Page 64 of Cruel Embers
When I look around the room as everyone comes over to congratulate them, my eyes stop when they land on Nathan. He’s leaning against a table, watching me with a smile.
ChapterThirty-Three
NATHAN
Everyone is starting to leave now, and I’ve been helping to fold up the tables. There wasn’t much in the way of food leftover, and a few people were more than happy to take it with them, which made the whole clean-up a lot easier.
“I think that went well,” I say, walking up behind Violet and pulling her back against my chest.
“Me too,” she says, stacking the last of the empty platters ready to put in the bin. She turns in my arms, and before she can utter another word, I crash my mouth against hers. Being around her all day and not able to openly touch her has been torture. I envy my cousins for not having to hold back.
A low moan escapes her, and I pull her body into my hard erection, desperate to be back inside her. I could spend days, weeks exploring her body, learning all the ways to make her moan in pleasure, and I don’t think I would ever truly be sated, but it sure would be fun trying.
When she pulls back, her breathing is heavy, her pupils dilated. I know she feels it too, whatever this is between us, and it’s not only sex.
“We should…hmm…finish tidying up.”
Her eyes dart past my shoulder, and I take a small step back, but keep my arms wrapped around her.
“Why, are you worried about being seen with me?” I ask. It was meant as a joke, but once the words leave my lips, I realise it’s not, and her answer matters.
“Kind of, yeah.” Her cheeks heat, but not in a flushed kind of way.
This time I let go and put a little more space between us because her scent seems to mess with my chain of thought.
And nod my head. “You’re embarrassed by me, by us?”
It’s not like it would be the first time. I’ve had plenty of women not take me seriously, think I’m only after a good time, and if that were the case, I would have made sure they knew. But they presumed, and that shit kind of stings. I like to have sex, but I also want a connection. It's why I think I missed Naomi being married until after the fact.
She nibbles her bottom lip, her lipstick smudging, and the urge to reach up and wipe it is strong but touching her right now isn’t a good idea. Not when she’s staring at me like she…
“Hold up, do you regret sleeping with me? Is that it?”
I tilt my head to the side as I watch for her reaction.
“What, I never said that, Nathan. Don’t put words in my mouth.”
My tension eases a fraction, but not enough.
“So, what is it?” I ask, crossing my arms.
She looks past me again, causing me to let out a snort.
“Forget it,” I say. This probably isn’t the time to discuss this, whatever this is between us.
“Is that what you want to do?” Her eyes grow a shade darker than they were moments ago, and I know she’s going into fight mode.
I shake my head, but rather than saying no like I should, I challenge her instead. “I think the question is, do you?”
She blinks back at me a few times, and her mouth opens and closes, but she doesn’t manage to form a response.
This is turning into one big cluster fuck.
“How about we talk about this later? Maybe then you’ll have an answer.”
And then, like the arsehole I am, I turn and walk away, mostly because I am afraid she’ll tell me it was just a bit of fun, and for me, it was so much more.
I don’t see Charlotte until it's too late, and she puts her hands out just in time to stop me from walking into her. “Sh—sorry, Lot.”
