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Note to self: buy pepper spray.
“Friend,” Nate echoed, scowling. “Same guy who kissed you just now?”
Kris brushed past him on her way to the door. “As a matter of fact, yes.”
“Only douches drive Teslas.”
She didn’t dignify that with a response.
Kris unlocked the door and glanced over her shoulder. “Are you coming in or not?”
She should’ve been pissed that Nate blew up at her and stormed off that morning, but it was exhausting, fighting battles on multiple fronts. She already had her hands full with the Gloria situation, and Nate was the only person she could talk to about it. Plus, she had to admit she hadn’t phrased her words in the most tactful manner at Runyon. Nate had his pride, and yeah, she kinda did make it sound like she viewed him as a charity case.
Nate glanced inside. “Is your dad here?”
“No. He and Gloria are having a date night. They won’t be back till late.” Kris almost gagged on the words.
Nate’s shoulders relaxed. Reassured, he followed her through the mansion’s cavernous rooms until they reached the kitchen. She didn’t trust herself enough to bring Nate up to her bedroom.
“Who was the guy?” Nate propped his forearms on the marble-tiled island. His tanned, muscular biceps strained against the soft confines of his green T-shirt, and his brows were still set in a deep frown, emphasizing his dark stare and the hard set of his perfect mouth.
Even angry, he was so mouthwateringly sexy Kris wanted to lick him from head to toe. Hell, maybe she was so turned on right nowbecausehe was angry. She wanted someone who wouldn’t be cowed by her, and the guys she’d been involved with in the past had all been different shades of Gentle, Polite, and Boring as Fuck.
That was what she got for dating within the confines of the “well-bred” upper class like her dad wanted her to.
“He’s an old friend.”
“Looked like more than a friend.” Nate’s grumpiness intensified. He swept his eyes over her dress. “Were you on a date?”
“Did you come to apologize or grill me about Teague?” Kris pulled a carton of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food from the fridge and a spoon from the drawer.
Nate’s lips curled. “Teague? Even his name is douchey.”
She glared at him, and he blew out a sigh. There was a long pause before he spoke again.
“Okay, you’re right. I came to apologize. I shouldn’t have blown up at you like that. I just don’t do well with pity.” Nate’s throat flexed with a hard swallow. “That’s all anyone sees when they look at Sky and me. The kids with the dead mom and alcoholic father. Me, the college dropout who has to wait tables to keep the roof over our head. Sky, the smart, talented athlete who might get stuck in the same dead-end life as me because we can’t afford college. In the first year, people tried to give us clothes and make us dinner or whatever, and I know they meant well, but it was too fucking much. Even now, when we run into someone we know, they give us these sad poor-you eyes and I want to scream.” He shook his head. “We lost so much. We can’t lose our pride, too.”
Kris’s heart ached for the beautiful, strong, resilient man standing in front of her—the one who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, even though he hadn’t asked for or prepared for the job.
“I’m sorry if I made you feel like a charity case,” she said. She couldn’t remember the last time she apologized, and the words tasted unfamiliar on her lips. “I don’t think you’re a charity case at all. Iknowyou can take care of your family—you’ve been doing it for years. And judging by how Skylar turned out, you did a great job. I just wanted to help, and the only way I knew how was to give you money.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “That’s my dad’s solution to everything, and I picked it up from him. I get why you were upset. I really do.”
Nate’s face softened, and somehow that made Kris’s chest hurt more. He rounded the counter and pulled her into his arms, shocking her, but she quickly got over her surprise and buried her face in his chest. His T-shirt was soft against her skin, and he smelled like coffee and warm, sensual masculinity.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I know you had good intentions. I was just being an insecure ass.”
“And I was being a presumptuous ass,” she admitted. She pulled back and examined Nate’s face. His eyes shone with sincerity and a deeper emotion she couldn’t pinpoint. “Now that we both agree we were in the wrong, let’s put the argument behind us.”
“Good idea.” A small grin teased his lips. “Does this mean we can kiss and make up now?”
She swatted his arm while he laughed. “Seriously?”
“It was worth a shot.” Nate shrugged before he grew serious again. “But that guy earlier. Was he your date?”
“Sort of,” she hedged.
He shot her a dark look. “What do you mean,sort of?”
“It was a non-date date. It wasn’t romantic or anything.” This time, Kris was the one who shrugged. “I ran into him in Runyon Canyon and invited him to this music thing because I didn’t want to go alone.”
