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“I’m talking to both of you,” he gruffs. “You might have enjoyed your time here pretending to be in charge, but while you’re eating inmyrestaurant and sleeping undermyroof, you’ll show me some respect.”
Nate’s body stiffens and I feel the tension brewing, but before it can progress Sasha speaks. “You’re a figure skater, right? That’s your sport, Stassie?”
And that’s enough to capture Ian’s attention, so we start the dance all over again.
* * *
Nathan’s bedroomfeels like the only safe place in the house right now.
Lunch could have been worse, I suppose, but it definitely could have been better. Nathan thinks it went well, which to me is weird and makes me seriously consider how bad things can get if this is an example of things being good.
Tonight there is a huge New Year’s Eve party being thrown by Nate’s dad, which the resort does every year for the guests who spend the holidays there, and ourpresence is expected.
As Nate snoozes against my stomach, I can’t help my mind wandering to Mila Hawkins, Nate and Sasha’s mom. How wonderful must she have been to produce kids like them, with a husband like that?
I remember weeks and weeks ago—before I realized how I had absolutely no chance to do anything but fall head over heels in love with this man—he told me he’s the way his mom raised him. All in with his whole heart and head. Nate says she would have loved me—Brin, too—because she loved a strong-headed and determined woman.
That’s how she was raising Sasha before she passed away. I can see the flickers of it in her when her dad isn’t around, and I wish there were a way I could take Sash back to LA with us.
“Your thoughts are very loud sometimes,” Nate grumbles from his spot on my stomach. He looks up, eyes sleepy and cheeks pink. “What’re you thinking about?”
“The party,” I lie.
“We’re not going. It’s pretentious and you’ll hate it,” he says, peppering kisses around my belly button. “This room has the best view of the fireworks anyway.”
“Your girlfriend will probably spit in my drink too.”
He sighs heavily, resting his head against my skin before looking back up at me with a sad expression. “I wish there wasn’t anyone before you, but I can’t change the past. I can promise you there will be no one after you. She was never my girlfriend, though. We were kids. We went to high school together, hooked up sometimes when I came home for the holidays.”
“I’m kidding, I swear. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I feel jealous. I swear I don’t feel like this normally and I don’t care what you did before me, I promise I don’t. I don’t even think it’s about sex, I think it’s because she fits into the version of you that exists here. The one who wears snow boots and plays hockey on the lake in his backyard. You’re so relaxed here and I caused the most stressful situation ever and I jus—”
“Anastasia,” he says softly, interrupting my rambling. “I’m relaxed because you’re here. This is the first time in years I’ve enjoyed being here, and that’s solely because you are here with me. There isn’t a version of me that is better without you by my side.”
“I was thinking about your parents,” I admit reluctantly. “How good your mom must have been for you to be the way you are.”
He wiggles up my body until we’re face to face and nuzzles my nose with his. “She was the best. I’m nothing like him, Stas. I swear I’ll be so good to you. You’ll never have to worry.” The seriousness in his face pulls at my heart, and the idea that Nathan could ever be put in the same league as his dad is absurd.
“I know, Nate. I promise you that I know, and I don’t doubt you for even a second. I’m very lucky and I don’t take that for granted.”
His mouth meets mine, soft at first, then more intense, more urgent as I sink my fingers into his hair and let him nestle his body between my legs. Love is pouring out of him, every touch soft and caring, every look and motion specifically designed for me, for us. And when he sinks into me, making me writhe beneath him, he whispers how much he loves me into my ear, how perfect I am for him, how he’s the lucky one.
I lose count of how many times my body squeezes tight around his, how many times I bury my face into his chest, his neck, his pillow, how many times I have to stop myself from screaming his name. His fingers are deep in the flesh of my hips, guiding me as he buries himself so deep inside of me, I can feel him in my bones. His chest heaves, stomach flexes, pulse hammers against my lips on his throat.
And when he spills himself into me, he clings to me so tight that I’m not sure how we’re ever expected to be two separate people ever again.
FORTY-TWO | NATHAN
I leaveStassieTetris-ing our suitcases and head to the kitchen to grab her a drink, desperate to get out of the way so she doesn’t ask me to help.
Pushing the door open, weirdly, the one person I’m not expecting to bump into is my dad. It sounds silly to say you bumped into someone in their own house, but he’s never home.
I suspect he hasn’t noticed me, too busy engrossed in whatever he’s reading, but then he speaks. “What time are you leaving?”
“A couple of hours.”
“I like her. She’s strong willed. That’s good. She’ll need it if she wants to succeed. You love her?”
“Yes.”
