Nathan
I STALK ACROSS MY LIVING ROOM, my eyes trained on my phone and Emberleigh’s last message. I delete the message I was going to send, type something else, only to delete that one too. Turning on my heel, I pace to the other side of the room. When I pass by the window, I lift my head and look across to her apartment and scowl at the closed curtains. Five minutes ago, she pulled them closed, and I didn’t like it. I hated that she closed herself off from me, even though I know this happens every Thursday. I just didn’t know why.
I stop and glare back down at my phone.
Emberleigh: With my sister. We do a movie night every Thursday. Tonight, we’re going scary.
Clenching my jaw, I fight with myself. She’s with her sister. I should leave her alone. I’m getting too close. I’ve only been with her a few times, and I’m already looking forward to the next, wishing it were now instead of two days from now. I should back away and just go back to the way things were; me watching her unawares on Tuesdays through my binoculars.
Remembering her sweet body against mine, how good she felt, the sighs of pleasure coming from her lips, the way she sounds when she reaches her peak, her intoxicating smell…. My dick hardens. There’s no fucking way I can go back to just watching from afar.
It’s turned to more than that though. I want to fuck her body, but I also want to know her mind. I want to know what she does for a living. I want to know why she’s not home most of the time. Where she goes, and who she’s with. I want to know about her family. If she’s close with them and if she has any other siblings. I want to know when her birthday is and what all her favorite things are. I’ve never experienced this curiosity for a woman before. I’m not sure I like it. It complicates things.
Grumbling to myself, I make a decision. Walking to my pantry, I pull out a paper bag, grab several items from the shelves, and throw them inside. Swiping my keys from the counter, I lock the door behind me, and being the impatient bastard that I am, I take the stairs instead of waiting on the elevator.
I curse under my breath the whole way over to Emberleigh’s apartment. This is a huge fucking mistake, but it still doesn’t stop me from going. I want to see her, and damn if I can wait two more days. It’s her fault anyway. She’s the one who pulled the curtains closed. Even if she was going to stay fully clothed and not show me her stellar body, I still wanted to see her, in any capacity I could.
I take her stairs too, and before I know it, I’m at her door. I stare at it for several seconds, debating on whether or not I really want to do this. This isn’t just some random fuck call. Her sister is in there. Her kid sister. They’re watching movies. There will be no sex against the wall or fucking on her couch. This is more personal than that. I’m inserting myself into her private life, and by doing so, inviting her into mine.
Hell, I don’t even know if she’ll let me inside.
The bag crinkles in my arms when I switch it to the other. I look down at the contents inside and randomly wonder why I even had popcorn in my pantry. Probably from one of the many times my friends have come over and demanded a movie night.
Fucking grow a pair and knock, you asshole, my inner mind growls at me.
I straighten my back, huff out a breath, and knock. Several seconds pass before I hear light footsteps on the other side, then a small, timid voice. “Hello?”
It takes me a moment to realize that this can’t be Emberleigh and that it has to be her sister. I only barely got a glimpse of her the other day when Emberleigh was on video chat with her, but from what I did see, she’s young. Really young. Too young to be talking to a stranger through the door.
Where in the hell is Emberleigh?
I clear my throat. “Is Emberleigh there?” I ask, hoping like hell this small person doesn’t open the door.
“Umm…,” she says so quietly I barely hear her.
I’m just about to pull my phone from my pocket and call Emberleigh, when I hear her voice on the other side of the door. I smirk when I hear her reprimanding her sister for talking to me. A moment later, the dead bolt unlocks, the door swings open, and… fucking hell….
“What are you doing here, Nathan?”
I clench my jaw and silently curse my dick for picking a really bad time to stand at attention. The woman is beautiful, I already know that, but to stand here in nothing but a towel when I know just what she’s barely hiding, really tempts my control. The only thing holding me back from catching the water drops cascading down the valley of her breasts with my mouth is the small figure standing behind Emberleigh.
My dick wilts to a quick death. I look at the little girl, smile, then bring my eyes back to Emberleigh. Her brows are raised in question.
I hold the bag up. “I brought popcorn and drinks. I wasn’t sure if you had any.”
“Oh.” She looks taken aback and clutches the towel tighter to her chest. “That was… uh… nice of you.”
“Who’s that, Em?” the sister asks in a small voice.
I glance down and see her peeking out from behind Emberleigh. Her eyes are just as striking as Emberleigh’s, and her hair is the same blonde. Emberleigh looks down at her and reaches back to bring the girl forward.
“This is my friend, Nathan.” Emberleigh looks at me. “My sister, Avery.”
I adjust the bag to my other arm and squat down, holding out a hand. “Hi, Miss Avery. It’s nice to meet you.”
