Chapter 22 Nate
NATE
Ember missed one day and two mornings of work this week because of her morning sickness.
I hadn't had to cover for her yet, but as her direct supervisor, I still had to report to HR about time missed.
If she didn’t clock enough hours, they'd hound me, so we worked out a compromise for her.
She came in after the nausea subsided in the mornings and worked a bit later in the evening to account for the missed mornings, and I would have supper on the table for her and a hot bath if she needed extra time to relax.
The offset in hours was even good for the inter-office political dance we'd been doing, forcing us to arrive and leave at different times and thus squashing some of the gossip.
For one full week it had been working, and tonight, I planned a delicious surprise for her—veal roast and vegetables with homemade bread donated by my mother and a pie from the bakery down the street from the hospital.
Everything was perfect when she walked through the door of my home until I saw her face and knew she'd been crying.
"Ember?" I asked, rushing over to her side.
I helped her out of her coat and hung her purse on the hook, but she melted into me with a heavy sigh and sniffles.
"Nate, I'm so sick of people talking about us." The whine in her tone made my shoulders drop.
Clearly, some nasty person had gotten to her again when I thought we were finally moving past some of this.
"What happened, hon?" I pulled her back, looking her in the eye, and she shrugged.
"I stopped at home for some clean clothes—I figured I'd crash here tonight.
" I guided her as she kept talking toward the kitchen where the food was set out waiting for her.
"And there were a few reporters on the lawn again.
After the PBS thing aired, they wanted more information on the secret life of the Hearthkeeper.
They're just not letting this go. The tree lighting is only like two weeks out.
I feel like this is going to outlast Christmas at this point. "
I pulled her chair out and helped her settle, then tucked her hair behind her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, thankful my tighter knit community didn't have this issue.
When my neighbors saw someone lurking, they just called the police to chase them off. I'd only dealt with reporters once.
As it stood, she was safer here, even with the press watching our every move, and it never occurred to me that it could be the case.
I eased into the chair next to her, moving it closer as she took a bite and moaned at the flavors.
"Why not just stay with me a few weeks, you know… until this blows over?" I eyed her as she took another bite of food.
She wasn't shocked by my request, but she didn’t smile either. "It could be like a trial run. We're having a baby together, Ember. And I'm in love with you. Let me take care of you."
"My apartment, Nate… I have to take care of stuff and pay rent." Her brow furrowed and she sighed heavily as she took a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes and groaned in pleasure again.
It was so good to see her eating a healthy meal after being sick for so long.
She'd even gained a pound back, which was a high spot for her week when the clinic doctor praised her efforts.
"I'll take care of it all. I'll even cover your rent for the next few months as we test this out and make sure it's going to be a good fit…" Now that I'd asked her, I wasn't going to let it go.
I wanted her here under my roof because I was positive we were going to work through all of this and come out the other side strong.
She looked skeptical as she continued eating slowly, but she didn't refuse. "I don't know…"
"I'm in love with you, and I'm not going to let some man who sits in some seat of 'honor' tell me how to live my life. We belong together, baby. Let me prove it to you." I took her hand and kissed it, and it pulled the first grin I'd seen since she walked in.
"You think? Nate, it feels sort of sudden…"
"Well, we've been doing this for six months and you're pregnant. So if that's too fast for you, I'm not sure how to turn back the hands of time." I lifted both of my eyebrows as she dipped her finger into the pile of mashed potatoes on her plate and stuck it up to my mouth.
Her playful grin had me sucking the potatoes off her finger, then circling it with my tongue a few times.
"Will you cook for me like this every night?" she asked, turning more to face me as I pulled her finger from my mouth.
"Depends, do I get you for dessert every night?" I wagged my eyebrows at her and she snickered.
"Dr. Bradley, you're going to make me blush."
"Good, there's more where that came from." I leaned down and kissed her, and the kiss grew heated quickly.
Seeing her be her old playful self made my heart soar.
If only I could do this for her every day.
The kiss lingered, lips parting only when Ember’s fingers tightened in my hair.
She tasted like the veal roast with a faint trace of the rosemary I’d rubbed into the meat.
I drew her tongue into my mouth, savoring the warmth before pulling back just enough to speak.
“Mmm,” I murmured against her lips. “You taste good.”
