Chapter 124
NATHAN’S POV
45
Fun fact: I’ve never been on a date before.
Back in high school, I never had to work to get girls–they just threw themselves at me. Football was my whole life, so I never had time for mundane teenage dating, and after that ended… Well, I didn’t care for much else.
If April finds out that my first date ever is with Valerie St Claire, she’s going to lose her shit. No amount of orgasms will quell her ire.
Speaking of orgasms…
A small smile plays on my lips when I think about last night: the way April clenched around my fingers and tongue, the way her chest rose and fell with breathless anticipation, the little sounds she made–of surprise, of anticipation, and my favorite: her screams I had to
muffle.
Sex in high school was a sport. It was all raging hormones and clumsy handling. It never meant anything, more a way to drown out the noise in my head.
But with April…
We haven’t even gone all the way, and I know without a doubt that she’s the best I’ve ever had. When I’m with her, it’s all I can do to keep my hands off her, to listen to her talk instead of slamming my lips against hers. To hold her hand instead of roaming the expanse of her breathtaking body.
And when I’m not with her, all I can think about is her. She drowns out the noise–that nagging repetitive drone that is a combination of every harsh word and insult, the audio track of twenty–one years‘ worth of awful memories.
But the mere thought of April blasts it all to pieces, replacing it with something like…peace.
“Nathan?”
The graze of a manicured nail on my hand snaps me back to the present, and it takes all my willpower to fight against the instinct to snatch my hand away from Valerie’s.
Elements of the present filter into my consciousness–the soft jazz music playing from the live band, the faint tinkling of glasses and cutlery, the blended aroma of a variety of cuisines.
The restaurant–Adalina. Valerie, The date.
“Hmm?” I say, not bothering to hide that I haven’t been paying attention to a word she’s said. It’s the second banquet all over again—the one where she sat next to me after deceiving me into thinking I owed her my attention for the knee brace she didn’t make.
She’s droning. On and on and on. And just like that banquet, all I can think about is April.
“I was saying we should definitely go to Paris on our honeymoon.”
I choke on air and double over as hacking coughs rattle through me.
1/3
Chapter 124
“Nate?” Valerie asks in concern as I grab my glass of water and down the contents in one go.
I hold up a hand, finally able to breathe. “I’m fine.”
She smiles, taking a delicate sip of her Mezcaltiini. She wanted to order the thirteen–thousand–dollar Marrow Martini Adalina is famous for, and I would have let her–my father is paying for this entire date; she could buy the whole fucking restaurant if she wants.
But the martini comes with a nine–carat diamond tennis necklace from Marrow Fine, the luxury jewelry brand located just below the restaurant, and I’ll be damned if I buy jewelry for a girl that isn’t April.
“So, Paris?” She giggles. “We could go on a sunset cruise on the Seine, dine at Le Jules Verne, go pastry or wine tasting, maybe even-”
“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself, Valerie?” I ask. “To go on a honeymoon, we’d have to be married.”
She leans forward and once again trails a manicured finger down my hand. Does she think it’s sexy? Because it makes my skin crawl.
This time, I do snatch my hand away, grab my fork, and begin to cut into my steak.
“That’ll happen soon enough,” she says sultrily. “We just have to wait the competition out. But you and I know what’s coming–we’re made for each other.”
She winks, and I want to run home and apologize to April. Because I get it.
Aside from the credit she stole and the dress she allegedly destroyed, Valerie is forward and flirtatious. If I were someone else, if the heart I didn’t even know I had didn’t already belong to someone else, I might find myself pulled under her hypnotic allure.
But as it stands, the only person I want to go to Paris with is April. I imagine her eyes widen as she cranes her head back to take in the glory of the Eiffel Tower. She’ll love pastry tasting, and the cruises, and the shows. The awe on her face blooms in my mind. Paris is the fashion capital of the world. She’ll love it.
Valerie thinks my wistful smile is directed at her, and she bites her lower lip. “I can’t wait,” she murmurs.
And I can’t wait for this date to be over.
*專
I knock on April’s door three times before I realize that she’s not coming to answer as usual.
I try the knob, and when it turns, I push the door open quietly and slip through.
The room is dark, the glow of the moon through the open curtains the only source of illumination. My eyes zero in on the bed where April lies on her side, facing away from the door.
I know she’s awake because she stiffens as the door clicks shut behind me.
I kneel by the bed, resting my chin on my folded hands. “Hi,” I say softly.
“Go away,” she mumbles.
I climb into the bed, aligning my body with hers. Her breath catches when my arms wrap around her middle.
2/3
17:11 Fri, Oct 10 G ..
Chapter 124
45
“Is today opposite day?” Her voice is breathy and shaky, and I smile. She tries hard to hide what she’s thinking and feeling. I don’t think she knows she’s an open book–one that tells my favorite story.
“Indulge me,” I murmur. “I just had the most awful date ever.”
A pause.
“How awful?”
“When historians recount the world’s worst tragedies, they will start with this date.”
She snorts. “Liar.”
I press a kiss to her neck, and she shivers. “For every second I was with her, I wished I were with you.”
“Did she talk your ear off?”
“They’re still bleeding.”
“Did she touch you?”
“I’ve since scrubbed my body with bleach.”
A sigh. “Do you mean it? Did you really have an awful time?”
Gripping her waist, I turn April so she’s facing me. Her eyes are wide and vulnerable, everything she’s feeling plastered on her face.
For someone who’s spent most of his life hiding his feelings from the world, it fascinates me that hers is bare for who
ares to look.
“I had an awful time,” I tell her.
She worries her lower lip between her teeth, and I can’t stop myself from leaning in. I take her lip between my teeth and tug.
She whimpers, a soft sound that washes over me like a caress. Splaying my hand over her back, I press her into me, slipping my thigh between her legs.
“I’m not appeased,” she mumbles against my lips.
I smile. “Looks like I have my work cut out for me.”
Chapter Comments
3
Write Comments
SHARE