Timidly, she reaches out and takes my hand, offering a sweet smile. “Hi. Are you going to watch a movie with us?”
I look up at Emberleigh and lift a brow, leaving it up to her. She’s frowning as she looks at me, then to Avery.
“I think Nathan may have plans tonight, Avery. Maybe next—”
“Do you have plans?” Avery interrupts her, and I look back at her. It’s uncanny how much they look alike.
“I don’t know,” I tell her, tipping my head to the side. “Depends on if your sister will allow me to crash your girls’ night.”
Dimples appear in her cheeks when she smiles up at Emberleigh. “Can he, Em? I don’t care if he watches a movie with us.”
Emberleigh takes a step toward me, and I stand. Her brows dip when she leans in a couple of inches. I fight the need to look down at her chest.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. I wouldn’t say I have an aversion to kids, I’ve just never been around them enough to know if I like being around them. But for some reason, I really want to sit and watch a movie with Emberleigh and her little sister.
She watches me for several moments, her eyes going back and forth between mine, before nodding and stepping back.
“Yah!” Avery hollers, earning a chuckle from me and a smile from Emberleigh.
I walk in and close and lock the door. Tipping my chin toward the kitchen, I tell Emberleigh, “I’ll get the popcorn started and make some hot chocolate. Why don’t you go get dressed?”
I lower my eyes to the hand holding the towel between her tits, then lift them back to Emberleigh to find a blush forming on her cheeks. The pink turns brighter when she sees the lingering desire I’m trying my best not to feel in current company.
She turns to Avery and shoos her to the living room. “Can you make room for Nathan on the couch while I get dressed?”
“Yep!” she chirps.
I chuckle as I take the bag to the kitchen and pull the popcorn and hot chocolate pouches out of the paper bag and place them on the counter. I throw the popcorn in the microwave and rummage around until I find a couple of big bowls. Finding a pot in one of the bottom cabinets, I grab the milk out of the fridge, pour some into the pot, and set it on the stove.
That’s where I’m at, stirring the milk, when I feel a presence at my back. I pull the pot off the burner, then turn around and find Emberleigh standing in the doorway, much more dressed than she was before in a black V-neck T-shirt and yoga pants. She still fucking looks delicious.
“Avery looks just like you,” I state, then eye her closely.
She looks behind her to the living before walking the rest of the way into the kitchen. She goes to the bag of popcorn I set on the counter and pulls it open, then dumps half in one bowl, the rest in the other.
“She does.”
Carrying the pot of milk with me, I stand beside her and pour some into the mugs.
“How old were you when you had her?” I make sure to keep my voice quiet.
Her gasp of shock has me looking over at her. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is open. It takes her a minute, but then she closes her mouth and swallows deeply. “How—” She clears her throat before trying again. “How did you know?” she whispers.
“I didn’t. Or rather, I only suspected, until you just confirmed it.”
She nods and looks down at her hands on the counter. Several minutes pass before she looks back at me.
“I was fourteen when I got pregnant with her. Fifteen when I had her.” She takes a step closer and lowers her voice even more. “She doesn’t know.” Her eyes plead with me to understand.
I hold back my surprise to her admitting it, but even more so to the age she gives me.
Grabbing her hand, I lay it over my chest. “I’m not going to tell her, Emberleigh. It’s not my business to say anything.”
She nods again, relief relaxing her features some.
“What happened?” I ask, because I know something did. I don’t know how I know, I just do.
She’s shaking her head before the question leaves my lips. “I can’t talk about this right now.”
Understanding now isn’t a good time, I jerk up my chin in acknowledgement. “Okay.”
Releasing her hand, I turn back and stir the contents in the mugs.
“Why did you come here tonight, Nathan?”
I look over. “I didn’t want to wait until Saturday to see you.”
She bites her lips. “You know we can’t….” She pauses. “With Avery here, we can’t have sex.”
I nod once. “I know, and I didn’t come here expecting that. I came because I wanted to watch a movie with you both. Nothing more.”
She turns and leans a hip against the counter. I mirror her stance.
“But why? You have to have more interesting things to do than hang out with Avery and me.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I tell her the truth. “I don’t know. This is new for me. I’ve never wanted more than sex with a woman, but even standing here making hot chocolate and getting ready to eat popcorn while we watch a scary movie with Avery sounds a lot better to me than anything else I can think of.”
She smiles, and it fucks with my chest, sending a weird feeling to the center. Accepting my answer with a single nod, she turns and grabs both bowls of popcorn. “I’ll grab these, you get the hot chocolate.”
I watch her ass sway as she walks away, then maneuver all three mugs in my hands and follow her.