By Your Rules (New York City Fixers Book 1) Page 3

  "Hello?"

  "Hi, it's Nate. I'm downstairs."

  Claire looked around the place and winced. She did not have time to clean it up. "I'll just grab my things and see you in a second."

  "Okay."

  One last look in the mirror by the door, and she was as ready as she was going to be.

  On her way down, she struggled between the excitement rising in her chest and the nerves that made her clutch her jacket sleeves before she forced herself to relax her grip.

  And then she saw him through the window near the door. Nate was leaning against the car right in front of her building, facing the entrance. He was in a nice suit, just like on Monday, but there was something... less formal about him now. He had no tie, the top of his shirt was open, and he was smiling at something he was looking at to his left. Claire paused for a moment just to watch, because she wouldn't get to openly stare at him during the evening. And, yes, okay, there was a lot to stare at.

  She finally pushed the door open, and when she stepped out, Nate immediately turned his gaze to her. He grinned, straightening up and moving closer without taking his eyes off of her. Something in his expression made her stomach tighten as the wave of heat rolled through her.

  "Hi," Claire said when they paused a step away from each other. His grin turned into a soft smile and she had to resist brushing her fingers over the crinkles by his eyes.

  Over his whole body, really.

  "Hi. You look amazing."

  "Thank you. You look…nice as well.” Hot. He looked hot and tempting. Dangerous, in a way, if her rapidly quickening heartbeat was anything to go by.

  "Shall we?" He gestured behind him to his car. At her nod, he led her to the passenger door, but before she got in, she glanced to the side, wanting to see what Nate was smiling at earlier. There were two girls playing with a puppy in front of the pharmacy next door, probably waiting for whomever was inside.

  No wonder he’d been smiling earlier. She doubted anyone would resist a sight like that.

  "They were arguing before you came out about whether or not it was okay to toss a ball to Sylvester on the sidewalk," Nate told her, turning to look at the girls again. "Then the older reminded the younger that they were already in trouble for breaking one window and didn't need another taken out of their allowance."

  His arm was less than an inch from hers, and their shoulders brushed as he glanced at her. The brief touch sent the sparks running right under her skin.

  "No one likes to have their allowance cut," she blurted out and winced internally. Seriously?

  "True,” he said after a chuckle and then nodded at the passenger seat. "Shall we?"

  This time Claire slid in right away. She watched as he circled the car and got into the driver's seat.

  "No driver?" she asked before she could stop herself. She had pictured him trying to impress her with his money. Which, judging from the FYU reputation and the fact that the office was situated Downtown, he had to have a lot of.

  Nate glanced at her with raised eyebrows before he started the car. "I don't have a driver for personal use. I prefer to either drive myself or walk."

  "You walk." It wasn't a question, but there was no confusing her disbelieving tone.

  "Yes, I walk. I’m sure you know the car can be the worst way to move around the city, especially Manhattan." He glanced at her. "Did you think I get driven around in a limousine or something?"

  "Not a limousine, no. But something, yes," she admitted. "I don't remember ever meeting a hot-shot businessman who wasn't being driven around."

  "Well, then." Nate paused at the lights and turned to grin at her with that charming smile of his. "I guess you're in for a surprise."

  She couldn't help smiling back. "I guess I am."

  "Lucky me."

  Claire looked away to the side, watching the streets pass by. She tried to hide her grin. Perhaps they were both lucky.

  CHAPTER SIX

  As the evening progressed, Nate found himself relaxing more and more. Before the date, he’d worried that Claire would be suspicious about his intentions the entire time. Something seemed to click when they met outside her place, though, and after that the evening was going smoother than most of the first dates Nate had ever been on.

  He was telling a story of the first day in college with his brand new roommate, Shawn, when she burst out laughing for the first time. Oh man, he thought as he stared at her, bright-eyed and glowing with amusement, I’m in trouble.

