I merely shrugged. “I barely ate last night.” I’d like to play it off as the tough hunk of meat we’d been served, but nerves had played a huge part.
“Okay, let’s order room service. That way we don’t have to get dressed.”
“You do that while I jump into the shower.” Before he could change my mind by getting all handsy and lippy, I hopped out of bed and scurried into the bathroom. No sooner had I closed the glass door and stepped under the warm stream of water than Nate sauntered in. At first I thought he was about to join me, but then he stood at the toilet and began peeing.
“Oh my God. What the hell are you doing?”
When his eyes caught mine in the mirror, he deadpanned, “Balancing my checkbook.” Completely unfazed, he flushed, washed his hands, and asked, “Eggs Benedict, okay? It’s the inn’s specialty.”
“Um… yeah… sure.”
He then threw me a wink and walked out. Seriously, what the hell? And why did him peeing in front of me make him even more attractive?
A leisurely breakfast and more sex had us checking out of our room with only four minutes to spare. Nate’s good mood was infectious, and because of it the drive was filled with laughter and singing. Yes, Mr. Navarro could sing.
He took his time getting us back to the city, stopping at a place that boasted of the best coffee and doughnuts in the state of New York. As we drove through the quaint town with our treats, he spotted a gorgeous park that overlooked a lake and pulled over.
Claiming he wanted to stretch his legs, he led us toward a bench beneath a huge oak.
“Definitely not the best coffee I’ve ever had,” I said after a sip. “But my doughnut is yummy.”
“Mine is questionable.” After another bite, he offered the bacon maple glazed he’d chosen and demanded, “Swap with me.”
“No way.” I shook my head and tilted away from his leer.
“Come on, Jersey. Don’t be selfish.”
“Selfish?” I repeated with a huff of air. “I told you not to go for that weird combo.”
“It’s my favorite. This place just screwed it up. Come on… give me a taste.”
With my eyes glued to his, I poked out my tongue and erotically dragged it over a thick frosted edge before saying, “Delicious.”
His gaze darkened as he stared at me as if angry. “Keep that up, and I’ll put that tongue of yours to better use,” he claimed before looking around the quiet park. “Right here and now.” My response was to do it again and slide farther away across the bench. He violently shoved the rest of his doughnut back into the bag before bouncing to my end with a devious expression. “I can always just take it from you.”
“Separating me from chocolate will make me violent.” I didn’t anticipate the adorable pout that came next, and like an idiot, I conceded. “Fine, one bite.” Holding it toward his mouth, with one chomp he devoured half of it and then smiled through my gasp. “That wasn’t nice.”
“Unlike you, I can share.” He pressed his mouth on mine and drove his tongue in to give me a taste. And damn, it tasted even better on him. But before the doughnut and coffee in my hands ended up on the ground, I pulled away and stopped the kiss from becoming a full-blown make-out session. Or better still, to stop my heart from absorbing every bit of this fun, sexy version of a man I was already hot for.
When Nate took that as an invite to go in for another bite, I handed him over the rest… my attempt at waving a little white flag in surrender. This man was getting to me in ways I’d vowed never to happen. And I honestly didn’t know what to do about it.
As we both watched a duck swoop through the air and gracefully land in the lake, he placed an arm across the back of my shoulders and asked, out of the blue, “I know why I’m single, what’s your reason, Jersey?”
“Where did that come from?”
“I don’t know. Besides the fact you’re gorgeous, amazing in bed, and feisty, surprisingly enough, you also happen to be fun to hang out with.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said with an eye roll to mask the way my heart betrayed me by bucking in my chest.
“So why haven’t you been snatched up yet?” he pressed.
I debated lying, giving a bland version of the truth, or not responding at all. But when it came to our arrangement, opening up a bit wouldn’t hurt. “I had one serious relationship, during high school.”
His brow rose. “High school. No one could possibly have a serious relationship at that age.”
“Maybe not, but at the time no one could convince me we weren’t in love. At least I thought I was.” I went on to tell him about the perfect relationship I’d had with Sawyer and how it had ended with the bet he had made to take my virginity.
“What a prick.” Nate went silent and then asked, “Wait. What’s his last name?”
“Astor. Sawyer Astor the Third.” Nate began cracking up. “What’s so funny?”
“I represented his wife, Bethany, in their divorce two years ago. Serial cheater. Thanks to me, that motherfucker is living in a studio in the Lower East Side, while his wife got the three-bedroom apartment on the Upper East.”
With a squeal, I gripped Nate’s face and kissed him long and hard. “That news makes me so happy. I always wished he caught crabs, but this outcome is much better.”
He chuckled when I released him. “Glad I could help. Back to my point, though. He was a horny seventeen-year-old who thought with the wrong head. At that age—”
“It still hurts,” I said, cutting him off. “At any age that would mess with your head, and it most definitely affected the adult that I became. You can’t argue that your relationship didn’t do the same, and you were an adult at the time. Hell, you changed your field of law because of it. It takes one bad experience.”
“True. I guess we’re a lot alike in that.” He stared at me long and hard before adding, “It’s his loss, Jersey. Any man would be lucky to have you.”
A blush I couldn’t control colored my cheeks. “Thank you,” I said quietly while thinking, Any man but Nate, himself.
One would think being together the entire weekend, and in front of my family to boot, would make me want some space. Yet there I was, following her like a puppy dog.
I could blame the sexy-as-fuck black leather jacket she wore over a basic T-shirt and tight jeans. Or even how they did little to hide the curves I knew were beneath. But the truth would be I wasn’t ready to part ways yet. The next time I’d be seeing her was five long days away, even longer for a man like me, who practically slept at the office. And wanting to be with her had nothing to do with how she made me feel. Nope. It was all about the sex… just the sex.
That was my story, and I’d be sticking with it.
When she unlocked the outer door and reached for her overnight bag, I kept a firm grip on the handle. Those pale-blue eyes cut to mine, and she said, “Thanks. I got it from here.”
“The weekend isn’t over.” I glanced at my watch. “It’s only five, and I’m starving.”
“I’m pretty sure you can solve that problem at your place.”