I duck my head as Tris drives past me as I turn onto his street, popping back up when he turns the corner. I hope he didn’t recognize my SUV, but there’s a lot of people around here with the same model as me so hopefully he won’t realize.
I turn onto his driveway and park outside the house, hopping out while grabbing the boots I’ve bought for Amelia and walking to the back gate. I check it’s open this time, sighing in relief when it is and walking through it toward the pool house.
All the curtains are closed so I can’t see inside. I press on the door handle but it doesn’t budge so I knock a beat on the glass.
I hear a thump then a curse making me chuckle as footsteps get closer to the door and Amelia’s sleepy, confused face appears when the curtain is pulled back.
“Wakey wakey!” I shout happily, my breath fogging up the glass of the door.
She shields her eyes against the bright sunlight, grimacing at me. “What are you doing here?” she asks, not making a move to unlock the door as she stares at me.
“Let me in and you’ll find out,” I retort, hiding the boots behind my back.
She huffs audibly before unlocking the door and pulling it open. Spinning around, she walks into the kitchen. “Too early,” she mutters, dragging her feet.
“Not a morning person?” My gaze falls on the crumpled-up duvet on her bed before I follow her into the kitchen and lean against the counter, the boots still behind my back. “Were you still sleeping? It’s nearly nine thirty.”
She swings her head around, narrowing her eyes at me. “Yes, I was still sleeping.” She pauses as she reaches into the cupboard and pulls a cup down. “I was up until three this morning.”
I’m not ashamed to say my eyes drift down to her ass in the tiny pajama shorts she’s wearing, checking her out. If my hands weren’t behind my back, I don’t think I could keep them to myself. She clears her throat and my head snaps up. “Sorry, what?”
She leans against the counter, crossing her arms. “I said: I thought you had work this weekend.”
Pulling my arms from behind my back, I dangle the boots off my fingers by their laces. “Change of plans. I thought I could take you on one of my favorite hiking trails. You in?” The expression on her face turns amused as she pushes the boots with her finger so they swing. “You don’t like them?”
“They’re brand new.” She pauses and I wait for the rest of her sentence, but when she only stares up at me, I raise a brow watching as she pushes off the counter and steps around me.
“So… no to hiking?”
She halts at the entrance to her kitchen, turning her head slightly. “Yes to hiking.” Her lips lift up into a grin. “But hell no to the boots.”
I follow her out of the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe after I place the boots on the floor beside me. “What’s wrong with the boots?”
Watching as she kneels down, ass in the air, she roots through her small closet, yanking out items and flinging them behind her until she shouts, “Aha!” She stands up and I tilt my head at the walking boots she’s holding up. “You don’t go hiking in new boots, you have to break them in first.” She lowers her voice. “Amateur.”
I laugh at her mocking me. “Yeah, yeah. And here I was thinking it was a nice gesture.” I wink to let her know I’m joking, my eyes trailing down the length of her legs. Dear God, I need to get out of here. I walk toward the door. “I’ll be waiting in the car while you get ready. I’ve packed everything else but you’ll need your bathing suit.”
I make it two steps away from the door before her soft voice whispers, “Nate.”
Turning my head around, I stare at her, her chocolate eyes shining with some unnamed emotion as she drops her boots on her unmade bed.
My heart rate picks up as she slowly steps toward me, my stomach dipping the closer she gets. She never fails to make me feel things I’ve never experienced before. I want to be with her all the time: just her and me.
Her hand lifts when she comes to a stop in front of me, the pads of her fingers trailing over my jaw.
“I missed not seeing your face this week.”
On instinct, my arms slide around her waist and I smile down at her. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to come over, but work’s had me crazy busy.”
She leans toward me and I close the rest of the distance. As soon as our lips touch, her body curls into mine, looking for support. I tighten my embrace and she moans softly as I trail kisses down her jaw, ending at her ear, whispering, “I’m going to leave now otherwise we’re not going anywhere today.”
“Okay,” she replies with a sigh, pulling back at the same time as I do, her fingers skimming over her lips as if to lock away the feel of mine on hers.
“Remember to put on your bathing suit,” I say with a grin before turning the door handle and walking out to my SUV.
I nearly lost it in there. I was so close to throwing my plans out the window and spending all day in her bed. It’s different with her and I know it’ll be worth the wait when it does happen.
Ten minutes later she walks around the corner of the house with a big smile on her face. Her hair is up in a high ponytail making her cheekbones stand out more, but the few strands framing her face soften the harshness. My gaze falls down to the white tank top I can see her blue bikini top through and I have to shut my eyes for a second, turning back to face her as she climbs into the SUV with a struggle.
“Couldn’t have bought a higher car?” Her question is dripping with sarcasm as she huffs and clicks on her seatbelt.
I chuckle. “Maybe I should, then I’d have a good excuse to ‘help’ you into it.”
Although she fights it, a smile lifts her lips and I’m finally distracted enough to look over the rest of what she’s wearing. Khaki green shorts show off her tan legs and the boots she dug out are on her feet with thick socks sticking out the top. A turquoise fleece jacket sits on her lap but I tear my gaze away and start the engine as I look back at the house.
“I saw Tris take the kids out earlier.” She turns her attention to me as I drive out onto the street. “Art class?”
