Protect Me (Rivers Edge Book 4)(37)

Point for me.

It doesn't take us too long to get to the other side of St. Charles and  find the mall. We head inside and walk straight toward the men's store.  The windows are filled with mannequins wearing stylish suits and  handsome tuxedos. The man at the counter greets us pleasantly with a  smile.

"Can I help you?" he says with a slight accent. I'm horrible at them,  but I think it's Australian. Or British? Hell, I have no clue. He could  be from Canada for all I know.

"Nate Stevens. I have a tux to pick up."

"Ah, yes. I received a phone call a bit ago from a gentleman named Will.  He said you're supposed to pick his up as well," the man says before  heading into the back of the store.

"Of course. Leave it to Will to leave himself no time get his tux. I'll  probably have to pay for it, too," Nate says as he shakes his head.

"You're a great brother," I tell Nate as I wrap my arms around his waist.

"I'd rather be known as great in bed," he says with that cocky smile.

"Well, you're not bad," I tease.

"Not bad, huh?" Nate asks with mock hurt on his face. "I bet you by the  end of the night, you will be singing a different tune. I bet I can give  you no less than three orgasms," he says huskily. The dirty gleam in  his eyes shining brightly.

"Three? Awfully full of yourself, aren't you?" I tease.

"Three is nothing. I bet you have your first before we even leave St.  Charles," he whispers as the salesman comes back to the front carrying  two garment bags.

"This one is yours, sir. The changing room is right through that  curtain. Have your brother try his on as soon as possible so that we can  get it fixed if something doesn't fit right."

"Done," Nate says as he walks towards the changing room.

I stand on the outside of the curtain, patiently waiting for Nate to try  it on. The salesman remains up at the front of the store, arranging  dress shirts and ties in a meticulous way that boarders on a little OCD.

"Lia, can you help me with this?" Nate asks from behind the curtain.

"Sure," I reply as I slip behind the curtain.

Nate is standing there, fully dressed. "What do you need help with?" I  ask, not seeing what's wrong with the tux. In fact it looks perfect.  Ravishing.

"This," he says as he tugs me against his body.

His lips are pressed firmly to mine, licking the seam of my lips. I  can't control the moan that erupts from my mouth, Nate absorbs it with  his own. Nate spins me around and gently presses me forward slightly.

"Put your hands on the wall," he commands quietly, his voice filled with need.

I do as instructed, leaning forward just a little. Nate places his hands  on the back of my thighs and slowly slides them upward towards my ass.  His big, strong hands kneed the globes of my bare ass before making  their way to my wet front.

"Nice choice of underwear," Nate says, referring to my lace trimmed  thong. "We're going to make this quick and you definitely need to be as  quiet as possible."

Nate wraps his big body around my back, running one hand over my  throbbing core. He slides the panties to the side and begins his  assault. His fingers are firm and as he concentrates on the place I need  him the most.

"God, you're so fucking wet," he whispers against my ear. His tongue  running up and down the column of my neck as he places open-mouthed  kisses in the path.

One finger slips inside of me, quickly followed by a second. My legs  quiver and shake. Nate's strong arms pull me tightly against him; his  shorts-covered erection pressed firmly against my bare behind. My dress  is up around my hips as his fingers continue their quest for pleasure. I  grind back against him as he pushes me towards the orgasm I know is  within reach.

"Fuck, I love the little noises you make while I do this. I love the way  you feel pressed against my body. I fucking love the way you feel on  the inside," Nate all but growls in my ear. "Come for me, baby," he adds  as he flicks his thumb over my pulsing nub.

I come. Hard. I come so hard I have to bite down on my lip to keep from  screaming out in ecstasy. I wither against Nate's body as I slowly float  back down to earth. My legs weaken as he slowly runs his fingers inside  of me one last time. He slowly pulls his fingers out and rubs around on  the outside without letting go of me.

"Sir, do you need any assistance?" the salesman asks from outside the curtain.

