Page 82 of His To Unravel
Nathaniel is many things—intense, controlling, obsessive—but in this moment, I only feel a strange, exhilarating sense of security.
As the night wears on, I find myself leaning into him more, letting the warmth of his presence chase away whatever tension remains. For better or worse, I’ve made my choice—and for now, I’m exactly where I want to be.
TWENTY-THREE
nathaniel
The wind cutssharp across the runway, tugging at Olivia’s coat as we step from the car. Her steps falter as we approach the waiting jet. Her eyes flick between me and the plane as though waiting for me to reveal the joke. I just smile.
“You’re not serious,” she says, her voice laced with disbelief.
I place a hand at the small of her back, guiding her forward. “I told you I’d take care of everything.”
She bites her lip, her gaze trailing along the polished exterior of the plane. She isn’t accustomed to this—that much is clear in the way she shifts uncomfortably. I find it charming. It reminds me why I’m doing this. I want to rewrite the script she’s been living by.
Inside, the cabin is bathed in soft amber light that illuminates the cream leather seats and dark wood paneling. She pauses just past the entrance, her eyes wide as she takes in the space. Her fingers brush the edge of one of the seats, trailing over the stitching as if confirming it’s real.
I allow myself a moment to indulge in watching her. She doesn’t realize how intoxicating she is when she lets her guard down.
“Sit,” I instruct, gesturing to a seat near the window. “I want you comfortable.”
Her eyes dart to me, but I only meet her gaze with calm intent. She settles into the seat, still a little stiff, and I signal to the attendant and request for a blanket and tea to be prepared for Olivia.
This is more than a flight. It’s the next step.
I told her to leave everything to me when I invited her to New York, and I meant every word. I want to shield her from stress, to wrap her so completely in my world that she won’t be able to imagine anything else. She won’t want to.
She looks out the window as the attendants move around us, her curiosity flickering like a candle in the dim cabin. “So, what’s Manhattan like?” she asks, her voice quieter now.
I lean back in my seat, steepling my fingers. “Manhattan is a machine,” I say, my tone even. “It never slows, never stops. Itdemands. My family fits into it well.”
Her eyes narrow slightly, sensing the weight behind the words. “Is that a good thing?”
A shadow passes over me, but I mask it with a placid smile. “It depends. My family’s always held high expectations. Strength is expected, and anything less is always noted.”
She turns to face me more fully, leaning in slightly. “That must feel heavy to carry all the time.”
I let out a breath. “Family dynamics can be…complicated.” I shift my gaze away from hers, knowing she will read more into the statement than I intend.
There are things I can’t tell her yet. The past needs to stay buried until the time is right. Until she’s too deeply entwined to run.
The soft rustling of fabric draws my eyes back to her as she pulls the blanket around her shoulders, settling deeper into the seat. The vulnerability in that simple movement pulls at somethingferal inside me. I want to cocoon her so nothing can ever touch her again.
“It’s still hard to believe,” she admits softly, her eyes fixed on her hands. “That we’re here. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and find out this has all been a dream.”
My brows draw together. “Why would you think that?”
Her smile is small, almost bashful. “Because everything happened so fast. I… I wasn’t sure if you’d want to keep seeing me. I guess part of me held back for so long because I had already fallen for you…but I was scared. I thought you’d change your mind, and by then, it would hurt too much to be without you.”
The thought is absurd. The idea that I could ever grow tired of her, that the fire she lights in me could extinguish, is beyond comprehension.
“Olivia,” I say, leaning in closer, my voice dropping lower. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this. You couldn’t chase me away if you tried.”
Her gaze flicks up to meet mine, and for a moment, I feel an overwhelming urge to confess everything. I could tell her how those months of watching her, wanting her from a distance, had only made my obsession grow sharper with each passing day.
Now that I’ve had a taste of her, it burns hotter—more consuming than I imagined possible. I have spent too long orchestrating every detail, ensuring she would fall into my orbit, and now that she has, I’m certain that I will never let her go. But she isn’t ready for that truth. Not yet.
“I invited you because I couldn’t bear the thought of spending weeks apart from you,” I admit instead, letting my hand find hers, brushing my thumb over her knuckles. “It wasn’t just for you, baby. It was for me too. I was afraid that if you didn’t see me, you might start to question everything—or worse, that I’d fade from your thoughts, and you’d realize you could live without me.” Ibring her hand to my lips. “I just don’t want you to forget me, Olivia.”
