Page 17 of The Greatest Gift

Nakul stands there, his hands in his pockets as per usual, his loose gray shirt hanging just right over jeans that hug his legs and, well… everything else. I hadn’t noticed before, but I do now. My eyes linger a second too long before they snap back to his face.

“Hey,” I say, my voice a little too high. “Come in.”

“Hey,” he replies, stepping inside. His smile is warm, easy, the kind of smile that makes me feel both comfortable and completely unsteady.

We stand there for a moment, awkwardly shifting. I gesture toward the kitchen. “Dinner’s almost ready. You can sit if you want.”

“Smells amazing,” he muses, following me into the kitchen. He leans against the counter, watching as I finish plating the chicken with roasted vegetables. “You really went all out.”

I shrug, avoiding his gaze. “I figured it’d be better than takeout.”

When the food’s ready, we sit at the table and I serve Nakul, trying to wade through the awkward tension. “So,” I start, desperate to fill the silence, “how’s work going?” It’s the only thing I can think to ask but it just shows how much I don’t know the man in front of me.

“Good,” he says, cutting into his chicken. “The lab project’s coming along. Your sister, Athena—she’s a powerhouse. Keeps me on my toes.”

I laugh, nodding. “She’s always been like that. Even when we were kids, she was the one bossing everyone around.” Most people think Athena is the older sister, what with her slice of fame when she was married to her ex. She was in all the newspapers in her high-end house but that ended poorly. She’s happy now with Lars and he’s one of the best brother-in-laws I could ask for. Graham—Jess’—husband is my other brother-in-law and they’re both perfect for my sisters.

He smiles as the tension in the room eases a little. “What about you?” he asks. “What made you want to go into accounting?”

I shrug, chewing on a piece of chicken. “I was good at numbers. It seemed like a smart career. I had this idea I’d open my own firm, maybe travel a bit, but life had other plans. Working with my family isn’t so bad, though. They’re supportive and we usually get along.”

“Usually?” he teases.

I grin. “Okay, there are days when we don’t. But it works.”

He leans back in his chair, studying me. “If they’re so supportive, why didn’t you lean on them sooner? With Stevie, I mean.”

The question catches me off guard and I stare at my plate for a moment. “I felt like a failure,” I admit quietly. “Like asking for help would just confirm that I couldn’t do it on my own. And then, after a while, it felt like it was too late to ask. I’d dug myself into a hole and I didn’t want anyone to know how deep it was.”

“I get that,” he says. “But you’re not a failure, Judd. You’re doing the best you can and Stevie’s lucky to have you.”

The sincerity in his voice makes my chest tighten. “Thanks,” I say softly, not trusting myself to say more on that matter.

The conversation flows more easily after that. Nakul tells me stories about high school and football, about how he dreamed of playing pro but an injury derailed everything. He talks about how much he’s learned since then, how his life has taken paths he never expected.

I share more about my own journey—my aspirations, my missteps, and the strange but fulfilling life I’ve built with my family and Stevie. It feels good to open up, to talk without worrying about being judged.

Before I know it, we’ve finished eating, and I’m clearing the plates. “You don’t have to help,” I tell Nakul as he gets up to join me in the kitchen.

“Not a chance,” he says, grabbing the dishes from the table and bringing them over.

We work side by side in the small kitchen and I realize I’m not ready for the night to be over. But there’s no obvious way to keep it going without making things… weird. I stack the last plate in the sink and turn around, ready to thank him for coming.

Instead, I bump straight into him.

“Oh, sorry,” I start, but the words die in my throat. He’s closer than I realized, his dark eyes locked on mine. Our breaths mingle in the small space between us and it feels like the air has been sucked out of the room.

“Tell me I can kiss you, Judd,” he mumbles.

“Yes.” No hesitation, no thinking, just one word.

His lips are on mine a second later. This kiss is sweet, deliberate, like he’s savoring every second. His hands slide to my waist, pulling me closer, and I tangle my fingers in his long hair, losing myself in the sensation, in the warmth of his touch.

This time it’s different, the awkwardness gone, nothing to stop us from going further. And Nakul isn’t stopping, his lips trailing down my jaw and then to my throat. A gasp falls from me as my head falls back and I catch myself against the counter. “Nakul?”

“Tell me to stop if you need to, Judd. I don’t know what this is but I can’t stop thinking about you. I just need… more. To explore. To satisfy the desire.” He straightens back up, still holding onto my waist, searching my expression. I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. “Let me taste you.”

It’s like my entire body short circuits, although my cock doesn’t get the memo. It thickens against the seam of my jeans, almost painfully. There’s no way he can’t feel it against his thigh with how close he is but I can’t seem to find my words.

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