Page 27 of Want You

Standing in Nathan’s home alone was odd. The only lights were those shining in from the buildings around his condo, casting shadows across the room. Should she turn on a light? Make herself comfortable maybe? Perhaps she should continue standing in the entry playing with the ring on her thumb, looking at all the places she could go sit down rather than actually doing it.

She slid her boots off and padded across the hardwood to look down at the city below. She could leave. Pretend she never came, but then how would that look? It was weird enough to be here without him, it would be even stranger if she stayed here for ten minutes then left like a stalker. And she was definitely not a stalker, he was the one who kept this going. Texting her and giving her tickets to his game and asking questions about her life. He wasn’t a friend, wasn’t a lover, he was just someone she got off with.

“I’m leaving,” she said into the darkness, but when she was halfway across the room, she heard a key slide into the lock. Panicking, she looked around, she wasn’t close to any furniture, she still had her coat on. What the hell did this look like?

She stood in the middle of the room, frozen as his hand appeared first, brushing the wall to flip the light on. Then she watched as he stepped inside and around her boots, sliding his shiny brown shoes off. He didn’t look up at her, showed no sign anything was different than how it was when he got home any other night.

Maybe he hadn’t actually seen her boots sitting there, or perhaps he was just accustomed to random women’s boots being in his entryway. Something tightened in her stomach at the thought. Jealousy.

Nathan hung his coat up and then walked right past her into his kitchen. What the fuck? She looked down at her boots and then over her shoulder in time to see him open a bottle from the fridge. She watched as he tipped it up and took a long pull before walking out of the kitchen, down the hall toward his bedroom. Was she supposed to follow him?

Octavia seriously considered leaving, just pulling her boots back on and walking right the hell out of there, but by the time she decided that’s what she was going to do she was halfway to his bedroom, the sound of a tub filling filtering out of his open door.

She stepped into his room and stopped dead. Nathan stood there, his back facing her in just his dress pants, his shirt and socks thrown off to the side. She was momentarily distracted by the branches of the tree tattoo on his back, moving as if real when his muscles flexed. It wasn’t until he turned to toss his belt next to his shirt that she saw the massive bruise along his side and drew in a sharp breath.

“So you’ll watch me undress but won’t watch me play?”

CHAPTER 13

NATHAN

Fred had let Nathan know a beautiful redhead had shown up and he’d let her into his place. He’d sat staring at his steering wheel in the parking garage for several minutes trying to figure out what he should do. Grab her the minute he walked in and drag her to his bedroom? Be a normal person and ask why she was there when she hadn’t come to the game? In the end, he’d ignored her, walked right by like he didn’t even care. Like she was a piece of furniture. Decidedly not a normal way to go about things.

She couldn’t hear how fast his heart was beating or tell how he held his breath when he passed her, afraid of what he’d do if he caught scent of her fucking perfume.

Nathan heard her reaction when she saw the bruise. If she’d been at the game she would have known exactly when it happened. Sixteen minutes into the second period, distracted again by the fact she wasn’t in the seats he’d reserved for her. Realizing she really meant what she had said about this just being sex. Annoyed he let himself hope she’d be willing to recognize that it could be more.

“Nathan,” her hushed voice came from behind him, laced with concern. “Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing,” he said gruffly, stepping out of his pants and briefs before tossing them over with the rest of his clothes. He didn’t look back before walking into the bathroom and sinking into the tub.

Even with his back to the door he knew she was standing there now. Then he heard fabric sliding over skin.

“I’m not really in the mood, Octavia,” he said, resting his head on the edge of the tub and closing his eyes.

“That’s fine.” The water moved as she stepped in. Opening one eye, he watched her slowly lower herself opposite him, pulling her knees up and resting her chin on them, just above the water. His cock took notice but he stayed where he was, made no move to reach for her. “What happened?” she asked, her voice rippling across the water.

“Took a hit.”

“That’s obvious.”

“Was distracted,” he said, tipping his head back and closing his eyes again, trying desperately to focus on the heat of the water. He needed to relax and that wasn’t happening with Octavia across from him. He felt his muscles tense, coiled like a snake, prepared to strike if only his mind would release them.

He heard her take a deep breath, the water moving gently along with it. The question was obvious before she even asked. Why was Nathan Albertson distracted?

“You didn’t come,” he breathed out, willing his body to relax.

“You got hurt because I didn’t come to your game?” She sounded surprised.

Nathan groaned. He didn’t want to have this conversation now. He was tired, his body felt years older than thirty-four, and he was frustrated, sexually, with her, with himself, and with his brother. “I didn’t have my head in the game. It’s not your fault, it’s mine.”

“Well, I didn’t think it was my fault,” she said quietly. “I kind of resent the fact you thought I’d think that.”

“I didn’t say I thought that, Octavia.” He sighed. “I was disappointed but I didn’t expect you to ignore me completely. I’ve got a lot on my mind these days, you’ve been a good distraction.”

“A good place to eat out at?” The smile in her voice was obvious and he allowed his own smile to spread.

“You read the interview?”