“Yes, you do.” He winked.
He lifted Emma into his arms and walked into his bedroom. She was blissful, but when he set her on his bed, she felt a wash of panic. She placed her hands flat on the comforter to mask the shaking. Nathan wasn’t fooled for an instant.
“Em, look at me.”
“I’m okay.”
“Em.”
When she finally met his gaze, everything settled.
“Now I’m okay.”
“There she is.”
He sat next to her on the bed, but his eyes never left hers. His hands slid up her bare legs and rested on her hips when the thought occurred to him.
“Emma?”
“Hmm?”
“Have you done this before?”
She was relieved by the way he worded the question. Because she didn’t ever want to lie to him—well, aside from the glaringly obvious. If he had asked if she was a virgin, well, that was complicated, because honestly, she didn’t know. But this? This she had definitely never done.
“No.”
He was thoughtful for a moment. She could see him thinking about all their interactions. The implications of her words regarding her experience with men.
“And that?”
He nodded his head back and to the side toward the kitchen.
She looked at him, and she was completely exposed. She had never felt safer. She grinned.
“All new. All of it.”
He let out a slow breath. “Okay.”
“Soooo, thank you for that.” She touched her forehead to his.
Nathan chuckled. “No, thank you.”
“Nice to finally know what all the fuss is about,” she shrugged. He brushed her cheek with the rough pad of his thumb.
“You are a fucking miracle.”
“What now?”
“That is the question I am currently pondering.”
“Let me help you reach a conclusion.” She started nibbling his neck. He was sweaty and dirty. He tasted like heaven.
“How on Earth does someone like you....” He didn’t finish the thought. He just shook his head. “Jesus, Em.”
“I’ve been taught not to trust people, and I’ve learned from experience not to trust them. I’ve never felt this way before. Nathan, I trust you. Completely.”
“Why?”