That Thing You Do (A Crystal Lake Novel Book 2) Read online

  “That’s my point, Nate. The old you would be trying like hell to figure out how to contain whatever it is between you two, into something that can be controlled. Because that would mean you could cut it off when you wanted to. That would mean you’re safe.”

  “Safe from what?” Where the hell was his buddy going?

  “Safe from life, man. Safe from commitment. Safe from love.”

  “Jesus, Zach, you’ve been watching too much Doctor Phil.”

  “Maybe,” Zach replied with a grin. “If you want to talk later, I only charge two-fifty an hour.”

  “I’ll remember that.” Nate stepped back and nodded to the rest of the guys. “I’ll see you Thursday for golf.”

  “Eleven sharp,” Stu said.

  Nate left his buddies and headed to his truck. He’d missed a call from his mother, but then there were four text messages wanting to know if he was coming home tonight. He shook his head. Staying with his parents sucked sometimes. Aside from the freshly laundered bedding, and homemade meals, and breakfast ready to go when he got up.

  He replied that he was probably crashing at Beck’s and then headed out of the parking lot, turning the truck toward River Road. The ride out to her place took about ten minutes, which, during the day, was the scenic route around the lake, with lots of trees and water and impressive homes. Tonight, there was a full moon, though the clouds obscured most of the light, and if it wasn’t for the mailbox at the end of her driveway with a dog on the top of it, he might have missed it altogether. The house was set back, and he caught glimpses of water through the trees as he parked in front of the old stone house.

  Nate cut the engine and looked out through the windshield. Molly’s truck was in front of the shed to his right, and soft light fell from her windows, so he knew she was home. But now that he was here, he found himself hesitating. Maybe he should have called first or made more of an effort to talk to her the day before. Maybe he should be back at the Coach House with the guys, listening to Stu go on and on about his baby and the many ways a kid could poop and pee. Or listen to Zach sing Jessica’s praises as if she were the only woman on the planet. All that stuff was fine, and Lord knows he’d heard a lot of it since he’d been back in Crystal Lake, but being with them didn’t compare to being with Molly.

  And he was pretty sure this was the first time in his life he’d ever picked a woman over his buddies.

  That made him think about Zach’s words. About his warnings. What the hell was he doing here? What was the end game? Sure as shit, he wanted Molly. He wanted her naked and underneath him. He wanted to watch her eyes change color when he was inside her. He wanted to tangle his hands in her hair and kiss her until she whimpered. Until she begged him to finish. Until he made her come so hard, they both saw stars.

  But was this just about sex? Was this about an attraction that caught him off guard? An attraction that maybe he should ignore because she was one of his best friends? Was losing her if this went sideways worth the risk?

  “No,” he whispered to himself. He’d been thinking with his dick and not his head. He needed to turn this truck around and head back the way he came. Maybe call on Chess, because she was always up for a quick roll between the sheets. Maybe that was it. All he needed was to loosen up and get laid and forget about Molly.

  Decision made, he was about to start up the truck when the front door opened. Molly stood there, wearing next to nothing. A T-shirt that fit like a glove and a scrap of fabric between her legs, the color fire-engine red. Her hair was loose and swirled around her shoulders and face because of the breeze off the water, and when she raised her hands to push it away, he couldn’t help but notice how her breasts strained against her top. How, even from here, he saw how hard her nipples were. How she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her long legs shone from the porch light as if slick with lotion, and the two of them stared at each other for several long moments. Nate, from the safety of his truck, and Molly standing in a pool of light on her porch.

  His gut tightened, and his skin went up in flames. He was hot. So damn hot.

  He looked through the gloom at her, and something close to hunger took hold of him. He was panting like an animal and flexed his fingers against the steering wheel in an effort to tone this shit down. He felt the weight of her gaze, and then she took a step back and disappeared from view, leaving the door open for him.

