Disclaimer :- I don't own One Tree Hill. It belongs to Mark Schwahn and the CW Network.
A/N :- Hey guys, .thank you so much for your amazing reviews. I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. Anyhow, talking about this story.… I just want to remind that, this story was originally like a One-shot kind of deal, but I decided to split it into three chapters. I hope you all don't mind about that. Anyway, I hope to update again relatively soon, so let me know what you all thought of this chapter by dropping me a review. Thanks!
Summary :- She wasn't at all what He was expecting. He expected someone short and dowdy with glasses, a butch hairdo, and thick hairy legs. He pictured someone who never laughed, never did anything for pleasure, and wore a business suit like a military uniform. The woman before him wasn't like that at all.
~***~ ~***~ ~***~
Chapter 02
It was the second time that evening that she'd given in, and she didn't like it, but with a sigh, she picked up her briefcase, and bid Baker goodnight.
Nathan was quiet as they walked to his car in the pouring rain and she was grateful. She didn't like they way he'd loomed over her while she was working, quietly assessing, and probably judging her. She'd seen his horror at how she treated Julian's wife, and the contempt with which he'd eyed the bar's patrons. The man was a snob and a half, and she didn't want spend another minute with him.
As she suspected, he drove a classy black Mercedes, and even opened the door for her. When he was safely behind the wheel, she gave him her address half an hour from downtown.
"So what were you doing in the bookstore?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"Wasn't it obvious? I was looking for some crap to read," she hoped that would shut him up.
"Why?"
"Why do you want to know?" Haley responded, confused as to what Nathan was getting at.
"All I know is that you're a killer. I'd like to know more," Nathan said simply.
"Alright, it's not like I'll see you again, anyway,"
Nathan had no intention of letting that happen, but he didn't say as much.
"I'm twenty six years old. I come from an upper middle class and I was looking for a romance novel to ease the pain and frustration in the aftermath of a bad relationship,"
"How long has it been since the break up?"
Haley shrugged.
"A few months; not that it matters. It wasn't love...it wasn't even lust," she said with bitter cynicism.
Nathan smiled, silently elated she wasn't attached.
He pulled up to her home, a 1920s style brick house, and watched her as she fumbled with the seatbelt.
"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Scott" she said politely, jerking the belt open with a grunt of frustration.
"Nathan" he corrected.
"I barely know you," she said with her hand on the door handle. She was half soaked from the walk to the car. She wanted to go inside, put on a pair of pajamas and go to bed, not carry on an awkward conversation with a man who belonged on the cover of a bodice ripper.
"Fair enough; let me walk to you to your door. You're shivering and I have an umbrella,"
"You can't help it, can you?" Haley said coyly.
"Help what?" Nathan asked.
"That 'perfect gentleman' thing; you can't help it can you?"
"I suppose not" he said laconically.
Nathan grabbed his umbrella and followed her out of the car. He moved close to her, shielding her from the rain and she tensed as they reached her doorstep. Haley reached for her keys, cursing as she rummaged around for them.
"Thanks for agreeing to help" Nathan said.
"You're a loyal friend" she replied with a smile. Ignoring him now, she found her keys and slid them into the lock. Haley had her hand on the door handle. She intended to dismiss Nathan and go inside, but looking up at his face, she stilled.
Those intense blue eyes were focused on her, and something in her belly clenched in response. Haley felt incredibly awkward. They were at the door; why the hell wasn't he leaving?
She didn't have much time to ponder that question, because Nathan reached behind her and pulled out her elastic. As he slid his fingers into her hair and tilted her head back, her briefcase hit the floor, and her mind went blissfully, deliciously blank.
The kiss was tentative at first.
Nathan wanted a taste, just one taste to get him through the night...and then she let out the tiniest of moans and he deepened the kiss. Her hand fisted in his jacket, jerking him closer and he gasped, pleased with her strength. Lost now, he slid an arm around her waist, wallowing in the taste of her.
"I need you," he murmured against her gasping lips, and she pulled away, staring at him with a mixture of arousal and confusion.
"This is crazy. I don't even know you," she said, and then to his surprise, she took his face in her hands and kissed him again. It was a mystery of human chemistry he didn't fully understand; that your true mate, that cosmic lover pre assigned, tasted and felt like home; at once soothing and potently arousing. His arm tightened around her waist, wanting to lose himself in her strength when, with equal ferocity, she pulled away.
"I am so sorry" she said shakily, wincing with embarrassment. "I never do this. I'll take care of your friend, but I hope we can forget about this,"
Before Nathan could even respond, she'd rushed inside and disappeared, leaving him staring at the door.
What the hell just happened!
This whole situation was crazy, and God help him, he had it bad.
