As their skin cooled and their breathing stilled, he came back to reality. Not crashing back, though. It was more like a gentle drifting back down to earth, with a landing that was cushioned with the reality that he still held her in his arms.
He looked up and glanced around, feeling a little surprised to find them still in the coat closet. He felt ridiculous almost immediately for that thought. After all, did he think that they’d been transported out? It was ludicrous. But, yeah, he realized. A little bit of him was surprised that the most magical, ethereal and moving experience of his life had taken place in a coat closet.
Now that he was back to reality, the severity of what he’d just done came crashing down around him. He knew they needed to talk. He had to tell her what had happened the night of her eighteenth birthday. Setting her down gently, he removed his condom and wrapped it in his handkerchief and stuffed it in his pocket as he pulled his boxers back up and zipped and buttoned his pants.
When he looked up he saw her still leaning against the wall. Her head back and her eyes closed. He didn’t want to break the magic that was around them, but knowing that he had no other choice, he ran his hand down her hair as he softly said, “Ellie.”
“Shhh.” Her eyes flew open and her entire body stiffened. “Listen.”
He stilled, calming his mind and his heartbeat and he heard the doorknob turning.
Her eyes widened with horror as she frantically began pulling the straps up her arms.
“Get dressed!” she whisper-yelled. “Hurry!”
He stepped to the door and with one hand wrapped his fingers around the doorknob, holding it in place, while he buttoned his shirt with the other. He heard more voices gathering behind the heavy wood that separated them from the foyer. Their words were mumbled but he could make out suggestions to push, to pull harder and to wiggle it.
“Okay…” She straightened and tugged her dress down before running her fingers through her hair. “How do I look?”
Her skin was flushed. Her lips were swollen. Her eyes were glowing. She looked like a woman who’d just been loved. Like a woman that was loved.
“Beautiful,” he breathed reverently.
“Good,” she nodded, obviously missing the sentiment behind his response, before jerking a coat off of a hanger and thrusting it towards him.
He looked down. “What—”
“It’s Nana’s coat! Just take it!”
He did as she asked and stepped back from the door. Within a second it flew open and light from the foyer flooded in. Nate squinted. He could make out several silhouettes standing in the doorway.
“Oh, no! Did you get stuck in there?” The coat check girl held her hands over her chest. “I’m so sorry! I had to go get a heater for one of our elderly guests. I asked her to make sure no one went in there. I was only gone a few minutes but then when I got back she said that she needed medication from her room. She gave me the wrong room number. Twice. It felt like I was on a wild-goose chase.”
You were. Nate grinned, he didn’t think Nana would appreciate being referred to as an elderly guest, but it served her right.
Now that his eyes had adjusted, he saw Katie and Chelle Sloan peeking around the hostess. Both women had smiles on their faces that told him they found this very entertaining.
Katie who was married to Seth’s brother Jason grinned a little wider as she said, “Sorry to interrupt. We were just coming to grab our coats before we head up to the slumber party.”
“Great! I should head up there, too.” Eliza’s voice was about four octaves higher than it usually was. “Which ones are yours?”
Chelle pursed her lips together and Nate assumed it was to keep from laughing.
Katie managed to keep her composure. “The beige pea coat, and the navy trench.”
Eliza grabbed both the jackets and hurried past Nate. She handed them to their owners as all three started towards the grand staircase that headed up to the sleeping quarters.
Nate stepped out into the foyer and watched Eliza’s retreating back. Her hair was swinging from side to side as her hands waved around in animated movements as she spoke a mile a minute, the way she always did when she was nervous or embarrassed.
Maybe tomorrow, or even tonight he’d feel guilt for not telling her the truth before things had gotten out of control, but right now the only thing he thought when he looked at her was, mine.
Chapter 16
Nerves popped inside Eliza like hot grease on a frying pan but she did her best to ignore them. Today was the big day. Not her big day, but it seemed she had butterflies racing around in her stomach anyway.
She sat on the balcony of Becca’s suite for the second time this morning and watched the sunlight glitter off the surface of the lake. It was shaping up to be a beautiful sunny spring day. Today’s weather was the epitome of what people thought of when they thought of the quintessential outdoor wedding.
Seeing how bright the sun was reminded her that Aunt Wendy had told them that they were free to wear their sunglasses if they wanted to. Apparently, at the time of the ceremony, the sun would be directly in their eyes. When she had mentioned it, Eliza thought that it would be rude to do so, but now, seeing just how strong the rays were this morning made her rethink her plan. Etiquette was one thing, having a migraine for three days was entirely another.
I need to stop back by my room before heading downstairs, she made a mental note.
As she took the last sip of decaf coffee, she knew that her quiet time of reflection had come to an end. One would think after her lack of sleep last night she would’ve gone for caffeinated java, but she was so wired she was afraid she’d be bouncing off the walls.
She had totally given up the notion of sleep around four a.m. So, she’d quietly rolled off the pullout couch she was sharing with Haley and tiptoed out to the balcony to do one of her favorite things, watch the sunrise. She’d sat and watched the beautiful colors and it gave her the same feelings it always did. A sense of security and renewal. In the silence of the early morning hours, her mind reflected that no matter what was going on with her, what drama or joy, the sun still rose this morning and it would set tonight.
