Love Lessons (7 page)

Holy hell!  Had Nate been jealous of her and Mason? 

Could he want her every bit as much as she wanted him, or were his hot kisses melting her brains cells and simply filling her with wishful thoughts?  

“Where are we going?” Grace asked, unable to settle her jitteriness when Nate came to her door to pick her up for their pretend Valentine date.

“To the rink,” he answered, looking past her shoulder and into her small living room.  “You told me you wanted to skate, remember?”

“Oh,” she said, surprised by this sudden turn of events as she twisted around to see what he was looking at.  They’d spent every night together, dancing at Grizzly’s, cooking meals together, watching movies, and meeting up with his buddies, Tyler Jackson and Jesse Parker, one an MMA fighter and the other a motocross racer who was here for spring break.  During the week, Nate seemed to be going out of his way to keep her from the resort, now he looked like he couldn’t wait to get her there.  She had no idea what he was really up to, but easygoing Nate seemed a little anxious tonight, too.  She turned back to him.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You seem nervous about something.”

He scrubbed his hand over his chin and gestured toward her closet.  “Everything is fine.  Grab your skates.”

She paused, and while she loved to skate, she couldn’t help but think she should stay home and work.  “Nate, my article is due tonight, and I don’t know what skating has to do with love.”

“You will.”  He looked down, his brow furrowing.  “At least, I hope you will,” he said more to himself than her.

She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but he seemed a little apprehensive, so she grabbed her skates instead.  Nate took them from her and tossed them over his shoulders. 

“It’s slippery out,” he explained.  “I don’t want you to fall and stab yourself.”  He winked and added, “That would put a crimp in tonight’s plans.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to do anything, you know, like bleed out, and ruin your night,” she said.  

Nate laughed, and his mood seemed to lighten a bit.  “Let’s go.”

They hopped into his truck, and he drove the short distance up the hill to Stone Cliff.  He parked in front of the main lodge, then circled the truck to meet her.  As they walked around the lodge, heading for the back courtyard to the man-made rink, he went eerily quiet, like he had something very serious on his mind. 

She was about to ask him again if he was okay, but he stopped walking just before they rounded the corner.  He grabbed her elbow and pulled her to him.  Their bodies collided, and her breath caught as he dipped his head, his lips so close to hers. 

“Gracie,” he said, his voice a bit hesitant, uncertain.

“Yeah.”

His gaze moved over her face.  “I was serious when I asked you to be my Valentine.”

Her heart did a little flip.  Really?  He was serious?  Nate wanted her to be his Valentine!  

“Okay,” she said, forcing that one word out as her throat tightened. 

He brushed his thumb over her cheek, the feather light caress causing a storm inside her.   “I wanted to give you everything you wanted, to make this night really special for you.” 

“Okay,” she said again, her mind racing wondering what he was talking about.

“I hope you like it,” he said, giving her a little nudge. 

She stared at him, confused.  “Like what?”

Instead of answering, he walked her to the corner.  She rounded it, and when she saw a huge ice sculpture in the shape of the Eiffel tower and lights all strung up around the rink, her heart squeezed inside her chest. 

“Nate…” she whispered as he stepped up beside her.   “Oh.  My.  God.”

“Someday, we’ll make it to Paris, Gracie,” he said softly.  “Since it couldn’t be this week, I thought I’d bring Paris to you.” 

“It’s beautiful,” she choked out.

“You’re beautiful.”

She swallowed and turned to him. When she caught the intense way he was staring at her, her knees just about gave out.  “When… How?”

“This week…and with a little help from my friends.”

“Friends?”  She wondered if one of those friends just happened to be Jared—everyone’s go-to man when they needed something—and that’s why he’d been looking for him the other night at the Cave.  Maybe his late night visit to the local hangout had nothing at all to do with picking up girls.  “What friends?” she asked.

“I know a guy who knows a guy, and then there’s Mason,” he said, nodding toward the gorgeous ice sculpture.

Her eyes widened.  “Mason did that?”

“Yeah.”  His nostrils flared, and he moved closer until his body was pressed against hers in a totally possessive way. “But I don’t want to talk about him.”

