Sienna
Nate’s imposing form takes up most of the archway where he leans against the wall. He’s wearing black sweats and looking so hot—but I push these thoughts from my mind.
Not now. I’m supposed to be hating him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as if I don’t already know.
He’s keeping tabs on me as usual. He walks into the kitchen and joins me.
I offer him the bottle of wine and say, “A peace offering.”
He flashes me that gorgeous smile, and I feel wetness spreading between my legs.
He does things to my body that no other man has.
“Does this mean you’re apologizing for your little outburst at dinner?” he asks, taking a drink from the bottle.
“Maybe,” I say. “But you should apologize, too. You’re keeping me here, after all.”
“Sienna,” he nearly growls, losing patience with me. “Don’t go there. For the last time, it’s for your own good.”
I take a deep sip of my wine.
“Hungry?” he asks, nodding to the food I retrieved from the fridge.
“Yeah, I was famished,” I admit, taking a bite of a strawberry.
He stares at me intently in that way that only he can. He lets me know with one look that I’m his already. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but it feels true.
The sexual tension between us is thick.
I break away from his stare, grab the bottle from him, and take another drink.
“You look good after all these years, Sienna,” he says, breaking the silence that’s enveloped the kitchen.
“Thank you. Although I haven’t changed that much since we last saw each other.”
He stares at me incredulously.
“That’s complete bullshit. You were gorgeous then. Now, you’re even more stunning as a full-grown woman.”
He slowly glances down my body. I feel his eyes move slowly over me and down my curves.
I shiver.
“You’ve grown into yourself,” he adds. “You’re exquisite.”
I feel pleasure wash through me from his compliments.
What I don’t tell him is that he’s matured too, into this hulking, handsome man who I never would’ve recognized. I always had a crush on Nate, but now, he lights my body on fire, and it’s different and more intense than ever before.
“You matured too,” I say simply.
Desire fills his eyes, and my body responds immediately to that desire.
I feel flushed. My breathing speeds up, and I feel a sudden wave of liquid heat rush between my thighs.
His breathing changes as well.
Nate licks his lips. I see his knuckles are white as he grips the white Carrara marble top of the kitchen island.
It’s obvious he wants me.
“It’s good to see you again, Sienna,” he says, looking into my eyes.
“Yeah, well, I wish it were under better circumstances,” I say.
“You know I would’ve found you, no matter what.”
His words thrill me, and I don’t know why.
Has he been thinking about me too this entire time?
I have to get away from this and him. It’s too much. He’s too much.
I know he’s involved with unsavory people, but I also know that he may have saved me from certain death. Maybe Nate’s on my side?
He’s certainly my captor, but look where he’s holding me hostage—a fabulous penthouse in the heart of Manhattan.
If he were evil, wouldn’t I be somewhere less glamorous?
And the way he has a permanent watch on me makes me feel sure of him somehow.
Is Nate really protecting me?
Maybe he’s not the enemy.
Heat flies through my veins, and all I want is him.
I hold back. There’s nothing to do.
“Okay, well, I guess I’ll head back to my room now,” I tell Nate.
I move around the island to head towards my room. I pass Nate as I go, avoiding eye contact. I’m two feet away from the doorway when I feel him grab my arm, spin me around, and push me against the wall.
Before I can ask him what the hell he thinks he’s doing, his lips crash into mine.
Fire.
Fury.
One of his hands grips my waist while the other holds the back of my neck.
My hands thread through his hair, and I grip his head, pulling him closer to me.
Nate doesn’t just give me a little kiss on the lips. No. He puts every ounce of passion he has into the kiss.
And in this moment, it’s like everything I’ve been looking for has been found. I know that he’s the one, that constant in my heart.
His lips on mine feel amazing. The kiss is like no other. In an instant, I forget every kiss that has come before this one.
His body is pressed against mine, not leaving an inch of space between us. I hear and feel his power and presence.
He kisses me hard, and I whimper.
When I open my eyes, Nate’s face is front and center.
I drop my hands. I shouldn’t have kissed him back.
He doesn’t let me go. He pulls back so his lips are close enough to mine to slightly brush against them.
I tremble to his touch.
And then, as quickly as it starts, it ends.
“Goodnight, Sienna,” he whispers before quickly retreating down the hall to his bedroom.
I stand there, trying to take in the enormity of what’s just happened.
Nate, my Nate, has just delivered a kiss that threatens to throw me off center forever.
Everything’s changed now.
He knows it. I know it.
Eventually, I retreat to my room feeling needy and restless. I get into bed and stare up at the ceiling for what feels like forever before falling asleep.
The next morning, I wake up from a dream centered on the kiss.
His eyes. His lips. His hands on my body.
In the dream though, it went a lot further than just a kiss.
This can’t be happening.
Me and Nate?
It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time but haven’t dared to express, even to myself. He was there all along, lingering in my heart.
I shut my eyes and remember the feel of him. It will stay with me forever.
I quickly jump out of bed, feeling the need to run or to do something, anything to escape the intensity of what happened.
I need to get out of this room. Being cooped up isn’t a good idea for me.
A swim in the pool I saw out on the terrace will be good. A little exercise and something to clear my mind of him.
The pool is crystal blue and calm. I dip a toe in, and it’s not too cold or too warm.
Just perfect.
I realize within the next second that I don’t have a bathing suit. Downside of being kidnapped.
Fuck.
The terrace appears to be pretty private. I don’t need a swimsuit if no one’s going to be able to see me doing it. The only person who would likely see me while I swim is Nate.
Let’s give him a show, Sienna. Show him what he’s missing.
Plus, he’ll get a taste of his own medicine. He’ll feel exactly what he’s been making me feel. Lust, desire, and sexual frustration.
I strip off my clothes and throw them onto a lounge chair resting by the side of the pool.
I jump in the pool, fully immersing my body in the water.
It feels amazing. I begin to swim laps back and forth from one end of the pool to the other. The sun is bright and shining, and it warms my skin.
The swimming has the effect I wanted in relieving the restlessness I felt being cooped up in my room.
However, it doesn’t distract my mind from last night’s kiss.
Nothing ever could.
I can’t stop thinking about it no matter how hard I try, or how often I tell myself it’s not good for my sanity to keep replaying it in my head.
It was such a damn good kiss, though.
The heat and passion between us set my body on fire with desire. It ignited a craving within me that can only be filled by him.
I picture his mouth on my body, making me succumb to his every desire.
No, Sienna. Get it together. Focus on swimming, not on him.
As much as I keep telling myself to stop thinking about Nate, I know it’s impossible.
Nate was my best friend, my everything when we were teenagers.
Now, being reunited with him, despite the circumstances, is bringing all those feelings back.
I can’t just forget Nate or try to push him out of my life or my mind.
I push myself to swim faster, hoping the exercise will do something to distract me from him.
Focus on swimming.
The water glides over my naked body as I continue to cut through the water with my arms and legs.
It feels so good.