Behind Closed Doors (10 page)

“That is so uncool.”

“Tough.”

As their voices began to fade, Beth turned to Nathan. He was watching her. Not smiling, not even blinking. He just stared, and that flustered her.

“I hope you have a few minutes,” she said, her tone all business. “I need to pay you for the paint and supplies.”

Amusement flickered in his dark eyes. “Let’s go to my office.”

“Lead the way,” she said, and was confused when he started toward the house. She couldn’t say why she assumed he worked out of one of the auxiliary buildings. Or explain her sudden reluctance to follow him. A few days earlier she would’ve given anything for a peek inside.

Neither of them said a word until they arrived at the small courtyard. Beth noticed a pair of wooden benches that had been hidden from her view the other day. Carefully trimmed grass exposed embedded flagstones that led to the side of the house, and a small tree shaded the sitting area. The rose bushes were now dormant, but she could see the faded remnants of pink blooms.

At the front door, Nathan stopped to scrape his boots on the mat. “Kitty is here today,” he said. “She does the cleaning and cooking for me. I leave one speck of dirt on her floor, and she’ll find it.”

Beth smiled. “Keeps you in line, huh?”

“Hell, she’s worse than Woody. Between the two of them, I’m lucky I have any say around here.”

“Somehow I doubt that.” She took her turn at the mat, but Nathan had opened the door and waved her inside, and she realized mentioning Kitty had been a warning they wouldn’t be alone in the house.

“How about something to drink?” he asked, following her into the foyer. “There’s always a pot of coffee brewing and a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge....”

Beth was barely listening. The huge house with its open floor plan held a hint of Spanish influence in its arched doorways and clean white walls. Splashes of color came from the scattered rugs and contemporary artwork. “Wow, this place is amazing.” Her gaze bounced from the polished wood floor to the interesting mix of contemporary and antique furniture.

A beautiful cherry console table sat in the middle of the foyer. She lightly trailed her fingertips over the gleaming wood, imagining a large vase of fresh-cut flowers sitting dead center. She spotted a mark left by her fingers and yanked her shirt hem from her jeans to wipe the smudge.

“What are you doing?”

“I just had to touch. Jeez, I know better. Sorry.”

Nathan stopped her furious rubbing by taking her hand and drawing her away from the table. “It’s okay,” he said. “This isn’t a museum. You can touch.”

Her gaze met his, then lowered to his mouth, slid to his clean-shaven chin and finally settled on his chest. Oh, she wanted to touch, all right. “Anywhere?”

He let go of her, freeing his hand to slowly run up her arm. Something mysterious and promising gleamed in his eyes. Something that made her belly clench. “Anywhere,” he said, his voice rough and sexy.

Beth inhaled deeply, unsure how to respond. She knew what she’d like to do, just not what was acceptable.

“I thought I heard you come in.”

Beth yanked away and whirled around to see a short, slender woman hurrying from the back of the house. Her stocking feet padded silently on the wood floor, but luckily she wasn’t close enough to have heard or witnessed their brief tête-à-tête. She smoothed her pixie-cut salt-and-pepper hair and smiled.

“I’m Kitty,” she said. “You must be Beth.”

Nathan snorted a laugh. “How do you know who she is? You and Woody must be on speaking terms again.”

“Oh, hush.” Kitty waved dismissively, then paused, a glimmer of mischief entering her blue eyes. “I’d sooner converse with a mule. And you can tell him I said that,” she added with a decisive nod. When she turned to Beth, the smile was back on her face. “It’s so nice to have another woman around the place.”

Beth immediately tensed. “I’m only here on business,” she said, automatically glancing at Nathan, who seemed no more concerned than if they’d been discussing the weather.

Kitty bent over to pick up a small dead leaf someone had tracked inside. “Why don’t you two come with me to the kitchen for something cool to drink?”

“Not today,” Nathan said. “Beth and I have something we need to discuss. Maybe another time.”

“Will you be in your office?” Kitty asked with a trace of eagerness. “I can bring in some coffee or tea.”

“Beth?” Nathan touched her arm, the action drawing Kitty’s interest. “Would you like something?”

