They were both still. Stunned. Nathan’s forehead touching hers, their bodies joined. A bead of sweat ran down his temple, hit her cheek, and disappeared into her hair like they were one being. Nathan kissed her forehead, her jawline, her lips, then slowly pulled out of her. He looked briefly down between her legs, then kissed between her breasts. “Be right back.” He climbed off the bed with remarkable grace and retreated into the master bath. She sat up smiling and satisfied, brushing the massive tangle of hair over her shoulder. She glanced down between her legs and stilled. Emily knew her hymen had already been broken, most likely from years of dressage and gymnastics as a child. It was one of the reasons the doctors couldn’t conclusively say whether she had been sexually abused during her abduction. But in this moment, she knew she had never been violated. She knew Nathan had been the first man to know her body. The feeling overwhelmed her, and Emily collapsed into tears of relief and joy. Nathan emerged with a warm washcloth and immediately paled when he saw her. He rushed to the bed and pulled her into his lap. Emily was the type of girl who needed space. If she needed to work out a problem or process an emotion, she did it alone. But that was never how it was with Nathan. It was as if their souls were somehow joined—like he was part of her. Their pain, their lust, their happiness, they were shared. He stroked her back and let her cry. After minutes that felt like hours, she looked up at his concerned face.
“I really was a virgin.” His face was a picture of pain and confusion. She beamed at him with so much love in her eyes, he calmed instantly. She touched his beautiful face, his rough stubble abrading her palm. “I guess it’s time for that talk.”
He stood without effort and carried her into the cavernous shower. He set her on her feet with military precision and held her face.
“Shower, hydrate, eat, talk. In that order.”
“Yes, sir.”
His gaze heated. “I’ve never really been into that, but Jesus, that gets me hot.” The shower started on its own, a sensor triggering the water. Emily reached for the hand-milled soap and gave him a wicked smile.
They sat opposite one another on the floor of the dark paneled study. A wooden tray laden with fruit, cheese, smoked almonds, and truffles sat between them. Nathan, shirtless in pale blue drawstring pajama bottoms, opened the beer he had retrieved from the fridge and took a long pull from the bottle. He watched Emily with rapt attention. Despite the gravity of the conversation, he chuckled when he noticed her eyes rake over his eight-pack and the V leading to his waistband. He pinched a grape from the bunch and held it out to her. She used her palms on the mahogany wood floor to prop herself forward and plucked it from his fingers with her mouth. When she licked the juice from her lips, Nathan felt the beer bottle in his hand slip and tightened his hold to secure it before it hit the floor, along with his jaw.
“Jesus, Emily.”
“What?”
“I think the sexiest thing about you is that you seduce me without even realizing you’re doing it.”
“I think some of Caroline’s tutorials paid off.”
Nathan chuffed. “What you do can’t be taught.”
“Caroline would beg to differ.”
“Caroline knows, I take it.”
“She’s known all along. She lived in Georgia, where I grew up, and then was my roommate in college.”
He looked a little wounded, so Emily clarified. “Dad and Mr. Fitz go way back. It wasn’t about you, Nathan. I don’t think he trusted your father.”
“He was right not to trust him.” He took a long pull of his beer. “I just... Fuck, it’s so hard to say this when you were the one taken, I struggled with it.”
Emily pushed to stand and went to him. She straddled him and settled in the nest of his crossed legs. She pushed her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I know.”
“I tried to contact your dad, but he never had answers. Eventually, he stopped taking my calls.”
“And you moved on,” she finished for him.
“Hardly.”
She pushed back and cocked an eyebrow. “What?”
He sighed and took a final swig of his Stella. “Come with me.”
He led her into the closet where she had had the flashback. She hadn’t even thought about the box until he pulled it from the rack. It was marked ‘Webster’ and he hauled it under one long arm as he led them back out into the unused guest room. He set the box on the bed and lifted the lid. Inside was a series of files, alphabetized and meticulously labeled. The first file she recognized immediately. It was an Eastern European crime syndicate heavily involved in arms dealing. Two of her kidnappers, the two who had been killed in prison, were both associated with the group. The file held photos and Interpol reports. She looked up at Nathan, realization dawning.
“You looked for me.”
“Most of the stuff is on my computer. This is information I don’t want to be hacked or leaked.”
“Oh, Nathan.” Tears streaked down her cheeks.
“I couldn’t just sit around; it ate me up inside. I know my imagination was worse than reality....”
“It was,” she reassured him.
“You sort of became my hobby.” He shrugged.