Backwoods (23 page)

“Lydia went to the bathroom. Brooke’s with her.”

He nodded, catching Leo’s gaze.

“It was nice of you to stand up for him,” Abby said.

His chest swelled with emotion. He owed a lot to Abby. It felt good to be on Leo’s side instead of fighting against him. “I learned from the best.”

She laughed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. The scrape on her cheek was disguised with makeup, but still noticeable to him. He glanced down at her feet. She was wearing those sexy leather sandals again. It was ironic that she’d ended up with the same injury Lydia had claimed to have.

“How’s your ankle?” he asked.

“It’s fine,” she said, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. “Just bruised.”

Nathan realized she was embarrassed. Maybe she regretted what they’d done in the hot springs. He might have been a little too eager, at first. He’d had to force himself to slow down and stop pawing her like an animal. “Did you get some rest?”

“I slept all day.”

“Me, too.”

When a flush blossomed across her chest, he wanted to peel off her dress and devour her. Every inch of skin. Under bright lights. In the hotel bed, in the shower, against the door. Out on the front lawn.

“Come to my room,” he said, lowering his voice.

She nibbled her lip. “I should stay with Brooke.”

He tore his gaze away from her, taking a deep breath. He was thinking with his dick. “Right,” he said. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I like it.”

She liked it. Christ.

Her sister was watching them from across the room, so he tried to blank his expression. Ella gave Abby a thumbs-up, as if approving him as a suitor. Nathan laughed, rubbing a hand over his mouth.

“She’s worse than Brooke about matchmaking,” Abby said.

“She wants you to be happy.”

“She wants me to get laid.”

“I’m here to help.”

“You’re a saint,” she said, smiling.

The waiter dropped off the check. Nathan wanted to take care of the expense, but Paul beat him to the punch.

“It’s on me,” Paul said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yep.”

Nathan didn’t argue with him. He made a mental note to send them a nice wedding gift. After Lydia and Brooke came back to the table, they called it a night. Nathan returned to his room with Leo.

Nathan started watching a baseball game, but he was too distracted to pay attention. His thoughts were on Abby.

Leo’s phone rang a few minutes later. He took the call, his gaze sliding to Nathan. “Okay. I’ll be right there.” Tucking the phone into his pocket, he rose to check his hair in the mirror, causing more disarray with his fingertips.

“Where are you going?” Nathan asked.

“To hang out with Brooke.”

“In her room?”

“Yeah. Don’t wait up.”

Nathan wondered if that meant Abby would come to him. He turned off the TV and rose from the bed, his pulse jumping. Even though he’d invited her, he wasn’t prepared for her visit. He cleared his throat, uncertain if he should ask his son for help.

“What?” Leo asked.

“Do you have any condoms?”

Leo smirked at the question. He rifled through his backpack and found a couple of square packages, tossing them to Nathan. They were the ultra-thin kind, regular size. Nathan checked the expiration date and thanked him.

“I’m glad you’re being responsible,” Leo said.

“Same to you,” Nathan said, helping Leo with the door. Nathan considered cautioning Leo about taking advantage of Brooke’s fragile emotional state, but decided against it. They were both adults.

Leo made his way down the hall, using only one of his crutches. After he left, Nathan tidied up the room, his blood rushing with anticipation. He’d just finished straightening the comforter when someone knocked.

He opened the door to greet...Lydia.

“Can I come in?” she asked, her voice breaking.

After a short hesitation, Nathan stepped aside to let her pass through. He didn’t really want her in his room, but it was hard to deny a crying woman. She was the mother of his child, and they’d been married for thirteen years. He’d always care about her. When her shoulders trembled with emotion, he put his arm around her.

“That was really sweet, what you did for Leo,” she said, sniffling. She looked up at him. “What you did for me.”

Warning bells sounded in Nathan’s head. Her blouse was unbuttoned to the lacy border of her bra, revealing the upper curves of her breasts. She’d sought him out for comfort...and maybe something more.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, catching the direction of his gaze.

Nathan didn’t know how to react. He’d imagined this moment many times. Even after his stint in rehab, he’d tortured himself with fantasies of winning her back. He’d dreamed about cuckolding Ray.

Now he had the chance—and it was all wrong.

His feelings for Lydia were complicated. When things had been good between them, they’d been really good. If Abby wasn’t in the picture, he might have taken Lydia straight to bed. But he wouldn’t have fooled himself into believing they were getting back together. They couldn’t erase the past. Her betrayal had devastated him.

Nathan released her carefully. “Ray’s still in love with you.”

“Is that what he said?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes filled with tears again. She sat down on the bed. “I made a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know how much I wanted another child.”

He nodded, remembering how hard she’d taken the miscarriage. She’d been trying to get pregnant for years.

