Chapter 6
Nash tried to ignore the woman puttering around behind him. It was hard though.
That wasn’t the only hard thing. His cock had been like a rock since she’d stripped out of his clothes.
Then again, he doubted the state of his dick would change until he’d done something about the ache in his groin and fucked Laura.
A few hundred times.
Fuck! He couldn’t believe she hadn’t said no.
It had taken everything he had not to ravish her on the spot. He’d wanted to finish stripping both of them down and take her where they stood.
But she’d been through the wringer earlier, and while the idea of taking her standing up appealed, the first time he had her she’d be under him. Spread out on his bed so he could take in every inch of her. Explore all those sleek dips and swells she hide beneath her uniform.
And he really wanted to woo her. Call him old fashioned, he liked the idea of them getting to know each other before diving into bed.
Shame he wouldn’t be able to do that as slowly as he’d planned.
There’d been a chance he could have pulled that off.
Right back when he’d first seen her. Now, after years of wanting her and finally having her look at him with interest instead of detachment?
Yeah, that wooing was going to be done around the fucking because there was no way he wasn’t getting inside that tight body soon.
He hoped he could hold out longer than a few hours. Hoped they’d get to watch a movie and eat dinner before he rushed her into the bedroom and fucked them both into next week.
Shit. If this storm kept going they could fuck into next week. Only getting out of bed for food. A smile curled his lips. That sounded like a great way to spend their forced confinement.
“How’s it looking?” Laura’s voice in his ear made him jump.
“Fuck woman. I didn’t hear you come up behind me.” He turned from the fireplace and took her in. She’d only put the thermal on after they’d parted earlier. “Are you warm enough in just that?”
“Yes. Stop worrying.” She pressed her hands to his face. “See. Warm.”
He placed his hands over her. They weren’t any colder or warmer than his. “Fine. But don’t push it.”
“I won’t. Promise.” She tugged her hands from beneath his and peered into the fireplace. “Now, how’s it looking?”
“Good. The flue is clear from this end and I know it is up top because I checked all the chimneys when I surveyed the roof the other day. We’re good to light a fire, I just need to grab some logs from the woodbox on the back porch.”
“How big is the woodbox? Maybe you should bring it inside?”
“Too big. I’ll load up a few times so we don’t have to go out for a day or so.”
“Okay. Want help?”
“You get the door. That way I won’t have to leave it open.”
“Let’s do it.”
“What movie did you pick,” he asked as he hunted up a pair of gloves.
“Home Alone.”
He grinned. “Classic.”
“Yep. It’s the only Christmas movie you own.”
“I’ve got more in storage. I thought about unloading everything now I’ve bought this place but with the work that has to be done I’m leaving it where it is. I haven’t needed any of it in years so it seems pointless to bring it here just to leave it all boxed up.”
“How much stuff do you have?” Laura pulled on the jacket he handed her. She might be staying inside behind the door but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Enough furniture to fill a three bedroom apartment.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I packed up my place in New York and brought it with me even though I didn’t know where I’d be living at first.”
“And it’s taken you this long to find a place you like?” She looked at him with her head cocked to the side. “Nothing appealed before now?”
“I was waiting.” He didn’t elaborate. As much as he didn’t want to keep any secrets from her he didn’t want to overload her with his feelings either.
And other than her, Nash hadn’t seen anything he wanted.
Until he laid eyes on the inn a few months ago.
“Wanted to be sure the place I bought was right.”
He opened the back door and ducked outside, cutting any further conversation off.
Laura dutifully opened and closed the door four times before he was satisfied he had enough logs to last out the worst of the storm. Brushing off his gloves, he headed for the bedroom. “I’ll clean up. You get the movie ready to play.”
He didn’t wait for a reply and he was back in under five minutes wearing clean sweatpants, a long sleeved t-shirt and thick socks on his feet.
She was on the couch, steaming bowls of stew and mugs of what smelled like hot chocolate on the coffee table.
“You didn’t find any popcorn?”
“I did.” She glanced up at him, concern creasing her brow. “But it’s getting late. Figured we should just eat dinner while we watched.”
He checked his watch and grunted. She was right. It was after seven. Where had the hours gone?
Dropping to the couch beside Laura he yanked the quilt over both their legs before leaning forward and grabbing their bowls. “Here.”
She hit the play button on the remote and dropped it to the cushion on the other side of her, then took her dinner. “I forgot to tell you before, this is delicious. Thanks.”
“No problem. It’s nothing fancy.”
“Anything that’s not out of a box is fancy.” She grinned at him. “And if this is the type of meal you can throw together you’re on kitchen duty from now on.”
“Oh? You can be in charge of putting clothes away then. I hate doing that. I manage to get everything washed and dried but putting it all in the cupboard and drawers defeats me most of the time.”
