Nathan: Small Town Romance (Heroes of Daisy Hills Book 1) Page 2

  But now, I can’t help but think how terrified the people in the bank must’ve been when a gun was flashed at them.

  Out front, someone raps sharply on the glass, eliciting a scream from me. Dammit, I’m jumpy.

  “Audrey?”

  Relief sweeps over me. It’s Nathan.

  I unlock the door to let him in, resisting the urge to run into his arms and hold on for dear life. It’s the only thing I want right now, but I’m not thinking clearly after all of this. “Did you get him?”

  “No.”

  “No?” The question comes out in barely in a whisper.

  Nathan touches my elbow and instantly my body tingles at the touch I’ve craved for so long. “I will, Audrey. No one is going to hurt you.”

  4

  AUDREY

  “Don’t you think a police escort is a little much?” From my front porch, I eye the police cruiser idling in my driveway the next morning. It’s safer to stare at it than the incredibly hot man in uniform in front of me.

  “I’m not taking any chances until he’s caught, Audrey.”

  The Audrey from yesterday, before she was held at gunpoint, would’ve been irritated by the gesture. But I’m not her anymore. An experience like last night has changed me. I hate that I feel a tinge of fear, but I do.

  “Did you even figure out who it was?” I ask, stepping down from the porch.

  “We’re working on that.”

  “So, no.” I’ve replayed that gruff voice in my head a thousand times last night, hoping I could figure out who it was. It has to be someone from Daisy Hills. Tourists come and go, rarely making a strong enough impression that’d allow me to recognize their voice.

  “You’re not driving,” Nathan says, grabbing my wrist when I head for my car.

  “Why not?” It’s damn near impossible to ignore the way my whole body zings to life at his touch, but I pretend to anyway. “It’s just a few blocks. Are you going to drive me around on my errands today, too?”

  “Yes.”

  I roll my eyes at him, but his serious demeanor doesn’t flinch. Dammit, he’s almost sexier when he’s all protective and serious like this than when he flashes that movie star quality smile. “I have a lot of errands today.”

  “That’s fine.”

  Realizing I’m not going to win this argument, I give in and fall into the passenger seat. The patrol car smells like Nathan’s irresistible cologne, allowing another memory in uninvited. Nathan with pink frosting on his nose, put there by my mischievous finger. Him swiping my cheek with a frosting-covered spatula. His expert lips and tongue cleaning it up.

  By the time Nathan walks around the front of his car and gets in, I’m breathing twice as heavy as I should be. “Did you get any sleep?”

  “Not really. You?”

  “No.”

  I already knew the answer. Nathan sat outside my house last night to keep me safe.

  “There’s nothing I’d like more than a very long nap,” I say with a laugh. “But I guess some strong coffee will have to do.”

  “Why don’t you let Summer run things today?” Nathan asks. “You know she’s more than capable. You need rest, sweetheart.”

  My heart stops for a few beats as the pet name slips so easily from his lips. One that used to make me feel so cherished. I don’t want to feel all these things again. Liar. “I told you, I have some errands to run.”

  “Then let’s knock them out and get you that nap.” At a stop sign, he glances my way and lifts an eyebrow. Such a subtle gesture, but it forces me to push pause and consider the possibility.

  I want to argue. It’s my natural instinct. But dammit, a nap sounds better than a winning lottery ticket about right now. I’ve been working nonstop for weeks without a day off. Even working on the one day a week the bakery is closed. I’m not only exhausted from the events of last night, but from a grueling schedule. “I have too much work to do.”

  “Audrey—”

  I dart out of the car the second he rolls to a stop in front of the bakery, and rush to the front door before I do something silly like give in.

  I’ve barely got the key inserted into the lock when Summer bum rushes me, hugging me so tightly I can hardly breathe. “I’ve been so worried about you!” Never mind that we texted late last night and early this morning. “I told you I’d cover things today.” She glances at Nathan, who’s settled into a comfortable lean against the cruiser’s passenger door. “You should take the day off.”

