Page 48 of Nathan

“Pass me those condoms. It’s going to be a long, hard night.”

Chapter 20

Dex

As the early morning sun rises over Manhattan, bathing his bedroom in light, I snuggle into Nate’s side. He stirs and rolls over, wrapping his arms around me.

“Morning,” he murmurs against my ear, sending a shiver of desire down my spine, despite the fact we stayed up half the night fucking.

“What are we going to do today?” I ask.

“Fuck,” Nate replies lazily. I nudge him in the ribs, drawing a loud groan. “Ow.”

“Be serious,” I say.

He rubs the offending area. “I was being serious.”

I raise my eyes heavenward. “We’re guests here. We can’t spend all day in bed. Plus, I want to see New York.”

“We’re not guests. This is my brother’s place, so if we want to spend all day in bed, we can. However…” he adds when I open my mouth to interrupt. “There are some things I want to show you today that don’t involve the area below my waist.”

I can’t help laughing. “You’re so bad.”

He tickles me until I squeal and try to scramble away, but Nate soon has me pinned to the bed, both my wrists clamped in one of his large hands, leaving his other hand free to roam.

“I’m very, very bad, Titch. You don’t know the half of it.” He nuzzles between my breasts, and I arch into him. “Let’s shower.”

He climbs off the bed and wanders into the bathroom. Seconds later, the sound of running water reaches me. I ease myself out of bed and stretch, my body stiff and sore. In a few short weeks, I’ve turned into a goddamn nymphomaniac. I can’t get enough.

I love you.

Last night I managed to thrust the thought aside, but here it is again, crashing into me. I’ve never been in love, so how can I possibly know whether the feelings I have for Nate are love or some misplaced infatuation with a man who makes my body hum with a pleasure so addictive, I’m not sure I can survive without it?

I ended up in bed with him too fast, but I know myself well enough to recognize my feelings as deeper than purely physical. I love spending time with him. I crave his smile, and will do just about anything to make him laugh. When he’s happy, I’m ecstatic. He’s my anchor in the middle of the stormy sea of life, and I’ll do anything to cling on, to never let go.

I wander over to the window and take a few deep breaths to calm myself. Nate isn’t ready for this. Hell, I’m not ready. To fall in love with anyone is scary enough, but an actor? A man expert in playing a part would have the road ahead paved with pain if I’m not careful.

Is Nate even capable of such deep feelings? If he can’t embrace the love of his brothers when they so obviously adore him, what chance do I have of putting a dent in his armor? But I can’t pull away now. I’m in too deep. I have to try to protect my heart and focus on having fun along the way. Whatever happens, happens.

“Titch, get in here.”

Pushing aside all thoughts of love, I scamper into the bathroom. Nate stands with his shoulder braced against the glass door as he waits for me. He opens it and gestures for me to go ahead, then follows.

I step underneath the hot spray and wet my hair, but when I reach for the shampoo, Nate takes it from me. He squeezes a dollop into the palm of his hand and rubs it in my hair. God, that feels good. I let out a shallow moan of appreciation, drawing a hiss from him.

“How do you manage to make every little whimper sound so goddamn sexy, Titch?”

He digs his fingertips into my skull, and I moan again. “How did you learn to wash hair so good?”

He chuckles. “Tip your head back.”

I do as he asks, and he washes out the soap until the water runs clear. Reaching for the shampoo again, he passes it to me. “Your turn.”

I squeeze the bottle. “You’ll have to bend forward. I’m never going to reach.”

I expect him to lower his head, but instead, he lifts me and hooks my legs over his hips, bringing us eye to eye, his hands cradling my ass. “Now you can reach.”

I laugh and begin to wash his hair. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

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