Northern Escape Read online

  “Merrilee isn’t really your aunt, is she? Otherwise he would’ve found you by now.”

  “No.” She offered a faint smile acknowledging he’d figured it out. “She’s not my aunt, but she’s like family. She and my mother grew up together in Georgia. She’s all the family I have now.”

  “Your parents?”

  “My father and mother divorced when I was young. He remarried and he was good about sending a check, but that was it. Diane, the new wife, didn’t want me around and that was the way it was.” She shrugged but he didn’t believe for a moment her father’s lack of involvement didn’t hurt. “My mother died the year I graduated from culinary school. I was glad she saw me graduate.”

  She looked over at the photos on the wall. “I was fortunate we had that time together. It was before we knew she was sick and then she went fast, which she always maintained was a blessing. She said her one regret was that I’d be left alone—it had only been the two of us for so long.” Her voice thickened and her eyes watered. She paused, visibly pulling herself together and he was amazed by her fortitude. Did she have any idea what a strong person she was? He wanted nothing more at that moment than to gather her up and drop her into the middle of his big, boisterous family so they could love her.

  Gus bit her bottom lip and then, once again in control, continued. “Merrilee came to the funeral. It was the first time I’d seen her since I was twelve or thirteen.”

  Nick was trying to piece it all together in his head and she didn’t seem to mind answering questions. Actually, the questions she didn’t want to answer, she simply didn’t. “How long was it after you lost your mother that you met this man?”

  “A year and two weeks. I’d thrown myself into my work. She and I weren’t just mother and daughter. We were friends and confidantes and I missed her like crazy. I still miss her.”

  “I can’t imagine.” And he couldn’t. His parents had always been there for him. They gave him roots.

  “Tr—he didn’t know about Merrilee. I’d seen her at the funeral and she’d told me to keep in touch but it was just too painful and I didn’t. It’s funny, the night I packed my stuff and left Northern Virginia, I didn’t have a plan. I drove as far as I could and slept in a Wal-Mart parking lot with the motor home group.”

  He didn’t know what she was talking about. He obviously looked perplexed, because she explained.

  “Wal-Mart allows motor homes to overnight in their parking lots. They can pull in there and spend the night in their campers if they want to. I just parked behind one so at first glance it’d look as if I was a car being towed behind it. Anyway, when I woke up the next morning, I thought of Merrilee. She just popped into my head. I went into the store, bought a prepaid cell phone and tracked her down that way. I stayed in a cheap motel and Bull came and got me.”

  It was damn near impossible to imagine the woman sitting across from him sleeping in a parking lot with all her worldly possessions loaded into a car, having to contact virtual strangers for help. “Had you ever met Bull before?”

  “Once, at my mother’s funeral, but I can’t say that any of that was very clear.”

  “So, Bull came for you and you vanished without a trace? That’s not easy to do these days.”

  “It’s not easy, but it’s possible.” She smiled and again he was overwhelmed by her courage. “Unless you get your picture and your name mentioned in the Times.”

  “Augustina’s your real name but not Tippens, am I right?”

  “Yes. I was named after my mother’s favorite aunt. But my full name only ever came into play on official documents.”

  “And you’re not going to tell me your real name, are you?” It was rhetorical. He knew that answer as surely as he knew his own name.

  “No, because it doesn’t matter. This is who I am now, this is where I belong. I don’t know what I would have done without Merrilee, Bull and Good Riddance. This is my haven.”

  Nick would beg to differ. It was as clear as the nose on his face. She didn’t belong here, but that was a realization she’d have to come to herself. “Thank you for telling me your story. It’s safe with me.”

  “I thought it would be, otherwise you would’ve never heard it.” She sipped at her wine.

  “It’s late and I know that wasn’t easy for you. Do you want me to go?” God knows he didn’t want to leave, he’d never wanted to stay more, but he didn’t want to crowd her or rush her. And he sure as hell didn’t want to take advantage of her when she was emotionally vulnerable so he was giving her an out if she wanted to take it.

  For a second she looked totally unsure of herself and horribly vulnerable. “Do you want to leave? Did what I told you change things for you?”

  She thought her story had turned him off? That he was looking for an out? They’d get this straight pronto. “No. I don’t want to leave. I’ve never wanted to stay with a woman more, but I don’t want you to have any regrets or feel as if I took advantage of you.” She started to say something, but he held up his hand to cut her off. He needed to finish what he wanted to say. “Yes, your story did change things for me.” Confusion flitted across her face. “I liked you, respected you before, but that’s all deeper and stronger now. We’re all the sum of our experiences and you are one hell of a woman and I think I’m damn lucky to be sitting here with you now.”

  “I think…that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “I appreciate your sensitivity, Nick, but it’s the past. I cleared the air and I don’t want to think about him anymore, especially right now.” The look in her eyes told Nick exactly what she wanted.

  Him.

  9

  IT WAS AMAZING HOW MUCH BETTER she felt getting that out of the way. Troy was still a monster and he remained a threat, but there was something empowering about dragging him out in the open.

  “I’m going to follow your lead,” Nick said. “You set the pace. This is your call. We’ll go as far and as fast as you want to. When we’ve hit your limit, we’ve hit my limit.”

