With Me in Seattle Bundle One (68 page)

His face relaxes into a smile, and he hugs me, tucking me under his chin.  “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll talk you into it.”

I just laugh and squeeze him tight.  “Let’s go for a run on the beach.”

“A run?” Nate asks as I pull out of his arms and walk into the bedroom to open my suitcase.

“Yeah.  I haven’t worked out much this week.”  I know Nate goes to the gym every morning before he follows me into the office.  “I need a run.”

“Okay.”  We pull on some workout clothes, our running shoes and hoodies and head downstairs to the back porch.

“Wow.”  The wraparound porch that does indeed circle the entire house extends farther in the back, over a steep incline in the terrain that leads down to the sand below.  There is an outdoor kitchen, and soft furniture on the covered space.  The railing is made of thick rustic logs, most likely native to this area, and a long stairway leads down to the beach. 

Halfway down the incline, the stairs stop at a large gazebo with more plush furniture and a fire pit.  It would be a great spot to sit in the evening with a glass of wine, roast some marshmallows and watch the sunset.

Nate leads me all the way down to the sand. 

“Well, the climb back up is going to be one hell of a workout,” I remark drily.

He chuckles down at me.  “Why do you think the gazebo is there?  I don’t need anyone having a heart attack on my property.”

We walk down to the shoreline, where the sand is packed and wet, and silently start to run, setting a steady, even pace, running in silence, listening to the water, the birds, and our feet as they rhythmically hit the sand.

We run around driftwood, over seashells, and even spot the carcass of a sea lion, most likely washed up during the tide.

“If you want to run ahead of me, it’s okay,” I say, breaking the quiet.  “I know your legs are longer than mine.”

“I’m good.”

I glance over at him, and he grabs my elbow, pulling me to the right.  “Watch out.”

He’s steered me around a washed-up log.

“Thanks.”

After about twenty minutes, we decide to turn and head back.  We’ve run a long way down the beach, which means we have to run all the way back.

I slow to a walk when I spot the dead sea lion.

“Julianne?”  Nate is out of breath.

“I’m fine, time to walk.”  I’m also panting, and we walk toward the house. 

“I love it here.” Nate’s eyes are fixed on the waves as they tumble toward us.  “It’s like, when I’m here, nothing else matters.”

I love the beach, too, and I know exactly what he means.

“Being at the beach makes me focus on myself.  I forget to worry.” I frown as I stare out at the water, trying to articulate my thoughts.  “I guess it’s my happy place.”

“You’re my happy place, baby.”

My head whips up to meet his gaze at his softly spoken words.  He just smiles and takes my hand in his as we continue along the shoreline.

“Come on, let’s feed you lunch.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

“This is nice.” 

Nate’s running his fingers through my hair.  We are lounging on the luxurious sage-green couch in the living room.  Nate lit a fire in the beautiful stone fireplace, and it’s warm and comfortable.  After our run on the beach, I took a shower while he fixed lunch, then he joined me.

“How did your kitchen get stocked?” I ask and close my eyes, loving the way his fingers feel in my hair.

“I made some calls,” he murmurs.

“Must be nice to have minions.”

He chuckles and tugs playfully on my hair.  “I don’t have minions. I have millions.”

I hear the playfulness in his voice, but I keep my eyes closed.  I don’t want to know how much money he has.  I know he’s excellent at his job, and he is clearly wealthy. 

“None of my business,” I murmur.

“Don’t go to sleep on me.”

“You like it when I go to sleep on you.”  Hmm…he’s still playing with my hair, and the fire is warm.  “I don’t remember the last time I was this relaxed.  We have to come here often.”

“We can come here whenever you want, baby.”

Nate turned on the satellite radio while he was fixing lunch, and the music is flowing through the whole house through the sound system. 
I Won’t Give Up
by Jason Mraz is playing, making me smile.

“I love this song.”

“You do?”  I feel him reach for the remote, and he turns up the volume.

I open my eyes and look up into his face.  How did I get this lucky?

“You spoil me, you know.”

“I hope so. That’s the goal.” His thumb brushes across my cheek. 

“You don’t need to.  I’m happy with just you.”

“This is me, baby.”

I sit up and cup his face in my hands.  His hair is still tied, and my fingers are itching to run through it.

“Can I take your hair down?” I ask. 

