You Are My Air: Breathless Book 1 (14 page)

"Okay." I nodded, feeling somewhat mollified, but still disappointed.

"Have patience with me, Natalie," he whispered softly in my ear, giving me the shivers. "It will be worth the wait." I nodded my reply. Somehow I got the feeling he wasn't talking about just sex anymore as I let him lead me out of my apartment.

**********

David took me to the best sushi restaurant in town. It was one of my favorite places to eat, and Lucas used to take me here often. Of course, I didn't tell David that. I figured what better way to let go of any lingering feelings of guilt I had with Lucas then to make new memories here with David. Our meal was wonderful. We shared a large plate of sushi, both of us enjoying watching each other's less than stellar chopstick skills.

He seemed engaged and interested in me as a person tonight, and though we still flirted with each other a lot, it was so much different than last Sunday. It wasn't all about sex and our physical attraction to each other this time. Something had shifted between us, and this felt like an actual date, with two people getting to know each other and connecting in a way that we hadn't before. David told me all about his family, and I was amazed by how close they all were. I told him about my parents and their nasty divorce, and about how close I was to my brother. I even told him about my mom's emotional insanity, but he didn't bat an eye at any of it. Of course, considering his job, I'm sure he'd seen family dynamics that were much worse than mine. I was actually starting to consider asking him to go to Mom's charity dinner. Maybe I would even ask him about it tomorrow.

I was still eating when David finished before me and excused himself to use the restroom. I was so focused on my food that I didn't look up when someone sat down across from me, and I assumed it was David. I was
so
wrong.

"That was quick," I said with a smile as I looked up. I froze in shock. There, sitting across from me, was Lucas, not David. I was speechless. He looked handsome with his dark wavy hair just brushing the tops of his shoulders, his brown eyes filled with longing and a love I didn't feel in return. As I met his gaze after over a month of not seeing him, it became apparent to me that what I had felt for Lucas paled in comparison to the connection I was cultivating with David now. It made me feel better about my decision to break up with him.

"I see you're here with someone else." His voice sounded bitter and hurt as his eyes bore into mine with accusation.

"You shouldn't be here, Lucas," I said evenly. I wasn't sure how David would react to Lucas sitting with me, and I didn't want to find out. We hadn't even discussed our exes yet, and I didn't want to talk about that at all tonight.

"Why did you stop answering my calls or texts?" he asked, completely ignoring my statement. "Why won't you even give us a chance?"

"Lucas," I said in exasperation. "It's over between us. I've told you that over and over again. Why can't you accept it?"

"I love you, Natalie," he said with complete sincerity.

I took in a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. "But I don't love you, Lucas."

"You just need to give us more time, Nat," he continued unaffected by my statement, his eyes pleading and hopeful. "I know you'd love me eventually."

"It's
over
, Lucas," I told him firmly as I leaned forward and met his eyes again. "I don't love you now, and I never will. You're a great guy, and you deserve someone who does. You need to let me go and find someone who will."

"Natalie?" David asked suddenly. I glanced up to see him standing next to our table eying Lucas curiously. Lucas gave David a hateful glare, but David was unperturbed by it. "Is this guy bothering you?" David asked calmly as he narrowed his eyes at Lucas.

"David," I said as I glared at Lucas. "This is my
ex
-boyfriend, Lucas. He was just leaving." Lucas turned to look at me. His eyes were shocked and hurt, but I said nothing as David and I stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to leave.

"Natalie," Lucas pleaded with me again. I opened my mouth to tell him to go, but David spoke first.

"Lucas," David said in a low deadly tone. I looked up to see simmering rage in his blue eyes as he captured Lucas' gaze. "You heard Natalie. You need to leave. Now." He enunciated each word slowly and carefully, with a calm scary intensity that I had never seen from him before. I found it incredibly hot, and it reminded me of how intense he was during sex. It made me wonder if he had been holding back Sunday night and if so, I wanted all of it tonight.