“Yeah.” Her voice sounds sad, and when I cut my gaze to her, she continues. “He’s taking them out for the day afterward. I just hope spending time with only him and the kids makes things better around the house.”
“I’ve barely had a response from him since Izzie’s party last weekend.” Things didn’t go down well when Harmony painted a photo of Natalia and Izzie together. She doesn’t say anything for a beat so I add, “Have things really been that bad? I thought him and Harm would’ve sorted things out by now.”
“I’m guessing by the state of his mood and the fact he’s locking himself in his office when he comes home that they haven’t.” She tightens her ponytail. “The kids are seeing it and I know they can feel his change in behavior. I want to say something to him, but…” she trails off, shaking her head. “I don’t know; I feel like if I tell him to stop acting the way he is then all I’d be doing is banging my head against a brick wall.”
The couple of times I’ve messaged him this week, his responses have gone back to the clipped tone he used to use with me, but I’ve barely had time to eat and sleep never mind sort out his mood swings.
“You shouldn’t have to feel like this.” My grip tightens around the steering wheel. “This is his shit to sort and he shouldn’t be making the people around him feel uncomfortable. If he doesn’t get his act together then I’ll…” I don’t know what I’ll do. Talking to him doesn’t seem to work, in fact the only thing—or person should I say—to get through to him was Harmony. “I’ll talk to Harm.”
I hear as she blows out a breath before she says, “You know what?” I raise my brow. “I think the best thing to do is to stay out of it all. If he wants to be miserable, then let him. All that matters are the kids, and I’ll do my damndest to make sure they’re doing okay.” I feel her hand land on my forearm, and I look down at it before bringing my gaze back to hers briefly. “I don’t want to spend the day going over Tris’s latest drama. I want to talk about you and me.” Her lips lift up into a gentle smile before she moves her hand and places it back in her lap. “Tell me what’s had you so busy this week.”
She’s right, I’m ruining the mood. I relax in my seat, the buttery leather moulding to my shape. “Work’s been manic. I haven’t been able to sit down and have a minute to myself because my partner was away until yesterday on a case in Boston. That meant I had to micro-manage all the associates and interns which isn’t my job but…” I trail off and blow out a breath. “I want a work-free day today. All talk of it is banned for the foreseeable.”
“Sounds like a plan: no work talk.” I see her lean forward out of the corner of my eye. “Where are we going?”
Her question makes me chuckle. I’ve come to expect it since learning she doesn’t like surprises. “Is this going to turn into ‘our thing’?”
“That depends,” she replies. “Are you ever going to tell me where we’re going in advance?”
“The whole point of me taking you to nice places is to keep it a surprise until we’re there. If I told you every single time then it’d ruin it.”
“Yeah, but if you told me every once in a while, then maybe I wouldn’t keep asking.” She smirks but it changes to a slight scowl as I turn the radio on and press the volume button up, tapping out a beat on the steering wheel.
She huffs out a breath and says something making me point to my ear. “Can’t hear you, the music’s too loud.”
She fights a smile, turning her head to look out of the window and leaning back in her seat. After two minutes, I turn the music down to a reasonable level as we drive the rest of the way to the hiking trail.
Half an hour later, I park the SUV under the trees in my usual spot and climb out, opening the trunk and pulling out the backpack inside. As the trunk is shutting, Amelia walks around the side of the SUV and shields her eyes against the sun.
“Wow,” she says, her gaze flitting around.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” I clip the straps of the backpack around my chest and waist and hold my hand out to her. “Ready?”
“Yep.” Her ponytail swings as she nods her head up and down before she rests her palm against mine.
I’ve been hiking around here for years and I’ve found somewhere I don’t think many people know about, somewhere I want to share with her.
We start up the trail through the woods on an incline and I stay behind her to make sure she doesn’t fall—or at least that’s what I tell myself. But it turns out I don’t need to because she seems to be quite the expert, enjoying the hike.
“Hiked a lot before?” I heavily breathe out, swinging the backpack around and grabbing two bottles of water out the side pocket.
“Yeah.” She swings her head around to face me. “I used to go all the time as a kid. I’ve missed going out every weekend and finding new trails, or discovering ones that aren’t on the map.” She pauses, her brows lowering. “You okay there?”
She takes one of the offered bottles and I open and glug down half of mine before answering her. “Sure, I’m staying behind in case you fall. This hill goes on for another ten minutes before it starts to level out.” I pull in a deep breath before walking to her level. “Then that’s where we split from the trail.”
“Really?” she asks, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Really.” I slap her ass and she jumps. “Now get on up there, I’m dying to show you the view.”
“Alright, alright.” She hops a step forward before murmuring, “Slave driver.”
I chuckle and place the backpack back on, catching up with her after she disappears on the other side of a tree. She pulls her fleece from around her waist and re-ties it before slipping her hand into mine as we continue to walk side by side.
“So, without meaning to sound cheesy.” She flashes me a grin and waggles her brows. “Do you come here often?”
A deep chuckle rattles my chest. “Yeah. I’ve spent hours upon hours hiking these woods and figuring all the hidden trails out. I camped out here once—”
“You did?” Her eyes widen, a skip in her step. “I love camping! We should camp out here next time.”
