Nathan
I CLOSE AND LOCK THE OFFICE door behind me, then make my way to my truck. Everyone else left for the day an hour ago, while I stayed behind to catch up on emails I wasn’t able to get to earlier in the day. I’m tired as hell, but I have a couple of stops to make before heading home.
My stop at the drugstore doesn’t take long, but the slow-moving rush hour traffic on I-75 makes getting out of the city a bitch. It gives me plenty of time to think over the last few days.
The night I had Emberleigh watch Tegan and Willow on the couch has played over and over in my head the last few days. Out of all the times I’ve watched people stimulate themselves or others to release, I’ve never seen anything more stunning than Emberleigh’s expression and body language while she watched them. Seeing her body come to life, feeling the uncontrollable way she reacted as she watched the carnal needs of others was more stimulating for me than watching them myself. It was captivating to witness.
That night, I took her back to her place and left not one inch of her body untouched by mine. I devoured her whole, while at the same time she completely consumed me. Her pleasure of watching others damn near matches my own. I could see it in the intense heat in her eyes. If I hadn’t already known she was perfect for me, that would have solidified it. Being a voyeur and knowing not many women would be okay with their lovers watching other couples as they fornicate, I never really thought I would be given the chance, or even want the chance, to have a lasting relationship. But now that I’ve found Emberleigh and knowing she has dark desires like mine, I realize how badly I want something that would last longer than a few good fucks. But only with her. It’s not just because she likes to watch others. There’s so much more than that. Her kindness, her willingness to try new things, her selflessness, her ability to make me laugh, the determination to better herself by finishing school, her dedication to her daughter and parents. Not to mention she’s sexy as hell, and knows how to light my body on fire with just a simple look.
On my part, things may have started out as just watching her every Tuesday, but there’s no fucking way in hell I’ll ever be able to let her go or simply go back to watching her. That ship sailed the minute I touched her for the first time.
Turning on my blinker, I get off the interstate and follow the directions from the GPS on my phone to a small, quaint neighborhood.
I have no damn clue how to tell Emberleigh about my weekly invasion of her privacy. I don’t regret doing it, because if I hadn’t, we probably would have never met, but I do hate knowing it’s going to hurt her when my secret is out. I have to tell her. For this to work between us, there needs to be complete honesty. I just pray to fucking Christ she can overcome it and eventually forgive me.
I pull up to a medium-size brick house with white shutters. The yard looks well maintained. A smile touches my lips when I see a tire swing swaying under a big oak tree. Emberleigh told me her dad put that swing in when she was a little girl and now Avery plays on it.
Grabbing the stuff I bought from the drugstore, I climb from the truck and make my way up the walkway to the front door. I haven’t seen Emberleigh in three days. The last two nights she spent here at her parents’. We were supposed to go to Blackie’s tonight then back to her place, but she called me earlier, saying Avery has strep throat and she didn’t want to leave her. As much as I want to see her, I can’t fault her for not wanting to leave her sick child.
I rap my knuckles against the front door and wonder how this is going to go. I didn’t tell Emberleigh of my plans to stop by. I didn’t make the decision to do so until a couple hours ago, so the surprise is on both of us. The need to see her is too great, so since she can’t come to me, I’ll go to her. Even if that means I’ll be meeting the parents for the first time. After Emberleigh told me what happened to her as a teenager, I’m still unsure how I feel about them. How in the hell can parents be so deep into their grief over one child they neglect to see how far their other child has fallen?
The door opening pulls me from my thoughts. An older man stands on the other side, gripping the door as he blocks my view of the rest of the house. His eyes are the same blue as Emberleigh’s and Avery’s. He also has the same chin. This must be her father.
“Can I help you?” His voice is deep and scratchy.
“I’m looking for Emberleigh.”
His eyes narrow with suspicion as he looks me up and down. I can’t say I blame the guy. If some strange person knocked on my door looking for my daughter, I’d do more than just glare at him. Of course, the purple stuffed elephant, flowers, and the bag of other items in my arms probably makes him wary as well.
“And who might you be?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
I almost smirk at the defensive look. He’s tall, but slender. He has to know that with my hard-muscled body and my younger age, I could easily crush him if I wanted, but still, he stands in front of me like he’d take me out in a second if he felt his family was threatened. Just that act alone lessens some of my animosity toward him. This man obviously takes the protection of his family seriously, and I respect the hell out of that.
I hold out a hand and offer a smile, trying to show him I’m no danger to his family. “Nathan. I’m a friend of Emberleigh’s.”
