The One Real Thing Read online

  He looked back at me sadly. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I really don’t. I didn’t even realize I’d been doing it until I overheard you talking to Jo. Then I was terrified of losing you in a different way.”

  “So you booked this vacation?”

  He nodded. “I can’t lose you, babe. You’d take my soul with you.”

  I burst into harsh sobs and immediately found myself wrapped in my husband’s arms. He held me so tight, it was almost painful, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was that he was finally talking to me, and the distance between us was because he loved me too fucking much!

  I lifted my head and kissed his throat, before moving up to his mouth. He kissed me back with as much fervor, probably tasting my tears on his lips.

  When I finally pulled back, I stared into his beloved face and whispered, “You can’t live your life in fear of something bad happening to me, Nate.”

  “I know that.” His fingers bit into my hips. “I’m trying.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell me this? Instead of making me go crazy, and then imagining you needed to get off to the idea I was someone else entirely while we have fantasy sex?”

  He grinned at my angry question, which did not help with my anger.

  “Nate.” I slapped my hand down on his shoulder.

  Finally, he stopped smiling long enough to give me an answer. “I didn’t want you to think we were back to where we once were. Like how I was about Alana.”

  “I don’t think that,” I promised him. “It’s not the same. At all. But . . .”

  “But?” He looked wary.

  “Maybe it would be a good idea for you to talk to someone.”

  “Do you mean a therapist?”

  “Maybe, yeah.”

  Nate shook his head. “I know you mean well, babe, but I’m not talking to a therapist.”

  “But maybe you should tell someone about these feelings.”

  “I just did. I told my wife.”

  That was true. I leaned in to kiss him. It was meant to be soft, quick, and sweet but Nate held me closer, turning it deep, drugging, and needy. When I finally came up for air, I said breathlessly, “Fine. But you have to promise to keep talking to me. Anytime you feel those fears overwhelming you, baby, I want to know. I want to know so I can screw those fears right out of you and remind you of what we have right now.”

  His fingers bit into my hip again as his eyes flared. “Have I told you lately how perfect you are?”

  I smiled. “Don’t tell me. Show me.”

  My husband accepted that challenge, grabbing my hand and marching us back to the inn so he could show me just how freaking perfect he thought I was.

  Chapter Ten

  Around four o’ clock in the morning I slipped out of our bed at the inn to use the bathroom, feeling my way in the dim light. I tried to be as quiet as possible because we’d only drifted to sleep a few hours ago. When we’d gotten back to our room, Nate had wasted no time making love to me. It had been beautiful.

  And yet as I stepped out of the bathroom, I felt my lower belly squeeze with desire at the sight of my husband sprawled naked across the big bed. He had pushed off the sheets, so they were only pulled up to halfway across his ass. I wanted to pull the sheets down farther and bite him.

  How it was possible that I had the energy to want sex with him again, I didn’t know. I hadn’t felt this insatiable toward him since we’d first started having sex. Only a few weeks ago the thought of waking Nate up to make love to him filled me trepidation, worried he’d be agitated I was interrupting his sleep.

  Now I wasn’t worried.

  I’d decided from now on my husband was going to get a daily reminder why his life was freaking beautiful and that he needed to enjoy it rather than fear losing it.

  On that note, I pulled off my nightgown and climbed onto the bed. I crawled up his legs and pressed my lips to one cheek of his ass while I squeezed the other cheek.

  He grunted in his sleep.

  So I licked him from the bottom of his spine up his back.

  He groaned. “Liv?”

  I pressed my breasts against his back and kissed his shoulder, my hair falling across his face. “I need you to turn over so I can make love to you,” I whispered.

  “Did you just kiss my arse?” His amused, sleepy rumble did nothing to alleviate my need for him.

  I giggled. “You’re lucky that’s all I did. I want to bite that ass every time I see it.”

  “Well, for future reference . . .” He began to turn and I leaned back to let him. “You can bite my arse any time you please.” Lying on his back, Nate stared up at me with an adorable mix of sleepiness and desire and he smoothed his hands up my naked thighs. “What do you want to do with me?”

  In answer I slid back down his body.

  “Liv . . .” He groaned as my head dipped, his semi-hard erection straining to full salute as it comprehended my intent.

  His scorching hardness passed between my lips and I felt his thighs tense under my fingertips. My tongue trailed along a vein on the underside of his cock and his breathing stuttered before seeming to stop entirely as I began to suck, bobbing my head so my mouth slid excruciatingly slowly up and down his length.

  “Oh fuck, I wish I’d been lying on my back and you woke me up like this,” he hissed, flexing his hips into my mouth.

  That would have been nice. But that didn’t mean this wasn’t just as nice. After a little more teasing, I began to suck him hard and gazed at him from under my lashes, growing slick with arousal as I watched Nate grab the pillow behind his head. He fisted it, baring his teeth, his chest heaving as I took him toward climax.

  Just as I felt him drawing close, I released him.

  “Babe, what are you doing?” he asked, sounding more than put out.

  “I want you inside me when you come,” I explained.

  He instantly stopped looking put out. “Then get the fuck up here and ride me.”