I tilt my head to the start of the hidden trail that will lead us to what I brought her here to show her and she grins, pushing through the thick foliage. “I never would have pegged you as a camper.”
“Me?” She scoffs. “Why not? I could totally live in the wild and kill my own food.” She grimaces. “Okay, maybe I could be a herbivore—like those dinosaurs.” Nodding to herself she continues, “Yep. I could totally live off the land.”
Snorting at her, I let go of her hand and wave it in front of me. “There’s only enough room for one person at a time.” She steps forward. “Be careful, though, it’s steep.”
“I know what I’m doing, Nate. I told you I used to—”
My hands snap out, grabbing her around the waist as she starts to slip down the incline, her arms flailing by her side before her cheeks redden.
“You were saying?” I smirk.
“Shut up.” She laughs at herself as I help her up. “The tree root attacked me.”
Chuckling I keep one hand on her waist as I widen my legs, slowing us right down as I see the break in the trees about one hundred meters ahead.
My stomach flutters as we get closer and I almost want to slow this moment down, knowing what’s coming.
The first time I found it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. How something like this could be hidden was beyond me. But every single time I’ve come back, there hasn’t been one other person here. The path isn’t cleared, the trees hiding nature’s beauty.
Just before the small break in the trees, I tighten my hand on her waist and turn her around. Her head tilts back to bring her gaze to mine and I stare into her chocolate depths, getting lost in them for a second.
“What I’m about to show you, I’m not sure if anybody else knows about. But…” I trail off as I step closer, bringing my hand around to rest on the bottom of her back. “But you’re special and you deserve to know every single part of me. The surfing, my work, my house, all of it. But this, this is the place where I come when I need a break from the rush that is my life.”
Her eyes glaze over, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she whispers her hands up my arms, leaving them on my shoulders. “I want to know every part of you.”
I wait for her to say she wants me to know every part of her, but when she doesn’t, she distracts me with a soft closed mouth kiss.
I’m aware she’s still closed off and likes to be private, but I thought if I opened up every part of myself and let her read me like an open book it would allow her to undo the locks she has in place. Even if the keys are rusty and the locks are broken, I at least want to see her attempt to show me the parts of herself that no one else knows.
When she pulls away, I rest my forehead against hers, realizing she has opened up a little. I didn’t know she used to go hiking as a kid, but she told me that little tidbit of information and I’ll hold onto it like a life raft.
Breathing her in, I try to bottle up the rose scent always surrounding her before pulling back and taking her hand, stepping in front of her and pushing through the trees. She dodges a branch before glancing around and gasping, her hand hovering over her mouth.
“Wow… I…” Her head swings back and forth between me and the waterfall cascading over the rock face, down into the natural pool it’s created. “This is…”
I unclip the backpack and place it on the ground. “Perfect.” Pulling her into my chest gently, I place a kiss on her forehead. “It’s perfect.”
I can’t move my eyes off the waterfall in front of me, not quite believing it’s in the middle of a wooded area, hidden away. We’re standing at the top of it but as I move my gaze across the first smaller waterfall, gently flowing into a pool, I see another larger one. This one runs faster, effortlessly coursing off the edge of the small rock face.
So many questions flash through my mind. How did Nate find this place? How did a waterfall get here?
His arms stay wrapped around me, his chest to my back as we both stare at nature’s beauty. For years—as a kid and as an adult—I’ve loved to go hiking, finding new trails and picturesqueness in what surrounds us.
People are so busy with day-to-day life that sometimes they forget things like this are all around us. I’ve become one of those people. I’ve let Tristan’s problems consume me and allowed the mysterious packages to get to me. But even they’ve stopped now.
It’s been three weeks since I received a package and even though a little voice in the back of my head says it’s not over, I can’t help but hope I don’t get another one.
“Let’s go for a swim,” Nate announces, pulling away and picking his backpack up off the ground.
I stay silent as he takes my hand and leads me down an incline to the small pool the waterfall is falling into. Steam flows off the top of it and I can almost feel the warmth of the water from here.
Now it all makes sense why he said to bring my swimsuit.
He comes to a stop at the edge, placing his backpack down and ridding himself of his clothes so all he’s standing in are his board shorts. Normally my eyes would be focused on his tensed muscles and the happy trail I know is there. But not this time. This time I can’t take my eyes off the water and the rainbow it’s reflecting when the sunlight hits it.
I’m enthralled, entranced by its magnificence.
Toeing off my boots, I pull my socks off and shuck off my tank top and shorts before following Nate into the water. Neither of us speak, but I can see his green eyes watching me, taking in all of my reactions.
The warm water soothes the muscles I just used walking, and as I get deeper, I close my eyes, basking in everything: the sounds of the birds in the trees, the rushing water, but most off all, the closeness of Nate as he comes up behind me.
He stays far enough away I can’t feel his skin on mine, but close enough I can feel his breath as it skims over my neck.
“Come with me,” he whispers.
I don’t think twice, allowing his large hand to encase mine as we slowly wade through the water that comes to my waist toward the waterfall.
Butterflies take flight in my stomach kicking up a storm and when I turn to face him, our gazes lock. So many things are said between us but not one word is spoken.
I want to tell him so many things. How I want him to know every part of me too; how I want to open myself for him and allow him to see all of me. But I can’t: I can’t let him see it all.