Her laugh was low, breathy, the sound vibrating through her chest into mine. “You didn't eat your dinner yet.” She nipped my lower lip, then soothed it with a slow lick.
I stood, lifting her with me, her legs wrapping instinctively around my waist.
The table groaned as I set her on the edge, plates shifting but staying upright this time.
Ember’s skirt slid higher, the bunching at her thighs.
“Careful,” she whispered, eyes flicking to the dishes. “Your mother’s bread is still warm.”
“I’ll buy you another loaf.” I kissed the corner of her mouth, then her jaw, working down to the hollow beneath her ear.
She tilted her head, offering the column of her throat.
Her sweater came off in a slow pull, the knit catching briefly on her elbows.
Underneath, her skin was pale, flushed pink at the collarbone from the kitchen’s heat.
I traced the line with my tongue, tasting salt and the faint sweetness of her lotion.
Ember’s hands found my belt, and pulled the button open. “You’re overdressed, Dr. Bradley.” She tugged the leather free, then popped the button of my slacks.
The zipper rasped down, and I stepped back just enough to shove the fabric past my hips.
My length pressed against the cotton of my boxers, straining it as Ember’s gaze dropped, her tongue darting out to wet her lips.
I hooked my fingers into her skirt’s waistband, easing it down.
The wool slipped over her skin, revealing simple white underwear already damp at the center.
She lifted her hips to help in a graceful motion despite the awkward angle.
“Nate,” she moaned as I knelt between her knees, parting them gently.
Her fingers threaded through my hair as I leaned in.
My tongue traced her through the cotton first, a slow drag that made her hips jerk.
She gasped and groaned as I pinched her clit with my lips.
Then I peeled the underwear down, catching it on one ankle before tossing it aside.
Her folds were slick, swollen, the color of ripe peaches.
I parted her with my thumbs, exposing the small knot of nerves that made her breath hitch.
The first lick was flat and broad, gathering her taste. Ember was tangy and warm and her thighs tensed, then relaxed as I settled into a rhythm.
“Nate… please.” Her voice cracked on the plea, but I continued my relentless assault on her until she was trembling and clenching my face between her thighs.
When she started moaning, twitching, I slid a finger in then another, until her walls clamped down around my digits and her body went rigid.
The climax was fast and hard, making the table shake and the glasses of water slosh out onto the table cloth.
Her body trembled from head to toe and finally she tugged my hair, urging me upward.
So I stood, kicking off my shoes and the rest of my clothes.
My length bobbed free, heavy against my stomach as Ember reached for me with her hand, wrapping it around the base.
She stroked once, twice, thumb sweeping over the tip to spread the bead of moisture. “I want you,” she said, eyes locked on mine.
Stepping between her legs, I guided myself to her entrance.
My head nudged her folds, sliding through wetness before catching, and Ember’s breath stuttered as I pushed in until I was fully seated in her and she was biting my chest as she pulled my hips closer.
She was tight, hotter than the kitchen air, her walls fluttering around me.
I paused to let her adjust as her nails dug into my hips, urging me closer.
“Move,” she whispered. “Please move.”
I drew back, then thrust in again, the table creaking beneath us.
Each stroke was angled to brush the spot that made her eyes roll back in her head.
Ember’s head lolled backward, exposing the line of her throat.
I leaned down, sucking gently at the pulse point beneath her jaw while she moaned my name again.
My hand slipped between us, fingers finding her clit. I circled it in firm strokes, matching the rhythm of my hips.
Her legs tightened around my waist, heels digging into my back.
“Like that,” she gasped. “Don’t stop.”
The pressure built at the base of my spine, a slow coil tightening.
I shifted my angle, driving deeper, and Ember cried out.
Her walls clenched as another wave of climax pulled me into her.
She was writhing, clinging to me to stay seated on the table, as I drove into her and I followed a moment later, spilling inside her with a groan.
The pulses seemed to go on forever, each one drawing out the pleasure.
Ember’s fingers stroked my back, grounding me as I came down. Her panting and my hammering heart felt in sync.
This answer to my invitation to move in with me, even temporarily, couldn't have been better.
I hadn't expected to ask it, and I didn’t know what her answer would be, but she was obviously okay with it.
Now to convince the rest of the world to see what I saw and protect Ember from the ones who refused to keep their opinions to themselves.