26. 26 Mae
26: Mae
“ I didn’t know you could cook.” I sit on Nathan’s kitchen counter, legs swinging over the side as I suck on an apple-flavoured lollipop I found at the bottom of my purse. I’m not much of a candy lover, but I’m jittery and need something to do with myself while Nathan cooks.
We haven’t spoken about what’s going to happen between the two of us when the season ends, but we both know that this isn’t something that looks like it can last.
I think we both want it to.
But it can't.
“My mom and I would cook together sometimes,” Nathan says. “After football practice. Not often, but I find it calming. It reminds me of her.”
I smile at him, tipping my head to the side.
A man that can cook? Swoon.
“What was she like?” I hope I’m not overstepping, and when Nathan doesn’t even falter, I know I’m not.
“Amazing. Incredible.” He smiles as he stirs the tomato sauce he’s just made from scratch. “When my Dad was working, she’d take me to the store and would let me pick whatever I wanted to make cupcakes with. We did it all. Chocolate. Cookies and cream. Banana. Cinnamon.” He shoots me a wink. “But then she started to drink. It was only on the weekends at first, but that quickly turned into weekdays as well. And soon, she couldn’t function without the stuff.”
I shuffle closer and cup his cheek. “I’m sure she was still an amazing mother. I know she loved you right until the very end.”
“I hope so. I hope… I’m making her proud.”
“You are.”
Nathan and I settle into silence, but it’s not awkward. Instead, we revel in it. We don’t need words to fill the space. The quiet between us is warm and familiar.
“It smells amazing.” I peer down at the half-cooked roasted vegetables he’s flipping over on the tray, sprinkling some extra salt and pepper onto them.
Nathan catches my eye after shoving the tray back into the oven. He steps closer, takes the lollipop from my mouth and places it into his. His nose skates over mine.
Does he have any idea how hard I’ve fallen for him?
So hard that I’m contemplating my future.
Contemplating actually moving away.
Contemplating what I really want.
Becoming a vet is my dream, but do I really want to restart my whole life? Especially when Missarali is starting to feel like home. The girls on the cheerleading squad are my friends now, and I enjoy it.
I’ve worked so hard, though, and given up so much.
There aren’t any opportunities for me here.
But I just know they’ll never be another Nathan Slater. No one will ever make me feel the way he does. Mentally and physically.
Fuck.
Well, isn’t this just a shitty turn of events?
Nathan’s eyes dart to the scar on my temple, and he skates his finger over it. His expression silently asks if it’s okay, and I dip my head in a nod.
“Does it ever hurt?”
I shake my head. “Not anymore.” Physically, I’m healed, but mentally, I’m still very much torn up. However, Nathan provides the balm for my fractured mind, smoothing the jagged edges and giving me the peace I didn’t know existed. He doesn’t try to change me and erase the cracks. He lets me be me.
“You’re so beautiful.”
I smile, leaning into his touch. “I’m sure that’s not what you thought when I first arrived.”
“It’s exactly what I thought, and I was pissed at you for distracting me.”
“Oh, so I’m a distraction?”
He cups my cheeks and places the lollipop back into my mouth. “Oh, the biggest distraction.” Nathan’s smirk is driving me wild. “You look good on top of my counter.”
I study him. “I think I’d look better on top of you .” The comment slips out, and I blink.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
He steps even closer. “Is that something you’d like, princess? Would you like to ride my cock?”
My body tenses.
I don’t think like is the right word. I need to.
Nathan reaches behind his shoulder and pulls his T-shirt off with one hand, his eyes remaining on me. An undeniable urge soars through my body, and all I want is his on mine. It’s as if I’m starved of oxygen, and I can’t breathe without him. He’s the only thing grounding me. Making me feel like I’m alive. Making me feel human.
“I’m waiting for an answer, Mae. Tell me what you want.”
I place the lollipop on the counter. “You. I want you.”
“You want me? All of me?” His lips find my neck, sucking on the sweet spot where my neck and shoulder meet. His teeth graze my skin, and my lips pop open and I tilt my head back to give him easier access. “Is this what you want, princess?”
“Yes. Fuck, yes.”
