Page 13 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)

“R aina. Were you expecting me?” Nathan Stone stood a foot away from me; his sight locked onto me like I was entrapped in his web. “Such a good girl, waiting at the ferry stop.” His voice hung thick in the salt air. Far too many moments passed before it registered how he could possibly be standing there.

During my ridiculous onslaught of emotions about having to speak with Cole, the morning ferry had arrived from the mainland. A small horde of people walked by as they headed to the harbor’s restaurant or waiting vehicles. I was witnessing a Redd Hills morning commute, but I was completely blind to it all as Nathan waited for me to speak.

“How did you find me?” was what I wanted to ask. Instead, I blurted, “I knew you would find me.” His mouth curled into a satisfied grin as. This was all a game for him, and I couldn’t help myself. I was irrevocably addicted to it all – the thrill of vying for his approval, and the pleasure of him granting it. At least I could admit it to myself. I knew how fucked up all of it was, and I knew that I likely needed more regular therapy appointments. However, right now was not the time to think . Right now, falling back into my “normal” felt easy and that made Nathan dangerously irresistible. Against my seriously lacking better judgment, I became puddy in front of him.

“Did you, now?” Nathan stepped forward, closing the space between us. “You, Raina Archer, knew that I was going to show up on this particular ferry?” He tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. My breath fell short as I inhaled the sweet scent of vanilla, mahogany, and the musk of leather-bound books. Just like his office, and I was transported back there to relive all our sessions at once in a single heartbeat.

Nathan stepped around me with a chuckle, and heat rose in my cheeks. I immediately felt the loss of his presence. “I must say, this place does have its charm.” His voice dripped with arrogance. An instinctive sense of pride for my new home rose in my chest, and it took a hit at his facetious words. His pretentiousness shattered all illusions, just long enough for my senses to clear.

“Why the hell are you here?” I asked him directly. Nathan’s deep laugh resonated off of the building’s stilts. He continued to walk towards the small boardwalk that led to the more deserted end of the harbor, where Cole’s boat was docked. At that moment, soliciting Cole seemed like a much better situation than the one I was currently in. “How did you even find me?” Nathan stopped at my question and waited for me to catch up.

“Would you believe me if I said I missed you?” His voice grew quiet , and I looked up at him. Much to my surprise, his face held more than just amusement. Concern slanted his brow, and his eyes searched mine. Nathan bent his head low, and our lips collided. Kissing me deeply, he placed a hand on the small of my back, which thankfully kept me steady as my head immediately began to spin. The tug of war within me was almost unbearable. I pulled away, breaking our heated embrace, and the glint of laughter flooded his eyes. “I’m not saying I didn’t miss you, because of course I did. I feel like a complete ass for not realizing before that you dropped out.” He shifted his weight and looked out over the water. “Truly, though, I am very sorry to hear about your mother.”

Whiplash from navigating between his jests and sentiments was making my head hurt. There was a reason this man and I rarely had conversations containing any more substance than small talk. I amused him while he distracted me; that was our gentleman’s agreement. This discussion—if you could even call it that—was far lengthier and deeper than any other time before.

“It is good to see you. So, this is where you ended up?” He opened his arms gesturing to the entire harbor. “Of all places.” Nathan’s voice lowered, and his features settled into a peculiar expression. He scanned the scenery, noting the workers unloading the shipment, and continued on until he settled on the drab boat Cole had disappeared into. “Does someone actually live there?” God, he was so insufferable .

“Yes, and I actually need to ask him something.” Suddenly feeling emboldened, I marched toward Cole’s home with Nathan a pace behind me.

“I’m not going to jump in front of you if the nautical meth lab explodes.” He laughed at himself.

“I would never ask you to,” I replied mockingly; my voice breathy, sultry, and sweet. Within a few strides, I got to the boat and called out. “Cole? Mr. Harlin?” and I immediately regretted it. The sheer embarrassment of having to yell at a boat, in front of Nathan, was almost too much. Not to mention, the man I was calling after was someone I really did not want to speak to. Heat rose in my cheeks as Cole climbed out onto the boat’s deck, and I buried the desire to whimper.

