“In my world, trust is currency. And it's rare. I grew up in military schools, bouncing between places that felt more like prisons than homes. My parents didn’t care where I ended up, as long as I stayed out of their way.” My voice turns harder, but I keep it steady. “I was trained to shut off emotions, detach, survive. No space for love. No time for it.”
Her fingers trace a slow heart over my chest. Fuck, she doesn’t even realize what she’s doing to me.
“So… no one’s ever been able to win your heart?” she asks, almost shy.
You did. Twenty-five years ago. And every second since.
But I don’t say that.
I smirk and sip my wine instead. “Not yet.”
“Never say never,” she whispers, eyes on mine, and for a second, the air thickens between us.
I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “We’re going back at some point,” I say, my voice rougher than I meant. “I don’t want to.”
Something clenches in my gut. I just got her, and the idea of letting go again? No. Not happening.
“Move in with me.”
Her eyes widen. “Live together?”
“Yes. But not at the manor. I’m buying a house, well…planning to buy one. Ours.” I run my thumb along her jaw. “I want to build something with you.”
Her lips part, and for a moment she looks like she might say yes—then doubt creeps in.
“Living with you…”
I lean in, pressing a kiss below her ear. “We don’t have to share a bed. Not unless you want to.”
She swats at my chest, laughing softly. “That’s not the issue. I feel safe with you, Nate. But…”
“But?” I press, tilting her chin up. “Talk to me, baby.”
“If you plan on dating other women… I don’t want to be in the same house. We haven’t defined anything yet, and I just—don’t want to be confused. Or hurt.”
The moment she says it, something flips inside me.
I lean in, close enough to steal her breath. “Isabel,” I say, my tone firmer now. Dominant. “I don’t need anyone else. And I don’t want anyone else. You’re not just some placeholder in a fake marriage. You're the only woman I see.”
Her eyes drop to her lap.
“I don’t have much to offer you,” she whispers.
I grip her chin and tilt her face toward mine. “You have everything I want. Don’t you get it? You walk into a room, and my whole damn world shifts. You breathe, and I want to kneel. You hurt, and I want to burn the world down.”
She swallows hard, lips parted, her breath shaky. “Nate…”
Just as I’m about to claim her mouth, my phone rings.
Fucking perfect timing.
I reach for it lazily, not really expecting anything important—until I see the number flashing on the screen.
Her dad’s.
I feel my whole body tense. Just the sight of his name makes my jaw tighten like a vice. I hold the phone up for her to see; the silent question already written on my face. Her lips press into a thin line, her eyes dimming like someone just shut the sun off inside her.
If it were up to me? I’d let that call rot in hell. Smash the damn thing against the wall and pretend it never came. Two whole fucking days, and he’s just now realizing his daughter is gone? Or he called to apologize for being so fucking stupid? Figures, if it’s like my father, those words would never leave his mouth.
