Page 109 of Shifted Desire

He’s going to catch up with me, so I brace myself and turn back to scowl at him through my tears. “What?”

“Baby, why are you running from me?” Nathan approaches, expression pained.

A flicker of doubt rises in my conviction at his soft tone, but I cross my arms over my chest.“P-please just let me d-deal with this on my own.”

I hate how weak and shaky my voice sounds. Hate the hot tears that won’t stop spilling. Hate everything about this moment because I’m so fucking embarrassed.

Nathan shakes his head, moving closer. “No. I’m not going to let you cry and convince yourself that this is over.”

“How can it not be over when you don’t…” I suck in a shuddering breath. “When you don’t l-love me back?” I crumple forward into a sob, my hands covering my face.

He lets out a growl and then he’s holding me against him and I want to push him away but can’t find the strength.

“Samantha, every part of me lights up when you’re around. Even the darkest shadows don’t seem so bleak when you’re near. You’re everything to me and I’ve had to fight not to say the words to you because I was terrified of scaring you away.”

He peppers kisses to my hair, and then my cheeks, peeling my hands away from my face and tilting my chin up to meet his gaze.

My heart skips a beat at the gold gleam, conviction burning bright in his gaze

“I love you so much it aches to look at you sometimes, because you make me feel so much.”

He strokes a thumb across my cheek, wiping some of the moisture away. “I love you more than I can ever express.”

My heart cracks open and I’m left a bleeding, besotted mess as his words break past the rejection I was so certain had happened. “You do?”

He nods. “I didn’t say it immediately because I thought I misheard you. Hearing you say it felt like a dream. I’m sorry for making you feel for even a second like not loving you would ever be an option for me.”

I melt against him, our lips meeting in an all-consuming kiss. My lips are salty with tears that don’t seem to want to stop as I let down the defenses I’ve spent my entire life building and let Nathan hold me. Trust the man I love to take care of me, knowing that even when I panic he’ll be there, steady and strong and loving me the way I never thought possible.

“Oh my gods!”

The exclamation, followed by the sound of shattering glass, has us breaking the kiss with a matching gasp.

My parents stand a few feet away at the bend in the hallway, a champagne flute broken at Dad’s feet. “Nathan? Samantha? Wh-what are you doing?!”

“He’s kissing our daughter,” Mom says, a deadly calm edge to her voice.

I’ve only heard her like this once before in my life. It was when a boy came to our house trying to harass Maggie into getting back together with her when she was in high school, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. No exaggeration, that kid pissed his pants when she told him to never speak to or look at Maggie again. At the time, I thought it was embarrassing and resolved to never let my mom in on any of my romantic woes. Now I wish I’d let her scare them away.

I step in front of Nathan, as if blocking him with my body will somehow protect him from my mother’s wrath. “I’m so sorry.” I’m not even sure who I’m directing the apology to—my parents for causing drama at the wedding and getting together with Dad’s best friend, or Nathan for accidentally outing us because I got emotional and wasn’t paying attention to our surroundings.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s my fault.” Nathan wraps an arm around my waist and tucks me against his side, the gesture protective rather than possessive. I’m trembling and his hand on me is the only thing keeping me from having a full on panic attack, bolstering me as everything comes to a head at the worst moment possible.

Dad takes a step forward, pointing an accusatory finger at Nathan. “Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on, because it looked to me like you were pushing yourself on my daughter when she’s been crying.” His cheeks are a bright red with his indignance and I’ve definitely never seen my father this mad before. It worries me even more than Mom.

“Dad, no! How could you think that?”

“What am I supposed to think? You’re upset and he had his hands on you! We invited you here as a friend, and you use that as an excuse to…to…”

Mom places a hand on his shoulder to keep him from advancing closer, because he looks like he’s ready to attack Nathan. “Let them explain, love.”

Gods, this is so much worse than I ever expected. I need to do something to fix it.

“I’d never⁠—”

“I don’t want to hear anything from you right now!” Dad practically growls at Nathan, and I can feel the shame washing off of Nathan in waves.

“Stop it! You’ve got it all wrong. He didn’t force himself on me. If anything I did.” Mom’s brows raise and I hurry to continue. “Not tonight! In general. Getting together was my idea and I pushed it until he…relented. One thing led to another and…fuck, I’m so sorry, I didn’t want you to find out until after the wedding.”