“What do you want?” he growled when he reached his full height. I swallowed hard as his steel eyes bore into mine, losing my nerve. I twitched to turn and run away, then stopped myself, remembering Nathan was right behind me. Cole noticed him at that moment too. Once again, so subtle that I almost missed it; Cole’s jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed just the slightest.

“Sorry again, about earlier…with the truck,” I said awkwardly. Cole’s gaze was back on me , and I felt so small. Clearing my throat, I continued . , “I will be needing to ship items frequently. Most are small, but occasionally there will be larger pieces of furniture. I was wondering what the best practice is, whether they ship from here or if I need to travel on the ferry with them and ship from the mainland.” I spat the words out quickly before I could cower. Cole continued to look down at me, with just one quick glance at Nathan, who in turn hadn’t taken his eyes off Cole from what I saw in my periphery.

“We can ship it from here, for a fee. Mainland is better if your vehicle can house the items.” His gruff voice was matter-of-fact. He continued to stand there in his entire foreboding figure. At that moment, I wasn’t sure who I wanted to deal with least, Cole or Nathan, but there I was, stuck between the two of them.

“Thank you,” I began to speak, but Cole already walked past the two of us, nearly knocking into Nathan. I wouldn’t say I felt any sort of loyalty to Nathan, but the sheer rudeness of it was a bit much.

“Maybe say ‘excuse me’ next time,” I said loud enough for Cole to hear me. He paused mid step. His shoulders rose and fell with a breath, but he didn’t turn around. His hands clenched, but he continued to walk away.

“Please, Raina, there’s no need.” Nathan’s voice was soft but threatening. His hand found the bend of my elbow, pulling me to face him. “I’d rather not waste any time. We have a lot to…talk about.” His eyes locked onto mine. The look on his face made my nerves flutter. His other hand moved to my hair, locking me into place and he kissed me hard. My eyes widened at the unexpected passion. Astonished, my gaze was stuck on someone far beyond Nathan’s shoulder. Before I could melt into the kiss, Nathan pulled away, and on the other side of the gravel lot stood Cole, watching us.

When I caught his stare, he strode toward where Jeff was unloading a new shipment. I couldn’t help but wonder if he cared. But what opinions could Cole Harlin possibly have? Why did I care even in the slightest about his feelings? As hard as I tried, there was no hope of feigning the connection I had with Dream Cole. Real Cole was a complete stranger and keeping him that way was my greatest wish.

Looking over his shoulder, Nathan glanced toward Cole’s direction. “Would you like to go somewhere?” I asked, hating myself progressively more every second.

“I’m only here for an hour or two, until the afternoon ferry arrives.” He wrapped an arm around me, guiding us to my car. In his own way, he answered my question as his hand slid to my ass. “Let’s not waste a moment,” I hissed. A low rumble of satisfaction grew from his chest as he buried his face in my hair. I wasn’t one for public displays of affection or possession, especially at a place where my brother could see. I hurried us to my car. My brain screamed at me to kick Nathan to the curb, but every other part of me, especially the parts that made my heart race, begged to hurry the fuck up and get us both back home right now.

“For real, how did you find me?” I asked. The way his lips curled into a coy slant infuriated me. “Tell me,” I said through my teeth as I opened my car door.

“You know how my department’s secretary is. She was so accommodating ,” he said with boredom. I knew it. “What do we have here?” He gestured to the wooden chest in my passenger seat. Fuck . I hurried to grab the thing and place it on the floor of the back seat.

“Nothing really, just another find for my collection.” I dismissed his question. I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to share that part of my new life with him. Nathan held my gaze for a few long moments before he sat back. I could have sworn I saw a hint of a frown. Shifting the conversation, I grunted, “I’m honestly not in the mood for your games, Nathan. You really didn’t have to come here.” I still hadn’t put the car into Drive.

