Page 70 of Away With You
And yet, here I am, two mornings in a row, on my side of the bed with no Nathan in sight.
“Shame. I reckon first-thing-in-the-morning Nathan is a sight to behold.”
Shaking off my salacious thoughts of a bedhead, morning-stubbled Nathan, I consult the itinerary for the day and blanch. A trip to a rum distillery, followed by an afternoon of rum tasting.
Sounds like my worst nightmare.
“It’s not about you, Katherine,” I lecture myself as I get in the shower to start the day, glaring down at my white ankles and feet. “Yesterday was a success; today we need to rinse and repeat.”
I nod while running a comb through my tangled, wet hair. In the scheme of everything we set out to achieve by fake datingand whatnot, yesterday had been more than a success. From Victoria’s jealous stares to George’s disgruntled mutterings while everyone clamoured to talk to Nathan and his new girlfriend (me!), the focus of the day had been on Nathan rising from the ashes of his brother’s betrayal like an avenged Phoenix. Or at least that’s how Rosie had narrated the event on the golf buggy trip home.
“Now to do it all again and not jump his bones in the process,” I tell my reflection, nervous when she looks back at me with raised eyebrows that say, ‘You’re delusional.’
Fair.
“Nathan—” I stumble to a halt at the sight of him sitting out on the deck, staring at the ocean beyond it. Shirtless.
“Hey Kitty Kat,” he smiles, his eyes sweeping over me. For today’s excursion to not taste test rum, I’ve picked a long, figure-hugging dress in a deep burgundy colour. It’s got a scooped neckline and ends at my feet, with a thigh-high slit to allow for walking. It also hides my self-tanning misfortunes.
I take the seat next to him, tucking my hands under my legs to keep from touching him. It’s really not fair to be faced with all that lovely skin and muscles and not be able to touch any of it.
“Another run today? You must have left before the sun came up.”
His tired eyes flicker to me. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh.”
Unsure what to say next, I sit quietly, letting the ocean breeze attempt to settle my nerves. It doesn’t really work. Nathan stays seated next to me, unmoving, staring straight ahead, tension written all over him.
“So,” I blurt out, unable to handle the silence. “Rum tasting today.”
He shakes his head, once, in a harsh motion. “Nope.”
“What do you mean? It’s on the itinerary.”
His blue eyes hold me captive. “Kitty Kat, you don’t drink alcohol. What are you going to do at a rum distillery?”
“Eat?”
His lips twitch. “Well, yes. There is that. You do like to eat.”
“Problem solved.”
He sighs, shoving his enormous body out of the seat and towering over me. “No. Today we’re going to do somethingwewant to do.”
I rush to my feet and follow him inside. “But that’s not the point of all this.”
Whirling around, he faces me. Close to me. Oh-so-close to me. “You spending the day doing something you don’t want to do is not the point, Katie. We’re going to do something you will enjoy. You deserve it.”
My breath catches at the resolve in his voice. “Okay.”
“Yes?”
I smile, my chest filling with warmth. “Then what are we going to do today?”
He flashes his dimple, and he wears the expression of a kid with a surprise they’re dying to tell. “You’ll see.”
“But—”
