Fair Catch (20 page)

If she hadn’t heard the explanation about the photo, she would have believed they were a couple, or at least interested in each other. Still, how could she not to compare herself to the beautiful woman? Ellie came up lacking in so many areas. Why would Nick want someone like her?

* * *

Nick drove around for nearly half an hour, trying to get his thoughts together. The picture had upset him, mainly because it reminded him of what his life was really like. Maybe if he had his wife by his side it would be different. But how many times had he seen the front page of a tabloid depicting a Hollywood couple looking unhappy with each other and then a caption about them fighting again and rumors of divorce?

The woman he imagined by his side was too innocent for that kind of bad press.

He groaned and dragged his hand through his hair. Still, he couldn’t see himself letting her go. What if Ellie was willing to weather the tabloids and gossip? Shouldn’t she at least be allowed to make that choice?

He remembered the tender look in her eyes whenever he caught her watching him. Those were looks from a woman who was attracted to him. It had to mean she and Thomas hadn’t worked anything out.

Nick loosened his tie as he turned onto his street. He had always been the type to go after what he wanted—and he wanted Ellie. One way or another he would find out where he stood, and if he even had a chance.

Once inside the house, he yanked off his tie and tossed it onto the couch. As he removed his suit coat, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Glancing at the screen, he concluded his neighbor must be back in town. “Hey, Betsy.”

“Hi. Are you running? You sound out of breath.”

Nick loved how Betsy never treated him like a celebrity. “As a matter of fact, I’m just running out the door.”

“Where are you going?”

Nick could hear Owen in the background reprimanding his wife for being so nosy. “I’m on my way to talk to Ellie.”

“Oh. I’ve been dying to know what’s going on between the two of you.”

Nick smiled. “That’s what I intend to find out. We haven’t really talked since you left.”

Betsy gasped, then told Owen to drive a little faster. “We should be home in about ten minutes. If you need time to talk to her, we can have Cade come over here.”

Nick tried not to laugh and thanked her for the offer. He purposely left his phone on the table in the entryway. No more phone calls until he talked to Ellie. He jogged across the street and bounded onto her porch. Raising his hand, he rapped his knuckles against the door.

Nick waited for a few seconds before pressing a finger to the doorbell. He wasn’t leaving until he talked to Ellie. A moment later she pulled open the door, her eyes wide with wonder. “Nick.”

“Hi.” He tucked his hands in his pockets. “I wanted to thank you for making my first time in the nursery so nice.”

She pressed her lips together, trying to hide a smile. “You’re welcome.”

He was about to apologize for leaving the church so abruptly when Cade came running down the hall. “Nick!”

Grinning, Nick crouched down to accept an exuberant hug. “Hey, little man.”

Cade pulled back and looked up at him. “Do you wanna see what I got in Disneyland?”

Nick chuckled as Cade tugged on his hand. “Sure.” He met Ellie’s eyes briefly, giving her a slow wink as he passed by her.

“Cool,” Nick said, as Cade showed him his Buzz Lightyear toy. “Did you have fun on your trip?”

Cade nodded his head. “Yeah, but I missed my mom.”

Handing the toy back, Nick’s gaze found Ellie’s once more. “I’ll bet you did.”

Nick had missed Ellie too, and figured she knew it by the smile that curved her lips. He listened to Cade tell him all about his trip to California, but found his eyes connecting with Ellie’s often. He couldn’t wait to get her alone.

* * *

Ellie might as well admit her heart was lost to Nick Coulter. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him and didn’t avert her gaze, even when he looked up and caught her staring. When Cade finished his narrative, Nick stood up and walked in her direction, his blue eyes intensely dark and focused on her.

A tremor ran through her as he stopped and reached out, winding his finger in one of her curls. “Can we go for a walk?” His voice came out low and husky. “I want to talk to you.”

She felt on fire when his hand slid down her arm and captured her hand. “Okay.” Her eyes flitted over to Cade. She wasn’t sure Cade would be cooperative about leaving his toys and going for a walk.

Nick gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Betsy just got home and said Cade could come over for a few minutes.”

