Page 5

Chapter Five

COLT

I roll over and pull the pillow close to my chest. The warm bedspread wrapped around me urges me to fall back asleep. Something’s off, though. It takes my brain a moment to catch up. This isn’t my bed. The sheets are too soft and silky.

Yesterday comes rushing back into my mind. The call with my dad. Locking myself out. Nathan rescuing me. I groan. Now, I wish I could roll over, fall back asleep, and ignore all this a little longer.

I pull the covers over my head, knowing there’s zero chance I can go back to sleep. If I pretend enough, it might be true, though. It’s too early for logic.

A waft of coffee and maybe cinnamon hit me. A cup of coffee would help. Plus, whatever else Nathan has in the kitchen.

I force myself out of bed and do my best to make myself presentable. It’s not much, given the oversized pajamas and lack of stuff in general, but it’ll work. My hair, in particular, won’t behave after letting it dry pressed against the pillowcase. After ducking in the bathroom to empty my bladder and brush my teeth, I find my way out to the kitchen.

Nathan dances along to whatever’s playing in his headphones while he hums. He moves easily around the kitchen, his hips sashaying in rhythm. The edge of his tongue slips out of his mouth as he concentrates on something on the stovetop. It’s so Nathan. The years have changed him so much, but moments like this remind me he’s still the same person I knew all those years ago. His kindhearted nature never changed; he’s still the guy who would pick someone up in the middle of the night and make them welcome in his home.

I feel like a stalker staring at him, so I clear my throat several times. He doesn’t hear me over the music playing, so I step forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

He jumps and lets out a small scream. The spatula in his hand flies through the air before landing on the ground. He pulls his headphones down around his neck. “Shit. You scared me.”

“Sorry, I tried to get your attention, but you didn’t hear me.”

“It’s fine. I’m always a bit jumpy. Especially if I’m focused or distracted.”

“So which is it? Are you distracted by the music or focused on the”—I looked over his shoulder to the stovetop—“french toast?”

“Both, I guess.” He sets the headphones on the counter and bends to grab the projectile spatula. I can’t help but stare at his round ass on full display.

“And what kind of music brings on this amount of distraction?”

The guilty look on his face tells me the answer will be good. I pick up the headphones and hold one side up to my ear. The familiar song makes me chuckle. “ABBA? Really?”

“It’s fun to dance to.” His face grows redder.

“You haven’t changed at all.”

He swipes the headphones from my hand and drops them back on the counter before he fumbles in a nearby drawer and pulls out a replacement spatula. “Just because I still like some of the same music doesn’t mean everything else is the same.” He takes the pieces of bread off the griddle and places them on plates set out on the counter.

I can’t help but compare the Nathan standing before me to the teenager from 12 years ago. He’s still got bright blue eyes I can lose myself in, but he’s now pure muscle where he’d always been skinny growing up. Not bulky, but the lean, defined muscles are visible beneath his white sleep shirt. I tear my gaze away, focusing on the food on the plates. “For instance, I couldn’t have made you french toast back then. I couldn’t make cereal without a mess.” He waves my plate at me before setting it down on the island.

Is he teasing me? Flirting? Honestly, I’m not sure at this point. I want it to be flirting, but it’s been a long time since we were around each other, and I’m not sure I can tell the difference anymore. To be fair, I’m not sure I ever could. That’s why his declaration and kiss came out of nowhere all those years ago.

He clears his throat and pulls me from my internal thoughts. He sits on one of the counter stools and pulls the second out for me. “I hope it’s okay if we eat at the counter. Some work projects have taken over the kitchen table. It looks like a giant mess, but I swear I have a system. If I move the piles, I’ll never get them sorted again.”

“Considering I don’t own a kitchen table right now, this seems very fancy.” No need to mention that I’m missing most of the non-essential furniture a functioning adult is expected to own.

“So the moving is going well?”

“It’s been fine. I sold most of my stuff before the move and figured I’d replace it with new stuff once I settled in.” I stuff a bit of french toast in my mouth and moan around it. I don’t mean for it to come out so porny sounding, but the combination of vanilla and cinnamon is incredible. I swallow and continue my discussion. “A whole bunch of stuff with my family piled up before I came, so now I’ve been here for over a month but haven’t had a second to do anything other than work and sleep. I have a bed, some folding chairs, and a few lamps.”

