Evelyn
There was no hiding the smile on my face.
Nathan wouldn’t let go of my hand as we went through the wooded area, navigating it with ease as if he knew the place by memory.
“Everyone thinks when you buy property the house on it has to be huge,” he commented.
“Some people like big houses,” I said, looking down to avoid tripping.
“Mm, yeah, big houses are nice to have. But that’s not the reason my parents bought this property,” Nathan said, giving me a pointed stare. “This,” I caught up to him, staring in awe at the sight in front of us, “this is why they bought it.”
We stood in front of a small lake. Behind it were more and more trees, small flowers peppered on them. Its beauty was difficult to describe, but it oozed peace. Calmness.
“This is beautiful. I never knew your parents owned this,” I said, turning around.
“I told you we were well off. I just made some bad decisions is all.”
I removed my boots, and Nathan sighed, looking at me in disapproval. Ignoring him, I removed my sweater dress, pulling it up and over my head. It was so fucking cold, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“You will be getting sick,” Nathan muttered as he followed behind me while I ran down to the lake. He set the blanket and wine down on a small bench that rested on it and began removing his shirt.
Not bothering to wait for him, I ran to the edge and jumped into the very cold water, closing my eyes and then coming up for air. I smiled, biting my lip when he jumped in, the water splashing around me.
“Shit.” He grimaced, coming up for air. “It’s fucking freezing, Evie. Are you insane?”
“A little bit.” I shrugged, by now used to the feeling of the water. I swam to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I let my fingers trace his hair and felt him lift my legs so that they’d surround his waist. “I don’t think you mind.”
“I don’t.” He smiled, brushing away my wet hair.
“Do you have a place already bought?” I asked, feeling the warmth of his skin pressing against mine. It didn’t feel as cold having him close to me.
“Apartment near the gallery,” he said. “I would have been staying here, but it’s easier to live near the place of work. The city can be chaotic in the mornings. Besides, the city is where you want to be, so that works perfectly fine for me.”
“You don’t have to do that. You’ve done enough for me already. If you want to be somewhere else, we can do that too.”
“Nope. I like the city, Evie. This was what we wanted from the start. Now that it’s here, I’m not giving it up just like that.”
I buried my face in the crook of his neck, closing my eyes and relaxing.
Hours could have gone by for all I knew, but it was perfect. His arms wrapped around me with care, the quiet chirping of birds around us and the sun warming us up despite the cold air. It was one of those moments I knew I would always, always remember.
“Thank you for waiting for me,” I whispered, looking up at him.
He smiled and kissed me. No more words were necessary. We were the only ones that mattered in that moment.
We’d said we were going to take things slow. But what was the point? I’d wasted time without Nathan, only to realize that the one person I needed was him.
His hand went to the back of my bra, unclasping the material and letting it fall to the water. Hungrily, his eyes dropped down to my heaving chest, eyes darkening with desire.
I felt the blush rise up to my cheek with the way he was looking at me.
His lips went to my neck, and I gasped, both his knowing hands and the cold water around us intensifying the sensations running throughout my body.
“I want you, Evelyn,” he whispered hoarsely.
His warm mouth latched on to a nipple, and I moaned freely, needing and wanting him just as much as he did.
“I want you too,” I admitted. He groaned, letting go of my flesh with a pop, eyes searching mine for any doubt. “I’m sure.” I answered his unspoken question with a small smile, kissing him passionately. His hands went down to my waist, and he made easy work of my panties.
Within a few moments, I felt his hard length pressing against me, and I whimpered, closing my eyes as he teased me. Finally, he pushed inside me with ease, and I clung to him as if my life depended on it, his grunt of satisfaction making me feel powerful.
I had this effect on him.
“I love you,” I whispered as he slipped in and out of me.
“I love you too,” he murmured before he began thrusting into me at a steady pace, taking us both over the edge within a short amount of time.
***
“Oh my God,” I hissed, my trembling hand searching in the water for my damned panties.
Nathan snorted as he put on his jeans from the pier. “Babe, I doubt you’re going to find them now. Just get up here, put on your sweater, and we’ll get back to the house.”
“I can’t,” I said, wide eyed. “I’m going to enter your parents’ house without panties or a bra after having sex in their lake. I hardly think that’s going to end up well.”
“Mom would be thrilled,” Nathan teased.
Glaring at him, I splashed water towards where he stood to no avail. This was far too embarrassing.
His mom had already found us having sex once after my Nana’s funeral. A repeat of that wasn’t something I looked forward to.
“Come on, Evie. They may show up here and find you naked in the lake, which wouldn’t exactly be good, either.”
I pouted, swimming up to the pier and covering myself up with my hands. Nathan chuckled, handing me my sweater dress, and I put it on as quickly as I could. He covered me up with the blanket and helped me put on my socks and boots. “It’s so cold,” I mumbled.
He gave me a small smile. “Come on,” he said as he turned around. “I’ll carry you.”
“Piggy back?” I asked, excited.
I didn’t even wait for his answer. I jumped on, and he caught me, chuckling as I wrapped my arms and legs around him. Thankful that he was carrying me, I let myself relax, simply taking in the beautiful sights that surrounded us. We’d figure out what to say to his parents and Carter when we got there.
Or rather, he would figure out what to say.
When we finally arrived, I tightened the blanket around me, hoping they wouldn’t be suspicious about what we had done.
But the curious eyes that met us along with a single raised eyebrow from Deborah said that they knew exactly what we had been doing. I blushed, hiding my face.
“We’re going to shower,” Nathan said, continuing to walk.
“Together?” I heard Carter’s alarmed voice.
“Yeah,” Nathan said.
“Oh my God,” I groaned, still hiding.
Once in the bedroom, Nathan set me down and went on to turn on the water, making sure it was warm for me. I smiled, grateful, and once again took off my clothes and soon stepped into the tub, letting the warmth engulf me.
“My mom has gone all out.”
“What do you mean?”
“She went a bit crazy when I told her that I was going to visit you yesterday, so she rushed out and bought a shitload of…clothes. Girl stuff.”
“You’re kidding.” Wide eyed, I saw how he entered the tub behind me. I leaned back on his chest, closing my eyes as his arms surrounded me. “She didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah. But she always wanted a daughter, and you’re the closest thing to that, so I didn’t say anything to her.”
“She’s too sweet. I wish my mom would have been like that.”
He tensed at the mention of my mom, but I thought nothing of it. Our past would always follow us around; there was no way to avoid it. However, when he spoke up again, I was the one to feel uncomfortable.
“Hannah called me a few days ago.” I pulled away from him, but his grip tightened, holding me still. “I’m only telling you because I don’t want secrets between us, Evie.”
“What did she say?”
“She wanted to know about you…said you weren’t answering her calls.”
“I didn’t know you were, either,” I replied.
“I didn’t know who it was.” Nathan pressed a kiss to the top of my head before continuing. “I told her it shouldn’t matter to her.”
I felt him squeezing my hand in comfort. This would never get easier…
I closed my eyes. “I wish it could have all been different.”
“I know, baby.”
For the longest time, I simply lay in his arms, thinking how every moment in our lives had led to this, to being with him. I understood that no matter how painful and troublesome it had been, it all had a purpose.
It wasn’t until I heard Nathan’s voice whispering in my ear that I realized I was falling asleep. We rinsed off, and he wrapped me up in a towel before I laid down naked in his bed.
He soon joined me, pulling me close to his chest.
“Isn’t everyone going to be waiting for us?” I asked sleepily.
“Afternoon nap.” He tilted my face up and kissed me softly, letting his lips linger against mine until we both were fast asleep.