Coming Apart at the Seams (26 page)

Of all the places Nick had lived, he had liked Boston the most. The city's rich history had appealed to him, and he'd liked living close to water.

The weather had been okay for the most part, although the winters had definitely sucked. But he'd grown up in Upstate New York, so even Boston's frigid winters hadn't been enough to ruin things for him.

If not for Teagan, he probably would have been happy to stay in Boston. But she was in San Francisco, and he wanted to be with her. It sounded corny, but
she
was his home.

Because of the O'Brien family, he had visited Northern California too many times to count. He liked the Bay Area well enough, and San Francisco reminded him a little bit of Boston, and not just because of the water, either.

Like Boston, San Francisco had hundreds of neighborhoods, all of which had distinct personalities. He had spent hours online researching different neighborhoods, trying to decide where he should live. He wanted a house in a neighborhood that was good for families with young children.

He'd talked with Kate, and with her help, he had focused his search on four specific areas: Laurel Heights, where Quinn lived; Pacific Heights, which was adjacent to Laurel Heights;
Sea Cliff, which was a very expensive enclave with views of the ocean; and St. Francis Wood, where Teagan's parents lived.

San Francisco was one of the most expensive housing markets in the nation, but that wasn't a problem because he didn't have a budget. There were few homes that were out of his price range.

He'd been living in Riley O'Brien & Co.'s corporate penthouse since late December. Quinn had told him he could stay there until early March, which meant he only had four weeks until he had to either move into his own place or hole up in a hotel.

He had blocked off the entire weekend to house hunt, and he'd manipulated Teagan into coming along. He had dropped hints to both Quinn and Kate that Teagan had been too busy to help him find a new place, and that had done the trick.

Kate had recommended a realtor named Rayna Sullivan, a family friend. Rayna's husband, Sam, headed up Riley O'Brien & Co.'s real estate group, and the couple had known the O'Briens for decades.

Rayna had pulled together more than sixty listings for him to review. He had eliminated more than half of them right away, knowing instinctively Teagan wouldn't like them. He had a pretty good sense of her housing preferences, knowledge gleaned from her condo in Cambridge and her loft in downtown San Francisco.

They'd already visited six houses in Pacific Heights, and with each walk-through, the frown on Teagan's face had grown darker. He knew she wasn't happy to spend time with him, but he didn't think she had liked the houses much, either.

In some of his darkest moments, he wondered if it was ridiculous to choose a house based on the hope that he and Teagan would be together. But he couldn't give up on his dream of marrying her and having a family with her.

He wanted a beautiful, brainy wife and dark-haired, blue-eyed babies. He was surprised by how much he wanted them, especially since he had never expected to get married or have children.

His love for Teagan had changed him.
She
had changed him. He wanted more than an isolated, meaningless life, and he wanted to
be
more than a solitary, lonely man.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned to face
Rayna. With her silvery-blond bob and blue eyes, she reminded him a lot of Kate.

“What do you think of the house, Nick?” Rayna asked. “Do you like it?”

Located in Pacific Heights, the house was a huge, two-story Italianate-Victorian situated high on a steep hill. It had been built in the early 1900s, and Nick really liked the exterior and the views. It also had a guesthouse, a rarity for San Francisco.

But the interior was a lot less impressive. Although the house was spacious, it needed updating. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it meant Teagan and Letty could redo it to their specifications. He would be happy with whatever they picked out.

“You'd probably have to gut the kitchen and the bathrooms,” Rayna said. “But the sellers
are
motivated. They'd be willing to do a quick close.”

Given his short time frame, he'd hoped he could find a move-in-ready home. He wasn't sure he wanted to take on a renovation, but if he decided to do it, Letty could definitely handle it.

“Are you ready to see the next one on our list?”

He nodded, and Rayna called out for Teagan. Seconds later, the love of his life appeared in the doorway, a scowl on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest, drawing his attention to her breasts.

She wore a soft pink sweater that made him think of cotton candy. It fell past her hips, and black leggings and black, low-heeled boots covered her legs.

The sweater had a large cowl neck, and he wondered if she'd chosen it specifically because it didn't show any skin. She had caught him eyeing her chest while they were in a meeting a few days ago, and since then, she'd worn tops that covered her from neck to navel.

Teagan didn't seem to realize he didn't need to see skin to get an erection. All it took was a whiff of her perfume or the sound of her laugh, and he was hard enough to pound nails. And when he actually got a glimpse of her skin, he lost his mind.

He still couldn't believe he'd stripped her out of her clothes and done her on the conference table. He might have fantasized about getting it on in her office, but he had never planned
to actually do it. And he had never been so out of control that he forgot to use a condom. Not even once.

He understood why Teagan had freaked out about it, and he'd done his best to reassure her. He had offered to go with her to the gynecologist to be tested even though he had told the truth about his celibacy.

He knew it was almost impossible to believe he had gone without sex for more than two years, but he only wanted Teagan. Plus, he knew she would never give him another chance if he fucked other women the whole time he worked to win her back.

He had finally convinced Teagan that he was disease-free because she had calmed down enough to tell him she was clean, too, and also on the pill. When she told him about the birth control, he was overwhelmed with disappointment instead of relief.

Since then, he had become obsessed with the thought of making her pregnant. Maybe it was some kind of primal instinct left over from prehistoric days, but he got a thrill when he imagined her all round and awkward with his baby. He didn't know if other men felt the same way, but he couldn't be the only one who got turned on by it.

