by Kelsie Rae
He ignores my insult, pressing forward when part of me wishes he wouldn’t. “I find you attractive, Natalie.”
I gulp.
“I find you beautiful,” he continues, leaning a little closer.
I pull away, pushing my head against the fridge behind me, like his touch might electrocute me if he comes in contact with my skin.
“You don’t have to do this,” I whisper. “The flowers were enough. You’ve apologized. Everything’s fine. No need to—”
He cuts me off. “Want to know a secret?”
Holding my breath, I shake my head. This is too much honesty right now.
He leans closer until our mouths are a breath away. “You’re exactly my type. You’re my only type. And I’m sorry I’ve denied it for so long, and that the bitter lie I’ve been telling everyone has hurt you. That it’s made you question how gorgeous you are. How lucky any guy would be to have you. To call you his.”
I can’t breathe. He’s too close. This is too much.
And yet…not nearly enough.
His hand slowly inches beneath the hem of my black t-shirt, toying with the sliver of skin between the waistband of my jeans and said shirt. I don’t move a muscle. Snaking his arm around my waist, his palm finally rests against the bare skin on my lower back before pulling me closer, gluing our fronts together. I gasp at the intimacy, even though he hasn’t kissed me––yet.
No, he just waits. Patiently. As my gaze bounces between his hypnotic eyes and his treacherous mouth that’s hovering in the most delicious way possible. Torturing me. Teasing me. Tempting me to close the last inch of distance between us.
“I don’t know what to say,” I confess softly. So quiet, that if he weren’t inches away, he never would’ve heard me.
“Tell me you won’t turn away if I kiss you right now,” he rumbles low in his throat. I can feel his voice through his chest as much as I can hear it.
I open my mouth to respond when his lips collide with mine. His fingers dig into my spine as his tongue nearly pries my mouth open. There’s a sense of urgency that I can’t ignore. It’s like we’re two sparks that have finally been set to flame, burning us both from the inside out. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer, kissing him with every ounce of my being. He groans before placing his other hand on my waist and picking me up like I weigh nothing more than the flowers he just gifted me with. I take the opportunity to wrap my legs around him, loving the feel of his toned torso as it brands my inner thighs. His fingers bruise my backside while he carries me to the counter and sets me down. A deep moan escapes me as his mouth travels from my lips to the side of my jaw and down my neck, peppering open-mouthed kisses along the way. My fingers dig into his short, blonde hair as I soak up every ounce of attention he’s willing to give me.
There’s no way this is happening.
The foreign sound of my cell phone ringing is enough to break the spell that Marcus cast on me, making us both jump instantly. He pulls away with a groan, resting his forehead against mine as we both catch our breath. I hold his gaze for another second before reaching for my cell to silence it.
I’m not ready for this dream to end.
Unfortunately for me, when I see the name across the screen, I know it’s time to wake up and get back to reality.
No matter how badly I don’t want to.
“I uh…I need to take this.”
He nods in understanding, giving me one last peck on the nose then stepping away to give me some privacy.
“All right. Have you eaten yet?”
I shake my head while simultaneously answering my phone and bringing it to my ear.
“I’ll go get dinner,” he mouths, turning on his heel and leaving the apartment.
I appreciate his thoughtfulness, though I won’t admit that to him.
Not when my feelings are so conflicting.
Closing my eyes, I use a voice that’s almost sickly sweet to compensate for my fraying emotions. “Hey!”
“Bonjour, Natalie. I wanted to let you know that I took care of your flight. You leave in one month, bien?”
My gaze lands on the front door, frozen.
“Mon apprenti?”
I clear my throat, tearing my eyes away from the entryway. “Yeah. Sounds good.”
“Bien. Au revoir!”
“Au revoir,” I murmur before hitting the end button.
One month.
Chapter Sixteen
Marcus
I’m in shock. Sure, I’d planned on asking Natalie out. But making out with her after confessing I’ve always been attracted to her? Yeah, that wasn’t part of the plan.
I’m dying to be back at the apartment, so I decide to grab a pizza from a little takeout place down the street. I don’t bother to text her and ask what her favorite toppings are, because I already know them by heart.
That’s what happens when you’ve known someone as long as I’ve known her.
After handing over a twenty and grabbing the brown cardboard box, I head back to the apartment.
Opening the front door, I call out, “Hey! Pizza’s here!”
Setting it on the kitchen table, I go searching for Natalie.
I know that we just kissed, and have barely scratched the surface of taking our platonic relationship to the next level, but I’m anxious to see how she’s handling it.
Hell, I don’t know how I’m handling it, either. But she seemed spooked when I caught her staring at the note I’d written to go with the flowers earlier. I can only imagine how she’ll act now.
Natalie appears in the doorway of her bedroom with a soft, hesitant smile. Cautiously, I approach her. She’s changed from her black t-shirt and jeans into a pair of hot pink, silky pajama shorts and an oversized hoodie.
“Comfy?” I tease.
She peeks up at me through her thick, dark lashes. “Yeah. I figured since you were bringing dinner in that I might as well get comfortable.”
Nodding, I wrap my arms around her slender waist, mimicking my actions from before. “I approve.”