“Why don’t we play one of your games then, doll.” His voice was smooth and challenged mine to stay steady. He slid his hand across my thigh, the warmth of it burning through my leggings, sending a shiver through me. His eyes dropped to my parted lips. “I’ll be whatever, whoever , you need me to be today.” My brow furrowed, but he leaned in to kiss me; this time soft, sweet, and filled with so much tenderness it made my chest ache, melting the icy walls I tried to erect.

“Wha– what do you mean?” I asked breathlessly.

“I’ve been awful toward you, especially during such a difficult time.” He held my face in his hand, his thumb caressing my cheek as he spoke, eyes never leaving my lips. “I am sorry. Truly. I’m here to make it up to you.” This time, I allowed myself to kiss him back. The warmth was completely new, and I shouldn’t have enjoyed how it made my heart soar.

As we drove to the apartment, Nathan massaged the back of my neck as he casually sat back in his seat. He gave the illusion of comfort and familiarity, as if it were normal for us. I was too afraid to admit that this new game of his was working, but I wasn’t sure of the rules. The uneasiness in my stomach was overshadowed by my desperation for connection, for affection.

Not a second was spared the instant we were inside of my apartment. In one smooth motion, Nathan lifted me onto the bed. He had never done that before. Every other instance, he stood with some distance between us as he demanded things from me, to serve him in so many ways , before he ravaged me. This was so different, and it almost felt real.

Nathan’s hands gently roamed my body, sliding my cardigan down my shoulders and removing it entirely. He was worshiping me without stipulation, and although I desperately wanted to lose myself in it all, I just couldn’t. Hating myself to the point of loathing, I sat up on my elbows, forcing Nathan back. He then took it as an opportunity to tug down my leggings, and I knew I only had seconds before losing my conviction. My heart thrummed in my chest as so many fragments of me begged my logic to just shut the fuck up.

“We can’t.” I uttered those horrid, betraying words. Nathan’s eyes snapped to mine as he halted the kisses he had begun to trail down my hip bone. He raised a brow as he continued the feather-light caresses. “I’m serious,” I said, scooting backward. He stood.

“I said I’m sorry.” He placed his hands in his pockets, giving me a full view of the outline that grew in his pants. It was an extremely tempting tease, and I was hanging on by a thread. Averting my eyes, I blew out a breath. “Be my good girl, and let me show you how sorry I am.” He moved to take a step forward, but I put my hand up to stop him, and to my surprise, he did just that.

“I appreciate what we have, but it’s what we don’t have that’s the issue.” I crisscrossed my legs on the bed and swallowed hard before continuing. “I need something more, something real.” The look of panic on his face nearly made me laugh. “Not from you,” I added with a smile. Nathan relaxed, but his expression was replaced with confusion a second later.

“You don’t want me?” he chuckled, his smirk growing quickly into an indignant grin. “It has always felt like you’ve wanted me.” He bit his bottom lip as his eyes slid over my body.

“That’s different, and you know it.” I said sharply, and he sat down on the bed beside me.

“Fine, I can respect that.” Nathan folded his hands in his lap, the faintest glimmer of authenticity sparked in his eyes. “But since I am already here…” His voice shifted back into his usual mischievous tone , and I rolled my eyes.

“No, Nathan.” I playfully pushed him. “I said we can’t.” He put his hands up in surrender.

“I wasn’t implying that , though I am always ready when you are.” His lips curled. “I was going to ask you to show me that box you had in your car. It had the most curious inlays.” I was relieved by the subject change and by the shift in his features. There he was, Professor Stone, curious and hungry for knowledge.

“It is a beautiful piece, isn’t it?” I beamed. I could at least deter him from the mystical roots of the island and convince him it’s simply a cool wooden box.

Ruby sunlight fell through the window, catching his eyes, as he murmured, “It is absolutely invaluable.”