Blue Colla Make Ya Holla (63 page)

N
ate helped Joanne
sit down at one of the tables. “I think it’s time to take you home,” he told her. She’d been drinking quite a bit tonight. Not that he blamed her. After she’d yelled at Stan, Stan had apparently tried to get her attention by openly flirting with several other women. Joanne had even seen him with his tongue down some woman’s throat.

“Not yet,” she slurred. “Have to stay.”

Nate kneeled in front of her so he could look her in the eyes. “Joanne, Ash and Aaron have already gone, people are starting to leave. It’s okay for you to leave now.”

“Okay,” she agreed. He helped her back to her feet. She paused and looked at him. “My car. You drove my car. How will you get home?”

“Let me get you home. I’ll call a cab or something from your house.”

Nate supported her as she stumbled her way out to the Cadillac. He settled her into the passenger’s seat and pulled the seatbelt across her. He was acutely conscious of his fingers brushing her hip bone through the satin of her bridesmaid’s dress and the nearness of her breast to his mouth. He looked up to find her staring at him with wide eyes. Eyes full of desire and anticipation.

He stood quickly. He couldn’t let his attraction get away from him. She was hurt, and she’d had too much to drink. He would not take advantage of a woman in that position.

Shutting the door, he took a cleansing breath before getting in on the driver’s side and closing himself into the small space with her heady perfume.

It didn’t take them long to make the drive to Joanne’s house. Although neither spoke, Nate could feel the tension between them rising with every mile.

When he reached her house, Joanne fumbled with her seatbelt, trying to release it. “Thanks for the ride,” she mumbled. She stopped then and looked at him. “It seems I’m saying that a lot to you. Maybe I should hire you as my chauffer,” she joked.

Nate shook his head. “I don’t think I’d make a very good chauffer. I wouldn’t be able to keep my mouth shut.” When she looked at him questioningly, he elaborated. “You seem to get in the worst trouble. I’m not sure I could keep from commenting on it. Let me get that,” he said, pointing to the still buckled seat belt.

Getting out of the car, he walked around to the passenger’s side and pulled open the door. Once again he found himself too close to Joanne’s delectable curves. She leaned back against the seat as he reached around her, as if trying to keep some semblance of distance between them. But Nate could feel the heat rise as his fingers brushed against her once more. He briefly closed his eyes, trying to regain control of his libido.
She does not need my attention. Not now, not tonight. Not when she obviously still has a thing for her ex.

Carefully, he helped Joanne out of the car and to her feet. She swayed and held onto his arm. After she was stabilized, he moved his arm to her waist. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.”

With each step she took, Joanne let herself lean a little more on Nate. By the time they reached the front door, her head rested against his hard shoulder. The strength of his arm supported her, and she breathed in his scent. She risked a glance up at his face. His loose curls had lost all semblance of being tamed. She wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through them. Her fingers twitched at the thought, and she almost dropped her hold on her purse. Brought back to her surroundings, she dug through the bag until she found her key ring, and with shaking fingers, she unlocked her door. She stepped into the entryway with Nate at her back.

“Are you gonna be okay now?” he asked her.

She grabbed the bannister to the stairs and leaned against it. “I’m fine. I feel like a repeating record, but thanks again.”

Nate just nodded. “I’ll call a cab then.”

Joanne didn’t look at him, couldn’t look at him. Her eyes stayed glued to the floor. Taking a shaky breath, she took the leap. “You know, you don’t have to go.”

As soon as the words left her lips, she wished she could take them back. She couldn’t believe she was being so bold, propositioning a guy she barely knew.
What will he think of me? He probably already has a low opinion of me, having to rescue me all the time.
But this would put her that much further down on his list.

She felt him still beside her. The entryway was small, with mere feet between the door and the stairs. When Nate didn’t move or say anything, she chanced a glance at him. His dark green eyes searched hers, and she couldn’t break their hold on her. Her breath caught in her chest.

This is my chance,
she told herself.
My chance to take a chance.
She wanted to get over Stan, and what better way to do it than with a hunk like this right here in her own home. With a great determined effort, she pushed away from the bannister and took a step closer to him. Her palms rested on his chest, and his automatically came up to hold her arms.