Instead of taking my hand, he just looks at it. I drop it back to my side, unoffended. I’m just about to explain my reason for being here when a petite woman pushes herself between Emberleigh’s father and the door. She’s of average height, maybe five foot six or so, has blonde hair, and brown eyes. She also looks a lot like Emberleigh and Avery. The female genes must run heavy in her family.
“Damn it, Martha. I told you I’d get the door,” he grumbles. “How did you know this man didn’t have a gun on me or something?”
She slaps him in the stomach with the back of her hand, her expression annoyed. “Oh, stop it. I heard him say Em’s name, so obviously he knows her.” She turns to me and her face softens as she smiles. She looks much too young to be Emberleigh’s mom, but I remember her from the video chat a while back.
“Hi. I’m Martha,” she says, extending her hand. “And this rude lump is Jeffrey.”
I shake her incredibly soft hand. “Nathan. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“No ‘ma’am’ is required. Just Martha.”
I accept with a nod.
Her eyes flick over my face for a moment, then move to the items in my hands. Her smile, which was simply polite before, now reaches her eyes. She takes a step back and bumps into her husband, then starts pushing him back with her body. He gets the idea and steps back as well, grumbling something under his breath.
“Please, come in.” She gestures with her hand.
I step inside and am immediately met with a delicious sweet smell. I take a quick look around, noticing the warm and friendly feeling of the place. To the right, there’s a decent-sized living room with an L-shaped couch, tables at both ends, coffee table, a TV mounted on the wall across from them, and a fire place in the corner. To the left, a staircase leading to the second floor. Straight across is another door that looks like it might lead to a kitchen.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Martha asks, interrupting my perusal of her home.
“Nathan?” I look up and find Emberleigh at the top of the stairs, her brows furrowing as she starts walking down them. “What are you doing here?”
I lift my arm, showing her the bag, stuffed animal, and flowers. “Remedies to help Avery feel better.” I jiggle the bag. “Soup and popsicles for a sore throat.”
She looks briefly at her parents as she passes by them before coming to stop in front of me. Her eyes move from the bag, to the stuffed animal, to the flowers.
“You bought me flowers too?”
I smirk. “Sorry, those are for Avery as well.”
Her laugh is light as she bends to smell the white daisies, then runs her hand down the trunk of the elephant.
“I wasn’t sure what kind of flowers she liked or if she liked stuffed animals.”
Martha laughs behind Emberleigh, and she looks over at her. When she brings her eyes back to me, there’s a twinkle there. “She definitely likes stuffed animals.” Pausing, she lays a hand on my arm. “This was so thoughtful of you, Nathan. You didn’t have to do this.”
I smile crookedly at her. “No, but I wanted to. Every girl should get flowers when she’s sick.” Leaning forward, I lower my voice. “Besides, I really wanted to see you.”
A gorgeous blush forms on her cheeks as her eyes drop from mine. It makes me want to reach forward and pull her into my arms just to feel her against me.
Spinning on her heel, she faces her parents. “Mom, Dad, I assume you’ve met Nathan?”
“We have,” Martha replies, her eyes kind as she meets mine with a smile. Stepping forward, she holds out her hand. “Why don’t I take the soup and popsicles to the kitchen. It’s about time for Avery to eat anyway, so I’ll warm up what Nathan brought her. You both can bring her the flowers and stuffed animal.”
“Are you sure? I was just coming down to make her something,” Emberleigh asks her mom.
“I’m sure, sweetie. Go take Nathan up there so he can bring her his gifts. It’ll brighten her spirits a little. Your dad will bring up the soup in just a bit.”
I pass the bag along to Martha. She steps closer, lifts her hand, and surprises me by patting my cheek.
“Such a sweet young man,” she says fondly. She steps back, and her eyes swing to Emberleigh. “I assume this is the man Jessika said you were seeing?”
My lips quirk up as I watch embarrassment heat her cheeks. Her gaze clashes with mine, but she quickly looks away.
“Mom, seriously?” she admonishes, sounding like a teenage girl being uncomfortably questioned in front of a boy by her parents. “Yes, it’s him.”
“Seems pretty serious if he’s bringing gifts for Avery,” Martha states with raised brows and laughter in her eyes.
I don’t even attempt to stop the chuckle from leaving my lips. Embarrassed Emberleigh is a cute Emberleigh, and I’m really fucking enjoying it.
Instead of replying to her mother, she grabs my hand and pulls me toward the stairs. Martha’s snickering laugh can be heard as we ascend the staircase.
“Moms can be such pains in the asses,” she mutters, leading me down a hallway.
She shoots me a glare when I laugh.