  "So that's how you met Shawn?" she asked as she stopped laughing. "And you decided to keep him after that?"

  Nate smiled. "More like I got stuck with him after that."

  "What about the third partner in your firm, then? How did you meet him?" She raised one eyebrow. “At a frat party?”

  "Oh, no, we didn’t meet Dean until the first day of law school. He'd just gotten out of the Army, so he was used to dumb guys, or so he tells us. Shawn and I, we insist it was more love at first sight." Nate chuckled. "We couldn't resist the silent guy in the back of the room who didn't try to impress anybody while everyone was trying so hard. We've been best friends ever since."

  Claire nodded. “My partner is my best friend, too. It’s great to work with someone you trust so much.”

  "Oh yeah. I wouldn’t trade it for anything," Nate said. "Speaking of your partner, when did you decide you’re going to be a cop?"

  "I always wanted to be a detective," she told him with a crooked smile. "My maternal grandparents were both in the force, and my mother would probably have gone in, too, if she hadn’t met my father. Every summer I spent with my grandparents, I would listen to stories about the police the same way other kids hear about knights slaying dragons, I'm sure. Who else was I going to be?"

  "I understand." Nate knew all about a family dedicated to one thing and one thing only.

  "Lawyer family?" Claire asked before taking a sip of her wine.

  "No, a military one." He shook his head. "My sister and I were the only ones from our generation who didn’t join. We’re probably still in the dog house for that." He wouldn’t know. It had been a while since he talked to his parents or any other family member who wasn’t his sister.

  His family had turned out less than understanding for alternative ideas, and Nate had had to fight his way through a lot of family functions. Then Sylvia had announced she had no plans to join the military, either, and since then, it had been the two of them against the rest. Or rather, without the rest.

  "And what does your rebel sister do?"

  Nate pushed his extended family out of his mind, and focused on his baby sister. "She used to be our office manager, but now she's traveling all over the world with her boyfriend. He's an actor, so he's away from home a lot, and since she can work from wherever—she has a blog and a vlog, and something else, I’m not really sure—she travels with him."

  "Nice."

  It was nice, but he had to admit, he missed having Sylvia close. "I'm sure she'll drag him to New York the first chance she gets. She's crazy about Broadway, and she needs her fix."

  "Serious addiction, huh?" Claire asked with a smile.

  "Very serious. Before Greg, there was nothing that would drag her away."

  Her eyes seemed to brighten in the dim light over their table. "Are you a Broadway fan?"

  "Not really, no. I mean, I've seen a few shows, and they've been good, but I just... I usually can't get into the story the same way I do when I'm watching a movie." He shrugged. "And you?"

  "Now I feel like I'm about to lose all my New Yorker points, but I've been to a Broadway show exactly once."

  Nate feigned terror. "You can never tell my sister that, or you will lose those points. And your driver’s license, probably."

  "She would steal a driver’s license of an armed police detective?"

  "I told you, she's very serious about Broadway."

  Claire laughed at that, and this time it felt like a kick in the gut for Nate. He’d thought she was beau
tiful from the first moment he’d seen her, but now, that loose, open laughter made her somehow even more appealing. He’d liked her focused, confident, and more than willing to stand up for herself back at the office, but the more he got to know her, the more interested in every other side of her he became.

  He wanted her, of course—he wanted to know how it would be to kiss her, to pull her against his body and see her eyes darkening with desire. He wanted to know what she was like in bed, what she enjoyed when she let herself go.

  But it wasn’t just about sex, either. He was curious about her work stories, the music she listened to, how she took her coffee, and if she was a waffles or pancakes kind of a woman, and... And various other things that probably meant he was getting way, way ahead of himself.

  "Is there anything you're equally as serious about as she is about Broadway?" Claire asked, the laughter still there, visible in the relaxed lines of her face.

  Nate took a sip of his water to regain his balance before thinking of the answer.

