Sweet Seduction

Chapter 20

Julie hugged her arms around her middle as she hurried down the stairs. A chill that had nothing to do with the actual temperature had settled into her bones. After leaving the warmth of the common room, every other place just seemed cold. Amazing how love could make you feel the actual rays of sunshine.

She walked down the hallway with the doorway ahead her only objective. She could hear the buzz of conversation, laughter mingling with the clinking of glasses, but she wasn't in the mood to be social. She just wanted to go home.

Ahead a door opened, and she prepared herself to be assaulted by a couple in the throes of passion. Instead she found herself nearly run over by Nathan Tucker and Micah Hudson.

She halted, unsure of who was more surprised, her or them. A guilty look flashed across Nathan's face about the time she caught his scent. Sure she was mistaken, she inhaled sharply. He didn't smell like Nathan normally did, and she was all but an expert on what the man smelled like. No, he didn't smell like Nathan. He smelled like her mystery lover. Her gentle lover. Which would explain the guilt flashing in those green eyes.

And that could only mean that Micah was her more impatient lover.

"You disguised your scent. You actually changed your smell!"

She babbled like a fool, but she honestly couldn't come up with anything else. She was too freaking stunned.

Nathan held out his hands in a placating manner. "Julie, listen to me, please."

His eyes were soft, his mouth turned down in an expression of regret. Micah wore a grimace that plainly said he'd rather be anywhere but here. Well, join the club. That made two of them.

She laughed. Maybe it wasn't the most sensible action, but she was too wrung out to be all cool and collected and in control.

"Well done. I mean, wow. Changing your scent. That took a hell of a lot of forethought. I would have never even considered that. That would explain why you never let me touch you. I guess this is where I say touché and that we're even, right?"

"No, we're not damn well even," Nathan growled. "That's not what this was about. Or at least, it's not now."

She raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Nathan, be straight with me at least. You can't tell me you didn't want a little payback for what I did at my salon."

He huffed, his face reddening with either embarrassment or anger, she wasn't sure which.

"Yeah, I did want payback, but more than that, I didn't want strange men fucking you. Damn it, Julie, what the hell were you thinking? You were just setting yourself up to be hurt or raped or God knows what else."

"So you fucked me to save me from these men?" she drawled out. "Really, how self-sacrificing of you, Nathan." She slid her gaze to Micah who leaned against the wall, hands shoved into his pockets. "What's your excuse, Hudson?"

"Do I need an excuse to fuck a beautiful woman?" he asked lazily.

"No, I guess you don't," she said quietly. "If you two will excuse me, it's been a long day, and I'd really like to get home."

"Julie, don't go," Nathan said as he reached for her hand. "You and I need to talk."

Fatigue dragged at every muscle. This was just the icing on an already draining evening. The only thing she wanted to talk about was how fast she could get home and into bed. Her bed. Alone.

"We could probably say a lot and not get anywhere. Let's just chalk it up to experience and call it good, okay? I always knew sex with you would be nothing short of spectacular and you proved me right. I should be thanking you, right? You and your fuck buddy here," she said with another sideways glance in Micah's direction.

"You're tired and just got dealt a hell of a surprise, baby doll," Micah said quietly. "Don't make it worse by lashing out and saying things you don't mean. Go on home and get some rest. Nathan and our apologies will wait."

Her smile warbled, and she finally gave up on trying to pretend it didn't matter. "You're right. I'm being a hysterical female, and worse, I'm not taking as good as I gave. I had it coming. It was amusing when the shoe was on the other foot, so I need to suck it up and take it like a big girl. I do appreciate you two making it so good for me, though. I'm not lying about that. The sex was incredible."

$She walked past, ignoring Nathan's outstretched hand and his growl of protest. She heard Micah tell him to lay off. Willing herself not to react, not to feel, she left The House and got into her little sports car.

The smooth leather cupped her as lovingly as ... well, as lovingly as Nathan had earlier. She loved her car. She'd worked damn hard for it. The leather was as smooth as a baby's bottom. Like buttah.

The engine roared to life and purred like a contented cat. Ideally she'd be in bed purring like that contented cat after the bone-melting sex she'd had, but there were two problems with that scenario now.

It felt disappointingly hollow after watching Damon and Serena together. Which was pretty stupid, because she might never find the sort of love those two shared, and what was she going to do, spend the rest of her life comparing herself and coming up short?

She shifted and accelerated out of the gate and onto the highway. Feeling a sudden need to feel the wind in her hair, she slowed and hit the button to take the top down.

Briefly closing her eyes as the sweet evening air blew over her face, she shoved her hair back and sped up.

The other problem facing what should have been a sated cuddle against her pillows was the fact that the man she'd spent the better part of the last several months lusting over had managed to knock her completely off guard. She didn't like being at a disadvantage, and when she'd scented Nathan and realized the magnitude of the deception he'd managed to pull off, she had no snappy comebacks, no flirty teasing.

"This isn't like you, Julie," she muttered.

Her words were swallowed by the wind, but she may as well have yelled. The thought resonated over and over, followed her home nipping at her heels like a persistent pup.

She whipped into her parking space at her apartment complex and wearily climbed out of her car.

"Sleep. A few hours sleep and you'll be your old self again."

As she let herself into her apartment, she wondered if lying to herself had become her new mantra.