Page 35

CHAPTER 35

CASPIAN

I pull Nate into another kiss because this is my all-time favorite place to be.

His hands slide up my arms, leaving trails of heat through my shirt, and I melt into him like snow on warm skin. The kiss deepens, and I taste mint on his tongue. My fingers find their way to the short hairs at the nape of his neck, those silky strands that always feel like silk against my skin.

When we break apart, his blue eyes are sparkling with that mix of mischief and tenderness that never fails to make my stomach flip. “Not that I’m complaining,” he says, “but what was that for?”

I rest my forehead against his, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with wood smoke from his fireplace. “Can’t I kiss my boyfriend because I want to?”

“Mmm.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “You could, but I know that look. You’re thinking about something.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“Only to me.” He presses a quick kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Spill.”

I take a deep breath, stepping back just enough to see his face clearly but keeping my arms looped around his neck. “I got a message from Tate earlier. About Sienna’s christening in Chester Falls.”

His eyebrows lift slightly. “The baby? Already?”

“Yeah, it’s in the spring.” I bite my lip, studying the way his expression softens at the mention of our friends. “They want us to come. Both of us.”

“Of course they do.” His hands settle on my hips, warm and steady. “Did you think they wouldn’t?”

I shrug, trying to play it casual even though my heart is doing overtime. “No, I wasn’t sure if you’d want to. It’s a whole weekend thing, and I know spring is busy with forestry assessments and new growth monitoring…”

“Baby.” He cuts me off with another kiss, this one soft and sweet. “Try to keep me away. It’s not going to happen.”

The tension I didn’t even realize I was carrying melts. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” His smile curves against my lips. “I want to see this baby who’s got you all nervous about asking me on a weekend trip. Besides,” he adds, pulling me closer, “a whole weekend away with you? Sign me up.”

I laugh, the sound bubbling from somewhere warm and bright in my chest.

“They also want us to have dinner with them before they leave,” I say.

“Sounds great.”

This time, when I kiss him, it’s slower, deeper, filled with all the words I don’t need to say because he already knows them. His hands slip under my shirt, and I shiver—partly from the cold, mostly from the way his touch still sets my skin on fire.

“You’re freezing,” he murmurs against my mouth.

“Guess you’ll have to warm me up then.”

His low chuckle sends another shiver down my spine, this one having nothing to do with the temperature. “I can think of a few ways to do that.”

I press closer, loving the solid warmth of him against me. “Oh yeah? Care to demonstrate?”

His answer comes in the form of another kiss, this one promising enough to make me forget about the cold entirely. His tongue slides against mine, and I think about how lucky I am to have found him here in this town that feels more like home every day.

Nate’s lips trail down my neck, and my breath catches in my throat. “Don’t you have to head home?” he asks between kisses. “Marcus will wonder what’s taking you so long.” His teeth graze my skin, and I almost forget how to form words.

“Marcus,” I manage to gasp as Nate finds that sensitive spot just below my ear, “is probably already passed out on the couch. Or…” I trail off as his hands slip under my shirt, his fingers tracing patterns that make my skin tingle.

“Or?” His voice is rough against my ear.

“Or he’s listening through the wall like the nosy bastard he is.”

Nate pulls back just enough to look at me, and the heat in his eyes makes my knees weak. “Well then,” he says, a wicked smile playing at the corners of his mouth, “we should give him something worth listening to.”

Before I can respond, his mouth is on mine again, hot and demanding. I kiss him back just as hard, letting my hands roam over the familiar planes of his chest through his shirt. He makes a low sound in the back of his throat that goes straight to my groin, and suddenly, we’re both fumbling with buttons and zippers, too desperate to take our time.

“Off,” I growl, tugging at his shirt. He breaks the kiss long enough to yank it over his head, and I take a moment to appreciate the view—the way his muscles flex as he moves, the trail of dark hair leading down into his jeans, and that soft belly that makes me want to rub against. Then his hands are on my shirt, and I lift my arms to help him remove it.

The cool air hits my skin, but I barely notice because Nate’s mouth is on my collarbone, leaving a trail of hot open-mouthed kisses that make me shiver. His hands work at my belt, and I focus on getting his jeans open, though it’s hard to concentrate with the way he’s touching me.

We manage to kick off our remaining clothes, and then we’re skin against skin, and god, I’ve missed this. Missed him. It’s only been a few days since we were last together, but it feels like forever when his hands are on me like this, when his mouth is doing things that make coherent thought impossible.

“Lube’s in the bedroom,” he pants against my mouth, but I shake my head.

“Too far,” I groan as his teeth scrape along my jaw. “Need you now.”

He seems to understand because he pulls me onto his lap, his strong hands guiding my hips until I’m straddling him. The feel of him hard against me makes my head spin, and when he wraps his hand around both of us, a moan escapes my lips.

“Fuck, Cas,” he breathes, his free hand gripping my hip. “I missed this so much.”

