Page 44 of Surrender
“The studio?” I repeated as if I hadn’t heard him right.
“Yeah.” The corner of his mouth curled up on the right side, and my heart almost broke free of my ribcage, pounding hardagainst my chest.
I blinked a couple of times, trying to escape the damn spell he’d cast over me. “Monday?”
“Monday,” he repeated, without as much as a twitch. Nothing. There was no more information than that. When you played poker with Nate, you were sure to lose, because his poker face was unrivaled.
“Uh, yeah,” I muttered, pinching my eyes closed for a brief moment while I searched the depths of my brain. “Um, Lucy doesn’t start classes until midday Monday, so I could be there at any time before that.”
“Let’s make it ten. I’ll meet you there,” he confirmed with a nod.
“What do you—”
“Then after that…” he cut in, “… if you’re happy to take it on, we can talk about how regular the work will be, what kind of pay you’re looking at, and how we can make it fit into your schedule so you can get those mortgage payments through.”
Warmth spread through my chest, catching me off guard.
It wasn’t just the offer—it was him.
Some people were put off by Nate’s hard exterior, by the way he spoke in clipped sentences and rarely gave more than was necessary. But to me, he’d never been scary.
He was steady.
Unshakable.
Even when things were at their worst with James in the hospital for weeks at a time, and everyone was focused on just trying to get him through another day, Nate continued to climb through my window.
Every night without fail.
Not because he wanted or needed anything, but because he knew structure and planning gave me comfort. I wasn’t someone who improvised. I needed choreography.
And just like back then, he was once again trying to be my constant in the chaos.
“I haven’t even bought the house yet,” I murmured, though my smile broke through—just a little—thinking about how his saying yes to helping me out could be just what I needed to get there. “It needs some serious work. Like a new—”
“Roof. I know.” My smile slipped, and I hit him with a hard stare. He shrugged. “Callan does work for the club.”
“Goddammit, Nate.”
His hands shot up. “Hey! Lucy is the one who came to me to find someone.”
I huffed, rolling my eyes and getting to my feet. “How the hell do you know everything?”
He followed me to the door. “I don’t know everything. I just knowyou.” He reached up and swept his hand through his hair, and my gaze followed the movement just in time to catch his shirt lifting slightly.
Just an inch.
Just enough.
His skin was completely inked, and the muscles were taut and toned. It made my stomach flip, and heat began to pulse low in my belly. It was fucking ridiculous how one flash could short-circuit my brain and have my hormones begin to take over.
But there I was, hot and bothered over nothing.
Overhim.
“Darcy?”
I swallowed hard, blinking a few times before I dragged my eyes up to his. I expected a smirk or something smug to match the effect he clearly knew he had on me, but there wasn’t a trace of it.
