"What? Why?"

"Because they got knocked out."

"Oh my G.o.d! Were you in an accident?" What the h.e.l.l happened to him?

Nate laughs, and I'm completely confused.

"No, I used to fight."

"Fight with whom?"

"With other guys who signed up for it."

"I'm lost." I'm frowning at him. What the h.e.l.l is he talking about?

"I used to be a UFC fighter, Julianne." He's still smiling, delighted with himself.

"You do MMA?" I ask. I shouldn't be surprised, that's exactly the kind of body he has.

"You know Mixed Martial Arts?" He asks, his eyebrows raised almost to his hairline.

"Nate, I have four older brothers and a father. Not only did they all teach me how to protect myself, they made me sit and watch that c.r.a.p or play it on the xBox all the d.a.m.n time. It's much to their dismay that I wear makeup and love pink."

"So, you're a bada.s.s, Miss Montgomery?"

"I am, Mr. McKenna."

"Wanna prove it?" He's smiling again, delighted with me, and I'm smiling back at him. Who knew sitting and talking with Nate could be so easy?

And who knew we'd have so much in common?

"Right now?"

"No, tomorrow. Come to the gym with me."

"I don't know," I shake my head. "I might really hurt that pretty face of yours."

"You think my face is pretty?" He kisses my knuckles, one by one, then leans over and kisses my cheek.

"You know your face is pretty."

"I know your face is pretty."

"It's just a face," I respond and shrug. I have always received a lot of attention because of my face, and my body. It's just genetics.

Nate narrows his eyes at me, his mouth forming a hard line. "Julianne, your beautiful face is only out matched by what's inside you."

What the f.u.c.k? No one, no man anyway, has ever said anything about what's inside me. Unless he was referring to his d.i.c.k.

I gasp and feel my eyes go wide. This is why I'm drawn to him. He completely throws me off kilter.

"Well, aren't you the charmer?" I ask, trying desperately to lighten the mood.

Nate smiles again. "So, are you coming with me or not?"

"If you think you can take me, sure, I'll come with you."

"Did you bring workout clothes?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"So..." I look around his beautiful apartment. "Did you decorate this yourself?"

Nate laughs and I feel the pull in my belly. I love his laugh. "No."

"It suits you."

"You think?" he raises an eyebrow and looks around at his beautiful home.

"Yeah, it's masculine, but inviting, and comfortable. And the kitchen is s.e.xy as h.e.l.l."

"s.e.xy, suits me, does it?" He asks and kisses my knuckles again, sending shivers down my back.

I shrug and raise an eyebrow. "You have your moments."

"Well, speaking of my s.e.xy kitchen," Nate rises gracefully from the couch and pulls me with him. "How would you like some dessert?"

"Dessert?" I echo, lamely. Watching him walk is making me crazy. He's so graceful; he clearly takes care of that body. I can't wait to see what he can do at the gym tomorrow.

"I have chocolate cheesecake." He smiles back at me and I gasp.

"That's my favorite."

"I know."

"How do you know?"

"Because at every business dinner you always order it for dessert." He motions for me to sit on a stool at the breakfast bar and pulls the cheesecake out of the fridge.

He pays attention to what I order at dinner?

"So I was a bit of a foregone conclusion tonight then?" I c.o.c.k my head to the side and smile sa.s.sily at him and can't help but enjoy watching him squirm.

"No, nothing you do is expected, Julianne, but I was hopeful, and prepared, just in case." He cuts the cake and pulls two white dessert plates out of a beautiful dark mahogany cabinet. He joins me and we dig in.

"Oh, Sweet Jesus, that's good." I lick my fork and close my eyes. Diving back in for a second bite, I notice that Nate isn't moving. "What's wrong?"

"You are so s.e.xy." His eyes are burning with l.u.s.t, and my body starts to hum under his hot gaze.

"I love chocolate," I murmur and take another bite. "It's my vice. I don't drink much, I'm not big on junk food, but chocolate is not safe from me. If you don't hide that cake, I'll have it polished off by morning."

"I don't mind as long as I get to watch you eat it."

I laugh at him as I take another bite and he digs into his own piece. He nods appreciatively and licks his lips.

Oh my, those lips. He's so good with those lips.

"Am I seriously sitting in your kitchen eating chocolate cheesecake?" I ask. I can't believe I'm here. "If someone had told me this morning that this is where I'd be tonight, I'd have told them to seek medical attention."

"Is it that much of a hardship?" he asks, and I can hear the hurt in his voice.

Oh no! I don't want to hurt his feelings!

"Not at all, just a surprise. This is just the last thing I expected."