  With his heart nearly pounding out of his damn chest, Nate slipped from his truck. He ignored every single alarm bell ringing in his head, the ones that screamed at him to leave. The ones that told him to leave things well enough alone. He strode forward, his long legs eating up the distance in no time, and, before he could change his mind, walked into Molly’s house.

  There was no turning back now. And once he caught sight of her, once he saw the look in her eyes, the only thought he had was God help me.

  Chapter Eleven

  Molly waited inside, suddenly unsure that she’d done the right thing. She’d spent most of Monday thinking about her and Nate. About what it would feel like to be with him in that way. The problem was she didn’t have anyone to confide in or bounce her fears off of. Usually when she had a situation going on, something that stressed her out, she talked it over with her brother. But he was the last person she wanted to chat with about Nathan, because she knew what he’d say.

  Bad idea, Moll. Run the other way as fast as you can. You’ll only get hurt.

  And the thing was, he’d be right. If she were her brother, she’d say the same thing. But there was a part of her, that stubborn little corner of her heart, that didn’t want to listen to that kind of talk. It was that part of her that was willing to take what she could get for as long as she could get it. Which led to a conundrum of sorts. The only way to do that without risking everything, especially her heart, was to set down rules and follow them.

  Sex with no strings. She could do that, couldn’t she? Didn’t men and women do it all the time? Didn’t they dive in and enjoy each other without fear? Didn’t she deserve to know what all the damn fuss was about?

  She’d come home from work, had a long shower, and, after thinking real hard about all of it, decided she would regret passing up the chance to be with Nathan. She was about to call him when she heard a vehicle in the driveway. She’d watched Nate sit in his truck for several minutes, and she thought that maybe he was thinking the same things she was. Maybe he was second-guessing, thinking this was the wrong way to go. And that got Molly nervous. She almost let him leave, but that little slice of whatever it was inside her propelled her feet forward, and before she knew what was she was doing, she was standing on the front porch looking down at him in nothing but an old Backstreet Boys T-shirt and her underwear.

  Now he stood a few feet from her, and the sight of him made her mouth dry, her heart pound, and her insides ache with need. A pulse erupted, low, between her legs, and she swore to God that if pheromones were colored, the entire foyer would be lit up like a Christmas tree.

  He was dressed simply in a pair of jeans that fit him like an old friend, a plain black Henley, and boots. His thick hair looked a bit mussed, as if he’d run his hands through it more than once, and his strong jaw and chin were shadowed by a couple of days’ worth of scruff. His dark eyes were intense, his generous mouth held tight, and she could see the steady rise and fall of his chest.

  In that moment, she realized he was just as affected as she was, and with that realization came power. With that power came a sense of abandonment and a devil-may-care attitude. It was the attitude that propelled her forward.

  “Hey,” she said softly, stepping off the last porch step.

  Nate didn’t answer, but she saw his throat work as he swallowed hard and gave a quick nod. His eyes moved over her body, and her already hard nipples contracted painfully. She’d never been this brazen before. Never this forward or at ease in a situation like this.

  She could try for some femme fatale kind of thing, but with her luck, she’d trip over her feet and
break her nose. Instead, she decided the best thing to do was to be as honest as possible.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, taking another step until she was so close, she felt the heat come off him and slide across her skin.

  He was still silent, though his eyes locked on to hers with an intensity she’d never seen before. It practically sucked all the air from her lungs.

  “I’ve been thinking,” she continued bravely, trying for some kind of control. The frog in her throat made it hard to talk, so she cleared it and continued. “Thinking that, um—”

  “So have I.”

  Startled, she couldn’t breathe. “What have you—”

  “I want you.” His words shot between them like a bullet, and it hit her straight in the heart. “I want to be with you Molly. I want you naked, and I want to be inside you so bad, it fucking hurts.”

  Every single word that came out of his mouth lit up her skin like a fireball. She licked her lips and inched closer still. “This might get complicated.”

  “It will, and I can handle that.”

