Page 21 of Wannabe in Wyoming
Grabbing his bags, he quickly followed her, getting drenched in the process. She wouldn’t meet his gaze when he stopped beside her, and his gut sank. Was she regretting this? Thinking back to the kiss at the airport, he had a lightbulb moment. Was she worried he’d want to jump her the minute they got inside? Maybe he’d given her that impression, but that hadn’t been his intention. Yes, he wanted her, but he needed time to get to know her better first. She was special to him, and he didn’t want to screw things up.
He followed her into the house and didn’t take a moment to look around or do anything more than set his bags on the floor near the door. “Willow, hang on a second.” Reaching out, he clasped her hand in his own, drew her close, and stared down at her. She tensed, and he knew then that his instincts were spot on.
“Yeah?” She swallowed nervously before looking down at her shoes.
“Let me clear something up here a second.” Cupping her chin, he lifted it until her eyes met his. “I want you. Desperately.”
Willow started to speak, but he placed two fingers over her lips. “Let me finish first, please?”
When she nodded her assent, he continued, “That being said, this is the first time we’ve met in person. I’m happy to sleep on the couch or wherever. As much as I’m looking forward to being intimate with you, I don’t think either of us is ready for that yet. Okay? So, please, don’t be nervous. I’m not pressuring you or expecting you to give me something you’re not ready for.” He carefully cradled her cheek with his free hand. “This thing between us feels too important for us to rush into bed.”
Chapter Sixteen
Willow heaved a sigh of relief.“Oh, thank God.” Leaning forward, she let her head fall against Nathan’s chest, ignoring the fact that his clothes were soaked more than her own. His arms came around her, and she embraced him in return. “Sorry, that probably sounded bad, but I was trying to figure out how to tell you that I fixed up the guest room for you.” Snuggling into his warmth, she sighed again, this time in contentment. “You’re amazing, do you know that? Most guys would be doing whatever they could to get into my pants.”
When he tipped her face up again, Nathan’s deep blue eyes shone down at her. “I’m not most men. That being said, can I kiss you again before you show me to the guest room? I’d like to wash off the airplane smell.”
Smiling, she nodded. “Just sayin’, if there is an airplane smell, I don’t notice it. You smell positively edible.”
“Flirting with me now, Wannabe?” He spoke softly, angling his head closer to her and nibbling on her jaw gently.
“Sure, flirting is fun.” She gasped then moaned as he nipped her ear.
“Flirting with you is fun, that’s true.” He kissed her cheek and sought her mouth with his own. The kiss this time was different from the one at the airport. Gentle, less desperate, but still hot as hell. He licked one last quick swipe into her mouth before releasing her and retreating a step. “Bathroom?” He plucked his wet gray t-shirt away from his torso where it was stuck to his skin. She did her best not to stare at the defined chest the saturated fabric reveled.
“This way.” Leading him through the living room and down the hallway to the guest room, she took the opportunity to get herself back under control. Opening the door, she stepped into the small bedroom. She’d bought a full-sized bed—the room wasn’t big enough for a queen—and had added a chest of drawers and bedside table. A basic lamp was the only other furnishing. “It’s not much, but the bed and linens are brand new. The bathroom you can use is across the hall—I have another bath off my room. Towels are in the closet in there. Um . . .” She paused, twisting her fingers together as she looked over the room she’d prepared for him. She’d decorated it with simple grey bedding that matched the darker grey curtains. She hadn’t had time to find any artwork for the blank walls, which she was now kicking herself for. It was too plain.Whatever, she thought,there’s nothing you can do about it now. “I guess I’ll leave you to it. Are you hungry? It’s a little early for dinner, but I can go get it started after I change out of these wet clothes. I was thinking spaghetti, if that’s all right with you.”
He ran a hand down her arm, caressing the skin under her ink. “Sweetheart, I haven’t eaten a home-cooked meal, that I didn’t prepare myself or have at a barbecue, in years. You could make literally anything, and I’d be happy with it. A shower won’t take me long, then I’ll come help you cook. Okay?”
Nodding, she backed out of the room. Determined to chill the fuck out, she tried to stop acting like a total basket case. “Sounds good.”
Leaving him to his shower, she retreated to her bedroom to change into dry clothes. A few minutes later, dressed in a clean pair of jeans, a vintage Go-Go’s t-shirt, and the comfy, brown, slip-on moccasins she’d bought at Ducky’s a few weeks ago, she shuffled into the kitchen. After filling the little cat dish by the backdoor with Ethel’s kibble, she began pulling out the ingredients for the dinner she’d planned to make for Nathan. Locally sourced ground beef, homemade spaghetti sauce that was sold by a woman from Antelope Rock who grew her own tomatoes, pasta, and a few other items were placed on the island’s countertop. She added a loaf of Italian bread she’d picked up at the bakery that morning, which had still been warm when she’d brought it home. The meal would be a simple one, but it would feature fresh, local ingredients and hopefully be the best pasta Nathan had ever eaten. She’d even splurged on fresh Parmesan to shave over the pasta. They said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, and she was going to do her best to test that theory.
She’d just finished chopping an onion when Nathan ambled into the kitchen, carrying a bundle of gray fur cradled in his arms. “Look who found me.”
Willow grinned at her pet who’d evidently already taken a shine to their visitor. “I was wondering where you were, Ethel. I’m surprised you didn’t come running when I filled up your dish.”
Nathan stopped beside her at the island where she was prepping the meal, and she was hit with the fresh clean scent of him. His short hair was still damp, and he’d changed into a blue Henley over black sweatpants. Clean, white socks were the only things on his feet. He hadn’t shaved his stubble off, which she loved. Her mouth began to water for more than just dinner. Banishing the thought of what the skin on his neck tasted like fresh from the shower, she pushed a knife, a garlic press, and a bulb of garlic at him.
“Here, make yourself useful. Smash that up while I get the meat browning.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, chuckling. He set Ethel on the floor, and as the kitten made a beeline for her food dish, Nathan washed his hands in the sink before getting to work. “It’s good I’m used to taking orders, huh? How much garlic?”
“Shit, I’m sorry.” Shaking her head, she added the ground beef to a pot on the stove. “I don’t mean to be bossy. Two cloves should be good, please. Thank you.”
“I don’t mind. I know this is a little . . . awkward . . . for us both. We’ll find our way. You just do you and everything will work out.” He bumped her hip with his, the casual affection warming her heart. “Besides, I can appreciate a bossy woman.”
“I have an idea.” As she spoke, she added the chopped onion to the pot before breaking up the browning meat with a wooden spoon. “Let’s play a game to get to know each other a little better. I know we talked about a lot of things in the letters and on the phone and Skype, but I feel like there’s still a lot I don’t know about you.”
“All right, what do you have in mind?” Reaching around her, he added the garlic to the pot.
“A question for a question.” After tapping the spoon on the side of the pot, she set it on a small dish next to the stove, and then turned around, crossing her arms over her chest and meeting his gaze. “I ask, you answer, and then you ask me something. If you don’t want to answer, you forfeit your question.”
“Okay. Who goes first?”
“Me, obviously. House rules, and ladies always come first.”
He smirked and winked at her. “I’ll do my best to ensure that.”
