“I’m not supposed to do a lot of things,” he murmurs.
He slides a plate toward me a minute later. Bacon, eggs, toast. Simple. Perfect.
I glance toward the window. Sunlight’s already breaking through the clouds. “Looks like it’s letting up.”
“Good,” he says, though he doesn’t sound convinced. “Soon as they clear the main road, I’ll get your car towed.”
There it is—the reminder of the world waiting outside this little cocoon.
I set my mug down, fingers brushing his on the table. “Thank you. For last night. For not…”
“For not what?” he asks, voice low.
“For pretending it didn’t mean something.”
He exhales, slow and rough, and his hand turns over beneath mine, palm up.
“It meant everything,” he says simply. “I meant what I said, Tessa. You’re mine now. I haven’t figured out what that means or how it looks, but I meant every single word.”
And there it is. The promise I wondered if he’d forgotten.
“You really meant that, huh?”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “It’s not like I can do a damn thing about it.”
“Jeez, don’t sound so excited.” I frown.
Nathan wraps his hand around my wrist and tugs me into his lap. “I never said I was good at words, baby.”
“All the lectures you’ve given me over the years say otherwise.”
“You haven’t changed a bit.”
My hands brush over his jaw. “I’ve always enjoyed driving you crazy.”
He shakes his head and lets out a low chuckle. “You’re lucky I love a challenge.”
“I think I love you.” The words slip out of my mouth before I even have a chance to stop myself.
I lock eyes with Nathan, terrified that I may have just blown everything.
Way to go, Tessa!
Nathan blinks slowly, then a wide grin spreads across his face and he nuzzles into the side of my neck. “Fuck, Tessa Pope. I know I love you, baby.”
eight
. . .
Nathan
Three little wordsthat hit harder than any punch I’ve ever taken.
For a heartbeat, I just stare at her—messy hair, flushed cheeks, still wrapped in my blanket—and something in my chest comes undone. There’s no going back from this. Not for me. Maybe not for her, either.
Damn, it feels good to say it. Feels right. Like something just snapped into place.
But when she leans into me and I bury my face against her neck, I feel the smallest tremor in my hands. Because the second the world starts spinning again, once the roads clear, and my phone starts ringing, I know everything about this will get harder.