Lucas reacted exactly like he had to my brother's confrontation. He rolled over like a beaten dog. "I'm sorry," Lucas mumbled as he vacated David's chair, avoiding anymore eye contact with David. "I'm sorry to bother you, Natalie. You won't hear from me again." He gave me one more pleading look, his face filled with devastation. I think he had finally accepted that anything between us was over. I had a feeling I'd never hear from him again.

"Good-bye, Lucas," I said firmly, making sure not to put any emotion into it. I think my guilt let him hang on too long, and let him delude himself into thinking he could somehow win me back. He nodded once to me, and then walked away as David stared after him until he was gone. I sighed and closed my eyes with relief that Lucas was finally out of my life, and that David had handled it calmly and without a scene.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" David asked with concern. I opened my eyes to find him sitting across from me again, looking at me with that sexy furrow between his brows that I adored.

"I am now," I told him as a smile spread across my lips. "Thank you. I've been trying to get him to let this go for over a month now. I think he finally took the hint."

"I hope I didn't overstep, and I apologize if I did, but it seemed like he needed a firm push in the right direction." David smiled back at me.

"No." I shook my head, amazed by this man, and how he handled this situation. "You handled it perfectly."

"Then I'm glad I could help."

"You're probably wondering what happened between Lucas and me," I said, resigned to talk about Lucas, even though I really didn't want to tonight.

"I caught the end of your conversation," David said. "I think I have a pretty good idea why you broke up with him, and I get the feeling you don't want to talk about it tonight. I don't think a second date is when we want to have the ex talk. How about you?"

"I agree." I nodded with a relieved smile.

"Would you like dessert?" he suggested, immediately changing the subject. "Their mochi ice cream is amazing."

"That sounds great," I answered with enthusiasm. For a few moments, I thought this whole night was ruined, but David had been there for me in a way that was totally unexpected. He read the situation in a matter of seconds, then took control and did what he had to do to take care of it. I suppose a part of part of me should be annoyed, to some extent, that he had taken over the situation, but he did it so smoothly and with such little fuss that I couldn't be anything but grateful for his intervention.

David flagged down the waiter, and ordered our dessert. When it arrived, the Lucas incident was soon a distant memory. We fed each other little wedges of the strawberry and chocolate mochi ice cream dipped in whipped cream and chocolate sauce, laughing and making a mess as we dribbled chocolate on each other's chins. I felt the guilt I'd been carrying around over Lucas slip away as I finally let it go, and now I had a new memory to think of whenever I ate here. I also realized that I was falling for this man, and taking things slow was suddenly going to be a lot harder than I thought.

**********

I stared at the adorable little 1920s bungalow as David slowed his Audi and pulled into the driveway. The small porch glowed under the porch light, highlighting the heavy wooden door that looked liked it was the original one from when it was built. The house was painted a warm beige with dark trim. The landscaping was immaculate even if most of the foliage was brown and wilting since it was October. David pulled partway up the driveway, stopped the car, and got out. He opened my door for me then led me by the hand up the winding sidewalk toward the front of the house. I smiled as I noticed the red porch swing to the right of the front door.

"David," I breathed out with delight as I walked up the two steps onto the porch, eying the warm dark wood of the front door, "your house is beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it," he said with a proud smile as he squeezed my hand.

"I love it," I added as he let go of me long enough to open the door. Then he motioned me in with a ridiculous flourish that made me laugh.

I walked into the living room as David flipped on the light switch by the door and shut it behind us. The walls were a warm buttery beige with dark wood trim that looked original just like the front door. Even the beams across the ceiling were the same beautiful dark wood. The hardwood floor was gorgeous too, just a few shades lighter than the trim.

His furniture was mission-style with simple horizontal and vertical lines, and flat panels that accentuating the wood grain of the end tables, the coffee table, and even the arms of his dark-brown leather sofa. There were pops of moss green and rust scattered about the room as accent colors making the place look warm and inviting, yet still masculine. It suited David perfectly. The only thing that didn't quite fit was David's large flat-screen television that dominated one wall, but even the television stand was mission style, so it blended well. On the coffee table, there was a game controller, a couple of beat-up looking graphic novels, and a psychiatric nursing journal. It was such a strange combination of items that I snorted out a laugh.

