Chapter 18
Eighteen
Nash
H er laughter as I carry her over the threshold goes from my chest to my stomach, and then straight to my dick. I kick the door closed with my foot as we stand in the foyer. “Um, Nash?” She looks up at me. “Our bags are still outside.”
“I’ll get them after I give you a tour, and you can settle in.” I lean down to kiss her lips.
“Are you going to carry me for the whole tour?” she asks.
“If you want,” I answer her without even caring. If she wants me to carry her through the house for the tour, then that is what I will do.
“I think I’m good to walk.”
“Fine,” I pout, reluctant to let her out of my arms but making a mental note to carry her to the bedroom, even if it’s over my shoulder or on my back. I make sure she has her balance before I let her go. “This is the foyer,” I tell her, and her eyebrows rise at the square staircase in the middle of the open-concept house. “That’s the formal living room.” I point at the room on my right-hand side. “And the dining room.”
“Do you even use these rooms?” she asks as she steps into the living room, looking around and stopping when she spots a mirrored frame on one of the coffee tables. “Wait.” She walks over and picks it up. “How did you do this?” She looks at the picture of her right before she walked down the aisle. She’s looking at the camera with her hip cocked to the side, one hand on her hip and the other hand by her side, holding the bouquet. She looks sexy as fuck but also fucking beautiful.
“The photographer emailed me the link for the pictures,” I tell her, “and I got a couple to put around the house so you would feel sort of at home.” She puts the frame down. “Since you’ll be in every room.”
“That’s very sweet, Nash.” She walks over to me and gets on her tippy-toes. “I would also very much like to see the pictures of our wedding.”
“I’ll send you the link after,” I tell her, slipping my hand in hers. “Now, come so I can show you the rest of the house.” I pull her toward the stairs. “This is the mudroom.” I point at the little room on my left-hand side, and she looks up at the hanging ceiling light that shows you the railing for upstairs.
“I love how open this is,” she states, turning but never letting go of my hand.
“Good,” I say as I continue walking. “Now this is the kitchen, obviously.” I point to the right where there is a huge gray marble island right in front of a U-shaped kitchen. “That must be your gift.” I point at the white box on the island next to what is a replica of her bouquet when we got married.
She lets my hand go to walk over to the island. “Is this from that day?” She points at the vase of flowers, and I shake my head.
“No, but I remembered so?—”
“Can I open the gift?” she asks, her eyes lighting up even more. I see she likes gifts. I make another mental note. “It’s big.”
“Not as big as my dick, though.” I point at her, making her laugh. “Don’t forget that.”
“How could you ever let me forget that,” she deadpans, pulling the white ribbon off the white box. She lays it flat on the counter before she pulls the top off and moves the tissue paper off the frame that is in the box. “Nash,” she whispers, “this is…” She looks into the box, her finger trailing over the glass. Inside is a frame I had made with three hearts in the middle of it. Under each heart is a different saying and the date of when the event happened. The first heart is the day we met and the location we met, with the word “Hello.” The second heart says “Will You?” And the third has “I Do.”
“It’s a map of our story. A controversial one, but a map nonetheless,” I explain, and she turns to look at me. I see she has tears in her eyes that she’s ferociously blinking away. “I wanted you to put it where you wanted to.”
“This is…” She looks down at the frame in the box. “I can’t believe,” she says and then laughs, “the Will You and the I Do have the same date and almost the same location.”
“Yeah, the man who did it messaged me twice to make sure I didn’t fuck it up. I was going to put it up on the wall.” I point at the wall we just walked past that faces the staircase. “That way, everyone sees it when they walk in. We can put family pictures around it, but it’ll be like the wall's foundation. Sort of like our family tree.”
“That sounds like a great idea.” Her voice is soft as she looks back down at the picture in the box.
“Do you want something to drink?” I ask her, walking over to the stainless-steel fridge. “I had them stock the coconut water you like as well as the sparkling water.”
She shakes her head as she walks over to the family room. “This room”—her hand goes in a circle from the kitchen that leads to the family room—“it’s very much like the house I grew up in.” She clears her throat. “I can’t tell you all the time I spent at the island doing homework and then sitting on the couch while my mother was in the kitchen making or trying to make food.” She laughs as she remembers. “It is what I always wanted in the house I was going to live in.”
“Well, I guess we can say one for LA, then.” I put my hands in my back pockets as she walks into the family room and gasps, looking at the wall. “Our wedding picture,” I say when she points at the portrait hung up on the wall facing the couch.
“I’ve never seen this picture,” she tells me. It’s similar to the one we posted, but this one has her leaning forward a bit, and her mouth is open as she laughs. Her face beams with happiness, which is why I chose it.
“We can change it if you like. It’s just that I love your smile in that one, and I swear I can hear your laughter through the picture.
“We do look happy, don’t we?” I ask as she walks over and puts her hands on my hips.
