Long Slow Burn (16 page)

He emptied his glass, reached for hers and put them both on her night table, crawled back into her bed, put his arm around her and pulled her against him.

Uh-oh.

“Now. Kim.”

“Mmm?” She tensed, wary of whatever he was about to say.

“We are going to solve all your problems.”

She lifted her head. “What, now?”

He pushed the bangs from her eyes. “You know a better time?”

“Uh…” Actually, no. This was fine. Second to him leaving, but fine. As long as they were just talking. “I guess not.”

“So. What do you want most?”

She snorted. “That's easy. A way to win the Carter bid and save Charlotte's Web.”

“Okay. Easy.” He trailed his fingers down her bare arm. “I'll give you that.”

“Yeah?” She smiled into his beautiful eyes.
Don't get used to this, Kim.
“Gee, that would be super swell, thanks.”

“I'm serious.” He squeezed her hand. “Let's figure out how you can win it. Tell me what you've got for Carter.”

She rolled away to lie on her back, staring at the ceiling. “You've seen the website I designed. Which I love.”

“Same here. You think it's missing something. Tell me what.”

“Something. Some extra special…thing.”

“Okay. Let's take this apart. What do customers want?”

“China and crystal.”

“Why?”

“So their tables will look nice. So they can have fancy beautiful parties. So people will be impressed by them. So they can be like Mom and Dad.”

“Why should they pick Carter?”

She counted off on her fingers. “Best quality. Good name.
Beautiful products. Cutting edge. Impressive pedigree. Will make their tables look fantastic.”

“How can you let them know all that?”

She moved restlessly. “Carter reputation takes care of most of it. A great view of the products on the website will help, too.”

“Yeah, you've done that with your design. But that still doesn't show how it will make their own tables look. For example, I use software that shows a model of the exact building the client wants so he or she can see it.”

Her brain turned that concept over for one…two…
bingo.
She sat up abruptly, twisted to look at him. That was it. Exactly. “
Yes.
Yes, I can. I can do that. Nathan, I love you.”

His face brightened comically. “Really?”

“I'm serious. That's
it,
Nathan.” She pounded her fist on the bed. “That's totally
it.
I can create a program where people can upload pictures of their tables or entire dining rooms or kitchens or whatever, and they can try out the place settings online, right there, to check colors and sizes. The coding would be complicated, but it wouldn't be anything I'd have to work out for the bid. I could just put in a quick paragraph mentioning it. I can do it right now, in half an hour, tops. Get the whole thing in the mail tomorrow by the deadline. Oh, my God!”

She was standing next to the bed; she had no idea how she got there. “You are brilliant.”

“Not me. You thought of it.” He was grinning, laughing, looking as happy as she felt. “Congratulations, Kim. You'll win for sure.”

“It's perfect. It's fabulous. It's—
oh!
”

She was back in bed, lying on top of him, but she knew how she'd gotten there. He'd lunged over, snagged her around the waist and brought her back horizontal with him. The kiss he gave her was long and sweet, with promise of more passion. By the time he released her, she was breathless from a different kind of excitement. “We've finished working, Kim.
Your problems are all solved. Charlotte's Web is saved. Now we celebrate.”

“No, no.” She tried to wiggle free. “I'm on fire for this idea now. I want to go right away and make changes to—”

Another kiss, during which he rolled them with slow, powerful grace, and then she was on her back and he was on top, and her arms went around his neck because there was nowhere else they could go while she was being kissed like that.

“I want you on fire for me.” He was hard again; she parted her legs to let him settle between. The hot bulge of his erection pressing against her made her desire start climbing again, and with it her fear. She'd survived round one. Barely. But having him make love to her face-to-face…

“Come on, Nathan. We did this already.” Her voice nearly gave way.

“Not
this.
”

“We shouldn't get too involved. You're my roommate. You're my brother's friend. You're—”

“We're already involved.” He grinned sweetly. “Deal with it.”