~***~ ~***~ ~***~
"You're hiding something," Chris said the following afternoon, eyeing his boss with suspicion. They'd been working all day, and throughout the day, Haley would pause, as though remembering something, take a deep breath, blush, and shake her head, as though waking from a dream.
"I am not," Came Haley's muffled reply.
"Spill it, James!"
Haley did that lip biting thing she did when she was nervous.
"I made out with Nathan Scott" she said with a bowed head.
"You mean the GORGEOUS guy who came looking for you yesterday?... What the hell is wrong with you! You look like you're embarrassed!"
"I am," Haley coyly said.
"What the fuck for?" Chris screamed.
"Because he's rich, and from a prestigious family and—"
"To hell with that!.... So, what was it like?"
Haley did that lip biting thing again.
"It was... amazing" the man tasted incredible and kissed better than any fantasy. She'd become oblivious to him until they'd kissed, and now... "Oh, hell! It doesn't matter anyway. I don't plan to see him ever again!"
"It's a shame..." Chris said sadly.
"Sure, a damn dirty shame," she muttered cynically. "Let's get to work"
~***~ ~***~ ~***~
The next few weeks were a blur. Haley got Julian neatly out of his marriage with his money intact, and thankfully saw nothing of Nathan Scott. Baker paid her fee and more than pleased with her work, he referred her and her firm to all his wealthy colleagues. Despite the taxing ordeal, or perhaps because of it, she and Julian had become fast friends. As Julian's friend, Haley knew she wouldn't able to dodge Nathan forever, but with extreme discipline and a mind crushing workload, she managed to push the incident to the back of her mind.
"Do me a favor?" Julian asked shyly one day over lunch.
"Within reason" Haley smiled at him.
"There's this charity ball I have to go to. Would you come with me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Haley stared at him as though he'd grown a second head.
"A charity event..." she said slowly, not bothering to hide her disgust.
"It's something I go to every year as part of the whole 'wealthy businessman' routine. I normally go with my wife, but… I don't have one anymore," Julian said uneasily, shoving his fingers through his hair.
"You're much better for it," Haley said reassuringly, gently tapping his hand with a fingertip. "Go stag to this thing. With your looks you'll probably be considered the most eligible bachelor in town."
"I don't want to deal with all the questions and gossip. Come with me...please?" Julian begged.
Haley couldn't stand that look because she couldn't say no to it.
"This isn't a date is it?" she asked suspiciously.
"Good God No!" Julian replied instantly. "Nothing personal, Haley, but after all I've been through, dating is the last thing on my mind. Please come with me...I'll make it up to you,"
Haley sighed.
"Fine, Where and when?" Haley sing-songed.
Julian brightened instantly.
"Friday; be ready by seven. I'll pick you up…And yes, I knew you'd agree," He bumped his fist with Haley's.
~***~ ~***~ ~***~
"I HATE these events," Haley growled at the mirror while Chris put the final touches on her hair.
"But you look fabulous!" Chris said admiringly.
Haley stared at herself in the mirror and frowned. The dress was floor length ruby red satin with a high slit up the side, and left her back bare save for two straps that crossed between her shoulder blades. It wasn't something she would have chosen for herself, but Haley admitted Chris had impeccable taste. He'd done her hair up, crammed her feet into high heels, and painted her lips to match the dress.
"You did a good job," she admitted, and in response Chris smiled and handed her a red beaded bag.
At that moment, a silver Porsche pulled up in front of her house. Like the perfect gentlemen, Julian opened the door and waved.
"Be sure to lock up" she told Chris, and with a deep breath she headed outside.
~***~ ~***~ ~***~
Haley hated formal events.
They were always full of the same people: middle aged businessmen, trophy wives, and aging patriarchs. If you took the combined personality of the room and multiplied it by a thousand, you might have something as interesting as a documentary on socks. These people, she thought cynically, were society's big decision makers. They gave money to just about every group that asked, but they wouldn't be caught dead with any of them. The charity 'du jour' was Cold Youth, an organization that specialized in getting street kids into stable homes and schools. "I feel like I'm going into a shark pool" she murmured.
"How do you think I feel?" Julian replied nervously. He reached for her hand, and she took it and squeezed briefly.
Steeling herself against the whispers of women in the room, she made the rounds with Julian. They said hello to all the people he had to, and stayed silent while he chatted business with the old patriarchs. Haley wished she had a watch. One evening was beginning to feel like an eternity...and just when she thought things couldn't get worse, Nathan Scott walked in. She knew, because she all but felt him.
His tux was immaculate of course, and on his arm was a smiling young brunette ten years his junior. Haley turned her back, hoping he hadn't seen her, but he simply moved in front of her.
"How are you this evening, Miss James?" Nathan asked with a smile.
"Very well, thank you" she answered stiffly.
