I sink back into the plump duck-feather pillows with a sleepy sigh. The bedroom door opens with a quiet creak.
‘Holly?’ A voice whispers through the bleakness like a ray of sunshine. ‘I made you coffee.’
Nate’s silhouette becomes clearer through the darkness as my eyes adjust, but it’s his topless torso that has me really squinting. Low hanging jeans drape from his hips, showcasing that enticing happy trail. Oh, how happy it made me last night.
‘Thank you.’
No one has ever brought me coffee in bed before. ‘How did you know how I like it?’
Those pearly whites almost blind me through the darkness as he flashes another devilish megawatt grin. ‘Sweetheart, I know exactly how you like it.’
My lips meet the mug and I blow gently before taking a sip of smooth, rich, strong coffee. It slides down my throat like velvet. It’s perfect. Dark and strong, just like him.
‘You’re not wrong.’ I take another sip because I don’t know what else to do. I’m not au fait with fuck buddy next morning etiquette.
Why is he lingering against the bed frame like he’s about to sit down?
He got what he came for. Another mind-blowing night of intense sex. I kind of assumed he’d be on his way, until tonight at least.
He strides to his side of the bed, flips the duvet back, and slips under the covers next to me.
What is he doing? This was supposed to be sex only, yet here he is getting back into bed for a chat like it’s the most natural thing in the world. ‘Don’t you have a job to go to?’
‘Don’t you?’ he quips, as his hot palm splays over my stomach with an affection I didn’t dare expect.
I wriggle sideways an inch, snuggling in closer to Nate’s perfectly carved abs. There’s no way I’m going to turn down the opportunity to huddle into this god-like, coffee-making creature. ‘I still have no idea why Max offered me this job.’
‘Trust me. We need you.’ A frown flickers across his face for a split second. ‘Do you have any plans for later?’
My mind rolls over to my painting, but that will be there long after this man has disappeared. ‘No.’
‘Can I come over? Maybe we could get a takeout and watch a movie?’
‘You want to watch a movie with me?’ Surprise slides across my skin and snakes into my voice.
‘You have heard of Netflix and chill?’ He exhales an amused snigger and his hand on my stomach slides an inch lower.
My core clenches. Every cell remembers exactly what this man is capable of. ‘There was me thinking we’d passed the Netflix part already, given our agreement.’
‘I’m not just a piece of beef, you know,’ he teases. ‘Action heroes are partial to a little tenderness too.’
‘Excuse me for not knowing that. You’re the first one I’ve encountered.’ With Nate pressed against me through the early morning light, it’s surprisingly easy to forget he’s who he is. ‘Come over tonight, you’ll get your tenderness, but I get to pick the movie.’
‘If you’re anything like my sisters, it’ll beLove Actually.’ He rolls his eyes.
‘It is almost December.’ I shrug. ‘WatchingLove Actuallyis a tradition.’
‘Not for me, it isn’t.’ His eyes drift to the ceiling, seeing something that isn’t there. ‘Traditions are watching the Christmas lights get turned on in town. Opening an Advent calendar and counting down the days until Santa comes.’
A wistful sigh slips from my lips. ‘Nope. Not for me. We never did Advent calendars. Not even as kids. In our house, sugar is the devil. And my parents were usually too busy with their business to bring us to town to see the lights. Funny, they were never too busy to miss mass, though.’
‘What?’ Nate jerks up in mock outrage. ‘You can’t be serious?’
‘Deadly serious.’ I nod, taking another sip of my coffee.
‘We’ll have to rectify that.’ He presses a kiss to the side of my temple in yet another surprisingly affectionate gesture. ‘But right now, I’m about to start another tradition for the festive season. Put the mug down. I’d hate for you to spill coffee on the sheets.’
My greedy core coils with a fresh bout of need and I slam the cup on the dresser so fast it almost spills, anyway.