“Involved how? Sex whenever you want it and nothing else?”

His grin faded. “Not nothing else.”

“What else? Exactly?”

“Kim.” He made a sound of frustration. “Nowhere in the
Man's Guide
does it give instructions for discussing the existence of any ‘something else' that might go with sex. I love being around you. You are very sexy to me. That's not going to change tomorrow.”

How about the next day?
She didn't bother. It wasn't fair to press him for feelings when he was so badly equipped to express them. “You are such a guy.”

“I am.” He kissed her. “And you are
such
a hot woman.”

“Nath—mmm.” He'd begun a rhythmic push that made his erection strain to be inside her, stopped only by the
stretching barrier of her panties. “If we're going to do this, we need a condom.”

“Oh, Kim.” His lips left a line of passionate kisses on her throat. “Could you maybe break the mood a little more?”

Kim burst into giggles. “Just being sane while I can be.”

“You're right.” He dragged himself off her, disappeared, presumably into his room where he probably used an entire dresser drawer for his stash.

She sat up, needing this time to regroup. What had Marie said?
You will always know when you're working against your instinct because it will feel wrong. You'll be anxious and upset instead of nervous and excited.

How did she feel?

Kim took a deep breath. Nervous, yes. Excited, yes. None of this should feel as fun and good and right as it did, but if Marie knew what she was talking about, this was truly what Kim wanted.

Nathan barged into the room, showered the mattress with the contents of an entire box of condoms, and sat next to her, grinning wickedly. “Happy now?”

She laughed, likely harder than the situation warranted, but yes. She was. Nervously. “I'm very happy, thank you.”

“Good.” He got that adorably evil glint in his eyes. “Can we do it now?”

Kim gave him a shove that toppled him over, though she suspected if he didn't want to fall it would have been like shoving the side of a cliff.

He bounced back up, then pulled her down with him, and for a long time there was just kissing, long, passionate kisses alternating with gentle brief bites, now sweet, lip tasting lip, now hot with tangling tongues. His hands were still, his body relaxed on the mattress, but his mouth never stopped moving.

Right away, a test of her strength and decision to go forward. Kissing Nathan like this was so intimate, and so romantic. She kept being jerked out of nice safe arousal by
sweet pangs in her chest, by warm thoughts in her brain, thoughts of wanting to be treated like this, cherished like this, revered like this forever. But Nathan had only promised her tomorrow. She wasn't fool enough to believe he could change overnight. She needed to stay solid, remind herself that her kid brother's crazy friend happened to have grown up hot enough to set forest fires with his body, and leave it at that.

Finally, when she didn't think she could stand another kiss without falling crazy in love with him, he moved from her mouth and used his very talented lips and tongue to pay homage to her breasts. Much safer. That she could enjoy with her nerve endings and ignore with her heart.

She moaned, encircled his head with her arm, kissing his soft, shampoo-scented hair. His hand snaked down between her legs. He found her plenty ready, but that didn't stop him from stroking her, making love to her with his fingers until she was shaking with impatience. Her fingers scrabbled around on the mattress until she found a condom, which she very unsubtly shoved at him.

Nathan didn't need persuading, but put on the condom while she stripped off her damp panties. He moved over her; she spread wide, waiting for the first delicious thrust, the first joining. It had been a long time.

Nothing happened.

She saw him looking down at her with an expression of such tenderness that she gave a tiny gasp.

“Kim.”

Danger. Whatever he was going to say, she did not want to hear it. She reached between his legs, took hold of his penis and guided it toward her.

“Look at me.” Even in his soft whisper, the command was unmistakable.

She obeyed, and regretted it when that tenderness was still there, when it took on new depth as he pushed inside her.

“Nathan.” His name was a protest, a plea, a surrender. She didn't know what she wanted or what she was trying to
say. Only that this man was reaching a place inside her that hadn't been reached in a long time, and she wasn't talking about the sex.

