“Have you ever asked your mom what she thinks?” he asks.
“I know she’s proud of me, she’s told me multiple times. It’s just hard, ya know?”
“Yeah,” he sighs, taking a drink of his water. “I know the bakery fills most of your time, but what do you like to do for fun?”
“Fun?” I question, my eyebrows rising. “I can’t remember the last time I did something fun. The last time I did something for just me. I spend my time either here at home, and most of that time is spent sleeping or doing laundry, at the bakery baking, cleaning, or working on paperwork or ordering; or at my parents’ helping out there, giving my dad a break, cooking, things like that.”
“You’ve got to take some time for yourself every once in a while,” he states.
“And when was the last time you took time for yourself? If I’m to believe everything your mom and grandmother say when they’re in for coffee hour, you can hardly be pulled away from your office. Even when you’ve taken them on vacations, they say you spend most of the time working.”
“Touché.” He laughs and I love how relaxed he looks. How relaxed he makes me feel. I can’t remember the last time I sat and talked and laughed with a friend. With a man that I’m attracted to. “I’m working on slowing down. I’m here,” he says, pointing at his chest. “I could have flown in, went to my grandmother’s party and been back on the jet the same night. But I didn’t. I had my assistant clear my schedule for the week and I’m here. I’m spending time with my family, hopefully spending more time with you…” he trails off. His smoldering look has my core clenching and my panties ready to evaporate.
I can feel the blush coat my cheeks. I want nothing more than to spend time with Nathan, but I also realize that he lives thousands of miles away from here and it isn’t like either of us can just pack up and move. That’s crazy to even think about. We’ve only just reconnected. We’re friends and I have a mind that is in crazy town with all the daydreaming that it’s doing.
“I can practically hear you thinking, so just spit it out,” he says.
“What are we doing here? You live in California, own a huge company. I live in Tennessee and own a bakery. Our lives couldn’t be more different if we tried.”
“We’re doing whatever we want. We’re both consenting adults and if that means we want to be more than friends, then who’s to stop us? Distance is only an obstacle.”
“If you say so,” I murmur.
Nathan stands up, closing the foot of distance between our two chairs. He lowers onto his haunches so that he’s more eye-level with me as I stay sitting. He grabs my hands, holding them in his own. I can’t miss the zap of electricity his touch brings. My body is on fire and I only want more.
“Harper, I have a confession to make,” he states, looking deep into my eyes.
“What?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Back in high school, I wanted nothing more than to ask you out. To be your first kiss, your date to prom, yours, and you mine. I was too much of a chickenshit to actually ask you out, so I had to sit by as I watched you date other guys. With each day that passed that I didn’t let my feeling for you be known, it just made me want to run away. I couldn’t live with the idea that I’d let you slip through my fingers. I couldn’t imagine living in the same town as you when you eventually got married and had kids. So, I was a coward. I ran. I used school and then my success as a reason to stay away. My mom and grandmother figured it out. I don’t know when or how, but they did, or at least, I think they did. They’d always drop comments about you whenever they could. I still can’t believe that I didn’t recognize you the night I got into town, but I’m chalking that up to the nerves of returning after ten years, mixed with exhaustion.” He pauses, allowing time for his words to sink in.
“So, what are you saying? What does all of that mean?” I ask.
He chuckles, shaking his head before answering. “That means I want you. I’ve always wanted you. I want whatever you can give me. If that’s tonight, if that’s the rest of this week, or this month, or maybe the rest of our lives. I want it, all of it. I’m going to finally find my backbone and tell you how I feel. Show you, if you’ll let me.”
He tugs me to the edge of the seat, and I easily go. He drops my hands so he can cup my cheeks. “I want to kiss you, tell me no, now, if that’s not okay,” he says, a little gruffly.
I reach out, grabbing a handful of his shirt in my fist, and pull him closer, stopping only once our lips are hovering ever-so-slightly apart. “Kiss me, Nathan,” I demand. He presses his lips to mine, and I see stars. I quickly open when his tongue swipes across the seam, allowing his tongue to plunge into my mouth as we duel together. His arms wrap around my torso, pulling me tight against his body. My nipples harden at the contact. The next thing I know, he’s standing and taking me with him. I wrap my legs around his waist, and he presses me against the back of my house, grinding his pelvis against my center as he continues deepening the kiss. My hands roam around all the places on his body I can reach in this position.
I have no idea how much time passes before he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against my own as we both suck in much-needed air. “I could kiss you all night,” he states.
“Same,” I agree, a smile tugging at my lips. I nip at his, and attempt to rub my center against him, in search of some friction to relieve some of the desire he’s built up in my body.
“Fuck, you feel good in my arms,” he growls, kissing me relentlessly as he presses his hard cock right where I need him.
“Bedroom,” I say against his lips.
He pulls back, making eye contact with me. “Harper, are you sure? I didn’t come here tonight expecting any of this.”
“Nathan, I’m a big girl, I know what I’m asking for.”
“Where am I going?” he asks, squeezing me tighter before he steps away from the side of my house. He slides the door open, stepping through it and carrying me like it’s nothing.
“Down the hall, the last door on the left,” I tell him. He makes quick work getting us to my bedroom. Once inside, he walks over to my queen-size bed and sets me down on the edge. I fall back, and he follows as I tug him with me.
With his arms bracing him on either side of my head, I tug him once again until our lips meet. I easily slip my tongue past his lips, pulling him deeper into the kiss. His hard cock presses perfectly against my core as he takes over the kiss. His lips leave mine, trailing down my neck and across the tops of my breasts.
I push against his chest, making him back up and allowing me to sit up. I grab the hem of my shirt, pulling it off over my head and exposing my lace-covered breasts to him. I’m normally self-conscious of my body. I’m not the skinniest woman around. I bake for a living, and that comes with eating what I cook. I’m not overweight, but I’ve got a few pounds that I could lose if I had the time to work out.