They were almost the same height, and with just the slightest stretch, Joanne hesitantly placed her lips against his. She felt his body respond even if he didn’t move. She felt the air from his breath as it rushed past his lips.

She began to move her lips against his, but still he didn’t react. His only response was a tightening of his hold on her arms. Desperate for him to respond, Joanne ran her hands up until they caressed the back of his neck. Her fingers played in the curls there at his collar while she touched the tip of her tongue to his lips.

At the touch of her tongue, he lost his rigid control. He groaned and opened his mouth to hers, devouring her. His arms wrapped around her thin frame and pulled her against him. Feeling her body mold to his was enough to get him hard instantly.

Nate explored her mouth as he’d wanted to do since he first saw her. Her mouth was warm and tasted sweet from the drinks she’d had earlier. Even as he kissed her, he wasn’t satisfied. He wondered what it would feel like to have her lips, her tongue, on other parts of his body. His desire kicked even higher. With another groan, he pressed her against the wall, moving one hand to tangle in her hair while the other caressed her hip.

When her back hit the wall, Joanne gasped against Nate’s lips. She drew her fingers up through his hair, just as she’d imagined doing. She tugged at his curls, trying to pull him even deeper into the kiss. The ache between her legs grew more urgent as he deepened the kiss. She lifted a leg and wrapped it around his hip without thought. She had to get closer to him. She felt the throb of his erection even through their clothes, and she swiveled her hips to rub against it.

Nate grabbed her ass at her movement and pushed against her. Tearing his mouth from hers, he trailed his kisses down the smooth skin of her neck. He felt her shudder against him. He closed his eyes and paused all his movement. He knew he should stop. As much as he wanted her, he didn’t want her to regret anything they did. Joanne rubbed herself against him again, and he clenched his jaw in determination. But he didn’t let her go. His hand still cupped her ass, and he was cradled between her thighs. It felt so right. He knew he should let her go and step away.
Do I have the strength to do it, though?

“Nate. Oh God, Nate. Don’t stop. I need to be closer.” She reached between them and began pulling at his belt buckle.

His resolve suddenly strengthened, and he grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the wall. His breathing harsh as he stared into her eyes. “No, Joanne. Not like this.”

“Nate, please,” she begged. She shifted against him again, and he gritted his teeth.

“No,” he repeated. “You’re drunk, and I won’t be your rebound.”

Those words were enough to sober her. “What?” she asked. Nate let go of her wrists and stepped back from her. Joanne let her leg slide down his until she found her feet.

“You just want to use me to get over your ex. Trust me, sweetheart, I’m not that kind of guy,” he said harshly.

“No! That’s not…” She trailed off at his glare. She glanced down at herself, noting her wrinkled dress, and recalled her earlier thoughts. Maybe she had been using him, taking advantage of his attraction. She’d never had a one-night stand before. It wasn’t the type of person she was. “Maybe you’re right.” She sighed. “Maybe I do feel the need to make new memories to replace the old ones that now hurt so much.” She hugged her arms to herself and turned away from him. Leaning her forehead against the wall, she let a tear slip from her eye.

Seeing Joanne there, looking so alone, almost made Nate’s resolve crumble. He wanted to take her in his arms again and comfort her. Instead, he came up behind her and rubbed her arms. He could still be a friend. There was no reason for her to be alone.

Joanne shivered as the rough ridges of his calloused hands ran over her sensitive skin. She didn’t understand him. She didn’t know why he stuck around. He didn’t even know her. But she drew strength from his touch. Straightening, she turned to face him. She didn’t know what to say, so she said what she could. “I’m sorry.”

He brushed the tear from her cheek. “Hey, it’s okay. I understand the need to forget.”

“Do you?”

Nate just nodded. This wasn’t the time for him to be bringing up his own painful past. Joanne was hurting, and he felt the urge to do something to ease her pain. “You know, sometimes talking helps. Having a friend there to listen. I can do that. I can be your friend, if that’s what you need.”

Joanne shook her head in confusion. “Why, Nate? Why are you doing all this? You don’t even know me.”