  I smiled at his eagerness. “Patience.”

  The anticipation was a total turn-on as I kissed the sexy cut of definition in his hip, my lips tracing a path along his torso as I crawled up his body. Knees on either side of his hips, I shivered as I felt his dick against my inner thigh. I pressed my lips over his right nipple, my tongue flicking, my moan muffled against his body as I felt his rough hands cup my breasts, my own nipples pebbling, eager for his touch. When his thumbs brushed them, I shuddered, a sigh escaping from between my lips.

  “You were made for me, Liv,” Nate murmured in reverence, squeezing my nipples between his fingers and thumbs. I barely had time to recover from the streaks of white-hot lightning that shot toward my groin before his right hand coasted down my stomach, heading between my legs.

  As two fingers slid into my slick passage, my back arched, giving his left hand better access to my breast, and my hips surged against his right.

  “Get on my cock, babe, before I come on your belly,” he said, gripping my hips so tightly.

  “How can it still be this way?” I panted, as I wrapped my hand around his dick and guided him to my entrance, the muscles in my legs shaking with need. “How can you still make me lose my mind, wanting you, needing you?”

  I slammed down on him and we both cried out, Nate’s hips jerking up in reaction. “Because”—he groaned—“we’re the luckiest buggers that ever did live.”

  Yeah, we were.

  We found a tantalizing rhythm quickly, and with my hands braced on the bed beside his thighs, I leaned back slightly so his dick thrust into me at the most satisfying angle. I moved slowly, building toward climax.

  My gaze never left Nate’s face as I moved, feeling euphoric because once again I felt sexy and powerful under his glittering expression, watching the way his dark eyes drank in my breasts as they bounced, my hair swinging across my back. His
hands gripped my hips, urging me on; his jaw clenched as the heat between us increased and a light sheen of sweat coated our skin.

  As I approached orgasm, all I was aware of was the coiling pleasure low in my belly, the sound of my uncontrolled breaths and mews of pleasure, the intoxicating smell of sex . . . Pure bliss took me over, and I closed my eyes, reveling in it as my body moved faster up and down Nate’s length, rushing toward climax.

  Lights exploded behind my lids as my orgasm shook through my entire body. My muscles clenched around my husband, wave after wave of pleasure pulsing around his dick.

  Cool air whipped over my skin as Nate flipped me to my back, something my husband always did if I came first riding him. I gloried in the familiar pressure of him pinning me into the mattress, holding my hands above my head. Nate’s features were strained with desire, and as he crushed his mouth against mine, he began to stroke deep inside me, his movements rough and hard. He groaned into my mouth, the noise vibrating through my whole body, and I felt the stirring of another orgasm.

  When his lips left mine, I stared up in awe, our gasps seeming to echo all around us as I pushed up against his thrusts. He let go of one of my arms, his hand disappearing between our joined bodies, and as soon as his thumb pressed down on my clit, I flew apart. I cried out as I came.

  Again.

  Freaking. Again.

  “Liv, fuck, God, fuck,” Nate grunted out, seeming just as surprised as he came long and hard. He collapsed on me, his face buried in the crook of my neck, his hand relaxing around my arm. His dick throbbed inside me, and I enjoyed the lingering pleasure it brought.

  “That was a record, right?” I gasped out. “Seriously.”

  “Fuck,” was all he managed. “Jesus, fuck, we’ve still got it.”

  I giggled because he sounded smug as hell. “Yeah, baby, we’ve still got it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Ice cream dripped down my fingers as it quickly melted under the heat of the afternoon sun. Today was definitely the hottest day of our vacation, and we’d decided it was just too hot to do anything but lie on the beach.

  However, Nate and I tended to get bored. Lounging around was great for a few hours, while we caught up on our reading, but then our minds started to wander. I think we were just so used to racing after kids and working all the time that it was hard to be truly at rest.

  After I suggested we give up our beach loungers and head to Antonio’s for ice cream, we did just that, walking along the boardwalk hand in hand, trying to lick our dessert before it became nothing but a sticky mess on our fingers.

  Contentment shimmered through me as we strolled. The last ten days had been miraculous, and even though I couldn’t wait to see my girls, I was also grateful for this vacation with my husband. It felt like we were in an even better place than we had been before our disconnect. It was almost like being together for the first time all over again.

  “Wedding.”

  “What?” I wrinkled my nose at the random word Nate had uttered.

  He lifted our joined hands and used them to gesture ahead of us. I followed the direction and stilled at the sight up ahead. Standing outside Paradise Sands Hotel was a bridal party.

  “How did we miss that?” Now Nate pointed to our right toward Main Street, and sure enough somehow we’d missed the wedding ceremony. The bandstand was decorated and there were rows and rows of seats in front of it, where guests were still lingering.

  The bridal party was following a photographer as the guests slowly made their way onto the boardwalk.

  “I forgot Bailey mentioned there was a wedding reception at Vaughn’s hotel this week,” I said. “She told us at the beginning of the week.”

  “Aye, I remember. Nice place for a wedding.”

  “Beautiful,” I agreed. “I love weddings.”

