Relentless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 5) Read online

She heard some shuffling next to her and glanced over to see Nathan pulling her wallet out of her purse. “What are you doing?”

  “Lay down. I’m just taking you home.”

  She needed to get back to the inn. She needed to... The car started to move, and she once again rested her head and closed her eyes. As much as she wanted to just fall into sleep, her mind wasn’t even close to turning off. “I lost it.”

  “The inn? I thought it was being sold. Did they say anything about you losing your job?”

  “It was supposed to be mine. Now it never will be. Oh God, listen to me. I’m whining. I hate whiners.”

  “We all have to complain sometimes. I’m here for you.” He reached over and set a hand on her leg.

  Her eyes slowly opened and she stared down at the contact. She should move it, but she didn’t bother. It didn’t feel inappropriate. It felt as if he was trying to comfort her. Poor guy. She should really tell him it was no use. There was no consoling her right now.

  “They offered three million. That’s at least five hundred grand more than the inn is worth. It was stupid to even try for a loan, but I couldn’t not try. You know?” No, of course he wouldn’t know. He could have anything with the snap of his fingers. “I just wish it made sense.” She’d given it her all and done everything right, but her best wasn’t good enough apparently.

  “What about Victoria?” asked Nathan.

  “She’s a businesswoman. A good one. She’d never knowingly let me pay that much more than market value for a property.” Victoria would know it was Katy’s heart making the decision and not her head. So not only would she be going to family for help after swearing to herself never to ask for their help again, but she’d be asking for their help for a venture she knew she should be staying away from. But this was her dream...

  “We all have deals fall through now and then. It stings now, but you’ll be back to ass-kicking soon enough and it won’t bother you anymore.”

  Katy scoffed as she still stared at where his hand was on her bare knee. Surely he would need that hand for driving at some point? “I don’t make lots of deals. This was my deal. The only deal I wanted.” Once again she was struck by how shortsighted she sounded, and that only made her feel worse. Now she felt bad for feeling bad. Good grief, she couldn’t win.

  The car came to a stop, and she looked out the window to see that Nathan had pulled into her driveway. She didn’t even realize they’d left Main Street.

  She needed to get her head back in the game. Gingerly, she opened the door and stepped out of the low-to-the-ground car. Nathan was already out and running around to meet her. “You shouldn’t have come all the way out here for me.”

  Once again Nathan had an arm around the small of her back as he led her up the steps of her front porch and to the door. “You might not know, but I’m really good at reading people.”

  “I know—”

  “It’s my job. I am the person on the front lines to negotiate and foster connections. So when I said it looked like you needed a friend, I wasn’t just talking out of my ass. I really am here for you.”

  Katy pulled away from his touch and leaned back against the screen door as she looked him over. He was exactly the Nathan she remembered and so different, too. She’d thought about him so many times over the years. How many times had she fantasized what his reaction would be to seeing the home she’d made for herself here? Now he didn’t even seem to notice.

  Her home was small, but because it was only a few miles from the inn and the cost was less than six figures, it had been perfect for her. The porch used to be painted a beautiful white, but the sun had changed it to a faded cream. Would he be proud of her accomplishment of buying a house even if she'd had the help of rich relatives? Or would he scoff at her house, which was undoubtedly smaller than his apartment?

  “I can run out to pick up some lunch for you,” he offered politely.

  Katy didn’t respond at first as she turned to unlock her door. “It’s too early for lunch.” She pushed the door open. She didn’t invite him in, but she didn’t tell him to leave either. So when she heard his footsteps in her living room behind her, she wasn’t surprised.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and looked around the living room. Medium-sized sofa, flat-screen TV. The walls were a soothing, neutral blue-gray, and the archway leading into the kitchen was painted white. Very cute. Very charming. So when she turned to look at Nathan in her cute and charming living room, it wasn’t surprising that he looked so out of place.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Katy finally.

  “You looked like you needed a—”

  “Here. At the inn. Bugging me? You’ve been trying to tell me ever since you got here and I refused to listen. I’m listening now.”

  “I came back here for you.”

  Katy let out a bitter laugh. “You’ve got shitty timing.”

  “I can leave you alone if you want to rest.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to rest! I want to scream! I want to march right down to Florida and shake Burkhart until he does what I want him to do. And I want to somehow understand why you stayed up all night to help me last night. I want to know why, after all these years, it’s become so important that you come back here.”

  “I told you, I came back for you.”

  “Well, that’s not good enough!”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  No. She didn’t think for one instant that he came out here on a whim that they should get back together. “I’m trying to understand.”

  “You’ve had a long day. Regroup and we’ll talk later.”

  “I don’t want to talk later! Aren’t you listening?”

  Then Nathan snapped and closed the distance between them. In one abrupt motion, his hands were at her waist and he was pulling her into a fierce kiss. Katy was furious that he’d even think this was a good idea, but she didn’t push him away. She channeled her anger into the kiss. She pulled at his hair and bit at his lips.