“I’ve been looking into adopting a little girl from Brazil. Ray doesn’t want to be a parent again because he knows he’s bad at it. I told him I’d forget about it, but I started the proceedings anyway. When he found out, he turned to another woman.”

“That’s why he cheated? Because he was mad at you?”

“It’s a stupid reason. He’s awful.”

Nathan sat down beside her, passing her a tissue.

She crushed the tissue in her fist. “Maybe you can help me get over it.”

“I’m here for you, but—”

“I miss you,” she said, pressing her lips to his. Her palm slid up his thigh. “I miss
this
.”

He removed her hand. “No. I can’t.”

She gaped at him in disbelief. Then she began to cry in earnest. Real, ugly tears that marred her makeup. “You’re screwing Abby, aren’t you?”

Nathan didn’t answer. It was none of her business who he was sleeping with. She was married to someone else. Even though he took responsibility for their failed relationship, he didn’t like the way things had ended. Lydia could have told him she wanted a divorce
before
she started seeing Ray.

“You’ve changed,” she said, blotting her eyes with the tissue.

She was right; he had. And her surprise over this confirmed the irreconcilable differences between them. Lydia relied on fate, putting her life in the hands of a higher power. Abby controlled her own destiny. She believed that people could change for the better. She’d helped Nathan change the way he interacted with Leo. Getting sober was only half the journey. Meeting Abby was the other half. She’d given him hope for the future. He wouldn’t throw that away for anything.

“Do you think Ray can change?” Lydia asked.

“I don’t know.”

She fell silent, lost in thought.

“Here,” he said, pulling the ring from his pocket. It was probably worth fifty grand. “Abby picked it up for you.”

She accepted it with reluctance. “What did you do with the one I gave back to you?”

“I threw it off the Coronado Bridge.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“That’s sad,” she said, tearing up again. Now she was crying for him. For them. For the life they’d shared.

Water under the bridge.

When she rose to her feet, he followed her to the door, opening it for her. “I’m sorry,” he said, kissing her forehead.

“I’m sorry, too.”

“Take care of yourself.”

“I always have,” she said.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

A
BBY
LEFT
B
ROOKE
and Leo alone in the hotel room.

Brooke claimed they were going to watch a
Teen Wolf
marathon. Abby didn’t care what they did, as long as they were safe. She was glad to give Brooke the space she needed. It meant she could sneak away to see Nathan.

Hurrying down the hall, Abby rapped on the door to Ella’s room.

Ella greeted her with an expectant look. “What’s up?”

“Brooke and Leo are hanging out in my room.”

“Oh,” Ella said, stepping aside. “Come on in. I’ll tell Paul to put on a shirt.”

Abby glanced through the doorway, waving at Paul. It would be a shame to make him cover up. “That’s okay. I’m going to Nathan’s room.”

Ella’s eyes widened with delight. “For sex?”

Abby laughed, not answering.

“Abby’s going to sleep with Nathan,” Ella told Paul.

“Great,” he said, scribbling in a notebook.

“I’m so proud of you,” Ella said.

Abby said good-night to Ella and continued on her way, giddy with anticipation. Nathan’s room was on the other end of the building. As she rounded the corner, she saw Lydia standing outside his door.

And her world came to a grinding halt.

Abby faltered, almost stumbling on her sore ankle. She hadn’t called first, so Nathan wasn’t expecting her. Was he expecting Lydia? While she watched, rooted to the spot, he opened the door and let her in.

Son of a bitch.

It felt like a slap in the face. Like the shock of cold water after a long fall. She’d drummed up the courage to climb the boulder and jump off. For this. For nothing but an icy impact and a soundless dunk.

She braced her hand on the wall, dizzy. Her pulse rate climbed. She flashed back to the moment she’d walked in on Ray and Lydia. Abby hadn’t even been aware that Ray was unhappy in their marriage. He’d always worked too much. The weeks before she’d caught the couple in his office hadn’t been unusual.

She’d had no idea.

It was almost criminal how naive she’d been. Her initial reaction to the sight of them was confusion, not anger. Lydia was topless, with her skirt raked up. Her full, natural breasts bounced with every thrust. Abby had interrupted her husband with his pants down and his penis inside another woman, but her first thought had been:
this is a strange consultation
. Lydia clearly didn’t need implants or liposuction.

When Abby imagined the same scene with Nathan standing in for Ray, her stomach churned with nausea. She closed her eyes and took steady breaths, praying she wouldn’t black out or throw up.

After a moment of visualizing gentle waves lapping at the beach, she relaxed a little. Logic kicked in. Nathan wasn’t Ray. He wasn’t a womanizer. He’d let Lydia inside his room. That didn’t mean they were having sex right now.

