I’ve never felt the need to be vulnerable and beg for love before, but it’s freeing to know both Mum and Nate will be here for me, and I don’t even have to ask.
• • •
I’ve held out for two days to get Nate alone, and like a puppy scratching at the back door to come in, I’ve been waiting for this moment, for Nate to pull up outside my house. I watch from the window as he shrugs out of his jacket and leaves it on his seat. He clicks the doors locked over his shoulder and jogs up to my front steps.
I really wish the twins and Mum were out.
I open the door as he raises his knuckles to knock.
“Hi.”
He grins. “Hey.”
“Um …” I sweep my eyes over him. Hoodie, khakis, and short hair that make his cheekbones and jaw look rigid and manly. All I manage to say, repeat, rather, is, “Hey.”
He steps in, hooking me by my waist band low on my hips, and takes my lips, still grinning at me. I can feel it between our lips that all the tension from the weekend is gone. It’s crazy, the power of his body pressed against mine, and what his hands sweeping under my top can do. I have bruises on my chest, but his touch is light enough that it doesn’t spark pain.
“We’ll be back later, lovebirds!” Mum calls, the twins in tow behind her. They have backpacks on, squeezing past us to rush out.
“Oh, okay,” I say, separating from Nate’s fingers. “Where are you going?”
She halts, spins, and stares at me dumbly. “To pick apples? Go for a shop? Does it matter?” She winks and walks them to the car.
“You,” I choke out to Nate.
“Yeah, me. Your mother’s a good sport.”
One, two, not even three seconds later I jump up onto Nate and he holds me wrapped around his body with a hand plastered over my ass, and the other soothing the back of my neck, making me tingle as much from that as his kisses hungry on my lips.
He kicks the door shut behind him, and pressed this tight, I stay high up against that door, losing my thoughts in Nate. He bites my lip and pulls back, moaning how much he needs me into my ear and to my neck.
I break apart for a second, saying, “Uh, Nate?”
“Yeah?” He looks around and seems horrified. “I can’t believe I just assaulted you against your front door. I—”
“No, shush. I wanted that, but my chest has a few bruises and this sort of is killing me.”
“Done, babe.”
He scoops me up into his arms and carries me to my room. The bed is messy since I couldn’t hold still or be bothered to stay here long enough to do it knowing Nate was out of hospital. The police were satisfied with what they got from questioning us, and they weren’t interested in pursuing Nate. Especially since it turned out Donovan’s friends spoke out against him.
Nate lays me out on my bed, lying on his side beside me and lifting my head to rest on his arm. His other arm is bent, his hand holding up his head above me.
Nate studies my face, his weight hovering over me, his arm muscles taut. I’m dazed because of him, and since that frenzy at the door, all I want to do is enjoy him being here to comfort me tonight.
“I’m such a dick. I should have told you I’d be late.”
“No you weren’t. That’s a special day. I didn’t expect you to come, I’m just so sorry I badgered you at first.”
He knows why I left the party. I told him my plan to surprise him with the chai latte and the photo I wanted to print of us, and my scribbles and hearts left at his door. Still, I say, “I feel so stupid he did all that.”
“Hey.” Nate pulls back hair from my face, watching his fingers stroke it away, and then he smiles at me. “Not your fault. I was meant to be there right after Scout left.”
I try to nod but can’t do that. I guess this is something we’ll disagree on for a while yet.
“Kall?”
I turn back to him, his expression suddenly cautious.
I say, “Yeah?”
“We’re still together? Because I fucking love you, and I’d do anything to keep you happy. Even if that means breaking up if these couple of days have been too much.”
“Nate?”
“Yeah?”
I make him wait, expression frozen except for his eyes searching me. I could lick him all up staring at how cute he is.
“I’m all yours. Still am.”
“You don’t have to.”
“This is becoming unnecessarily long-winded,” I say, creating a loose fist and rubbing the back of my hand down his chest. His warmth against me makes me shudder.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t imagine ever loving someone how I love you. So it’s quite simple—us.”