  Even though it felt awkward to get out of her chair and move to sit next to Nick on the couch, Gus appreciated his sensitivity. Placing her wineglass on the coffee table, she canted toward him on the sofa. She’d known the searing heat, the slow simmer, and now they were on medium, which felt just right. She didn’t want to rush this with him.

  He reached over and cupped her jaw in his hand, tracing the ridge of her cheekbone with his thumb. “I wanted you from the first moment I caught a glimpse of you.”

  He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her neck, sending a spear of heat through her. “I felt bad for Teddy when she got sick—” another nuzzle against her throat “—but I was glad it gave me a chance to spend time with you because otherwise I was sunk.”

  He nibbled at her neck sending the most delicious sensations coursing along her nerve endings.

  “You’re shameless,” she said, her breath catching in her throat when he teased his tongue against the lower lobe of her ear.

  He nipped. “I know.”

  It had been so long since she’d been with a man, having Nick’s mouth and breath play against her skin was like standing in a sweet downpour after four years of drought. She reveled in the erotic scrape of his whiskers against her neck, her face. And it wasn’t just any man, it was important to her that it was this man. A man who knew when to laugh but also knew how to listen, and was strong enough to step back and give her the space she needed to make this special.

  She buried her fingers in his hair, luxuriating in the sensation against her skin. He trailed his lips across her jaw until his mouth claimed hers. His slow, languid kiss sipped, explored, delved, over and over until she felt as if she was floating, buoyed by their kisses.

  She sensed his restraint, felt it in the taut line of his body. He was truly leaving it up to her to set the pace. He was one of a kind and she was indescribably glad she’d waited for him to land on her doo
rstep. There was no one she’d rather be here with now than Nick.

  “Relax,” she said. “I promise I won’t break.”

  “Good,” he murmured against her jaw. “I don’t want you to break. I just want you to fall apart…when the time comes.”

  She leaned into him, pushing him back onto the couch, landing on top of him. Gus deepened their kiss, intensified it, her tongue seeking his.

  He made a satisfied sound against her mouth that only notched up her pleasure in the feel of him beneath her, his tongue dancing intimately with hers. Nick rubbed his hands up and down her back, kneading, stroking. His touch felt so good. The aching want between her thighs intensified to need.

  She wanted the slide of his hands over her skin, the press of his bare flesh against hers. Without breaking her mouth from his, she sat up enough to tug his shirt loose and run her hands beneath the fabric. She plied her hands against solid male flesh and moaned into his mouth. Touching him brought a pleasure all its own.

  He worked his hands beneath the hem of her top and stroked her back with his strong, sure hands.

  They were still fully clothed and she was absolutely burning for him. Based on the ridge of his arousal cradled between her thighs, he was equally hot for her.

  She sat up, her breathing uneven. “Nick, let’s go to my bedroom.”

  “If you’re sure that’s what you want.” He brushed the backs of his fingers against her belly and she sucked in a sharp breath at the sensation quivering through her. “I don’t need to be asked twice.”

  She slid off of him and stood by the couch. Holding her hand out, she said, “I’ve never been surer.” And she hadn’t.

  Hand in hand they went into her bedroom. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her close to rest against his solidness. She relaxed into him, absorbing the feel of his chest against her shoulders, his abs against her back, his arousal against her buttocks.

  She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his bicep then nuzzled her cheek against the hard muscle. His scent, surrounding her as surely as his arms, was intoxicating—unique.

  He stroked his hands over her shirt-covered middle and nipped at the sensitive back of her neck, his mouth sending the heat inside her spiraling out of control. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, granting him closer access to her neck and shoulder. His breath whispered across her skin, followed by his lips and the tender stroking of his tongue. Sweet, wet heat flooded her.

  Nick turned her around to face him. Gus stepped back to the bed and, taking his hands, pulled him down beside her. The room lay in shadows except for the light spilling in from the den. That worked for her. It had been a long, long time since she’d been naked in front of anyone.

  He rolled into her, cupping her head in his hand and kissing her again. His mouth felt like magic against hers. Gus slid her fingers beneath his shirt, over the expanse of his back. She loved the way his skin felt beneath her hand. Slowly, taking their time, they undressed one another until they were lying in her darkened bedroom in their underwear. She looked her fill.

  Nick was, in a word, beautiful. If she had conjured up a recipe for the perfect male specimen, he was exactly what she would have gotten. Broad shoulders, well-defined biceps—somewhere he found time to visit a gym because he didn’t come by those typing on a computer or boarding an airplane—narrow hips, and muscular legs.

  However, it was his chest and belly that totally did her in. For whatever reason known only to God and advertising executives, sexy men were now portrayed with totally hairless bodies. That just didn’t work for her. Men were supposed to look like men. And Nick looked like a man. Dark, curling hair covered his chest and ran down his belly to his sex. He wasn’t gorilla man, which would have turned her off. He was simply her man, which turned her on.

  He skimmed his hand down her side, over her hip and she sucked in an unsteady breath.

  “Your skin is so soft,” Nick said. “You feel so good.”

  “I like it when you touch me.”

