Chapter NATHAN
NATHAN
WE DIDN’T SAY a word as we made our way out to the car. Elise’s hand remained in mine, her grip tightening as soon as the cool night air hit us.
The drive back to the hotel was quiet, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt like the kind of silence where words were unnecessary, where everything that mattered had already been said.
Once we were back in our suite, I shut the door and turned to her. “Cupcake,” She was leaning against the wall, arms wrapped around herself, her gaze on the floor. “I’m sorry if I overstepped back there,” I began, my voice low. “I know it wasn’t my place to.”
“Don’t apologize, Nathan,” she said, stepping closer. “No one has ever stood up for me like that. I didn’t even realize how much I needed it until you did it.”
Her eyes searched mine, and I could see the storm of emotions swirling in them, a mixture of gratitude, relief, and something deeper.
I reached for her, my hands framing her face as I pressed my forehead to hers. “You have no idea how proud I am of you, baby,” I whispered. “For everything. For surviving. For being the incredible woman you are. And for trusting me enough to let me in.”
“When did you learn how to speak creole?” Elise asked. I was honestly surprised she didn't ask me sooner.
“After you were hired.”
Her expression shifted immediately to confusion, tightening into something sharper. “After I was hired?” she repeated.“Nathan, that was three years ago.”
“I’m aware.” She searched my face like she was looking for a crack. She wouldn't find one. “You were on the phone your first week,” I told her. “Speaking to your family. I learned because even then… you weren’t temporary to me. If I was going to be part of your life, I wasn’t doing it halfway.”
Elise shook her head slightly, like she was trying to make it make sense, trying to rearrange the last three years into something that matched what I’d just said.
“I don't even know what to say to that.” Elise admitted.
“Then don't say anything.”
And she didn't. She just stepped closer, her hand settling against my jaw before she kissed me, soft and careful, warm like she’s trying to understand me, and when she presses just a little deeper I know she believes me, so I let her pull away without stopping her, already knowing that wasn’t nothing.
“You know, I was actually impressed.” Elise said, switching her tone to something lighter. “You didn’t even flinch when my father called you a child.”
“That’s because I’ve been called worse.”
“Oh, I’m sure. But you stood your ground. It was… hot.”
Grinning, I pulled her closer. “So, what you’re saying is, you like it when I’m bossy?”
Elise tilted her head, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Depends. Are you planning to boss me around now?”
“That depends on if you plan on listening.”
“Hate to break it to you, but those days are behind us now.”
“Oh, really?”
Her breath hitched, and then she closed the gap between us, her lips finding mine in a kiss that was both desperate and tender.
We started moving. Elise guided me toward the bed, my hands never leaving her, her skin warm beneath mine.
Her hands trembled slightly as she pushed me onto the bed, her gaze never leaving mine. It wasn’t just desire in her eyes; it was vulnerability, hope, and maybe even something else. The weight of her trust hit me harder than I could have anticipated.
“Elise,” I murmured, my voice thick with emotion as I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
Her gaze softened, her lips still swollen from our kiss, as she looked up at me. “What is it?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The words hovered on the tip of my tongue, the truth threatening to spill out.
Tell her now, a voice in my head urged. She deserved to know about the stipulation, the original reason I had chased her so relentlessly.
If I didn’t tell her now, the weight of it would crush everything between us later, but the look in her eyes silenced the confession burning in my chest. I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t deny her.
Not now. Not when she looked at me with so much trust and so much hope.
I kissed her again, pouring everything I couldn’t say into that moment.
My hands cradled her as if she might slip away, and I vowed silently that when the time was right I would tell her the truth.
For now, I let myself get lost in her, in the way she clung to me as though I was her lifeline, even as I felt the weight of the secret threatening to pull me under.
As we sank into each other, the world fell away, leaving only us.
I might have chased her for the wrong reasons initially, but there was nothing fake about this. About us. No matter what happened next, I would fight to keep her.