  Nate squeezed my hand. “It was a wedding that brought you and me together.”

  We shared a secret smile, remembering how if it wasn’t for me getting wasted at Joss and Braden’s wedding and admitting to Nate I hadn’t had sex in years, his sex lessons would never have happened, and we might never have fallen in love.

  We watched the guests start to pick up speed as it seemed the photographer was done with the photographs for now and everyone began to head into Vaughn’s hotel.

  “Dinner time. Toasts. Those are the best.”

  “Fancy going?”

  I made a face at my husband. “What?”

  He shrugged. “In a few hours dinner will be over and everyone will be on the dance floor. Free champagne and canapés.”

  I giggled and then realized he was serious. “You’re not joking?”

  “Nah.” He flashed me those dimples. “C’mon. Let’s crash a wedding.”

  * * *

  * * *

  “I can’t believe you talked me into this,” I said a couple hours later as we walked into the wedding, pretending we belonged there. The ballroom of the hotel was decorated with strings of fairy lights and pink peonies. The chair covers were white with pale pink bows on them, and the centerpieces were tall, thin vases filled with pink peonies.

  People paid no attention to the couple walking in who did not belong there, and a passing waiter offered us a glass of champagne.

  Nate smirked at me as we took one. “Free champagne,” he said under his breath.

  “Where are the canapés?” I said, not under my breath, searching the room.

  “Buffet table.” Nate nodded to the right, where crowds of people had gathered near a table strewn with after dinner snacks. We’d already eaten, but neither of us was going to turn down free food.

  My friends had bought me a teal print maxi dress with a halter neck, a deep-cut back, and a beautiful flowing skirt. Matched with silver sandals and my hair pinned up, I could pull it off as a summer wedding outfit. Nate wore a crisp white shirt, suit pants, and his dress shoes.

  My husband, of course, could wear anything and look like he belonged.

  Handsome bastard.

  I nestled into his side as he led me over to the buffet table and began to fill up a plate for me before he got his own. As we stood, munching on free food and looking at the full ballroom, I felt the urge to burst into immature giggles and stopped myself.

  We were crashing a wedding, for God’s sake.

  Our gazes met and we shared a silly grin, clearly thinking the same thing.

  The smile was knocked off my face when someone bumped into me, nearly sending my plate of snacks flying.

  “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry.” A tall, slender woman in a pink bridesmaid dress held up her hands in horror. “I didn’t spill anything on your dress, did I?”

  “No, I’m good, it’s okay,” I assured her.

  The guy at her side smiled apologetically. “We’ve had a little too much champagne, thought we’d come over and eat something.”

  “By we, he means me.” She rolled her eyes.

  Nate and I smiled congenially.

  The bridesmaid looked over Nate for a moment in a speculative way. “We’ve never met, I would remember. How do you know Angel? Or are you friends of Mark?”

  Her companion raised an eyebrow at the somewhat flirtatious tone but let it slide.

  Nate stepped closer to me. We knew from the signs outside the ballroom that we were crashing Angel and Mark Ashley’s big night. “I used to work with Mark. A few years ago. They invited us to the reception.”

  “Oh my gosh, I love your accent,” she said, distracted. “Where are you from?”

  “Originally Scotland.”

  “How cool is that?” She turned to her guy.

  He gave her a teasing smile. “Very cool. Now let’s get you something to eat.”

  “Find me later.” She gestured to us. “I’ve never met a Scottish person before!”

  As soon as they were out o
f earshot, I turned to Nate. “Your accent is a problem. It makes us stand out.”

  “Duly noted.” He began shoveling the food on his plate into his mouth.

  I chuckled. “What are you doing?”

  He had to swallow a canapé before replying. “This stuff is good. I’m getting my fill of free food before we have to get out of here.”

  “And I want one dance before we leave,” I said, following suit with the food.

  “Anything else?”

  “You still haven’t stripped naked and dived into the ocean at night, so that’s on the agenda.”

  My husband shot me a baleful look. “Fine. But to heat up, I’m making love to you on the beach after.”

  Arousal shot through me. “Absolutely no complaints from me on that one.”

  After we’d eaten, avoiding conversation with anyone else, Nate took my hand and led me onto the busy dance floor. I relaxed into his arms and followed his easy sway, loving that my husband was such a natural dancer. The solid feel of him against me, his arms wrapped around me, was the only thing in the world that made me feel utterly safe and protected. We held on to each other, dancing slowly to “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, and as always when I was with him like this, I forgot where we were, or that anything but Nate existed.

  After a few dances, Nate kissed my nose and whispered, “I’m ready to leave this wedding behind, babe. Why don’t you grab another champagne—it’s free, after all—for the both of us, while I nip to the men’s room.”

  I nodded, watching him stride out of the ballroom with his easy gait, before I sauntered back over toward the buffet area where there was a table filled with flutes of champagne.

  As I was collecting two glasses, I felt the heat of someone at my back. I glanced up to find a tall blond grinning down at me. He was cute in an edgy surfer boy way, and at least ten years my junior.

  I raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was just standing there smiling. “Champagne?” I asked, thinking maybe that was what he was after.