Chapter 37
See, here’s the thing–I’m not sexually active. At all. My busy life, coupled with taking care of June, makes it practically impossible to meet anyone and pursue a romantic relationship.
So imagine my poor body, after getting absolutely no action ever, suddenly overwhelmed with so much physical contact with the only person that’s ever made my heart skip a beat.
My palms brace against the floor on either side of Nathan’s head. Every other part of me is pressed firmly against him, made worse by the water that poured on us as we fell.
I can feel every inch of our bodies pressed firmly together, including our damp shirts sticking together. My legs are splayed between his thighs, and a shudder runs through me when they press against a certain…area.
Nathan’s hands grip my waist loosely, and even though every part of me is snug against every part of him, that point of contact feels the most intimate.
I can feel my heart pounding hard, and we’re pressed so tightly together that I can feel Nathan’s pounding hard against my chest,
too.
Neither of us says anything, just staring at each other with wide eyes, not quite breathing. Even though I’m frozen in place, every part of me burns, and I don’t know how I could ever come back from this
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moment.
“Spring?”
The moment shatters all around us with the force of a thunderclap.
I practically fly off Nathan, hurling myself to the side. I’m suddenly panting, and my pulse is racing like I just got caught doing something
bad.
June is sitting up on the bed, frowning groggily. She looks between me and Nathan on the floor in confusion, taking in our damp clothes and my flushed face. “What’s going on?”
I glance at Nathan, who’s mirroring my flustered expression. “I uh… we uh-”
A sharp knock on the door cuts me off, and we all turn to it.
My heart does a backflip at the thought of someone else seeing us
but anyone like this. It’s not like we were doing anything wrong, walking in right now would definitely get the wrong idea that would shine Nathan–and me–in a bad light.
“Miss April?” a sharp voice calls out. “It’s Anna.”
I close my eyes with a groan. And, of course, it’s literally the worst person that could ever walk in.
I glance at Nathan in a panic.
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He looks more composed than I do, and I wonder how many awkward situations like these he’s been in. “I’ll talk to her,” he says.
I bite my lip. Now that his white shirt is damp, it’s sticking to his chest, practically see–through, and I can see the delicious expanse of
his torso.
Yeah, no way Anna is walking into my room and finding Nathan like
this.
I shake my head as I push myself to my feet. “She’s here to see me,” I whisper. “I’ll handle it.”
The knock sounds again, more impatient this time. “Miss April.”
“Coming!” I call back out.
“Just wait here,” I tell Nathan.
He frowns, probably thrown off by the fact that I just gave him an order. I give him a sheepish smile as I turn away.
I glance at June, who’s wide awake now, watching the scene in amusement. I press my fingers to my lips, and she giggles softly.
I open the door and poke my head out.
Anna stands there looking as stern and condescending as ever. I give her an overly bright, wide smile. “Hi!”
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You’d think my simple greeting was some kind of barbed insult with
how she flinches.
She eyes me with that familiar disdain. “It’s improper to address to people like that,” she says sharply.
She gestures to only my head poking out the door. “What are you, a
door ornament?”
I smile through a clenched jaw as I open the door slightly wider and slip through it. “Can I help you?” I ask, reminding myself that no matter how high and mighty Anna is, she’s still a staff of this household, and I’m a contestant, which means I’m higher than her on the food chain…right?
Anna gives me a look that most definitely screams ‘wrong!‘
She eyes my wet top and sniffs.
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I shrug. “I had an accident in the bathroom.”
“Clearly,” she quips.
I sigh. “What can I do for you, Anna?”
She presses her lips tightly. “I’m looking for Master Nathan. Mister Isaac said he was headed here to your room.‘
My eyes widen as two choices dangle in front of me. Tell the truth and let speculations fly about why Nathan Ashford spent so long in my
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room and why we’re both wet. Or lie to the Ashford household version of Maleficent, hoping her piercing eyes can’t read minds.
“Um…” I swallow, still trying to come to a decision. If Nathan told his assistant he would be here, surely it’ll be fine, right?
Anna crosses her arms. “Well?” she presses.
“No,” I reply on a whim.
She raises a brow. “No, he didn’t come here?”
“No, he came,” I say.
She makes an impatient sound in her throat. “So where is he?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. He left.”
I resist the urge to squirm under Anna’s hard gaze as she eyes me from top to bottom. Then she asks. “Why are you hugging the door?”
I blink, my heart shuddering to a stop. “Wh–what?”
She jerks her chin at my stance, pressed tightly against the door. “Your posture is completely off. Ladies don’t lean on surfaces like that; stand straight.”
I push away from the door instantly, my back stiffening.
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Anna huffs. “Passable,” she says.
“Um, shouldn’t you be looking for Nathan?” I ask.
She eyes me one last time before turning away stiffly, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor.
I let out a sigh of relief, leaning back against the door in the exact posture Anna just corrected me against.
I close my eyes, and a silly giggle spills out of my mouth. Did that really just happen? How the fuck did I end up hiding Nathan Ashford in my room like some kind of sleazy secret hookup.
I turn the doorknob and re–enter my room. I freeze at the entrance.
Nathan is off the floor and seated on the bed next to June. They look up as I enter, and June beams. “Hey! All settled?”
I open my mouth to answer, but no words come out as I stare at Nathan. Instead of his damp shirt, he’s sitting on my bed wearing my baggy UChicago sweatshirt. On him, though, it’s snug, borderline tight, hugging and defining all his muscles.
“You don’t mind, do you?” June asks sweetly when she sees where my attention is. “I said he could wear it while I hung his shirt under the dryer.” I hear the faint hum of the hand dryer in the bathroom to corroborate her statement.
I swallow tightly, unable to explain what seeing Nathan Ashford in
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my clothes is doing to me. “It’s cool, Summer, thank you.”
“What did Anna want?” Nathan asks.
“You,” I answer, a little breathless.
“Oh,” he says, standing up. That’s when I notice what’s in his hand- what he and June were looking through.
My notepad–filled with all my recent designs.