His eyes flare. “You can do whatever you want.”

I pull the tie out of his hair and run my fingers through the thick, ink-black softness.  “Don’t cut it.”

“Okay.”  His arms are wrapped around me, and his eyes are traveling over my face, patiently watching me as I touch his hair, his face, his shoulders.

“You’re so handsome,” I whisper.

Nate leans down and lays his lips over mine, just resting them there, breathing me in.  I never knew such a light touch could be so intimate.  Finally, he kisses me sweetly and pulls back.

“I have something for you,” he whispers, and I grin.

“It’s about time, ace.”  I quickly straddle his hips and settle my center over his crotch.  “This morning feels like days ago.”

Nate laughs up at me as he cups my ass in his hands and pulls me closer.  “Well, that’s not exactly what I meant, but I love the way you think, baby.”

“Oh.” I kiss his cheek and nibble over to his ear.  “What do you have for me?” I whisper.

“On second thought”—he wraps his arms around my middle, and before I know it, I’m on my back across the couch, tucked under him—“this is an excellent idea.”

“I do have good ideas, don’t I?” I ask with a sassy smile, and he grins delightedly down at me, his gray eyes shining with happiness.

“Oh, baby, you do.”  He scrapes his teeth along my jawline. His hands are in my hair, holding me still, and he devours me with a kiss that leaves me dizzy.  My hands slip beneath the waist of his jeans and boxer-briefs, and I grip his tight, smooth ass in my hands.

“Nate,” I murmur against his lips.

“Yes, beautiful.” 

“In.” Kiss. “Me.” Kiss. “Now.”

He pushes back to look down at me, his eyes on fire, matching mine, and I grab for his fly.  My fingers feel clumsy, and it takes me a few tries, but I finally get his zipper down, push his pants and briefs down far enough to unleash his beautiful, already hard cock, and run my thumb over the tip, back and forth over his apa.

“Fuck,” he growls. 

He tears the yoga pants I threw on after my shower at the crotch rather than take the time to pull them off, and pushes two fingers inside me.  “God, baby, you’re so wet.”

“Now.  I need you now.”

“This is going to be fast, Jules.”

“Yes, fast.”  I guide him through my lips to my opening, and he slides in, all the way to the hilt.  He’s so deep, so big, and I know this will not last long, for either of us.

Jesus, two minutes ago I was about to fall asleep in his lap!

“So beautiful.” His hips are moving quickly. He’s slamming into me hard, and he pulls my leg up over his shoulder, letting him sink into me even deeper. “Holy fuck, babe.” 

I grip on to his arms and hold on for dear life as he thrusts into me fast and hard and oh so deep.  His hands tighten in my hair, and he rests his forehead against mine as I feel his orgasm work through him.

“With me,” he whispers, and it pushes me over the edge, and I shatter around him.

“Wow,” I whisper and kiss his nose.

“God, Julianne, I never stop wanting you.”  He pulls out of me and reverses our positions so I’m lying on top of him, my head on his chest.  His pants are still pulled down, and mine are a torn mess, but neither of us cares.

“Back at you, ace.  You are so beautiful, inside and out.”  I lay my hand over his heart and smile softly.  “Thank you, by the way.”

“No need to thank me for that, baby.  It’s my pleasure.”

I laugh and prop myself up on my hands so I can look into his face.  “Not that, smart-ass.  Thanks for this weekend.  We needed it.”

He tucks my hair behind my ear and sighs.  “Yeah, we did.”

I yawn and settle back down on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat and enjoying the rhythmic rise and fall with each breath he takes.

“Let’s sleep,” he whispers and kisses my hair.

***

I wake alone.  A fresh log has been tossed onto the fire, I smell something delicious coming from the kitchen, and the radio is still on.  I don’t recognize the song that’s playing.

I sit up and stretch.  There is no sign of Nate, so I run upstairs to throw away my ruined yoga pants and change into jeans. I pick up my iPhone and turn it on as I descend the stairs.

Hmm…where did Nate go? 

I sit back down on the couch and rub my hands over my face, trying to wake up.  Naps always leave me extra groggy.

My phone starts to ring on the couch cushion next to me.  I don’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Jules?” a woman asks.

“Yes.”

“Hi, this is Marie Desmond from
Playboy
magazine.  I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday.”