Rayna shifted next to him, pulling his attention from thoughts of procreation. They headed toward Teagan, and when he reached her, he leaned down and stole a quick kiss from her glossy mouth. She punched him in the upper arm, and Rayna laughed, obviously assuming Teagan was being playful. She assumed wrong.

“I didn't know you two were a couple,” Rayna said, a big grin on her face.

“We're not,” Teagan replied sharply.

He glanced toward Rayna, whose eyebrows had shot up at Teagan's bitchy tone. He gave the older woman his most charming smile.

“Give us a minute?” he asked, aware that Teagan had stiffened next to him.

Rayna nodded and left the room. He waited until he heard the front door open and close before facing Teagan. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her to him.

He bent down until his nose almost touched hers. “Got a problem?”

She pushed against his chest, but the action didn't have
much of an impact, since he outweighed her by more than one hundred pounds. She huffed out a breath in annoyance, her eyes flashing with tiny blue sparks.

“Yes, I have a problem,” she snapped. “I don't want to be here. And you're wasting Rayna's time.”

He frowned. Why would she think he was wasting Rayna's time? He was a serious buyer.

“Explain.”

“You should be looking at the new condos downtown or smaller houses in Cow Hollow. They're more your style.”

“My style?”

“The houses we've looked at aren't right for you. They're for families.”

“And?”

“You don't have a family.”

“Not yet.”

“What?” she asked, clearly perplexed by his answer.

“I don't have a family
yet
.”

Her mouth fell open, and he chuckled at the astonished look on her face. He wondered what she would say if he told her he wanted to have a family with her.

*   *   *

A few years ago, Teagan's mom had told her that men proved the evolutionary theory of domestication. Just as gray wolves had been domesticated by humans to create the modern dog, men had been domesticated by women to create the modern husband and father.

At the time, Teagan had found her mom's attitude both hilarious and sexist. But now she wondered if her mom had been right.

Nick had said he “didn't have a family yet,” which implied that he would, in fact, have a family one day. Had he been domesticated like the gray wolf? And if so, how had it happened? She was sure there were plenty of female anthropologists who would love to study Nick's evolution, and by evolution, she really meant butt.

“When we lived in Boston, I asked if you wanted to get married and have kids, and the look on your face resembled Edvard Munch's painting
The Scream
.”

Nick laughed, tightening his hard arm around her waist.
They were so close his belt buckle dug into her stomach, and she had to force herself not to lean against him.

“Good description.”

“Now you're telling me you want a family?”

She waited for him to answer her question, and when he didn't, she poked his chest with her forefinger. The rest of her fingers must have wanted in on the action, too, because they flattened against his black sweater before roaming over his well-formed pecs.

“Yes.”

Nick pressed his hand over hers, holding it against his chest and lightly caressing her fingers. He stared into her eyes, and even though she didn't understand what she saw in his gaze, it made her break out in goose bumps.

“I'm surprised,” she admitted.

When she'd been pregnant with his baby, she had dreamed about marrying him and raising their child together. Her expectations had been more realistic. She had believed he would avoid her and be an uninvolved, absent father.

“Me, too,” he replied emphatically.

She couldn't help but laugh at his response. It was so genuine—so Nick.

“You've never even had a long-term romantic relationship,” she said, “that I know of.”

“Yes, I have.”

That was news to her. She couldn't recall any girlfriends, not even when he was in college. Maybe he'd had a high school sweetheart back in Syracuse.

“You have? With whom?”

“You.”

His answer was so unexpected, so shocking, she was rendered speechless. Her astonishment must have been obvious on her face because he laughed softly. After a moment, her mouth cooperated with her brain.

“We did
not
have a long-term romantic relationship.”

He cocked his head, his lips turned up in a small smile. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! We were . . .”

His smile grew, and a wicked glint entered his eyes. She swallowed, trying to ease the dryness in her throat.

“Friends,” he said, drawing out the word. “Is that the noun you're looking for?” He brought her closer, and she found herself staring at his lips. “I prefer
lovers.
”

Before she could reply, he dropped his head and slanted his mouth over hers. He pushed his tongue past her lips, licking deeply, and she sank into his kiss, savoring the pressure of his lips, the slide of his tongue.

Clenching her hand in his sweater, she pulled him closer and wrapped her other hand around his neck. He tasted like the hazelnut coffee he'd sipped in the car, and she twirled her tongue around his before sucking it into her mouth.

He groaned against her lips as he dropped his arm from her waist to scoop it under her butt. He pulled her up until the hard ridge of his erection pressed between her thighs, and she twined her leg around his to bring him even closer.

Without warning, he jerked away from her and spun her around in front of him. Less than a second later, Rayna peeked her head around the corner. The older woman gave them an appraising glance, her lips pressed together, and Teagan knew it was obvious what she and Nick had been doing.

“I'll just wait in the car,” Rayna said, winking at Teagan before
click-clacking
back down the hall.

Teagan pressed her fingers against her lips, shocked by how quickly things had spiraled out of control. If Rayna had come in two minutes later, the older woman would have been treated to the sight of Nick's bare butt and Teagan's legs wrapped around his waist.

The incendiary kiss was more proof that she couldn't trust herself to be alone with Nick. That was why she had tried to get out of house hunting with him.