  “I’m sure you can.” Molly glanced up at him. But can I? She licked her dry lips, liking the way that simple action drew his gaze. “If we’re going to do this, there are a couple of rules we need in place.”

  His eyes lowered, and his hands found their way to her hips. Gently, he tugged her forward. “Rules?” he murmured against the side of her neck, his breath warm and intoxicating. Jesus, her knees were going to give out if she didn’t get hold of herself.

  “Rule number one. No one knows about this.”

  “This?”

  “About us doing this.”

  “You mean the sex part.”

  “I mean all of it.”

  “Sounds smart.” He nuzzled the sensitive area behind her ear, and she bit her tongue to stop from groaning. His mouth was open and hot, but then he stopped and swore. “Shit.”

  “What?”

  “Zach knows I’m here.”

  “Are you kidding me?” She yanked her head back so she could see him better, but all that did was start a riot among all the butterflies in her stomach.

  “It’s okay,” Nate said, grasping her chin. “He doesn’t know what we’re doing.”

  “He can’t know.”

  In response, Nate found his way back to her ear and repeated his previous actions, sending shivers marching across her skin. She could barely speak.

  “Rule number two. This is just sex between friends. Nothing more.”

  “Got it. Lots of sex.”

  “Between friends.”

  He nipped at her, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin at the base of her neck. “Yep. We’re definitely friends.”

  “Rule number three. Either one of us can end this without explanation, and the other person has to accept that.”

  “Sounds fair.” His hands were on her butt now, and she felt his hardness pressed against her stomach. His mouth trailed a path from her neck up to the corner of her mouth. “Anything else?” he whispered against her lips.

  Molly felt like there should be. Hell, she felt like there should be a truckload of rules and regulations, all of them in place to protect her heart. But her body was weak and hot and buzzing, and her mind was somewhere between his hands on her ass and his mouth on her lips. She didn’t say another word. Instead, she leaned into him and opened her mouth so that he could kiss her properly.

  Which he did. Oh God, how the man could kiss. His lips slid across hers, gentle and then fierce, while his tongue tasted every inch of her mouth. He kissed her until her head spun. Until the earth gave way beneath them. Until her knees were so weak they knocked together.

  Suddenly, she was in his arms. He strode toward the house and pushed his way inside. He stared down into her face, his eyes as hungry as his mouth had been. “Bedroom?” he said hoarsely.

  She pointed to the stairs that led to her loft. He took them quickly, and seconds later, she was on her back, splayed across the bed like an offering at a banquet. Nate stared down at her with a look in his eyes that made her insides melt and the ache between her legs intensify until she groaned, squeezing her thighs together in an effort to alleviate it.

  He smiled then, wickedly, like the devil he was, and yanked his shirt over his head in one motion before reaching down and taking off his boots. And then his jeans. And then his black boxers.

  “Jesus,” she said softly.

  Nate Jacobs was built like a god. His body was sculpted from years of hockey and the gym, and being out of the sport for nearly a decade had done nothing to diminish his physique. Her eyes moved from his muscular shoulders, down past the chiseled chest and abs where a tribal tattoo licked its way up his left side. He was fully erect, and her eyes stayed there, because a part of her couldn’t believe she’d done this to him. That she’d gotten him to this state.

  “Keep doing that, and this is going to be over before it begins,” he all but growled, moving toward her.

  Nate bent down and slowly reached for her, gently forcing her legs apart so that he could tug her panties down. Next came her T-shirt, leaving them both naked. Leaving her vulnerable to the power in his eyes.

  He took his time drinking her in, his gaze moving over every inch of her like he was memorizing a map. It was so long, in fact, that the doubt weasels, the ones she’d banished hours ago, crept onto her shoulders, and she tried to cover herself with her hands, but he grabbed them and wouldn’t let her.

  “Don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “Let me look.”

