Chapter 27
Morgan
Nate and I go at it again shortly after we crawl in bed. He spends the next morning making love to me once more.
Each time is different from the last. Each time becomes something more.
He takes his time exploring every inch of my body, massaging and kissing places that I didn’t know were so erogenous.
He probably read a book about it and memorized every page. I’ll count myself lucky that he’s so well-read.
When we finally get up to get brunch, I’m deliciously sore. All we’ve done for the past twelve hours is physically employ our bodies.
We haven’t talked about anything serious. The only words spoken have been related to our time being horizontal. The longer Nate is inside me, the dirtier he talks to me. It makes me crazy, the naughtiness of it all.
I’m not used to feeling this happy. It’s not just because I finally dealt with Alex, though, that certainly lifted a weight I’ve been carrying for years. It’s Nate.
Being intimate with him, cuddling, touching, whispering endearments—it feels like something finally clicked into place. Something I didn’t even know was missing, much less possible.
Basic human needs eventually force us out of bed. I watch him as he looks around for his car keys.
He said he was distracted last night and didn’t put them in the usual spot. I think I threw him off his regimented routine.
Once he finds them, he reaches for my hand and I take it. Nate starts to unlock the door, then pauses.
“Morgan?”
“Yes?”
“Do we need to talk?”
I frown, confused. “About what?”
Nate holds up our entwined hands and points to them with his other hand. “This.”
“About hand-holding?”
“No, smartass. About what this represents.”
“Uh, friendship? Like when you held my hand before?”
Maybe I’m being a little deliberately obtuse. But I believe he loves to think he’s smart and knows everything. I’ll let him have that. For now.
One of his eyebrows moves up slowly as he studies me. Looking at me, looking right through me. Damnit. I can’t hide anything from him, can I?
“Is that what this is to you, Morgan? A friendship?”
My nerves get all jumpy at the deep timbre of his voice. He sounds quite serious.
“Kind of? I … well, when I came over last night, I thought … maybe … you never said you, you know … and I … Shit. I don’t know what to say right now.”
In the history of my ramblings, this may have been one of the worst. It’s not easy putting your thoughts out there, aloud to be heard, to be judged.
“Yeah, I got that,” he jokes.
“Don’t make fun of me, Nate.”
“I’m not. It was adorable. I love it.”
He leans down to give me a quick kiss.
“As for this,” he looks at our hands again, “this is us. You and me. And nothing comes in between this, Morgan. Nothing. Got it?”
I’m still frowning. Am I supposed to read between the lines here, Confucius?
“Maybe I’m not being clear enough,” he says, letting go of my hand and bending to pick me up. I wrap my legs around him and he turns to pin me against the wall.
This position is becoming a habit of ours. Nate’s already hard again. I don’t know how that’s possible. Oh, god, are we going to screw again? I hope we are.
“Nothing comes between us again, Morgan. You’re mine and I’m yours. Understood?”
He is sooo good at the alpha male thing. It gets me all hot and bothered. I squeeze my legs to get closer to the steel rod I feel through his jeans.
“Morgan?” he prompts.
“What?” I’m too distracted. I’ve gone from zero to sex-crazed in 2.5 seconds. It’s his fault, really.
“You need something? Again?”
I nod, unable to form words. I can’t think when he’s this close to me, when he’s demanding so much from me. All I can do is feel.
“Then tell me you understand. Say that you’re mine.”
Nate pushes his hips into me and my little bundle of nerves down under starts going nuts. I swear if he keeps doing it I’ll come.
“Morgan?”
“Yes.”
“Yes what?”
“I’m yours. Can I have it now? Gimme,” I demand.
Nate laughs so hard his body shakes. I can work with it, as long as he keeps moving against me.
“I guess brunch will have to wait,” he concedes.
***
The campus is alive with activity as students return from Thanksgiving Break. Many of them are making mad dashes for coffee and snacks before getting back to school work. We only have two weeks until Christmas Break. Finals will be here in the blink of an eye.
When we return from brunch, Nate insists on me grabbing my stuff and coming back to Tau with him. We walk hand-in-hand to my room and then again back to Tau.
When we’re not holding hands, he’s touching me somewhere. At brunch, we sat on the same side of the booth, our legs pressed against one another. In the car, his hand was on my thigh.
I’ve noticed that he really likes touching my hair. It’s not easy when I have it pulled up, but the stray strands that fall are constantly tucked behind my ear by his giant Thor hands.