I tense against Nate's body as Nate replies, "No, I think I've managed just fine."

I look up and realize I'm staring directly at Nate and myself. I didn't  even notice the mirror when I came in here. I was so focused on how  amazing Nate looked in his tux that I didn't even realize I was being  fingered against a mirror.                       
       
           



       

I make quick work at righting my thong and dress. My face is flush and  my breathing is labored. The look on Nate's face is fierce. Primal.

"Watching you come in that mirror was the best fucking thing I've ever  seen," he whispers before placing a hard kiss against my lips.

He pulls back, adjusting his hard-on in his tux pants, and gives me that  famous smile. "I might have to install mirrors above my bed," he says.  "You better go back out before you get us in trouble," he adds with a  slap on my ass.

I yelp and give him a shocked look as I open the curtain and step  outside. The salesman is standing there with an unpleasant, knowing look  on his face.

Busted.

"He'll be out in just a minute," I mumble and walk towards the front of the store.

A few minutes later, Nate steps out wearing his street clothes, tuxedo  stuffed back inside the garment bag, and wearing the world's biggest  grin on his face.

"I take it everything worked out for you, sir," I overhear the salesman say to Nate.

"Everything was perfect," Nate replies.

After Nate takes care of paying for the tuxedos at the counter, we head back out to the Mustang.

"Where to?" he asks as he holds open the door for me.

"How about the creek?" I reply, sliding into the hot, sticky car.

"A woman after my own heart," he agrees with a smile.

Nate walks around the front of the car - yes, I'm checking out his ass  as he goes - and slides into the Mustang. He fires up the horses and  pulls out of the parking spot. We're heading down the road, back towards  Rivers Edge, before I know it. Our fingers are linked as we chat the  entire way. I've never felt comfortable with casual talking. When I was  with Garrett, I was afraid to talk. His friends and colleagues always  accused me of being snobby. The truth was I was afraid of what might  happen if I said the wrong thing so I played the shy card and plastered  on a fake smile. Smiled big for the crowd and the cameras. Hid the pain.

Before I know it, we're pulling into the lane. Nate makes quick work of  opening the gate, and we're heading up the long lane a few minutes  later. I stand by idly as Nate unlocks the small shack and pulls out one  chair. Placing it next to the water's edge, he sits and slaps his leg  in invitation.

I happily sit on Nate's lap, throwing both legs over his. My arms are  around his neck as I snuggle close. Nate wraps both arms protectively  around me. He's my solace.

After several quiet minutes, Nate finally says, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes," I reply.

He clears his throat a little before he continues. "When you left the hospital in Daytona that night, where did you go?"

I tense a little, not expecting Nate's question to be about my past. I  never openly talk about this part of my life, and especially not as much  as I have in recent weeks. However, with Nate's arms still firmly  around me, I feel safe enough to tell him the rest of my story.

"When I left the hospital, I had on a designer evening gown and no  shoes. My ribs were either cracked or broken, but I didn't care. The  pain was excruciating, but the thought of freedom was greater than the  pain.

"I walked down one of the main arteries of Daytona, heading towards the  beach. My purse had about twenty dollars in it and a tube of lipstick. I  had saved about twelve hundred bucks over the last year or so but it  was safely hidden at the house. And there was no way I could return  there to collect the money or even a pair of shoes.

"Eventually, I stumbled upon a woman's shelter. I knocked on the heavy  wooden door once and it opened instantly. I was pulled inside by this  older, petite woman. She didn't say a word as she held my arm and moved  us towards a small room with a desk and a small bed. She sat me down on  the bed, retrieved clean bedding and some oversized clean clothes. That  was it. No questions. She just helped me.

"I had the worst night of sleep of my life that night. I was in pain and  was having nightmares, but every time I woke up, the woman was right  there next to my bed. I learned the next day that her name was Connie.  She helped me shower because there was no way I could bend or move. She  rewrapped my abdomen and helped me dress. She also brought me food and  water. She was my saving grace when I had nothing."