She looked back at the sculpture and the significance of what he’d done—for her—washed over her like an avalanche.  “It’s…it’s incredible.  I can’t believe you did this.”  She shook her head, incredulous.  “You went all out.”

He shrugged like it was nothing, but Gracie knew it was far from nothing.  It was something.  Something big. 

“Hey, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.  Moderation is for pussies.”  He gave her a sexy grin and nudged her again.  “Come on.  We only have the rink to ourselves for one hour, then it opens to the public.”

They pulled on their skates, and she followed him onto the ice.  Small flakes started to fall, creating a cozy, romantic atmosphere.  Their breath formed clouds in front of their faces as they skated circles around the rink, and as she looked at him, taking in his handsome features and the warm smile that spread across his face every time his gaze met hers, she could hardly believe he went through so much trouble for her. 

“This is perfect,” she said as her hat fell into her eyes. 

Nate laughed, stopped in front of her, and pulled her hat up.  “You’re perfect, Gracie.”

This time, he didn’t ask if he could kiss her. Instead, his mouth dropped to hers, their cold lips warming as they opened for one other.  His hand slid around her back, holding her tight against him.  He kissed her mouth, her jaw, her neck, and every feeling she had for her neighbor, friend, co-worker came rushing to the surface, taking her breath with it. 

Oh God, was this what love felt like?  She’d always lusted after Nate.  At least, she thought it was lust, but as he kissed her and held her in their make-believe Paris, she was beginning to believe what she’d felt for him all along had been so much more.

“Nate,” she whispered.  Everything about tonight, Nate, confused her and convinced her this was about more than her comic strip.

“Yeah.”

Her heart missed a beat, but she knew she had to do this.  She had to take a chance and find out if this thing between them was real, otherwise, she’d spend the rest of her life wondering what if and regretting not making a move. Sure, she ran the risk of losing a good friend, but the risk of not doing anything to make this relationship permanent because she was afraid to take a chance was far worse.

“I was thinking about Kate,” she began.

“What about her?”

“Well,” she started but stopped speaking when he inched back to see her. 

“Well what?” he pressed. 

She waved a hand around.  “This is all so romantic and everything, but I have to write a happy ending for Kate.”

He grinned, and like he was reading her innermost thoughts, asked, “And you can’t write a happy ending for Kate if you’ve never experienced it yourself, right?”

“Right.”

When she looked into his eyes, she caught the promise of something far more intimate than a night on the skating rink. 

“I was thinking the same thing,” he said.

“You were?”

“Yeah, I was.  Come on.”  He led her to the bench, and they both removed their skates.  He grabbed them and tossed them over his shoulder.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To give you everything you need so Kate can have her happy ending.”

“You know Kate’s not real, right?” she teased.

His mouth turned up at the corner.  “Whatever you say, Gracie.” 

He led her inside the building instead of taking the walking path around it to the parking lot. 

“But your truck is that way,” she said, pointing to the front doors.

“Too far,” he murmured, and that’s when she noticed he was talking through clenched teeth, his body so taut it seemed to be taking a great deal of effort for him to keep his composure.     

Her breath caught in her throat, and a shiver of anticipation tore through her as he walked up to the counter to book them in.  She glanced around the bustling lobby, then turned to him when he grabbed her hand and led her to the closest elevator.  When they reached the fourth floor and the doors pinged open, he grabbed her hand and practically dragged her off. 

“This way,” he said, his voice so hoarse she barely recognized it.

He found their room and slipped in the key card.  When the little green light flashed, he pushed it open and looked at her.  

Grace stood there for a moment, unable to breathe.  “So this is happening.  It’s really happening,” she whispered.

Nate paused and inched back, his expression dead serious.  “You do want this, right?”

She took in the intent look on his face and knew there was nothing she wanted more.  “Yes,” she whispered, so breathless she could barely get that one word out.

“Then yes, it’s happening,” he said, the pleasure in his voice exciting her all the more.   He grabbed her, pulled her inside, and locked the door behind them.  He flicked the lights on, and she blinked against the brightness.