Nate ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly? I don’t really know. I just get the impression that you’re sincere, that you don’t hide your true self, and I like that about you. I haven’t seen a lot of that in people. Most people have so many hidden agendas it’s doubtful you’ll ever know who they really are.”

Joanne stared at him. Did he really think people were so dishonest? She’d never experienced much of that. At least not until Stan’s betrayal. Nate must have had a very different life than she had. “What happened to you?” she asked him.

Nate looked suddenly wary. “What do you mean?”

“Someone must have hurt you,” she elaborated. “What happened for you to stop trusting people?”

“I’m not sure I ever trusted anyone.”

Joanne put a hand on his arm, trying to be comforting, just as he had done to her a few minutes ago. “Nate, friendship—or any other relationship—isn’t a one-way street. You want me to talk about my problems, but have you considered it may be you who needs someone to talk to?”

Nate searched the blue eyes before him. Was this woman real, or was he dreaming? She seemed so selfless. Here she was, practically in crisis after watching her ex-fiancé flirt shamelessly with all those women, yet she wanted to help him.

He shook off his seriousness and put on a grin. “You should have been a psychiatrist instead of a nurse.”

Joanne crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. She refused to be deterred. “You know so much about me, and I know practically nothing about you. Help me out here, Nate. If you don’t want to talk about who hurt you, then fine. At least tell me a bit more about yourself.”

“It’s late,” Nate protested. “Don’t you think we should call it a night?” He hated talking about himself. He certainly didn’t want to do it here in the middle of the night with Joanne.

“No.” Joanne took his hand and led him into the living room, where she pulled him to sit beside her on the couch. She half turned to face him. “Now, what do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t want to talk about anything. You’re the one who wanted to talk.”

“No, if you recall, talking wasn’t what I had in mind either. You were the one who suggested talking.”

Even as she said the words, Joanne could feel the heat creep up her neck until her ears were burning. She couldn’t believe she had practically jumped him like that. Touching him apparently made her lose her mind. She still wanted him though. Even now, sitting here on the couch, she had to resist the urge to scoot closer, to lean into him, to run her hands over his chest.

She plopped back against the cushions and covered her reddened face with her hands. She was so embarrassed. Not just by her actions, but by the urges crashing through her body as well.
How can I be this attracted to a practical stranger?
She’d always prided herself that she appreciated a man’s mind and personality as much as his looks.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” he asked her.

“I can’t believe I…propositioned you like that. That’s not me.”

Nate drew her hands away from her face and rubbed her knuckles with his thumbs. “I know that about you already. That’s why I had to stop you. I don’t want you regretting anything that might happen between us.”

Nate leaned back into the couch and draped his arm over the back. “You want to know who hurt me?” he asked her. When she nodded, he pulled Joanne to him until her back rested under his arm and her head lay on his shoulder. Nate sighed. He didn’t want to talk about it, but it might feel good to share it with someone. He’d had his feelings bottled up for so long and no one to talk to. At least in this position he could touch her and she couldn’t see his face while he spoke. He didn’t want to see pity in her blue eyes.

He drew a finger down her bare arm as he began. “A couple of years ago I was sharing an apartment with my best friend. We’d been friends since we were kids. He had been dating this girl for a while, and it looked pretty serious. The thing was, I was wildly attracted to her too.” He sighed again. “I don’t know why. I can’t explain it. But I would never hurt my best friend by acting on those feelings. They started having problems, and before I knew it, they were over.”

Joanne could sense that the most difficult part of the story was ahead. She wished she could see his expression, but she didn’t want to pull away from the warmth of his body. Instead, she reached for his hand that was on the back of the couch. She entwined their fingers and brought them down to rest against her belly. She squeezed his hand, letting him know she was there to support him.

“One day Mandy came to me. She insisted it had been me she was interested in all along. I resisted her for a while. I knew I would hurt Vince if I started anything with her. Before I knew it though, I’d lost control.” Nate paused again and closed his eyes. He didn’t like remembering this part. It still hurt. But he’d promised Joanne. His voice low, he continued. “She had it all planned. She’d been playing me, trying to make Vince jealous enough to take her back. I was an idiot. I lost my best friend over a stupid woman.”