Heat pools between my legs. I’ve never felt like my body wasn't mine before, but right now, Nathan’s the puppeteer. He has complete control of me, and I have no shame in handing over the power.
“You want to be filled with my cock?”
I shiver. There’s absolutely nothing else I want more. “More than anything, Nathan.”
He pulls back, challenge blazing in his eyes. “Say my full name.”
I flatten my lips. I’m a stubborn girl.
His fingers find the back of my neck, and he grips my hair and tugs on it, making a moan slip past my lips.
“More than anything, Nathan Slater,” I say, arousal wetting my leggings.
Okay, maybe not that stubborn, but a woman can only take so much.
“That’s my girl.”
His girl.
“I need to get a cond—”
I rest my hands on his chest, rubbing smooth circles. “No, I want to feel you. I’m on the pill. If that’s okay with you?”
A smile touches his lips. “I’m absolutely okay with that.” His eyes roam my body. “Fuck, I haven’t touched a woman in years, but this is well worth breaking that streak.”
His soft chuckle vibrates against my skin. After a few seconds, he drops and hitches my legs over his shoulders, pushing me back on the counter and peeling off my leggings. A smirk finds its way to his face as he catches sight of my lacy thong, the fabric cutting into my skin and barely covering me.
“Is this for me?” he asks as he pushes my thong to the side, refusing to enter until I answer. “You have the prettiest pussy, baby.”
Baby.
That’s three on the list now.
I turn to putty in his arms.
“I’m going to need an answer.”
“Yes, it’s yours, Nathan,” I moan, tilting my head to the ceiling as he sinks two fingers into me. The sound of my wetness fills the room and moves at a tortuous pace, teasing me.
I hate it but love it at the same time.
His other hand is on my chest, and I rip off my cardigan and tank top as he pulls my underwear from my legs and tosses it behind him. “Part these legs a little more for me.” He taps at my inner thigh, and I do as I’m told.
I don’t usually like being bossed around, but I’d do anything Nathan asks of me when it comes to this. He can be in charge as long as he likes in the bedroom because I crave his leadership. His attitude. I love the way he claims me.
It isn’t long before his lips find my clit, and his tongue swirls around it until I’m a writhing mess on his cold kitchen counter. My back arches, and I grip his shoulders as I rock into his face, chanting his name repeatedly.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to drown in your pussy? How many nights I’ve spent jerking myself off to the thoughts of you moaning my name?” He smiles. “Well, this surpasses all expectations, princess. You were fucking made for me.”
I lick my lips, staring down at him. My toes are already curling.
“Is this what you like, baby? Being eaten out on my kitchen counter?”
It’s clear that Nathan’s a fan of dirty talk, and I love it equally as much, so when he tells me how unbelievable I look with his fingers shoved inside of me, I feel the stinging sensation of my rising orgasm.
“Nathan! Oh, fuck!”
Nathan groans into my pussy as I come on his face, fingers pumping into me quicker. I study the liquid dripping down his chin as he pulls away. “You’re perfect. So perfect.”
“I thought about you, too,” I admit, catching my breath. “In the beginning. I was so annoyed at you, but all I really wanted was to swallow your cock.”
Nathan hosts me off the counter and up into his arms, dropping down onto the floor so I’m straddling his waist. “Is that why you were so sassy with me? Because you were really just pissed off that you couldn’t have my cock?”
“Yes… and I may have thought you were an asshole.”
He hums, fingers twirling around my nipples, tweaking them. “Still think I’m an asshole, Mae?” His thumb presses down on my clit, making me jolt.
“No,” I tell him, all breathy. “No, not at all.”
“Good. Now that you’re nice and wet for me, show me what you were imagining doing to me while you were fucking your pussy alone at night.” He arches his eyebrow at me—as if to challenge him on the fact I’ve touched myself over him.
He isn’t wrong.
I lean down to kiss him, cupping his cheeks, my fingers grating over his stubble. My hips rise, and one of my hands moves down his body to grip the base of his cock, pushing it against my entrance.
But I tease him, even though I’m so desperate that I feel like I might burst.