“No, thanks. I’d rather we settle up so I can get back to town.” She unconsciously patted her back jeans pocket, but her checkbook wasn’t there. Alarmed, she tried the other pocket. “I could’ve sworn—I must’ve left it in the truck.”

Kitty stared blankly at her.

Nathan’s gaze lingered on her backside, then swept up to her face. With a faint smile, he gestured to a short hall off the foyer. “My office is this way.”

She opened her mouth to explain she had to go look for her checkbook, but something in his darkened eyes made her doubt her ability to speak. This wasn’t good. It seemed Kitty already might have the wrong idea about them. They needed privacy to get whatever they had to off their chests.

His office was huge, almost the size of Candace’s rented house. A massive desk, dark wood, maybe mahogany, sat toward the back of the room and shelves of books made up two walls. All the furniture was very masculine, from the pair of brown leather club chairs to the oversize tweed sofa. He even had a stone fireplace. The French doors, though, that was surprising.

“Wow, you could live in here.” The polished wood floor made Beth pause, wondering if she should take off her boots. She’d hate to leave scuff marks.

Nathan came up behind her. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to mess up your floor.”

“You’re fine,” he said, touching the small of her back. Probably trying to get her to keep moving. But her legs stopped working, and she froze, certain he could hear her heart pound wildly at the feel of his warm breath on her neck. “Beth?”

“Woody seemed in good spirits. I assume he’s okay with our arrangement. Regarding Liberty...you know, for her to do the painting herself. I’m sure that means more work for him since he’ll want to keep tabs on her. Oh, I meant to ask, did you receive your lumber delivery?”

Her sudden rambling was met with silence. Then she felt his hands on her shoulders, and he gently turned her to face him. It took her several long moments before she forced herself to meet his dark unreadable eyes.

“Woody knows you’re invested in straightening her out, so he’s okay with the decision. I think he’ll end up being good for her since he won’t take any guff.” Nathan frowned. “Now, you mind telling me why you’re so nervous?”

“My checkbook,” she said, swallowing. “I really thought I had it on me. Could be in the truck but I might’ve lost it.”

“Is that the only thing bothering you?” He waited for her jerky nod, then removed his hands from her shoulders. “Look, if you’ve changed your mind about having dinner with me, I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

“Are you kidding?” She felt the heat rise in her face. Okay, so maybe she could’ve toned down her reaction.

“Good.” A slow smile curved his mouth. “I lied. I would’ve wailed like a baby. How about tonight?”

God, she loved the man’s confidence. “Sounds perfect.”

He slid his hand around to the small of her back and drew her closer. “You have anyplace in mind?”

“Depends,” she said, tilting her head back to look at him. “Are we really going to eat?”

Nathan looked momentarily startled, then his eyes darkened with pure male satisfaction. Tightening his arm around her, he pulled her against him. He was already getting hard, the rigid proof of how much he wanted her making her dizzy.

She slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders, then down to clutch his flexing biceps. For two restless nights she’d relived the feel of his hard muscles under her palms. Dreamed about how amazing he would look naked.

He brushed his lips over hers. It was a sweet kiss, not at all the one she’d expected, and then he caught her lower lip between his teeth. After the first gentle nibble, his tongue swept inside her mouth, circling and teasing, until she started to squirm from the excitement rippling through her.

The hand on her back lowered to the curve of her bottom. His other arm came around and he cupped her backside with both hands, lightly squeezing, molding her against him. His low growl made her shift and move her head in search of an angle that would allow them to breathe. Instead, he deepened the kiss.

She had no complaint. Not while she was wrapped in his strong arms, feeling weightless and a little woozy, without a care in the world.

Except she had plenty to worry about. Her niece, for instance, the main reason Beth had moved to Blackfoot Falls. And, oh, God, Liberty was just outside.... Beth stiffened and Nathan immediately slackened his hold.

He lifted his head, his lips damp and parted as he stared down at her. Neither of them spoke right away. Her heart was still pounding, and his seemed to be keeping pace. She relaxed her grip on the back of his neck and let her palms slide to his shoulders.

“Liberty,” she said finally. “She asked why we took so long the other night in your truck. I told her we had trouble coming to terms. She can’t know about this....”

“This?” As his gaze lowered from her face, his frown faded to pure lust.

