Return of the Jerk (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 2) (33 page)

“All right, princess.” He took a swig of whiskey and motioned at her. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Blair stood up and decided to be like Road, stripping her clothes off quickly. She didn’t leave them in a pile on the floor, though, but put them neatly on the chair.

When she was done, Road stared at her body with a lust-filled grin. “Damn,” he murmured. “Had no idea you were this good-looking.”

She walked toward him, took the whiskey from him, and put it down. He was still grinning. Blair stood close, not touching him yet, letting her eyes wander over him as she took a deep breath. His smoky scent, even tinged with whiskey, was indescribably good.

Road didn’t move either, though she noticed his grin was gone. Blair reached up and touched the tattoo on his upper right arm—a ship in a bottle—tracing the outline of it.

“I’ve always liked this one,” she said softly.

Road didn’t say anything and when Blair looked up to his face, she was surprised to see he was watching her intently.

There was a black tribal arm band on his left bicep and she touched this one next, slid her fingers to circle it. She could hear Road’s breath now, turning ragged, see the movement of his chest. When she looked to his face again, his eyes were heated.

“Road . . .” she whispered.

But he only shook his head. “That’s enough,” is all he said. And then his mouth crashed onto hers, hot and needy, devouring her. There was only one thought blowing through Blair’s mind, like a mantra through the cloud of desire.

Finally. Finally. Finally.

Things at the bakery are crazy all week so Blair works late every day, which is just as well, since her condo is still overrun. Despite Fiona spending time with Sachi, they’re not exactly a couple again. At least, not yet. Nathan is on his computer constantly and admits to Blair one night he’s making progress with his book.

“You have an ending?” she asks with surprise.

“No, but other things have started coming together for me.”

“Does this mean you’re not writing
Journey to Red Willow Valley
?”

He chuckles. “Oh, I’m still writing that one. Just need more research is all.” And then Blair gasps as Road reaches for her, deciding he needs more research right away.

The truth is she’s fallen even more deeply in love with him these past few weeks. Loving someone from a distance and loving them when they’re sleeping beside you, she now realizes, are two different things.

She even accidentally tells him ‘I love you’ one night. Freezes as soon as the words leave her lips. In truth, it felt good to say them, makes her wish she could say them all the time, but she knows that would be the end. No more incredible nights.
Strange to think telling someone ‘I love you’ is a bad thing
. Luckily, it was right after he made her come with his magic fingers, so he believed her when she told him it just slipped out.

“Were you thinking about the dipshit?” Nathan asks, lying beside her.

Blair goes still, doesn’t know how to answer this.

“It’s okay.” He strokes her back, trails his fingers down her spine. “I figure he’s probably on your mind sometimes. That you probably can’t help it.”

“I guess.” Blair doesn’t like this, though, doesn’t like how he accepts she might be thinking of another guy, doesn’t like how he might be doing the same thing. “Do you think of anyone else when we’re with each other like this?”

“No. Only thinking of you.”

“What about that woman you were involved with from Spain?” she can’t resist asking. “Do you still think of her?”

Road is quiet. She hates when he goes quiet because it usually means he’s contemplating his answer, that he has
something
to contemplate.

“Occasionally,” he admits. “But not when you and I are together.”

“Gosh, how tactful you are
.
”

“You think I’m lying?”

“Of course not.”

Nathan props himself up on one elbow. “You got something to say?”

I have a million things to say, and I wish I could say them all.
But she knows she can’t. In her heart of hearts, one thing’s for certain.
I’m not ready to give him up yet.

“Forget it. It’s nothing.”

“Babe, I already told you, I’m not with anybody else. Only you.”

She sighs. “I know.”

The next day at work, while Blair is checking on some of the sugar art for Kiki’s wedding cake, Natalie comes over. “Hey, I need to talk to you about a couple of things. Can we go in the office for a second?”

Blair looks up at her. “Of course.”

She follows Natalie into the bakery’s small back office where they sit down across from each other. First, they discuss one of the caterers who hired them to provide desserts for a private party recently, and then Blair reminds Natalie she’ll be gone the weekend of Kiki’s wedding, which is still a ways off.

“Carlos and Ginger will be handling the Saturday deliveries that day,” Blair tells her. “Also, I think Ginger is ready to start doing wedding cakes on her own.”

Natalie nods, but has a funny little grin on her face.

“Was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?” Blair asks.

“I’m pregnant.”

Blair’s eyes widen. “That’s wonderful!”

“It is.” Natalie nods, beaming.

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.” Blair smiles and reaches over for Natalie’s hand, clasping it. “Anthony must be thrilled.”

“He is.” Natalie laughs. “The girls, too,” she says, referring to her daughter and step-daughter—Chloe and Serena.

“How far along are you?”

“Three months. We’ve known for a little while, but decided to keep it to ourselves for a bit until we were sure everything is okay. I just told Lindsay this morning.”