“We do,” she admits. “Now, are you going to show me upstairs?”
“Is that code for you want to see my dick?” I push the hair over her shoulders so I can kiss her neck. “Because the answer is always yes.”
I stroll over to the stairs as we walk up and head straight to my bedroom. “How many bedrooms are in this house?” She looks around when we get to the top of the stairs.
“Five bedrooms and a media room. The master bedroom is on that side.” I point over to the other side of the staircase.
“Where the magic happens.” She holds one of my hands in both of hers.
“I can tell you there will be magic there tonight,” I confirm before she’s the one pulling me toward the bedroom. “Of course we can change anything you don’t like,” I tell her when she steps into the bedroom, and she stops in her tracks at the door. I had the bedroom changed to everything she has in her house in New York. The same covers and pillows, even the same throw blankets.
“What?” she says, looking at me. “How?”
“I asked Zara,” I tell her, shrugging, “before she started her day drinking. Whatever she didn’t remember, your mom did.” She walks over to the bed with a white robe folded on the top. “I noticed you wore the white robe all the time on vacation. It just has your initials on the front and not the name of the hotel. I’d prefer you naked, but this one is similar.”
“I’ll try my best to be as naked as I can be, just to make you feel more at home, that is. I’m going to start now.” She peels her T-shirt over her head. “I’m going to get in the shower while you go get my bag.”
“But then you’ll have clothes to wear,” I counter, and she laughs.
“I promise not to wear any clothes for the rest of the night.” She turns and walks to the bathroom. “That is until we leave to go to work tomorrow.”
“Fine.” I give in. “I’ll get the bags and meet you in the shower.”
“So what you’re saying is you are giving me a full two minutes to wash myself before you come and fuck me?”
“No.” I shake my head, walking to her and pulling her to me for her to feel my cock is ready to join her. “I’m giving you a minute and maybe a half. I’m bringing the bags in. I don’t have to bring them up.” She puts her head back and laughs. “Go get naked and wet for me.”
“Nash.” She puts her hand on my cheek. “Not sure you’ve been paying attention, but I’m always wet for you.” She kisses my jaw. “Just thinking about this”—she palms my cock over my pants—“and it’s like I’m instantly ready for you.”
“How bad do you need the bags?” I ask, gripping her hips harder in my hands as she wraps her arms around my neck. “I have a Ring cam.” I pick her up and carry her into the bathroom, her feet never touching the floor. “If anything happens, I’ll replace everything in there and then some.” I turn on the water in the shower. I don’t give her a chance to answer because my tongue slides into her mouth, and that’s all it takes. Our hands frantically try to get the other one naked like we haven’t been together in weeks instead of hours, and when she walks out of the shower before me, I can still see my fingerprints on her ass cheeks.
I’m slipping on a pair of shorts when she storms back into the bathroom wearing the robe that was on the bed. “Um, what the fuck is in the master closet?” She puts her hands on her hips. “Seriously, Nash, what the fuck?” I stand here, my hands still in the elastic of my boxers. “There’s women’s clothing hanging in the closet.” Her voice rises even higher. “Is there something you should have told me before I moved in here?” She folds her hands over her chest, and I can see her chest rising and falling, and her eyes look like she could kill me. I start to open my mouth. “I can’t believe you.” She throws her hands up. “A woman was living in this house, and she still has clothes here, and you didn’t even have the decency to tell me before.” She shakes her head. “Unbelievable. I knew you were too good to be true,” she hisses, and I fold my hands over my chest, pissed. “Don’t you give me that fucking look, Nash. You fucking lied to me.” She jabs her finger in my direction. “Un-fucking-believable.”
“Are you done?” I ask, and she just glares at me. I can say at this moment we are glaring at each other. “For your information, those clothes are yours. I told your mother you were moving in with me, and she set it up so you would have a wardrobe ready for you here in case you were missing anything. She—” Her face goes soft. “I don’t know what she did, but she had everything delivered here and ready for you. Those are your fucking clothes.” I point at the closet. “I can’t believe you would think I would have a woman living here and not tell you.” I shake my head before I walk out of the bathroom and say something I can’t take back. I get our luggage from the front door before turning off all the lights and bringing the suitcases upstairs with me. When I walk into the room, she’s in the middle of the bed, sitting on the back of her feet, waiting for me.
“I’m sorry,” she states softly, “I should have?—”
“Yeah,” I say, wheeling our bags into the closet and seeing her mother did not mess around. It’s like she’s been living here for a while. I hear her walk into the closet and then feel her hands wrap around my waist as she kisses my back. “I wanted you to have some things.” I put my hand on hers. “I didn’t think she would…”
“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.” She presses her naked chest into my back. “I should have known better.”
