HH02 - A Reclusive Heart (22 page)

This was the first time he ever tried to be there for a woman and he didn't want to mess this up. Jamie needed him and

normally that thought would have scared him, but he had to admit that he rather liked being there for her. He didn't think he

would, but he liked being needed by her. Any other woman and he wouldn't bother.

"I suppose you're here because of the story," her father said instead of acknowledging his youngest daughter.

"Yes," Jamie said firmly. "As much as I would like to know why you leaked the story to the press instead of talking to me

about it I'm more interested in my mother."

He noticed the older woman didn't protest or get mad that she referred to another woman as her mother. Then again it was

more than obvious that Jamie was just a means to get attention at the moment. He didn't need to be a psychic to know that it had

been this woman's idea to leak the story. She probably felt the attention was owed to her for raising her husband's unwanted

bastard child.

"We really don't know much about her," Jamie's father said, taking a sip of his drink before he reached into his jacket and

pulled out an aged envelope and handed it over to Jamie. "She left when she was just a few months pregnant with you. Then

when you were four she left you on our doorstop with only a copy of your birth certificate."

"She didn't leave a reason why she left me?" Jamie asked, sounding hurt but trying not to show it.

"I'm afraid that's all we know," her father said, sighing heavily.

"Henry, you should tell her," Mrs. Harris said, earning a glare from the man.

"Tell me what?" Jamie asked, shifting in her seat anxiously.

"Barbara," Henry said tightly in warning.

"She has a right to know," Barbara said, carefully smoothing her hands down her blouse and skirt as she turned her

attention to Jamie. "I'm afraid when we searched for her we discovered that she'd passed away."

He felt Jamie's reaction like a physical blow. "Did she have any family?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

"No," her father said with a firm shake of his head. "I'm afraid that she was all alone in this world."

Like Jamie.

Like him.

No, he realized a moment later. That wasn't true. He had a great job and good friends that more than made up for what he

lacked in family and Jamie had him. At least for now. But he'd make sure that she was taken care of even after his feelings for

her faded. She was a great woman and deserved better than this.

"Is there anything else I should know?" Jamie asked, looking both hopeful and weary.

Her father didn't even hesitate when he said, "No," causing Nick's bullshit meter to go off the charts.

Chapter 20

"I love you," Jamie sighed heavily as she settled back against the hill of pillows she'd piled on her bed and hugged the

pint of double chocolate, caramel and fudge swirl ice cream to her chest.

This was exactly what she needed after the day she just had. Admittedly it had been a strange one. She woke up with a

sugar hangover, remembered she'd had sex, was pampered by Nick before he whisked her off to the airport and then probably

had the last visit with her parents that she would ever have. Now she was back in her own bed in her own apartment with a

week's supply of junk food and absolutely no intentions of working.

She picked up her can of Coke and just because she could, she took a long deep sip of bubbly sugary drink that she craved

day and night before setting it back down on her nightstand. After taking a big bite of her ice cream and wincing with a few

"owies" from brain freeze she focused her attention on the first chick flick she'd started and couldn't imagine life getting any

better.

It was good to be her, she decided, grabbing a handful of M&M's and munching them as she pondered her current

situation. She wouldn't have to worry about money for quite some time. Her books were selling like crazy. She had a great job,

plenty of junk food, and sole ownership of the remote control. The cherry on the icing of course was that she was no longer a

virgin. Life really did not get better than this, she thought warily as she downed another handful of peanut butter M&M's and

threw a look of longing towards her cell phone.

When it didn't chime to let her know that someone was trying to reach her, she shot a look at the clock. It was ten o'clock

at night and obviously Nick was taking their return as a pause in their tour, or rather technically an end to it. Right now he was

probably between the legs of some hot model, laughing about how bad she was in bed, she thought with disgust as she took

another huge bite of ice cream only to drop the spoon back into container to grab her poor head as she fought back against the

dreaded brain freeze.

"I leave you alone for a few hours and this is what you do?" Nick said from somewhere in the vicinity of her doorway, but

she was too busy squeezing her eyes shut to look.

"Brain freeze?" he asked, sounding amused.

Instead of answering him, because at the moment that was kind of impossible, she settled for nodding. When she felt him

remove the carton of ice cream from her lap she contemplated murder. The telltale sound of her M&M's being removed had her

opening one eye to glare at the man.

Of course he just ignored her as he quietly worked on removing her junk food away from her. Her eyes shot to the large

paper brown bag on her nightstand that was giving off the most delicious scents and decided to forgive him for daring to go

near her junk food.

"What are you doing here?" she asked once her brain freeze vanished.

"Making it easier on you," he said, as he unloaded white Chinese food containers.

"Making it easier for me to do what?" she asked, frowning.

"To make me breakfast in bed of course," he said with a wink as he shoved a carton of chicken lo mein in her hand.

"Well, then I'm afraid you're in for a huge disappointment because I can't cook," she told him casually as she fought

against a pleased smile. She couldn't believe that he was here never mind planning on staying the night. It was easily the

sweetest thing anyone had done for her.

Wow, that thought was kind of depressing so she shoved it aside and focused on the man ejecting her DVD. "Hey! What

are you doing? I was watching that!"

"I brought dinner that means I get to pick the movie," he said, shrugging as he kicked off his shoes, grabbed a carton of

food and joined her on the bed.

"Then I should still get to pick the movie since I was eating dinner when you got here," she pointed out innocently, loving

the little glare he sent her way.

