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“Just how lucky I am.” I mean the words too. I've never met a man like Nathan, and I'm sure I'll never meet another man like him.
All too soon, our intimate moment comes to an end. We get out of the shower, dry off, get dressed. I catch myself throwing shy smiles and glances his direction. I also notice how often he reaches out to touch me; as if just to assure himself that I'm real, that I'm really there, that we're really together. Those little gestures mean so much to me, and more than they probably should. It's getting easier and easier to forget that this is all fake, just a deal that we made up to help him escape a loveless marriage.
He hangs up his towel, then motions for me to toss mine his direction so he can hang it up also. I toss the ragged towel his direction with a smile. He hangs it over the shining silver bar with its chipped paint that proves it’s not real steel but some cheap coating instead. Somehow he doesn't seem at all out of his element, even while he’s swallowed up by these shabby surroundings. Somehow, he makes the whole place seem... better. It doesn't make sense, but it's how I feel, looking at him as he stands in my bathroom.
Before I can leave the room, he grabs me, picks me up, turns me around, and plants my bottom on the bathroom countertop. With a slight giggle, I wind my arms around his shoulders and press my lips to his. I love his easy affection and how it feels like there are no barriers between us anymore. If I didn't know better, I think he was the perfect person for me.
We break the kiss and he sets me carefully on my feet. I walked toward the door, throwing him a coy glance over my shoulder. Answering, heat in his eyes, tells me he's also ready for round two. But before he can grab me and tackle me, someone starts pounding on my door.
My blood runs cold as Logan's voice rings out. “Stacia, I know you're in there. Open the doornow.”
The obvious threat in his voice has me wincing in fear, and I glance at Nathan, unsure what to say or do. Nathan seems to have no such concern and walks over to the door. I notice his form-fitting T-shirt and his pants that hide his powerful frame. I think about how surprised I'd been to see how strong he truly is under his clothing. He's one of those guys who somehow looks unassuming while dressed, but like a Greek God with nothing on.
Nathan pulls the door open and I peek around him, both frightened and horrified at what's about to happen.
I hear Logan's nasty laugh. “Who's this old man, your grandpa?” He's craning his neck to look past Nathan at me and I cower back out of sight. Logan seems to take my silence as a challenge, and takes a step back with a scoffing laugh, crossing his arms. He gives Nathan an up and down, as if taking him seriously for the first time.
“Oh, I get it. You're a predator, preying on delicate young women that are young enough to be your daughter. That's disgusting.” Logan’s lips twist in disgust and his eyes narrow as he sizes up Nathan, who’s watching him quietly. “You're disgusting.” Logan says it with a nod of his head, moving a half-step close to Nathan in a move designed to intimidate. A move that would have intimidated me if I'd been the one face to face with him, but seems to have zero effect on Nathan.
Seeing that he's not getting a reaction out of Nathan, Logan turns his attention to me again. “This guy rich or something? Giving you drugs? What are you doing with an old man?”
His accusation stings. I've never done drugs a day in my life. Still, I take a page out of Nathan's book and refused to let him rile me up. This seems to bother Logan more than anything else.
“You wanna fight, huh?” He asks Nathan, who just watches him silently.
The second I see Logan's fist moving toward Nathan's face, Nathan closes the door. I rush to the window, wanting to see what happens, and afraid for Nathan, even though I know he can hold his own in a fight.
Logan swings wildly, but Nathan just dodges and sidesteps every potential blow. I'd seen Logan fight before, and back then I thought it was actually a good fighter. But now seeing him up against someone who knows what they're doing, I know that Logan was never good at fighting. He was just loud and a bully and able to pick on people who were smaller than him.
I’m internally rooting for Nathan to put my ex in his place. But honestly, I don't want Logan to get hurt. I don't want Nathan to get in trouble. I don't want anything bad to happen.
Nathan sidesteps another wild hook and Logan seems to start getting mad. I can see his chest heaving and know that he's starting to get tired and he hasn't landed a single blow. He throws another punch, but this one’s slower.
Nathan, however, isn't slow. He reaches out and grabs Logan's fist, his fingers wrapping around the other man's entire hand in a quick motion, he twists Logan's whole arm, shoulder, and body, turns. With a forward push, Nathan drops Logan to his knee with his arm stretched out behind him, still helplessly caught in Nathan’s grip.
Nathan leans forward, talking quietly to Logan, and I don't catch the words.
Logan, however, nods, and Nathan lets him go. Rubbing his shoulder, Logan stands up and walks away without a backward glance at my door or Nathan. I don't think I've ever seen Logan give anything up so easily, and I'm grateful and surprised.
I know Nathan knows how to hold his own, but still I expected Logan to be a little bit more of a hassle. Still, I can't help but get the last word in. I rush over and opened the door, shouting after Logan as he walks away. “If I see you again, I'll call the cops.”
And I mean the words. I'm done with him. I'm done with everything he's done. I'm going to get a restraining order as soon as I can. He’s not going to be able to rule my life anymore or control anything - I won’t let him.
Nathan turns to me, his eyes worried. I open my arms to him and he steps into my hug, pulling me close and pressing his body tight to mine. And it just feels right.
Nathan speaks quietly into my ear. “I was worried I overstepped. I don't want to fight your battles for you. I'm supposed to be here for you to help you with them.”
“There will be some battles I can't win and I'm grateful to have your help,” I whisper back. There's no way Logan would have taken anything I said nearly as seriously as he took Nathan's actions. “Thank you.”
“You have nothing to thank me for.” He hugs me tighter and the pleasant crush has my heart speeding up once more. “I'll always be here for you, no matter what you need.”
And with those words he seals my fate. There's no way I can ever walk away from Nathan. There's no way I can get out of this unscathed. There's no way I'll ever be able to leave him without my heart breaking.
He nuzzles into my neck, tickling the delicate skin under my ear with the tip of his nose. “If you pack everything up right now and go, stay in the cabin until all of this blows over.”
I inhale before trying to speak, but he talks before I can say a word. “That way, I know that you're safe. It's either that or I'm going to hire somebody to protect you around the clock.” He pulls back from the hug and cups my face in both of his hands, his serious eyes on mine. “I can't let anything happen to you. I'd never forgive myself.”
Something inside me melts. “If you're sure that I won't be a burden, I'd love to stay at the cabin,” I say, feeling an internal excitement at the idea. I really did love that space. But the thought of leaving my little motel here also kind of hurts a little bit. I'd worked so hard to have my own space. I'd paid for it myself and moved in by myself. And I know it's not perfect. It's not even pretty, but it's mine.