“You’re so fucking wet.” Nathan watches me with so much intensity as I swirl his head against my wetness. “Fuck, you’re killing me. You know that, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
A gasp suddenly escapes me as he raises his hips, causing a few inches of him to sink into me. I kick my head back in pleasure.
“Nathan, fuck…” I mutter. “It’s—it’s too fucking big.”
“You can take it, though, can’t you?” He tilts his head to the side, waiting for an answer.
“Yes, I can take it.”
“Good girl.”
I place my hands against his chest and raise myself, sliding up and down his length. It feels incredible. I’m absolutely stuffed, and the delicious stretching sensation causes me to whine.
“Look at you. Fucking my cock. Taking it like a good fucking girl.”
I had no idea Nathan would have such a dirty mouth on him. But it makes this all the better. I’ve always been a sucker for praise during sex, and fuck, is Nathan telling me what a good job I’m doing.
I bounce on top of him as both of our hands roam.
His on my ass.
Mine on his chest.
His on my tits.
Mine on his hips.
We can’t get enough of each other, and our moans of pleasure sync up.
I want to give myself over to this man completely. I need it. He needs it. I can tell by how he’s looking up at me—eyebrows furrowed and teeth gritted.
Nathan sits up, resting his back against the counter. He places two hands behind his head and watches me in awe.
“Fuck, you fucking know how to ride my cock, baby. You’re doing such a good job.”
My pussy is clamping onto him with each time I raise and lower my hips, tits bouncing.
But it’s not long until Nathan can’t take it anymore. He flips us over and begins pounding into me, his hips perfectly aligned with mine.
“Wider, baby,” he tells me, gripping my hipbones as he thrusts. “Let me get deep in that pretty pussy of yours.”
His words cause me to ache, and I stretch myself wider for him. I’m pretty flexible, and my knees are almost to the floor on either side of me.
“Right there,” I instruct him as he hits my sweet spot. “Fuck, Nathan, right there.” My fingers find my clit after spreading my wetness over it, and Nathan watches with dark eyes as he focuses on pumping in and out of me at a pace that has me writhing beneath him.
My head falls back. “Shit, I think I’m—”
“You’re not coming again just yet, baby. Not until I say so, ” he says with a chuckle as he pulls out of me, and I whine in frustration.
I was so fucking close.
“Asshole,” I grunt.
He picks me up and wraps my legs around his waist, pushing me up against the wall of his kitchen. The cold sensation makes me arch my back into him. He slips his cock back in, and we both release a breath of contentment.
“Your cock is so big,” I grunt, leaning my head back against the wall as I’m fucked into oblivion.
The sound of wet slapping fills the room, and my entire body throbs.
“Have I mentioned to you how perfect you look like this?” Nathan asks, slowing down, eyes level with me. “Pussy full of my cock. Mouth moaning my name. Against my kitchen wall.”
He’s sliding in and out of me at a tormenting pace as he drags his lips over my collarbone, his stubble grating against my flushed skin.
“Please, Nathan.” I attempt to swallow. “Please. Fuck me faster. I need to come. Please.”
“A princess gets whatever she wants.” He returns to his previous pace, wild and unhinged.
Cries of pleasure fall from my lips as he slams into me. I swear the wall is shaking, but I can’t bring myself to care.
Everything is Nathan right now. Nothing else matters. We don’t know how long we’ll have with each other, so right now, it’s just us. Reality can come later.
"Come for me."
I’m reduced to a puddle of hormones, with his tough hands gripping me like I might disappear into thin air. He works into me like it’s our last day on Earth, and to be honest, now that we’ve really broken our contracts, it might be.
“Shit. I’m—I’m gonna…“ I whimper.
“Let me hear it.” One of Nathan’s hands reach around and press against my clit, the pressure sending me over the edge. “Come around this cock, Mae. Let me fucking hear it.”
And I do. I come so hard that I can’t see anything other than a flash of white light. My body is shaking, and pleasure wracks through every cell in my body as I clench around Nathan’s cock, calling his name. My fingernails dig into the back of his neck tightly as if my life depends on it.
