When you were with the right person, everything snapped into place.
"Are you okay?"
I turned so that I faced her, not wanting her to think I was having any regrets."That was intense."
Her eyes widened."Is it because we were together before, or?—"
I rubbed my chest."I don't know.But I haven't felt like this with anyone else."
"Me either."
And it hadn't felt like that when we were younger.We had been figuring things out together, and it was special, but it wasn't like this.The chemistry now was so much more intense.But I wasn't going to question it.
She let out a breath."We can't lie in bed all day, can we?"
"Probably not.Although I'd like to test it out one day."
"Me too."
We lay there for a bit longer, and then we got up to shower together.I behaved myself in the shower, letting her wash up while I did the same.As much as I wanted to spend more time with her, I also wanted to show her my place, and I needed to get home and make the kitchen area somewhat inhabitable so I could host a guest.
When I was dressed, I pulled her against my body, kissing her as if I wanted to stay all day.When I leaned back, her eyes were hazy again."See you at my place in a few hours?"
She licked her lips, and I almost groaned."Yeah."
I forced myself to open the door and step into the hallway.She needed time and space to deal with her feelings, and I had a house to make presentable.
If this was going to work, I couldn't come on too strong.Although I was worried I already had and not through any fault of my own.
The sex was incredible.
Maybe that was the way to her heart.Show her how things between us were different, more intense.How her life would be better with me in it.That was the tough part.
At home, I quickly got to work, ordering groceries from a service I had used in the past, then clearing the kitchen, unpacking boxes, and running a load of dishes.When everything was in the cabinets and drawers, I scrubbed the counters and washed the floors.Then it was time to tidy the living room.She'd want to spend time in there too, and I didn't have any decorations.
I found the box of framed family photos Mom gifted to me when I moved in and got to work hanging them on the walls, setting others on the bookshelves.I needed more things in the house to make it mine, but this would do for now.
Then I ran up the stairs to the bedroom to make the bed.I did everything I could to make it feel like a home.I didn't want her to see the boxes and think I wasn't here to stay.I needed her to see there was no reason for me to leave, not with her and my family here.I was deep in the family business and had severed ties with the army.There was nothing that could possibly pull me away.
I was here to stay, and I needed to prove it to her.
In the bathroom, I hit Play on my hard rock playlist and got to work.This was what my brothers and I listened to when we were together working on a project, and it made me feel not so alone.I could ask any one of them to come over, and I knew they would, but I didn’t want to field questions about what was going on between Natasha and me.
Some people in Christmas Town might question what was happening, but we hadn't spent any time together outside of town.And her showing up at my parents' for dinner was their doing, not mine.Or at least that's what my brothers believed.
I didn't want my brothers giving me their opinions.I didn't need it.Especially since the last time, Hudson had warned me off her.I didn't need to hear all the reasons why it shouldn't or wouldn't work.
I was content to stay in this bubble with her.Everyone else's opinion was just noise.This thing with her felt right.It was a genius idea to ask her to go with me on holiday events.It was just the thing I needed to have her spend time with me.
It was no pressure.Just a friendly gesture.Falling into bed together wasn't exactly my plan, but I thought it could work.
I continued tiling the bathroom until the afternoon, and then I cleaned up my tools and jumped in the guest-room shower.My hope was that she'd want to stay overnight at my place.That would mean our relationship existed outside of Christmas Town too, which I would take as a good sign.
When I got dressed, I saw the text from Natasha indicating that she was on her way, and my heart rate picked up again.I hoped she'd like the house, even if it wasn't close to being finished.
I saw that the groceries had been delivered while I was in the shower, so I unloaded them in the kitchen.
When the doorbell rang, I rushed downstairs, wondering why I hadn't bothered to at least get a dog.This house seemed emptier now that I was expecting a guest.