He gathered her in his arms, started to move, and helplessly she wrapped hers around him and joined his rhythm.

Then there was nothing in her world but Nathan, nothing but the slow slide of him inside her, stretching her, filling her, creating friction that would end up tearing her apart. Already she was building, reaching toward her climax, even at this slow, steady pace.

His body was so clean, so smooth, so male. How would she ever look at him now and think of anything but this? She was nearly lost, probably had been for a while. Marie had seen it. Dale had sensed it.

Nathan murmured something she didn't catch. She turned, and found his mouth again, and if kissing had been romantic before, it was twice so now with their bodies joined like this.

Oh, Nathan.

No, no, no.
Falling for him would be like falling for fog—now you see it, now you don't. It might show up for a few days, then disappear again, misty and indistinct, impossible to hold or keep. Saying he was changing wasn't the same as changing. He'd only promised tomorrow…

She moved her hands down his strong back, the smooth line of his buttocks, felt the powerful muscles clench and release, shooting her desire higher. She trailed a finger down the cleft between, as far as she could reach, then back, then in again.

His rhythm quickened; his breathing in her ear became irregular and hoarse. She pulled her knees up, shifted so she could reach a little farther, press more deeply.

He ground his pelvis against her, increasing the friction; a light sweat broke on her body, her orgasm signaling its approach, and her breath came in bursts. She moved her hips more vigorously, inviting him even deeper. Her climax started, hesitantly at first, then increasing to a roaring
wave that went on and on. She forgot where she was, lost all sense of herself, hearing herself gasp out little cries, aware of Nathan's body tensing, his thrusts becoming more forceful, increasing her pleasure impossibly more as he pulsed inside her.

Slowly, regretfully, she returned to reality, stunned and breathless. Nothing in her experience had ever been like that. She'd orgasmed not just with her vaginal muscles but with her whole body, with her brain and her heart and her soul.

Nathan.

He lifted his head, and she was looking at the same shell-shocked expression she knew she was wearing.

Keep it light.

“Wow.” She smiled, skimmed her hands over his back. “I can see why you don't have trouble getting women in bed with you.”

His mouth stretched into a strained grin. “Yeah?”

“I imagine it's harder getting them out.”

“Well.” He touched his nose to hers. “I don't want
you
to get out.”

She laughed. “It's my bed. Why should I?”

“Right. Right.” He shook his head, as if to collect himself. “You are incredible, Kim.”

“Thank you.” She smiled as if he'd told her she made good omelets, and moved, grimacing slightly as if he were crushing her, which he wasn't. The truth was, his body smelled good and he felt good, and she wanted to snuggle next to him and sleep there all night.

But if she did that she'd be fully in love with him by morning. She needed to get away from this spell he'd cast over her, needed space to think through what she wanted. This night had blindsided her. How much had he really changed? What would she be risking by showing him more of her heart, knowing how hard it was for him to show his? Only time would tell how he felt about her. And if he stayed in her bed much longer, she'd do something she might always regret. Like tell him she loved him. Like suggest he move
in permanently. Freak him out entirely with typical female demands for commitment when he was just taking baby steps toward getting his life together and growing up.

He kissed her forehead, pulled out of her and grabbed some tissues to dispose of the condom, got up to throw them out. Then, hands on his hips, he stood next to the bed, looking down at her, strong, proud, naked and totally unself-conscious. While she, in contrast, had pulled up the sheet to cover herself, an absurd gesture given that they'd spent the past hours sharing every inch of each other's bodies. But she felt emotionally naked.

“You want me to go back to my room.” It wasn't a question.

She smiled cheerfully, her heart sore and fragile. “We'll both sleep better. But, Nathan, really, you gave me such an awesome night tonight. Hope for the Carter bid and two orgasms that nearly took my head off. You're wonderful. Thank you. I was in bad shape and now I feel really great.”