  “You two are in on this together, aren’t you?”

  “Can you blame me?” Summer asks with a shoulder shrug. “We care about you, Audrey.”

  I let out a heavy, disgruntled sigh. One I’m certain they can’t mistake. But it takes only a few seconds more to make the decision. “The bank run can’t wait. The rest can.”

  “Oh good!” Summer practically squeals in delight, making me feel like she’s sending me off on some exciting date rather than home to crawl back into bed. “I can take care of the deposit, Audrey.”

  After a quick scan of the bakery—one from me and a much more thorough one from Nathan—and a laundry list of instructions for Summer—because I’m a control freak, not because she’s not reliable—I finally agree to let Nathan take me home.

  Nathan pit stops at Daisy’s Diner to pick up a to-go order I didn’t even know he placed. The food smells amazing, teasing me on the short drive back. It’s when Nathan cuts the engine that I look at him with confusion.

  “I’m not leaving you here alone today,” he says firmly. “Not until we know if what happened last night was random or personal.”

  “Personal?” Chills rush up down my spine.

  “We’ll discuss it later.”

  I’m too tired to argue. I’ll be better at that after some food and a really long nap. We set up in the living room, using the coffee table for dining purposes. I flip on the TV for background noise, but neither of us really watch it.

  The last thing I remember before my eyes fall closed is Nathan placing a pillow at his hip and covering me with a blanket. I surrender to the comfort his arm draped over me provides and allow myself to drift off. When Nathan appears early in my dream world, I don’t fight it. I don’t want to.

  5

  NATHAN

  Audrey sleeps for hours, tucked against me on the couch.

  I’d already vowed to fix things between us, but after last night, I’m more determined than ever. I love Audrey Hamilton more than I’ve ever loved anyone before. I’ve known since I met her that there was an undeniable connection between us.

  She felt it too.

  “What time is it?” Audrey asks with a cute yawn, looking up at me from her pillow that’s still tucked in my lap.

  “One thirty.”

  Her eyes pop open wide. “In the afternoon?”

  “Yes.” The urge to lean down and kiss her forehead is overwhelming. It feels like the most natural thing to do. I settle for softly stroking her arm. “You’re on strict orders to relax today.”

  “But I have—”

  “Nope.”

  She sits up, turning toward me. “What do you mean nope?”

  I hook a lock of hair smashed to her cheek and tuck it behind her ear. “You’ve been through a lot, sweetheart. It’s not over either. But today, you’re going to relax if it kills me.”

  “You’re going to make me?”

  My gaze drops to the generous cleavage her sleep-misplaced shirt has on display. I’ve dreamed of sucking on those tits forever. Things between Audrey and me got pretty heated, but we never got to finish what we started. Something always interrupted us. I’ve fondled those tits and squeezed her nipples between my fingers. But I’ve never gotten to suck on them like I wanted.

  “That’s not fair,” Audrey says with a laugh, swatting at my arm.

  “What?”

  “The hungry way you’re looking at me. It’s like your superpower.” Her smile undoes me, and my dick grows half hard in my pants. I want to pull he
r into my lap and devour her mouth. Kiss and nibble her pretty neck. Push my hands up her shirt and free those tits right into my mouth. “You’re doing it again!”

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  Her eyes darken instantly at my words, her gaze firmly locked on mine. “Nathan, we—” She’s breathing heavily. “I don’t know.”

  “Today is all about you, sweetheart. Say the word and I’ll do whatever you want.”

  She licks her lips. “Anything?”

  “Anything.”

  Her hand rests on my knee and it’s all I can do to fucking control myself. I want to tackle her onto the couch. Feel her naked body pressed to mine. Claim her like I never got the opportunity to do.

  “I want a massage then.” The cute expression on her face as she says those words so matter-of-factly undoes me. She’s my future. I’ve always suspected that was the case between us, back when she had all her walls up and we were barely even friends. But right now, in this moment, that realization is the clearest it’s ever been.

  “I’ll need a few things to make that happen, sweetheart.”

  “Like what?”