We stop at a partially closed door. I stop her with a hand at her waist before she pushes it open. She turns to me, but before she can say anything, I drop my lips to hers. The kiss isn’t filled with passion like it normally is between us. Now’s not the time or place for something like that. It’s just a soft melding of lips.
I pull back seconds later and rest my forehead against hers.
“What was that for?” Her eyes stay closed as she asks the question.
“It was just something I needed to do,” I state honestly. It’s only been two days since I’ve seen her, but it feels like two weeks. I have no clue what this woman has done to me, but my need for her is growing to obsessive levels. When I’m not with her, my mind is constantly on her. When I am with her, I want to be closer to her. I feel like some damn schoolboy with his first crush. But fuck if I care.
She smiles beautifully at my words and her gorgeous blue eyes slowly open, looking at me with something akin to… love? For some reason, that thought doesn’t turn my stomach like it would have weeks ago.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she whispers.
“Em?”
We break apart at Avery’s voice. Pushing open the door, we step inside, and the laugh Emberleigh and Martha shared earlier becomes clear. The room is filled with all kinds of stuffed animals. They’re on shelves mounted on the walls, on her dresser, a small table in the corner has a nicely arranged stack, nets hang in the corners filled to overflowing. She even has a pile of them at the end of a full-size bed. Obviously, the girl likes them. A lot.
“Hey, Avery. Look who’s here.” Emberleigh moves to the bed and sits beside Avery.
My eyes move to the little girl in the bed. She’s sitting up with the blankets over her lap, Kindle resting on her legs, and a stuffed panda clutched under her arm. She looks miserable, but she still has a smile on her face. I’ve only met Avery once, but for some reason, she seems happy to see me. That sends a warm feeling to my chest.
“Hey.” I step closer to the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“My throat hurts some, but I’m okay.”
I nod and smile at her with sympathy. “I used to get it when I was a kid, and remember how it feels.”
Her eyes move to the stuffed animal and flowers. I hold out the elephant. “I brought you a couple of get-well gifts.” Her smile grows even bigger as she reaches out for it. “I think he’ll fit right in,” I say with a chuckle. She and Emberleigh giggle.
After she snuggles the elephant into her arms, burying her face in the soft fur, I hold the flowers out next. Emberleigh watches with a smile on her face as her daughter takes them and brings them to her nose, inhaling the sweet floral scent.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “I love them.”
“You’re welcome.” I point to the device in her lap. “What are you reading?”
Emberleigh takes the flowers and sets them on the nightstand. Avery carefully puts the stuffed elephant down beside her against the pillows and picks up the kindle.
“The Boxcar Children. Em says she used to read them when she was my age. Her and Mom bought me a bunch for my Kindle for my birthday.”
“I read a couple of those when I was in school.”
When Emberleigh looks at me with a shocked expression, I lift a brow. “What?”
“I just can’t picture you reading something like that,” she snickers. “I see you more of a Tales From the Crypt or Goosebumps kind of guy.”
“I read those too, but any kid who’s really been a kid has to have read at least one Boxcar Children book. It’s like a childhood rite of passage or something.”
She laughs lightly, the sound quickly becoming one of my favorites.
“I agree. Every child, no matter what generation, should read The Boxcar Children. There’s so many lessons kids can learn from them. Until I reached fourteen, I had every single one printed and I read them all. I just wish I had kept them to give to Avery.”
I look back at the little girl in bed, who’s watching us with curious eyes. “Well, it looks like she carries your like of them.”
I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. Pain etches across Emberleigh’s face, and I know it’s because I inadvertently likened Avery to her in a way that reminds her of her parental situation. When her eyes drop to her lap, it’s all I can do to not pull her into my arms. That might seem weird to Avery though.
A moment passes before Emberleigh recovers. Her head lifts and she’s plastered a smile on her face, but I know it’s not completely natural. It doesn’t reach her eyes like it normally does. My chest aches with the need to take away her pain.
I take the seat that’s next to the bed, and for the next twenty minutes, Avery tells us about the current adventure the Alden children are on. After, she talks of a new Pixar movie that’s coming out she wants to go see. Emberleigh promises to take her, while I secretly plan to worm my way into going with them. Over the girly chatter, Emberleigh’s mood lightens.
Jeffrey comes in carrying a tray holding the soup I brought and a glass of juice. He murmurs a few quite words to Avery, making her giggle, before bending to place a kiss on her forehead.
“Your mom said she’ll bring up a popsicle in a bit if she needs something else to soothe her throat,” he tells Emberleigh.
“Okay. Thanks, Dad. I’ll bring this down when she’s finished.”
