Chapter 36
NATHAN
“Follow me.” I gently tug Arianna by her hand, making her trail behind me as we walk across the field.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises,” she grumbles.
“Stop complaining.”
“I like complaining.”
“Stop talking.”
“I also like talking.”
“Arianna.”
She chuckles from behind me, teasing me. “I quite like the way you tell me off in that deep voice of yours. It’s very authoritative. And I have nothing to complain about because I have a great view. You have a very nice ass, Mr. Hart.”
“I much prefer yours.”
“I’m a smartass with a nice ass.” She lets out a soft giggle at her own joke.
“Precisely.”
Following our dip in the hot spring, where Arianna proceeded to fuck my dick raw, we then joined everyone for dinner, grateful that my brothers made excuses for our late appearance and told mom that I gave Arianna a tour of the ranch. After we finished, I told her I had something to show her.
The dry grass crunches beneath our feet as we make our way to the edge of the pasture.
“Oh my God, are we staying in that tonight?” She squeals and quickens her steps, holding her hand to her chest.
“Yes.”
“It’s beautiful, Nathan.” She gives my hand she’s holding a squeeze.
“It’s the honeymoon suite, but since there is no wedding here this weekend, I thought we could sleep in the treehouse.”
“It looks like the castle from the Harry Potter films.” She sounds lost in pure happiness.
“Never seen them.”
“You’ve never lived.”
“I work.”
“Too much grind, not enough unwind. C’mon, let’s go.
” She starts running, and the rhythmic rustling of the blades crackle under our feet as they bend and spring back up.
Her energy is infectious and she’s so fucking happy that I find myself running after her, feeling like a fucking teenage boy all over again as we hurtle toward the suspended treehouse.
Running much faster now, I pray that our dull thuds from our feet against the soil below scare away any rattlesnakes who love the grassland.
Arianna lets out a whoop of glee, making it bounce off the crests of the valley.
I look up at the newly built two-story treehouse we call the watch tower because it’s set higher than all the others and has its very own suspended walkway through the trees to access it.
Walking along the wooden walkway that leads to the main entrance, I use my head to point to the door as we arrive. “It’s open,” I tell her.
When she pushes it open, she gasps in awe at the oak surroundings my mother spent hours selecting. From the paintings on the walls to the furniture, every item in here, she personally handpicked it all. I guess it was a distraction for her at the time when dad took a turn for the worse.
“Look at the fairytale turret, Nathan.” She looks upward wearing a massive smile. “I feel like a princess.”
I wrap my arms around her and look up too, impressed by the beamed ceiling.
“Mom had some of the world’s best treehouse carpenters build this. There’s another ten for wedding guests. Each one is unique. But this one is extra special.”
Arianna lays her forearms on top of my shoulders and drops her gaze back to me. “Thank you for this, it’s…” She’s speechless.
“We can stay here any time we want. Mom closes the ranch throughout the winter.”
“I might want to move in permanently.”
The warm lighting all around us makes it look like she’s glowing with happiness.
I clear my throat. “You could always move in with me. Permanently.” I don’t know what made me say it, but the timing feels right.
She tilts her head to the side, her forehead creasing as she puzzles over my offer.
“Are you being serious? I mean, it’s a little fast is it not?
” Her arms disappear from my shoulders and she begins pacing back and forth across the wooden flooring, every clunk of her boots mimicking the beat of my heart with worry.
Please say yes.
“We’ve been dating”—I go to correct myself because we haven’t mentioned dating as such—“I mean, sleeping together, having fun, whatever you want to call it, for months.” It might not seem very long to some people, but to me, it feels like I’ve known her all my life.
It’s not just fun for me anymore. She’s it for me.
Fretting some more, she adds, “And you don’t know me, not really, and then there’s my apartment.
I like it. I mean, it’s okay but it’s not where I want to stay for the rest of my life because I’ve been saving up to move to a better area, but moving in with you, that’s huge.
” She threads her hands through her long dark hair as if anxious.
“I would have to give up my apartment, and it was so difficult to find something I liked to begin with. I searched for months.” Her lips press into a thin line of uncertainty, and I love that she seems to be having some sort of mini meltdown at my suggestion.
It’s a big deal, I get it.
She finally comes to a standstill, shoves her fingertip into her mouth then bites her nail nervously, her eyes rapidly bounce about like a deer caught in headlights before they land on me.
I give her a little reassurance, a buffer, so to speak. “Keep the apartment, and I’ll pay your mortgage loan, just move in with me, as a trial for a few months, to see how we get on.” If she says yes to moving in with me, I’m never letting her leave.