Abby couldn’t dismiss the possibility, however. She’d seen the way Lydia had reacted to Nathan’s defense of Leo. When Nathan had taken Ray aside to talk, she’d stared after them like a woman who realized she’d made a terrible mistake. Nathan considered their divorce his fault. He’d loved her “desperately.” Nathan was ten times the man Ray was. It was only natural for Lydia to want him back.

Trying to stay calm, Abby considered her next move. If Nathan and Lydia were going to work things out, she couldn’t interfere. They had a son together. She wouldn’t knock on the door to interrupt them. But she couldn’t just walk away, either. While she waited, she reminded herself that Nathan hadn’t made her any promises.

So why did she feel so devastated?

After about fifteen minutes, the door opened again. Nathan kissed Lydia on the forehead. Her makeup was mussed. Her blouse appeared to have been hastily buttoned. Anyone would assume they were having an affair.

Abby’s chest tightened with dismay. It was too late. She’d already taken the plunge. She was in love with him.

Instead of watching Lydia walk down the hall, he glanced at Abby. He frowned as if he could read her thoughts. The only thing worse than falling for a man she couldn’t have was facing him. She’d rather run away than see pity in his eyes. She left in a panic, fleeing the scene as fast as her bruised ankle could take her.

“Abby,” he called out, coming after her.

She didn’t know where to hide. If she returned to her room, he’d find her. Pulse racing, she went the opposite direction. There was an ice machine at the end of the hall. She crouched down behind it, praying he’d gone the other way.

Five seconds ticked by before he found her. He leaned his forearm against the top of the machine, seeming amused by her strange behavior.

Well, fuck
him
. Her personality quirks weren’t fodder for his entertainment any more than her feelings were his playthings. She jumped to her feet and shoved past him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“It’s not what you think,” he said.

The pool area was just ahead, surrounded by an iron fence. It was dark and empty at this late hour. She fumbled for her key card to open the gate. When she slipped inside and closed the gate behind her, she felt safer.

He gripped the iron bars, looking in. “I didn’t sleep with Lydia.”

“I saw you kiss her.”

“It wasn’t like that. She needed a shoulder to cry on.”

“That’s all she needed?”

After a short hesitation, he nodded.

“Don’t lie to me,” she said, reading the deception. He wasn’t smooth, like Ray. “Don’t ever lie to me.”

“She wanted to get back at Ray for cheating,” he admitted.

“By having sex with you?”

“I didn’t touch her.”

“Were you tempted?”

A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Yes.”

Bastard. “Why didn’t you do it?”

“Why do you think?”

“I have no idea.”

“Because I want
you
.”

“You’ve already had her.”

He squinted through the bars, seeming insulted by this statement. “Come on, Abby. That’s not why I said no.”

Abby brushed the tears from her cheeks. “Do you know how I felt when I saw your ex-wife go into your hotel room?”

“Tell me.”

“Like I was dying.”

His lips curved into a smile.

“Why is that funny?”

“It’s not,” he said, sobering.

“You think I’m crazy.”

“No.”

“You’re laughing at me!”

“I’m not laughing at you,” he said, his throat working with agitation. “I’m smiling because it feels good to know you care. I can’t believe how fucking lucky I am.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re brave and smart and hot as hell.”

“I’m not brave,” she whispered. “I’m afraid of everything.”

“You might be afraid, but it doesn’t stop you from taking risks or fighting back. Underneath that beauty is the heart of a lion.”

She flushed at the compliment, unable to look away.

“I love that you came to my room to be with me,” he continued, holding her gaze. “I love the way you speak your mind and put yourself out there. From the first moment we met, I thought there was something between us. Something special. Something real. But I didn’t know you felt the same way until now.”

She closed her eyes, overwhelmed with emotion. It was too much. She was too invested. “You’re scaring me.”

“I don’t want to scare you. I want to take you to bed.”

The reminder of physical pleasure settled her nerves. She could handle sex. It was the reason she’d sought him out.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the gate and joined him on the other side. He didn’t crowd her, but he didn’t give her a polite amount of space, either. She felt the tension in his muscles, the heat between them.

“No more pretty words,” she said in his ear. “Just fuck me.”

He didn’t smile at this command. Maybe he was done smiling for the night. She thought he might press her back against the metal gate and take her right there. He glanced around, as if to make sure they were still alone. Instead of ravaging her in the deserted pool area, he grasped her hand and guided her toward his room. That was probably for the best. She didn’t want to get interrupted again.

As they passed the ice machine, he pulled her into her hiding place and pinned her against the wall. His mouth descended on hers, hot and demanding. She returned the kiss with fervor, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He broke the contact, breathing hard.

She gasped as he sank to his knees before her. His hands slid up her dress, gliding along the outsides of her thighs. Anyone who happened by could see her. Depending on the angle, they could see him. When his fingertips found her lace panties, he tugged gently, stripping the fabric down her hips.

