“Prove it,” I mused, propping myself to sit up with my legs crossed. “Open your mouth,” I said, grinning as I held up a grape.
Nathan arched a brow. “I’m not a dog, Elise.”
“Come on. Please?”
With an exaggerated sigh, he leaned back and parted his lips. I tossed the grape, but it bounced off his chin.
Laughter spilled out of me as he shook his head. “You’re terrible at this.”
“Excuse me?” I grabbed another grape, aiming with extra determination. “I’m giving you another shot.”
This time, he caught it effortlessly, chewing with an infuriating smirk.
“Show-off,” I muttered before Nathan grabbed the last chocolate covered strawberry that sat between us.
“You plan on sharing?” I asked.
Nathan hummed, holding the strawberry between his fingers. “That depends. What do I get in return?”
“My eternal gratitude?”
He pretended to consider. “Tempting, but no.”
“Nathan.”
“Cupcake.”
A beat passed before he brought the strawberry closer to my lips but before I could take a bite he pulled it away. He did that twice before having mercy on me and allowed me to take a bite before he finished it off.
Nathan licked the last trace of chocolate from his thumb, his gaze flicking to mine with a slow, deliberate intensity. “Alright,” he murmured, voice dropping an octave. “I’m ready for dessert number two.”
I blinked. “What’s dessert number two?”
His lips curled into a knowing smirk, and then he gave me a look that was heated and full of intent. A look that sent a shiver down my spine.
Oh.
Heat flooded my cheeks. “Nathan.”
“Cupcake,” he countered smoothly, already leaning in, his breath warm against my skin. “You asked.”
And before I could form a response, his lips were on mine. The kiss was slow and teasing, sweet with strawberries and something unmistakably him.
A sob wrenched itself from my throat as I curled into myself and came back to the present, my fingers gripping the blankets like they could somehow hold me together.
A second later, my door creaked open.
Neither Kelsey nor Alessia said a word as they climbed into bed with me, one on either side.
Alessia pressed in close behind me, her arms slipping around my waist, while Kelsey curled into my front, taking the place of my pillow.
They didn’t say anything. They didn’t have to. Their warmth wrapped around me, steady and grounding, and I finally let myself fall apart.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
ELISE
THE FIRST FEWweeks without Nathan were chaotic. Not the good kind, not the organized whirlwind of back-to-back meetings and rehearsals I was used to. No, this was the kind of chaos where my bed never got made, my food went cold on the table and I found myself wearing a hoodie that hadn’t seen the inside of the washing machine longer than I’d like to admit.