Naturally, Cade was willing to do that. Betsy and Owen were the next best thing to his grandparents.

Nick kept a hold of her hand as they crossed the yard to the Stewarts’ house. A heightened awareness pulsed between the two of them as they stood on the sidewalk and watched Cade bounce inside the house. Ellie didn’t miss the glint in Betsy’s eyes as she waved to them. “Take your time.”

Neither of them spoke as they made their way toward the jogging trail. Nick’s thumb caressed the back of her hand, warming her as much as the sunlight penetrating through the trees. Ellie wanted to talk about so many things: The phone call before he left, Thomas’s deception and cruelty, and the picture that had upset Nick at church. She also wanted to know about his lunch date with Miss Colorado and what that all meant.

Before leaving the shelter of the trees, Nick glanced down at her. “I really missed you.”

“You did?” Despite being near him, she still had so many fears.

He pulled her to a stop and stared into her eyes. “I did. I’m sorry I didn’t call.”

“Yeah, but I’m the one who told you not to, remember?” She stepped back and turned away from him, embarrassed by how stupid she had been.

His warm hand clasped her shoulder as he moved behind her. She closed her eyes as the scent of his cologne enveloped her. Did he really have feelings for her?

“Ellie,” he said in a gentle voice. “I need to know. Are you and Thomas getting back together?”

What!
She whirled around. “No!” She stared at him in disbelief. “How could you think that?”

A satisfied grin crossed his handsome face. “Because I’m an idiot?” He lifted one broad shoulder in a shrug. “And I was jealous.”

His honesty astounded her. “Really?”

The blue of his eyes darkened as he reached out for her hand. “Yep.” He pulled her close to him. “I couldn’t stand the thought of him winning you back.”

Like that would ever happen. The thought made her shudder. “I don’t want Thomas.”

 His free hand slid underneath her hair, his fingers curving around the back of her neck. “Who
do
you want?”

Did she dare say it? “I think you already know that answer.”

“Yeah?”

Ellie couldn’t speak, so she simply nodded her head.

His eyes dipped briefly down to her mouth. “I want to kiss you. Is that okay?”

Why was he asking her? Now that he posed the question she felt a little afraid. “I…don’t know if I’m ready.”

Keeping one hand buried in her hair, Nick moved the other hand to her waist, drawing her closer. He lowered his head, his mouth hovered just above hers. The anticipation was killing her.

“I’m going to kiss you, Ellie.”

Her eyes fluttered closed as his warm mouth met hers in a slow, tender kiss. She felt her body leave the earth as she melted into him. For a first kiss, it was unbelievable. He knew what he was doing too, which was good—seeing that it had been a long time since a man had kissed her.

He pulled back slightly, and his eyes shone with desire. “See, I told you I missed you.” He didn’t give her a chance to reply, he was kissing her again. Just when she thought she was going to pass out, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.

She could feel her pulse pounding in her ears. “I think you did miss me,” she said breathlessly.

He chuckled and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her. “I sure did.”

* * *

Nick held Ellie for a moment longer, until his breath was even and his heart had simmered down. The light floral scent of her hair floated all around him, making his head spin. Reluctantly, Nick released his hold on her. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while.”

“Oh,” she said blushing. “It was, um…nice.”

“Nice?” he questioned, his male ego bruised. For him it was out of this world. It was something he had never experienced in his life.

She chewed on her bottom lip. “Okay, it was more than nice.” She looked at him shyly. “It actually was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

He gave her a smug smile. “That’s better.”

Taking her hand again, they walked slowly back for home. It took every ounce of his self-control not to kiss her again. So, instead, he talked about the dynamics of dating each other.

“I want to be able to take you on an actual date, but once we’re seen in public…well, the press can be a pain.” Nick wanted to be perfectly straight with her about what her life would be like if they dated. Her life would no longer be private.

“Is it really going to be a problem?” she questioned innocently.

In reality, it could get ugly. In general, people would rather read something scandalous than a love story with a happy ending. If they couldn’t find any dirt on her then they would make it up. He needed to protect her and Cade as much as possible.