"I'm glad you're here," he murmurs, looking down at his plate, then he turns that hot gray gaze back to mine.

"Me too," I reply and take the last bite of cake. "Feed me cheesecake like this, and I'll never leave." I laugh and gather my empty plate and take it to the sink, rinse it and place it in the dishwasher. Nate joins me, taking care of his dishes, and then leans back against the counter, watching me.

"My fridge will now forever be full of chocolate cheesecake." He smiles warmly and heat slowly spreads through me at his flirty statement.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," I quip and hop up to his on his counter, dangling my feet and watching him. G.o.d, he's a sight to behold. I love seeing his hair hanging loose, and I definitely want to see more of that tattoo.

I wonder if he has more of them?

I lick my lips at the thought of exploring that hot body in the light. Yes, I know exactly where I'll be sleeping tonight, and it's not in the spare bedroom.

"That's a promise I can keep, honey. I didn't want you to leave last time." He frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. "Speaking of, why did you?"

Oh. We're going to have this conversation now.

"I couldn't deal with the morning after regrets."

"What morning after regrets?"

"You said you wanted to talk in the morning, and I naturally a.s.sumed that meant we'd have the athis was a one-time deal' talk, and to be honest, I was saving us both from that uncomfortable conversation." I bite my lip and close my eyes, feeling the humiliation all over again.

"That's not what I was going to talk with you about, Julianne."

My eyes find his and I grip the edge of the smooth countertop. "It's not?"

"No." He shakes his head and closes his eyes and swears under his breath. "When I woke up and you were gone it p.i.s.sed me off. Then you wouldn't speak to me for days. You finally asked me to go out with you and your friends, and I thought we had a good time, but then you went back to being professional and cool again. I know you're giving me all the signs that you're not interested, but I can't seem to stay away from you."

"I like my job, Nate. I worked hard to get it. And I enjoy working for you. You're so good at what you do, and I'm learning from you. I can't jeopardize my career because my boss is hot and I'm attracted to him."

Nate smirks and then runs his hands through his hair in frustration. "It's none of anyone's business if we see each other outside of the office."

"But someone will find out, and then it could be over for both of us."

"I have very good lawyers, Jules." Jules? He just called me Jules!!

I shake my head and look down at my swinging feet. I want him, and by some miracle he wants me too. Can we pursue this, whatever it is, and keep it away from work?

"Hey," he murmurs, and pushes away from the counter to stand between my thighs. He wraps his arms around my behind and hugs me to his chest. He's so tall, I'm only a few inches taller than him sitting up here. "Don't worry so much about this, honey. It'll work out."

I gaze into his earnest eyes, my blue to his gray, and run my fingers through his soft, long black hair. For the first time in eight months my world feels right. I want to see where this goes.

I want him.

I lean down and brush my lips across his gently and nibble the corner of his mouth. I lean farther and bury my nose in his neck and inhale the musky, clean scent of him, and against my better career-woman judgment, I cave.

"I'm sleeping with you tonight," I whisper.

"Thank Christ," he whispers back.

Chapter Four.

Nate pulls me against him, cups my a.s.s in his hands and lifts me in his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck and hold on tight.

"I want you. Now." It's not a request. His lips are on mine, searching, hot, and I weave my fingers in that glorious hair as he carries me through his apartment and to his bedroom.

"Lights on," I murmur against his mouth and he grins.

"f.u.c.k, yes." He flips a switch on the wall as we pa.s.s through the doorway and both the lamps on his end tables come to life. I can see his room now, in the light, and it's simply amazing. Grey walls, white linens, large white furniture. It's masculine and clean and cla.s.sy.

It's so Nate.

He crawls onto the bed with me still in his arms. I love how strong he is. I rest my hands on his arms, reveling at how the muscles move and flex as he lays me on the cool linens. He's braced above me, his hands planted on either side of my shoulders, his hips cradled in mine, and he leans down and moves that amazingly talented mouth over my lips.

f.u.c.k he can kiss!

I run my hands down his back and pull his t-shirt up to his chest. I want him naked.

Now.

He sits back on his heels and pulls the shirt over his head and I gasp as I sit up, bracing myself on my elbows. The sleeve tattoo on his right arm not only goes up to his shoulder, but over across his right chest-area too. With trembling fingers I trace the swirly tribal design, over his chest, around his nipple, and up over the top of his shoulder down his arm.

"It's beautiful," I murmur and look up into molten gray eyes. His gaze is searching mine, a slight smile on his lips, patiently letting me explore with my fingers.

I'll explore it with my mouth before the night is over.