Hurting To Feel (Carpool Dolls) (4 page)

Chapter
Four

Addison
slammed the door, slapped at the light switch, and threw her purse across her
living room. The more miles she put between her and Nate, the angrier she grew.
She'd worked her ass off for the last four years building a solid reputation
for her girls.

Who
was he to assume anything about her?

She
kicked off her heels as she walked to the fridge and removed a bottle of wine.
After putting up with his claustrophobic touching and playing her role as his
date—without a bite of dinner she noted—she deserved to consume the whole
bottle. She poured herself a glass, and decided a spoonful of jam was also called
for.

Men.
They were all like her father.

She
shoveled another spoonful of strawberry preserves into her mouth and followed
it with a healthy swallow of wine. She tapped her fist against the counter as
the sweetness overloaded her head. Not only was Nate an asshole, he was a class
act asshole.

The
doorbell rang. She groaned. It was probably Ms. Lindsay, who lived next door,
wondering why she arrived home late.

She
picked up the jar, walked to the front door, and scooped more jam into her
mouth before swinging the door open. "Everything is okay, Ms—

"Addy,"
Nate said.

She
swung the door closed, but Nate blocked it with his hand and stepped inside. She
backed up and pointed the spoon at him. "Get out."

"I
want to apologize." He closed the door and slipped his hands into his
pocket. "I've insulted you."

"You
think?" She dug the spoon into the jar and stuffed her mouth full of jam.

"I
made a couple phone calls. Well, my attorney made them for me while I followed
you home. I was distracted trying to keep up with you. You do know how to drive
the hell out of the Porsche." His mouth softened. "I'm sorry, Addy. I
assumed you were supplying…services, but I was wrong. From all accounts, you're
running a hell of a business."

Okay.
Well, then. Um. She swallowed the bite of strawberries. That was the last thing
she expected him to say.

She
lifted her chin. "Apology accepted."

He
closed the distance between them, took the spoon out of her hand, dropped it
into the jar, and set it on the end table beside the couch. She backed up until
her legs hit the cushions and put a stop to her retreat.

He
swiped his thumb along the corner of her mouth. "Got a little something
right here…"

She
licked her lip, encountered his thumb, and swallowed a moan. His gaze heated,
and her breath hitched. She inhaled swiftly, her breasts brushed against the
front of him.

He
lowered his head. "I'm going to kiss you."

"You
can't," she said.

His
gaze stayed on her lips. "Why not?"

Unable
to help herself, she tapped her foot against his shoe. "Because."

He
chuckled. "I wanted to kiss you the moment you looked into my car and
saved my ass."

Really?
She cleared her throat. "You didn't though, so it's too late."

"I
thought you were a prostitute and playing me with your innocent act," he
said.

She
pushed against his chest. "Get out."

"Not
going anywhere, Addy. I apologized. It was a stupid mistake."

This
couldn't be happening. He was Nate Rafferty. Her fascination with him went back
a few years, but she never, ever, went out with men in his circle.

"I
don't know why you want to kiss me," she whispered. "Nothing can
happen between us."

"You've
got that wrong." His hand slipped under her hair and he cupped the back of
her head. "Why do you think I offered you a job? I can't get you out of my
head. If there's one thing you need to know about me, I get what I want…and I
want you."

"Who
says you can have me?" she said.

"Shut
up, Addy," he murmured against her lips.

She
closed her eyes, because more than anything, she wanted him to kiss her. His
lips brushed hers, and he whispered, "Open your eyes."

Need
made the act almost impossible but in the end, she dragged her eyelids open.
"I don't know what you want from me."

"I
want you to see who you're kissing." His breath tickled her face. "I
want to be the only one you're thinking about when I finally take a taste of
you."

Oh.
That was nice. "Okay."

"Good
answer," he murmured as he captured her lips.

For
all his hesitation and concern, he went from slow to oh my God deep and
delicious in a snap. All she could do was hold on to his shirt to keep from
swaying. She met his tongue with her own. Dueling, stroking, sucking as excitement
twirled low in her abdomen.

Nate
slid his hands under her armpits and picked her up without breaking away from
her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and
continued to kiss him. In the back of her mind, she was aware of him walking.
She only worried about one thing. She never wanted him to stop kissing her.

In
the bedroom, she fell, taking him with her. He landed on top of her, braced on
his elbows to cushion the landing. Her hands went to the front of his shirt,
fighting with the buttons. He chuckled against her lips.

"Slow
down, doll," he said against her lips. "I'll take care of you."

She
gasped, letting her arms fall to the mattress. "What are we doing?"

"Right
now, my hands are on you." He slid the bottom of her dress to her waist.
"In a second, I'm going to taste you."

"Oh,
God," she said on an exhale. "M-maybe we should slow down."

He
stilled above her. "Give me one good reason."

How
about they barely knew each other. Sure, he had her investigated after thinking
she was a prostitute, and she gobbled up everything about him she could find on
public domain, but she had no idea how many women he'd slept with or if he had
a girlfriend. No, that wasn't true. He'd broken up with what's her name,
Suzanne.

"I'll
take it I can continue because you're not telling me no," he said.

She
melted. Here, on her bed, she saw the sly and badass boy he claimed to have
been in his past. It was the idea of what kind of trouble he could still get
into that made her hot. Rumored to be out of control, a hot head, and running
from the law most of his life, he was the forbidden fruit. Something about him,
barely holding on to polite society, knowing he was hard and unbending to the
core, thrilled her.

