Jade Lee - The Tao of Sex

“Tracy!”

He wasn’t as fast as she was. She flew up the stairs, her breath lost to gasps and sobs. Nathan couldn’t be dead. Not before she’d had a chance to kick him in the balls. Not before—

Someone tackled her from the side. She landed hard against the wall, and her head bounced painfully. A moment later, she was flat on the second-floor landing while a behemoth sat on her chest. A behemoth who smelled really, really familiar.

She blinked and tried to draw breath. It took forever for her eyes to focus, but when they did she saw exactly what she was looking for: Nathan, whole and healthy. And smiling. It was a slow smile at first, but it grew quickly, spreading from his lips to his eyes, all the way through his entire body. She had no idea how she knew his body was grinning, but it was. Or maybe she was the one suffused with happiness. He was here. They were finally together.

“Nathan,” she breathed.

“You’re here,” he whispered from on top of her. His chest was covering hers; his arms were shielding her face, and most important, his head was tucked so close to hers.

“They can’t arrest you,” she gasped. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Then Mike’s stern voice broke in, rough with irritation. “What the hell are you doing running into a firefight, Tracy?”

Nathan started to lift off her, but Tracy held him tightly. She wasn’t letting him go until she decided what she was going to do with him. “I’m sorry, Detective McKay, but Mr. Gao is innocent. He hasn’t done anything wrong. I’d swear to that in a court of law.” She looked over Nathan’s shoulder at her friend, who was busy holstering his gun.

Mike blinked at her. “Have you hit your head?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine, but Nathan—Mr. Gao—”

“Has been really helpful. I heard something that day we were fixing Mr. Gao’s sink. So, after I cleared Nathan Gao of any illegal activity himself, I asked if we could use his apartment to stake out his neighbor.” He gestured behind himself. Tracy had to lift her head a little higher to see the tenant of 4B—Mr. Loud TV who was always on his phone to his bookie—being led out of his apartment in handcuffs. Mike shook his head. “Easy story—gambling debts, foray into drug running, stupidity all around.” Then he looked back at Tracy. “Didn’t you get my messages?”

“You’re arresting 4B?” she asked, her mind finally catching up to reality. Meanwhile, Nathan hadn’t stopped looking at her.

“You’re here,” he murmured, his eyes sparkling. “You came back.”

“You need to get up now, Tracy,” Mike said. “We’ve got to bring the felon down the stairs.”

It took Tracy a moment to realize she had Nathan in a death grip and that they were lying together in the middle of the stairway landing. It took a moment longer for her to coax her hands into releasing him. Once he was free, he stood up easily, gently bringing her up right beside him. And then he arched one of those too-sexy eyebrows at her before leaning down to brush some of the mud off her crumpled blouse.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said as she batted away his hands. “My brother only tackles people in the mud. And I’m still thinking about kick—”

“Tracy!” Mike interrupted again. “The felon?” He gestured to handcuffed 4B, who glared at everyone. Behind him stood three more cops, all waiting to climb down the stairs.

“Right,” said Tracy as she and Nathan filed down and out of the building. Joey was waiting by the front door. Apparently there had been a cop stationed down there. Tracy had managed to surprise him, flying right past, but Joey had been caught and held.

Then came a long hour of chaos and interruptions. 4B was whisked away immediately, but Tracy still had to give a statement both as a sort-of witness and the owner of the building. That didn’t take long, but answering questions from tenants and neighbors and media—well, that took longer. And how mortifying that was, to stand in a muddy blouse before news cameras. And all the while, she kept one hand gripped firmly on Nathan’s arm. She wasn’t letting go for anything! But at least she’d decided not to kick him on TV.

Then finally, miraculously, it was all done. The tenants were convinced all was safe. Better yet—from their perspective at least—Tracy had decided to delay selling the building. A drug bust on television was too damaging to the price. Joey naturally leaped on that thought, still hoping to take a year off to manage the building. She hadn’t argued—yet—and so he’d immediately disappeared to inspect the damage left by 4B. Apparently, the man had really bad aim. All three bullets had hit his television. He wasn’t dead because even with a weapon, he hadn’t seemed scary enough for the cops to shoot him.

That left Tracy and Nathan alone in his apartment. Nathan was making tea…of course. And Tracy was left just standing there, staring at his gorgeous body and thinking what she would have done if he’d been shot. The pain from merely the idea was unbearable.

To hell with subtlety, she decided. She’d waited too long not to be blunt. “Why’d you leave?” she demanded. “I woke and found your mother in my room.”

She wasn’t sure he could hear her. He was busy pouring hot water into two mugs. But then he walked over and pressed a mug into her hands. “I left because I had to. They couldn’t find me in your room in the morning. It would have…”

“What? What would have happened?”

“It would have been bad for you.”

She felt her hands clench around the steaming mug. But rather than throw it in his face, she carefully set it down. “Might have been bad? Bad was waking up to your mother, not you. Bad was having to fly home alone wondering the whole time. Bad was—”

“Wondering what?”

She blinked, her tirade interrupted. “What?”

“What were you wondering?”

Now she did throw up her hands. “I told you I loved you! I gave up immortality for you! Or at least I thought I did. I…I love you, damn it! And you were gone!”

He swallowed and set his own mug down. She was close enough to feel his heat, and yet he didn’t touch her. He seemed uncertain and apologetic all at the same time.

“Nathan! Talk to me! Or I swear I’m going to kick you in—”

“We went to heaven, and I saw…” His eyes grew hazy. “I understand now. I know why the tigresses search so hard for it. It was…” He shook his head. “It was more than I ever thought or believed.”

She stared at him. “I know. But I gave that up…” She swallowed. “You thought I’d change my mind, didn’t you? After going there with me, you knew what it was like. You knew and thought I’d be like all the rest.” She abruptly made a fist and slammed him hard in the shoulder. “Damn it! Haven’t you figured out by now that I’m not like all the rest? I’m not going to dump you for any place—even a heavenly one. I—umph.”

He was kissing her. He was burying himself in her, and as angry and frustrated as she was, Tracy couldn’t hold him off. She wanted to touch him as much as he seemed to need her. But eventually, she was able to pull back.

“Nathan—”

“I had to go,” he said. “By contract. Stephen made me put it in the contract that I would leave the very next morning.” He shrugged. “I think he wanted to make another play for you with me gone.”

She thought back. Stephen had been there that afternoon, but her decision had already been made. She’d refused to see the man, sent a message that their partnership was off, then got Nathan’s brother to bicycle-cart her to the airport.

“But I didn’t leave right away,” Nathan continued as he pulled something out of his pocket. “I stopped long enough to buy something. Because I thought…I hoped…” He dropped down onto one knee and held up a ring box from an exclusive Hong Kong jeweler.