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“Attention shoppers: Don’t forget about Tuesday Tear Down! See a store associate for details.” Well, if that’s not the worst sound to hear when grinding against the hottest man you’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is. Reality comes crashing back, as it so often does, proclaiming that we are in a furniture store… in public. “Oof—sorry, I—” I scramble to the side, putting at least a foot of space between us.
He turns his face toward the ceiling. His nostrils flare as he takes a breath. Almost reluctantly he sits up. “Let’s buy this one.” He gets up and helps pull me back to my feet. "I mean, we have to now."
“Excuse me?” A female voice says behind us.
I spin around, expecting to be yelled at by an employee for ruining the display bed. If only they knew what I’d done to that bed in my head.
But I momentarily forgot that I’m with Nathan Sterling, and he’s not my childhood playmate anymore. He’s famous. Like really freaking famous.
“Could we get a picture with you?” The woman holds up her phone.
He glances at me, as if asking permission. “Sure,” I say, reaching for the phone. “Say cheese.”
Nathan poses with the two women, and I snap a few shots before handing the phone back. They scurry off, giggling like school girls.
Nathan rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry about that.”
“I don’t mind,” I say. “But I take it you do?”
“It gets old. Mostly the fans are nice enough, polite, like those two…but some of them are just—intense.” His gaze shifts to his watch. “Let’s go pay for this and grab some lunch.”
We leave the furniture store and have lunch at a nice cafe. The conversation is surprisingly pleasant, just like it has been every night this week. Talking to him is so easy. When we’re alone, it’s like no time has passed… it’s just when reality sets in that it gets hard.
We eventually drive back to my place. My small townhome is nothing compared to his palatial mansion, despite the fact that I live just one street over. Zoning…what can I say? I know he’s already seen my place, but I’m still a bit embarrassed as I unlock the door.
Murphy nearly bowls us over in the doorway.
“Hi buddy!” Nathan pets him, as I go about turning on lights. “Did you miss me?”
“I should let Evan know we’re back so he can drop Rory off.” I head to the kitchen while Nathan continues playing with Murph.
Before I can call Evan, though, Nathan appears from nowhere and gently takes my phone out of my hands. “It’s early, yet… and we need to talk.”
The serious look on his face makes all of the ease from lunch vanish. I swallow hard. “Haven’t we been talking all night?”
He quirks a brow, as if to say, “You know that’s not what I meant.”
And I have a sinking feeling he’s right.
CHAPTER 12
Nathan
Now, is the perfect opportunity for me to warn Izzy about the pictures of Courtney that are bound to turn up… and then ease my way into bringing up Rory. Isabella and I are alone, in a private location. We have time to ourselves. There won’t be a more perfect time… and yet, the moment the words, “We need to talk,” leave my lips, I know I’m going to chicken out.
“Talk about what?” She asks, feigning innocence. I can tell that she suspects exactly where this conversation is headed. I’m not sure how to feel about that. If she truly does know that I know. Does she even feel guilty about lying to me? About keeping my daughter a secret?
I want desperately to be mad at her… but I also want to fuck her into next week. I barely know who I am anymore. Part of me wants to scream at her for leaving me without even a goodbye. The other half of me wants to throw her down on the floor, rip her clothes off and fuck her until she forgets her own name.
I think my anger is only fueling my desire more. Like I need some way to let out all this pent-up anger and frustration, and the only way I can think to do that is to drag her into the bedroom.
What that says about me psychologically I don’t know.
It crosses my mind for a second that there’s nothing stopping me from doing just that. But it has to be her. She has to want this. She has to tell me she wants it. She owes me that much.
I need her to be vulnerable, for once.
She sighs. “If this is about Rory--”