“It can get pretty bad sometimes and they don’t care if it’s true or not, just as long as they get a story. I don’t want you or Cade to get hurt.”

“As long as we know the truth then I’m not worried,” Ellie assured him.

That’s what Nick had once believed, but the lies Roxanne had spun had almost destroyed him. He didn’t want to talk about Roxanne right now, but he needed Ellie to fully understand that the media didn’t care if what they reported was the truth.

“About three years ago, the woman I was dating accused me of being the father of the baby she was supposedly carrying.”

Ellie’s face blushed crimson and she dropped her eyes. He knew that she likely had not only read the stories, but that she had probably believed them.

“I remember reading something about that.” She lifted her head, offering him a sweet smile. “And a couple of weeks ago, I Googled your name and came across the story again.”

His mouth quirked up into a smile. “You Googled me?”

She laughed. “You’re very popular.”

He raised his hand and cupped her face. “We weren’t…I’d changed and wanted to wait until we were married to be together. She lied about everything.”

Ellie’s eyes reflected her belief in him. “I know you didn’t do what she accused you of.” She covered his hand with hers. “I’m not concerned about what others think.”

 She said that now…still, Nick was apprehensive. She was naïve when it came to what the media could actually do. As much as he wanted to publicly announce his feelings for her, she most likely would not be prepared for the outcome. “I think for now we should keep our relationship looking platonic. It will give us a chance to get to know each other without all the speculation from the press.”

Nick felt her stiffen and her eyes became wary. “You don’t want people to know we’re dating?”

How could he explain without hurting her? “Not for the reason you’re thinking.”

She drew back and started walking away. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

He didn’t, but he could guess. He caught up to her and gently tugged on her hand. “You think it’s because I’m some player and I don’t want commitment.”

Uncertainty flashed in her eyes before she looked down. He put his finger under her chin and raised her face to his. “I know how I feel about you, Ellie.” He took a deep breath and spoke each word carefully so there could be no misunderstanding. “I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but I’ve fallen in love with you.”

He heard her sharp intake of breath. In her eyes, he could still read the distrust. “I just want you to be sure about us before your face is splashed across the Internet. People can be very mean, and there will be a few that will try to hurt you.”

* * *

Ellie held his gaze and wondered if she dared to reveal how deeply in love she was with him already. She could barely admit it to herself, let alone him. Although she wanted to tell him the truth, she was still afraid. He had the ability to hurt her so much more than Thomas ever had.

Nick waited—patience, love and longing all reflected in the depth of his blue eyes. She couldn’t hold back her feelings. “I’m already sure how I feel. I…I love you too.”

She couldn’t believe she had just said that, but Nick was very pleased. His lips curved up, the hue of his eyes deepening as he took her face in his hands and gently touched his lips to her mouth.

He probably only meant the kiss to be short and sweet, but she had been in the Sahara Desert for too long and responded to his kiss like someone who hadn’t tasted water in an extended amount of time. She wound her arms around his neck, her hands sliding through his soft hair. He was like air to her and she couldn’t get enough.

The two of them continued the passionate exchange until they heard someone clear their throat. Reluctantly, they parted. Nick looked dazed, his breath ragged. Ellie suddenly became aware of what she had just done. They stood in the middle of the cul-de-sac, ardently kissing. In front of the preacher.

“Do I need to sleep on your doorstep tonight?” Owen teased.

She raised her hand, placing a palm to her hot cheek. Nick took her other hand and pulled her to his side. “No. I promise to be good.”

Ellie felt mortified. “I’m sorry, Pastor. It’s not his fault. I think I might have gotten a little carried away.”
A little?

“Uh, I was right there with you,” Nick argued.

“But—”

“We don’t need to figure out who did what,” Owen said with a wry grin. “I think it was apparent you
both
were—” He cleared his throat again. “—enjoying it.”

He made a good point so Ellie kept her mouth shut.

“However, as your pastor, I think it will be a good idea that from now on…” Owen scratched his head. “Well, you probably need to…” He seemed to be at a loss of words.