Chapter 7
Nate
Whenever I get lost in the sea of her eyes, there’s this magnetic pull—raw and reckless—that makes me want to kiss her.
Not just because she’s beautiful, though fuck, she is.
It’s deeper than that. It’s like my soul recognizes something in her, like she’s always been mine in some unspoken, forgotten language.
That pull was always there, even when I didn’t know her name.
Just that soft voice, that fire behind her laughter, the way she carried herself even as a kid.
And now… now I know. Isabel is the one girl who’s lived rent-free in my head since forever.
The one who slipped through my fingers, only to be thrown back into my life like a match into gasoline.
And of course—of fucking course—our parents had to twist fate into a goddamn noose. Turn something real into a negotiation.
A deal.
A cage.
Not that I’d ever regret marrying her. If it were up to me, I’d already have that ring on her finger. But not like this. Not because we’re cornered.
I want her to choose me.
Freely.
Fiercely. The way she fights everything else in her life—I want her to fight for us.
I rub my face, jaw tight with frustration, and let my head flop back against the worn leather couch. The fire crackles beside me, but it doesn’t warm the cold knot forming in my gut.
What a fucking mess.
Offering her a way out might’ve been the dumbest, most selfless thing I’ve ever done. Because now that I’ve said it, I’m terrified she’ll take it. That she’ll walk away, and I’ll be left chasing the ghost of something I never really got to have.
And the truth is, I don’t know how to fix it. I can feel the weight of our parents already pressing in, plotting behind velvet curtains, tugging on strings neither of us asked for. They’ll use whatever leverage they can to see this through, to make sure we’re hitched—love be damned.
Then there’s my leave. That invisible clock ticking down. I don’t even know when I’ll be recalled. Days? Weeks? Every hour I’m not in uniform feels borrowed.
The pressure claws at me. So I do the only thing I can—I hit the shower, trying to rinse the tension from my skin, trying to make sense of a storm I don’t know how to navigate.
The water’s hot, beating down my back like I deserve it, but it doesn’t calm the thoughts racing through my head.
I’ve never done this. Never felt like this. Relationships weren’t my thing. Hell, feelings weren’t my thing. One-night stands were easier. Clean. Quick. No heartstrings. No risk. I looked into their eyes searching for something—anything—that even remotely resembled the feeling Isabel gave me.
But it was never there.
Because none of them were her.
And now, standing here with the steam rising around me, I finally admit the one thing I’ve been avoiding for years. Isabel—my Izzy—was the only one who ever made me feel real. She makes me feel seen.
She calms the war in my chest, shushing every storm I’ve spent my life trying to outrun. But at the same time, she sets something inside me ablaze. Makes me feel alive. Worthy. Like maybe, just maybe, I could be more than what the world carved me into.
I rest my head against the cold tile, water cascading over me, and breathe her name into the steam.
Isabel.
This thing between us—it was never supposed to be forced. It was supposed to be ours.
And I’ll be damned if I let anyone take that from her. Or from me.
When I walk out of the bathroom, I catch sight of Izzy standing in the nook at the end of the hallway, scanning the bookshelves like she’s searching for a hidden message among the spines.
The soft yellow light casts a warm glow over her, catching the waves in her hair and the gentle curve of her back.
She turns at the sound of my footsteps, her gaze snapping to me—no, devouring me—with an intensity that shoots straight through my chest.
Jesus. One more look like that and I’ll come undone.
I pull the t-shirt over my head, the fabric cool against my skin. A note registers in the back of my mind—I’ll need to grab us a few essentials tomorrow. No bags, no plans, no preparation. Not that I regret it. Not if it means being alone with her.
“You find anything good?” I ask, trying to sound casual even though my pulse is anything but.
Izzy licks her lips—slow, like she’s doing it on purpose. “Not really.”
That small motion knocks the air from my lungs. My feet carry me to her before I realize I’m moving. She’s still in that damn dress, but her makeup’s gone now. Barefaced, she’s even more stunning—real and raw in a way that makes my chest ache. And with her heels off, she barely reaches my chest.
“Don’t…” she laughs softly, trying to hold it in.
“What?”
“What exactly have you been eating all these years?” Her eyes drop to my chest, then lower—blushing as she realizes I’m still in my boxers.
I follow her gaze and smirk. “I don’t think what I eat has anything to do with my dick.”
I’m an asshole, I know, but the way her cheeks flush deep crimson and her hands fidget with the hem of her dress makes me want to lean in and press a kiss to her neck. Just a small taste to see if she tastes like home.
She clears her throat, trying to regain control. “Do… Do you happen to know where the bed sheets are?”
