Crossing his arms, Bryce replies. “About a week before I brought him here. Why? What is up with you and your weird fixation with Nate?”
My lower lip trembles.
A week?
Ignoring Bryce’s question, I yap, “He’s practically a stranger, Bryce. Where does he come from? Where’s his family? Dammit Bryce, you don’t even know who he is!”
“I know everything I need to know,” Bryce says in a chilling tone. “He’s Nathanos Huntington-Graves. Head of the...”
“I don’t care about your Dungeons & Dragons crap!” I blurt. “How can you be so greedy for clout?” Anger flares in me because how could he have just dragged a stranger along and I turn my back, shaking and grip the sink before turning around again. “Bryce for all you know, he could be a mad man...”
My voice ends in a choke and I gasp for air. Bryce is nowhere to be seen and Nate’s eyes flicker with delight.
“Who’s a mad man?” Nate purrs, prowling over to me. “I hope you don’t mean me?”
“No,” I whisper, wiping my hands off my frilly apron. “I’m just confused, Nate. About yesterday, about everything...”
“Don’t be. It was just as pleasurable to me as it was to you.”
“But...you were so feral,” I breathe, flushing when he glances at me. “I’ve never been with you in that way. Never been touched like that.”
Nate shrugs. “You’ll get used to it. It’s only at first that you feel discomfort. Then before you know it, you’ll want nothing else.”
Biting my lip, I glance at him beneath my lashes. “Nate when I walked into my bathroom this morning, something was missing on my sink.”
A frown forms between Nate’s brows. “What?”
“My birth control.” I search his eyes for the truth. “I use them to help with my cycle.”
He nods to himself. “Ah...so that’s the excuse...”
Staring at him, I murmur, “You didn’t take them did you?”
“Are you accusing me of stealing?” Nate asks and my cheeks heat. “My sweet, I didn’t steal your little bonbons.”
I let out a breath of relief but then Nate’s eyes darken.
“I flushed them down the toilet.”
Gawking, I put my hand to my mouth.
“Don’t look so horrified,” Nate says in a gentle voice. “It hurts me to know you think of me as a toxin.”
“You’re not a toxin, Nate,” I breathe. “I would never think that about you. You’re the love of my life.”
He’s still the love of my life, isn’t he?
“Then you understand why you need no protection from me.” He cups my face. “And you understand why I can’t allow it.”
“Truthfully, I don’t understand...,” I begin in a low voice, trailing off when Nate’s hand goes to my tummy and he begins stroking it. He pulls me into his chest and leans his face against my head and he feels good. This is why I love him. He doesn’t care if I tug at his sweaters too much or soil him with my tears or my...virginity.
He just wants me close.
“I love you, Nate,” I whisper. “I love you so much it makes my head spin.”
“That’s the Amabella I know and need.” He rains praise over me until the lights blink inside of me again and I’m as snug as a bug in a rug. He knows exactly what I crave and we slow dance in the kitchen while dad and Bryce move around on the top floor. They’ll be down soon but for now it’s just us. I’m practically shimmering with happiness, my doubts about Nate getting pushed to somewhere back in my head and all is well.
We stop dancing and Nate insists on helping me out and I smile at him, enjoying how thoughtful he is. This is the Nate I remember. This is how it was at the beginning and this is how it will be at the end. I laugh when he growls that he’s hungry and I feed him apple slices, snickering when his tongue tickles my skin but then he accidentally nips me with his teeth.