Page 104 of Bound By Words

KELLY

Boston

Nathan let me sleep for several hours after our scene, and I woke up a bit sore, but he laid a towel down in the middle of his big bed, using massage oil to relax all my muscles. We never got dressed as we cuddled in the bed afterward, talking. If this was aftercare, I was all in. We’d managed to fit months of a regular relationship into weeks, and I never got tired of the sound of his voice or the way he touched me. His hand was a constant presence on my skin, and not just on my ass.

He explained what would likely happen at the party on Friday, telling me to prepare for a cocktail party followed by a little time for conversation. Then, things would change as the night went on, and people began to get comfortable with one another. In other words, there would be nudity and public sex acts—which were terrifying and exciting in equal measure. From what Emory told him, I knew this party would be tamer than some they attended, but I felt that might be good for me. Easing my way into the scene wouldn’t be quite so terrifying that way.

Talia had texted him while we were cuddling, inviting me to spend the next day with her to find something appropriate to wear, and I was a little nervous despite him assuring me his friend had good intentions. And I was also a little embarrassed that she’d been sitting next to me on the couch while I had an orgasm the other night. I knew it hadn’t bothered Nathan and his friends, but I was still struggling to push down the little voice in my brain telling me I was doing something dirty. The more time I spent with Nathan, the less I could hear it, but it was hard to break the ingrained stigma attached to enjoying what we were exploring.

He made me feel more comfortable with my body and expressing what I wanted, not only sexually, but in a partnership. I’d never had a man encourage me to use my words and tell him exactly what I wanted and thought. Twenty years of censoring myself for public consumption had conditioned me to shrink myself. Nathan encouraged me to break out of that box I’d stuffed myself inside and do what I wanted, purely because I wanted it.

As we shared more and more, I found myself addicted to the way he made me feel. I felt seen and heard in a way I’d never experienced, and it terrified me that it could all come to a screeching halt at any moment. But I wouldn’t dwell on that because I knew what we were building was bigger than the thousand miles that would separate us.

“She’s going to be here in fifteen minutes,” Nathan shouted from the bedroom while I tried to rinse the conditioner from my hair. He’d offered to do it for me if I showered with him earlier. I’d sadly turned him down because I knew we’d never be ready on time if he helped. His idea of helping me shower involved his hands trying to impersonate a bra, then bending me over and licking my pussy until my legs gave out. While I hadn’t minded the day before, I was already running late.

“I’m coming,” I shouted, turning off the spray from the rainfall showerhead. I hadn’t been lying when I said I wanted to live in his bathroom. It wasn’t that the one in my condo wasn’t nice—it was high-end, too—but his whole apartment felt warmer than my sterile shades of gray and pops of neutral blue.

Nathan, in general, brought warmth to my life, and I hated that the ax of time was hanging over our heads. The sands were emptying into the bottom of the hourglass—whatever cheesy time metaphor I thought of, they described this sinking feeling of anxiety that had been building in my chest.

My phone had been silent, the text messages stopping after the second one, but I felt like it was lulling us into a false sense of security. I knew Trent couldn’t trace me to Nathan’s, but his volatile words had scared me more than I let on. When pushed into a corner, desperate people were dangerous, and if Tom said his computers had been confiscated, something major was happening. Deacon continued to throw busy work at me casually with little communication on my situation, but I still had remote access to the server, which gave me peace of mind.

“Sunshine, hurry,” Nathan warned, and my head turned toward the bathroom door. He leaned against the frame with his arms crossed on his chest, and a fitted blue dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. He looked yummy wearing a pair of fitted, neatly pressed navy slacks and dark, shiny work boots. He’d spent twenty minutes carefully combing his hair back, and he looked almost as good as he had at the wedding but in a hot construction manager type of way. I was sure he’d even make a hard hat look sexy. I was a goner for this man.

Talia’s invitation had been serendipitous, but I knew Nathan may have called in a favor when he told me he needed to go into the office for a meeting today.

He’d been up early, disappearing to the fitness center in his building’s basement for an hour while I worked on my laptop. When he came back up, sweaty and the muscles in his biceps looking extra impressive, I’d only drooled a little. He teased me as he left a trail of clothing across his bedroom floor and into the bathroom, giving me a little wink as he disappeared behind the door, completely naked. If he’d thought that was revenge for me walking around naked the other day, I was all about revenge. He could punish me any day.

“Where’s your hairdryer?” I asked as I reached out the glass shower door, grabbing the towel I’d left on the edge of the vanity.

“Come here,” he instructed, patting the counter in front of him. I picked up my brush on the way, but before I could lift it to my head, he caught it, setting it down on the counter briefly before he spun me to face the mirror.

He carefully parted my hair, running the brush through my wet tangles with a look of concentration. I wanted to lean back into his touch, but I didn’t want to get his shirt wet, so I watched him quietly take care of me.

“Thank you,” I whispered, swallowing past the lump in my throat as he picked up a hand towel and slowly rubbed my hair.

“You’re very welcome, sunshine,” he smirked as he pointed at the bottom drawer of the cabinet bank. “Hairdryer is in there. I need to get going, but I’ll wait to let Tal in before I leave.”

I nodded, turning to face him. Nathan pushed my hair back over my shoulders, leaning in to kiss one softly, working his way up my neck, slowly taking possession of my mouth as he cupped my cheeks.

“Text me if you need anything. I’ll send you Emory’s contact information in case you need him. Please stay with Tal.”

“I will. I promise,” I confirmed, knowing he was anxious about letting me out of his sight. I was nervous, too, but even if he was crazy enough to fly to the East Coast, Trent thought I was in Connecticut. I hoped he wasn’t unhinged enough to do something to my brother’s empty house.

“Buy whatever you want, my treat,” he offered, but I had enough saved to take care of whatever I wanted to buy. I’d still completed enough work to keep my normal salary while I wasn’t in the office. Not having a life outside work wasn’t very expensive.

“Alright.” I nodded, not wanting to argue. “Thank you.”

“I mean it. I want you to get what you want. Knowing you’re comfortable is the most important thing,” he insisted. “But I have a present to give you tonight when I get home.”

“Hmm,” I hummed, reaching to cup him through his slacks. He wasn’t hard, but I loved how his face changed as he firmly grasped my wrist.

“That’s not the present, but hold that thought until I get home.”

“Can I hold it when you come home?“ I asked with a grin and giggled when he shook his head.

“Behave and put some clothes on. Although, I think Tal might like the show if you walked around in a towel.”

“Fine,” I pouted, grabbing the bra and panties I’d left on the counter and pulling them on.

---