Page 14 of Falling Too Soon (Seasons of Love #1)

NATHAN

I watched her walk away, and my eyes roamed down over her body.

I couldn’t help myself. She was beautiful, but it wasn’t just that.

We’d had the best day together—conversation had flowed freely.

She was fun and funny as hell. Her fantastic ass was the icing on the cake, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it felt while I was gripping it last night as I drove into her again and again.

I shook my head. I had to try to keep my thoughts platonic.

She didn’t, no more accurately, we didn’t need the complications, especially not right now.

I finished plating our dinner, complete with crispy garlic bread from the oven.

The scent immediately brought me back to my childhood.

This was always my mom’s favorite thing to make, and I used to love to cook with her when I was younger.

Pulling me out of my memories, Daphne returned to the kitchen to retrieve the wine and our glasses .

“I’ve got the booze,” she said as she made her way back to the living room.

“On my way,” I called after her as I gathered our plates and utensils.

When I entered the living room, the fire was crackling, the lights were dimmed, and cushions were splayed out on the floor around the coffee table.

The area had been cozy and welcoming when we arrived, but now it had been transformed into an intimate dinner setting.

I smiled. “This looks great, Daphne. What are we watching?”

“Halloween?” she said in a question, seeking my approval.

“Sounds great.” Truth be told, I didn’t care what we watched. I was looking forward to hanging out with her some more. We settled into our seats, and Daphne started the movie while I passed her a plate.

“Nathan, this looks amazing! Thank you so much for cooking. I really appreciate this.”

“No need to thank me. It’s my pleasure. I enjoy cooking. I used to cook with my mom all the time when I was younger,” I reminisced.

Daphne raised her glass toward me. “Well, I’m very thankful for that right now. Cheers!”

“Cheers.” I raised my glass to her. I watched with anticipation as Daphne dug into her meal.

“Mmmmm,” she practically moaned. “This is delicious.” It was hard not to imagine the sounds she had made last night, which sounded much the same as the sounds she was making with each bite. I adjusted myself discreetly under the table. Fuck, this was going to be harder than I thought, pun intended.

“Daphne, if you keep making noises like that, our ‘platonic’ status will be in serious jeopardy,” I joked.

Daphne choked on her garlic bread, and that did nothing to dissuade the growing situation in my pants. I chuckled. She coughed and her cheeks pinkened as she attempted to regain her composure. She was so fucking adorable. “You okay?”

“Yep.” She popped the P. “Just went down the wrong pipe,” she said, then coughed.

It was cute that she thought I’d buy that.

We continued eating and making small talk while watching the movie.

Turns out Daphne was a huge horror movie fan.

Last night, things were too sexually charged to find that out.

Even though I could tell she knew this movie by heart, she still jumped and screamed at the jump scares on the screen.

Cute .

When we had finished eating, Daphne got up and grabbed the plates, despite my objections, and took them into the kitchen.

I followed her and opened another bottle of wine since we had already finished the first one.

Daphne loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.

I had already taken care of the pots and pans I had used to cook because my mom had taught me to clean as I went.

I was very grateful for that advice because I was eager to get back to the movie and, more importantly, the company I was watching it with.

Back in the living room, Daphne and I both sat on the couch, not close enough to touch, but not on opposite ends either.

We shared a cozy blanket and settled in to finish the movie.

Much like the night before, I was hard-pressed to keep my eyes on the screen.

I was mesmerized by Daphne, watching her reactions and memorizing her features.

It surprised me how little I had thought about Courtney since meeting Daphne.

Her betrayal hurt, but Daphne lessened that sting a little more with every moment we spent together.

I glanced back at Daphne again as she pulled the blanket up over her mouth and nose. I guess something scary was about to happen on screen. I grinned as she turned to glance at me. Busted . She smiled. “What?”

“It’s nothing. I just love how into this you are,” I said honestly. “I mean, how many times have you seen this movie? Be honest.”

“I really couldn’t say. A lot?” She laughed, “I love Halloween, fall, and all things spooky season. Horror movies are a staple for me this time of year.” With a shrug, she turned back to the movie.

