Now, he had a reason, or more aptly, an excuse to go see her. He wasn't going because they were friends or anything like that. Not because he missed her and just wanted to get his fill of her. No, he was sent to go see her by his Alpha. There was no way that he could get around that, and Nathan didn’t want to.
When he got to the address, it seemed like every other house on every other street. Clapboard shutters and perfect yards. Everything was just so, and it felt like he was looking into Laurel a little bit deeper. He never would have imagined that she came from such a place. It was so different than how he grew up and how he was raised. They were so different, and just seeing the house that she was living in, the one that she had grown up in, told him just how different they really were.
It made him pause at the walkway, wondering if he was doing the right thing. He could have sent somebody else. He could have just called.
Before he could make a decision one way or another, the front door opened, and Laurel was running down the stairs toward him. She had a smile on her face and his own started to blush.God, he had missed her.
“Nathan! What are you doing here!?”
He was a little taken aback by her generous greeting, and his body was reacting in kind. His body was completely affronted by the way her body pressed up against him as she hugged him. It had been a different kind of hug, one that made his claim to have a little bit tighter and wrought out the protective feelings like no one else ever had. He wanted to hold her tight and make sure nothing ever happened to her. It was only when she started to wiggle free, that either realized he was still holding her.
“God, beefcakes, you really got a grip on you, don't you?”
She had a smile on her face, so easygoing, and all he could feel was tortured. Here she was, smiling with a laugh in her eyes, and he couldn't touch her. He couldn't have her. He couldn't bend her over and sink deep inside of her to become one with her. In truth, that was probably what bothered him the most. How badly he wanted her.
“What in the world are you doing here?”
“I was just out and about. I didn't have much to do, and I thought about you.”
“Liar.”
“What am I lying about?”
“The fact that you don't have much to do. Since Vincent is in California, I know that you're running the place. You probably don't have any time at all on your hands, anymore.”
He smiled sheepishly and agreed. “I really don't.”
She laughed and asked him what he was doing there, then. Nathan couldn't get over the angelic look on her face and the immediate attraction he felt to her. He always came back to fate and how she supposedly wasn't supposed to be his. If anyone was supposed to be his, it was this woman right there in front of him. She had to be his. How could he feel this way and it not be so?
She looked good. Really good. It had only been a couple of days, but God, he had forgotten how devastatingly beautiful she was. Long hair, pale white skin, and strong, lithe body that she showed off by wearing skimpy outfits that didn't conceal much.
Right then, she was wearing short shorts and a tank top that dipped in the front. It was obvious that she was not planning on going anywhere else for the day. She looked like she was ready to go to bed, and of course, Nathan’s mind thought immediately about how he would like to take her there.
All of those thoughts raced through his head in a matter of seconds. He smiled again and just told her that he wanted to see her.
“Don't lie, Nathan. You never were good at it. You're here because Mallory sent you, right?”
He didn't know if he should agree or not, but he did. “Yeah, that's right.”
“Well, I think it's really sweet that you came all the way here, but I'm alright, really. I told Mallory I was okay, too, but she never listens.”
“I don't think she would have been able to stay in California without sending me. I had to and I quote ‘Go over there and make sure my best friend is okay. I don’t believe her when she says that she is and you shouldn’t either’.”
“Yeah, that sounds about like Mallory. Tell her I am perfect.”
“Yeah, Laurel, you have always been perfect.”
He wasn't talking about how she was taking the news about her parents, that was probably the last thing on her mind. He was talking about other things, and Nathan had to pull himself back. He wasn’t there for that. He was set to be married to Nancy, whether he liked it or not.
“Well, then, you can report back to Mallory that I'm fine, and you are let out of your obligation.”
“As beautiful as you are, I can’t see how you would be okay with what I heard. Are you really alright?”
She agreed quickly, but she wouldn't quite meet his gaze. Nathan had a feeling that all of the bravado was a farce. She looked upset.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I'm fine. I am not sure what answer you want.”
