Bad Boy's Bridesmaid(34)

"I liked that you came."

He grinned, "You always do."

I smacked his arm. "You know what I mean."

My fingers teased over his shoulder and bicep. He tensed under my touch,  but it was a good tense. A shiver rolled from me into him. Every  instinct screamed at me to pull away, apologize, and hide behind the box  of dozens of tomatoes for chopping. Instead, I traced the ink on his  arm.         

     



 

"I'm glad you're here," I said. "I feel … calmer now."

"As soon as I'm done, I'll make sure you're very relaxed."

I smirked. "Oh, I see how it is. This project isn't from the goodness of your heart. You want something in return."

Nate winked. "Baby, you don't have to bribe me with tacos to sex you up."

"Sex me up?"

"Well, either I sex you up or I go down … lady's choice."

"How magnanimous."

Nate gave the pan a shake. "One thing about me you might not know … I'm a giver. I live to serve."

I laughed. "Your reputation begs to differ."

"And your experiences?"

I bit my lip. "Those are a different story."

"Until you, I hadn't found a woman who deserved my undivided attention."

"What's so special about me that I get that honor?"

"Because you're so goddamned beautiful I can't help staring at you." He  graced me with another sidelong glance that lingered over my curves.  "Say the word, and I'm fucking yours baby. I've got twenty-five pounds  of ground beef in that cooler to prove it."

My heart beat too fast to hear over the rushing blood coursing through  my body. I swallowed. Nate didn't expect me to answer. His sweet smile  soothed the raging blitz of emotions and hormones that stole my voice.

I had no idea what to say. I knew which words he wanted to hear.

And those were the ones I couldn't say yet.

Not if I kept the secret.

Nate nudged me to prep the ingredients, and I helped to organize once we  cooked the meat and chopped the onions and diced the tomatoes. I shoved  as much as I could in the fridge. It took a few hours, but we prepared  everything and stashed it away without me combusting from standing too  near the stove or straying too near the man who owned my heart, my body,  and was slowly wearing down the only defense I had against him.

He turned off the light over the stove and stared at me.

"All done." His voice was a low, gravelly rumble. It hummed through me, and I couldn't breathe. "The wedding is saved."

"I … I don't know how to thank you."

"Yes, you do." He leaned in, but he didn't kiss me. "I should get going. Need a shower to get all the grease off me."

I licked my lips. "You could shower here."

"Only if I get some company."

The thought thrilled me. I bit my lip and took his hand, tugging him towards the bathroom. He grinned.

"Mandy, you don't have to. I was joking about the tacos."

"I'm not joking about this." I pulled him closer. His eyes burned so  bright and beautiful it was amazing I hadn't surrendered to him before.  "Nate, I can't tell you how I feel yet … but I can show you how much you  mean to me."

"I don't want to make it complicated."

"It's not anymore. It's really, really simple."

I wanted to be with him. I wanted to tell him every secret, every fear,  every amazing possibility that came from carrying his baby.

But first I wanted to prove just how I felt about him.

In case revealing the truth destroyed everything we might have had.





18





Nate





Mandy led me to the shower. She didn't let me speak, but I already said everything she needed to hear.

And it was more than I ever admitted to any woman.

Mandy was always so warm. Her heat boiled inside me, and the soft brush  of her skin enraptured me. Her arms tucked around my neck, and her  fingers tickled in my hair. I hardened from just her touch.

I'd never let her go.

She refused to admit what she felt for me, but nothing would stop me  from making this woman mine. She fell for me, and I caught her. I wasn't  letting go.

I thought it'd be frightening to confront my own feelings.

It wasn't.

This was the easiest decision I ever made.

The bathroom wasn't big enough for two people, but we wouldn't be  separated for long. Mandy fit in my arms perfectly. Why didn't I realize  she belonged there long ago?

I kissed her, nibbling her lip and flicking her tongue. I'd do anything  to hear her quiet little mew, and I do even more to turn it into a moan.  I ripped my shirt off, battling against her touch to pull hers off too.  Her fingers brushed my skin, as if she finally gave herself permission  to enjoy what I could offer.

