Dad can’t help but brag, acting like he’s showing off Buckingham Palace to Nathanos and it annoys even Bryce who crosses his arms and frowns. Clearing my throat I whisper, “Dad said you were staying for a month?”
“Yeah, is that a problem?” Bryce asks in a loud voice and Nathanos turns around, smiling and dad stops his jabbering, clearly upset that his lecture was interrupted.
“Is it, Amabella?” Nathanos asks in his smooth voice. “A problem?”
He’s so considerate and I want to cry out that it’s not. I desperately want Nathanos to stay longer. His whole life sounds good to me and I flush, happy I didn’t say it out loud.
“Of course not,” I say. “You’re welcome to stay for as long as you like.”
Dad gives me a perplexed glance but I ignore him, offering to show Nathanos to the guestroom. My proposal earns me a charismatic smile from Nathanos and he takes me up on my offer. I don’t act like myself as we walk up the staircase, my body’s in turmoil and I’m vaguely aware that I’m talking but I have no idea what I’m saying.
For all I know I could be spilling my innermost secrets to Nathanos and not having a clue. Being near him does something to me. It excites me and at the same time it puts me in some kind of trance as if he’s uttering spells and charms over me. My skin prickles, my head feeling heavy and tempting me to lean it against Nathanos.
He walks like most men wish they could walk, prowling forward with long strides that almost make him look like he’s floating. And his clothes aren’t tight but they’re tight enough to let me know he’s rippling with lean muscles underneath his cape coat and it makes me feel itchy in my own clothes. He’s wearing so much finer fabrics than I am, dripping with the kind of exclusivity and elegance that makes me endlessly curious about him.
Opening the door to his guestroom, I say a little prayer that he’ll like it and judging by the responsive look on his face, I think he does. “There’s more quilts and blankets in the closet if you’ll need them,” I say. I let out a flighty laugh. “And I think you will. It tends to get cold around here.”
Nathanos gently smiles and I burn for him. “I don’t like the cold.”
“Neither do I,” I whisper and his eyes deepen like we’re lovers confessing forbidden secrets.
“Something we have in common then.”
A lump forms in my throat and I breathlessly nod. “I’ll see you downstairs for dinner,” I gasp, leaving him to unpack even though I’d rather just sprawl out on the bed and stare at him. The door closes with a click and I bite my lip to not barge back in there.
Nathanos’s arrival is the most electrifying thing that’s happened in years and maybe I’m getting a little bit overexcited but there’s something about the way he looks at me. His eyes tie me with a red ribbon around the waist that gingerly inches me closer and closer until I’m face to face with the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
This morning I wanted nothing more than to leave. But now...I thank my lucky star that I didn’t.
CHAPTER TWO
Amabella
Busy setting the table down in the dining room, I softly hum to myself because I’m in such a good mood. I’ve brought out the nice stuff, the antique silverware we usually reserve for holidays but I do consider Nathanos’s arrival something to celebrate. I can hear him moving around over my head, unpacking, maybe dragging a comb through his hair and washing those strong hands of his before dinner.
I also wanted to freshen up but then I decided not to. Thought it would be too obvious if I came down in an entirely new outfit and as much as I want to throw myself at Nathanos, I force myself to hold back. The power between us is already so disrupted. I’m gravitating toward him immensely but he seems so calm and collected that I wonder if he feels even a hint of the attraction I feel for him.
Maybe he just sees me as Bryce’s baby sister.
But surely he must’ve felt some electricity rippling through his arm when we shook hands?
I can’t help but fantasize about him pulling me to him, giving me a tender kiss with those sculpted lips of his. Picking up a spoon, I turn it around so I can see my own reflection and I pout, puckering my mouth until I look like a duck.
“Oh no, Nathanos...,” I breathe, pulling a seductive expression with hooded eyes, “you can’t possibly kiss me like that. Please, don’t...”
I freeze when someone clears their throat in the doorway and I drop the spoon, looking up in panic. An amused smile lingers around Nathanos’s mouth, his eyes shining with playfulness and I feel myself turn bright red in the face. Is time travel really not possible? Because if it was, I’d pay trillions to be able to travel back in time right now.
“Um...I was just...,” I try but trail off when he lets out a hoarse chuckle that gives me goosebumps and I duck under the table, pretending to search for the spoon. Why did he have to walk inside right at that moment? The last thing I wanted was to make a fool out of myself in front of him. Patting my cheeks to get them to cool, I groan when dad and Bryce walk into the room.
“Amabella get out of there,” dad grunts, “you’re too old to be playing under the table.”
Wonderful. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse. Crawling out, I hope my normal complexion has returned and I glance at Nathanos. I’m too mortified for words but he’s decided to be tactful and isn’t looking at me. I fill with gratitude because it’s so sweet of him to not rub it in my face. He’s standing with his hands in his pockets, talking to Bryce in a low voice and he’s taken off his coat but he still has more clothes on than the rest of us.
His cashmere sweater sure looks warm. Wouldn’t mind wrapping it around myself if I could. Or better yet, let Nathanos wrap it around me as he pulls me in for a...
“Sit down shall we?” dad asks, interrupting my daydream. Taking a deep breath, I move toward Nathanos, wanting to sit next to him so that we can talk more privately but then Bryce declares that he and dad will be sitting next to the honorary guest.
My shoulders slump from the disappointment and Nathanos throws me an encouraging smile as if he read my mind.