Fight With Me (11 page)

“Well, let’s see.”  I lean back against the counter and go for sarcasm.  “I’d just been introduced to my boyfriend’s
wife
, after catching her with her hands on him in his office.  And the fact that I’m using the terms boyfriend and wife in the same sentence really fucking pisses me off.”

“She’s my ex-wife, Julianne.”

Oh.

“Do you really think I’d pursue a relationship with you if I was married to another woman?  Do you really think so little of me?  Jesus, you know me better than that.”

I look frantically around the room, but Luke and Natalie have disappeared.  Great.

“Apparently I don’t know much,” I snap back at him.  “You’ve never told me you were married.  She introduced herself to me as your fucking wife, Nate.”

“What could I do?  Jenny was right there.  If I tried to explain it would give away our intimate relationship.”

“You didn’t correct her.”

“You didn’t give me a fucking chance to!”  He pushes angrily away from me and paces the room, rubbing his forehead.  He takes his suit jacket off and throws it on the coach and continues to pace.

“We’ve been divorced for seven years.  We were only married for two.”  He shoves his hands in his pockets and scowls at me.

“Do you have kids with her?” I whisper.

“Hell, no!”  He shakes his head and looks down, then back up at me.  “I was fighting back then, and she was what we call a ring bunny.”

Bile rises in my throat.  “I know what a ring bunny is.”

“Yeah, well, I was twenty, and stupid and she wanted a fighter on her arm.”  He shrugs.  “I rarely speak to her.”

“Why was she there today?” I ask.

“She comes around when she wants money.”

“You support her?” I ask incredulously and his gaze whips up to mine at my tone.

“No, not anymore.”

“What does that mean?”

“I helped her out for a while.”  He frowns and looks down again, clearly uncomfortable.

“How long is a while?” Do I really want to know this?

“Until I met you.” His eyes meet mine again, and they soften, and there’s the man I know and love.

“Why?” I whisper.

“Because if I keep giving her money, she’ll never leave, and I don’t want any skeletons from my past fucking this up.”  He takes a deep breath and eyes me warily.

“Well, apparently she’s still coming around,” I shout.

“I told her no.  You heard me.  I said it in front of you for a reason.”

“Did you sleep with her until you met me too?” I ask.

“On occasion.”

Fuck.

“Baby, I cut all ties with her when I met you.  I’ve told you, you are the only woman I’m interested in.”

“She has your name.”  I blurt it out before I know I’m thinking it.  This is killing me.

“She never changed it.”  He shrugs again, looking lost.  I take a moment and just look at him, this handsome, smart, sexy man.  I don’t want another woman to have his name.  It means that he once belonged to her, legally, and it tears me up inside.

“Look,” he rubs his forehead again and looks at me warily.  “I’m sorry that you found out about her that way.  It was shitty.  But it was nothing.  She is nothing to me, and has been for a very long time.  I helped her out because I felt responsible for her, and I slept with her because she was convenient.  I don’t feel about her the way I feel about you.  I never did.”

I watch his face, his eyes, and my stomach starts to settle.  He’s telling the truth. 
Thank God.

“You guys can come out of hiding,” I call out and Luke and Natalie emerge from the hallway, hand in hand.  I smirk at them.

“Hey, I had to make sure you didn’t need me to kick his ass,” Luke says with a grin.

Nate laughs, “You could try.”

“You okay?” Natalie asks quietly and I nod.

“So, the shower is tomorrow afternoon at my place.” I stand and walk over to Nate, kiss his cheek and run my fingers down across his jaw, reassuring myself that everything is right again.

“Do you need help setting up?” Natalie asks.

“No, I’m having it done professionally.  I hired a party planner.”

“For a shower?” Natalie asks, her eyebrows raised to her hairline.

“I have a demanding job, Nat.  And it has to be perfect, so yes, I hired it out.”  I grin at her and do a little happy dance.  “I’m so excited!”

“I think I might have some work to do.”  Luke’s eyes are wide and he runs his hand through his hair.

“Oh no, you’re coming.”  I point my finger and glare at him.

“This is really a chick thing,” Nate says.

“Whose side are you on?” I ask.

“Luke’s,” he states matter-of-factly.  “It’s a chick party.”