She glanced down. He was staring at the stiff peaks straining against her blouse. Reverently he touched each breast, then brushed his thumbs over her hard nipples. She gasped, the contact achingly acute, even through the two layers of fabric.

His eyes briefly closed before he looked up. He didn’t bother hiding the slight tremor in his hands when he cradled her face. “I’m listening,” he murmured. “I am. I’m trying.”

“I know.” She had to smile. He sounded so sweet and earnest. “I want this, too. I want you—” she whispered, cut short by a kiss that defied sweet or earnest.

His mouth claimed hers, his tongue thrusting inside, hungry, impatient, demanding a response she eagerly gave. Yanking two snaps free, she slipped her hand inside his shirt before she realized what she was doing.

She dragged her mouth away from his, but he followed her retreat, trying to capture her lips again, forcing her backward until she gave him a light shove.

“Nathan, stop.” She let out a small laugh, and he frowned. “One more slipup and we each take a corner.”

The sound he made was more grunt than agreement, though at least he pulled back. And gave her a great view of the exposed wedge of muscled chest. She sighed, feeling as frustrated as he looked.

“You’ll have to...” She motioned with an unsteady hand. “You know...button up.”

He glanced down, unconcerned. “Why?”

“So I can concentrate,” she practically snapped at him, which seemed to improve his mood.

While he fastened his shirt, he moved to his desk and sat on the edge, then crossed his arms. He was still hard—of course he was. And, what, he didn’t think
that
would be a distraction?

“Let’s face it...I doubt either of us is looking for anything more than good conversation and sex,” she said, pleased to see his dark brows lift in surprise. “So there’s really no reason for anyone to know our business. Agreed?”

He hesitated, then nodded.

They’d already touched on this subject, so to speak, and she hadn’t intended to remind him quite like this, but then she hadn’t expected them to get carried away. “Any thoughts on how to stay under the radar?”

“Just past the junction to Kalispell there’s an old line shack. You can leave your truck parked behind it and I’ll pick you up. Does 7:00 work for you?”

“Um...sure.” If he’d intended to shock her with his well thought-out plan, he’d succeeded. Though he didn’t look particularly smug.

Just sexy.

And hot.

His eyes glittered with promise. And his erection? Still front and center.

8

T
HE REST OF
the afternoon sped by in a mad rush. Liberty had called to be picked up at 5:45 p.m., a duty Beth had delegated to Candace, who’d predictably complained. Not that Beth gave a damn. She’d needed time for some personal grooming she’d let slide. So she’d mentioned she was going to Kalispell and that was it.

Before they got back, Beth slipped on a short denim skirt, a stretchy top and a crazy-cute pair of red Jimmy Choo shoes with a ridiculously high heel, and was out the door.

At 6:55 p.m. she parked her truck behind the old shack, just as Nathan had instructed. She’d barely had time to check her hair and makeup when a pair of headlights swept the dark, scrubby landscape behind her.

She recognized Nathan’s truck, and within seconds he was right there, opening her door and offering her a hand. His hair was damp and combed back, his jaw clean shaven. Her silly heart did that little fluttering thing even before their palms met.

“You look great,” he said, running his gaze down her scoop-neck shirt, lingering a moment on the short hem of her denim skirt and then again on her shoes and matching red toenails.

Oddly, he didn’t seem pleased.

“But?”

He looked up. “Nothing,” he said, shrugging. “You look incredible. I’m not sure you’ll like where I’m taking you.”

“We’re not staying here, are we?” She glanced at the rundown shack and smiled.

Nathan bit off a laugh. “Let’s go.”

Beth let him help her to the truck even though she didn’t need it. The ground was uneven but not too soft, and she was good in heels. He brushed a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth before closing the passenger door. So stupid to have worn lip gloss. She might’ve gotten a better kiss. Though the night was still young.

As soon as they were on the road, she looked back to make sure her small pickup couldn’t be seen from the highway.

“That shack was put there before the highway came through,” Nathan said. “Nothing to worry about.” He leaned over and turned off the radio, although the light from the center console stayed on.

Country music had been playing in the background, low enough it had barely registered. But then, she was too busy eyeing the flexing of his thigh muscles when he engaged the clutch.