Page 63 of His Sunshine Baby

I just don’t know how to react! I never imagined Nate would be so… thoughtful and considerate! But again, he just smiles as if it was perfectly normal.

“Good! Take your time then.”

And with that, he leaves me alone in the bathroom. I swear, that man has to be from another planet. There’s no other explanation. Honestly, I don’t care anymore at this point. I get naked and step in with delight. Moon Goddess, it’s so hot and good… I haven’t taken a bath in ages, I’m usually too impatient or in too much of a hurry. I stay there a while, thinking about Nate’s behavior. Why is he acting like this? It’s not that he has never been gentle before, but for him to be this considerate… I’m a bit lost. How should I react? It doesn’t feel right, but it’s agreeable. Should I just treat it as a friendly attitude, like he said?

When I finally get out of the bath, feeling a lot better, I quickly put on the outfit I picked and go back to the living room.

I’m feeling a bit shy towards Nate. We are alone at my place, I’m not dressed with any effort, and he basically came here despite the shitty weather just to take care of me. As a friend, he said.

When I step into my living room, my heart feels a bit heavier than usual. Outside the window, the sky is clouded in a dark gray, with the rain still falling heavily. But in the middle of the room, Nate turned on our string of light bulbs and is on his computer again. Did him coming here cause trouble for his work? However, upon seeing me enter, he immediately turns it off and gets up.

“Hey, how was the bath? Just wait a sec.”

He goes to the kitchen, and when he comes back, I’m speechless. He is carrying a plate with a freaking pizza on it! I’m so shocked I can only try to hide my embarrassed laugh behind my hand.

“Moon Goddess, you made me a pizza?”

“Well, to be honest, I had the dough done at the Italian restaurant, and only gathered the ingredients here to cook it.”

“You made a freaking pizza!”

I can’t believe it! It looks all hot and fresh out of the oven too. He laughs at my shocked expression and puts it down. I look at that pizza again. Mushrooms, onions, chicken, peppers… All my favorites!

“Danny told you?”

He nods.

“I had no idea you could crave stuff like pizzas on your periods.”

“Yeah, it’s one of the only things I can swallow.”

Actually, I’m barely resisting the temptation of jumping on that pizza right now. But the thing is, what I want to jump most isn’t the pizza. I’m still dumbfounded by Nate’s attitude. All of this is so new and, well, unsettling. A part of me is overwhelmed by his gentleness, and the other part is scared. What is this all supposed to mean? How can I not melt when he does stuff like that?

But how can I tell him? Hey, could you stop being so nice and gentlemanly because I’m freaking out about my feelings for you? Damn, this man is killing me in the softest way possible, and he has no idea. I stare at him for a few seconds, with my heart on the edge of my lips. I can’t resist.

I take a few steps and grab his face to kiss him passionately. I don’t want to stop. I love the taste of our kisses, how we take it slow but deep. The way Nate always caresses my skin, my hair. He makes me feel different, like something is blooming inside. Something so fragile I had kept it hidden until now. It’s a warm and cozy feeling, yet it makes me feel like I’m on the edge. On the edge of a precipice.

I interrupt our kisses, and our eyes meet dangerously close. I can still feel his lingering taste on my lips. This is scary. A part of my heart that I had kept in ice is warming up and I can’t control it. It's scary.

I want to step back, regain my senses, but Nate suddenly grabs my waist, pulling me against him, and kisses me again, more forcefully this time. He doesn’t want to stop. His tongue is insistent against mine, and his lips won’t let me get away. One of his hands is on my ass, fondling me over the thin layer of my leggings, keeping me close. He grabs my hair, just like when he does when he’s entranced…

Inevitably, I answer his kiss, completely surrendering to him. Before I know it, he is sitting on the couch with me on top of him, my hands on his shoulders. Moon Goddess, this is so perfect… The uncommon lighting of the rain and the slow jazz music make it more romantic than usual. It’s endless, sweet, and delightful. Nate’s hands are on me, caressing me, breaking down my barriers one by one. How do I resist this? I just want to get lost in this moment, forget everything else, and kiss him forever. It’s not about the sex, it’s about us, about the man who has been driving me crazy, and making me lower my defenses day after day. I feel good when I’m with Nate. I feel safe, confident, happy.

“Elena?”

He stares at me, a bit confused. I’m shaking.

Damn, I can’t control it. I get off his lap, trying to calm down. Nathaniel looks worried, he grabs the blanket to cover me with it and waits, rubbing my arms gently.

“Are you okay?”

Stop being so nice and gentle. You make me crazy.

I nod, catching my breath.

“Sorry… Just give me a minute.”

“Okay.”

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