  "Well, that's putting the bar really high... Let's see. I'm pretty serious about the Mets, I always loved solving problems, although I moved from math to people when I was in college, and I can argue about any topic known to man. But that's more of a talent than a passion, really. Unless it's an argument about the Mets."

  "It’s a pretty useful talent in your line of work, I bet," she said, but the corners of her mouth lifted as she did so. "I’ve been known to argue about anything I'm passionate about, too."

  "Like justice?" he asked before he could stop himself, and there was a bit of silence before she chuckled. Nate grinned, relieved.

  "Yes, actually, justice," she said, raising her eyebrows, as if challenging him to comment.

  He didn't press his luck, though. "Anything else?"

  "I spend most of my time at work, so I don't have much time for it, but I do enjoy art."

  "Admiring or creating?"

  "I wish I could create, but all my failed attempts tell me otherwise. So no, it's mostly admiring." She tilted her head to the side. "Oh, and aikido. I'm passionate about that. I've been training since I was a kid."

  "Wow, that's impressive." Nate admired anyone who stuck with practicing something for that long. Four years with his guitar was the longest he’d ever gotten, but that was a long time ago.

  "It's like the oldest habit I have," Claire said, tucking the loose strands of her hair behind her ear. "I don't even think about this as an option, something I could give up. It's there with me forever. I may skip practice from time to time because of work or vacation, but I always come back to it."

  "Do you teach as well?" He tried to imagine her in front of a class, and it came surprisingly easy.

  "Beginner groups, yes. I can't commit to a regular schedule since something can always happen at work, but I'm the co-trainer or a stand-in when someone can't make it to class."

  Nate nodded, sipping his water. The more he learned about her, the more he still wanted to know. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but she beat him to it.

  "And what about you, do you practice any sport?"

  "I'm useless at most sports, sadly." He shook his head.

  "You have to do something for this," she said, circling with her fork in his direction, but he didn't get she meant his body until she stopped and blushed.

  "Well, I do, but I don't count gym as a sport." He shrugged, trying not to stare at her flushed skin. "I spar with Dean on occasion. I play basketball from time to time, and I'm not terrible at it, but I can admit I do it more for the company than the sport."

  They kept talking, conversation flowing from one topic to the next—interests, jobs, friends. The only thing they hadn’t touched on at all was Claire’s father and, to be safe, Nate avoided any questions about her family. It bordered on uncomfortable a few times, the sidestepping obviously unnatural, but he still preferred it much more than the alternative—her walking out on him if she thought he had an agenda.

  And since he found himself entranced by Claire, the last thing he wanted was to watch her leave.

  After the dinner, as they were walking out of the restaurant, he put a hand on the small of her back, and she didn't protest. It could have been wishful thinking on his part, but she seemed to even lean lightly into his touch when they were outside and heading to the car.

  On the way back to her place, they made small talk about their favorite places in the city and bickered over the best pizza. He smiled to himself, and his smile only grew when he noticed Claire fighting a smile as well.

  When he parked outside her place, he got out and circled the car, but she'd already gotten out and shut the passenger door behind her. When she turned, they were suddenly very close, and Nate's body responded immediately. His gaze dropped to her lips before he looked up again to see her eyes sparkling in the bright neon lights and street lamps. He lifted his hand slowly and brushed a lock of hair away from her face, giving her all the time in the world to back out.

  She didn't.

  Nate ran his fingers lightly over her cheek and jaw, feeling her small shivers against his fingertips. Claire's eyelids closed for a second, but a moment later, when he rested his hand on the side of her neck, she was once again looking straight at him.

  He leaned closer and kissed her—softly at first, then more insistent as he felt her kissing back, opening her mouth and welcoming him in. He used his other hand to pull her closer, arm sneaking around her waist, and she leaned into him, her arms winding around his neck. He could taste wine on her tongue, the one glass she drank over dinner, but there was something headier than the alcohol, something Nate wanted to get more of as he chased her taste.

