“Thank you, Caroline.”
The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. There was no more talk about Nathan’s past, and only a few times did Caroline bring up Andrew’s name. She did it just to watch Nathan’s reaction to it, of that I was certain. Her eyes lit up every time, and she smiled when his eyes narrowed. She’d then look to me with a knowing smile. We talked about work, the office, and Nathan’s fan club.
It was then that Nathan found out what I called his admirers; I’d never ever told him. He also vowed he would forever refer to them as “B.S.” so that we could be discreet when talking about them in the office. He also assured Caroline that he didn’t buy any of the B.S.’s BS.
When he laughed at his little joke, I couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the smile that formed. It was new. It wasn’t forced, nor a small one. I’d never seen him smile like that, and I was awestruck at the beauty of it, and the light feeling coming off Nathan at that moment. I etched it into my memory; there was a chance I would never see him like that again.
Around nine, Caroline said her goodnights and that she’d see us in the morning, promising to act normal.
I turned to him as we cleaned up the mess from dinner. “Did your phone really die?” I had to admit, I loved that we were able to spend time with someone else knowing about us. It was liberating.
He smirked and my suspicion flared up. Had he known and come anyway?
“Yes, it died after lunch.”
“How long after lunch?” I asked.
A devilish grin spread across his lips. “Sometime around when you got coffee. I was surprised to find she followed you home. I thought she would come over later.”
“Oh, God, you did read it and came over anyway?”
“Technically, I read half of it…then my phone died.”
“Unbelievable!”
“I thought it was a good idea. One of your friends should know, in case…” He trailed off. I didn’t ask him to elaborate. I’d learned that sometimes it was best to let certain things go. He would tell me in his own time.
“You couldn’t have given me a heads up? I was freaking out!”
He placed a kiss on my neck. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“How?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh, I think I have a few tricks up my sleeves…and down my pants.”
I shook my head and chuckled. “Do you, now? I’m not sure I’m convinced of your professed prowess.”
A complete lie. He had shown me again and again his skills in the bedroom – or wall, living room, elevator, shower, just about anywhere and everywhere.
“Are you challenging my ability to make you come and come often?” he questioned in mock incredulity.
He was being playful. Just what had gotten into him that evening, I didn’t know. Maybe he had taken his meds when he was upstairs. Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to complain. I liked this side of him, a lot.
After the dishes were dry and put away, he leaned over and picked me up, tossing me over his shoulder.
I cried out in protest. “Nathan!”
“Time for bed, Number One.”
“Number One?” I questioned.
“Yes, you’re number one in the Boob-Squad.”
“Says who and why?” My hands reached out to grab his perfect ass, hovering in front of my eyes.
He cried out my name in surprise, smacking my ass before answering. “Because you show me a hell of a lot more of your tits than they do. Way more of them, and way more often.”
We reached my bedroom and he dropped me down onto the bed, his body crashing on top of mine. His hands roamed up my arms, moving them, pinning them above my head. The bulge in his pants was being pressed into my hot center, right where I wanted him. My hips tilted upward to grind against him, resulting in a hiss before his hooded eyes came within mere inches of my own. Neither one of us could stop smiling for the next several breaths as he continued to nestle himself between my thighs and rock me a little back and forth.