  Instead of chasing him away, it only seemed to spur Nathan on. He groaned against her mouth and pushed her back with his body. They both slammed into the wall. One of the picture frames fell onto the floor, the sound of glass shattering cutting through the thick tension in the room. But neither Katy nor Nathan stopped.

  She tugged at his clothes, the need to get him naked suddenly all-consuming. She pulled at his sweater and he obligingly lifted his hands over his head so she could throw it on the ground behind him.

  Before she could tug at his pants, he caught her legs right at the edge of where her skirt ended and pushed the fabric up. The touch of his bare hands sliding up her thighs sent shivers through her, and all she could do was gasp in surprise as he lifted her up to press her firmly against the wall. His body quickly closed the distance so the hard bulge of his erection, which had to be uncomfortable in those jeans, pressed against her center.

  He kissed her again, but her frustrations just mounted. No. There were still too many clothes. But then he started to move, and even through the silk panties she wore, the pressure hit her in exactly the right spot.

  Katy gripped his shoulders tightly; he kissed along her jaw and bit down on an earlobe during an especially delicious movement. Oh God, this was Nathan. He never did what she expected. She thought a fast quickie would get her mind off things, but he had other things in mind...

  He moved faster, and the sensations built up higher than Katy thought imaginable. He was all over her... His fingers bit into her ass as he held her against him, and that steady, rhythmic thrusting had her wishing with everything in her that they were both naked. And then his lips were doing torturous things to her neck...

  The orgasm rocked her world. A saying she’d never quite understood before, but the world actually seemed to tilt on its axis before everything fell away, and all she could see hear or feel was Nathan...

  Katy was still catching her breath as he pulled her away from the wall and carried her into
the spare bedroom. He’d never been in her house before, but considering the door was wide open, it was easy enough to see the bed.

  “This isn’t my room,” she said as he kicked the door shut.

  “Has a bed. Good enough for me.” He set her down and she slid down his body, her dress still bunched around her thighs. Nathan cupped the back of her neck and kissed her thoroughly, deeply. She fell into the kiss, forgetting about all of her problems and worries. She wouldn’t have even noticed him unzipping the back of her dress if it weren’t for the sound of metal against metal. All of her senses seemed heightened at the moment and all exactly attuned to Nathan.

  He pulled aside the back of the dress until it slipped over her shoulders and fell to the floor. Before she had a chance to feel self-conscious or second-guess herself, Katy pulled Nathan’s belt buckle. She didn’t want to stop. She didn’t want to think. She just wanted to go. She just wanted to have him.

  As soon as the belt was undone, Nathan worked at the button of his jeans, and together they pushed the jeans and his boxers down. Then she took his hand and led him to the bed. She didn’t know exactly what she was doing, but she pretended she did. She lay back on the middle of the full-size mattress and then held her hand out to him. But instead of immediately settling between her legs, he wrapped a few fingers in the edge of her panties and slowly started to pull.

  She’d assumed getting rid of this last barrier would be a quick ordeal, but Nathan savored the moment. She would’ve thought any other man would be more than ready to escalate things, but he took his time running the silk down her legs as he kissed the inner skin of her knee.

  “Nathan,” she breathed.

  “You think I’m lying,” he said against her thigh. That was when he finally made his move as he climbed up her body until she felt his hard cock pressed against her folds.

  Finally, she thought.

  “You see,” he said, still holding himself at her entrance, “I never forgot about you. I was warned to stay away and, God help me, I know I still should. I know I’m no good for you and I know I’ll only drag you down with me. But I can’t stay away anymore. I’m going to have you the way I should’ve taken you all those years ago. And if I burn in hell for it, at least you’ll be burning with me.”

  And then he thrust inside in one abrupt motion. It was so fast and she was so ready, but still the suddenness of it hurt. She gripped his back and held in a gasp as she let her body adjust to his size.

  “Are you okay?” His voice was clipped, and somehow it turned her on to know it wasn’t easy for him to talk. At least she wasn’t the only one so affected by this.

  There wasn’t an easy yes-or-no answer, so instead she said, “I want you so much.”

  Nathan ran his fingers over her forehead, brushing some hair out of her face before he leaned in for a kiss. And that was when he really started to move. He withdrew until only the tiniest amount of his cock was still inside, and then he filled her again. This time it didn’t hurt. She wrapped a leg around him and urged him on.

  She broke off the kiss and tucked her head into his shoulder as she gripped him tightly. With every thrust, her still sensitive body reacted; the more he moved, the more the change came over him. His thrusts were less controlled and his groans became almost animalistic and feral. She opened her eyes, and the sight of him as he blurred the line between man and beast was all it took to send her back over the edge.

  She welcomed the second orgasm and let her head fall back and screamed her release. At the same time, Nathan held her tighter against him as he came.

  Afterwards, Katy held him against her. She knew soon enough she’d start second-guessing what had happened, but for now, she wanted to savor the moment.

  Because she knew this moment of peace wouldn’t last long.

  Nathan looked at the closed bathroom door and started to say something before he stopped himself. This was exactly what he wanted but the exact opposite way he wanted it to happen. For one, she wasn’t exactly rolling around on the sheets and basking in the glow of good sex.