That was six hours ago and now everyone was awake and in full-wedding mode. After breakfast, she’d snuck out here once again for a few moments alone. She’d wanted to clear her head and settle her nerves.
Last night had been…well, she didn’t know how to process or put into words what it had been. Even after she spent her whole night trying to do just that, she was still at a loss. It was better than she ever could’ve imagined it to be, and that was quite a feat. She’d dedicated hours, weeks, months, maybe even years to this fantasy. Imagining what it would be like to be touched by Nate, kissed by Nate, made love to by Nate.
She’d been replaying every moment they’d shared over and over. The feeling of his lips on her mouth, her neck and her breasts. The sensual authority in his voice, in the way he held her, the way he moved inside of her. Still, she was anxious.
They hadn’t had a chance to talk after and she couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing. In the moment, she’d been so freaked out, she hadn’t really thought about the repercussions of her hasty exit. After she’d rushed upstairs, she’d been so lost in the afterglow that it took hours before she’d realized that the next time she saw him, she would be walking down the aisle towards him. Well…towards Brian technically, but still.
Inside there was a soft buzz of laughter, music and talking as all the bridesmaids were gathered, getting their hair and makeup done for today’s festivities. As much as she was trying to be present for Becca, she was just not succeeding. After her one cup of decaf and some more soul searching, she was no less on edge now than she had been ten minutes ago.
Her phone buzzed and she looked down, hoping that it was a text from Nate. Since she’d never given him her phone number, logically that was unlikely and she knew it.
The message was not from Nate, it was from Leah, wh
o co-owned Bones, Balls & Bellyrubs with her sister Bea. She sent a picture of Farmer next to a poodle that looked like it was not having the best day and captioned it #moralsupport.
She loved that Farmer was able to calm dogs that were anxious about being at the groomers, but right now she wished she could have brought him to Whisper Lake. She needed hashtag moral support.
Her fingers were typing back a response when Aunt Wendy stuck her head out onto the balcony. “They’re ready for you, lovely!”
Yep. Time’s up.
She sent the message and stood. She stepped into the room and she was pointed towards a director’s chair that sat in front of a makeup station complete with a mirror that was framed with lightbulbs. There were several identical setups scattered throughout the large suite, all filled with the female half of the wedding party.
She took her seat and the stylist introduced herself as Jess. Eliza took a moment to appreciate the girl’s vibrant tattoos that jumped off her olive skin, long dark hair and aqua blue eyes accented by perfectly applied cat eye makeup, and a nose ring that on her would look ridiculous but on Jess looked sexy.
Jess reminded Eliza of one of those girls that was born with their own unique sense of style and was confident enough to express it. She envied people like that. She’d always taken the safe route when it came to her hair, makeup and clothes. Minimal was always her rule of thumb. Partly because she was always so busy with school and then work that she just never took the time. Also since her mom never really wore makeup and she didn’t have sisters, she never learned how to use it. If she was a teen now, with all of the YouTube tutorials, maybe it would be different. But in her day, the best she had was trying to follow directions from magazine articles.
A phone buzzed and Jess jerked her head, looking down at the device sitting on her table. The alarm on her face melted to irritation as she sighed and silenced it. “I’m so sorry. I would turn it off but I’m waiting on an…important call.”
“No worries,” Eliza assured her.
Jess smiled widely as she cleaned off one of her brushes. “So, what were you thinking for today? Dramatic? Natural?”
“Whatever Becca wants is fine.” Eliza told her. “I’m easy.”
The phone buzzed again and again Jess’s eyes shot to it. This time her irritation was notched up to anger. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she mumbled under her breath as she picked up her phone with one hand and held up her forefinger with the other. “Just give me one sec.”
She lifted the device to her ear and walked to the far corner behind her makeup station. Eliza did her best not to eavesdrop, but it was kind of difficult. She heard Jess tell Ethan that she didn’t need his help. She was fine. And Ethan needed to stop calling and texting her and go protect and serve someone else. Then she hung up.
When Jess returned, she apologized again. “I’m so sorry. If I didn’t answer, he would just keep calling me.”
Eliza wanted to make sure that she wasn’t being harassed. Jess looked like she could take care of herself, but looks could also be deceiving. “Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know.” Tears formed in Jess’s eyes, but she blinked them back as she rolled her shoulders and stood up taller. Her breath was shaky as she exhaled slowly. “But, he’s not the issue. He just needs to understand I don’t need him hovering. I can take care of myself. He’s driving me crazy.”
“Oh, got it.” Eliza sensed there was no real threat here, unless you counted Jess’s sanity, which seemed to be at risk. And from the sound of it, Ethan’s was as well.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said all that.” She took a deep breath. “Back to you, the bride has no hairstyle or makeup preferences. Her only request was that everyone feel their best.”
“Really?” Eliza hadn’t been prepared for that. She figured everyone’s look would be uniform.