She giggles before I bend closer. “You okay with what happened earlier?”
She gulps before whispering, “I think so.”
“Good. Because I’ve been dying to do that for years.”
Smiling, she quips, “Then maybe you should try it again some—”
I silence her with another heated kiss. I just can’t help myself now that I’ve been given the green light.
Damn, she tastes good, I note as she slips her tongue into my mouth.
My hands slide below her hoodie and up her silky skin before resting on her ribs, right below her breasts. I can feel her heart pounding against my palm, and I smile, knowing I have the same effect on her that she has on me.
She sighs in contentment before pressing her hands against my chest as if she can read my mind.
I bend forward and start kissing her neck as she tilts her head toward the ceiling to give me better access.
“Pinch me,” she whispers through stilted breathing.
My lips turn up into a smile against her throat as I murmur, “What?”
A dry laugh escapes her before she repeats, “Pinch me. Smack me. Something. Anything. Tell me I’m not dreaming right now. Tell me this is real.” A tremor of desperation slips into her voice. “There’s no way this can be real.”
I pull away from her neck before planting another kiss against her tempting lips. One that is toe-curling and panty-melting, all at once. It’s slow and soft, and most importantly…real.
After I finish conveying my feelings through a simple kiss, I rest my forehead against hers and whisper, “This is real, Natalie. You? Me? What I feel for you? It’s the most real thing I’ve ever experienced.” Dragging my hands from her bare waist and across her exposed arms, I slide them into her long, dark hair, making sure I have her full attention. “I’m sorry I took so long to get my shit together.” My voice is thick with grief as she grabs my forearm to ground herself. Closing her e
yes, she releases a deep sigh, but doesn’t comment.
Instead, she surprises me by changing the subject. “Do I smell pizza?”
I laugh before releasing her hair and entwining our fingers, leading her to the kitchen.
“Pepperoni and jalapeno. Just the way you like it.”
She clutches her chest dramatically before using a phony Southern accent to say, “Be still my heart.”
Shaking my head, I pull out an old chair for her like a gentleman. She nibbles her lower lip, trying to contain the inevitable smile from splitting her face in two at my chivalry. I take full advantage by bowing dramatically. “M’lady.”
“Thanks,” she murmurs. Her eyes peek up at me from over her shoulder as I scoot her in.
“You’re welcome.”
Hesitantly, she takes a slice of pizza from the cardboard box. I grab a seat across from her and follow her lead. Things are bordering on awkward before I ask about Get Baked to bring the Natalie I know back to the surface. She lights up like the Fourth of July, telling me all about a new technique she learned for creating choux pastry. She’s so animated that I’m pretty sure we could be talking about glue drying, and I’d still be entertained. When my phone vibrates on the kitchen table, I debate on ignoring it when I see my sister’s name flash across the screen.
Reaching for my cell, I read her text message.
“What the hell is a gender reveal party?” I ask, dragging my eyes from my screen to the gorgeous girl sitting across from me.
“Huh?”
“A gender reveal party. Sophie just invited me to one.”
“Oh!” I watch as her cute little lips make a perfect circle. “Her and Nathan are finding out what gender their babies are in a couple of weeks and are going to throw a party where they tell all their friends and family what the results are.”
I nod before setting my phone down. “Do most people have those?”
Natalie shrugs. “Meh. Some do. It’s becoming a trend though, and you know Sophie.”
“Always one for a trend,” I agree, smiling at the thought of my crazy little sister.
“Yup. Speaking of….” Her voice trails off, but she doesn’t continue.
I can tell she has something to say but doesn’t know how to say it. Her eyes keep darting around the room before landing on me every few seconds, and instead of telling her to spit it out, I wait until she’s had enough time to piece together what she’s trying to say.
“So…” she starts.
I grin but don’t reply.
“About your sister….”
My brow lifts. “What about her?”
Natalie’s face scrunches up before she hides it behind a slice of pizza. “Umm…can we not tell her that we kissed?”
I tilt my head in confusion, positive I heard her wrong. “What?”
She pulls her lips between her teeth until they form a thin white line. “I mean…I just don’t want to tell her about us, if there is an us,” she rushes, “because we don’t really know what’s going on either, ya know? It’s all so new, and I’m probably jumping the gun by even bringing it up, I just….” Her voice trails off as her anxiety spikes right before my eyes.
“Natalie.” I lean across the table and grab her fidgeting fingers from ripping the poor slice of pizza into crumbs. “You’re not ready to tell her? Then we don’t tell her. It’s fine.”
Her entire body sags in her chair as she breathes a sigh of relief. “Really?”
I smile softly. “Yeah. Really.”
Jumping up from her seat, she rushes over and tosses one leg over mine until she’s straddling me. My eyes widen in surprise as she shows her gratitude by kissing the shit out of me.
Moments before I’ve died and gone to heaven, she pulls away, allowing us a chance to catch our breath. “Thank you.”
And with that, she climbs off my lap as quickly as she climbed on before plopping onto the couch like a sack of potatoes. “Let’s watch Netflix,” she calls over her shoulder as she reaches for the remote.