  Nate slowly moved up over her body, her arms captive above her head, and his mouth found hers once again. He kissed her so sweetly, it brought tears to her eyes.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful, Molly. You always have been. Don’t ever hide from me again.”

  She couldn’t speak. She stared up at him, mute and helpless, overcome by so many things. His body on hers. The feel of his skin and muscle and weight. The look in his eyes and the male scent of him that drove her crazy.

  A slow smile touched his mouth, and he dipped his head once more, capturing her lips in a way that made her feel wanted and desired. When he dragged his mouth from hers, she closed her eyes, overwhelmed and still silent. She couldn’t vocalize the things zigging and zagging inside her.

  He moved downward, his mouth on her breasts, his tongue and lips suckling, his teeth nipping and driving her crazy. She began to gyrate, but that did nothing to alleviate the ache and need inside her. In fact, it heightened her want, and when his hand slid down her body and sank into the wetness between her legs, she arched her back and swore.

  “That’s my girl,” Nate said. “Now open your eyes.”

  She obeyed, unable to do anything but surrender to the man above her. The veins in his neck stood out, a testament to how close he was to the edge. He watched her closely, that grin widening as his fingers circled her swollen clitoris, teasing her until she began to pant.

  “Touch me,” she whispered, arching her back even more.

  “Here?” he asked roughly, massaging, pressing, and applying just enough pressure to take the edge off. He kept at it, hard and fast, slow and easy, until she was a whimpering mess of need. When she thought she’d lose it entirely, he moved down, his mouth trailing fire until he reached her hip. He spread her legs as wide as they would go, and then his mouth was on her, his tongue inside her, his fingers spreading magic.

  Molly had never in her life felt like this. She was floating on a cloud of pleasure. Riding a rocket of desire. Her body felt like it was coming apart. Something deep inside began to curl and pull and pulse. She felt it spiral and get bigger, spreading out from her core and touching every part of her body. Her her hands found their way to Nate’s head. She held on like she was riding something magical and dangerous, her fingers sunk deep into his hair as he continued to make love to her with his mouth and fingers.

  She was almost there, almost to the top. Nate growled against her skin and inserted two fingers inside her.


  “Come on, babe,” he whispered hoarsely, his mouth on her again as she began to buck. That spiral inside her was like a giant now. It pulled and clawed, each arm a mass of pleasure that spread until she couldn’t take it anymore. She felt as if she was going to break into two, and just when she thought she could take no more, it exploded, and she shuddered, crying out as her body fell back, limp and spent.

  Her breaths were ragged as she slammed her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

  “That was…” She swallowed and shook her head. “I’ve never…”

  So that was what all the fuss was about. At nearly thirty years of age, Molly Malone had just had her first-ever orgasm, and it had been mind-blowing.

  “We’re just getting started, babe.”

  He kissed her again, down there, and almost immediately, her body responded. She felt that same pressure begin to build. She pulsed and ached and moaned because the need rose fast and hard.

  “Jesus, Nate,” she whispered.

  He moved over her and nipped at her neck. “What do you want?” he whispered into her skin.

  “You. Inside me. Right now.”

  Nathan stopped and looked down at her, those intense eyes dark and unrelenting. “Good answer,” he said roughly, leaning down to kiss her at the same time he thrust his body and entered her deeply.

  Her hands were on his arms, pulling at him, urging him to go faster because the need to work this ache inside her was strong. But he pulled back and took his time thrusting again. And again. And again.

  He filled her completely, a slow ride that was maddening and exhilarating. When the pressure became too much, she dug her nails into his shoulders, but he ignored her and continued his slow assault, whispering naughty words into her ear, while his hips worked their magic.

  Just when Molly thought she couldn’t take it anymore, Nate swore and moved his hands to her butt, where he gripped her tightly as his thrusts became harder and faster. She threw her head back, her body coming apart, and when he finally came, Nathan swore so loud, she was pretty sure that if she had neighbors, they’d have heard him.