The dots are immediate, and suddenly I’m more anxious than I’ve been in years.
Nate: Hey. You okay?
My heart skips a beat. Of course, Nate’s first concern is me.
Not really. I’m ready to talk now.
Nate: Tonight?
A part of me wants to say yes, to get it over with, but when I look at the time, it’s pretty late.
Maybe after work tomorrow. It’s midnight.
Nate: Let me come over, Madeline. After talking to Mase tonight, there’s no way either one of us is sleeping tonight.
Nate: I was already up anyway, sick to my stomach, knowing he was over there.
I pretend to think it over for my sake, faking myself out to believe that I attempted to hesitate.
Yeah…okay.
Nate: I’ll see you in about fifteen minutes.
The second the text comes through, I’m up, sprinting through the penthouse to my bedroom.
I brush my teeth, ditch the ratty sweats, and then do something I don’t look into because then I’d have to admit to myself I care more about our interaction than I want to acknowledge.
I take off my engagement ring and leave it on my bedside table.
Soon after, I hear the penthouse elevator ding, and then I’m standing face-to-face with Nate and my favorite pair of blue eyes.
My heart thuds violently, echoing in my ears, and my breath catches, causing the simple words of “hello” to get stuck in my throat.
Nate’s eyes flicker over me as he runs his hand through his perfectly imperfect, but still flawless, waves.
My body responds on instinct, lighting up from the familiarity Nate’s presence elicits, almost too familiar and yet foreign all at once.
He’s the same Nate, with the same kind eyes, same olive-tanned skin, and those stupid sexy muscles, but his overall presence is more demanding than ever.
I felt the dominance he exuded in the office, but now, with him filling my personal space, I feel it tenfold.
The older, mature CEO, Nate.
The way he stands and holds his head up high is a confidence that was only beginning to peak when we were together, and it’s more attractive than I like to admit.
“Mads?”
My eyes snap to Nate’s. He reveals a hint of a smirk, telling me he knows everything I’ve been thinking.
Embarrassed, I turn my back on him so he doesn’t see my blush. “Let’s sit.” I don’t wait for him. I quickly walk toward the couch and then divert again toward the kitchen. “Do you want a drink? Water or wine is all I have.”
“What, no Diet Coke?” he jokes, and dang it, it makes me smile.
“Drank the last one yesterday,” I mumble, ignoring how easy it already feels to be around Nate.
“Water is fine. Thanks.”
I hand him a glass, then sit across from him when something dawns on me. “How did you get up here without calling first?”
