Page 21 of Want You

Nathan practically threw down their leftovers and pulled her into him. “Do I get to count past ones?”

Octavia shook her head as she threw her arms around his neck, already prepared for him to lift her. “This is a new deal.”

He growled in frustration as he marched them to his bedroom, tossing her onto the bed and feeling an odd lightness when she giggled.

That night she cried out thirty as she came and then blue when she’d come again twenty minutes later. So Nathan fell asleep knowing two new pieces of information about Octavia last-name-still-to-be-determined.

They lost the first game in Tampa. Most of the team had gone out after the game to blow off steam, but Nathan just wanted to get back to his room and get back into A Little Life. He’d thrown it into his bag as he was walking out yesterday on his way to the airport. He usually slept on the plane or played poker with a couple of the guys, but when the book had caught his eye, he’d stopped to grab it.

He was twelve chapters in and all he wanted to do was keep reading. At eleven, he took a chance and sent a picture of him holding the book in bed to Octavia.

No tears yet.

They’ll come.

Do you need to?

Come?

Yeah.

I don’t know if I need to…

Do you want to?

You’re not sitting outside my house are you?

No Octavia, 30, favourite colour is blue, I don’t know where you live.

His phone rang, the Autumn leaf he’d set as her picture pulsing on his screen, and he felt giddy over the fact she was the one calling him and not the other way around.

“Do you just want me to come so you can find out something else about me?” she asked before he even had time to say hello.

“You act like it doesn’t benefit both of us.” Nathan laughed.

“I’m not sure it counts if you aren’t physically doing anything.” She sighed.

“Octavia?”

“Mmmhmm?”

“I don’t fucking care. Where are you?”

“I’m in my living room.”

“Where exactly in your living room?”

“I’m sitting in my big, cushy armchair.”

“Slide to the end and lean back,” Nathan demanded.

“And why should I listen to you?”

“Because I’m going to tell you exactly what I’d be doing to you if I was there right now. Slide to the end of the fucking chair, Octavia.”

When no response came, he began to worry that he’d gone too far. Maybe he was being too aggressive, but then he heard her move, heard the tiny catch in her breath.

“Okay.”