Nathan scowled but let her continue.
"Then there was the guy who thought I could stand to lose a few pounds. Okay, a lot of pounds. "
"What the hell? Ill kick his fucking ass. You dont need to lose a damn thing. My God, woman, youre perfect. "
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. He ran his hands over her ass, up to her waist and then back down again as if he couldnt get enough of touching her.
"Im ashamed to say that I took it to heart. I lost thirty pounds but quickly figured out it wasnt me. I didnt like myself and I wasnt happy. Then I got angry because I allowed the moron to dictate my life. In essence, to control my self-esteem. So I gained the weight back, bought a flashy convertible, started wearing sexy clothes again and said fuck you to any guy who didnt like it. "
" Atta girl," he said approvingly.
"After that I was wary, I guess. I tended to come on too strong just to let the guy know what he was getting up front, and if he was still interested, I kept the relationships short and sweet. I f
igured if I was the one doing the ending, it wouldnt hurt so much. Id never know if they lost interest or not because I was calling the shots. "
His eyes softened, and he traced the line of her cheekbone with his finger.
"And then you walked into my salon. " She sighed and shifted on his lap. "You walked in with Faith, and I dont know. It felt like a ton of bricks was dropped on me. "
"Tell me about it," Nathan said. "You rocked my world, woman. "
She smiled. "I wanted you, did everything I could think of to get your attention, and you were so oblivious. "
He grimaced. "I was anything but. I just had no idea how to act around you. Every time I got close, my tongue knotted up and I felt like some horny teenager again. "
"I was so furious with you," she continued. "I finally decided to hell with you. Id make you notice me come hell or high water, and then Id turn you loose. I set up my threesome fantasy with Damon, and, well, you know the rest. "
"Yeah, I do," he said softly. "I fell in love with a tenacious, bullheaded, tenderhearted dynamo of a woman. I spent months being in such awe over you that I damn near screwed up any chance I had with you. "
She swallowed and her shaking grew worse.
"Honey, listen to me. I love every single thing about you. I love your brass and your sass. I love that you dont need me, but you want me. I think the men in your past were brainless pigs, but you know what? Im glad they were because they saved you for me. And I swear to God, if you ever get any harebrained notion to lose weight again, Ill kick that ass of yours all over Houston. You are . . . delectable. And youre mine. And I love you just the way you are. "
"Oh God," she whispered. "You dont play fair, Nathan. "
"I sure hope to hell not. Now tell me you love me again. Tell me youre not going to run from me ever again. "
"I love you. I wont run anymore. "
He cupped her head and pulled her down to meet his kiss. Hot, breathless, with so much love her heart nearly burst.
"What Im going to do right now is take you into the bedroom, and Im going to make love to you until you cant see straight. And then? Im going to love you some more. "
"Tell me again," she whispered.
He stroked his hands through her hair and stared at her with such love and warmth in those green eyes. He didnt need to say it. She could see it brimming there. But she wanted to savor those words again. Shed never get tired of hearing them.
"I love you, Julie Stanford. "
She settled into his arms with a contented sigh. "And I love you, Nathan Tucker. If you talk sweet enough, Ill let you finally catch me. "
Chapter 33
Micah stood in the back of Damons garden and watched as the newlywed couple laughingly stuffed cake in each others faces. He never could figure out the appeal himself, but they looked ridiculously happy, so he couldnt begrudge them.
Then he smiled as he remembered Hannah on their wedding day, all sweet and shining with happiness. Shed very carefully put the piece of cake on his tongue then daintily wiped the crumbs away with a napkin. She was exacting like that though.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, content to remain where he was and observe the festivities. Faith and Gray danced off to the side, which was amusing since there wasnt a band, and no music was playing, and, well, Gray was a pretty terrible dancer. Faith didnt seem to mind though. She was wrapped all around him, her sweet smile warming the entire garden.
And then there was Nathan and Julie. He grinned. Nathan . . . the dude was done. Stick a fork in him. He was never out of touching distance of Julie. He had a hand on her shoulder, or her elbow, sometimes resting on the back of her hair, idly stroking downward. At times he pulled her into his side, his arm around her waist, while other times he linked his fingers through hers.
It was pretty damn funny to see the big, bald guy positively brought to his knees by the tiny package that was Julie. All she had to do was smile up at him, and Nathans entire face lit up with a goofy, shit-eating grin.
A funny sort of wistful note crept through his mind. He missed having a woman look at him like that. He loved women, but only one woman had loved him.
"Hey man, you made it back. "
Micah turned to see Connor walk up behind him.
"Hey, yeah, wouldnt miss the big day for Damon and Serena. "
"Good vacation?" Connor asked casually.
Micah stilled. "Yeah. Good. "
"Missed a lot of excitement. "
"Yeah, I heard. I have a feeling Nathans boring days are over, though. "
Connor snickered. "You arent lying about that. That woman has him tied up in knots. "
"Shes a great girl," Micah said with a warm smile.
"Yeah," Connor said easily. "She is. "
"Pop here?"
Connor shook his head. "Nah. He doesnt really know Damon. I dont either, for that matter. I guess Im here as a secondary guest. "
Just then Nathan looked up and saw Micah. He lifted his head in acknowledgment, and for a moment, Micah wondered if he was going to avoid the first confrontation between the three of them since that last night.