Page 7 of Falling Too Soon (Seasons of Love #1)

NATHAN

F uck me. Where did this woman come from, and what did she do to my freaking brain?

It was as if I was no longer in control of my body, and all I could think about was getting her naked and into my bed pronto, but that should’ve been the furthest thing from my mind.

I just got out of a serious relationship.

I was engaged, for crying out loud. I was supposed to have been getting married in a few short days.

I pulled on an old, beat-up T-shirt and tried to calm my raging hard-on.

Holy shit, Daphne was so damn sexy, and that kiss.

Fuck me, that kiss was hot, and clearly, my dick thought so too.

There was no way that Daphne hadn’t noticed my poorly timed erection, but there was nothing to do about that now.

When I was sure it wasn’t so noticeable, I headed back to the kitchen, where Daphne had finished her bourbon.

That sounded like a great idea. I needed more booze too .

As I stepped up to the kitchen island, she turned to me and smiled a smile that I swear lit up the whole damn room.

Holding her hand out to me, she said, “Hi, I’m Daphne. It’s nice to meet you.” I chuckled and shook my head.

This woman .

I grasped her small, warm hand in mine, brought her knuckles up, and grazed them with my lips. “The pleasure is all mine,” I said as I glanced up into eyes I could get lost in. “I’m Nathan.”

“Seriously, my guy? Could you not?” She laughed. “It’s like you can’t help but be sexy. Are you sure you’re not a character from one of my books?”

I choked a bit on my drink. “Well, I guess that depends on what kind of books you’re reading. I am a romance author.”

“Of course you are,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Lucky me, ending up all alone in a cabin with a sexy stranger who just so happens to know exactly what to do and say to make a woman swoon.”

“You’re making me sound like a predator, which I’m not, by the way,” I snickered. “Want another?” I gestured toward her now-empty glass.

She rolled her eyes again but held her glass out to me.

“Why not? It’s not like this can get any weirder.

” She chuckled as she pulled out her phone and I refilled her glass.

“I gotta text my friend and let her know I’m okay for now.

Just know I’m letting her know that if she doesn’t receive proof of life within the next hour, to alert the local authorities.

” She pointed a finger in my direction. “You’ve been warned, mister.

No murdering me and burying me in these woods.

She’s funny. I like her. Do you hear yourself, man?

Get your shit together. This is no time to be liking anyone.

She shot off a quick text and then put her phone face down on the counter.

“So what are you doing up here in this cabin all alone, anyway? Are you meeting someone?” I was so curious about her.

“The smart thing to do would be to lie and tell you that my beefy boyfriend is joining me soon, but for reasons I don’t quite understand, I don’t want to lie to you, so the truth is…

” She sucked in and let out a deep breath.

“I just broke things off with my boyfriend, who was a complete piece of shit. I booked this vacation rental to escape my life for a while and figure out what’s next for me.

What about you? Why are you up here all alone?

I’m still not convinced you’re not a serial killer or something.

” She raised an eyebrow and took another swig of her drink.

“Actually, my story is pretty similar to yours, believe it or not.” She waited as I took a sip and then continued, “This was supposed to be my honeymoon, but my fiancé cheated on me and I broke things off. Came up here to clear my head, maybe start my next book.”

“Shit, I’m so sorry. That’s awful. And you’re not feeling weird about staying here alone when you were supposed to be here with her?” She looked concerned, her brows furrowed.

“It is what it is, I guess. It’s a beautiful place, and I’m hoping it inspires a new story.” I shrugged. “You hungry? ”

“It’s almost eight,” she announced, looking at me like I was crazy for suggesting food at this hour. “Anyway, I think I’d better sort out where I’m staying tonight.”

“Stay here.” That look that she had given me, the one that told me she thought I was nuts, intensified. Maybe I was nuts, but I knew I wanted more time with her. As crazy as that sounded, it was the only thing that made sense to me at that moment.

“Oh no, you were here first. I couldn’t possibly take your rental now. I’m sure I can find something cheap in town for the night.”

“Look, there’s more than one bedroom, so we can both be comfortable, and I’m sure there are locks on the doors, so I won’t be able to come in and kill you while you sleep.

” I smirked. This girl seemed smart. There’s no way she was going to stay, but I had to try.

I needed to know her, if only for one night.

“This is crazy, right? Any sane person would have already left. Clearly, you got me on an off day because I’m actually considering this.

” She shook her head as she held out her glass for another refill.

Although refill may have been an exaggeration, seeing how I was only pouring in a shot each time.

“Oh, come on, this’ll be fun! We can commiserate together. What could possibly go wrong?” I joked.

A few bourbons later, we were sprawled out on the couch watching some scary movie that Daphne had put on and munching on popcorn.

We had already done the small talk thing and had kept things pretty surface-level prior to putting on the movie.

I wasn’t watching the movie, though. I was watching her.

She was exquisite. The warm glow of the fire made the caramel parts of her hair glow and her honey-colored eyes sparkle.

Her cheeks were pink. It could have been from the warmth of the fire or the booze.

It didn’t matter. I wanted to touch them, caress them, feel my lips against them.

This was so wrong. Why was I so drawn to this woman?

When she turned to look at me and caught me staring, she smiled. “What?”

I think the bourbon was working because my filter was gone. “You are gorgeous.” I think I saw her already pink cheeks blush.

“Thank you.” She smiled sweetly and turned back to the movie, trying to avoid my eyes.

Fuck it. I was going in. She seemed into that kiss we shared earlier, and it’s all I’d thought about since.

That small moan that left her lips as mine brushed over her neck was intoxicating.

I felt the need to know what she sounded like when she came, and I wanted to hear my name on her lips as she lost control.

I inched myself a little closer to her on the couch and reached my hand further to close the distance. With my hand almost touching her thigh, she repositioned herself and moved slightly in my direction. Just enough that my hand grazed her thigh.

Oh fuck yeah, it was so on.