Eight weeks ago when he taught me how to surf, I never thought I’d be here now—not with him anyway. There was always some kind of connection with him from the first time we met and I knew—I knew—if I allowed it to flourish, I wouldn’t be able to look back. I kept trying to tell myself it hasn’t gone too far, that if I wanted to pull back now it wouldn’t hurt either of us.
But as he pulls me through the waterfall, the water batting down on us briefly until we push through to the other side, I know it would. I’m conflicted: I want to allow there to be an us but at the same time I want to run away so he doesn’t get hurt, because ultimately that’s what will happen.
Behind the waterfall is slightly darker and the water a little colder, but that doesn’t matter when Nate moves closer, his chest connecting with mine, his arms wrapping around my waist as he looks down at me.
“I’m glad you agreed to come with me today, Lia.” When he says my name, the intensity of the moment heightens and I wait on bated breath to hear what he is warring with himself to say. “I…” He cups my cheek with one of his hands. “I think I’m falling for you.”
I swallow, my throat becoming dry before without thought, I whisper, “I think I’m falling for you, too.”
His lip quirks up on one side as he brings his other hand up, placing it on my other cheek as he lowers his head. “Then I suppose we better catch each other.”
I start to chuckle at his cheesiness but I’m cut off as his lips descend down onto mine. There’s a brief second where I’m still laughing that he takes as his opening and slips his tongue into my mouth. The laughter fades away as his tongue slides along mine and he moves his hands, grasping me around the waist and picking me up.
My hands intertwine behind his neck as my legs lock around his waist and I’m immersed in all that is Nate: his tongue, the hardness of his chest against mine, the palms of his hands squeezing my ass as he holds me up.
He takes a couple of steps forward and my back hits the flat edge of a rock, his hips rocking into me as he deepens the kiss. We’ve kissed and had little touches before, but this time it feels different. This time I know I won’t be able to stop and by the way he’s pressing against me, I’m hoping he won’t.
He pulls back from my lips, his green orbs darkening as he gazes at me. There’s a silent question in their depths, but whatever it is, I’m down for, because from this moment there will be no going back.
His palm slowly glides up and over my waist, pulling me off the rock as he trails it up to the back of my neck. His deft fingers untie the knot of my bikini and I nod a little to let him know I want this.
The material of my bikini top falls and Nate watches as it gathers around my waist before his palm moves around, cupping my breast and rubbing the pad of his thumb over my nipple.
“Nate,” I moan, my head pushing back against the rock as my eyes close. I feel his wet hair tickling my chest before his mouth is covering my nipple, licking and sucking.
My hand threads through his hair, not knowing whether to push him away or pull him closer.
I’m so caught up in what he’s doing to my breasts that I don’t realize his other hand has made its way down my waist until his finger is dipping under the waistband of my bikini bottoms.
My eyes spring open and I watch as he pops my nipple out of his mouth and stares up at me. The green in his eyes is the darkest I’ve ever seen it be. Lifting his head, he rests his forehead against mine, not moving his gaze off me as his hand dips even lower.
The bite of my teeth sinking into my lower lip keeps me from calling out as his finger swipes over my bundle of nerves. My breath catches, my eyes fluttering shut.
“Don’t close those beautiful eyes, Lia.” I open my eyes, catching the seriousness in his gaze. “I want you to stay with me for every second of this.”
“Okay,” I manage to answer, trying my hardest to not close them as he swipes over the same spot again. He moves his fingers faster, flicking continuously and driving me insane with the need to— “I’m close,” I moan, my hands trailing down and landing on his tensed biceps.
The slow burn in the pit of my stomach turns into a roaring flame as I get closer to my climax. It’s there—right there, and I need him to not stop. I tell him as much, and his answer is to move faster and slam his lips down onto mine.
His tongue works in the same rhythm as his fingers, and my back bows as a euphoric feeling hits me as fast as a train going two hundred miles per hour. I break my mouth away from his, the back of my head thudding against the rock as the orgasm takes over my whole body.
I’m in a world of pleasure, and when his mouth latches onto my nipple again, he has me moaning so loud I’m sure anyone within a three-mile radius can hear.
My muscles start to relax as he slows down his motion, but as soon as they do and my gaze seeks his out again, I know I want more. I want—need—him. All of him.
“I need you.” I repeat my thoughts and he smirks, his hand pulling out of my bikini bottoms. I open my mouth, not opposed to begging him but he cuts me off.
“Good, ’cause I’m not done with you. Not even close,” he growls out.
He shifts and when I look down into the clear water, I see him pulling his board shorts down and watch with wide, fascinated eyes as he reveals his hardness before he moves my bottoms aside.
My tongue swipes along my bottom lip, anticipation rolling through me.
Clutching onto his shoulders, I keep my legs locked around him as he tilts his hips closer to me, the head of his hardness touching me.
I want to rock my hips forward and plunge him inside me, but his hands gripping my hips stop me as he rests his forehead against mine.
Slowly, he pushes inside, inch by inch, letting me feel all of him. He brushes my G-spot and my breath catches, my fingers digging into his shoulders at the sensation.
“Faster,” I beg.
He pulls out just as slowly as he pushed inside before he thrusts back again at the same pace. It drives me crazy, and each time I try to meet his thrust and quicken the pace, his fingers tighten on my hips to stop me.