“Deal.”
Nash liked that they were dividing every day chores. Did she realize she was combining their lives?
“My uniform shirts need ironing. You good at that?”
“No.” He didn’t even own an iron. The perks of his job meant no suits or starched shirts or ties.
“Damn. Oh, well.” She shrugged. “I’ll keep getting them done at the dry cleaners.”
“Laura?”
“Yeah.”
He turned to face her. “All in, yeah?”
Nodding, she spooned in a mouthful of stew.
“Move in.”
She choked. “What?” she muttered, hand over her mouth.
“After the storm blows over, move in here with me.”
“I can’t move in, we haven’t even been on a date.”
“We’re doing that now. And we’re here for the next week. Twenty-four-seven. That’s a lot more dates. Especially if we count breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
“I—”
“You don’t need to decide now.” He back-pedaled for fear of scaring her and causing her to second guess her decision to be together. “I’ll ask again once we’re no longer snowed in.”
“It’s too quick.”
“It’s been years.”
“Not really. Not like it should have been.”
“That’s not my fault.”
“I know. It just seems like moving in would be rushing.”
He shook his head. “I know what I want. I told you that already. I’m just waiting for you to catch up to on a few things.”
“Nash, I’ve never had a serious relationship. Certainly never lived with someone other than my family.”
“Okay, how about this. Weekends here, or your days off.” He frowned. “I don’t know what your schedule looks like. But I’ll be here working on this place every day I’m not on a job site. I’d like you with me. Helping like you asked.”
“I’ll think about it. Now.” She waved her spoon at the TV. “We’re missing our date.”
He grinned, ducked his head and stole a quick kiss before she could stop him. “Okay. Date night.”
They were quiet while they ate and watched the McCallister clan leave their son behind. When they finished dinner and put their bowls back on the coffee table, Laura snuggled into his side, and he wrapped his arm around her, tucked the quilt over them tighter.
Mom McCallister had just arrived back home when Nash heard a little snore come from his date. Smiling, he glanced down to find Laura had fallen asleep. As much as he’d wanted to take her to bed and fuck them into next week he wanted to take care of her more, so he sat still and let her sleep.
By the time the credits rolled he reluctantly pulled away and went over to the fireplace.
He hadn’t built a fire before they ate and now he didn’t know if he should just leave it until morning.
A vicious howl of wind that rattled the only two windows in the room and the thought of the old furnace giving out overnight made up his mind.
Crouching down, he arranged logs, stuffed some kindling beneath them, then got a fire blazing.
The fireplace didn’t have a guard but with the deep box and the size of the stone hearth he wasn’t worried about sparks bouncing out and setting anything on fire while they slept.
He’d set an alarm for ever couple of hours so he could get up and check on it throughout the night.
The heat coming off the flames felt great against his hands and face but he’d leave the central heating on—if that’s what you could call the ancient system someone had fitted to the house at some point in the last century—he’d see how well the fire heated the bedroom tomorrow when he could monitor the temperature constantly.
If the fire alone wasn’t enough he might have to work out something extra for the sleeping quarters at some point.
For now, he needed to get sleeping beauty to bed without waking her.
Not wanting to deprive her of the warmth she had in the quilt cocoon he scooped her up in it and made his way to the bedroom. Juggling Laura he managed to pull back the blankets on the bed and get her in without dropping her or disturbing her slumber.
She burrowed deeper into the folds of the bedding making him smile. He liked her there. Wrapped in his sheets and quilt, her head on his pillow. Getting into bed beside her was going to be one of the best nights of his life.
With that in mind, he ducked back into the kitchen and shut down for the night. A few minutes later he was stripping to his boxer briefs and sliding beneath the covers. He stared at the woman beside him and couldn’t help wondering if she’d still be all in come morning.
He knew he would be, had been since the minute he laid eyes on her in spite of her indifference over the years, and while she’d agreed earlier, he knew he’d spooked her with the moving in talk.
What he hadn’t told her—because she’d really freak out if he had—was that he’d known the second he’d seen Lakeside Inn that it was meant to be theirs.
He’d had visions of the two of them at the lake edge with their kids, swimming in the summer, skating in the winter. The images in his head had been so vivid he hadn’t taken a second to think about buy the Inn, he’d just decided to.
Alex had been rambling on about the investment and Nash had turned to the real estate agent and told her to call the owner.
He’d had the keys within weeks.
And now he was here, with the woman he’d bought the house for.
Laura Murdock.
Would it freak her out more if he told her why he’d bought Lakeside?
One hundred percent.
Smiling, he did what he’d spent the last few minutes trying not to. He moved closer and pulled her into his arms.
They might not be where he thought they would be after their first date but he’d take this. Naked or not, Laura in his arms was more than a dream come true. It was his ultimate fantasy.