Damn, he looked beautiful tonight. Ghaaa! Beautiful?...... What the fuck, Haley?
When she had first seen him she turned her back, revealing an expanse of smooth gold skin that all but stopped his heart. She was here as Julian's date, a fact that would have angered him if he hadn't seen the way his friend was eyeing his sister. Haley tried smiling at him but it looked more like a grimace. Nathan couldn't blame her; their last encounter didn't make things easy between them.
"Brooke! My God! I haven't seen you since you were twelve!" Julian exclaimed, eyeing his sister with the kind of rapt admiration one usually reserved for divas.
"Brooke?" Haley asked with a lift of her brow.
"My sister" Nathan replied, introducing them. Haley's features softened with what looked like relief. She looked from him to his sister, trying to discern similarities between them, and she must have found some because Haley smiled warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Brooke; are you enjoying the party?"
"I don't really enjoy these things," Brooke admitted sheepishly. "I'd rather be out with friends, but my brother didn't have a date."
Nathan watched as Haley enjoyed another laugh at his expense. Apparently that was all it took to win her friendship, and he stared at his sister with admiration while she chatted it up with his dream girl. Julian, he realized, much to his irritation, was watching Brooke with puppy dog eyes.
His sister was only twenty five and Julian was fresh out of a bad marriage. This didn't bode well to Nathan.
He was about to intervene when Haley announced that Julian owed her a dance. "I didn't know you danced..." Julian began.
"I don't" she said amicably, grabbing his hand, "teach me".
As it seemed like the only way to avoid boring, awkward conversation, Nathan followed suit, pulling his sister onto the dance floor.
"She's gorgeous, Nate" Brooke told him as they waltzed effortlessly across the floor, "But…she doesn't seem to like you,"
"I have that effect on people," he answered dryly, watching Brooke's mouth twist in a frown. "She's not indifferent" he added, remembering the ferocity with which she'd kissed him, "But…she hasn't had a chance to get to know me, either"
"You didn't give her one, Nathan. You shouldn't have backed off like that. She probably thinks it was a fluke,"
"She was busy with Julian's divorce. I didn't want to bother her," Nathan groaned.
His sister stared at him with that look she'd perfected in her early teens; 'the you're an idiot' look.
"When it comes to women, you're not normally such a colossal moron," Brooke said thoughtfully. "Why is this one any different?"
"I actually care," he muttered irritably, hating it when she was right. "What am I supposed to do now?"
Brooke smiled slowly. "That's easy; the band's about to play a slow one. Switch partners,"
"But Julian's got a..."
Brooke quickly cut him off. "I can handle it, bro"
With a nod of surrender, Nathan spoke to Julian over Brooke's shoulder. With a smile and a blush, Julian gave in, and they smoothly switched companions.
"Thanks a lot, Nathan," Haley murmured irritably.
"You look annoyed with me" he said cautiously, surprised at how easily she fit in his arms.
"I was trying to help you. You clearly don't like Julian ogling your sister. I dragged him onto the dance floor to get him away from her,"
"My sister can take of herself," he said dryly, looking over her shoulder to make sure Julian's hands were at waist level. "But I appreciate the gesture."
"You'd better, I can't dance" she muttered, gasping when his fingers grazed her back. The move sent a tingle straight up her spine, and she cleared her throat, trying to shake it off. "Your fingers are callused," Haley said, not bothering to hide her surprise. Men like him typically had smooth hands with perfect manicures. This wasn't the case with Nathan Scott. The fingers gently caressing her back were man hands: big, strong, and rough with calluses.
"I blame it on a mix of swimming, playing ball, and woodcarving," he said.
"I can see you doing the first two...but woodcarving?" Haley asked incredulously
Nathan smiled slightly. He was one of those men who rarely smiled, and when he did it was more with his eyes than with his mouth. It made him that much more disarming, and despite herself, Haley relaxed in his arms.
"It's a hobby I picked up during my rebellious youth....you look beautiful tonight" He mumbled.
"Thank you" Haley said, trying not to be pleased. "What other scandalous activities did you take up?"
"Martial arts, playing basketball and a couple of other things my parents didn't really approve of...Do my calluses bother you?" he touched her back again, and she couldn't help sucking in a breath.
"Not at all" her voice sounded unusually high to her ears. Haley shut her eyes, trying to purge thoughts of what those calluses would feel like on other parts of her body.
"I don't want to forget about what happened a few weeks ago" Came his husky reply that sent shivers right through Haley's body.
Haley stumbled in her high heels, and Nathan moved to catch her. The gesture forced their bodies even closer on the dance floor and Haley placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. She marveled at his strength for a moment, inhaled the scent of cologne and man when she realized the music had stopped.
"Thank you for a wonderful dance, Mr. Scott," Haley mumbled, not looking at him. Her mind was in shock, not processing anything at the moment.
