12. Nate

TWELVE

NATE

T abby and I had been living together for three days. Three glorious days.

And yeah, they’d all been right, Evie and my friends. I was competitive and hated losing, but in this instance, let ’em have it. Because nothing had been easier in my life than settling in with her at my side.

After that first night, when we’d snuggled together watching a show about how the human brain works…or something—I hadn’t paid all that much attention—we’d woken up our first morning together, facing each other, our hands almost touching on the mattress. I’d blinked awake a moment before her eyelids had fluttered open, her dark eyes widening ever so slightly in surprise and then going soft when she’d remembered.

Remembered where she was.

Remembered she was with me.

I’d kissed her softly, stroked my hand along her stomach, then tucked the blankets back up under her chin so she could go back to sleep while I went to the gym.

I was up early every morning, no matter how late I’d worked the night before. I had to get my workout in early or else I’d never get it done. Plus, activity in the morning got blood flowing to my brain so I could function better. Which was good because I’d been moving double time the last few weeks between Walt’s and putting my plans in motion for the bistro. And since Tabby had moved in with me, I’d taken her off closing shifts. It had been an argument, but I eventually convinced her I needed to get Bran, her replacement, comfortable with everything. She’d bitched and moaned at me about not letting her train him, but I won that one too because Bran was going to be my manager, not hers.

This morning, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from CrossFit to buy a few things to make my apology breakfast and a small plant. Tab never struck me as a flower type of girl, but when I spotted the cute little squirrel pot with the tiny succulent in it, I grabbed that too. I parked behind the house and let myself in the back door, where Lucy waited. Although she’d been cool about Tabby moving in, she was still attached to my hip, and anytime I left the house, she lingered by the door for my return. At first, it was adorable. Now, it was annoying as shit. Especially when she got overanxious and tore something up.

“Luce, come on. Tab is upstairs. You should be up there with her,” I told my dog, who danced around my feet. I wiggled my foot to get her off. “Come on. Stop. Go lie down.” I nudged her away with my toe. “Go.”

After a minute of pawing at me, she lay back down, and I put the groceries away except for what I needed to make the pancakes. With the batter cooking in the pan, I tossed in a few blueberries. I also liked to add some sliced almonds to mine, but nuts were the one food I didn’t know if Tabby could eat or not. I scooted upstairs in my socked feet and opened the door to the bedroom, assuming I’d have to wake her up to ask if she liked or could even eat almonds.

But she was definitely not asleep.

I froze, one hand on the doorjamb, the other hanging limply at my side, totally and completely useless, while I gawked at Tabby— my Tabby —getting herself off with her hand.

That was my job!

But could I move from this spot?

No, I absolutely could not, too entranced at how her neck arched, her eyes squeezed tight. Enthralled at the way her feet slipped on the fitted sheet, failing to find purchase. And fucking engrossed in the pretty pink skin of her pussy. She held herself open, the index and middle fingers of her left hand in a V, revealing her clit, her right hand moving, fingers working in tight circles.

Fuck, it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen in my life.

I was so hard, wanted my fingers there, my face, my cock, but I didn’t want to move one goddamn inch either. I couldn’t ruin this beautiful sight in front of me. I was bewitched.

If I wasn’t before, I certainly was now.

She was mostly naked, her underwear thrown on the floor, and her skin flushed, spreading from her throat down to her chest. But she still wore a tank top, so I didn’t get even a glimpse of her tits. A shame. Because they were the prettiest ones I’d ever seen. Full with big nipples, like a bull’s-eye she hadn’t let me suck on nearly long enough in the kitchen. We’d still been getting used to each other these last few days, and I didn’t want to make any plays for her physically. Didn’t want to rush her.

But now? Fuck that.

I absently stroked my dick over my athletic shorts, breathing hard, though not as hard as she was. She moaned a quiet “Yes,” although I wanted to be the one drawing out those sounds.

Heat crawled up my spine the longer I stood here. Witnessing how close she was to orgasming, I felt my own skin break out in goose bumps, and I reflexively leaned closer to her, waiting so fucking patiently.

I’d never been more patient as I watched my girl touch and touch and touch herself, until finally .

I exhaled harshly and took one step forward.

Floorboards creaked, and she whipped her head up from the pillow, her eyes huge, her mouth open in an embarrassed yet silent “oh.”

I glowered at her, my fingers twitching at my sides. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

She squirmed, jerking her legs together, her knees meeting with an audible smack. “I… I was… You…”

I stalked closer to the bed, taking in every inch of her body, from the sparkly black nail polish on her toes to the birthmark on her upper thigh, to the star necklace she never took off, to her plump lower lip. “How dare you touch what’s mine.”

She shook her head, eyebrows furrowed. “You can’t?—”

“You need to get off, you tell me,” I snapped, shooting my hand out to grab her wrist. She gasped, her pupils blown wide as I brought her still-wet fingers to my mouth and tasted her for the first time.

Tangy like an IPA on a sweltering summer day. Sweet like my favorite memory. Like déjà vu. “Fuck, you taste good.” I even licked the webbing between her fingers, and when she was good and clean, I tugged on her hand, towing her upright, enjoying the sleepy yet stunned expression on her face. “You do this all the time?”

She nodded slowly, and I tsked. “Why?”

She shrugged, her voice still rough with sleep when she said, “Hormones are high when I wake up.”

“From now on, I’m going to take care of that first thing.” I wrapped my fingers around the hem of her tank top, silently directing her arms up with a jut of my chin. When she raised them, I pulled it up and off her. “I was going to make us breakfast, but apparently I get to eat first.”

“What are you?—”

I flopped on the bed, not caring that my T-shirt was still damp with sweat, and pulled her toward me. “Come on up here.” When she understood what I meant, her grin grew positively evil. “Yeah, you like that, huh?”