  They were kissing in the middle of the street, and he couldn't care less. He was instantly addicted to the way she responded to him. She answered his kiss with hunger matching his own, and she used her hands on the back of his neck to pull him closer just as he did the same with the arm around her waist. He reveled in every little sharp intake of breath, every shiver he could feel under his touch. When he caught her lower lip between his teeth, she moaned quietly, and he maneuvered her to lean against the side of his car.

  They had to break apart then, just for a moment, but it was enough for her to lower her hands to his chest and push him back. Nate retreated half a step.

  "Something wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

  Claire lowered her gaze to his lips for a moment before she blinked and looked up again.

  "Nothing's wrong. But we’re in the middle of the street," she pointed out with a nod at something behind Nate.

  He glanced over his shoulder to see a group of teenagers in front of the café turning away quickly and laughing. Nate shrugged.

  "I don’t really care. Do you?” he asked, still not willing to let her go completely.

  Claire tilted her head to the side as she watched him for a few seconds. "Do you want to come up?"

  He involuntarily tightened his grip on her body, a reflex response to the thought of what the invitation might mean. He relaxed his fingers, nodding at the same time. Whatever was on offer, he wanted to take it.

  "I do," he said, just in case, reaching up to run his thumb over the line of her neck. He wanted to follow that with his mouth, wanted to go lower and continue down her body, exploring—

  She curled her fingers over his chest. "Let's go, then."

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Claire didn't give herself time for second-guessing. They paused a few times to kiss on their way up to her floor, and neither of them seemed willing to stop touching each other. The anticipation kept growing inside her, the heat inside her stomach spreading all over her. She had never had sex on the first date, but Nate just... He just pushed so many of her buttons that she didn't want to let him go tonight with just a few kisses, no matter how great they were.

  When she let him go to pull the keys out, he moved right behind her and nuzzled the back of her neck after moving her hair to the side. She shivered when he gr
azed her skin with his teeth—not biting, just... letting her know he might.

  Claire tightened her grip on her keys, a pinch of pain helping her regain enough brain power to actually get them into the lock. A few seconds later, she opened the door and pulled them both inside.

  Nate turned them around and pushed her against the door the second it closed. His kiss was harder now, more demanding. She pushed her hips closer to him, but he pushed her back with his hands on her waist. A wave of heat went through her, and she gasped into his mouth.

  She usually didn't like to be passive in anything, including sex, but with Nate, right now, it somehow... didn't matter. If he wanted her not to move, she would stay where she was.

  For now.

  When he kissed her neck, Claire clasped her hands over the back of his head. She wanted to arch her body into his again, to get closer, but his hands were still on her waist, still keeping her back.

  Claire pulled his head up instead to kiss him again, and he moved his hands higher, tugging her blouse up to expose her stomach. She shivered once again when she felt his hands on her naked skin. His fingers were stroking her sides, and he loosened his grip. She arched into him, pulling them closer again, and she could feel his erection brushing against her.

  "Bed," she said when they broke the kiss to catch their breath. "Let's go to bed."

  Nate pulled back, and Claire almost stumbled, but she regained her balance and led him to the bedroom. Once they were there, she reached to tug her blouse over her head, but his hands stopped her.

  "Let me," he whispered from right behind her and Claire dropped her hands to the sides, closing her eyes.

  He put his hands flat against her naked back and dragged them up, tugging the material with it. She lifted her arms when he told her to, and a moment later, her blouse was gone. Nate kissed her shoulder and then left a line of kisses leading to the back of her neck as his hands brushed over her back.

  Claire rolled her hands into fists to stop herself from reaching out, but she tilted her head to the side to give him better access to her neck. When he bit her earlobe, she let out a moan and couldn't resist anymore—she turned and kissed him again, licking into his mouth as the heat spread through her body. She reached out to unbutton his shirt, which wasn't easy since he pulled her closer to him as they kissed, trapping her hands between them.