“That’s understandable.” Blair flashes back to her own miscarriage years ago. “How do you feel? Are you throwing up?”

“A little queasy. I’m mostly tired, though.”

Blair asks her when the baby is due and they talk about the logistics, working around the pregnancy and Natalie’s maternity leave.

“Saturdays have been so busy, I’ve been thinking we should hire another baker for the weekends anyway,” Natalie says. “Lindsay is still filling in as a barista, too, but I don’t know how much longer she can do it.”

“We’ll figure it all out,” Blair says with a grin. “Don’t worry about anything.”

Later, as Blair is finishing up for the day, she happens to see Anthony come into the kitchen. He’s been picking up Natalie from work every day and now she understands why.

“Hey there, looking for your wife?” Blair asks, untying her apron.

“That I am.”

She goes over to him. “I just heard the happy news. Congratulations!”

She gives him a quick hug then steps back to find him grinning. She can’t help being slightly affected by it. Anthony is one of the most handsome men she’s ever met.

“You two are going to be amazing parents,” she tells him. “You already are!” Anthony and Natalie both brought a daughter with them to the marriage, and Blair’s always thought they did an incredible job combining families.

“Thanks, we’re all really excited. And the girls are both hoping for a little brother.”

“Little brothers are fun. I have a couple of them myself. And just think, you’ll have built-in babysitters.”

Anthony chuckles. “Yeah, we’ll see. At this point, all they seem interested in is how to clothe him. I keep explaining a baby isn’t like a doll.”

Natalie comes in from the front area carrying a couple of empty cake platters, smiling when she sees Anthony. Blair flashes back to that terrible day when Natalie came into work pale and upset, telling Blair how her husband at the time had dumped her for another woman. It was a bumpy ride, but Natalie really turned her life around.

That’s what I need to do.

Though, Blair knows the journey isn’t over and, unfortunately, the ride is only going to get bumpier.

Blair’s mood turns dark after this. It’s not that she isn’t happy for Natalie and her beautiful life, because she certainly is. Her mood isn’t so much about Natalie at all, but more about her own life and the mess it has become lately.

“Hey, princess,” Nathan says when she gets home. He’s in the kitchen making dinner. Some kind of pasta dish, dirtying what looks like every single pan in the house. Blair puts the slices of carrot cake she brought home for him into the fridge.

Fiona is, as usual, blathering into her Bluetooth as she clicks around the condo in her thousand dollar shoes. Blair once asked her why she even bothered with the heels, but Fiona only looked at her like she was a moron. “Because I’m
working
!”

Blair goes straight to her bedroom and lies down on the bed, trying to push her dark mood aside, but finds it difficult.

She wants her sanctuary back. Everything clean and organized, tidy and in its proper place. So maybe there were too many hospital corners in her life before, but who cares? Since Nathan’s been sleeping with her, she’s actually forgotten to do her nightly routine altogether.
What if I leave the front door unlocked? Or what if the plugged-in toaster causes a fire?

I don’t even recognize myself anymore
.

“You all right?” Nathan opens the bedroom door, looking in on her. “You seemed upset when you came home.”

“I’m fine.”

He comes over and sits down beside her on the bed. He’s wearing jeans and a green T-shirt that makes his eyes look as if they’re lit from within. She stares at him as hard as she can, trying to untangle this Gordian Knot, to solve the puzzle of him once and for all, but knows it’s hopeless.

“Talk to me, babe. What’s going on?”

She doesn’t respond.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asks softly.

“
What
?” Her eyes widen as a shot of adrenaline spikes through her. “Leave?”

He nods. “Yeah, leave you alone for a while. Call you when dinner’s ready.”

“Oh.” Her pulse starts to calm. “Okay, that would be nice. I just need a few minutes alone.”

Nathan gets up and goes. She watches him close the door.

And then she starts to cry.

By dinner, she’s almost normal again, manages to eat the delicious meal he’s cooked and compliments him on it. Manages to ignore Fiona’s theatrics as she carries on about some imaginary problem that only a person with too much money could have.

“It’s not even a first edition!” Fiona says, ranting on about some bookseller she was on the phone with earlier. Apparently, she’s buying a gift for Sachi.

Later, when they’re in bed, Nathan teases her about the T-shirt and shorts she’s wearing.

“No more sexy nighties?”

“I’m sorry, but your birthday only comes once a year.”

“What about laundry day?” he pleads. “That’s more than once a year.”

“Come to think of it, I should probably put my sweatpants on and wash these shorts.”

“Christ,” he snorts. “Next thing, you’ll be wearing a flannel nightgown, granny glasses, and a cap to bed.”

Blair knows he’s only trying to lighten her mood. Nathan’s laser focus was turned on all evening, directed at her, and it’s clear he senses something is off.

“Are you describing the wolf from ‘Little Red Riding Hood’?”