I slid my hand between her legs, pressing with my thumb. Her back arched, and she let out a muffled scream as she slammed a hand over her mouth. It was my name on her lips. Mine. It pushed me over the edge. I took her hand from her mouth and kissed her through it.
The rest unfolded slowly and deeply, like something we’d both been waiting for. Every shift, every touch, every pressed-together moment felt like a promise neither of us said out loud. She held my gaze when I kissed her again, and it wrecked me in the best possible way.
And when the world finally settled around us again, I pulled her into my chest, breathing her in—her hair, her warmth, the soft sound she made when she curled closer.
No rush. No fear. Just us.
She was quiet for a long moment, curled into me like it was the most natural thing in the world. My arm was around her bare shoulders, my hand resting over her spine, feeling the rise and fall of each breath.
I stared at the ceiling in the dark, trying to catch my breath—not from what we’d done, but from what it meant.
Because I was falling for her. Not a crush. Not a phase. Not whatever people called it when they wanted something easy.
She shifted slightly, her nose brushing my collarbone, and I kissed the top of her head without thinking.
“You okay?” I asked quietly, brushing my fingers through her hair.
She nodded, then hesitated. “Yeah. That was more than okay. Just like everything else—you are good at what you do.”
I smiled into her hair. “Stay,” I said finally. My voice was soft but sure. “You don’t have to leave tonight.”
She went still in my arms.
“I mean it,” I added. “I’ll make cocoa or tea or pancakes or anything you like in the morning. Lois will let you pick the playlist for breakfast prep. I’ll even give you the good side of the bed.”
Eliza’s soft laugh warmed the quiet between us. “There’s agoodside of the bed?”
“There is now.”
She looked up at me, her eyes unreadable in the dim light, but her voice was soft.
“Okay.”
That one word settled something in me I didn’t know had been wound tight. I pulled the covers up over her, made sure shewas warm, and reached for her hand under the quilt. She laced her fingers through mine without hesitation. We got up, taking turns in the bathroom to get ready for bed.
I’d never wanted to move this slow and stay this close all at once.
We settled back in bed, side by side, the quiet of the house wrapping around us like another blanket. For a while, there was only the sound of soft breathing, the gentle creak of the mattress each time one of us shifted. I could feel the weight of the day melting away, replaced by a certainty that neither of us was in a hurry to break the spell. It was easy, natural—like we’d done this a hundred times before.
She was already half-asleep by the time I whispered, “Goodnight, Eliza.”
She didn’t answer—but she didn’t let go of my hand either.
And I didn’t sleep for a long time. Because all I could think about was how good it
felt to have her in my arms, in my house,in my life. And how I’d do just about anything to keep her here.
Chapter 24
Eliza
Iwoke up wrapped in warmth. A solid arm was tucked around my waist, a slow, steady breath tickled the back of my neck, and the quilt was tangled halfway down my legs. For one disorienting second, I didn’t remember where I was.
Then I did.
Nate’s bed. Nate’s room.
Nate.