She carefully crawled up my chest, her gloriously naked body settling over me, her knees on either side of my head. I wrapped my arms around her thighs and inhaled deeply, her scent burrowing so deeply in my brain, it would be the last thing I thought of as I took my final breath. I skated my palms over the bottom of her round belly and stared up at her, watching her breasts sway with each of her breaths. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

“You’re only saying that because I could choke you out right now.”

I closed my eyes. “Lord, if it’s your will, so be it.”

She sniffed a laugh, and I opened my eyes, grinning for a moment, enjoying the lightness in her features, the looseness of her smile. And maybe I liked this morning version of her the best, before she put on her armor to face the day. Here, she was soft and relaxed, and I was grateful to have this part of her. Although, I was really fucking fond of the sharp-tongued evil queen side of her too.

“Hold on to the headboard,” I instructed, then gripped two handfuls of her ass, pushing her forward and down, onto my mouth. I wasted no time, spearing my tongue into her, lapping up every bit of my new favorite breakfast treat. She cried out, her hands slapping against the headboard, head thrown back, and it wouldn’t take long for her to explode with the way she rode my face.

I barely had to do anything, simply allow her to grind on me, suck at her clit, and enjoy the show. The bouncing of her tits, her keening pleas, and, best of all, the wet rush of her orgasm when she finally came, muttering my name and calling out to God over and over. That was cool. I liked thinking of myself as a god.

She swiped her hands over her forehead and hair, rolling her hips one last time against my mouth before bending to put her hands on the mattress, pushing herself up and off me. I licked my lips, making sure I didn’t miss one last?—

“Is something burning?” Tabby tilted her head, nose in the air.

“Oh fuck!” I carefully nudged her aside and sprinted out of the bedroom, down to the kitchen to shut off the stove. I flung open the back door and all the windows to get rid of the smoke, hoping the fire alarm wouldn’t go off. Lucy would literally shit all over the place.

“Everything okay?” Tabby called.

“Yeah!”

“I’m getting dressed. I’ll be down in a minute.”

I grumbled a few curses and tossed the burned rubber pancake into the trash. I shook my head, annoyed with myself for being so careless, and waved my hands a few times, not really helping the smoke situation but needing to do something anyway.

This was my fault. I hadn’t turned off the stove because I’d only meant to be upstairs a minute, tops. But then I got distracted and…

Tabby’s hands skated up my back, her chin against my spine. “You made breakfast?”

“I was making you pancakes, but I walked in on you and forgot where I was.”

She kissed my shoulder blade. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not.” I turned, folding my arms around her. “I could’ve burned the house down. I could’ve?—”

“But you didn’t. And I hate to tell you, but I’m not a great cook. I burn stuff all the time, so you better get used to it.”

I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but in that moment, thinking about the what-ifs of how I could have possibly hurt her or the baby clouded my brain.

“Hey.” She dug her index finger into my pec. “I’m fine. Frogger’s fine. No big deal.”

After a few moments, I curled my hands around her jaw. “Yeah. Sorry. Minor meltdown.”

“Down, boy,” she teased, offering me a flirtatious smile, and I took in her pink cheeks and bright eyes. Orgasms did her body good. Like a shot of vitamins.

I grinned, taking credit even if she didn’t offer it, and kissed her. “I’ll cook up another batch. You like almonds?”

“Yeah.” She helped herself to digging out plates and utensils for us, along with maple syrup and some OJ. A few minutes later, I had our breakfast plated up, and we took out our cell phones, checking our combined schedules.

As far as I was concerned, a synced Google calendar was as good as an engagement ring. We were practically married.

“You’re meeting with contractors today?” she asked, testing my sanity once again when she licked a dot of syrup off her fork.

“Yeah. With Collin coming, I want to show him some tentative plans.”

“You really think he’s in? Because didn’t I hear you talking to Liam about how he travels a lot?”

“Yeah, but he’s apparently tired of that life, and he likes the idea of going in on ownership with me, so he has some stake in it as opposed to being hired to work under somebody.”

She chewed, her eyes taking on that same sort of faraway glassiness whenever she was in thought. Eventually, she tipped her chin up to me. “If you like him, I’m excited to meet him.”

Then, to my utter despair, she dragged the tip of her index finger along the rim of her plate, collecting more of the maple syrup, and sticking it in her mouth. If my burned pancake hadn’t so rudely interrupted us, I wouldn’t have the problem currently camped out in my shorts right now.

Tabby, completely unaware of how she had my heart and cock wrapped around her little finger, drank down her orange juice and then stood, taking our plates to the sink, where she rinsed them off before sliding them into the dishwasher. She even stacked the plates the right way.

I mean, honestly. Was there anything this girl didn’t do perfectly?

“I’m heading out early to meet with my group before the presentation,” she said, making her way back over to me.

“Good luck,” I told her, tugging her down for a kiss.

“We’ll need it.” Pivoting away from me, she wrapped herself up in her coat and looped her bag over her shoulder. With a pet to Lucy’s head, she plucked her keys from the basket and waved goodbye to me.

“Hey.”

She stopped, glancing over her shoulder, brow arched in question.

“I’ll see you later at work.”

She nodded and smiled before heading to the door.

And that was what she didn’t do perfectly.

That smile she tossed my way. The guarded one that barely tilted the right side of her mouth. The one that let me know she still wasn’t all in.

Sure, I knew she had feelings for me. I couldn’t deny that. She had placed her trust in me years ago, but especially these last few months. It hadn’t been easy on her to come to rely on me, yet a piece of her still waited.

I didn’t know what exactly she was waiting for, but she hadn’t closed the door all the way. As if she needed a quick getaway. Just in case.