“He’s the daddy.”  I plant my hands on my hips and glare at both of these stubborn men while Natalie laughs.  “He has to go.  Besides, my brothers and parents will be there, along with his family too, so it’s a co-ed party.”

“Will there be pink?” Nate asks.

“The baby is a girl; of course there will be pink.”  I look at him like he’s being ridiculous.

“Chick party.” Nate sneers.

“A chick party that you’re now going to,” Luke interrupts.

Oh, no.
  My panicked eyes meet Natalie’s and she offers me a small smile.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” I look around the room and over to Nate and he’s frowning at me.

“Why?”

“I don’t know if I’m ready to introduce you to my family,” I whisper.

“Why?” he asks again.

I shrug.  “It’s kind of soon.”

“You just called me your boyfriend ten minutes ago.”

“I just didn’t know what else to call you.”  I shrug and turn away and then find myself pinned to him, his hand twisted in my hair and the other at the small of my back, pressing me to him, and his mouth –
oh, that mouth –
is on mine, kissing me urgently.  Then, just as fast as he started, he releases me and backs away.

“Oh, my,” Natalie mutters.

“Be there at two,” Luke tells him with a smug smile on his face.

Chapter Twelve

I’ve been quiet all through dinner. Nate and I ordered in pizza after returning to my house from Nat and Luke’s. We threw in an action movie and settled on the couch in the loft with our cheesy, delicious pizza and a couple of beers.

But I can’t stop thinking about the scene is his office earlier today. If he didn’t tell me about an ex-wife, what else is he hiding?

While Nate watches the movie, I clear our plates and tuck the left-overs in the fridge.

“I’m going to take a shower,” I murmur as I walk past him on my way to my bedroom.

“What’s wrong, Julianne?” He catches my wrist and pulls me down next to him.

I shrug and shake my head. “I’m not sure I know.”

“Bullshit. You’re still pissed about today.” He frowns as I pull my hand out of his and scoot away from him, needing to distance myself just a bit.

“I’m not exactly pissed, as much as still a little confused and disappointed. Why didn’t you tell me you have an ex-wife?” I eye him speculatively and he pushes his fingers through that glorious black hair, swearing under his breath.

“Honestly, I didn’t think about it.”

“Look, I get that she was a long time ago, I believe that you haven’t slept with her since you met me, and I’m not accusing you of anything like that, Nate. But it was not a good feeling to walk into that office and see a beautiful woman with her hands all over you, not after everything we’ve shared over the past week. So, yeah, I’m still on edge about it.”

“I apologized and explained.”

“Yes, you did. What else are you going to have to apologize and explain about, Nate? What other dirty little secrets are you hiding?” I get up off the couch, needing to get into the shower and away from him for a few minutes, but he snags my hand again.

“Don’t fucking run out on me again. I don’t have any secrets from you.
She
is not a secret, she’s just part of my past.”

I look down into his silver-gray eyes and soften just a bit. His face is tight with worry.

I pull my hand out of his grasp again and he scowls, about to say something, but I brush my fingertips down his cheeks, hold his jaw in my hands and look at his face. I can feel my own war of words and emotions playing out in my head, moving across my own face. Finally, Nate takes my wrist in his hand and plants a kiss in the palm, looking up at me.

“Talk to me,” he whispers.

I straddle his lap and rest my bottom on his knees. He links my fingers in his and I stare down at them, resting in his lap between us.

“Hey,” he whispers again, “Julianne, talk to me.”

I look into his eyes, and whisper, “I guess I finally realized today how much you could hurt me.”

“Oh, baby.” He pulls me against him, wraps his arms around me and I bury my face in his neck, breathing in his clean, sexy scent. “Same goes here. Watching you walk out of my office today, knowing that I’d hurt you, not knowing where you were… It tore me up. I am sorry. I promise, no more secrets.”

He kisses my hair and I kiss his neck, his smell intoxicating me, and I just know that I need him, right now.

I nibble up to his ear, pushing his beautiful hair out of my path. His hands glide down my back to my ass, and he pulls me more tightly against him, pushing the erection still hidden in his slacks against my core.