I was never touchy-feely with Alex. He rarely reached for me other than to try to get a blow-job or sex.
Nate doesn’t seem to be seeking anything other than connection. Every stroke of his fingers on my skin makes me feel more connected to him.
Once we’re back in his room, Nate finally releases my hand. He takes a seat on the couch and I dive into my backpack, searching for materials.
I need to study for Wang’s final. Technically, Nate’s not in the class, so he doesn’t need to do anything for it.
When he sees what I’ve pulled out, he grabs my hips and adjusts me to sit on his lap. His arms go around me and hold the book.
We’re seated like a parent and child would sit for reading time. It’s super weird, yet I don’t fight it.
Instead, I lean back onto his chest. Nate thumbs through some pages and quizzes me for almost an hour. Best study session, ever.
“You’ve got this, Morgan. Just don’t leave any pages blank again.”
I slap his knee. “Shut your smarthole.”
“Must you be so violent when I’m only trying to help?” Nate asks as he drops the book and starts tickling my ribs.
“Ahh! Damn you!” I yell in between breaths.
I fucking hate being tickled. I scream and laugh and try to get away. He’s too damn strong. I’m laughing so hard I’m crying. I’m also dangerously close to pissing all over his lap.
“Um, is now a bad time?” a voice asks from the doorway.
Nate’s hands halt, but don’t move away from my ribcage. Since I’m no longer thrashing about, I twist to see who’s here. Why am I not surprised it’s Maya?
I attempt to scramble off his lap, but Nate’s G.I. Joe Kung Fu grip is too strong for this weakling. Well, this is uncomfortable.
“Hey, Maya,” I say, attempting to act as normal as possible. I’m not sure what she thinks she walked in on.
“Hey.”
“You need something, Maya?” he asks.
It’s the same question Nate asked when he had me pinned to the wall. The little green jealous monster inside pokes her head out.
“Oh, I just thought we could talk about the maps. But I can come back later?”
Her voice is so quiet and small. I think she’s putting two and two together and it equals zero pieces of Nate-candy for Maya. Damn her for making me feel sorry for her.
“I think we have plans later, right Morgan?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Maya, I emailed you everything I had on the changes in Florence’s infrastructure by time period. We can talk about it in class Tuesday.”
“Oh. Okay. I guess I’ll see you Tuesday.”
Maya walks away, looking pathetically dejected. It’s not a good look for her, especially in that skin-tight outfit. She’s a beautiful girl. I don’t get why she’s so clingy. And easy.
I lightly smack Nate’s cheek. “That was borderline cruel, Nate.”
“It’s the only way to be with her. Any time I’m nice, she takes it as an open invite.”
“Invite to what?”
“To a live, Nate-all-nighter.”
I smack him again—lightly, of course.
“You’ve been hanging out with her? Since we haven’t been, uh, hanging out lately?”
“No. We have a class together with Dr. Fishel. That’s why she asks so many questions and follows me around.”
“Oh, I highly doubt that’s why.”
“Well, you would know.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, Nate, please help me with Wang. Please, please, please! I’ll just never pass this class without you,” he teases in a high-pitched feminine voice.
I know he’s joking, but still my jaw about hits the floor.
“That is sooo not how that went down, and you know it. Plus, I can handle any wang thrown in my direction.”
Nate laughs. “Oh, Monday, I know perfectly well how good you are at handling wang.”
I turn in his lap so I’m straddling him. “Stop making it sound so dirty. You offered. I accepted.”
“And thank god for that.”
He grabs my hands and puts them on his chest.
“Don’t forget, Morgan.”
“Forget what?”
“Nothing comes between this,” he motions back and forth between our bodies. “Nothing. Especially another person. Not Maya. Not Alex. Not anyone.”
I love him. I know I do. I don’t say it, though, fearing the words won’t be returned. I should be brave and tell him.
Nate doesn’t want me to hide my emotions. But saying the ‘L’ word? That’s a level I don’t know if we’ve both reached.
Nate cups the back of my neck with both hands. His thumbs rub soft circles along my jaw line.
“In case you can’t tell, I’m fucking crazy about you, Morgan.”
It’s not a declaration of love, but it’s close enough for now.
Before I can respond, his mouth is on mine. Maya’s intrusion is all but forgotten as I sink into the feelings Nate is triggering.
Morgan happy. Morgan real happy. I should have known that the universe would never let me stay like this for long.