“Please,” I try again.
He stops when he’s fully inside again, pulling his forehead off mine and examining my eyes. I swallow at the adoration swirling in his, knowing mine reflect the same thing.
“Fuck falling. I’m already in love with you, Lia.”
I gasp, my eyes blinking fast as I feel the telltale sign of tears stinging the back of my eyes. My hands flutter up and over his neck before they cup his cheeks in the same way he always does to me. “I love you, too.”
His eyelids slam shut as his muscles tense and then a couple of seconds later, he opens them back up, his gaze connecting with mine before he pulls back and thrusts back into me, harder this time.
I relish in the way he seems to lose control as he pistons his hips to a bruising rhythm, not letting up for a second. My moans mix in with his soft grunts and I clutch onto his shoulders, trying to keep myself rooted as he takes me in the way I wanted.
He may have said the words, but right now he’s showing me just how much he loves me. Every single grunt coming from his throat seems to bring me closer to the edge, and when I shatter for the second time, I tense around him. He buries his head into my neck, baring his teeth and biting softly as he explodes, releasing inside of me and stilling.
We hold onto each other for a while, the water flowing around us, the sounds of the waterfall slowly making its way back into the bubble we created.
“Wow,” I whisper, running my hands through his hair. I had a feeling I knew what being with Nate would be like, but I had no idea it would devour me in that way.
He lifts his head, his gaze focusing on his task as he rights my bikini bottoms and then lifts my bikini top, tying it back into place.
I frown as he continues his ministrations, not bringing his gaze to mine no matter how many times I tilt my head to put my face in front of his.
When he pulls away and gently lets my legs down, I grind my teeth together as he still doesn’t say anything.
“Nate?” He shakes his head a little, his face a mask I can’t penetrate. “Nate?” I say, louder this time.
“That was amazing but…” He looks up at me. “We didn’t use protection. I didn’t plan on this happening, I got carried away.”
My mouth curls up into a smile before turning into a grin as I watch the way he’s freaking out. “We’re fine,” I tell him, wading forward. “I’ve got us covered, I’m on the pill.” I wink in jest and walk back through the waterfall, turning back when he follows me. “I’m clean… are you?”
His laughter echoes around us as he threads his fingers through mine and pulls me toward him. “We’re good, I promise.”
He plants a soft kiss on my swollen lips before his cell rings out from his bag. It stops before it starts back up again and his eyes flash with annoyance.
“Go and check it,” I tell him, placing my lips against his again.
“Sorry about this, it could be work.”
“It’s okay,” I tell him as he pulls away, his eyes twinkling as he gives my body a once-over, biting his lip.
I don’t move my eyes off him as he wades through the water, staring in fascination as his back muscles ripple. My eyes follow a droplet of water as it flows and dips between the contours of his back and finally stops at the waistband of his shorts.
When he bends down in front of his backpack, I lie back and float in the water, closing my eyes and basking in the silence.
“Shit!” I turn my face toward him and see him holding his cell up in the air before he looks at me. “I’ve got a bunch of messages and missed calls from work. Sorry to do this right now but do you mind if I try and find a signal?”
“Sure.”
He flashes me a grateful smile and walks off, holding his cell up in the air above him as he goes, turning around in a circle before he walks around a tree and out of sight.
I lie back again, closing my eyes and enjoying the warm water and the peace surrounding me. My mind is empty, no rampant thoughts batting around. For the first time in months, I’m not worrying about anything at all.
The sound of leaves being crushed and a twig snapping has me standing up and zeroing in on where it came from, expecting Nate to appear. But when I hear his voice in the opposite direction, my eyes widen.
Goose bumps travel over my skin as another twig snaps, the hair on the back of my neck rising. I haven’t had this feeling in weeks, but I know I’m not imagining it—I’m being watched.
I quickly wade through the water, not drying off as I grab my shorts and tank top and get dressed. Wrapping my arms around my waist, I watch the trees for signs of… anything.
Whipping my head around as someone steps closer, I prepare myself for the worst but when Nate’s grim face comes into view, I relax slightly.
He tilts his head to the side when he looks up, but before he says anything, I ask, “Everything okay?”
He smiles and walks over to me, throwing his cell back in the backpack and pulling his t-shirt over his head. “I could ask you the same thing.” He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him, kissing me lightly on the forehead and sighing. “You look worried and I don’t know why, but I just want to say I meant everything I said.”
I have two choices here: I can either tell him the truth about why I’m panicking and feeling like even now with him back beside me, I still feel eyes on me. Or I can grasp onto the excuse he’s giving me and run with it.
Tilting my head back, I stare into his eyes for a beat, ready to tell him everything, but when my mouth opens, I hear myself saying, “You meant everything?”
“I did. I never say something I don’t mean,” he replies right away.
“Me too.”
His chest rises and falls on a deep breath before he runs his hands down the length of my arms and says, “I hate that I’m about to say this, but… I need to go into the office.”
“Oh.” Even I can hear the sadness in my voice.
Sitting on a rock, I pull my socks and boots on at the same time as him. When he stands up, he lifts his backpack and holds his hand out to me.
“I hopefully won’t be too long so you can come with me, then maybe afterward we can grab a bite to eat?”