I can’t answer because he’s started moving his hand, creating the most perfect friction. Instead, I thrust against him, loving the way his breath hitches when I do. His hand is big enough to hold us both, and the feeling of his cock sliding against mine, slick with precum, is almost too much.

“That’s it,” he encourages as I move faster. “Just like that, baby.”

I brace myself with one hand on his chest, feeling his heart racing under my palm. I join my other hand with his, our fingers intertwining around our cocks. The added pressure makes us both moan, and I lean down to capture his lips in a messy kiss.

Our tongues slide together as we find a rhythm, thrusting into our joined hands. Sweat makes our skin slip and slide, and the room fills with the sound of our heavy breathing and occasional gasps of pleasure. Nate’s free hand slides up my back, pulling me closer, and tension builds in my gut.

“Close,” I manage to gasp against his mouth. “So close.”

“Me too,” he groans, his hips jerking up to meet mine. “Come for me, Cas. Come all over me.”

His words push me over the edge, and I come with a cry that I muffle against his shoulder. He follows right after, his whole body tensing beneath me as he spills over our hands. For a moment, there’s nothing but the sound of our ragged breathing and the pounding of my heart.

I’m sprawled across Nate’s chest, feeling boneless and completely satisfied. His fingers trace lazy patterns on my back, and I know I should move, should clean us up, but I can’t seem to make my muscles cooperate. Besides, he’s warm and solid beneath me, and I’m too comfortable to care about the mess.

“You’re heavy,” he mumbles into my hair, but his arms tighten around me instead of pushing me away.

“Mmm,” I agree, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “Too bad. I live here now.”

His chest rumbles with quiet laughter. “That so?”

“Yep. Set up a forwarding address and everything. Marcus can have my room.”

“Speaking of…” His hand slides up to cup the back of my neck, fingers playing with my hair. “Stay tonight?”

I lift my head to look at him, finding his eyes soft and warm in the dim light. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He brushes his thumb across my cheekbone. “Do you have to be up early tomorrow?”

“I’ll set an alarm.” I lean into his touch. “I’ll even make you breakfast.”

“Plenty of time then.” He shifts slightly beneath me. “Though we should probably shower first.”

I groan, dropping my head back to his shoulder. “That requires moving.”

“True.” His hands slide down to my waist. “But I’ll make it worth your while.”

That gets my attention. I prop myself up on my elbows to look at him properly. “Oh yeah? How exactly?”

His smile is slow and promising. “Come find out.”

Somehow, we drag ourselves off the couch and into the bathroom. Nate’s shower is bigger than mine, with one of those wide showerheads that feels like standing in warm summer rain. He turns on the water while I grab fresh towels from the cabinet, admiring the way the muscles in his back flex as he moves.

The water is perfectly hot when we step in, steam rising around us in lazy curls. Nate pulls me under the spray, and I sigh as the warmth seeps into my skin. His hands slide up my arms, leaving trails of soap bubbles in their wake.

“You’re getting better at this,” he says, working the shampoo into my hair.

“At what?”

“Handling the cold.” His fingers massage my scalp, and I practically purr. “Remember when you first got here? With that lightweight jacket and no gloves? For Vermont winters, that was practically naked.”

I laugh, tilting my head back to rinse. “Hey, Arizona didn’t exactly prepare me for Vermont winters. Besides,” I add, reaching for his shampoo, “I’ve found better ways to stay warm.”

He hums appreciatively as I work my fingers through his hair. “That you have.”

We take our time washing each other, trading slow kisses under the spray. It’s intimate in a different way than before. Less urgent, more tender. By the time we finish, my skin is pink from the heat and my fingers are pruney, but I feel warm down to my bones.

Nate wraps me in one of his big, fluffy towels, kissing my shoulder before grabbing one for himself. I’m using his spare toothbrush when I hear my phone buzz from the bedroom.

“Can you grab that?” I ask around a mouthful of toothpaste. “Might be Marcus wondering if I’m okay.”

Nate disappears and returns a moment later with my phone, looking highly amused. “Well, he’s wondering something, all right.”

I rinse my mouth and take the phone, reading the text message lighting up my screen. It’s from Marcus reading, You go, girl! and followed by a selection of fire and eggplant emojis.

“Oh my god.” I drop my head into my hands while Nate laughs beside me. “I’m never going to hear the end of this.”

“Probably not.” Nate wraps his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder to look at the phone. “But at least he’s supportive.”

I turn in his arms, letting my head thunk against his chest. “Supportive is one word for it. Overinvested is another.”

“Could be worse.” He kisses the top of my head. “Come on, let’s go to bed. You can plot your revenge in the morning.”

I let him lead me back to the bedroom, where he’s already turned down the covers. I slide between the sheets, surrounded by his scent and warmth. Maybe I’ll let Marcus live after all.

Nate pulls me close, and I curl into him, fitting perfectly against his side like I’ve done it a thousand times before. His breathing evens out quickly, but I stay awake a little longer, listening to his heartbeat and thinking about how lucky I am to have found a perfect life in this small town that’s become more of a home than I ever expected.