Page 91 of Beneficial Misfortune

We’re totally going to be murdered in this house tonight.

I watch Nathan walk in, flipping on lights as he goes, and I can’t take my eyes off him, watching, waiting. It takes him a minute, but eventually, he seems to notice I’ve yet to follow.

“I called ahead and had the house prepared for us,” he says, as if that means something to me. Maybe it should, but honestly, all I can think about is all the places a crazed murderer could be hiding.

Apparently, my face gives my fear away because he’s back in front of me in just a few strides of his long legs. His fingers grip my chin, forcing my head up so that our eyes meet.

“I had them leave the door unlocked because they messaged me to say they were finished right before we left. I also have cameras on the grounds and up and down the street, not onlyhere but by the house, so you can breathe easily. Nobody is going to hurt you here.”

“O–okay,” I manage to stutter out with a nod that doesn’t feel convincing, but he seems to accept it. I expect him to release me and us to move into the house; instead, his fingers remain where they are as his eyes continue to bore into mine, and I’m trapped, completely and utterly at his mercy.

I damn near go cross-eyed as he slowly moves forward, leaning in until his lips press against my own, and I swear to god my knees almost give out. It’s not long, just enough to totally and completely erase every thought from my head.

“In the house, Kat,” he says, his lips moving against my own before he pulls away, and this time, I don’t hesitate to follow him, pushing the door closed behind me.

My fear is quickly replaced by wonder as I look around the house, admiring the high vaulted ceilings and dark wood that appears to run throughout.

“I designed these homes around our groundsman's property. His was the first home we built, and he had the full ability to customize it. It ended up having a nice homey feeling, so we just kept up the same style for the rest with minor changes here and there,” he explains as he continues through the house. And while it’s cool to know, I don’t really understand why he’s telling me or why we’re even here.

The whole house is pretty open; there are no walls separating the rooms like they do at the mansion, and because of that, each step seems to echo back to us. Nathan stops near the back wall, near a fireplace that I’m shocked to find already has a beautiful glowing fire.

It shouldn’t surprise me. Honestly, nothing with him should anymore, but somehow, it keeps happening. I guess this was part of the ‘getting the house ready’ that he was talking about earlier.

The whole wall around the fireplace is glass, from the floor to the ceiling, though it’s hard to see much because of the darkness outside.

A place like this would be amazing in the woods, somewhere with less light pollution, where you could really see the stars.

“Yes, New York is good for a great many things. Seeing the stars isn’t one of them.”

Nathan steps up beside me, looking out the window at the few stars that are visible, and I realize I must have said that out loud.

At least it wasn’t something worse, I suppose.

We stand in silence, looking out the window, and as beautiful as this place is, and how much I don’t mind being with him, I still don’t understand why we’re here.

“So…” I start to say before trailing off. Crap, I should have figured out what I was going to say before I opened my mouth.

Nathan turns away from the window to look at me, and I sink my teeth into my lower lip under his gaze.

Me and my big mouth.

“So, I thought you might like to see the house that is usually reserved for Addison’s nanny.”

I’m not sure if he just happened to decide to tell me that or if he somehow knew what I was trying to ask, but either way, it doesn’t matter. He answered my question whether he knew that was it or not, and now I’m left with about fifty more…

“I’m sorry, what?” I say because I’m not sure I heard him correctly. If this is where the nanny usually lives, why am I staying in his house?

Maybe my being there was temporary? I did move in pretty quickly because of the break-in at my apartment. Maybe something here wasn’t ready? Does he want me to move here now?

Why does the thought make me sad?

It’s silly. I’d be only a few minutes away, but for some reason, the thought of waking up without Addison tugs at my heartstrings. Not to mention, the idea of them not being here somehow makes the whole house feel less like a home despite how cozy it might have seemed only moments ago. And it’s not just Desmond and Alex but Nathan and even Oliver. I’ve grown used to having all of them around; to have a whole house to myself sounds lonely.

“I thought it would be a nice place to get a little bit of time alone to discuss everything. A lot has changed in the last few weeks, and I wanted to ensure we’re on the same page.” He turns away from the window toward one of the two couches that sit in the middle of this back room and beckons me toward it.

I move away from the window, dropping down onto the surprisingly plush couch, and he follows me. I watch him as he unbuttons his suit jacket and slips it off, gently laying it over the arm of the couch before he sits beside me. Instead of his usual stiff posture, he sinks into the couch, his arm thrown over the back of the couch behind me.

“I can get my stuff out pretty quickly. I don’t have a lot,” I say in a rush before I quickly press my lips together, unsure why I said anything.

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