  “Some lotion or oil. And you stripped down in your bed.”

  “This isn’t one of those massages,” she says, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that argues otherwise. But I’ll play her game. For now. “But give me five minutes to get ready then meet me upstairs.”

  I use the time to check in with the station. They’ve been instructed to alert me the second they have a lead, but it’s been radio silence today. Though I want to catch the perp who did this, I’m secretly glad to have this quiet, undisturbed time alone with Audrey.

  She’s lying face down on the bed, sans shirt and bra. A purple and white throw blanket is draped over her very fine ass, down to her knees. A bottle of lotion sits on the nightstand. I gulp a swallow, willing my dick to behave.

  “This work for you?” she says over her shoulder.

  There’s no safe way to answer that question, so I strip out of my uniform shirt, and kneel over her. I sit back on my thighs, just below her plump ass. My dick doesn’t give a shit about what I want it to do. This close to Audrey, it’s growing harder by the second.

  I comb away her long locks with my hand, exposing her shoulders and a small blue butterfly tattoo. I lean down gently and kiss it ever so gently. Audrey sucks in a breath at the contact.

  For an hour, I rub and knead my hands along her back, shoulders, neck, and arms. I’ve never had the luxury of spending so much time touching and exploring Audrey’s body, even in a nonsexual way. I shimmy the blanket up so I can massage the backs of her legs and thighs. She moans in delight at my touch. “If you ever give up being a cop, I know what your next profession should be.”

  “You’re not allowed to tell anyone about my masseur skills,” I say, pressing my fingers into the insides of her thighs. Getting dangerously close to her center. I catch a glimpse of blue panties beneath the blanket.

  “Or else what?”

  “Or else you won’t get another one from me.”

  “My own personal masseur. I like the sound of that.” She looks at me over her shoulder, lifting her head from the pillow enough that the movement threatens to expose her tit to me. My dick twitches hard in my pants.

  Daringly, I move my fingers closer to her panties. “I haven’t even shown you all of my skills yet,” I say in a near growl as I purposely drag a single finger over the silk of her panties. Brushing against her swollen and very wet nub. Fuck, her scent is driving me wild.

  “Then show me more,” she says in a near pant.

  I hover over her, sliding a hand between her legs. Cupping her wet panty-soaked pussy firmly, stroking the silk from soft to hard and back to soft again. Audrey whimpers in delight, her hips ever so gently rocking with my motion.

  I could make her come just like this judging by the way she fists her pillow. But I crave her flavor on my tongue.

  Tossing the blanket away, I slowly peel her panties down over her scrumptious ass. Giving her every opportunity to tell me to stop. But she lifts her hips into the air, as if to help me get her completely naked faster. I shackle those lifted hips and spread her thighs. “Stay right there, sweetheart.”

  Flipping onto my back, I slide beneath her pussy and lower her hips down to my mouth. With slow strokes of my greedy tongue, I lick Audrey’s sweet folds. Relishing in the taste of her. I’ve fantasized about eating her out hundreds of times. One lick is all it takes to know that my fantasies don’t hold a candle to the reality.

  Hands firmly on her curvy ass, I hold her hard against my mouth. Pleasuring and devouring her cunt as she moans my name. It’s the best fucking sound in the world. I feast on her pussy until she cries out hard. I hold her tight against me as she explodes, coming on my face.

  I don’t come up for air until she stops convulsing above me.

  “You didn’t warn me that your skills included a happy ending,” Audrey says with a satisfied giggle into her pillow.

  “That wasn’t an ending, sweetheart. It’s just the beginning.”

  6

  AUDREY

  “It’s hardly a day off if you’re still going in to close,” Nathan says to me outside The Sweet Tooth, reaching for my hand. His touch still gives me shivers of delight, reminding me of the way his tongue felt between my legs.

  I wanted more.

  Fuck how I still want more.

  I wanted to tangle naked with him all day in bed.

  I wanted him inside me.

  But he insisted on practical things first. Like food.