My slowly saddening mood flips one-eighty and the smile that overtakes my face shines bright.
Turning my head, I gaze one last time at the waterfall, knowing we’ll come back and that it will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s where we confessed our true feelings and where we showed them to each other.
Sighing happily, I turn back around as we head back the way we came: through the wooded area and back onto the main trail. It seems to go by in a flash on the way back and I wish I could prolong it, but before I know it we’re getting into Nate’s SUV and he’s driving back toward civilization.
Nate keeps my hand in his the whole journey, his thumb rubbing back and forth. Every so often he lifts my hand and places a kiss on my knuckles, his gaze connecting with mine.
That unnamed emotion I saw in his eyes earlier I now know is love—his love for me—shines bright. I only hope I can hold onto his love and not destroy it.
Staring out the window, I will my thoughts not to turn dark as everything starts to come down on me. After today I know there’s no chance of being able to keep Nate out of the fray, but I have no idea what I can do to stop what is about to happen. It’s like seeing a car crash in slow motion: I know the hit is inevitable, but when and how hard still remains to be seen.
I shake my head, flinging the thoughts out of my head and refusing to spend this time with Nate thinking about what could happen. Instead, I focus on the here and now as Nate pulls into an underground parking lot, parking in a bay that has his name on a plaque attached to the wall.
Turning the engine off, he spins in his seat, smiling softly. “Are you sure this is okay? I called my partner to try and get her to come instead but she’s out of town again.”
“Honestly, it’s fine.” I unclip my belt and reach for the door handle. “I’m dying to see where Nathan Cole displays his badassery.”
“Displays his badassery?” He laughs loud, climbing out of the car. “I do my best.”
Snorting, I walk around the back of the car and slip my hand into his—the most natural thing in the world. “I imagine you walking around in one of your designer suits and bossing people around all day,” I say, walking beside him before he punches the button to what I presume is an elevator.
“It’s not half as glamorous as that; I promise.” We step into the elevator and he presses a button. “Case and point: being called into work on weekends.”
“Hmm.” I stare at our reflection in the polished steel doors. “I suppose there is that.”
Seconds later, the door is opening up and Nate pulls me out. Men and women in suits rush past us, going in different directions and disappearing behind doors, until all of a sudden a pair of eyes are connecting with mine and then Nate’s before a voice shouts, “Cole is here!”
I step back as people flock toward him, practically pushing us back into the elevator. They start talking a mile a minute and handing him files; he has to let go of my hand when he’s passed the seventh—or is that the eighth?
“Quiet!” he shouts over everyone and I shiver at his commanding tone. “Thank you, you’re all starting to give me a headache.” He turns to the man beside him. “Where’s Stacey?”
“Conference room three,” he tells him.
Nate nods as he looks through the first file before looking up and giving me another small smile. “Everyone, this is my… girlfriend, Lia. Lia, everyone.” My stomach dips at the term girlfriend and I stare at him for a beat, repeating it over and over in my head. Pulling myself out of my own head, I offer them a small wave as they all start to murmur. “Yes, I have a social life, guys. Get over it and quickly.”
He reads over the file in front of him one more time before calling, “Murphy?”
A red-haired man steps toward us. “Yeah.”
“Get me Mrs. Kent’s lawyer on the phone and patch it through to C-three,” he commands, grinning a little before tucking the files under his arm and holding his other hand out to me.
I take it gingerly, eager to get out from everyone’s stares. I know they’re only curious about me because he’s their boss, but it’s starting to make me a little uncomfortable. I’m not used to being around this many people: Tris, Clay, Izzie, Edward, and sometimes Nate and Charlotte, but never this many pairs of eyes on me all at once.
“I’m sorry about this,” he whispers into my neck.
“It’s fine. I…” I examine the hallway, noting all of the glass surrounding us—what is his obsession with glass? “Like seeing where you work.”
He must notice me scanning the place because he says, “I’ll give you a proper tour sometime, but for now my junior needs me.”
He motions toward another room made out of glass that has a young woman who looks to be close to my age and two men sitting inside: one older and one around Nate’s age.
Not letting go of my hand, I realize he’s bringing me into—whatever it is this is—a meeting?
“Is there a waiting room or somewhere I can sit away from everyone?” He shakes his head emphatically and opens the door, waving me through. “But… I really don’t—”
With a little nudge from him, I step into the room and it instantly quiets—you could hear a pin drop. Nate steps around me and I follow as he pulls out a chair for me at the other end of the long, glass table from where everyone is sitting.
I stare at it with wide eyes. “It doesn’t bite.” He tilts his head toward it.
I nod resolutely and sit down slowly, aware the other three people in the room are staring. It doesn’t seem to faze Nate as he lifts my hand and kisses it before he walks around the table, shaking the hand of the older man.
“Joe, please forgive my attire. I was out hiking when I finally got a signal and all my messages came through at once.” He sits down in a chair beside him and I watch with keen eyes. “The city was closer than my home so I came right here.”
The man he called Joe chuckles. “At least you’ve got the legs for those shorts. I wouldn’t be caught dead in shorts these days.”
I’m like a deer in headlights, watching their interaction and seeing a different side to Nate. He’s calm and collected but there’s a power radiating off him, even in his shorts and t-shirt. I can’t imagine what he’d be like sitting here in a suit—wait… I can.