“You got it, honey. Want me to take those flowers down for your mom to put in a vase?”
For the first time since I knocked on the front door, the look he gives me isn’t one of aversion. Uncertainty still furrows his brow, but there’s interest as well. I can work with that.
“Sure.”
“Can we put them on my nightstand?” Avery asks, sounding tired.
Emberleigh smiles at her. “I’ll get them when I take your tray down.”
Jeffrey leaves with the flowers, and while Avery eats her soup, Emberleigh talks about her classes and how excited she is for them to be over soon. She goes on to tell me she already has a job lined up once she graduates, working with the same doctor who delivered her. I’m mesmerized by the light in her eyes as she talks. Her face is so expressive.
Instead of taking the tray down when Avery finishes her soup, she sets it on the end of the bed. I watch as mother and daughter converse. It’s amazing how much alike they are. They not only share the same facial features, but a lot of the same personality facets and mannerisms.
It’s a shame for both of them that Avery doesn’t know Emberleigh is her mother. I’m not disillusioned to think that Avery wouldn’t be upset because she was lied to, but I have every confidence that it wouldn’t be as bad as Emberleigh fears. Avery loves her too much for that pain to last long. I think after the initial shock, she would be happy and excited. It’s not like she would be losing Martha and Jeffrey, they would just be moved to the grandparents’ roles.
Avery yawns, and I push the sleeve of my thermal back to check the time on my watch. I’m surprised I’ve been here for over an hour.
“It’s time for me to head out.” I don’t want to leave, if it were up to me, I’d stay with them all night, but I don’t want to monopolize Emberleigh’s time, and it looks like Avery is about to doze off.
“Okay.” Disappointment flashes in Emberleigh’s eyes, and it makes me happy as hell that she doesn’t want me to leave either.
“Will you come back and see me?” Avery asks sleepily, her eyes drooping more by the second.
I tug the end of her braid that’s hanging over her shoulder, and smile. “If not here, then maybe when you visit Emberleigh.”
“Okay,” she responds, and hugs the elephant with both arms. “Thank you for my flowers and elephant. I’ll make sure to have a name for him the next time I see you.”
After Emberleigh tells Avery she’s going to walk me to my car and she’ll be back with her medicine and the vase of flowers, we leave the room and make our way downstairs. She carries the tray to the kitchen while I wait at the door. I smile to myself when I overhear her mother asking about me through the kitchen door. I can’t hear Emberleigh’s reply, but I notice her flushed face when she emerges a moment later.
“Mom and Dad wanted to come say goodbye, but they’re eating dinner,” she says when she stops by the front door.
I smirk because she’s full of shit. I may not have heard most of her conversation with them, but I did catch snippets of her telling her mom to not come out here.
Opening the door, she walks out first, and I follow. Once we’re at my truck, I push her body against it with my own, and swallow her gasp of surprise with my mouth, swirling my tongue against her lips. She opens, and I dive inside. She tastes like cinnamon. I want more, so much fucking more, but I refrain, keeping it mildly innocent.
I do rest my body against hers though, letting her feel my hard cock against her lower stomach. Her hands clutch the material of my shirt and she moans softly against my mouth, letting me know just what I’m doing to her.
With a groan, I pull back. Her eyes flutter open, slightly dazed.
I push back some hair that’s fallen in her face. “Let me know when she’s better and you’re free.”
She nods, but then verbalizes, “I will. Sorry I had to cancel tonight.”
“No need to apologize. Kids always come first.”
She swallows, then nods again. “Thank you for stopping by.” She frowns. “How did you know where my parents live?”
“I saw a piece of mail on your counter several days ago with your name and this address. I took a chance that this was their house.”
“Snooping around, huh?” she inquires mischievously.
I chuckle and tap my temple. “Just a really good memory. I briefly noticed it, but the address stayed in my head because I used to have a friend who lived on the next street over.”
“Oh wow, small world.”
I press my lips against hers once more, then pull back. “Go,” I order. “Before I’m tempted to kidnap and have my way with you.”
Giggling, she takes a step back, then another. “It wouldn’t be kidnapping if I went willingly.”
“Don’t tempt me, woman,” I growl playfully.
Her giggle turns to a laugh, and fuck if that doesn’t make me want to steal her away even more. She turns and flounces up the walkway, her ass looking entirely way too good in her tight jeans. When she reaches the door, she turns back and blows me a kiss before waving and walking inside.
I get in my truck, start it, and pull away, really damn glad of the sudden impulse that hit me to go see her. Let’s just hope it’ll tide me over until I can see her again.