Now that she thought about it, they’d been hanging out together a lot more often lately—no doubt because she was on a dry spell, and he felt sorry for her. She’d even considered taking him up on his offer to take her out, but didn’t want to make things uncomfortable between them, forcing him to spend time with her on an actual date when he wasn’t serious. Whenever he asked, she always came back with some smart-assed comment to keep things between them light and easy. Besides, with a little too much junk in her trunk and wiggle in her thighs, she was about as far from his type as a girl could get, which was, she surmised, why he’d never paid her a lick of attention sexually.
Damn. She really wished she hadn’t just thought of licking and Nate in the same sentence.
He plunked himself down on the edge of her desk and handed her a much needed mug of coffee.
“Thanks,” she said and wrapped her cold hands around the warm mug. She took a sip and released a happy sigh. French vanilla latté with whipped cream, her favorite, and bless Nate for knowing that. Nothing in the world tasted better. Seriously. She flicked her tongue out and licked the cream, and while all that sugary sweetness wasn’t helping that thigh situation she’d just lamented over, right now, she didn’t care. She had more important things to worry about, like her job.
“You looked like you needed a cup,” he said, scrubbing his hand over the sexy scruff on his chin.
She peeked at him over the rim. “What gave it away, the curses rolling down the hall or the pile of crumbled up paper in the trash?”
He leaned close and she caught his scent. Damn the man smelled good—like clean soap, fresh laundry, and something uniquely Nate. The combination of the three brought heat to her face, among other parts of her body.
Needy parts that Nate could sate.
She took another huge drink of her coffee to smother a moan but only ended up burning her damn tongue. But a blister was better than Nate knowing how he truly affected her. Nate thought of her as his asexual friend only, and she didn’t want to ruin what they had or cause tension in their relationship by making her interests obvious.
His brow furrowed as those clear blue eyes moved over her face. “You okay?” he asked.
“Just bummed at what Audrey said at the meeting this morning about next week’s comic having to be about Kate falling in love.” She gave him an exasperated look. “I have no idea what love looks like, so I sure as hell can’t draw it.”
If only she could do next week’s strip on lust. Yeah, she definitely knew what lust was, considering it was sitting right next to her and staring her in the face. She could whip out a three-page-spread on lust. But best to keep that tidbit to herself, so she shut her mouth and quietly admired Mr. Hot Pants from her chair instead.
He went quiet for a moment, thoughtful, the familiar sexy grin on his gorgeous mouth gone. “I could show you what love looks like,” he said softly.
She dropped her paper and was about to burst out laughing when she caught the seriousness in his eyes. Oh, God. Serious Nate was ten times sexier! Confused, she set her coffee down and held her hands out at her sides. “How can you possibly teach me anything about love or what it looks like?”
He glanced at the scribbling she’d jotted down moments ago and made a face that suggested she was in a whole lot of trouble. He lifted it from her desk, took a closer look, then shook his head.
“Well, if you think some guy handing a girl half a box of candy and dead flowers on Valentine’s is what love looks like, you need more help than I thought.”
She snatched the sheet from him and wadded it up into a tight ball. Honestly, how could she know what love looked like? Her mind went back to her upbringing. Her father had left when she was only two, and her mother had been alone ever since, burying herself in her job and paying little attention to the girl that needed her love, affection, and guidance so badly. For as long as Grace could remember, she had done everything on her own and had always taken care of herself. Cripes, no wonder she was so jaded. Without a good role model or personal experiences of love to draw on, she honestly had no idea how to recognize it when she saw it.
“Jesus Nate, you don’t have to be so…so honest.” She drew back her arm and lobbed the wad of paper toward the trash, the force behind the toss knocking several more out of the can.
He laughed and gave an easy roll of one shoulder. “Sorry,” he said. “But I call it as I see it.”
“Well, the way I see it, I’m going to be out of a job if I don’t figure this out soon.”
“Which means you should take me up on my offer and put yourself in my hands, because you obviously need me more than you realize.”
Oh, I realize just how much I need you, thank you very much. As far as putting myself in your hands, well…
She pushed back in her chair and folded her arms, ready to hear him