  “Can I take your bra off?”

  “Yes. I want to feel your hands on me—your mouth on me.”

  “Honey, that is not a problem. If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get.”

  His words and his touch enflamed her. The cooler air settled against her skin when he slipped her bra off. He paused for a moment. “Wow.”

  Gus smiled. “Is that a good wow?”

  “You damn well better believe it is.” He gathered her breasts in his hands, brushing his thumbs over her nipples.

  “Oh, wow,” she gasped.

  He followed his hands with his mouth. Gus arched off of the mattress when he tugged her nipple into his warm, wet mouth and sucked. He gave the same attention to the other one and she was awash in the need to feel him between her thighs. She’d wanted to go slow but urgency gripped her. She reached between them and stroked his erection that was straining against the front of his briefs.

  “Gus.” Her name came out as a gasp.

  “Yes. Now.”

  He rustled around in his jeans pocket until he pulled out a condom. While he divested himself of his underwear, Gus slipped her panties off. She didn’t need any additional foreplay. She was more than ready for him.

  He rolled to his back, bringing her on top of him. With his hands grasping her hips, Gus straddled him and eased down, taking him inside her, inch by inch. She threw her head back, reveling in the feel of him inside her, filling her. She stilled, savoring the moment.

  “You,” she said, “on top.”

  Within seconds, he’d flipped her to her back, reversing positions. “Better?”

  “Yes.” Oh. Yes. He felt so good inside her.

  Nick pistoned up and down, leaning forward to bring his penis into mind-boggling contact with her clit. His mouth found hers and devoured her in an equally mind-numbing kiss.

  She felt herself coming undone, piece by piece, stroke by stroke, until spasms wracked her and she shattered as she called his name.

  NICK RETURNED TO THE DARKENED bedroom. While he’d been in the bathroom cleaning up, Gus had pulled back the cover and was between the sheets. Now that the heat of the moment had passed, the room held a chill.

  She lifted the edge of the sheet and blanket. “Climb in.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” He slid into bed with her and propped up on one arm. Gus lay on her back, a satisfied smile on her face. It was damn nice to know he was the one who’d put it there. He smoothed her hair back from her face then skimmed his fingers across the satin skin of her cheekbone. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m better than okay. I’m great. How about you?”

  He put his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. “I’m better than great and damn glad to be here.”

  He was fairly certain he was the first since the disaster with her fiancé. He was damn certain he was the first man to be here with her in this apartment in this bed—and he liked that. A lot.

  “I’m pretty glad you’re here,” she said, sliding her leg over his and tracing his calf with her instep. She settled her head on his bare chest. He liked the way she felt against him, as if it was where she belonged.

  “Gus?”

  “Yes?”

  He stroked his hand down her back, learning the sweet curve, trailing his fingers along the indent of her spine. “Just a name.” He wouldn’t rest, know a moment’s peace until he tracked the bastard down. “Just give me a name.”

  “No.” She flicked her tongue against his right nipple and the feeling shot straight through to his dick.

  He struggled for focus. “But—”

  “I don’t want him here in the bed with us now.” She swirled her tongue over his nipple again, seriously catching his attention. “This is between you and me. And you’re only going to be here a few days so we have lots of ground to cover.” She trailed her hand down his belly and teased the base of his shaft. “Can we please leave him out of this?”

  “Absolutely
.” For now.

  Wrapping her hand around him, she stroked. “Good answer.”

  “Where do you want me this time?” He still wanted to make sure she was comfortable with where they were, what they did.

  “On top, beside, behind…all of it works for me.”

  Her openness and enthusiasm was a turn-on. Hell, everything about her was a turn-on. He’d never met a woman quite like her before. She was a mix of pragmatic reality and sensual eroticism. It was an intriguing, heady combination.

  Nick was ready. He could simply climb on top, behind or beside, as she’d so arousingly put it, and they’d both have a good time but he wanted more than that. He wanted to learn her nuances. He wanted to carry every curve and sigh with him when he left. And he wanted to be the lover she remembered long after he was gone.

  “Duly noted and all in good time. You have the sexiest mouth.” He traced the bow of her upper lip with his finger tip. “This drives me crazy.”

  She smiled against his finger. “Crazy? Really?”

  He grinned down at her. “Bonafide madness. It’s terrible.” He cupped her jaw in his hand and leaned down to kiss her. Her mouth felt and tasted as if it had been custom-made for him. Gus wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He loved the feel of her satin skin against his.

  Moving from her lips, he traced a line of kisses down her neck, her shoulder, down her arm to the delicate inside of her elbow and farther to her wrist.

  She sighed beneath him. He traveled to the tender skin of her belly and past to the rounded curve of her hip where he discovered the sensitive spot between her hip and pubic area. He pressed kisses against the inside of her thigh, inhaling the scent of her sex.

  “Oh, yes,” she murmured.

  That was all the encouragement he needed. He spread her thighs further apart, opening her to him. He teased his tongue along the folds of her sex and she canted her hips up off of the bed, issuing a moan. He would be inside her again later but now, this was exactly what he wanted and where he wanted to be, lapping at her, tasting her. And apparently it was precisely where she wanted him, as well.