"Nathan" he quickly corrected.
"Right...join me in the ladies' room, will you Brooke?" she called after his sister, gently taking her by the arm. Brooke barely had time to accept before Haley rushed them away. Nathan stared after her, wondering how such an intelligent woman could pretend to be so thickheaded.
"I believe thanks are in order," Julian said as they headed towards the bar.
"What are you talking about?" Nathan mumbled, not lifting his head from the bar counter.
"I'm talking about you, thanking me, for bringing her,"
Nathan lifted his head. "I don't understand"
"I'm not blind, Nathan. I saw the way you were looking at her the night I hired her. I could have gone to this thing alone, but I didn't. I brought her here for you!"
"What?…..You mean….Thank you!" was all he could manage.
"Good. I'm having a party up North next weekend. I'll invite her, and you'll bring your sister--"
Nathan threw his fist down on the bar. "Now wait just one minute!" He said, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't screw it up Nathan, I like her," Julian said stubbornly, and Nathan knew the matter was closed. Damn it, Julian!!!
~***~ ~***~ ~***~
"My brother said you were screaming in the middle of the romance section when he met you."
"Screaming is a bit of an exaggeration," Haley said carefully.
"Oh. Why were you screaming?"
Haley smiled over at Brooke. "Because I was hoping for a romance novel that would cater to someone like me."
"What do you mean by that?"
Haley ignored her question, quickly and asked from her. "Have you ever read those things?"
"A few," Brooke admitted.
"All the heroines are either redheads, or have exotic dark hair and bright blue or green eyes or look like . . . well . . . you. No offense." Haley sighed.
"None taken; but why would you read those things in the first place?"
Haley shrugged. "Romance doesn't happen in real life. Bad boys are deadbeats and gorgeous rich guys cower before even richer parents who don't want their precious bloodlines tainted by ethnics or the middle class. You probably hate me now don't you?" she asked cautiously. She expected to see anger and reproach in the other woman's eyes, but she didn't. She saw sympathy.
"You've obviously been burned before," Brooke said thoughtfully, "but don't write Julian and Nathan off because of it."
Haley smiled slightly, sadly, and took Brooke by the hand.
"Come on, I'm sure Julian's dying to see you!"
On a laugh the women left the bathroom, only to find their dates facing off against a woman as old as she was ugly.
The Murray was as mean as she was grotesque. Her five feet, four inch frame was covered with ugly fat with growths and age spots that the best make up artists couldn't conceal. Picture Jabba the Hut in Donna Karan.
As Haley and Brooke approached, Mrs. Murray the First's already cold eyes sharpened to dagger points.
"James, what are you doing here?"
"She's my date," Julian answered nervously.
Mrs. Murray's mouth twisted with disdain.
"As I suspected . . . Julian, you should be ashamed of yourself! You abandoned a perfectly respectable wife to cavort with an impoverished half breed!"
Haley's muscles tightened and Brooke put a hand on her arm, trying to reassure her. Around them, people began to stare.
"You should know better!" Mrs. Murray continued her rant, behaving as though Haley wasn't there. "Is the Baker fortune to be so tainted by the mongrel children of the South Pacific?"
"That's enough!" said a voice. Haley turned her jaw dropping as Nathan Scott stepped between her and Mrs. Murray. "Mrs. Murray, pray tell me, what year is it?"
"I don't see what that has to do with anything . . . "
"Humor me," Nathan said his voice ripe with irony.
"Its 2009," Mrs. Murray replied.
Nathan's head cocked in acknowledgment. "Well then perhaps you should return to the eighteenth century where you belong. Your opinions are about two hundred years out of date . . . but I suppose you can't help it, can you? You're what, five hundred years old?"
Brooke coughed, Julian cleared his throat, and the room echoed with soft chuckles and strangled laughs. Haley could only stare as Mrs. Murray stormed off, shouting about how she'd never been treated that way in her entire life.
She looked at Nathan, her heart hammering in her chest, and for the first time saw beyond his wealth and prestige. He defended her without a care for the opinions of business associates and fellow members of the modern aristocracy and something bloomed in her chest, melding with the already complicated attraction. When he offered her his hand Haley stared down at it, as if she couldn't tell what it was.
"I'm not going to sleep with you just because you defended me!" she said instantly. Then she stopped short, as though realizing what she'd said, and hastily announced that she had to leave. With what looked like a curtsy, she made her apologies to Julian and Brooke and bolted out of the ballroom like a bat out of hell.
"Go after her, you idiot!" Brooke told him as Nathan ran, but Haley was fast on her feet. By the time he'd reached the bottom of the front steps, she was already in the cab and driving away. Breathless and heartsick, Nathan looked down at the sidewalk.
~***~ ~***~ ~***~