I thought for sure my brother and Nat were going to start throwing punches. Especially when Nat pulled me behind him as if Chris was trying to attack me. My brother has a short temper and a huge ego, so his angry response to that move was expected.
Thankfully, all seems well between the best friends.
Whether or not my brother accepts my relationship with Nat is one thing. But the bigger issue is Chris digging around my past. If he finds out why I lost my promotion at the airport hangar…
Breathe, Riley. Breathe.
The door bursts open and Nat stands before me, wearing grey joggers and a matching grey T-shirt.
“Hey, Riles.” He steps outside and lets the door click shut. My stomach is in knots, but I can’t help but smile when he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against his chest.
Nat smells absolutely amazing and, when I look up, I notice that his hair is a bit spiky and wet.
“Did you just shower?” I ask.
“Yeah, I came back from the rink a few minutes ago.”
My eyebrows jump and I check my watch. “Did you practice at the rink this morning?”
“I knew you were coming over for breakfast, so I set my alarm extra early to get an hour in.”
“It was late when we got home yesterday. How much sleep did you get?”
I’m nagging, but I can’t stop myself. Nat’s pushing himself so hard and I’m concerned.
But he doesn’t seem bothered by the questions. “Yesterday, you agreed to give me a shot. I would have been too excited to sleep even if Chris hadn’t shown up.”
“Nat.” I purse my lips. “You have a game tonight.”
“I’ve functioned on less sleep than this. No need to worry.”
I scrunch my nose.
Nat’s green eyes slide over my face, taking me in.
“You look beautiful,” he says.
That’s not true. I’m wearing my regular jumper and tank top for work. And while I did put on a little more blush and pinklipstick, I’m not as dressed up today as I was for April and Chance’s party last night.
But when Nat looks at me again, his eyes dip to my lips and arguing about my looks becomes increasingly less important.
“I’m happy you’re here,” Nat whispers.
“So am I,” I whisper back. “I put on extra dark eyeliner for you. Did you notice?”
“Oh yeah. I love your eyes—even without the liner,” Nat says, peering into them with an intense look.
“What about them?” I ask, looping my hands around his neck.
Nat inches closer. “They’re like magic. They’re dark eighty percent of the time, but then… moments like this, when you’re standing in the sun, they turn honey-brown.”
The door bursts open at that moment and my brother stands on the other side. The moment he sees Nat with his arms around me, Chris grimaces. “My eyes! My precious eyes!”
“Morning, Chris,” I squeak and try to nudge Nat away.
Nat palms my back with one of his giant hands and slides an arm possessively over my waist. Eyes narrowed on my brother, he scolds, “Ever heard of knocking?”
“Why would I knock frominside?”