“I think we just had our first fight.” I turn in her arms. “Which means we get to have makeup sex.” I pick her up, carrying her to the bed. “Regular sex is amazing, and shower sex I’ve never come so hard in my life, but makeup sex might be out of this world.”
“You know what might be better?” she says to me. “Angry sex.”
“That might break my dick.” Both our mouths attack each other, swallowing the laughter, before we have makeup sex. I was right. It was out of this world.
The following morning, my eyes fly open at four thirty as if they know I’m back from vacation. I look over to see Zoey on her stomach, facing the other way. I slide out of bed, grab my workout gear, and head to the gym I have set up in the backyard pool house.
I run on the treadmill for an hour before I lift weights for another hour. When I slide back into the house, the sun is already peeking out by the time I walk into the kitchen. I’m shocked when I see Zoey walking down the steps. “Morning,” I greet her as she walks my way. She is rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Morning,” she replies, pulling a stool out from under the island. “What time did you get up?”
“Four thirty.” I kiss the back of her neck as I walk into the kitchen and start making my protein shake.
“I didn’t hear the alarm.”
“Didn’t set one,” I tell her as I walk over to the fridge and grab her oat milk. “Guess my body knew it was back to work.”
I pull out the black kettle that is on the counter, something I also ordered when we were away. “You want a matcha?” I ask, and she smirks.
“Why, you going to make me one?” she asks, and I nod.
“While you’ve been watching cat videos, I’ve been watching matcha videos,” I inform her, grabbing the bag of green matcha tea. “Prepare to drop to your knees.” I wink at her. “In the shower.”
I make her green tea, and even after making it from scratch, I will never, ever drink this shit again. I swear it’s like I was mushing grass clippings. “This tastes amazing,” Zoey praises while she takes a sip, and I take a gulp of my shake. “We should set some boundaries now that we are going to be working and living together.” I put my shake down in front of me.
“Such as?” I lean my hip against the counter as she puts her matcha down and walks over to the fridge.
“Well, and this is non-negotiable.” My eyes just stare at her. “There is no funny business at the office. It’s where I work, and I want to be respected because of my work and not because I’m going to suck the boss’s dick in the shower in thirty minutes.” She takes the eggs out and places them on the counter.
“And when we get home and right before bed,” I add the other two times I want her mouth on my dick. “But I will agree to that. I’ve never mixed my personal life with my work life.” She gives me a yeah-right look as she goes in search of a frying pan, finding it, and putting it on the stove. “In the office, I mean. What else?”
“Well.” She takes another sip before going over to get a mixing bowl. “I really didn’t think of anything else. I don’t want favoritism or special treatment.” She cracks some eggs into the bowl before adding a splash of milk and moving on to get the butter.
“Baby,” I say her nickname, and she glares at me and points. “In this house, you are baby to me, but at work, I will call you Zoey,” I correct myself. “You know we work together, and you don’t work for me, right? We’re working together on this, but I’m not your boss, and you are not my employee.” I take a sip of the protein shake as she prepares the eggs before grabbing a pack of bacon and another pan. “What about copping a feel?” I ask. “Like, can I grab your ass in secret?”
“No, the minute you touch my ass, you have to go and grab my boobs, and then we’re somehow having sex.” I try to argue with her, but she isn’t wrong. That is exactly how it happens.
“Somehow having sex,” I repeat her words, laughing as she puts bread in the toaster. “Meanwhile, you were the one copping all kinds of feels when we were on vacation.”
“We were on our honeymoon.” She walks over to grab a plate, piles the fluffy eggs on them, and adds the two slices of bacon before the toast pops up. She butters the toast, cuts it in half, then places it on the edge of the plate before handing it to me. “Eat your breakfast.”
“You made me breakfast?” I ask, shocked when I see she hasn’t even made herself anything.
“Yes.” She nods, picking up her matcha. “Now, I have to go get ready for work.”
“And my blow job.” I put the plate down and follow her up the stairs, grabbing her ass, and then sliding my hand into the robe and pinching her nipple.
“I just slaved over the stove to make you breakfast,” she moans.
“You have to eat your breakfast first, and then I’ll go down and nuke the one you made me.” I kiss her neck. “See? Working together is going to be perfect.”
Forty-five minutes later, I’ve showered, nuked my breakfast, and I’m slipping on my suit jacket when she comes walking into the closet to get her shoes. She’s wearing a tight light pink skirt with a high-neck, sleeveless white shirt. Her hair is down. But all I can stare at are my rings on her finger. She only takes them off when she has to put her cream on her body or when she applies sunscreen. Other than that, she’s had them on the whole time. Even when she takes them off, you can see the tan line from where they were. “You know what’s great about going to work with you?” I pull out the cuffs on each arm. “I know what you look like naked. I don’t have to sit there and imagine it.”
“You imagined me naked?” She slides her feet into her mile-high nude heels.
“Do I have a dick?” I ask. “Sorry, a big dick?”