“A trial period?”
“Yes. But if we have an argument, you can’t run back to your old apartment. We stay up all night until we work it out.”
She cocks her head to the side as if bewildered.
She takes too long to answer. Her silence is giving me anxiety, my mouth drier than a sponge.
“And this isn’t a big deal,” I lie and then try dumbing it down. “You practically live at my place already and it would make it easier for us to travel to work together. It makes sense.”
“Easier?” she asks, looking petrified.
Fuck, maybe I blew it.
“Yeah, and it’s not like you’re my girlfriend or anything.
We don’t have a label for us, Arianna. The sex we have is fucking incredible.
And it’s not like you’re catching feelings for me or anything.
” She doesn’t disagree with me, which stings.
“It’s just easier,” I say, annoyed because everything I just said is a complete fucking lie.
I know how I feel.
“Okay,” she finally responds.
“Okay?” My chest swells with pride as satisfaction washes over me.
I move toward her and pull her close to me, holding her with firm possession. “You won’t regret it,” I murmur, my voice low in tone.
My life is suddenly starting to feel like it makes sense and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep her safe and happy. If I thought she was mine before, she damn sure is mine now. This is real.
“I’m going to look after you so good, baby.” A sense of excitement overwhelms me, and I kiss her deeply, letting her know she’s mine and I’m hers.
“Are you sure about this?” Her lips twitch nervously against mine, her voice a bit too timid, which unsettles my buoyant mood.
In my mind, nothing changes. She stays with me five nights out of seven and the other two I spend at hers.
What’s with the hesitation?
“I’m certain. Organize a moving company for next week,” I say, trying to reassure her.
“That soon?” She sounds almost disbelieving, her eyes wide as if she’s panicked.
“And remodel my apartment in any style you want. I like yours.”
Her brows dip and the space between them thickens. “Really?”
This is a much bigger step for her than I first thought.
“Make mine homier.” I try again to convince her.
“Because yours is too fuck-pad-like at the moment.”
“What the hell does ‘fuck-pad-like’ mean?” A low chuckle makes my chest rumble, my nerves now at about ten on the scale of vulnerability. I’ve never wanted to share my life with anyone.
“Your décor is like a one-night stand; it doesn’t mean anything and has no significance.”
“Jesus.” That’s fucking brutal. “Well, our one-night stand turned into something.” I go to correct myself.
“I mean, turned into the best sex of my life.” Which makes her grimace for a fleeting moment and I wish I had the balls to admit to her that I have real feelings for her without scaring her off.
She’s the most significant person in my life, my priority, but I get the feeling if I tell her that she’ll bolt like a bull out of its pen.
“Same for me.” Her body visibly relaxes with the sound as she considers my offer to move in with me, as if accepting we are what we are. For now.
“So it’s a yes?” I ask again for clarification. My heart might stop beating if she changes her mind.
Biting her bottom lip, she stares at me for much longer than I want, which makes uncertainty prickle across my skin.
What is she so scared of? “Just think of it like a cab ride to work and sex on tap.”
It’s nothing like that and we both know it because we do everything together now from sunup to sundown and every hour in between.
“Okay,” she finally replies.
I freeze, letting her words settle between us. An apocalypse could hit the world, and I wouldn’t care as long as I’m with her.
A knowing grin shapes my lips, the feeling of happiness overwhelming me, and I lean in slightly, closing the gap between us, then place a soft kiss on her mouth.
“It took you long enough to agree,” I say, teasing her.
“Tell me again, let me hear you say it.” I need to hear it again for my own sanity.
“Yes, I’ll move in with you.” There’s so much confidence in her voice, I almost suggest we call a moving company now.
I hope she hears every word I say next and mean. “I’m not perfect, Arianna, and I’ve never done this before.” My voice is deep and raspy as I slide my hands up either side of her neck.
“I’m not perfect either, and I’ve never lived with my boss before.”
“I fucking hope not, Nick Williams is a married man and represents clients I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.” A brief laugh breaks from her throat and I bow my head to kiss her tempting lips.
To me, she is perfect.
“You’re amazing,” I gush, unable to prevent my confession, because I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. She’s thrown me for a loop but I’m here for the ride, all of it.
“Take me to bed and show me how amazing you think I am.” She nips at my lips, and I lift her into my arms, her legs instinctively wrapping around my waist as I walk us up the stairs to the bedroom.
I don’t have to be asked twice.