He
slid down her body. She jolted. "Wait."

"What
now?"

"I
know I'm clean, but I don't know…"

"I
am, too. But, I'll take care of you." He hooked his fingers on the side of
her panties and dragged them down her legs. "I have a condom."

"Okay.
Okay. Protection is a good thing." She stared at the ceiling and tried to
ignore that he was between her thighs and—she came off the bed. "Oh. My.
God. Nate."

His
mouth remained on her, and he planted his hand on her stomach, pressing her
back onto the mattress. She melted into the comforter. Every muscle in her body
quit fighting, except one hidden deep inside her, making her quiver.

Nate
growled against her. Her pleasure rose and she gave one final effort to raise
her hand and grab his attention. Her fingers sank into his hair.

"Please,"
she tugged.

He
kissed her way over her abdomen, over her ribs, and rose above her. She locked
her ankles behind his calves, not letting him go as he extracted a condom out
of his wallet, unzipped his trousers, and released his cock.

"Oh
wow," she whispered, blinking at the sight of him.

His
largeness, hardness, and sexiness, included every single part of him. He
lowered himself down and nibbled on her neck. "Last chance, Addy. Let me
have you."

She
nodded against his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Please."

In
careful concentration, he entered her. She held on to his arms braced on each
side of her on the bed. His muscles constricted and became harder, if that was
possible. She lifted her hips.

He
withdrew slowly.

She
bucked underneath him.

He
slid in with all the care in the world.

She
groaned in torment.

He
held himself still.

"God,
please." She dug her nails into his biceps.

On
fire, she needed more. She squirmed below him. Each agonizing stroke spiraled
her out of control.

"Fuck."
He ground against her. "Look at me."

She
inhaled a shuddering breath, so close, so fricking close. Then she opened her
eyes.

The
intensity of his gaze reached inside of her and brought her release. She
convulsed in pleasure, wave after wave. His eyes warmed, and if she thought she
was done, she found out differently.

One
look from him and her body paid attention despite her mind reveling in the
fastest, hardest orgasm of her life.
Again?

"I
knew it." He lowered himself to his elbows. "Together now."

As
if he dictated her every move, she held on to him. "Oh, God."

No
longer did he keep tight control of his movements. He captured her mouth, and
moved against her. Embers heated to burning flames, and she gave him back
everything he gave to her. Hard, hot, and heavy. She wrapped her arms around
his neck, straining for what she knew was again within her reach.

Then
he growled, and she swallowed the sound. Her orgasm swept her away as he
plunged inside of her and held himself still. She ran her hands over his
shoulders, smiling at the tremors rocking his body. More than satisfied that
she was the one who made Nate Rafferty, big man of the city, tremble in her
arms.

He
pressed his forehead against hers. "You're mine. If you're seeing anyone
else, it stops now."

"You
can't say that," she whispered. "We had sex. That's all."

He
slipped out of her, rolling off the bed, and stood. "Where's the
bathroom?"

She
pointed to the door. He walked out of the room, and she mustered all her
strength to curl into a ball.

He
was delusional. What happened between them was nothing more than both of them
getting caught in the moment. She was angry. He was—

She
sat straight up. "Oh, Frick. He lied."

For
the last two days, he believed she was a prostitute. She stood and yanked her
dress down. He probably didn't even call his lawyer and find out what kind of
business she ran. She closed her eyes and groaned. She played right into his
hands.

Nate
walked into the room. Sick inside, she turned away from him. He hadn't even
removed his clothes and she'd been all over him.

He
wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. "Come
here."

She
shook her head, but he'd propelled her around to face him. She pushed away.
"I have an early morning. I'll walk you to the door."

"What's
going on?" His voice low and cautious only angered her.

How
could he not know? She'd let him go on believing she serviced men on the job.
It was safer that way. He could get any woman he wanted, and she'd erected
barriers so he wouldn't get the idea she was his for the fucking.

Except,
she'd failed.

"Nothing."
She shrugged, walking around him. "I'm beat. I had a long day, and then I
went out with you and now—she fluttered her hand toward the bed—this."

"This?"
He followed her out to the living room. "Do you want to fill me in on what
happened? Because I thought you understood exactly what happened between us. I
came to apologize. You were right there in bed with me, Addy. You came in my
arms. Twice."

She
swallowed. "Yes, I was there."

"Then
tell me why you're in a hurry to get rid of me." He removed her hand from
the doorknob. "I don't make it a habit to sleep with every woman who
catches my eye. I also don't make promises I don't plan to keep."

"I
get it. You don't want me to have sex with other men." She crossed her
arms and rolled her eyes. "That came across real clear. But, I don't make
promises. I also don't date men like you. So as much as I enjoyed tonight, well
the last part of it, I won't be repeating it again. You're also not allowed to
use my services at Carpool Dolls or visit me at my house again. Is that
perfectly clear…Mr. Rafferty?"

His
mouth tightened and he stepped toward her. Leaning down, he stopped inches from
her face. She used all her strength to square her shoulders under the
intimidating size of him.

"Tomorrow
night, I'll ring your doorbell. You're going to answer," he said.
"Then we're going out on a date."

She
snorted. "In your dreams."