“All right, that’s sad. I can’t let you go home to an empty apartment. We’re going shopping today. There are a few great places I have in mind to give you a starting point.” He licks a bit of syrup off one of his fingers, and I swear my heart nearly beats out of my chest as his tongue swirls around the tip of his finger. He must know what he’s doing to me, right?

“I’ve already inconvenienced you enough for one weekend. I’ll get around to it.”

“I love shopping, so it’s not an inconvenience at all. It’s an excuse to look at things I do not need.”

The conversation reminds me that I still need to deal with my apartment. New furniture is great, but the need to have access to the place is more pressing. There’s no point having a couch if I can’t get to it. The lightness of the morning dissipates. “I need to deal with my place first.” I pull my phone from my pocket and stare at the screen. Multiple text notifications show on the home screen. “My landlord is out of town for a wedding, but’ll be back tonight and can meet me at four. Otherwise, he says I can call a locksmith and pay the fees to replace the locks on the building.” It’s fine. The weekend fee will be exorbitant, but having this whole thing behind me is worth it. Moving didn’t help my bank account, but I’m doing fine and can manage it without missing anything.

“There’s no reason for you to spend your day dealing with a locksmith. We’ll meet your landlord this afternoon. That gives us plenty of time to go shopping.” He looks at me with those big eyes. I never could say no to him. That’s why I spent so much time grounded as a teenager. Nathan’s ideas always sounded good when he explained them and gave me his puppy dog face. Later, I never had an explanation for why I’d gone along with it. At least not one that would satisfy an adult. They didn’t have to say no to those baby blues.

“Fine, but this is purely a window-shopping venture. I don’t even have my wallet with me.” It’s a good thing, too. I won’t be able to make rash decisions and end up with a bright pink sofa. Whatever money I save on the locksmith can go straight to the furniture budget.

“Yeah, yeah. You can pick stuff out and order online later. We’ll take pictures of what you like and the names and colors so you remember what you want.” I take the last bite from my plate and grab both dishes to bring to the sink. “You can put those straight in the dishwasher. I’ll run it later this weekend.”

“If I’m going to order online, couldn’t we skip the whole shopping excursion in the first place?” I do what he says and stick our used plates and utensils, plus the various cooking utensils, into the dishwasher. A few items look like hand-wash-only items, so I grab them and scrub.

“Nope.” He shakes his head enthusiastically. “These are not the things you buy without seeing them in person. You can’t buy a couch you haven’t sat on and tested. What if it isn’t comfortable?” It’s impossible to argue with that logic. Plus, it’s really sad inside my place. The first few weeks were fine, but now, a depression sinks over me every time I walk into my apartment.

“I’m not sure what kind of fancy stores you’re imagining, but my current attire might not be the usual fashion for customers.” I looked down at the sweatpants and long-sleeved t-shirt he’d given me last night. No one would give us the time of day anywhere besides a discount store.

“I’ve got a few things that might work for you. They won’t be perfect, but you’ll be presentable. We’re not going anywhere fancy.”

“How long have you been awake?” And thinking about me.

“I’m kinda an early riser. I’ve been for a while. Apparently, I’m incapable of sleeping in anymore.”

“Wow. If it weren’t for my alarm clock, I wouldn’t get up before ten.”

“Well, the tradeoff is that I’m always in bed before ten.” He ducks his head as though embarrassed. “Okay, before nine.”

Yikes . I couldn’t remember the last time I went to— “Oh my god. You were asleep when I called last night, weren’t you?” Of course, that’s why it had taken him so long to answer.

“It’s fine.” He waved his hand at me. “I didn’t mind picking you up. Plus, how were you supposed to know I’d become an old man?”

“You were, though.” I groan and put my head down on the counter. A warm hand presses between my shoulder blades and rubs small circles on my back. I bite my lips to keep from making any sounds.

“I’m glad you called. I would much rather be woken up than find out you spent the night outside in the freezing rain.”

I didn’t dare move. My skin tingled under his touch. It’d been a while since I’d been close to anyone who wasn’t part of my family. That’s my only explanation for the sparks shooting through my body each time his thumb ran a circle over my back.

“Plus, it means I can go shopping with you today.”

I sit up and look at him. I hold his gaze for a fleeting moment. I remember the soft, gentle look on his face from childhood. I melt under his attention. The way he looks at me like I’m the only thing he can see. “Okay. Let’s go shopping.”