Jess continued organizing her tools as Eliza tried to figure out what look she wanted. She wasn’t used to having a beauty expert at the ready, waiting for her to give the marching orders. Her first wedding had been so sudden, she hadn’t had her makeup and hair done, and her second, Doug had told her what he preferred, up-twist, with matte lipstick. He’d told her he didn’t want their first kiss to be ruined by any of that “glossy shit.”
He’d controlled every aspect of the wedding. She’d thought at the time that it was because he was so invested in her, in them. But she should have known that it wasn’t about that when he insisted that her father not accompany her down the aisle. He’d said it was an antiquated tradition and a woman didn’t need anyone to give her away. She’d tried to tell him that she didn’t feel that way, but he’d said she was too “emotional” to make decisions and it wasn’t up for discussion.
Yeah. He was a real sweetheart.
Perhaps sensing her hesitation, Jess pulled a “look book” out of her bag that had Polaroids of all different women with their hair and makeup done in every way you could possibly imagine. Eliza glanced through them and instead of being inspired, all she felt was overwhelmed. She realized this must be what her patients felt when they were looking at veneers. So she did what a lot of them did in that situation, she left it to the expert.
She closed the book. “You know what, Jess, I am in your hands. Dealer’s choice. Do whatever you think is best.”
“Seriously?!” Her face lit up with artistic passion. “I love a blank canvas!”
Blank canvas. Eliza stared at her reflection in the mirror. That’s what her life had looked like a few weeks ago, one giant blank canvas. But now when she looked at it, all she saw was Nate. The problem was, she had no idea what he thought when he looked at the portrait of his life. Was she in the picture?
“Let’s see…” Jess ran her fingers through Eliza’s hair. “I think down, with beachy waves and…” Her lips puckered out like a duck as she tapped the handle of her brush against her palm as she studied Eliza’s face. “Your dress is coral, so I think brown and pink tones. We’ll do a smoky eye and—“she bent down and rummaged through her bag. When she stood, she held up a compact and a tube of lipstick—“Jackpot! We’ll do Sunset Shadow for your cheeks and First Love on your lips.”
“Great!”
Eliza had never put much stock into signs, but if she did, she’d have to think that there was something to the choice of lipstick.
Chapter 17
Nate tilted his head to the side and shook it slightly to get the water out of his ear as he stepped onto the dock. The rest of the guys were still on the water jet skiing, but Nate bailed early. He didn’t think it was responsible to be operating heavy machinery when he was distracted and running on no sleep.
Last night, he’d tossed and turned for hours before finally throwing in the towel and getting up around four a.m. He’d gotten some work done, and then around five thirty he’d gone for a run and watched the sun rise over the bluff. Usually a run helped him relax and focus. Not today. He couldn’t shut his brain off. It was scattered and muddled.
Last night, his blissful state of euphoria ended about an hour after he watched Eliza walk up those stairs. His mind began racing considering the potential aftermath of last night. First and foremost, he had to set the record straight with her about the night of her birthday.
Then what?
That’s where his predictive behavior instincts ran dry. He was fairly sure she would understand the situation he’d been put in. She was there and knew that she was already on top of him when he drifted into consciousness. He’d truly believed that he was dreaming, it certainly wouldn’t have been the first time she’d starred in a dream that she was naked and on top of him. The entire encounter had lasted less than two minutes and by the time he was fully aware of what was happening, she was running out of the door.
He’d gone after her. He wanted to explain that he’d been in such a deep sleep because after a week of finals, with about an hour’s sleep a night, he’d driven twenty hours straight to Whisper Lake. He’d searched everywhere. Knock
ed on every cabin in the small campsite the seniors were in. He’d searched the woods and the beach where the bonfire was still going strong. He’d searched the small downtown area that consisted of one street, a gas station and a market.
All night he’d looked for her. The next morning, when he was sure that she wasn’t at Whisper Lake, he’d driven back to Harper’s Crossing and gone straight to her house. Her parents told him she’d left on a road trip. That was it. They hadn’t had any more information.
At the time it had infuriated him, how could parents let their daughter—that had only become an adult the day before—drive off and not know where she was going? How could they not know how long she was going to be gone or where she was staying?
His shoulders tensed and he realized that even now, ten years later, it bothered him. As he rolled his shoulders relieving the tension, he felt the heat of the sun relentlessly beating down on his skin. He had barely toweled off, but was completely dry thanks to the heated rays.
As he put his shirt on he sighed. He wasn’t looking forward to standing in a penguin suit in this weather, but he would gladly do it for Brian. Brian was a good guy and he and Becca were perfect for each other. Escorting Eliza down the aisle didn’t hurt either.
When he’d arrived last night and found out that he wouldn’t be walking with Bailey, he was upset. His relationship with Eliza was complicated, to say the least. He’d wanted space from her, not to be coupled up with her.
Things had gone from bad to worse when he’d seen her walking down the aisle, looking soul-wrenchingly beautiful in a dress that made her legs look a mile long. He’d had to work overtime to keep his reaction to her under wraps. Then, as she took her spot in front of him she turned and brushed his groin lightly with her backside. He’d actually had to step away from her at that point. One more second of contact with her perfect ass brushing up against him and he would have gone rock hard in 0.000016 seconds flat.
All He Desires – Nate & Eliza (Crossroads Book 12) Page 14
