’re not leaving me, Lily.”

She shook her head.

“Say it,” he growled.

She pressed against his hand, so close, she was nearly there.

“Please, Nate.”

“Say it!” he demanded.

“Nate,” she breathed against his mouth, one hand coming up to delve into his hair, hold his face to hers.

“Lily.” His voice was a low, velvet rumble.

She opened her half-shut eyes and looked directly into his black ones.

“I’m not leaving you, Nate. I’ll never leave you,” Lily declared, her voice trembling with a feeling that had nothing at all to do with what his fingers were doing. A feeling that had everything to do with what was in her heart. What had been in her heart since she was fourteen years old and what she knew was her wish come true when Nate had saved her from the purse snatcher.

And then his mouth crushed down on hers and he let her soar, his hand taking her to glorious heights, where he always took her. His mouth absorbed her cry of pleasure as her hands clutched at him, her hips pressing into his fingers.

As the shudders receded, he fell to his side, gently pulling her with him and righting her skirt at the same time. Then he cradled her in his arms protectively, slowly stroking her back.

Her face was pressed into his throat and she felt vulnerable and exposed. He had taken her to a beautiful place but he did not join her there.

Still removed. Always removed one way or another.

“Nate?” she mumbled against his throat.

“Mm?” He was in his own place again, his own thoughts, far, far away from her. She was beginning to recognise when he was with her and when he was gone.

Quietly, in a voice so small she was surprised he heard it, she whispered scant words that held deep meaning, “I need you here, with me.”

His hand stopped stroking and his arms tightened around her, taking her breath.

“You have me.”

She shook her head against his neck, mutely denying his words.

“You have me, Lily. I promise.”

She knew she didn’t.

But Lily experienced a colossal change of mind. A life changing one.

Even an earth shattering one.

Instead of putting all her energies into guarding her heart against him (which clearly wasn’t working, it
was
Nate), she was going to try to open his heart to her. She was going to use everything that was in her power, such as it was, maybe even go so far as to use her last wish to open
his
heart.

She had no idea if she would succeed but, Lily determined in that instant, she was damn well going to try.

Nate

Nate left the office early wishing to get home.

Home.

Where Lily and Natasha were.

And, of course, Fazire.

Tash had called, telling him there was a surprise waiting for him there.

He couldn’t imagine what kind of surprise it could be, in the month since Lily’s dramatic tirade, complete with tossing clothes out of the wardrobe, his life had been full of surprises.

Pleasant surprises. Extraordinary surprises.

The kind of surprises and the possible intent behind them being something he’d very much like to believe, but found, through years of experience with disappointment, he could not.

* * * * *

It had started the next morning after Lily’s scene.

She had woken early, very early. She slid quietly out of bed obviously making an effort not to disturb Nate. This effort was for naught as she knocked into the bed twice, cursed under her breath and nearly fell over as she dressed. Knowing she was being careful for his sake, Nate kept his eyes closed when what he wanted to do was drag her warm body back into bed.

When time passed and she didn’t return, Nate got up, pulled on a pair of jeans and went in search of her.

He found her in the kitchen wearing a pair of very short, thin, cotton drawstring shorts patterned in stripes of soft pink and purple that showed off her long, shapely legs. With this, she wore a pink camisole and an old grey cardigan which had seen better days and which he immediately decided to replace with something else, something new, something made of cashmere.

She was standing in the middle of the kitchen with her hands on her hips staring at the countertop with what appeared to be confusion.

Wondering at her mood after of their row the day before, Nate approached her from behind silently on bare feet and cautiously slid his arms around her waist.

The afternoon before she’d promised not to leave him, said she would
never
leave, but Nate didn’t trust that. He’d learned early not to trust and nothing had happened in his life to alter that lesson.

He knew she wanted more from him, she wanted it all and he couldn’t give it to her. He felt, as he did eight years before, like he was living on borrowed time, like once she found out who he really was she’d not only want to stay far away but now keep Tash from him as well.

And Nate wouldn’t allow that. And to stop it from happening, he’d do whatever he had to do, including keeping his past from the both of them.

Not that Lily was giving her all to him. The open-hearted Lily who let her excitement at life bubble out of her at the slightest provocation was gone. The laughing Lily who told stories about her beloved family had faded. No matter what he did to rectify his past mistakes, to erase the last eight years of her making do and scraping by, she was still different.

Wary, watchful and closed.

She jumped when he touched her and whirled, nearly knocking his chin with her head and her soft, fragrant hair whipped across his face.

“Nate!” she cried, her expression clearly showing disappointment at seeing him and he felt something lurch painfully in his gut. She looked over her shoulder at the countertop then back at him and announced on an exaggerated pout, “You’ve spoiled my surprise.”

Then she stunned him by sliding her hands around his waist and tilting her head to the side, the disappointment fading as she gave him one of her quirky smiles. At the sight of it, he sucked in his breath and he felt every muscle in his body tense.

Her smile was exactly as he remembered. Not wary, not watchful, not closed in any way. Open, happy and one of the sweetest sights he’d seen in his life.

She leaned slightly into him, her breasts brushing his bare chest, her chin forced to tilt back further so she could look into his eyes.

“I was making you breakfast in bed,” she informed him cheerfully.

He glanced over her shoulder at the evidence that, indeed, he had interrupted her in the middle of preparing food.

With the knowledge of her intentions and understanding that her earlier disappointment was not directed at him, Nate didn’t know what to do. Nate was not the kind of man who didn’t know what to do and he didn’t like it.

No woman had made him breakfast in bed, no woman had even made him breakfast. Not a single one of his lovers had done anything for him, given him a present, brought over a bottle of wine or prepared dinner for him. They were happy for him to buy dinner, presents, even holidays but the women in his life were used to being taken care of, being spoiled. Nate had played the game mainly because if he didn’t, they’d turn whiny and demanding. He’d learned it made life far more peaceful and furthermore, he could afford it.

This was an entirely new experience.

Lily seemed not to notice his surprise.

“Once I got started, though, I didn’t know what to do. You never remark on your food, say what you like. You just…
eat
.” Her smile hadn’t faltered, in fact, her voice sounded almost teasing. She gently pulled away from him and threw her arm out towards the food on the counter. “I decided bacon, eggs and toast was my best bet. Everyone likes bacon, eggs and toast. Then I realised I don’t even know how you like your eggs!”

She laughed softly, finding this amusing and came back to him, casually putting her arms around his waist again and resting her entire torso heavily against his tightened chest.

“You know, I feel like I’ve known you for years but I’ve really only known you a few weeks. Isn’t that funny?” She drooped her shoulders and tipped her head back to stare up at him with her extraordinary eyes, the blue so clear, so deep, so open, Nate felt lost in them.

Lost in her eyes, lost in her mood, lost in Lily, so lost, he didn’t answer.

“So,” she whispered, “how do you like your eggs?”

Her question took him away from his silent contemplation of her. She sounded as if his answer meant everything in the world to her.

He looked warily down on her, his body tight, not knowing whether to give into the relief he felt at her new attitude or worry at what she was hiding behind it.

“I’ll like them any way you cook them,” he answered, noncommittal.