She had every permission, every right, and every reason to touch me.

I was hers.

I tugged her shirt off. Jesus, her tits got bigger every time I saw them.

That was a damn nice surprise.

Not that Mandy wasn't absolutely perfect before, but now she was  curvier, more beautiful, and utterly feminine. What was it about this  woman that made me want more? Desperation threaded my veins. I craved to  touch her, hold her, take her as my own. Her silken body lured me  close, and something primal hardened my cock.         

     



 

Desire was too sweet an instinct.

I had to prove she was mine once and for all.

Her bra dropped to the floor. The chocolate-dark of her skin warmed  under my hand. I cupped her breast and rolled my thumb and finger over  the hard, waiting bud. My mouth watered for a taste, but her hands  worked quicker than my lust-addled mind. She shimmied from her yoga  pants.

Oh, Christ. She wasn't wearing panties.

I'd drop to my knees and worship this woman. Just one taste. Just one lick.

Just one quivering, mouth-watering, creamy bite from her most sensitive secret.

Mandy took my hand before I knelt down. Her sweet smile turned sultry, and she glanced at the shower.

Fuck it. It didn't matter how. Either on the floor or under the water, Mandy was getting wet.

I kicked off my jeans and gathered her into my arms. I flipped the water  on too hot, but I didn't care. Nothing burned more than my blood, and  the steaming droplets striking my back soothed me, calming me with a  sting before I overwhelmed the woman I poised to attack.

I shielded her from the water until it ran cooler. The beaded heat  struck my skin, and she teased me with the sensual caress of her  fingertips. Her touch traced my muscles, my pecs. She smirked and drew  her nail over my nipple. My cock hardened. Twitching. Her hands lowered,  but not quick enough, lost within the hard-packed strength of my abs.

I grunted. "If you knew what you did to me … "

"If you knew what you already did to me."

I kissed her, pressing her into the shower wall. The water cradled us in  warmth and a cocoon of quietness. The rhythmic cascade roared over my  rasped breath. Mandy moaned into me, still somehow hotter that the  steam. The heat curled between us, and every pelted drop of water urged  me on, encouraging me to shelter Mandy with my strength, my body,  everything I had for her.

I couldn't get any harder. My cock pressed against her belly, and she  broke my kiss to stroke me. Her hands were tiny, but I appreciated the  effort. Every tug, every loving pull enthralled me, and I stared at her  hands to watch the dark and light pleasing me with every caress.

I strained against the near agony of her touch. Mandy giggled, even as I  pinned her against the wall, my arms on either side of her shoulders.  She wasn't going anywhere.

She squeezed my cock. I nearly came then, imagining how sexy she'd look splashed with my desire.

"I never showered with a woman before." I swore as her pace increased. "First time for me too."

"You don't have to do that."

"Do what?"

"You don't have to make me feel better about giving you my virginity."  She slowed her motions, but her delicate fingers wrapped so lovingly  over my cock I had to force myself not to come. "I wanted it to be you.  And I'm glad it was you."

"If I had known-"

She got a little mischievous. She yanked me, drawing me closer with a  sexy smile. "You couldn't have done it any better than you did, Nate.  Every time you touch me it's good."

"I'm not a man who settles for good."

"You're not just good enough." Her words quieted. She nibbled on her  lip. "You're more than I thought you were. When I close my eyes at  night, I see you. I dream of you. I wake up thinking of you."

There she was, finally brave enough to speak some of the truth, to tell me how she felt, what she needed.

And all I had to do was drop three hundred bucks on taco supplies, cook  for four hours, then seduce her while confessing more to her than I'd  ever admitted to any other woman.

Best decision of my life.

I kissed her, tasting her full lip and savoring every moment our bodies  touched without any barrier. She quieted again, staring at me with eyes  wide with sincerity and uncertainty.

Why was she still guarded?

It didn't take courage to ask a girl out. That was an acquired skill. I  chased them, I seduced them, I fucked them, and I ran when things got  too real. Mandy was the only person who untangled me from that  dominating lust to show me something … more.