“What—what are you doing?” she asked, flattening her palms on the wall behind her.

His answer was to push up her skirt. He touched his tongue to her, kissing the closed lips of her sex.

Abby studied the empty hallway, her pulse racing. She didn’t think she could respond in such a high-pressure situation, but her body softened to his warm, wet licks. She moaned, widening her stance a little. He let go of her dress and took her panties all the way off, careful with her bruised ankle. Then he rose to his feet. His erection strained the fly of his jeans as he kissed her mouth again, sharing her taste.

“I thought you wanted me in your bed,” she murmured.

“I want you anywhere.”

“How about...behind a closed door?”

He tucked her panties into his pocket and took her straight to his room. As soon as they arrived, he pushed her back to the door. They kissed hungrily, hands groping, tongues entwined. He cupped her naked buttocks with a groan, grinding his erection against her cleft. She broke the kiss to help him get his shirt off. He pulled her dress over her head. While she fumbled with the clasp of her bra, he unbuttoned the fly of his jeans. Her breasts tumbled free. Moistening his lips, he reached into his pocket for a condom.

She realized he’d taken her request seriously. He was going to fuck her right here against the door.

It sounded hot, and she didn’t doubt she’d enjoy every second. But after his teasing licks by the ice machine, and the steamy encounter at the hot springs, she longed to explore his body. Falling to her knees, she snatched the condom from his palm and tossed it on the bed. Then she tugged his jeans down his hips and lowered the waistband of his boxers. His cock jutted forth, thick and rock-hard. She wanted it in her mouth.

Looking up at him, she stroked his heated flesh in her hand. He was bigger than average. She didn’t know how much of him she could swallow. Directing him toward her lips, she swirled her tongue around the tip, using her saliva to get him really wet. Then she stretched her mouth around him and sucked.

He didn’t try to gag her or guide her head, the way some men did, but he wasn’t shy about penetrating her mouth. Bracing his hands on the door, he watched her parted lips slide up and down on him. When she demonstrated the depth she was comfortable with, he thrust inside to that point, maybe a half inch beyond it. She moaned, digging her fingernails into his taut buttocks as he filled her mouth. The nubby carpet dug into her knees. She found herself taking him deeper, enjoying the minor discomfort and submissive pose.

“Fuck,” he said, pulling away from her.

“You don’t have to stop.”

“I want to be inside you.”

She wasn’t going to argue. The performance and sensations had turned her on. When she straightened, he took her in his arms again, urging her toward the bed. They fell across the mattress together, his erection sliding along the cleft of her sex.

“I thought of you this morning,” he said, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. “Your sweet mouth...”

“Please,” she murmured.

“I like this,” he said, moving his hand between her legs. She was wet and slippery. His blunt fingertip plunged in and out, making slick sounds. Writhing with arousal, she spread her thighs wider.

“Oh God,” she said.

“Are you ready?”

As if he didn’t know. He toyed with her stiff nipples, pinching and sucking them for so long she wanted to scream. Then he kissed his way down her body, pressing his lips to her quivering belly. He removed her sandals, very gently, before settling his mouth between her legs. Once there, he teased her with soft nibbles and light flicks of his tongue.

Desperate for release, she shoved him off her and crawled across the bed, searching for the condom. When she found it, she tore the package open and rolled the latex on him. Then she pushed him down on the mattress and climbed astride.

“Easy,” he said, gripping her hips to steady her. Even as wet as she was, she struggled to accommodate his thickness. She leaned forward to adjust the angle. He gritted his teeth as she enveloped him inch by inch.

“Ooh,” she said when he was all the way in. She closed her eyes, relishing the sensation. For several seconds, they stayed like that, connected and motionless. When she started to move, he helped lift her up and down. Back and forth. His shaft grew slick with her moisture and her breasts jiggled with each thrust.

“I can’t last much longer,” he groaned.

She braced her hands on his chest and covered his mouth with hers, biting his lower lip. “Touch me.”

When she straightened, he looked down at where their bodies were joined. He licked the pad of his thumb and placed it over her clit. Her breath hitched as he moved in slow circles. She arched her spine, lost in sensation. When the orgasm broke over her, she threw her head back and sobbed his name, bucking like a wild woman.

She was still shivering with ecstasy when he rolled on top of her. Wrapping his fists in her hair, he slammed his body into hers, pounding her against the mattress. Once, twice, three times. His last thrust penetrated to the hilt. He came with a hoarse shout, his shoulders quaking from the power of his release.

When it was over, she clung to his neck, in no hurry to push him away. His penis pulsed inside her. He was hot and sweaty, his chest hair rough against her breasts. His heart thumped in time with hers. Finally he withdrew from her and rose to dispose of the condom. Then he joined her in bed again, pulling her close.