  And it had been good sex. He’d made sure she enjoyed herself. She enjoyed herself twice, actually. So why did it feel as if he should be collecting his belongings and slinking out the back door before anyone realized he was here?

  He heard some water running and he decided to look for his shoes. After doing a quick glance around the living room, he noticed them in the hallway where they’d...started. Next to them was a picture frame on the floor. He picked it up and studied the picture. It was a younger Katy. It must’ve been after they knew each other, because it was her brother’s wedding.

  Dean and Victoria. Her brother the handyman and the billionaire CEO who made an unlikely, but by all accounts very happy, couple. If they could make it work, there was no reason Katy and him couldn’t be more.

  The door to the bathroom opened, and Nathan quickly stood, sliding the picture behind his back before remembering there was no reason he shouldn’t be looking at it. He tried to subtly un-tuck it from behind him, but Katy seemed to see it right away.

  “Don’t worry about it.” She reached out for the picture. “The frame was really cheap.”

  She was back to being her normal self. Her hair was now up in a tight twist at the back of her head so he couldn’t reach out to touch the strands like he wanted. Her dress was back in place, and she even looked as though she touched up her makeup. Was she going to try to act like this had never happened? Because he wasn’t going to let her get off that easily.

  “I heard it was a good wedding.” He handed the picture over.

  “It was the best. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as in love as those two are. It would be annoying if I didn’t like them so much.”

  “Well, you’re going to hate spending time with my family. They’re all brainwashed by love these days.”

  Instead of taking the bait about his mention of her spending time with his family, Katy moved past him to set the broken picture frame on the coffee table. Well, since subtlety wasn’t getting him anywhere... He went right for the main question on his mind. “Katy, were you a virgin?”

  Katy crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the hardwood floor. “I should be getting back to work.”

  That evasion was answer enough. Nathan cursed under his breath as he moved toward her, but she stepped back, apparently not wanting his comfort any longer. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “Well, the subject didn’t come up and I wanted it. If I had stopped things to tell you, I thought you’d stop.” She finally glanced up to meet his eyes. “And I didn’t want that.”

  “But how—”

  “For the last time, I’ve been busy! Now, if you excuse me, I’m still very busy and if you didn’t notice, I just walked out of my job a few hours ago. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but since I apparently am going to have a new boss I need to impress, I should make sure the rest of the weekend goes off well.”

  She started for the door, leaving Nathan with a million questions that he knew she had no intention of answering at the moment. So he started with the most pressing one. “Let me give you a ride.”

  “It’s not that far of a walk.”

  This wasn’t even up for discussion. “I’m driving you. Do you need anything?”

  “Well, I didn’t bring anything in and I left my pride back at the bank, so I’m all set.”

  He was going to assume that was a dig about the inn situation and not about what they just did.

  “And you can’t mention the virginity thing,” she added as she held the door open for him. Once they were on the porch, she locked the door and turned to him. “And no talking about the sex either.”

  “Maybe it would be better if you cleared the list of things we can talk about.”

  Katy seemed to think about it for a second. “Weather.”

  It always came back to weather. The drive back to downtown was quiet. The only thing Katy said during the entire drive was,
“This is a nice car. I didn’t notice before.”

  “You were distracted,” he pointed out.

  She made a murmur of agreement but didn’t continue any conversation. Normally Nathan was better than this, but he was still too shell-shocked by what happened to really get his thoughts together.

  Once he reached Main Street, she directed him to where she’d parked, and he stopped the car. “I know I said I wasn’t going to talk about”—she shot him a warning look but he continued—“what I said I wasn’t going to talk about, but we are going to talk at some point.”

  “I thought it was the girl who was supposed to want to talk about things.”

  “Let me rephrase this. I’m not going anywhere. So unless you want to explain to people at the inn why I’m hanging around you all the time, we should probably have a game plan.”

  Katy sighed. “You’re right. But the wedding is tonight and I have a lot of things to tie up.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow. If you need things to do, the front desk has a lot of local experiences you can take in. I know you came here,” she held up finger quotes, “‘for me’ but there are other things you can do in your downtime.”

  “I’m sure I’ll find something to keep me distracted.”

  “And no bothering me for the rest of the day?”

  “You have a way of making a guy feel special.” A red flush crept into Katy’s cheeks and immediately he felt like an ass. “I mean—”

  “No. I know this isn’t ideal.”

  He reached over and caught her hand with his. “Katy, you’re perfect. Go back to work and do your best. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  She gave him a tentative smile before she disentangled her hand from his and left the car. He wished he could go back with her to the inn and act as her personal pit bull for the rest of the day, but he knew that would only make things worse. Instead, he turned the opposite direction on Main Street. He could use a drive, and the winding roads up here were what this car was made for.

  He rolled the windows down and turned the music up. For a few moments here and there, the drive worked as a good distraction, but then he kept thinking back to what happened. What he could’ve done differently to make it better, and then he’d remember how perfect it felt. Maybe it hadn’t gone as planned, but there was no improving being with Katy. Because even though it hadn’t been ideal, he wouldn’t want to change a thing.