My last thought before falling asleep is that I’m going to tear down those walls, take care of him, and also try to guard my heart in the process.
Chapter Twelve
Alice
The next week flies by in a blink of an eye, the official opening of Blue Moon taking up most of my time. When Saturday rolls around, I’m on pins and needles. We’re driving out to Joshua Tree National Park today to try out Daniel’s newest idea of a good time, or a death trap. Blake and Daniel are already there, together with Summer, who announced at the beginning of the week that she was coming in for a visit. Like a good sister, she said she’d fly out there and join us, then drive back with us to see the rest of the family. Nate and his team are joining us too. He and Daniel agreed on hiking as a team activity, with Nate alone trying out rock climbing.
I’m driving with Nate, since it didn’t make sense to go separately. At four o’clock in the morning, I roll my suitcase to the foyer with less than a few minutes to spare until Nate is supposed to pick me up. The sun hasn’t even come up yet. I had one cup of coffee, but I can still barely keep my eyes open. My stomach flutters at the thought that we’re going to spend about eight hours alone, confined in a car. Almost involuntarily, my mind flies to the way he pleasured me the last time I saw him, and I nearly sway remembering the sheer force of his passion.
I’m so lost in the memory that I jump when my doorbell rings. I check my appearance one last time in the mirror hanging next to the entrance. My hair is pulled in a messy bun, and I have minimal makeup on. I’m wearing jeans and a tank top, which doesn’t scream sexy or trying too hard. The top might be too thin for four o’clock in the morning in San Francisco, but it’ll be hot and sunny in Joshua Tree.
When I open the door, Nate greets me with a wink and a bright smile, and my breath catches.
“Speechless already Bennett?” he teases. “I like how this is going.”
I shrug, scrunching my nose. “Was merely taking a moment to enjoy the view. Can’t blame a girl.”
“Since blatant ogling is on the table, allow me to do the same.” Stepping inside, he takes my hand, twirling me around once. He stops when I’m facing him again, and we’re so close I can feel the heat of his skin.
“So you weren’t going to ogle anyway?” I whisper.
Nate shakes his head, cupping my face with one hand. I love when he does this. There’s something incredibly intimate about the gesture. It’s protective and speaks to me on a primal level.
“I’d planned to be a perfect gentleman today, to make up for last time.”
In an involuntary gesture, I press my thighs together, leaning more into his touch like a kitten. “Hey, I’ll never complain about orgasms.”
“Oh, I see. So you torture me with five dates but won’t complain when you benefit from my weakness for you?”
“I have a dark side.”
I barely have time to take note of the corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk before he tips his head down. Every nerve ending in my body zips to life as he seals his lips over mine. He starts out gently, but the kiss spirals into a passionate tangle of limbs before long. When I feel a hard surface against my ass, I realize he backed me against the door.
“Whoa!” Nate breathes in deeply when we pull apart.
“That escalated quickly,” I murmur, and then we’re both laughing. Stepping back, he glances around the foyer, then heads to my suitcase, grabbing the handle and rolling it after him. “Back to your gentleman ways?”
“Trying to.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Aren’t you taking a jacket with you?”
“I have one in my suitcase.”
“Take it out. It’s chilly outside. I don’t want you to get sick.”
I cock a brow. “It’s a short walk to the car, and I don’t feel like rummaging through my bag for it.”
Letting go of my suitcase, he glances around the foyer, finding my coatrack. He stomps toward it, takes one of the coats—a black one with silver buttons—and returns, holding it out for me.
“Come on, put it on.” His eyes are hard and focused. That bossy alpha streak is my downfall, I swear. I can’t help wanting to rile him up more, because this man is downright delicious when he’s in persuasion mode.
“I’m not a kid. Nate—”
“Alice!”
Oh, I love it when he says my name in that tone. But if I don’t put a stop to this, we won’t make it to the car.