Finally pulling my attention from Nate, I catch a glimpse of the only other woman in the room and realize she hasn’t taken her eyes off me since I walked in here. They narrow slightly as she slowly turns toward Nate, clearing her throat.
“Nate, can we address the elephant in the room?” she asks, her tone biting.
I swing my gaze back toward Nate. “Excuse me?” He sits up straighter in his chair as his brows lower over his eyes. “I know I’ve put on a bit of weight lately, but…” he trails off and laughs at everyone’s expressions. I pinch my lips together because this is the side of Nate I know well… the side that likes to make a joke of things. “Alright, everyone, this is Lia, my girlfriend.”
He turns his head and gives me a secret smile, one that has me squirming in my seat. I wave, finding my voice as I turn to the man that Nate was talking to. “Hi.”
“Lia, this is one of my clients, Joe Kent, and two of my junior associates, Stacey, and Jamie.”
“Nice to meet you,” I squeak out as they all nod their heads in greeting.
“Nate, I’m not sure she should be in here,” Stacey blurts out.
Resting my elbow on the table, I tap the pads on my fingers against the glass and tilt my head, watching her. I get that she’s one of his—did he say associates?—but there’s something else to the way she’s looking at me and the way her hands tightened around her pen when Nate said, “girlfriend.”
Nate turns toward Joe. “I would trust this woman with my life but if you would prefer she step out of the room while we talk over your case, then she can.”
I grasp onto the sides of the chair, ready to push up and leave the room. I don’t mind if I’m in here or not, but I still manage to look back at Stacey for her reaction, and when she relaxes her hand, I can’t help the jealousy that comes bubbling up, which is absurd.
Joe swats the air as he replies, “She can stay, let’s just get this over with.”
“Certainly.”
I try to pay attention as they all go back and forth, legal talk and words I have no idea of their meaning being batted around like a ball on a baseball field—I’m in awe. Nate’s fingers move around folders on the table, picking pieces of paper up and reading off random ones. Those fingers were on me—inside me—only hours ago. Shit, don’t go there, don’t think about that, not here.
I’m inside my own head, remembering the way his lips felt against mine, the way he felt inside me, but even if I wasn’t, I still would have jumped as a voice fills the room after a loud beep. “I’ve got Peters for you on line one, Nate.”
“Fantastic. Thanks, Murphy,” Nate says as Jamie presses a button on a black object in front of them.
“Peters, how good of you to call.”
“Stop pussyfooting around, I’m a busy man. What do you want?” a gruff voice spits out of the speaker, making me cringe.
“Word is you’re Mrs. Kent’s attorney.”
“Cole,” the voice growls back.
“Fine.” Nate stands with a file in his hand, drawing up to his full height and even I lean back from the opposing gesture. “Mrs. Kent is in a lot of trouble, Peters.”
I screw up my nose at the sarcastic laugh flowing from the speakers. “And why is that? It’s your client with the domestic case against him.”
Nate grins at me, winking, before looking back at Stacey and nodding. Stacey leans forward. “Mr. Peters, this is Stacey Wainwright, first chair for Mr. Kent.” There’s no reply so she continues, “Your client has falsified this whole case. As Mr. Cole said, she’s in a lot of trouble, but we could make this all go away.”
As I watch Stacey working, the jealousy I was starting to feel fizzles out. Maybe all she’s concerned about is the case? Maybe I’m having a brief wobble because I’m so out of my element? I feel like an elephant walking a tightrope.
“I have no time for games, Ms. Wainwright.”
“The only one playing games is your client,” Nate interjects, his voice deepening. “We’ve uncovered two pieces of new evidence that if released to the press or presented in court would be very damaging.”
They’re greeted with silence and during the next ten seconds—I counted—they all seem to have a four-way conversation with their eyes.
Mr. Peters finally sighs. “What do you want?”
“Drop the charges against my client.”
“Absolutely not. Domestic violence is a serious offense!”
I lean back in the chair, my eyes searching Joe’s. Is this man here because he hurt his wife? Nate wouldn’t bring me here if there was any danger, I’m certain of that.
“Of course… when there’s actually domestic violence involved,” Nate grinds out, his hands braced against the table in front of him. “Drop the case, Peters.”
I swallow as the atmosphere in the room changes, Nate’s demeanor nothing of the relaxed person he was a few hours ago. There’s a tense few seconds before the voice on the line says, “Go to hell, Cole,” and we’re left with a beep.
“Well that didn’t go down well,” Joe interjects, his lips pulled down and his brows low on his forehead. I have no idea what all the ins and outs of this case are, but from the sadness that radiates off him, I’d say he’s been caught up in something with no knowledge how he got there.
Nate claps him on the shoulder smiling. In fact, him, Jamie, and Stacey are all smiling and I’m left as confused as Joe.
“We have him right where we want him. He’s rattled and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on his way down here now.”
“Well I’ll be,” Joe says, leaning back in his chair.
“We’ll have this charge against you dropped and your name cleared very soon, Mr. Kent,” Stacey replies, quirking her lip up before she turns to Nate. “Thanks for being here for that. I hate Peters.”
“He’s a real asshole, but be prepared because he’ll be on his way down here. Get Nina to make extra copies of everything,” he says, his gaze flicking toward me before moving to Joe and shaking his hand. “Joe, it was a pleasure to see you again.”