Silence fell over them as his lips found hers, and he gave her a gentle, almost loving kiss.  One that held far more emotion than any other he’d given her.  She resisted the urge to pinch herself, because if this was a dream, she sure as hell did not want to wake up.   

“Gracie,” he growled, his tongue tracing her bottom lip, a long, slow sweep filled with tenderness as he trailed the backs of his fingers down her cheek.  Heat radiated from his hands, burning through her body.  “Do you have any idea how good you taste?”

His hands went to her zipper, and he peeled her coat off, letting it fall to the floor.  Then he quickly removed his winter wear and pulled her to him again, his hands roaming urgently over her curves.   He explored her body, touching her all over, and all the while, she just stood there, her brain too shocked, too surprised by this turn of events to think with any sort of clarity.

He inched back, his gaze moving over her face.  “Touch me back, Gracie.  Please, touch me back.”

A moan rose from her throat, and her hands went to his body.  As soon as she touched him, palming his broad shoulders, his sculpted biceps, and the hard ridges of his stomach, he growled and backed her up. 

“I need you out of these clothes, baby.  I need you naked.”

She gulped, suddenly very self conscious. The lights were still on and well…she didn’t want him to see her naked. 

“Can I have a minute?” she asked.

He gave her a confused looked, then took a distancing step back.  She grabbed a throw blanket from the end of the bed and darted to the bathroom, leaving him standing there, raking his hands though his hair as he watched her duck into the bathroom. 

Working to calm herself, she took off her clothes behind closed doors and wrapped herself in the blanket.  She gave herself a quick glance in the mirror, then opened the bathroom door to find Nate standing exactly where she’d left him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, his muscles flexing as he fisted and un-fisted his hands at his sides.  His eyes were narrowed, his body tight.  He looked like he was ready to blow a gasket or something.

Grace gulped.  Cripes, she’d never seen that look on Nate before.  “You said you wanted me naked,” she croaked out.

“Yeah, that’s right, and I wanted to be the one to strip you.”  He crooked his finger, and she walked toward him, trying not to stumble on shaky legs.

When she reached him, he fingered the blanket, his eyes never leaving hers. “What’s this all about, Gracie?”

“I…nothing.”  She glanced at the light switch, and when she looked back at him, his features softened.

“Baby, I want to see you.”

She made a move to get between the bed sheets, but he stopped her.  “No.  I want to see you.  Right here.  Right now.  Drop the blanket.”

“Nate…”  God, what was she supposed to say?  I don’t want you to see all my jiggly parts?  Talk about a mood breaker.

He shook his head, and as if he read her mind, he said, “Don’t you get it?  Your body is beautiful.  I love everything about it.”

“I’m not like—”

“Gracie,” he said stopping her.  “You’re perfect.”  He shook his head.  “Every time you come near me wrapped in nothing but a towel, it’s all I can do not to grab you and take you.  I’ve been going out of my damn mind.  You have no idea how crazy your body makes me.  How much I want you.  I’ve been going fucking insane being so close to you and not being able to see you naked, to touch every inch of you, with my hands, my tongue.”

Holy hell, was this really happening?  Was he really saying those things…to her?  She looked at the blanket covering her curvaceous body and considered the model thin women he dated.  “But I’m—”  

“Overdressed.  Now drop the blanket so I can see you.”    

Grace hesitated, but when she caught the heat in his eyes, the hard ridge pressing against his pants, a burst of confidence stole through her, and she dropped the blanket to stand before him completely bare.

A lusty growl ripped from his lungs as he stood there staring at her, his eyes full of want, lust…need.  “You’re perfect,” he said, and as she looked at him, it occurred to her that no one had ever looked at her like that before or made her feel so sexy, so desirable.

“Nate,” she said, her body shaking as his eyes drank their fill.   

“Yeah, baby.” 

She pointed at him.  “Now you’re the one overdressed.”

He grinned, his voice sounding a little unstable when he said, “Yeah, I am, aren’t I?” 

In seconds flat, he had his clothes off, and this time, it was Grace who stood there staring.  She drew a shaky breath as her gaze traveled the long length of him.  He was so incredibly beautiful with a fit, athletic body that was hard in all the right places.   She swallowed against the dryness in her throat as her fingers itched to touch him.