  Damn him for leaving me wanting like this. “I’m not going to let Summer close. Besides the fact that there’s a crazy robber on the loose, she’s been working all day.”

  “I’m staying here with you,” he says firmly.

  For once, I don’t want to argue. In fact, I’m eager to get everyone out of the bakery so Nathan and I can have it to ourselves. Maybe if I ask nicely, he’ll give me a thorough pat-down. We snuggled together on the couch, watching old movies, after we ate. It was nice and exactly what I needed.

  But dammit, I need him to touch me.

  “I could’ve closed,” Summer says when I enter the bakery, Nathan close enough behind me that I feel the heat of him surrounding me like a warm, protective cloud. We still have some things to talk about, but right now, the permanent state of slickness between my legs begs to put off that conversation.

  “You need your rest, too. And Nathan will be here to keep me safe.”

  Summer looks between the two of us, a smirk tugging at one corner of her lips. Does she know? Oh yeah, she knows. “You can kick me out. I have a date with the Winchester brothers tonight anyway.” After she unties her apron and tosses it into her cubby, she comes around and squeezes me in a quick hug. “You owe me details soon.”

  I don’t move until Summer disappears out the door.

  “Lock the door,” Nathan instructs, making me blush. This distraction is a problem. I can’t think straight around the man. If I keep forgetting to lock the door— “Hey, look at me Audrey.” I’m helpless to do anything but peer into those dark eyes. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  His lips sweep down across mine, reminding me how badly I’ve been craving his kiss. I throw my arms around his neck to pull him down harder. My breasts press against his chest of steel. His firm hands grab onto my bottom. Anyone who walks by will get a show, and I can’t find it in me to care.

  It’s Nathan who breaks apart the kiss first. “Get to closing.”

  “Right.” I dart into the back office, working with shaky hands. Dammit, I don’t care about any of this right now. I need Nathan’s touch. I haven’t been with a man in years. Maybe it’s just sexual frustration jumbling my head. I’d take that any day over fear. Because I refuse to believe I’m afraid.

  After finishing up in the office, I set to sanitizing the prep spaces. That’s when I feel Nathan come up behind me.

  I
nearly have an orgasm at the thought of him bringing one of my fantasies to life.

  “Nathan?” I ask in a whisper.

  “Yes, sweetheart?” But his hands are on my hips before I even ask.

  “I—um—I—” I can’t form words because his hands slide down my thighs then up my sides. They settle on my boobs, squeezing them hard. I rest my back against his chest, giving him full access.

  “I’ve thought about sucking these tits forever,” he says with a growl. “How much do you like this shirt?”

  I glance down at the old button-down blouse. “It’s okay, but—”

  Nathan rips it open. Buttons go flying. His hands squeeze harder. “I really like this bra.” His words tickle as his kisses my neck. “Especially the way it opens in the front.” He works the clasp with ease, and my boobs spring free. I’ve always loved the way they fit into his large hands.

  He leans over my shoulder, lifting a nipple toward his lips.

  I moan against him, reaching my hand behind me until it settles on his hard length. Fuck he’s huge. I’ve been teased plenty by his cock pressed against me. But anytime I tried to get my hand in his pants, we always got interrupted.

  I dare someone to interrupt us now.

  It takes effort because I can’t focus with his mouth pleasuring my nipple, but I finally slide my hand into the waistband of his pants and wrap it around his cock. I moan as precum coats my stroking fingers, imagining how good he’d feel inside me.

  It’s the shrill ring of Nathan’s cell phone—a tone I recognize as work—that shatters the moment. We both groan in frustration as he removes his hand from my body and answers his phone.

  “I’ll be right there,” he says ten seconds after answering.

  “What is it?”

  Nathan cups both my cheeks and pulls me in for a deep, toe-curling kiss. “I need you to lock the door behind me and stay here.”

  “Nathan, tell me what’s going on!” I hate the fear that’s reentered my mind. Nathan has a dangerous job. One that constantly puts his life on the line in order to fulfill his duty. I accepted this about him the first time. But it never gets easier.