CHAPTER TWENTY
Paige had no idea what was going on. One minute they’d been having a lovely time at the party and the next Nate was practically dragging her out of there as if they were being chased by demon dogs. Since she’d become chilled during the walk home, he’d tenderly placed her in front of the fireplace, tucked a wool throw over her legs, and made hot chocolate. He was at his best when he was caring for someone.
Tension between them built as they sat on the floor, facing one another and sipping at the smooth cocoa. He didn’t say much, simply watching her closely, his gaze, soft as a caress following her every move. Unsure as to what was happening, she was beginning to feel self-conscious and when she was nervous she babbled.
“So the party was great, huh?”
Awkward.
He placed his mug on the coffee table. “It was alright.”
Help me here, Nate. I don’t know what to say or do.
“Is that why you were in a hurry to leave? You weren’t having fun?”
He took the cup from her nerveless fingers and set it aside while his large hands wrapped around her knees, his touch sending electric sparks flying through her veins. He pulled her toward him until their faces were inches apart, his warm breath teasing her flesh. She could smell the fresh tang of his skin and feel the heat from his body. His blue eyes were dark and his pupils blown wide.
He was looking at her like she was something special. Her heart shifted into high gear and her breath became shallow, her emotions a tangle of hope and fear. This couldn’t actually be happening. Could it?
Please.
“I brought you home because I finally have the answer to your question.”
She could barely move her lips to form words. They’d gone numb. “Question?”
“My happiest memory?” he prompted with a gentle smile, his fingers tightening on her knees. “I told you I needed to think about it.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded, baffled by the turn the conversation had taken. “I remember.”
“My happiest memory is the first time we kissed. It was magical.”
Wait. What? It was there.
In his eyes. What I hadn’t even dared to hope for.
Her lips curved into a smile and butterflies began to take wing in her middle. This was no time for fear or doubt. They’d been leading up to this since the moment they’d met.
“We haven’t kissed.”
Yet.
“I can fix that right now.”
Yes. A million times yes.
Paige didn’t know how she’d waited this long. She had assumed kissing Nate would be exciting and wonderful. That he would be skillful and ardent, a master of technique with all the women that threw themselves at him.
And he was. But…
It was so much more. It started out tender, sweet, and almost tentative, as if he was waiting for her to end it, push him away. One of his hands cupped the back of her head, holding her gently in place while the other traveled down her torso to her hip, leaving a trail of heat in its wake.
When his tongue swept her bottom lip she opened to his explorations eagerly. He tasted like chocolate and wine and Nate and she couldn’t get enough. His kiss deepened and became more passionate and demanding as they slid to the rug, she on her back and his body hovering above hers. His shirt had come untucked and somehow her hands had slid under it to the smooth skin of his back, drawing a ragged groan from his lips as he nibbled at her earlobe, sending a shock of arousal to her toes.
He kissed a wet trail down her neck to her collarbone, his nose nudging her sweater aside so just the curve of her breast was exposed. He nuzzled and nipped, then ran his tongue into the sensitive valley before tracing the lace top of her bra, leaving her trembling with the power of sensation that he’d evoked.
Her hips lifted and she ground herself against him, his hard length rubbing against her and she gasped at the currents that threatened to drag her under. The room spun as his lips found the spot where her pulse beat madly and he chuckled as she dug her fingers into his muscled shoulders. She was hot and ready for him and they’d barely even begun. If a kiss was this good, the lovemaking was going to be out of this world.
But as amazing as it would be, she wasn’t quite ready to do that with him. Not yet.
He must have felt her momentary withdrawal, maybe a slight stiffening of her body, and he lifted his head to look down at her. His eyes were heavy-lidded with desire, surveying all he had conquered so easily. His hand came up and his finger traced her lips slowly as a smile bloomed on his handsome face.
“See? I told you. Best first kiss ever.”
He wanted her to speak? She’d try. “It was. Amazing.”
His expression softened as he ran his fingers through her hair, tugging lightly on the ends.
“Don’t overthink this. I’m not pushing for anything more tonight. I want to do this right. Woo you, court you the way you deserve. Romance for a romance writer.” He pressed his erection into her hip. “But don’t think that I don’t want you, because I do. This isn’t about desire or attraction—this is about wanting more than a shag. For once I want to do the right thing.”
Slowly she exhaled, partly in relief and partly in disappointment. She wasn’t ready to sleep with him tonight but if he’d pushed a little she would have given in. Without a doubt it would have been spectacular.
He rolled them onto their sides, his hand taking up a stroking motion from just below her breast to her knee, sending bolts of pleasure straight to her extremities.
“I want to,” Paige admitted through the knot in her throat. “It’s just that…”
Jesus, this was hard. Honestly, she’d thought this part of her life had ended. When she was widowed she assumed that she was done with sex and romance.
Nate seemed to know what she was going to say. “You haven’t since…?”
She nodded, relief flooding her body. He got her trepidation. This wasn’t about him. He was wonderful.
“And even before. He was sick a long time so it’s been years.”
She hoped she didn’t sound pathetic.
He pressed his lips to hers briefly but with a mountain of emotion that he didn’t bother to mask. “I can’t tell you how it makes me feel that you trust me like this. When the time comes I promise we’ll take it as slow as you need to.”
She quirked up an eyebrow and smiled, her insides jangling with excitement. The thought of being with him as close as two people could get was heady. “What if I don’t want slow?”
She could feel his chuckle rumble in his chest, masculine and deep. “Then we’ll go as fast as you like.”
Like it? She was going to love it. Then hopefully do it again. Nice and slow.