Page 38

A couple heads pop over the low stall doors as the horses look to see what’s going on.

When Nate steps into view, the one nearest us nickers in welcome.

I look around, surprised by how long the space is.

Both sides of the barn are lined with stalls, with floor-to-ceiling sliding barn doors on either end.

Nate, seeing me looking, rubs his hand idly on the nose of one of the curious horses and gestures toward the space.

“Those doors lead to the driveway, where we just came from.” He points. “And the ones at the back lead to one of the pastures. When we want to put them outside, we just open it up and open the stall doors—easier than bringing them out one by one.”

“Wow.” I glance around. There must be at least thirty animals in here. “Are these…this is a lot of horses.”

“Not all of them sleep inside,” Nate tells me on a soft laugh. “Right now we’ve got one hundred and two. Not all ours, though.”

Patting the horse’s neck, he hefts my bag and reaches the other for my hand.

“That door is a tack room, that’s an office, and then up through here is the loft.” Again, he holds open the door and lets me ascend the stairs in front of him.

He follows closely behind me as we walk up, the close confines crackling with what feels like nervous energy. When I glance back at him, Nate’s biting his lip.

“Okay, so it’s not much. It’s all one room, so it’s not even as nice as your apartment back at school,” he tells me nervously. I step to the side silently once I crest the stairs. Nate follows, finding the light switch in the dark and turning it on.

As he said, it’s all one room, but the room is massive.

A coffee table and tan leather sofa make up the living room.

A kitchen with full-size appliances runs the length of the right wall, with a large marble island and barstools taking the place of a dining room table.

Straight back from where we’re standing is a door which I assume leads to the bathroom.

A bed is tucked into the alcove next to it, partially obscured by a curtain hanging from the ceiling.

It smells very strongly of lemon disinfectant, as though Nate made sure to clean before I got here.

“I know it’s pretty small,” he says shyly. “But?—”

“This is perfect, I love it. I bet you’ve got a hell of a view.” I gesture toward the wall opposite the kitchen, which is floor-to-ceiling windows. Nate visibly brightens, smile once more chasing the nervousness away.

“Oh, it’s incredible. And here, look.” He strides over to open the refrigerator and one of the cupboards.

“I got all of your favorite things—Coke and tons of soup even though it’s a million degrees outside.

And there’s already a toothbrush for you in the bathroom, too.

I cleared out a bunch of space in the dresser, so you can unpack tomorrow if you want. ”

Standing in the middle of the room, I watch him as he rambles.

It’s evident he was worried about me coming, and tried incredibly hard to make his space welcoming.

I didn’t need anything but him, but the fact that he even thought about these things at all is extremely charming.

My heart is thumping rather painfully in my chest, and my skin is buzzing with the urge to touch him instead of shy away for once .

“Nate,” I murmur, breaking through his tirade. His cheeks are a little flushed and the moment he stops talking, he bites his lip again. “Thank you.”

He blows out a hard breath. “You’re welcome. I wanted everything to be nice so that when I abduct you and keep you here, you won’t mind so much.”

Snorting, I walk over to him. He opens his arms immediately, so I don’t hesitate to press myself against him, arms around his waist and cheek to his shoulder. I’m exhausted, suddenly, but I’ve also spent the day in airports. My skin crawls at the reminder.

“Can I take a quick shower?”

“Of course. Here.” He pulls me over to the bathroom to show me a fresh towel hanging next to a not-so-fresh towel, as well as an unopened toothbrush sitting on the vanity. “I put this stuff out for you, and you can use any of my things if you want. Do you need anything else?”

Mutely, I shake my head. Affection for him practically chokes me, making it hard to speak. I can’t remember a time anyone has put in quite so much effort for me.

“This is great, thank you,” I manage eventually, and Nate beams at me.

I feel better after scrubbing myself down, and washing away that distinct airport feeling.

Hesitating over whether to be fully covered or not, I end up choosing the long-sleeved shirt and soft pajama pants.

As much as I enjoy rubbing up against Nate, I’ve just spent the day rubbing against random strangers and I truly do need a break.

Nate’s reclined on the bed when I come out of the bathroom, one hand tucked behind his head and the other holding his phone in front of his face. When he sees me, he drops the phone and sits up, smiling. He too is fully covered in pajamas, even though I doubt he’d be wearing them if I wasn’t here.

“Hey, I put your bag there.” He points to a chair pushed into the corner. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to unpack right away or tomorrow or?—”

“Tomorrow is fine.” Crawling onto the bed, I lie down next to him, making sure to keep enough distance between us. Rolling onto his side, Nate pillows his head on his arm and grins at me.

“I can’t wait to give you your surprise,” he says, looking gleeful enough that I’m wondering if this is something I should be nervous about.

“No cowboy hats,” I remind him.

“Nope,” he agrees, and scoots a little closer to me. “Can I kiss you goodnight?”

Trying to ignore the way that question makes me feel a little ashamed, I put a hand on his shoulder and lean forward to kiss him. Nate places his own hand on my hip, above my clothes, and doesn’t make any attempt to move that touch to skin.

My chest actually hurts —a weight pressing down on my lungs as though something is physically there, trying to suffocate me. I think I might love him.