“I don’t have time, Nat,” I mumble. “I don’t know where I put my shop keys. I have to find them. I have to go fix this.”
Rather than let me go, Nat wraps his arms around me and pulls me to his chest. The moment I feel his embrace, the pressure swirling inside my heart loosens a bit.
Nat hugs me tighter. “The shop keys are in the key dish on top of the dresser near the door. I put them there last night.”
I try to push away.
Nat holds me fast.
It feels good, but it also feels undeserved. “I have to go.”
“You’re in panic mode. You won’t be able to find a solution when you’re this frazzled.” His hand cups the back of my head and runs over my hair in a soothing gesture. “Take a deep breath first.”
The problem with the customer looms over my head and I find it hard to listen.
“Come on, Riles,” Nat coaxes me. “Just for a second.”
I follow his instruction. With my head nestled against Nat’s shoulder, I inhale his cologne and the subtle woodsy fragrance that is distinctly him.
Slowly, my shoulders relax and my pulse settles down. Nat notices the shift in my demeanor because he steps back and brushes a lock of my hair behind my ear.
“Now, how can I help you?” he asks, staring intently at me.
“Can you get the shop keys while I get some things I need from my room?”
“Done.”
I rush to my bedroom to pull on a clean jumper, fasten my feet into work boots and rush outside. When I get there, Nat is by the door with my keys and a tumbler with a cover on it.
“You have a water cooler at the shop, right? I put the lime slices and a plastic container of honey in here. Fill it with warm water when you have a moment and drink. It’ll help with the headache and the nerves.”
“Okay.” I snatch the keys from him and take the mug only because he put in so much effort to prepare it for me.
And then I’m out the door.
But something doesn’t feel right.
I stop in the middle of the hallway, turn around and sprint to where Nat is waiting in my doorway, watching me.
Stuffing the mug and my keys in the crook of one elbow, I grab his shoulder, pounce on my tiptoes and press a kiss to his cheek.
His eyes widen.
“Thank you,” I say breathlessly and then I fly down the stairs as fast as I can.
Chapter Thirty-Two
NATHAN
The gym is a chorus of grunts, metal clanking against metal and the rubbersqueakof sneakers against gym mats. Kinsey, Renthrow, and McLanely are training with headphones in their ears, but I’ve always preferred working out raw.
No podcasts.
No music.
Nothing to distract me from my form and my breathing.
Normally, I can slip right into the zone when I’m exercising. The world around me fades and the volume of my thoughts dials down to zero.
