Chapter One
“Hey, honey, I’m home,” Haley James teased as she entered the apartment she shared with her best friend and roommate, Nathan Scott.
From his position on the couch where he was watching a basketball game on TV, he tipped his head back slightly so he could look at her and gave her a smile. “How was your day?”
“Not bad but not great either. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that tomorrow is Saturday and I can sleep the day away. How was your day?” she asked as she flopped onto the couch beside him and rested her stocking-clad feet on the low coffee table in front of it, wiggling her toes back and forth. His own bare feet were resting beside hers and he playfully tapped one of her feet with his.
“About the same as yours.”
“So what’s the reason for the scowl?”
“What scowl?”
“The one that’s written all over your face. The one that tells me that someone or something has royally pissed you off.”
Nathan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Nothing gets past you, does it?”
“Nope,” she replied, giving him a wink. “So c’mon, tell me what’s up? A problem shared and all that jazz.”
“Charlotte broke up with me.”
“Oh. I-I’m sorry.” Reaching over, she placed her hand on top of his which was resting on his thigh and she gave it a gentle squeeze. “Uh… did she say why?”
“No. She just gave me some vague crap about us wanting different things and that I wasn’t the type of guy to give her those things. It would have been nice if she could have told me exactly what the hell she was talking about.”
“Well it’s her loss, Nathan. You’re a great guy and if she’s willing to pass you up, then she’s even stupider than I gave her credit for.” Realising what she had just said, Haley clamped a hand over her mouth and felt her skin grow hot with her trademark blush.
“Hales…”
“Oh God! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I know how much you liked her and—”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. You don’t need to hear me bitching about her and—”
“Why not? You’re my best friend and what you think matters. And you’re right, she is stupid. I mean, she’s not going to do better than Nathan Scott, now is she?”
Haley couldn’t help laughing. “Nope, she’s not. Even if you are your own biggest fan.”
“Hey, you come in a close second.”
“True.” Moving in a little closer to him, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
While Haley felt sorry for any hurt that Nathan was feeling, she couldn’t help being glad that his eight month relationship with Charlotte had come to an end. Truthfully, she had known it wasn’t something that was bound to go anywhere considering the woman was only a couple of years away from thirty and was going to be looking to settle down in the very near future, especially given the hints she had heard her dropping whenever she had been around them.
At twenty-three years old, she knew that Nathan was a long way off being ready to settle down. Before Charlotte had come along, he hadn’t really had a long-term relationship, preferring to change his girlfriends as often as he changed his sheets and she had a feeling that he would be reverting to that lifestyle now that he was young, free and single again.
“Hey, space cadet, you in there?” Nathan’s voice broke into her thoughts and looking up at him, she gave him a shy smile.
“Sorry, must have spaced out again. Were you saying something?”
“I was just asking if you had any plans tonight?”
Shaking her head, she replied, “No, I don’t. Why do you ask?”
“Well I figured you might want to hang out with me. I could make us dinner and we could watch a movie or we could go out if you’d prefer.”
“After the week I’ve had the last thing I feel like doing is going out so dinner and a movie here sounds good. Even more so if you’re the one doing the cooking.”
Nathan gave her his trademark smirk. “It just so happens that I went grocery shopping after school and picked up some stuff for dinner. I was going to make that pasta and pesto dish you like.”
Leaning up, she planted a kiss on his cheek. “You are my hero. I love that almost as much as I love mac and cheese.”
“I know. I also picked up some of that ice cream you like.”
Haley was just about to say something when a thought hit her and she cocked her head to the side and asked, “What do you want?”
“What?”
“You’re willing to cook my favourite dinner, you’ve bought me my favourite ice cream and you want to hang out with me on a Friday night so I’m just wondering if there’s a reason behind it.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her closer to his body and hugged her. “Nope, no reason. I just realised it’s been a while since we’ve hung out and I know that’s mainly down to me so I want to make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to, Nathan. It’s only natural that you’d want to spend all your free time with your girlfriend and—”
“Maybe so but I’ve missed spending time with you, Hales.”
The intense look he gave her sent a shiver down her spine and she had to look away before she did something stupid. “Uh… I’ve missed spending time with you, too,” she said in a low voice.