"Sorry, I'm kind of a nerd," he said sheepishly as he came up beside me to see what I was looking at. "I forgot to tell you that."

"Well, I'm out of here," I said sarcastically as I turned back toward the front door.

"Hey!" David blurted out as he grabbed me around my waist when I was halfway to the door and stopped me in my tracks. I laughed as he picked me up and carried me over to his couch, then sat down with me cradled in his lap. "I don't know where you thought you were going, but I'm not letting you get away that easily, sweetheart."

"I knew you'd catch me eventually."

"Ah, so you wanted me to catch you, huh?" he said as his voice dropped. One of his brows arched as he looked at me meaningfully.

"Guilty," I admitted unapologetically as I snuggled against him, breathing in his intoxicating scent. We sat like that for a while, just enjoying the close body contact before I finally spoke again.

"How long have you lived here?" I asked him curiously.

"Well, I've owned it for almost four years," he told me with an easy smile. "However, I've lived here most of my life. Mom bought this place when I was nine, and she gave it to me after she got engaged to Joe."

"She gave it to you?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I was shocked too, but she knew I loved this house, and I'm grateful she didn't sell it to some stranger. Joe's very wealthy, so it's not like she needed the money. He paid off the mortgage for Mom, so she could give it to me. It's the biggest and best gift I've ever gotten, and not having a house payment helped me pay off my student loans and get my Audi."

"No wonder you take such good care of it." I ran my fingers through the soft hairs of his short beard. An overwhelming rush of emotion came over me as I looked at this caring wonderful man, and I couldn't help myself as I pressed a kiss to his soft lips. I started the kiss slow and gentle, but David had other ideas. With a low growl, he took control of the kiss, turning it into something fiery and unrestrained. His lips burned into mine in a barely contained frenzy as his arms tightened around me. He delved his tongue into my mouth roughly again and again, nearly bruising me. This intensity was exactly what I wanted, what I needed. I twisted my fingers into the tussle of dark curls on his head.

He broke away from my mouth and made his way down my chin and to my neck, his firm lips blistering a trail of hot fire in his wake. I moaned and quivered from the sensations, and I could feel David getting aroused underneath me. He growled again as he reached my shoulder and sank his teeth firmly into my skin, making me gasp and arch my neck back.

"David," I whimpered and he wrapped his arms around me tighter. He worried at my skin, the painful pleasure making me shiver.

He lifted his head and looked at me, his lips parted and panting for air. "Natalie," he breathed out, his face filled with a need and want like I had never seen from him before. He stood abruptly, scooping me up in his arms and carrying me out of the living room and down a short hallway. He stepped into a bedroom, careful not to hit my head on the door frame. He set me down in the middle of the room, and I turned away from him to look around.

The walls were a dark gray, the furniture all dark woods. The room was lit by the soft glow of a lamp on one of the twin nightstands. The large bed was covered in a deep red comforter and had a dark-brown leather headboard. Above it hung two rows of four black picture frames, all eight of them holding a different old comic book with white matting.

"I guess you weren't kidding when you said you were a nerd," I stated with a wry smile.

He pressed his chest against my back and put his arms around me, holding me close. "Are you going to try to leave again?" he asked in an amused tone, his lips gliding across my bare shoulder as he spoke.

"I'm thinking about it," I answered facetiously.

"We'll have to do something about that." His voice lowered into that sexy tone that made my core clench. He reached up and pulled my sweater down until both shoulders were bare. Then he slid his hands down my arms and pushed them together, trapping them behind my back and pulling me roughly against his body. I could feel the hardness of his erection against my hands through his jeans.

"Are you going anywhere now?" he growled into my ear, and my body gave itself over to him with a deep shuddering sigh as I relaxed against him.