He nodded. “I wanted to arrange a few things for a date.”
I stared at him, wondering if he was about to crush my hope or blow fuel into the fire of desire. “A date?”
He smiled easily, keeping his hands in his pockets, as casual as ever. Here I was, flustered and nervous, and he was just chill.
“I’d like to take you out to dinner, Rachel. I prepared a reservation for us at Gregario’s.”
My jaw dropped. The mention of one of the most romantic—and expensive—restaurants in the city shocked me.
“As well as a carriage ride through Central Park,” he added. “What do you say?”
“I… I…”
Juan chuckled. “You sayyes, amiga.”
“I… I’m not ready for a night like that!”
Nate frowned, ever so slightly, and I worried that he'd interpreted my comment to mean mentally. That I wasn’t ready forhim.
“I don’t have anything to wear,” I rushed to clarify.
His smile returned in full force, with a hint of mischief. “Then let’s go find you something.” He offered me his hand, and I took it, reveling in the comfort of his touch. After he led me outside, we got into his car. He gave his driver instructions to my place, and I tried to keep up with all that was happening.
Fancy dinner. Nate wasn’t avoiding me. We were going to my place? But what could I wear?
“We’ll stop at your place and you can get ready,” Nate said. “I can give you pointers about what to wear for a romantic night on the town.”
“Oh, you will, huh?” I eyed him up and down, appreciating how he filled out his suit.
He nodded. “That’s my goal,” he amended, staring right back at me with heat in his eyes.
Bullshit.The way he was looking at me suggested he wanted to get my clothes off, not advise me about what to put on. This needy energy I couldn’t tamp down for him hinted that I wouldn’t behave any better.
Five minutes of a car ride stretched too long, but we couldn’t do anything more than let the tension build between us.
The second we got into my apartment, though, I shed this need to hide or mask my feelings. I turned to him, feeling like this had to be a moment of déjà vu. Just last night, he’d come in here with me, kissing frantically and impatient to put his fingers inside me to make me shatter.
Now, he stalked toward me like a predator with hungry eyes and thinly veiled lust. He smiled, but it looked like a sinister promise of naughtiness. He sighed, but it sounded like a needy exhale to have menow.
“So, what… should I wear?” I asked as I dropped my coat onto the couch. Backpedaling toward the bedroom, I rode this high of desire.
He didn’t look away once. He couldn’t focus on anything but the slow movement of my hands as I unbuttoned my blouse.
This wasn’t my forte. I wasn’t a skilled seductress. I’d never stripped for anyone before. Glad that he could be my first audience, I tried to silence my doubts and fears and let the feelings of arousal and excitement make me bolder.
His throat strained with a tight swallow. “Honestly?” he asked, loosening the knot of his red- and green-striped tie. “You want my honest opinion?”
I nodded, working on the buttons of my blouse as I walked back. He followed me, step for step, his gaze hungry on me.
“Nothing. I want to see all of you, sweet girl,” he said, lust heavy with his gravelly admission.
I let out a shaky breath, taking his words as an encouragement to push my shirt open. “And I want to see you, Nate. I want tofeelyou.”
He hurried, tearing his clothes off. Like a switch had been flipped, we walked into my bedroom with a hurried frenzy of getting our clothes off. I managed to get down to my panties and bra in the time that he only had his boxers left. We both stumbled and wrestled to get naked as quickly as possible, but with this staredown, we didn’t touch. We didn’t speak.
“Are you kidding me?” I paused in unclasping my bra, staring at his boxers. Christmas trees were imprinted on the fabric.
“’Tis the season to be jolly,” he taunted, shoving the material down. His thick cock stood to attention, showing me just how happy he was.