I was enchanted with her. She gave off an energy that I found irresistible.

I smiled to myself. I wanted her, and not just as a hookup.

We fit together and though I knew our timing was shit, I couldn’t help the way I felt.

At the next suspenseful scene, as Daphne pulled the blanket nearly up to her eyes, I moved in slightly closer to her.

She wasn’t paying me any attention, so I took that opportunity to drape my arm behind her on the back of the couch.

I wasn’t trying to be a creep, but I had this overwhelming desire to be closer to her.

I wanted to feel the warmth of her body against mine.

I needed it. Then, when she jumped at what was happening on the screen, I moved my arm that was behind her slightly until my hand pressed into her shoulder, and when she leaned into me, I breathed out a sigh and pulled her closer.

“Platonic, huh?” She smirked up at me from the crook of my arm.

“Fuck platonic,” I growled as I leaned down further into her personal space. Her breath hitched as her eyes bounced between mine and then to my mouth. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

Hell yes .

Our mouths met in a fury, tongues lashing, teeth nipping. One hand was gripping the back of her head, tangled in her hair. My other hand gripped her waist and pulled her to me. Her hands were clawing at my shirt and pulling me in closer still. Our breaths were labored, our movements frantic.

Then she laid her hands flat on my chest and pushed me back.

“Wait,” she gasped, “what are we doing?” Her chest heaved as she stared back at me, waiting for me to come to my senses.

The thing was, I had lost all sense of self-preservation, and all I could see was her.

In that moment, I could so clearly see a life with her.

I knew it was crazy. We had only just met, but it was as if we were supposed to meet.

I had never been a believer in fate or shit like that, but I felt it with her.

This couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

I studied her as I chose my next words. What were we doing? What did I want? Would she be open to it? Do I lie and tell her this means nothing or risk scaring her away with the truth? Fuck me.

“Truthfully? I don’t know, but I want more than platonic. I want you, whatever you’re willing to give.” Our breaths were still ragged. Her eyes searched my face and then closed as she exhaled a deep breath.

“Fuck it,” she whispered, and when she opened her eyes again, there was a renewed fire there. It was so on. I didn’t know what it meant for the future, but at that moment, I didn’t care. We’d figure it out later.

Simultaneously, we attacked one another.

My mouth was on hers. Her lips parted to grant me access.

I could taste the wine on her as I deepened our kiss.

Her hands grabbed at my shirt as I leaned all the way back onto the couch, pulling her along with me so that she was on top of me.

I reached up and wound my hand in her hair while I used my other hand to find one of her tight nipples.

She moaned as I swiped my thumb over it.

Her moan made me feral. I grabbed her around the waist, flipped us over, and started tearing at her clothes.

I wanted her naked immediately. I pulled her sweatshirt up over her head, and then our mouths met in another passionate kiss that rivaled all the ones that came before.

Her hands trailed down and grazed against my growing erection.

I was so hard for her, painfully so. I needed more.

I pressed into her with my length and she moaned again, “Oh God, Nathan.”

“That’s right, Baby, I’m your god.” Damn it, that may have sounded like a line from one of my books, but this was all us.

She had turned me into a filthy-mouthed, pussy-drunk, crazy person, and I loved every second.

She pulled down my sweatpants and gripped my length with a rough stroke.

I growled, “Fuck, Kitten,” as I took her mouth again while pulling at her leggings.

She broke our kiss and pushed me away. At first, I thought she had come to her senses until I realized she was trying to remove her leggings.

I stood to give her some room while I stripped out of my clothes.

When I removed my sweatpants, my thick cock bobbed between us, drawing her gaze.

She was practically drooling at me as she scrambled up onto her knees on the couch.

She took me into her mouth and to the back of her throat without a word.

Had I died and gone to heaven? Fuck, her mouth was perfect.

Soft and warm and wet. She ran her tongue over the tip while looking me in the eyes and then took me to the back of her throat again.

When she gagged, I moaned. Shit, I was so close already.

This woman was a fucking dick magician. I usually had more control, but Daphne had me on the edge with only a few flicks of the tongue.