"Didn't look that way to me."
"I wasn't with him. I want nothing to do with him."
"But Daddy thinks otherwise, doesn't he?"
I turned toward him, as surprised by the bitterness in his voice as I was by the hint of jealousy I detected. "Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?"
"No." He shrugged and took a long swallow of water, his gaze never leaving mine. He swiped the back of one hand over his mouth and tossed the empty bottle into the nearby trashcan. "But I heard enough to figure it out."
"It doesn't matter. Quinn is an ass. A slimy little snake I'd rather stomp on than spend a single second with."
A single dark brow quirked in my direction and I couldn't tell if Nathan was smiling at my little outburst. I thought maybe he was but he turned his head away before I could decide if what I saw was really a smile or just an illusion from the tiny scar at the corner of his mouth.
"Don't hold back, Addy. Tell me how you really feel."
"I'm not trying to amuse you."
"Didn't think you were."
A bubble of frustration popped in my chest and I quickly shoved it back, not understanding where it came from or why. I stomped past him on my way to the laundry room but he caught my arm and pulled me against him. I pushed against his chest, the motion nothing more than a half-hearted attempt to get away when all I wanted to do was press myself closer.
"I need to get my clothes and go home."
"They aren't dry yet."
"I still need to go."
Nathan's hands drifted down my back, sliding lower until they dipped under the hem of the oversized t-shirt and curled around my bare ass. His fingers dug into my flesh, pulling me flush against his body as the hard length of his erection pressed against my stomach. He dipped his head and nuzzled my neck, his breath warm against my skin.
"Stay with me."
I closed my eyes, my head tilting back as he ran his mouth along my jaw. A shiver danced across my flesh, enticing me with visions of what I wanted him to do, of everything I wanted to do to him. A ragged breath fell from my lips and I shook my head. "I—I can't. I need to get home."
Teeth scraped the sensitive skin just below my ear, playfully nipped the fleshy lobe before his deep voice and warm breath washed over me. "Just for a little while. I'll take you home later."
I should say no. I needed to say no. But Nathan's hands, so large and strong and warm, were already gliding over my body. Squeezing my ass. Tracing the line of my spine. Cupping the weight of one breast. Pinching the hard point of one tight nipple. Then one hand dipped between us, his fingers teasing my sensitive folds, spreading them and stroking my clit until I turned to putty in his hands. I clung to him, my hips already seeking more of his touch, my body already anticipating the promise of release.
His mouth brushed against mine, his voice so soft I almost didn't hear him.
"Please. Just for a little while."
I nodded, my answer lost in the scalding heat of his mouth as it closed over mine with a desperation I didn't quite understand and a neediness I didn't think to question.
Chapter Thirteen
Addy
"He's one of your father's players? That means he works for your father."
"I guess. I mean, technically, yes. Didn't I just tell you that?" I had, at least three times already, but Jacqui kept going back to the same question and I wondered if there was a point she wanted to make but didn't know how to go about doing it—which didn't make sense, not for Jacqui. I glanced over at her, noticed the frown on her flawlessly made-up face and the way she was paying entirely too much attention to the shipment of hats that had just arrived. The stylish top hats were gorgeous, made of crushed velvet and thick felt and adorned with intricate satin bows and delicate trailing lace in all different colors, from deep burgundy to bright violet. I had my own eye on one—the same one Jacqui was carefully shaping—and was fairly certain I'd end up buying it because it was simply eye-catching.
Just not that eye-catching, not enough to warrant the complete attention Jacqui was lavishing on it right now. She had something on her mind but I had no idea what. And there was something about that frown she wore that made me think I didn't want to know.
But what other people thought or wanted had never concerned Jacqui and now was no exception. She turned to me, her hazel eyes a mix of shadow and light as she caught my gaze.
"Did he know who you were when you first met?"
"Know? You mean, did he know Daddy was the Bourdons' owner? Of course not."
"And you're sure about that?"
"Of course, I'm sure." Heat filled my face as a small smile of memory teased my mouth. "We didn't really spend a lot of time talking about family when we first met."
"Hmm. I would guess not." Jacqui gave the hat a final brush then placed it on one of the mannequin heads before reaching for another. "And you never mentioned your family afterward? Not even in a casual passing?"
"No, of course not. Nathan had no idea who I was until he saw me at Daddy's silly party."
"A party I feel the need to point out that I wasn't invited to."
"You wouldn't have enjoyed it."
"No?" Jacqui lifted one sculpted brow. "A party attended by thirty-plus handsome, eligible athletes. Can't imagine why I wouldn't have enjoyed myself."
"It wasn't as much fun as you'd think."
"Hm." Her long fingers straightened and fluffed the bow of the hat balanced in one hand. The motion made the bangles on her wrist jingle together, the tinkling sound almost loud enough to hide her sigh. "And you're so sure Nathan had no idea who you were?"
"There's no way he could have known."
"You sure about that, cher?"
"Positive." I rolled my eyes and reached into the box for a hat. That's what Jacqui was paying me for, after all: to work in the small boutique, not stand around gossiping all day. Although we did do our fair share of gossip while working, especially when it was slow, like now. "Why can't I help thinking there's a point you're trying to make?"
"Not a specific point so much as pointing out how big a coincidence you two meeting is."
"It's not really a coincidence at all. He lives in the Quarter. It would make perfect sense for him to be out drinking on Bourbon Street. Thousands of other people do it every day."
"Yet he happens to run into you. How convenient."
"It was the other way around, if you remember. I ran into him. Quite literally."
"Hmm." Jacqui absently flicked a piece of lint from the hat, her gaze focused on something I couldn't see. "'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...'"
A small laugh escaped me at her reference to the old movie. "It wasn't a lone nightclub in Morocco—it was a crowded bar on Bourbon Street. And it certainly wasn't quite as sweeping or dramatic as that."
"Maybe not. But you have to admit the coincidence is a little curious."
"Not really, no." I curled my fingers around the brim of the hat and tilted my head to the side, studying Jacqui for a few seconds. "What are you really worried about? And don't say you're not because I can tell you are."