“Okay then, so how about you go and get changed and I’ll get started on dinner?”
“Sounds great.” Pushing herself up off the couch, she grabbed her shoes and bag from where she had dropped them and made her way down the hallway to her bedroom. Once she had shut the door behind her, she started removing her work outfit which consisted of a knee length black skirt, white cotton blouse and her black pantyhose, dropping everything into her laundry hamper when she was done. Pulling open one of her dresser’s drawers, she removed a pale blue tank top and a pair of dark grey sweats and was just about to get dressed when she decided to take a quick shower.
Grabbing the things she needed, she left her room and walked the short distance to the bathroom she shared with Nathan. Just before she closed the door, she called out to let him know what she was doing.
Nathan couldn’t help groaning under his breath when he heard her tell him she was going to take a shower. The thought of her all wet and soapy sent a jolt of lust shooting through his body and he took a deep breath to try and calm himself down.
From the moment he had met Haley in college when they had been paired up to work on an English assignment together, he had known she was it. He had always felt an attraction to her but, for the first time in his life, he had pushed that to the background knowing that should things end the way they normally did between him and the girls he dated, that he would lose her and that was something he wasn’t going to let happen. She was too important to him and he loved having her in his life.
When the time had come for them to leave the dorms, he had suggested they find an apartment and share. Haley had been reluctant at first but he had managed to persuade her and the rest, as they say, was history.
They had met each other’s families and friends and after they had graduated college, they had both managed to find jobs in New York; Haley working for a publishing company and Nathan working as a PE teacher at a junior high school. This time she had been the one to suggest they continue sharing a place and he had quickly agreed.
As he prepared their meal, Nathan smiled as he remembered what things had been like when they had first started living together. She was the ultimate neat freak while he wasn’t, although he wasn’t a total slob. They had had their fair share of arguments over the years but they always made up. He was well known amongst his friends and family for holding a grudge but that wasn’t the case where Haley was concerned. Even when he felt he wasn’t in the wrong, he would often be the one to make the first move and apologise. He hated having her mad at him and he knew she hated being mad at him.
“Mmm, that smells delicious,” Haley said as she entered the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter beside where he was chopping up some tomatoes for the salad. “Do you need me to do anything?”
“Nope, you just kick back and relax. Actually, I take that back. You could set the table for me.”
“Or we could eat in front of the TV.”
“Works for me,” he said smiling at her.
Jumping down, Haley started gathering plates and cutlery and going over to the fridge and opening it, she asked, “Do you want wine or beer?”
“Whatever you’re having.”
“Wine it is,” she said grabbing the bottle of Chardonnay from the shelf and opening it.
Less than ten minutes later, the pair of them were seated on the couch with trays on their laps eating their food. An old black and white movie was playing on the TV but neither were paying much attention to it.
“I’m kind of surprised you wouldn’t be hitting the town tonight,” Haley said after she had swallowed a forkful of pasta.
“Maybe I’m growing up,” he offered in response. “I know I dated her for a while… longer than anyone else really, but I wasn’t… I mean...” He released a heavy sigh. “I wasn’t in love with her or anything.”
Haley couldn’t stop the surprised look from creeping onto her face. She had been sure that he must have fallen for Charlotte seeing as the relationship had lasted for so many months, something of a record for him.
He couldn’t help chuckling at the expression on her face. “Nice to see you think so much of me,” he couldn’t help teasing.
“What? No, no, that’s not it. I-I just figured you must have… um… been in love with her. I mean, all your other relationships have fizzled out after a few weeks, a couple of months tops.”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t get me wrong, I did like her but… there was just something missing. Maybe I do know what she meant when she dumped me after all.”
“It’s a shame you didn’t get in first and dump her,” she said playfully.
“Tell me about it. So, how was that date you went on last weekend?”
“Ugh! Don’t even ask. All he did was talk about himself all night.”
“Sounds like me.”
“Nuh huh. When you do it you’re not taking yourself all that seriously. This guy though was another story. He was sooo boring and when I made the mistake of interrupting him you should have seen the icy look he gave me.”
