Page 17 of Long Hard Road

“About five I think. I stopped counting.”

“And real relationships?”

I shrugged. “None.”

“None?” He quirked an eyebrow. “How is that possible?”

“What’s so hard to believe?”

He waved a hand at me. “I mean, look at you. You’re fucking gorgeous. There’s no way you aren’t turning down offers from men every damn day.”

“You think I’m pretty?” I joked, blushing fiercely from the compliment.

“Oh please. You know you’re hot, Madison.” He rolled his eyes. “If you weren’t so far out of my league, I’d have already tried to get you into that bed down the hall.”

“Did you sneak a couple of extra drinks?” I asked suspiciously.

“Maybe.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Honestly, you make me nervous, Madison.”

“I make you nervous?” I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Why? Because I’m always saying or doing something embarrassing?”

“No, because you’re… fascinating.” Those stormy gray eyes pierced straight into my heart. “I’ve met a lot of different women in my life, but I’ve never met one quite like you.”

“You barely even know me. I assure you, I’m nothing special.” Everyone around me had been telling me that my whole life, so it must be true.

Nate’s long fingers tapped against his glass. “Maggie told me that when she sent you the rental agreement for this place, you counter-offered a higher fee because you knew she was undercharging you.”

“She wouldn’t have made anything charging me that initial amount. It would barely have covered her expenses.” I had balked when Kaylie had sent me that agreement to sign.

“You’re right. Maggie has no idea how to be a property manager.” He took a slow sip of his drink. “All those books you bought at Harper’s store… You aren’t going to read all of them in the few weeks you are here, but you wanted to support a small business.”

“Maybe I am a voracious reader,” I protested.

“If you’d planned an intense reading vacation, I’d wager that you would’ve brought books with you. You didn’t. You bought them here and likely paid more for them than you would have if you’d bought them online.”

I had no idea just how closely he’d been paying attention to me.

“You left me a $20 tip for one drink at the bar.” He smirked. “My drinks aren’t that good, Madison.”

“That was for the company.” I wasn’t enjoying this game. “Look, Nate, I make a lot of money. A lot. I don’t need to be stingy or worry about having enough money to cover my electric bill. But I know that isn’t true for other people, so I try to be generous. It’s not a big deal.”

“No, it’s not,” he agreed. “It’s everything, Madison. Being kind to people. Thinking of others. Recognizing that you are fortunate and that others might be less fortunate. Not everyone in your position would think about that.”

“People in my position have a lot of people going out of their way to make sure they don’t have to think about those things. That wasn’t always my life. I grew up poor. I had days that I went hungry and weeks where our house didn’t have electricity.” I hadn’t planned to tell Nate any of these things, but the words just kept flying out of my mouth. “That’s not something you just forget about when you suddenly have ridiculous wealth. I know how much a $20 tip could mean to someone.”

He leaned back in his seat and his gaze drifted toward the fireplace. “You know, Emma is probably your biggest fan. She went to your concert in Denver a couple of months ago and pretty much hasn’t stopped talking about it since. I made the mistake of asking her one time why she was so obsessed with you and she spent the next hour telling me every detail she knew about you. She never mentioned your childhood.”

“That’s because I never talk about it.”

“You just did.” There was nothing smug in his tone and the look he gave me was one of curiosity. “Why did you decide to tell me?”

“Because you make me nervous, too.” I held up my glass. “I chugged one of these while you were grabbing the stew from your place.”

“I don’t want you to feel nervous around me.” His eyes narrowed and his lips tipped down. “Why do I make you feel that way?”

What was the polite way to tell someone that you spent a good portion of your day and night picturing them naked and inside you? “I don’t get out much,” I said lamely. “Or, I do, but not around normal people. Since I was about fourteen, I’ve really only been around other people in the entertainment business. Actors, agents, makeup artists, managers, directors… Every part of my life has been about work. I don’t know how to talk to men like you, or men in general really.”

“You do alright.” The smile he gave me was breathtaking. It was the first time he’d smiled like that in my presence and I wondered if he had any idea the effect it had on people.

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