“You too, Nathan. Tell your father to contact me and we’ll all go for lunch sometime.”
“Will do.”
As soon as Joe leaves the room, the air around us changes.
“Mr. Cole?” Stacey stands up as he turns around and for some reason I’m pushing up off my chair too. The thought of her being close to him does something to me—makes me feel irrational. Her gaze flicks to mine before she connects it back onto Nate as she asks, “Are you not staying?”
He’s not looking at her though, he’s staring into my eyes as he replies, “Nope, I have dinner plans. You’re more than capable of handling this yourself.”
She clears her throat. “I’m okay to make the agreement?”
His jaw twitches before he turns toward her. “You know we’re not going for jail time. It’s a simple plea agreement for her to announce he’s innocent as well as revoking all her rights to his fortune when he divorces her.”
Stacey looks at me, straightening her navy-blue suit jacket. “Right. And do I—”
“Stacey?”
Her head swivels toward him and he gives her an encouraging smile. “Mrs. Kent didn’t cover her tracks very well when she hired that guy to knock her around a little.” Holy crap, does this stuff really happen in real life? “You have the evidence sitting in front of you plain as day, and I trust you.” He walks over to me and places the palm of his hand against the bottom of my back. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I have dinner to prepare. My work cell is on if it’s urgent.”
Leading me out of the room, he brings us back into the main hallway where there are still just as many people running around.
“So you have a meal to prepare, huh?” I smirk, gaining his attention.
His thumb snakes under my tank top, rubbing at the bare skin on my hip. “I was thinking that today has been a whirlwind and I’m sick of sharing you with everybody else, so we’re not going to a restaurant.”
“Well…” I start, pushing my body closer to his.
“Mr. Cole—”
My nostrils flare as a second person comes closer to us, calling out to Nate as well. The idea of him being the boss is nice, but not when I’m trying to—
“Just one question, Mr. C—”
“Nope,” he says popping the p. “Stacey is in charge.”
“But, Mr. Cole...”
“Stacey is in charge, Murphy.” He grabs my hand and starts pulling me toward the elevators. “Run or we’ll never make it out alive!”
Laughter bubbles up and overtakes my whole body as he jams his hand on the button for the elevator, yanking me inside and pushing us into the corner as the doors slide closed, blocking out all the people vying for his attention.
We’re both breathing hard as we start to descend, our laughter turning into chuckles and finally dying down into nothing when his gaze connects with mine.
“So…” I swipe my tongue along my bottom lip, aware he’s watching me intently. “Mr. Kent knows your dad?”
He nods. “They’ve been friends as far back as I can remember.”
The doors slide open but neither of us move to walk back to the car. I breathe him in, letting the back of my head hit the wall as I stare up at him.
“I imagine your dad to be a lot like you,” I whisper, not able or wanting to stop the words coming out of my mouth. I don’t want to filter everything I say, and after today, I have every intention to say exactly what I think and not hold back.
An affectionate smile quirks up his lips. “He’s a good man. Mom and Dad are both going to love you when they get to know you properly.”
My palms start to sweat at his statement and my eyes widen. I’ve met his mother and father very briefly, barely managing to say hi. But that was different, because I was “Amelia, the woman who looks after Clay and Izzie.”
“I…” I lift my head, closing my eyes briefly before I take a calming breath. “I’m sure I’ll love them too when I eventually meet them as your… girlfriend.” Saying that word feels foreign but I love the way it rolls off my tongue.
“Yeah… I hope that was okay.”
Lifting up onto my tiptoes, I lean closer, pressing my lips against his before whispering, “It was more than okay.”
“Then I guess since we’re official we can tell people we’re together? I don’t want to hide anymore, it’s tiring.”
I consider what he’s said for a moment, wondering if it’s safe. Before today I wanted to keep it a secret, and even though I know someone was watching us at the waterfall, I can’t bring myself to ask him to keep it to ourselves anymore. They already know anyway.
If we do this, then we need to be all in—I need to be all in. Forget about the what-ifs. I want to live in the moment, but more importantly, I want to live in the moment with Nate.
“Okay,” I reply, letting my feet drop flat and running my hand down his forearm, the pads of my fingers trailing over his popping veins. “Let’s start telling people.”
“How about we start with my parents? Ease you into it before telling Tris?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Even though the idea of meeting his parents scares the hell out of me; telling Tris while he’s in his current mood won’t go down well. It’s not that he has a say, because he really doesn’t, but he’s like family to me and I don’t want to upset him.
He slams his lips down onto mine, sealing the deal we just made and pushes me against the wall of the elevator. Moaning as his hands thread through my hair, I push my hips closer to him, seeking him out again. There’s no doubt in my mind we’ll be doing a repeat of what we did at the waterfall. His hands dig into my ass with a bruising grip and I relish in the feel of it, squeezing his tense bicep muscles.
The sound of the doors beeping as they start to close has us both snapping out of it. If it wasn’t for that and the threat of ending up back in the chaos upstairs, I don’t think we would have stopped.
“How does takeout sound?” he asks against my lips.
I sigh happily. “Sounds like perfection.”
“Good, because I don’t think I can wait any longer to get you in my bed.”