“No.” I force out the word.
Nate remains where he is, too close, his breath tickling my neck in a delicious way that makes my insides warm and uncurl. “Let me rephrase, can I help you forget something, Miss Hill?”
The way he says my name, the sexy deepness of his voice is hypnotic. He doesn’t touch me, but he’s close enough that my entire body is on edge at his closeness. I feel him there, inches away, and want more. I want his hands on my skin and his lips on my body. I want to get lost in his kisses and be devoured the way he did last time. I want to scream out as I find my release and dig my nails into his skin, marking him, making him mine.
But he’s not mine.
And this can’t be.
I force myself to step away. The seduction spell falters, but doesn’t dissipate entirely. It never does when Nate’s in the room. I head to the sink and turn on the water. “Not tonight, but thanks for the offer.”
Nate remains by my painting across the room. He watches me at the sink, and notices how I avoid his gaze. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, everything is fine.”
“Kerry—”
I don’t want him to know about Carter, about the threats. I can handle it and if we stay apart, it won’t matter. The whole mess is over if I can keep my hands to myself.
“Nate, I’m fine.” I smile at him and pass by, playfully bumping my shoulder to his as I pass. “It’s just late and I have to be up early tomorrow.”
Nate folds his arms across his chest and eyes me as I finish cleaning up my paints. “You seem upset.”
“I’m not.” I flash a super big fake smile his way. “See? I’m good.”
He walks up behind me and places his hand over mine. “I know you’re not fine. You were rattled last time we talked, and now it seems worse. If you need help, you can ask me. For anything, Kerry—not just sex.”
The words are exactly what I want to hear, but I can’t accept them. I twist around and I’m between my easel and Nate, with little room to do anything. Wet paint is behind me and a very hot man is in front of me, saying magical words that make my insides melt. “Thank you.”
I plan to say the words and push him away, and put some space between us, but I can’t move. The way he watches me with such devotion and desire pins me in place. My pulse pounds faster and my skin prickles. My stomach swishes and flutters as the butterflies explode within me.
Nate doesn’t touch me, but as he steps closer, dropping his arms from the tight fold across his chest, our noses brush together. I suck in a ragged breath and freeze in place. Kissing him here would be incredibly stupid. We’re in a classroom. A student could walk in and see us. We’d both be screwed.
I finally confess, “Carter knows.”
Nate blinks rapidly and pulls away the tiniest amount. “About us?”
“Yes, and he threatened to tell the dean. I don’t want you to lose your job.” I don’t want to be labeled a whore either. I don’t want to have other people dictate what we do. I don’t want to hurt you. My eyes must say the rest of my thoughts because Nate seems to know.
Instead of pulling away, he leans in closer, presses his forehead to mine. “Neither do I.”
“Then why are you still standing here?” A smile tugs at my lips. “You’re too close.”
“Because I want to kiss you.” His voice is deep and rough. His dark lashes lower around those cool blue eyes as he speaks. “I’ve been thinking about you, about feeling your body against mine, slick with sweat. I want to make you cry out. I want to feel you tremble in my hands. I want to make you feel so good you can’t stop smiling.”
“Nate…”
He watches me through lowered lashes, lingering. “Use me, Kerry. Take out all your worry and anguish on me. I want you.”
He watches my lips for a moment and then sweeps a kiss across them, gentle and teasing. My body tenses and I know I should push him away, but I don’t want to. His hands are on my face, as he pulls my lips to his and the kiss deepens. His tongue is in my mouth and I don’t want to stop. I feel his hard length pressing against my hip and visions of our naked tangled bodies flash behind my eyes.
Passion overtakes us and the kiss becomes frantic and heated. His hands are in my hair, tugging at the ponytail as he crushes his body against mine. The paintbrushes that are stuck in my hair fall to the floor. I nearly fall back into the painting, so Nate spins us around to the far wall and sets me down on the windowsill. He lunges to the side and swipes at the lights, dousing us with darkness.
I’m giddy when I realize what he wants to do. “We can’t do that here.”
Nate pushes my thighs apart and the fabric of my skirt offers plenty of room. He steps in between my legs so his hips are directly in front of mine. “We can do anything you want.”
An image of the two of us, naked, and covered in paint while rolling across a canvas comes to mind. I push the thought away. This is crazy enough. That would be totally insane. His lips are on mine and he kisses me sweetly. “Tell me what you want, Kerry.”