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just call that insane pile of junk food dinner," he said, settling in closer as the movie

started.

"Oh, but I did and I was planning on devouring a box of Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert," she said, laughing when his

scowl returned.

"Okay," he said, sighing heavily as he moved a few inches away from her, "we're no longer speaking."

"You're such a baby," she said, rolling her eyes as she reached over and stole a forkful of honey chicken from his carton.

With a long suffering sigh he held his carton out to her as she moved closer to him. When she was less than an inch away

from him he threw his arm over her shoulders and brought her closer. For the next half hour they sat like that sharing their food

and watching a really horrible action comedy, but Nick seemed to enjoy it and she enjoyed being with him so she was content

to sit back and watch the movie.

When they were both done she collected the rest of the cartons and brought them out to the kitchen. By the time she came

back Nick was wearing only his underwear as he lounged back on her bed. The sight of his half-naked well muscled body did a

lot to ease the tension left over from her day. It took her only a second to decide to join him. Biting back a smile she walked

over to her bureau and pulled open the drawer she decided to use for her lingerie. When she went to reach for the baby blue

number Nick suggested she buy, her hand brushed against the envelope her father had given her.

She hadn't bothered to open it. There was no point. Her mother was dead and the mother she thought she had didn't want

her and neither did her father. At least this explained why they never seemed to want her around, because they hadn't. She was

a constant reminder of what her father did and on some level she actually felt bad for her mother. It must have been painful for

her to see the physical reminder that her husband had betrayed her every day. She wasn't sure she could handle something like

that, but she knew she would never take it out on the child.

"Have you looked at this?" Nick asked, placing a hand on her hip as he reached around her and slowly took the envelope

from her.

"No," she said, forcing a smile as she shook her head. She hadn't seen the point of torturing herself with something that

would never be. Maybe a few years from now when this whole thing didn't make her feel like crying she would open it and

find out her mother's real name, but for right now it was too much for her to handle.

"Do you mind if I take a look at it?"

"What for?" she asked, turning to face him.

"I might be able to hunt down a picture or a lost relative," he suggested.

"Oh." She hadn't thought about that, but it would be nice to know what her mother looked like since her father hadn't

exactly been forthcoming with the details. After they'd announced that her birth mother was dead they'd practically shoved her

and Nick out, but of course her mother and sister made sure to give them a tearful goodbye from the front door and wish her

luck on her tour.

"I'll take care of it tomorrow at the office," he said as he placed the envelope on top of her bureau. "I did tell you that

we're expected at the office tomorrow to go over the tour so far, didn't I?"

"No," she said, smiling when he winced. "But that's fine."

He leaned in and gave her a quick, too quick, kiss. "About the office......"

"I know that I have to keep my dirty little hands off of you," she said, sighing heavily. "I'll try, but it will be difficult," she

teased.

"You have no idea," he said roughly as he leaned down and took her mouth in a passionate kiss.

It wasn't long before he was tearing her clothes off and she was sliding her hand beneath the waistband of his boxers and

stroking him. When she was left in nothing but her panties he grabbed them and ripped them clear from her body, startling her

and sending her arousal into overdrive. It was as if he'd thrown gas on the fire and she couldn't get enough of him.

Somehow she found herself sitting on the edge of her bureau with her legs spread and his tongue sliding inside of her as

she buried her fingers in his hair. Eventually she was forced to grab the back of the bureau as he took her roughly with his

mouth. When his fingers joined his tongue she couldn't hold back. Within seconds she was screaming his name until her voice

was hoarse.

Before the last ounce of pleasure drained out of her body he was standing in front of her and slamming his way home as he

took her mouth in a hungry kiss that had her panting and screaming for more in seconds. She wrapped her legs around his waist

and her arms around his neck, desperate to be closer to him. When he stumbled away from the bureau she let out a surprised

little squeal that had him chuckling even as he slowly ground himself inside of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, licking her lips hungrily as he moved his mouth down to her neck and suckled in that

naughty little way of his that drove her crazy.

"I'm making love to you, baby," he said huskily against her skin seconds before they were falling.

She landed with a startled gasp on her back across the bed with Nick still firmly in place. He buried his face against her

neck as his right hand came up and cupped her breast as he rolled his hips slowly against hers. She loved the way he touched

her, looked at her and made her feel, but most importantly she realized as he shifted until he was on his elbows looking down

at her that she just plain loved him.

As he stared into her eyes she had to fight the urge to cry at the tender expression on his face. She reached up and cupped

his face and drew him down for a kiss. He would never know how much she loved him, she thought sadly.

"Jamie, oh god,
Jamie
," he groaned against her lips as she fought against the urge to tell him how much she loved him. It

was a difficult battle, but somehow she won. As much as she would love to tell him how she felt she knew that he'd be running

for the door before the last word left her mouth so she would have to settle for whatever he could give her and hope like heck

that it didn't kill her when he finally walked away.

*******

He shook his head, fighting back a yawn as he watched her bite her lip as she slowly slid down his morning erection. A

loud groan escaped him as his hands shot out to grip her hips and gently guide her so that she didn't hurt herself. How in the hell

had he lived this long without morning sex? There really was no better way to wake up, he decided as his little recluse gripped

his forearms to steady herself as she moved back up his shaft.

Her eyes closed in pleasure as she licked her lips and he knew he'd have to make damn sure that he was around every