Page 38 of His To Unravel (His & Hers Duet #1)

The streets narrow as we approach Midtown, the city rising up around us in glittering glass and steel.

Olivia turns toward me, her eyes bright with curiosity.

“Where are we staying?” she asks.

“Aman.” I say. “It’s peaceful. You’ll like it.”

Her brows lift slightly. “A hotel?”

I nod.

“But…don’t you have a place here?”

“I do,” I say, keeping my gaze on the road ahead. “But I wanted to take you somewhere different. Somewhere we can disappear for a few days. No interruptions. Just you and me.”

A smile tugs at her lips. “Disappearing does sound nice…”

“Good,” I reply, glancing at her as her head rests against the seat. “Because I plan on spoiling you until you forget what day it is.”

That earns me a quiet laugh, and the tension in her shoulders melts away as the car slips deeper into the city. I let the silence stretch, content to let Manhattan speak for me.

When the car rolls to a stop outside Aman New York, the staff is already waiting. One of them opens her door, and I slip out after her.

We bypass the front desk entirely. The manager greets me by name, a swift exchange that ends with them escorting us to the private elevator leading to our suite.

Olivia says nothing, but when her hand brushes mine as we enter the elevator, I curl my fingers around it.

When the doors open, she steps into the suite first, her footsteps slowing. She takes in the room—the sprawling glass windows framing the skyline, the low hum of the city beneath us, distant and unobtrusive. The room is silent, save for the sound of her breathing as she approaches the window.

She presses her palm lightly against the glass, eyes bright. I stand behind her, close enough that I can feel the warmth of her body through the fabric of her coat.

“I can see everything from here,” she whispers, in awe.

“That’s the idea.”

I want her to see this as more than a vacation. This is a glimpse of the life I intend to give her. A life where she will want for nothing, where the world will shrink to the size of our shared existence. A life that revolves around the two of us.

And with each passing second, I know she’s beginning to feel it too.

Later that evening, a private chef arrives at the suite, preparing dinner by candlelight as Olivia gazes out at the view.

We dine near the window, the glittering lights of Manhattan sprawling beneath us like a painting that belongs to her alone.

I let the conversation drift, weaving subtle threads about the opportunities New York holds, the life she could have here beside me.

When she laughs, the sound echoes in my mind long after the plates are cleared. I watch her closely, imprinting every flicker of expression into memory.

As the night deepens, I find myself restless, caught in a quiet loop of attending to Olivia.

I can’t help it.

I adjust her pillows twice, smoothing them beneath her head with deliberate care.

When she shifts, I pull the blanket higher over her shoulders, then pause, considering if another layer would make her warmer.

I order extra blankets anyway. The room feels perfectly temperate, but I still ask if she’s cold, my hand brushing over her arm to gauge it for myself.

“You fuss too much,” she teases, sweeping her hair over one shoulder. “Relax, Nate.”

I smile, but I know I will never stop hovering.

There’s something calming in the ritual of it—in ensuring that everything she touches, everything around her, conforms to her comfort.

I’m not just tending to her. I’m embedding myself into every part of her night, leaving no space untouched by my attention.

“I need to know you’re taken care of,” I reply, though the weight of the words presses heavier than I intend. If she notices, she says nothing, only settling deeper into the sheets.

She lets out a soft sigh, turning to me with a small smile. “Thank you for bringing me here,” she says, her voice quiet but sincere. Her gaze drifts to the window, where the skyline shimmers beyond the glass. “The hotel is so beautiful. I can’t believe we’re staying here.”

I shrug casually, but I mean every word I say next. “If you like it, I can arrange for us to stay here whenever you want.”

Olivia stares at me for a long moment, her gaze steady, as if weighing something in her mind. I wait, letting the silence stretch between us before my curiosity gets the better of me.

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” I ask softly, leaning closer.

Her expression shifts, growing more serious. “I just… I want you to know something, Nathaniel. I appreciate everything you’ve done. The hotel, the flowers, all of this. But I need you to understand—I’m not here because of the trappings that come with dating a Caldwell. I’m here for you .”

Her words settle over me like a balm. “I know that, Olivia.” I smile at her indulgently, brushing her hair from her face. “But it doesn’t stop me from wanting to give it all to you anyway.”

She softens at that, leaning into my touch. “I don’t want to just take from you all the time. I want to be able to give you something too.”

I pause intentionally, then tilt my head. “If you really want to thank me…there is something that you can give me right now.”

Her brow lifts slightly, but her eyes remain serious. “What is it?”

I brush my thumb over her lower lip, my voice dipping. “Kiss me.”

She leans in, her lips brushing softly against mine—hesitant at first, testing, as if she isn’t sure how far to go. I let her lead, sensing the tension beneath her stillness, but it isn’t long before I pull her closer, deepening the kiss with deliberate slowness.

Her breath hitches as my fingers tangle in her hair, tilting her head to angle her lips more perfectly against mine.

The kiss unfurls, growing in intensity like a slow flame coaxed to life. I feel her relax into me, her body softening, pliant beneath the pressure of my hand resting at the curve of her waist.

When she presses further into me, her hands sliding up to rest lightly against my chest, I break the kiss only long enough to catch her gaze. Her eyes are heavy, pupils blown wide with desire. The way she’s looking at me sends heat straight to my dick.

I let my lips trail along the edge of her jaw, sucking just beneath her ear. “I could kiss you forever,” I murmur, the words more for myself than for her.

Kissing Olivia ignites something feral that coils low and tight, but I force myself to push it down even as an erection strains in my pants. The need to pull her beneath me, to push further, claws at the edges of my restraint. This heat between us is familiar, but tonight isn’t about that.

Instead, I tuck her against my side, pulling the blankets back over her shoulders. I’ve had her before, and I will have her again. For now, I’m content to hold her close and let the night settle around us.