He laughed. “I take it you won’t be seeing him again then?”
“You’ve got that right. I don’t know what Brooke was thinking when she set me up with him. I must have done something to piss her off.”
“Speaking of your sister, how come the two of you aren’t painting the town red tonight?”
“Because she and Jake are attending some dinner party at his boss’ house which is a welcome relief ‘cause if I did go out with her tonight I’m pretty sure I’d be fast asleep in a corner of whichever club she’d dragged me into.” Leaning forward, she picked up her wine glass from the coffee table and took a long drink of the refreshingly cool liquid.
They finished off their meal while chatting about a variety of things, from what they had been up to at work to the latest news regarding their respective families and friends. Once they had done the dishes, they had returned to sit on the large, comfy couch with another bottle of wine.
“So what movie?” Nathan asked before taking a large gulp of his drink.
“Bridget Jones?” she suggested.
“No way! I still haven’t forgiven you for making me watch it the first time.”
“Okay, how about Moulin Rouge?”
“Try again.”
“Pretty In Pink?”
“Hales, c’mon,” he whined. “No chick flicks. I’ve just been dumped by my girlfriend so I think it’s only fair that I get to watch some mindless violence.”
“Fiiine. What’s your suggestion?”
“Terminator 2,” he replied without missing a beat.
“Okay, you can set it up seeing as it’s your suggestion and if I fall asleep, then it’s your fault.”
“Whatever,” he teased before getting up from the couch and making his way over to the shelf where their DVD’s were situated. Running his finger along until he came to his choice, he then backtracked when another movie caught his eye and he selected that one instead and popped it into the machine.
“Hey, this isn’t Terminator 2.”
“I know. I figured we could watch this seeing as you like it so much.” The smile she gave him was definitely worth the sacrifice, he thought to himself as he sat back down on the couch and made himself comfortable.
“Why she dumped you I will never know,” Haley said with a serious look on her face and once again that evening, their eyes locked before they both quickly looked away.
“Well we’ve already established that she must be stupid,” he said trying to lighten the atmosphere and it seemed to do the trick. “Do you want some more wine?”
“You wouldn’t be trying to get me drunk now would you, Mr Scott?”
“Damn, I’m so transparent.”
“Ha! I could have told you that. Sure, I’ll have another glass,” she said holding it out so he could fill it up with the bottle he had just picked up off the table.
As the movie played on the TV screen, they polished off the bottle of wine before Nathan suggested they have something a little stronger and he was a little surprised when Haley agreed. She was well known among their friends for not being a big drinker. Regardless of that fact, he went into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of vodka and a couple of shot glasses.
“It’s a shame we’re out of tequila, we could have done shots,” she said once he had returned and she had snuggled into his side. The alcohol was definitely doing its trick of loosening her up and making her feel less self-conscious than she sometimes tended to be.
A sudden vision of them doing body shots off each other flittered through his mind and he inwardly groaned. Just the mere thought of her licking salt off his skin was sending his blood pressure through the roof and he sucked in a long, drawn out breath. Having her curvy body so close to his wasn’t helping matters either.
“How many times have you seen this movie now?” he asked, trying once again to lighten the mood.
“Hey! Don’t mock the movie. I’ll have you know that Married To The Mob is very underrated.”
“Uh huh. And it has absolutely nothing to do with your old crush on Matthew Modine.”
“Shh! You’re the only one who knows about that and, besides, it’s not my fault he happens to be in the movie.”
Nathan couldn’t help laughing at how much freer she seemed thanks to the amount of alcohol she had consumed. He’d seen her intoxicated on a few occasions, usually thanks to her older sister, but he never got tired of seeing her so much more relaxed. At times it was almost like she was another person. Of course, it wasn’t so much fun being around her the next morning.
“How about we play a game?” Her loud voice suddenly broke into his thoughts and, not for the first time, he groaned but this time he did it loudly.
“How about we just finish watching the movie?”
“Don’t be such a spoilsport, Nathan. C’mon, I’ve seen this movie a million times. I know, let’s play I Never?”
He shook his head. “Nah, I don’t feel like it.” Despite her knowing most of his secrets, the truth was he was scared of what she would come up with, particularly since his mind wasn’t as sharp as it usually was thanks to all the wine he’d been drinking.