“No idea,” I reply, stretching out a hand toward her. “But I’m sure we’ll figure out where Alice stashed them.”
She places her hand in mine, and I swear I feel the tremble in her fingers before she even makes that adorable little gasp when I pull her closer. God, that sound.
“Let’s go find them.”
We check every damn room in this place, and I’m about to give up when she calls out, victorious. “Found them!”
She holds up a set of royal blue sheets like she’s just won a prize. I dig through another closet and pull out a pair of pajama bottoms I recognize all too well.
“They’re Mom’s,” I say, offering them carefully. “Not exactly sexy, but better than knowing you’re naked. It tends to freeze up here.”
“I miss Melbourne’s heat already,” she teases, her laugh like a balm to my frayed nerves. “Could you help me with the blanket?”
“You won’t freeze tonight,” I say, voice softening. “I’ll make sure to stack more firewood for tomorrow.”
She’s quiet for a beat, then asks, “How long are we staying here?”
Her voice cracks, the anxiety bleeding through.
“For as long as you want,” I say without missing a beat. The truth settles in my bones—I’m not ready to go back either. Not until we figure out how to face the fallout waiting for us.
“For real?”
“Take it as a vacation, Izzy. No phones, no cameras, no bullshit. Just peace.”
A slow smile blooms across her face. “I like the sound of that.” Then, her tone shifts. “We need to address the elephant in the room.”
I nod. Of course. I knew the peace wouldn’t last. “Will do tomorrow.”
She picks up a ridiculously fluffy pair of pajamas and hands them to me. “Found these for you.”
Dad’s. Great.
“Thanks,” I mutter, eyeing them like they might explode. “Have a good night, Izzy.”
But she holds my arm, lingers, studying me with those wide, searching eyes like she’s trying to decipher a language she used to speak fluently but forgot along the way.
“Will you stay with me?” she asks quietly.
Everything inside me stills.
“Just… stay,” she repeats, even softer.
I do. Without hesitation. Even if I know sleep will be a myth tonight. Even if it’s pure torture to lie next to her and not touch her the way I want to.
I pull the blanket back and lie down, forcing myself to stay cool. Izzy ducks into the bathroom and returns in the light blue pajamas I found earlier. She looks like a dream—soft and delicate in a way that threatens to unravel me.
She walks over, lifts my arm, and nestles against my side, her head resting on my chest.
“Just a minute,” she whispers. “Then I’ll let you sleep.”
I wrap an arm around her and kiss her hair, breathing in her scent—light, floral, warm.
“You can stay here as long as you want, baby,” I murmur.
She lets out a small breath that sounds like a smile. Her hand rests against my chest, her fingers grazing my skin.
“I missed you, Nate.”
I close my eyes, her words sinking into me like ink soaking paper. “I’m here, Izzy. You’ve always been the safest place I could hide when I felt like everything was falling apart.”
She traces little circles on my chest with her fingertip, each motion sparking embers beneath my skin. “It took me a while to find out where you were. Last I heard, you were sent on a mission.” Her voice trembles. “I was so scared.”
My throat tightens. She looked for me. She cared. Not the shallow pity I’d grown used to—real concern. My heart races in my chest.
“I tried to find you, too,” I confess. “Dad made sure I couldn’t. I got caught and punished for it. Said you were better off. I thought maybe you were promised to someone.”
She gasps, just a little, and I brush some hair off her shoulder, letting my fingers trail lightly down her skin. Soft. Familiar.
“Izzy,” I whisper, “if I had even one shot to have you by my side, I’d be the happiest man alive.
Even if it’s just for a while.” I touch her cheek as tears gather in her eyes.
“I’m not perfect. Far from it. But with you next to me, I feel like I could take on the world.
And I swear, I’ll never let this mess touch you again. ”
She nods, nipping at her lip. “Do it.” Her whisper is barely audible.
“Do what?”
“Kiss me, Nate.”
I roll her onto her back and hover above her, my forehead nearly brushing hers. I watch her eyes, her lips, that familiar, tempting mouth. And when I finally lean in and kiss her, it's like the world sharpens into clarity. A jolt races through me—pure electricity.
She kisses me back—fierce, full of unspoken pain and hunger—and for a second, I forget everything else.
I pull away before I lose control completely and tuck her back into my chest.
She doesn’t say a word, and she doesn’t need to. I feel it in the way she holds me like she used to, like I’m something precious, not broken.
I stay still, keeping my breathing steady while she relaxes into sleep.
But I already know I won’t be sleeping tonight.
I’ll keep you safe, baby.
We’ll get out of this together.
I press a kiss to her head, sealing the vow in silence.