He continues to rock into me, cock hitting just the right spot every time, and after a few seconds, he grunts. “Mae, fuck…”
Hot liquid fills me, a sheen of sweat coating both of our bodies.
My heart is working overdrive, pumping so erratically that for a second, I’m concerned I’m having a heart attack. But I feel no pain—only pleasure.
It isn’t until minutes later that my body has calmed down. I still have my arms wrapped around Nathan’s neck, but he’s placed me on the couch and has a wet cloth in his hands.
“You’re going to need to let me go eventually so I can clean you up.” A chuckle rises from his throat, and I release him and rest my head back as he wipes me, his eyes glinting as he watches himself seep from my pussy.
“We have a problem,” I say.
Nathan’s eyes round, and he looks concerned. “What?”
“Now that I’ve had this, I’m going to want it again and again.” A laugh bubbles from my chest.
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m prepared to give it to you again and again, then, isn’t it?”
“You have the face of a woman who’s no longer sexually frustrated.” Flo grins at me from her side of the couch.
I bite into my slice of pizza, nodding towards the TV. “Good show.”
“Oh, fuck.” She flails her arms and crawls towards me. “Something happened between you and Nathan. Fucking tell me now.”
My face remains neutral. “How do you know something’s happened?”
“The fact you haven’t actively denied it means I’m right.” She releases a squealing noise similar to a pig. “My best friend is getting the pickle.”
“Flo, I hate it when you call it that.”
She cups my cheeks, forcing me to drop my pizza back down in the box. “Does the Nathan Slater have any hot friends? I want a football player.”
I wiggle my eyebrows. “Evan’s single. You want to be a mommy?”
“I’ll be his mommy,” she jokes, and I smack her away with a laugh. “I hope you’re ready. I can see it now. You’ll be on the front page, clinging onto Nathan’s arm as you walk into a fancy restaurant in Paris, ready to dine with the other millionaires of the world. My best friend is gonna be famous.”
“I can’t think of anything worse than being followed around my whole life.”
My best friend snorts. “It wouldn’t be your whole life. Just until Nathan dwindles to irrelevancy. And judging by his age, that shouldn’t be too far away.”
“Do you possess a filter, or were you just born without one?”
Flo groans, flopping back on the couch. “God, you sound like my mother. Speaking of, how’s yours?”
I snort. “Is that even a question?”
My best friend sighs. “You’re right. Sorry.”
It isn’t until now that I realise how tired Flo looks. Even the layer of concealer she’s wearing isn’t disguising her under-eye bags. “How’s work?” I pry.
“Killing me.” Flo works for a talent agency. They work with a bunch of celebrities, and she’s always getting invited to fancy dinners and lavish parties—events she tries not to attend. “My clients are driving me crazy. Ella Baxter is a bitch. There I said it!”
On a chuckle, I say, “Really? Her music’s pretty good, though.”
“I know, and that’s what makes it worse! I wanna kill her, but at the same, I don’t because then she’d stop singing. My ears need that woman’s voice.”
“Why don’t you just quit?”
“Mae, I am so close to a promotion, I can practically taste it. I don’t want to give up now.”
I beam at her. “That’s the spirit.”
My phone pings, and I snatch it up, staring at the screen. The world seems to freeze around me. I only pick up on a few words in the email because my heart is rattling against my ribs so hard they feel like they might break.
Congratulations.
Veterinary nurse.
Acceptance.
Florida.
I release a yelp.
“What?” Flo demands, eyes wide like saucers.
I’m still staring.
“Mae, tell me!”
“I got accepted…” My voice trails off. “Fuck, a practice accepted me, Flo.”
My best friend wraps her arms around me. “Oh, shit! I knew you would. I’m so happy for you. Where is it?”
My body feels cold. “Florida.”
Florida.
As in states away… Florida.
Flo tries to hide her sadness, but she forces a smile. “I’m so proud of you. You’re gonna love Florida. You’ll get so tanned!”
A laugh trickles out my throat, but even though I should be jumping for joy, I’m not. In fact, my body is filled with disappointment.
Dread.
Regret.
While this was my main goal when I first moved here, I’m beginning to feel my stomach churn at the thought of leaving Missarali.
And it’s fucking scaring me.