“We should get going.” She ignores my question, walking out of the closet but stopping close to me and putting her left hand on my chest. “Also, I might have pictured you naked once or twice.” Her hand moves down, and she cups my package. “So much better than what I imagined.”
“You can’t do that and have me not want to fuck you,” I scold her, and she throws her head back. “What about lunch sex?”
“I have back-to-back meetings with everyone in the company today, including your parents,” she says, “so that should be fun.”
She pretends it doesn’t bother her, but I see her hands tremble as she walks out of the bedroom. I take my phone out and text my family group chat.
Me: Meeting with Zoey today. If I’m not on the call, I expect you all to remain professional.
Caine answers right away.
Caine: We are ALL going to be professional.
I know I have him to back me up, which makes me feel better, but my parents were not thrilled with the news I got married to someone they didn’t know. They were especially not thrilled I did it in the way I did. They let me know it, in all the ways a parent can tell you, even to the point where they asked if I had lost my ever-loving fucking mind.
“Nash,” she shouts my name, “are you coming?”
“I wish.” I put the phone in the inside pocket of my suit when I walk out and see she made the bed. I hear the sound of her heels going down the stairs, and five minutes later, we’re walking out of the house hand in hand.
“I’m so nervous,” she admits when we park the car and she gets out. “Do you think they know?”
“Zoey, I left for two weeks, and the whole time, I’ve been posting us on my Instagram. They know.”
I open the door for her as she steps in. “Good morning, Nash,” Lulu says, smiling big. “Good morning, Zoey.”
“Morning, Lulu,” Zoey returns, walking toward the conference room. I see her setting up her workstation as I make my way into my own office to deal with a couple of things I put off while I was away.
The phone beeps from inside my pocket, and I expect it to be my parents, but instead, I see it’s from Zoey.
Zoey: Have a great first day back at the office.
I smile when the next one comes in.
Zoey: Picturing you naked right now.
I can’t help but throw my head back and laugh.
Me: Should we go home for lunch? And by lunch, I mean should we go home and not come back?
Zoey: We were gone for two weeks. You can last until tonight.
I make a few phone calls, and it’s almost after lunch when I look around. I walk out of my office and see Zoey talking to Cecelia and Becky, who deal with the client portfolios. They are getting up when I walk into the conference room. “Hey,” I say as they walk out, and they both smile at me. “Did you have lunch?” I ask when I get next to her chair and prop myself on the table as she puts her hand on her stomach and leans back in the chair. “How is your day?”
She doesn’t have a chance to answer me before I hear a male voice. “There he is.” Zoey looks over at the door. “The groom himself.” He laughs, coming around the table. I stand to greet him as he walks to me and slaps me on the shoulder before he squeezes it.
“Hey, man.” I look over at Zoey, who is watching the exchange. “Zoey, this is Derek,” I say of the man, “one of my closest friends.”
“Zoey.” He extends his hand to shake hers. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Derek works in the merger department,” I explain, putting my hands in my pockets instead of around her waist, knowing she would kill me.
“Mrs. Griffin.” He laughs. “Never thought I would see the day that you settle down.” He claps his hands like it’s a joke. “Especially since I know you like to play the field and keep all options open.”
The minute he says the words, I can see Zoey’s shield come up. “Well, when you find the one—” I start to say.
“Maybe when he’s out of town,” Derek says to Zoey, “we can go out and get to know each other.” If we weren’t in the office, I think I would punch him in the face.
“That sounds good,” she replies, but even by her tone, I know it’s never, ever going to happen. I also know that as soon as Derek is out of this office, we will be having words. “I’ll let you know.” She looks at him and then at me, and I don’t have a chance to do that because Lulu comes in with a brown take-out bag, and then Kailyn walks in, telling me I have a call with my parents in thirty minutes.
Derek and Kailyn start to chat when the phone rings from beside Zoey’s computer, and I look down in time to see it’s Josh. His name is on the top of the screen with a red heart beside it and the picture of the two of them together. Zoey steps forward and presses the side of the phone and turns it over, pissing me off. The whole thing from the time Derek opened his mouth to now seeing Josh call her and she turned it over, not sure if she was hiding it or not, I don’t even know. I’m feeling like I’m at the edge of the cliff, and someone just pushed me off.
“Everyone out.” My voice is tight and louder than I want it to be. “Out”—I motion with my hand—“except you.” I point at Zoey. “You stay here.” They all look at us with big eyes before they walk out and close the door behind them. I walk out to the middle of the tables and grab the remote that is there, pressing the button that frosts the windows to give you privacy.
“What are you doing?” Zoey asks as I walk to her without saying a word. Instead of saying anything, I take her face in both my hands, and I kiss her. Wet, long, and hard, not giving a shit if this is not allowed on her list. I need her to know she’s mine, and I especially need for me to feel like she’s mine.