After grabbing another piece of pizza, I join her on the couch. “Fine, but only if there’s chilling involved too.”
“Huh?” Her confused expression morphs into understanding seconds later. “Oooh. Netflix and chill. Har har.” She rolls her eyes, finally piecing together the twenty-first century slang for sex.
“What?” I tease, dragging out the word and pretending to be innocent. She shakes her head then scoots closer and snuggles into my chest like I’m her own personal teddy bear.
“Sorry, no chilling on the first date...perv,” she adds.
I laugh before wrapping my arms around her then situate our bodies on the couch so we’re more comfortable. “Good answer. I thought I was gonna have to give you a lecture on being too easy, Noogie. Glad to see you passed the test.”
She pinches my nipple through my t-shirt and twists playfully, causing me to jump a mile in the air. “Jackass. Now you’re definitely not getting any,” she quips. “Now turn on a show before I Netflix and chill in my room by myself.”
I groan at the imagery she just gifted me with before tugging the remote from her hand and pressing play on the first show I find. “Now that’s just mean.”
She giggles, lifting her head and planting a chaste kiss against my jaw. “I never said I play fair, Marcus. Now shut up and watch the show.”
My chest shakes quietly as I laugh at her feistiness. This is a new side of Natalie, and I like it. A lot.
Chapter Seventeen
Natalie
Waking up on the couch isn’t the most unrealistic place I’ve ever found myself on a Saturday morning. Let’s be honest, I’ve made this bitch my bed plenty of times. But waking up on the couch after snuggling with Marcus all night? Yeah. Pretty sure that’s the definition of surreal.
Unfortunately for me, his warm bear of a body is missing right now, and I’m sorely disappointed. Closing my eyes, I begin to replay the night before when I hear the clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen. My eyelids peel back as my heart begins to race in my chest at the prospect of seeing him and confirming that last night wasn’t a dream.
With a gulp, I peek over the couch. And nearly swallow my tongue.
Marcus. Cooking. Shirtless. And let’s not forget to mention those damn sweats that are hanging way too low on his hips. Hell, they’re practically indecent.
Glancing over his shoulder, he tosses me a smirk before flipping a pancake like a seasoned pro.
“Morning, sleepyhead.” His voice is still rusty from lack of use this morning, and it hits me in all the right places.
“I changed my mind,” I call out.
The spatula pauses in midair. “About what?”
“I don’t want you to pinch me anymore because if this is the dream I’d be missing out on,” I motion to him in all his nearly naked glory, “then you better believe I don’t wanna wake up.”
His deep laugh rumbles throughout the kitchen, warming my soul in the best way possible. “You scared me, Nat. I thought you were going to say you regretted our little Netflix and chill––minus the chill––session last night. I about had a heart attack.”
With a grin, I place my elbows on the couch and rest my head in my hands while staring over at the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. “And why’s that? Scared your ego couldn’t take the hit?”
His eyes narrow before turning back to the stove and flipping my breakfast. The smell of pancake batter and bacon wafts through the air, making my mouth water.
Or maybe it’s the way Marcus’s back muscles flex in a way that feels lethal. Every twist of his hips, every flick of his wrist, every tiny movement is emphasized by rolling muscles that could turn the most frigid woman on the planet into a puddle on the ground.
And boy am I melting.
My teeth dig into the palm of my hand to restrain the moan that’s begging to slip past my lips.
Once Marcus saves my morning from burnt pancakes, he turns back to me. Grinning, he argues, “Nah. With th
e way you’re looking at me right now, I think my ego is just fine.” He finishes his comment with a cocky wink that makes my knees weak.
Damn him.
Chapter Eighteen
Natalie
The last couple of weeks have been…well, they’ve been a dream. Nothing short of perfection, if I’m being completely honest. Marcus hasn’t really had many relationships, but he’s rocking the boyfriend role like a champ. By some miracle, we’ve been able to keep everything hidden from Sophie, even though she’s been bugging me for updates ever since the eavesdropping incident.
It’s been hard keeping this from her. But I feel like if she knows, then it becomes real, and the spell will be broken. Part of me feels like Cinderella, and the moment Sophie finds out is the moment the clock strikes midnight.
Which is ridiculous. Sophie is the least of my worries. I have a very real ticking clock that is counting down the seconds until I lose him. The thought is like a heavy, black storm cloud threatening to break at any second, and I know that I’ll drown in the repercussions as soon as it does.
“Hey, have you talked to Marcus lately?” Sophie asks during a lull in our afternoon at the bakery. I’m busy kneading brioche dough, and I’m grateful for the distraction.
“Nope.” That is…unless she means less recently than the last fifteen minutes.
“You sure about that?” she probes.
I shift awkwardly from one foot to the other. Shit. The girl is like a Bloodhound. She can smell the lie, I’m sure of it!
“Well, what do you mean by lately?” I hedge.
With a quirked brow and a pointed look, she states, “I dunno? Within the last day or two? I mean, you guys live together, so I would assume you’d talk on occasion. Unless you’re still pissed at him for being a douche?” She pops out her hip and folds her arms which only accentuates her growing belly.
