I feel naked. Vulnerable. Like he’s got all the power.
‘But I had to see you again regardless of whether we have sex or not.’ A low hum sounds from the back of his throat. ‘Oddly, you intrigue me.’
‘That is odd,’ I agree, nipping at the inside of my cheek.
‘It’s not odd because it’s you, Holly. It’s odd because you’re an easy woman to be around. And that’s something I haven’t encountered in a long time.’
‘Hmm. Easy is one word for the other night.’ Now he’s this close, I’m owning the shame that earlier consumed me.
Nate’s thick thighs skirt closer to mine. ‘You know loads about me. I know nothing about you. Give me something.’ His deep sensual eyes pin me in a haze of sexuality.
‘That’s not strictly true now, is it?’ We both know he’s intimately acquainted with every inch of my body.
I tear my eyes back to my glass and take a sip before I combust with lust. ‘I’m an art teacher at an all-girls’ convent in Dublin.’ If I haven’t been sacked, that is…
‘A teacher?’ He pauses for a beat like he’s processing. ‘You’re wasted as a teacher. You should have your own gallery. Showcase your amazing work. I actually wondered if you painted a portrait of the head of the Mafia and he didn’t like it, so you had to come here to lie low.’
‘Ha! I wish. I succumbed to the pressures of getting a “real job” very early on.’
His pensive gaze crawls across my face.
‘And if you’re not hiding from the Irish Mafia, what did bring you to Ballybowen?’ It’s his turn to take a sip from his drink.
‘If I told you that, you’d go running for the hills.’ My fingers rake through the ends of my hair nervously.
‘I doubt it. But I do have a house in the Hills.’ Those full lips quirk. ‘It’s nice, but it gets kind of lonely sometimes.’
‘Really? I never imagined a man of your calibre would be lonely.’
‘Because we already established you “imagined” me a lot in your fantasies.’ That velvety voice slides straight over my spine and directly to my sweet spot.
‘I was tipsy, sorry,’ I cringe.
‘Don’t apologise. It was sexy as hell. They don’t make girls like you where I live.’ Nate slides his glass on the coffee table, before prising mine from my clammy fingers and setting it next to his.
He tugs me towards him, lifting and arranging me like a doll until my thighs are on either side of him. Déjà vu. I’m not complaining. I like being on his lap as much as it appears he likes having me there.
‘You know this potent attraction between us could keep us both warm on these winter nights while we’re hiding out in this tiny, quiet village.’ His face dips towards mine and he inhales the scent of my hair. ‘I don’t suppose I could talk you into hanging out with me for December?’
A short-term arrangement with the man of my absolute dreams while I sort my life out? The same man who’s already proven is more than capable of providing endless orgasms?
Sign. Me. Up.
‘Fuck buddies?’ I didn’t think it was possible to make my mother more ashamed of me after last weekend, but I’m pretty sure this would drive her over the edge.
‘Do you have to be so crude?’ he teases, digging his fingers into my waist. ‘I was thinking more like friends…’ Dark pupils dance with a decadent delight, ‘with benefits.’
‘So that would entail you sneaking here for regular sex?’
‘Amongst other things.’ His index finger trails languidly across my collarbone, hovering just above my breast. I can barely breathe. ‘Did I mention I preferred your earlier outfit?’
‘You can’t make an accurate judgement until you’ve seen the entire outfit, you know?’ I shrug, letting my jumper slide off my shoulder, revealing even more flesh and an ivory silk bra strap.
So much for being shy. Something about Nate Jackson removes every shy bone in my body. His hips buck beneath mine and his lips inch close enough that his hot breath seeps into my parted mouth.
Firm hands cup my ass cheeks and squeeze. ‘Bedroom.’ It’s an order.
It looks like Nate’s taking charge tonight.