“I need you,” I whisper into his ear and fire surges through me as he growls in response. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I nibble my way down his jaw and kiss him, lightly at first, just teasing his lips with my own. My eyes are on his, blue to gray. He pushes one hand in my hair, tilting my head and directing the kiss, taking it deeper, as he spreads his other hand across my lower back, pressing me more tightly against him.

I sit back and pull my blouse over my head and Nate makes quick work of my bra. When my breasts are freed, he takes one swollen, puckered tip into his mouth and pulls gently, then pays the same attention to the other breast. I can’t help but lean back, pressing my center harder against him.

Finally, he stands, sets me on my feet and strips me of my pants and thong. I help him out of his work shirt and pants, and then he lifts me, his hands under my ass. I wrap my legs around his waist, and continue kissing him with a desperate fervor. I can’t get enough of this man’s mouth. It’s magic.

Nate walks us over to the wall and as my back hits the cool surface, he lifts me slightly and rests the head of his cock against my opening.

“I can’t take it slow this time, baby. I want you too much.”

I clench my legs around his hips, pulling him into me, and he accepts the invitation. He pushes all the way in, hard, and the combination of his large cock and that amazing piercing are almost my undoing.

“Fuck, Nate.” I whisper and he grins against my mouth, and then leans back to look into my eyes. He pulls back and slams into me again, then stills and watches my face. I’m panting, my cheeks are flushed with lust. “If you do that again, I’m gonna come,” I whisper.

His grin widens and he pulls back, then slams back inside me even harder, and rotates his hips in a circle, grinding the root of his cock against my clit and I come apart at the seams, my body shuddering and clenching, my blood on fire, screaming his name.

“You needed that?” he whispers and plants tiny, sweet kisses all over my face, across my cheeks, down my jaw, my nose.

“Hmm,” I respond.

“Open your eyes.”

My gaze finds his and he’s smiling at me gently, brushing stray strands of hair off my temples.

“Are you okay?”

I kiss his lips softly. “I’m okay.”

“Good, because I’m not done.” I realize that he’s not only still inside me, but he hasn’t come and he’s as hard as ever. My eyes widen and I tighten my arms and legs around him as he pushes us off the wall and starts to walk up the stairs, his hands still supporting my ass.

“God, you’re strong.” I run my hands through his hair, loving that he can carry me so effortlessly.

“You’re just small, baby.”

He carries me into my bedroom and pulls back the duvet. He climbs onto the bed with me still in his arms and lays me down on the cool sheets, his body hovering over me.

“You needed it rough, but I need this.” He laces my fingers in his and brings both of our hands above my head, and starts to move inside me again, slowly, pulling all the way out and pushing all the way in again in a slow, easy pace.

His lips are driving me mad, nibbling the sides of my mouth, right under my ears, sending sparks through me and down my spine.

“Faster,” I whisper, but he just smiles lovingly down at me and shakes his head.

“No, just like this.”

He’s worshiping me with his body, showing me without words what I mean to him, that he’s sorry for earlier. I pull my legs up his sides and he shifts so I can rest my calves on his shoulders without letting go of my hands, and he leans into my legs, pushing even farther into me.

“Oh, Nate.”

“Yes, baby.”

This slow pace is killing me. I tighten my inner muscles around him, and he clenches his eyes shut. With each stroke, I clench around him, as hard as possible, until finally he starts to speed up.

“So fucking tight…” Our hands are still locked together above me, my legs on his shoulders and he picks up speed, thrusting harder and faster, sweat rolling down the side of his face. I feel his body tighten and I know he’s about to surrender to the climax building in him.

“Come, babe,” I whisper and his eyes snap open. He kisses me hard and cries out as he comes, rocking his pelvis against mine as he releases into me.

“Oh, God, baby.” He lets go of my hands, letting my legs down, and buries his fingers in my hair. I wrap my legs around his waist and run my hands down his sweat-dampened back. He’s kissing me gently, our breathing is slowly returning to normal. He pulls back just slightly so he can focus in on my eyes and says, “It’s only you, Julianne. It will only ever be you.”

***

Nate’s in the back yard over-seeing the crew setting up the tent for today’s party, and I’m more than a little bemused.  How did this happen?  How did this amazing man muscle his way into my life and start helping me handle things?