“Okay, then what about Truth or Dare?”
“Crap,” he muttered under his breath. That was even worse than I Never. Before he could say anything, she was sitting up on the couch and pouring vodka into the shot glasses. Why did he have to suggest they have something stronger, he thought to himself.
“You can go first,” she told him as she handed him one of the glasses and watched him down it in one go.
“Fine, truth or dare?”
“Dare,” she said smiling at the surprised look on his face. He had obviously been expecting her to take the easy route and say truth.
Nathan wracked his brain to think of something that wouldn’t be too bad and suddenly his eyes twinkled with mischief as the very thing popped into his head. “Okay. I dare you to do that little victory dance thing I walked in on you doing a couple of years ago after you aced that quiz. I only caught the tail end of it so I wanna see it in full.”
Haley’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “No way! I’ve changed my mind… I’ll take truth.”
“Sorry, Hales, no can do. You picked dare so you have to do what I say. C’mon, I promise I won’t laugh.”
“Riiight! Damn you, Nathan!” she said before reluctantly getting up from the couch and going to stand in the centre of the room. “You do realise I’ll get you back for this, don’t you?”
“Of that I have no doubt,” he teased giving her a wink. His eyes were trained on her as he watched her mentally prepare herself and he let them roam all over her petite form. The tank top she was wearing displayed her lightly tanned, toned arms nicely and the hem of it didn’t quite meet the waistband of her sweats and so he was being treated to a nice glimpse of her flat stomach. It wasn’t difficult to tell that she wasn’t wearing a bra under it and he could see her breasts straining against the figure hugging cotton. His mouth suddenly felt too dry and he helped himself to another shot. He almost choked on the fiery liquid when she started to move.
Closing her eyes, Haley started to do the victory dance that she had come up with one day during high school. She and her best friend Brianna had been up in her bedroom when they had decided to devise something to help them celebrate them passing milestones in their lives as well as the more insignificant things. Unfortunately, she had made an error in judgement the day she had done it in the apartment she and Nathan shared at college although, in her defence, he wasn’t supposed to be back from basketball practice until much later. Thank God he hadn’t caught the whole thing… well, until now that is.
His eyes were riveted on her as he watched her shimmy and shake her hips to an imaginary beat, her arms coming up above her head and causing her breasts to jiggle enticingly due to their lack of support. Her beautiful auburn hair which was hanging loosely around her shoulders swung with each movement she made. When the dance ended a couple of minutes later, he released the breath he hadn’t even realised he had been holding.
“There, happy now?” Haley pouted as she threw herself back down on the couch and downed her vodka shot, hoping that the drink would somehow remove what she had just done from her memory.
“Uh… yeah…” Nathan managed to say when he had found his voice.
“My turn. Truth or dare?”
“Truth?”
“Chicken.”
“Yep,” he said giving her a smirk.
“We’ll see how long you’re smirking for when you hear my question. What’s this story Lucas and your friends back home keep hinting at… something about you and a teacher when you were a senior?”
It was now Nathan’s turn to shake his head. “Nope, ask me something else. Anything else.”
“No way, buddy. You got me to wiggle my ass for you—”
“That’s not all you were wiggling,” he interrupted and his words caused her to blush.
“And for that comment you definitely have to answer. C’mon, we know practically everything about each other already, what’s one more little thing,” she coaxed before pouring another shot for each of them and handing him his glass.
“It’s not as bad as Lucas likes to make out it is,” he told her after knocking back his drink.
“So tell me then. I’m not going to judge you, you know that. I’m just curious.”
An idea began forming in his mind and he mentally debated whether to follow through with it or leave well enough alone. Drinking another shot in an attempt to give himself more courage, he finally said, “Okay, if I tell you this, then you have to let me do something.”
“Um… well that depends,” she replied nervously.
“No, it doesn’t. If I tell you the story, then I get to do something, no questions asked. Deal?”
Looking into his beautiful blue eyes, Haley felt herself getting lost and all she could do was nod. When he licked his lips, she all but melted. “Deal,” she whispered.