“No problem. What’s up?”  I frown and stand to pace the room as I talk.  What could they possibly want?

“Well, I’m calling because we are about to do an anniversary shoot for the July issue, and we’re bringing back some of our most popular girls.  Do you have any recent photos of yourself?”

“Yes, I have some recent photos, Marie, but none that are nude.”  Holy shit!

“That’s okay. I’d love for you to e-mail a couple to me.”

“I’m not even sure that I’d be interested in posing for an anniversary issue.”  I stop pacing in front of a wide window and watch the ocean crash on the sand below.

“Well, it pays $50,000, Jules.”

“$50,000?  Holy cow that’s double what I got for the month I was the centerfold.  Why so much?”

“We’ve been authorized to offer that to the veteran girls for this special issue.”

“I don’t know.  That part of my life was a long time ago, and I’m not so sure that my father’s heart could survive me posing nude again,” I say with a laugh, and I hear Marie’s chuckle on the other end.

“I understand.  Think about it over the weekend and call me on Monday.”

“Okay.  Thanks for the opportunity, Marie.”

“You’re welcome.  I’ll talk to you soon.”

I hang up the phone and lean my forehead against the cool glass of the window.

Holy fuck.

“Hell, no.”

I twirl around at Nate’s angry voice and find him standing next to the couch, leaning his hip against it with his arms folded over his chest.

“I take it you heard?”

“No way, Julianne.”

“I didn’t say I was going to do it.”

“You didn’t say no.”  His eyes are glacial, his jaw clenched, and he’s just so pissed.

“She offered me fifty grand.  That’s double what centerfolds make.”  This is so not about the money.  I don’t need it.  But it is such a boost to my ego to know that they still want me!

“I’ll deposit a hundred grand into your account when we get home.  The answer is no.”  His voice is so calm, but he’s radiating anger, and this really pisses me off.

“I didn’t ask you,” I respond with a scowl. 

“Julianne…”

“Stop.”  I hold up my hand and shake my head.  “I am not your child, nor am I your wife.  This is my decision, Nate.”

I see a muscle twitch in his jaw, and his eyes narrow on mine.

“So, what you’re saying is, when my girlfriend, whom I happen to be in love with, is propositioned by
Playboy
to pose nude, I don’t get to have an opinion in the matter?”

“You’re not giving me your opinion.  You’re putting your foot down and telling me that I can’t.  I’m twenty-six years old. I’ll do what I want.”  I cross my arms over my chest and glare back at him.

“No discussion?” he asks quietly.

I sigh deeply and look down at my bare feet.  I know I’m being stubborn and stupid, but damn it, I’m not his property! 

“Nate…”

He crosses the room quickly and grips my arms in his hands, holding me in place. “I can’t stand the thought of it, Julianne. No other man will ever see you naked again, do you understand me?”  His voice is raw, his eyes pleading with me, and my brain just stops.

“Nate—” I try again, but he interrupts me once more.

“No.” He shakes his head in denial.  “I want to build a life with you. This isn’t just an affair for me. And you get a call from someone you don’t know who wants you to pose naked in a national magazine, and I don’t weigh in on your decision at all?  How is that supposed to make me feel?”

Fuck.

“Nate.” I step toward him, and he loosens his grip on me, but his face is hard. I take a deep breath and wrap my arms around his waist, press my cheek against his chest and hold on tight. “Stop, babe.”

His arms fold around my shoulders, and he hugs me to him.

I caress his back reassuringly, kiss his chest and back away, still in the circle of his arms. I look up into his uncertain, wary face and smile, my anger gone. He loves me. He wants to protect me.

“I was never going to accept their offer, Nate.”

“Why didn’t you just turn her down?” he asks quietly.

“Two reasons:  One, because it felt nice to get the offer, and two, because ironically, I hadn’t talked it over with
you
. You know I’m not interested in that. But it’s really flattering that they thought of me, out of all the girls they could choose.”  I shrug and look at his chest. “I would hope you’d be proud of me.”

“Oh, baby, I am.”  He kisses my forehead, and I feel the tension seep out of him.  “I’m so proud of you. But I can’t deal with the thought you of posing again. Please turn them down.”

“Like I said, I wasn’t going to accept the offer.  But, Nate, you can’t just dictate to me what I will and won’t do. I’m not the kind of girl who will just go along with your orders.”