Real Men Don't Break Hearts(36)

“But it’s not enough for me,” he said.

“Not enough?” Confusion jostled her thoughts. “Oh…what are we talking about here?” She ran the tip of her tongue over her dry lips. “Blindfolds, cuffs, whips…?”

Fire flared in his widening eyes before his shoulders vibrated with brief amusement. “Now you’re giving me ideas, but that’s not what I meant!” His face sobered up fast. “I mean I’m tired of this hole-in-the-corner affair between us.”

I’m tired, he’d said. I’m tired of us. Her knuckles cracked as she dug her fingers into the table and shot to her feet.

“Okay, I get the message. You could have just told me when I arrived, you know. You didn’t have to do the whole wining-and-dining thing.” She spun round, blindly searching for her handbag.

His chair scraped on the floor as he stood, too. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m getting out of your hair, just like you want.”

Firm fingers closed around her elbow, whirling her about to face a taut chest.

“Did you even hear what I said?” His breath grazed her cheek.

She pulled her shoulders square, swallowing hard as she lifted her chin. “I always knew this was just a temporary thing, so you don’t have to worry. I’m not about to break down in front of you just because you want to end things.”

He swore softly under his breath. “Will you just listen instead of gabbing on? I don’t want to end things. I want the exact opposite. I want to take things—us—to the next level.” His eyes burned in a way she’d never seen before. The force of his words buffeted her like a giant heat wave, stealing all her breath.

A lump rose in her throat. “What do you mean?”

He dug in the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small red satin pouch. “This is for you.”

She fumbled with the drawstring before she managed to extricate the contents. It couldn’t be… “A key?”

“The key to this house. I’m asking you to move in with me. What do you say, Ally?”





Chapter Fourteen

The sliver of strength that had been keeping Ally upright collapsed from under her. Her knees started to buckle. She grabbed onto the nearest solid object available—Nate.

“E-Excuse me?” The hand she threw out onto his shoulder still held the key he’d given her. The imprint of cool metal against warm flesh seared her palm.

Slowly he reached for her hand. “You heard me, Ally. I’m not satisfied with a quick roll in the hay with you anymore. I want something…less transient.”

Less transient? “But I thought… The way you were behaving tonight, I thought you were ready to break things off.”

“You did?” He laughed. “Call it nerves. I’ve never asked a woman to move in with me before. I don’t know if I’m doing it the right way.” A smile wavered on his face, and like a shock of cold water it hit her that under all that rock-solid confidence he really was nervous. Nate Hardy, nervous? Because of her?

She swallowed hard. “So why are you doing it this time? Why me, Nate?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His brows lowered over eyes clouded with inhibition. “Because we’re good together,” he answered, his voice slow and rough. “There’s no bullshit between us. We get each other.”

Her brain wouldn’t stop spinning in shock. “Right now, I don’t get you at all. You’re Nate Hardy. You don’t ask women to move in with you.”

“In the past I didn’t, but now I want to. And I want it to be you.” He was still holding her hand, and now his fingers curled around hers, folding the key tightly into her grip. “Your family thinks I’m a no-good bastard who’s just out to use you and toss you aside, but they’re wrong. I’m going to prove them wrong. I’m your guy, Ally, and you’re my girl. There’s no denying that.”

Panic kicked up in her. She dragged her hand free. “What, so you’re doing this just to prove my family wrong?” She shook her head. “I told you before, Nate. I’m not some poor victim here, and I don’t care what my family or anyone else thinks about our fling.”

“I don’t mind being called a bastard if I deserve it, but I do if I don’t. Maybe you’re the one out to prove a point to your family.”

She backed away from him, but he just kept coming toward her until her heels jarred against the wall. The hesitation had melted from his face, replaced by a nerve-rattling doggedness.

“Is it because you object to living together with me?” His hands brushed against her shoulders. His touch was light, but still it sent a powerful vibration through her. “I understand if it’s too fast for you. We can take things slowly if you like. You don’t have to move in straight away. But I still want you to have the key. I still want you to think of this place as yours, too.” Leaning in, he started to play with her hair, winding a curl around his forefinger, his touch resonating with possessiveness. “Say something, Ally.”

“I—I don’t know what to say.”

“Is it too fast? It does seem insane, I guess. It’s been less than two weeks. But I feel like I’ve known you a lot longer.” His tone was low, husky with emotion matched by the melting toffee depth of his eyes. “You know me. I’ve never been one to hang back. When I see something I want, I go after it.”

The lump remained wedged in her throat, but she managed to get out, “And you want…me?”

He breathed in and out slowly. “Yeah, it’s crazy, I know,” Nate said with a chuckle. He stroked her cheek before resting his hands on her shoulders. “I came back to Burronga searching for a new life, a new me. I wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone, let alone you, but it’s happened.” His chest rose as he hauled in air. “I’m not afraid to put everything on the line. I want you, Ally. I want you in my life twenty-four-seven.”

The fire in his eyes sucked the oxygen from her lungs. Alarm crawled over her and worked its way down her spine. How could she have got it so wrong? She’d thought he didn’t want to see her again, and she’d been close to collapse, but now she felt as though she’d shatter into a million shards.

Because at that moment she realized she was in love with Nate. Head-over-heels, desperately, achingly in love with him, but she couldn’t hand her heart over to him. She could take him tiring of their brief affair and wanting to move on—because she’d prepared herself for that eventuality—but this was something altogether too scary, too real. Love was messy, all-encompassing, too big for her to deal with. And loving Nate was a hundred times worse. He’d talked about wanting her in his life, but he hadn’t said a word about love. He liked her, lusted after her, but he didn’t love her. Not the wild, do-anything-for-you, bone-melting love she felt for him. Maybe he didn’t know how to love her, didn’t even believe in that kind of love. How could she bear it if she gave her heart to him only for him to break it? She wouldn’t survive him, not Nate.

Her heels clattered as she pulled herself free. The key clinked to the floor. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” The staccato words quavered out of her. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, edging away from him.

“Ally?”

His frown and puzzled air tore at her. Why did he have to put her in this position? “I’m flattered you think so much of me, but I thought we were just having a bit of temporary fun.”

“I know that’s how it started, but”—his face tightened—“I had a feeling it was beginning to be something more serious. For both of us.”

Something more serious with Nate. The idea terrified her. Yes, she wanted a serious relationship, but Nate hadn’t mentioned anything about commitment, just shacking up together. If she moved in with him, it’d be like trying to tame a tiger, and even Siegfried and Roy had had trouble with that. Better not to get too close in the first place. “Not for me,” she blurted out. Then, feeling that sounded too brutal, she lamely tacked on, “I’m sorry,” which only compounded her callousness.

The planes of Nate’s face hardened. “So for you it was just about the sex?”

His eyes bored into hers. Why was he making her feel like such an ogre when it was he who was turning all the rules upside down? If only he hadn’t offered her that damn key… But now he’d ruined everything.

“Uh, yeah.”

She could practically see Nate closing up, raising his barriers against her. His face grew blank, his body became steel, his eyes dulled to an igneous granite. He rolled his shoulders a couple of times and flicked at his shirt, as if he were dusting her off him.

“I hope the sex was satisfactory, at least.”

Her stomach heaved. She’d never seen Nate like this before, so clinically cold. “No complaints there.” Her falsetto tone grated on her own ears.

“Okay.” He pinched the bridge of his nose before resting clenched fists on his hips. “Needless to say, this little episode won’t have any bearing on our future landlord–tenant relationship. It’ll be business as usual as far as I’m concerned.”