Page 61 of Want You

She squirmed under the covers, stretching with a little squeal added for good measure. Nathan was probably making hollandaise sauce. He told her he could, and because of her skepticism, he told her he’d take that as a challenge to blow her mind. Something she welcomed since blowing her mind was something he was quite proficient at.

He’d blown it three times last night and she was more than happy to let him keep doing that.

Footsteps dragged her from memories of last night and she looked to the open door when they stopped. She allowed herself to smile openly as he leaned against the door, hands in the pockets of his well-worn sweats, hair still styled by sleep, a grin that would melt the clothes from her body if she was wearing any.

“Morning, beautiful,” he said, pushing off the door and walking slowly to her side of the bed. “Breakfast is ready.” He sat on the edge of the bed, gripped the duvet in one fist and slowly dragged it down her body, revealing inch after inch of the skin he’d thoroughly kissed last night.

She sat up, leaning back on her hands, letting him get his fill. Heat radiated throughout her body the longer he looked and she wondered if perhaps they had time for him to blow her mind one more time in here before breakfast.

As if reading her mind, he leaned in, forcing her to lie back while he caged her in. Her breath caught as his lips descended to her throat, kissing down to her collarbone before heading north again.

“The realtor is going to be here to pick us up in an hour, but when we get back”—he licked her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, inviting him inside, but he backed away—“I’m going to make you scream my name so loud it’ll echo in the rafters of this cottage for decades.”

Holy shit. She shuddered, knowing he would absolutely keep his word.

“You don’t think you can get me to scream it now, handsome?”

“Oh, no, I know I could. I just know that once I start, stopping is going to be an issue. Also”—he sat back, eyes glued to hers—“I want to hear you moan when you eat breakfast.”

“Moan? It’s that good, eh?” she teased, slipping her legs off the bed and standing in front of him.

He swallowed, nodding as his eyes trailed down her body and reaching out as though he couldn’t stop himself.

“Oh.” She stepped back, out of his reach, shaking her head. “Absolutely no touching until that sauce you’re so confident in has me begging you to fuck me.”

Nathan’s teeth dragged over his bottom lip and she wondered if he was going to follow along or break. He stood, his erection obvious as he stepped closer.

“What if I eat you while you eat breakfast?”

Octavia pushed her shoulders back and stood taller. “I don’t know. If that hollandaise is as good as you claim I may never need you to eat me again.”

His face finally cracked when he laughed, grabbing her face and kissing her quickly. “I fucking adore you,” he said, his smile wide as he shook his head, dropped his hands, and headed toward the door. “Clock’s tickin’, babe.”

“Still thinking about that sauce, eh?” Nathan whispered when Octavia had missed yet another question the realtor asked while they walked around the second cottage of the morning.

“Sorry?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Denise asked if the kitchen would work. It needs a couple updates,” Nathan reiterated.

Octavia had been staring at the staged stovetop, her mind wandering back to the view of the kitchen earlier, the flavours of their breakfast still fresh on her tongue despite having brushed her teeth.

“Um.” She blinked out of her stupor. “Yeah, I mean, this place is great, I don’t think small upgrades here and there should be a disqualifier. What do you think?” she asked, turning her attention to Nathan, trying hard not to focus too hard on the way his finger snuck under the hem of her sweater, grazing her skin.

“I’d cook on an open fire if it meant the cottage felt right,” he said, making the realtor laugh.

“And does this one feel right?” she asked, her smile hopeful as she looked between them.

Octavia spun in a slow circle. While this cottage had more character than Nathan’s agent’s place and the first place they’d viewed combined, something didn’t quite feel right about it.

“I think the lake is too far away,” Nathan said, staring out the small kitchen window.

Octavia realized that is what felt wrong. The structure itself was pretty much everything she would want and what he had talked about wanting, but the distance between them and the lake was a bit of a letdown.

“You could always move it closer,” the agent said.

“The lake?” Octavia squeaked, wondering just how rich people were up here that the idea of moving a lake closer was something they actually thought about.

The agent chuckled at her reaction. “No, the cottage could technically be moved closer. A few others have done that around here.”