Nathan chuckled at the thought and relaxed. "Well, no. We had it out and ready to go, but Mr. Hill walked up and caught us red-handed. It was quite the scandal. Elizabeth, I'm sorry that happened. I had no idea that any. To tell you the truth, Andrea was probably just jealous of you."
"What? Jealous of me?" I exclaimed. A bully who’d haunted my dreams was jealous of me? The thought didn't even make sense. “Why on earth would Andrea be jealous of me?"
"Your boobs," Nathan said with a straight-lined grin. "She was always going on and on about how she had no boobs and how she was so jealous of girls with curves. For what it's worth, you weren’t only victim. She was cruel to most people. Honestly, I'm not sure what I saw in her. We didn't last long after prom,” he said, without a hint of regret in his voice. “But look, I ended up with the prettiest girl at the school. I mean, eventually.” With that, he looked at me and smiled.
My cheeks grew hot, but I smiled back. "Thanks. And for what it's worth…” I started as I took a bite of the pasta with sauce, "this is, hands down, the best pasta sauce I have ever had. You will have to thank your mom for me."
"I'm glad you like it. It’s nice to cook for someone. Even though now I know to make something healthier,” he offered.
Idefinitelycaught the fact that he saidnext time.
Nathan really was sweet. I was glad I had shared that part of my past with him. It was cathartic for me and it meant a lot that his really listened and tried to understand. I was typically closed off about that part of my life, but he was easy to talk to. I was glad he was so gentle and kind about it. My painful past seemed less harsh now that he was part of my present.
We both finished eating and sat while sipping the wine and talking. The hours wore on, but neither of us seemed to want to stop learning about the other. However, eventually, I became quite aware of how long we’d been sitting there.
"Goodness, what time is it?" I said, glancing at the large clock on the wall. "It's already eleven? We've been sitting here for almost four hours."
"Time flies when you're having fun," Nathan said, tipping his glass back to drink the last of his wine.
"Thank you, Grandpa," I teased and got up from the table. "I have to get to bed. I have a test to study for tomorrow, and I need to get some sleep."
"Oh, butI'mthe grandpa?" he teased back. "You're the one going to bed so early." He got up and followed me to the door.
"I would hardly consider 11pm early," I said. I didn't want him to go, but I knew I needed to be fresh for studying the next day.
"Okay, I get it. I'll head out. Do you want me to help clean up first?" he asked.
"Absolutely not," I said. "You cooked. I can clean."
"Okay, but I would like to do something else if you don't mind," he said as we approached the door. "I've been wanting to do it for quite a while now, honestly."
My stomach knotted. If he was thinking about whatIwas thinking about, then I wasn’t sure how to react.
"Sure, what is it?" I asked,
The second our eyes connected, it was game over.
Without another word, he drew me in close and wrapped his arms around my back. He pulled me flush to his hard chest and fused his mouth to mine. His tongue ran along the seam of my closed lips. My heart soared. I wanted to hate it. Well, I wanted to want to hate it. I should have shoved him away and give him a piece of my mind. Instead, I surrendered completely.
I wanted more of him.
My heart pounded in my throat and the blood rushed to my ears. Nathan closed the gap between our bodies as his hands fell to my hips. He gripped me tightly. His tongue invaded my mouth, stroking along the roof, teasing me making me weak in the knees. I tried to keep myself upright. I tried to stay strong as his tongue slid against mine. The second his hands roamed up my sides and tangled into my long, dark hair, I melted against him.
I couldn’t get enough.
14
Elizabeth
My heart was beatinglike a drum.
I was dizzy and I thought I might faint. But I didn't want the moment to end. As his arms cloaked my back, I leaned into it as he deepened the kiss. I parted my lips, letting him in as he backed me against a cool surface. I didn’t know what I was pressed against. I didn’t care.
All I cared about was feeling more of him.
“Fuck,” he growled, into my mouth.
I whimpered as his teeth slid along my lower lip. “Shit,” I whispered, softly.
