Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
NATE
It's not natural how much I obsess over her.
Even before she was mine, I was obsessed. I watched her, tracked her every move right up to the moment she rung the doorbell.
I can't let her go, that's why I poured my truths. I needed her to know that I was in this for the long run, and I wasn't going anywhere, I didn't want her to leave. Sure, I wouldn't stop her if she really did want to go, but I still wanted her to know just how I felt.
Her eyes are closed, earphones pressed into her ears and her kindle is resting on her lap.
“You really like her, huh?” Kaleb's voice drifts through the air and reluctantly I pull my eyes from her.
“It's more than like,” I grumble, sighing as I rub my hand across my chin.
I know Kaleb knows something is off with me and James, but he hasn't pushed it since he last asked.
He knows how I work, if I wanted to tell him, I would.
“I can't even explain how she makes me feel, she makes my palms all sweaty, my stomach knot with nausea whenever she looks at me, but not in a bad way, but in a way that if I don't have her attention, it drives me insane. I need her constantly, my heart skips beats, and I swear I feel the ground move beneath my feet sometimes,” I sigh as I glance at her again.
“That sounds a lot like love, buddy.”
“Yeah, I fear that's what it is,” I swallow, my words squeezing past the apple sized lump that is lodged in my throat.
I let my eyes scan to my computer, looking into the bank accounts as I track the repetitive transactions that leave the bank on the fifteenth of every month.
My brows knot and Kaleb kicks my shoe to get my attention.
“What you looking at?”
I sigh, lowering the lid of my laptop, my eyes trailing to Connie who is reading her kindle, earphones over her head.
“Secure Corp.”
“Still?” Kaleb raises a brow.
I nod. “James wanted me to look into them too... separate reasons than why I did...” I pause for a moment.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Rune...” I lick my lips and gain the attention of the air hostess as I order a black americano, then hold my fingers up for two as Kaleb asks for one.
“Rune?” he is back to quizzing me and I shuffle in the large leather seat.
“Yeah, he is her ex...”
“Oh shit,” he rubs his hand over his mouth.
“Yeah,” I groan, lifting the lid fully open.
“What did she want you to look into?”
I roll my lips and look down at James.
“Embezzlement,” I swallow just as the hostess pops mine and Kaleb's coffee down with a small, round sugar cookie.
Connie coughs but doesn't lift her eyes.
“Sorry Sarah, can I have another champagne too?”
Arizona coughs, then Amora and you can guess the rest of them started.
“Fuck it,” he groans, scrubbing his face, “champagne all round,” and the girls whistle and cheer.
I laugh quietly, my shoulders lifting and falling.
“So... embezzlement?”
“Yeah,” I clear my throat, “but I can't seem to work out the bank account. I have hacked into their website, placed a few bugs in to make it easier to track their movements but so far nothing.”
“Huh,” his tone a little high as he brings his coffee cup to his lips.
“Yeah, it's a hard case when it really doesn't need to be,” frustrated, I close the lid to my laptop as I place it down the side of me and reach for my coffee, taking a mouthful and I hum in appreciation before yawning.
“Tired?”
“Shattered,” I moan a little, turning my head to look at James.
“Didn't sleep well?”
“Didn't sleep much,” I smirk.
“Dirty dog,” Kaleb chuckles just as Killian pops his head over the back of Kaleb's chair.
“Who's a dirty dog?”
Kaleb raises his arm and pushes his hand into Killian's face, blindly.
“Get off,” he shoves his hand from his face then laughs, he goes to do something back, but Kaleb calls out that he has hot coffee.
“Spoil sport,” Killian huffs then lowers himself back down.
“Childish,” Connie rolls her eyes, but doesn't lift them from her kindle and I don't miss the way she shakes her head softly at her husband and her father.
I snort a laugh and go back to staring at my wife.
I am completely besotted with her.
My phone pings in my pocket and I slide it out, annoyance licking at my skin as it means I can no longer look at her, but in my email is an email from Brooke.
Brooke
Just confirming our meeting is still on for next Wednesday? I am very excited to meet you.
I type a quick response to let her know it is still going ahead.
She has no clue it's me.
She has emailed my club email, and I know it's a little close to home, but I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity.
Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I turn back to look at her when she stirs, and I am already smiling. As much as I have loved watching her sleep, I can't wait to see her pretty ocean eyes. I have missed them. Have missed her.
I'm sick.
How can I be this besotted with her?
Her lids flutter open, and I am the first thing she locks on, her fingers removing her headphones.
“Hey,” my voice is low, my lips pressing into a slow smirk.
“Hi,” she sits up cautiously and looks out the window.
“You look tired,” Kaleb teases and I know what he is trying to do.
“I am,” she yawns, her eyes moving through the plane.
“Late night?” he continues, and I twist my lips, looking down at my left hand and focus on my wedding band.
“Something like that,” she mutters as she unlocks her kindle. “I was out with my friends,” she continues and I glare at Kaleb, silently telling him to shut the conversation down but of course, he ignores me completely.
“Yeah? Nate's tired too,” and her eyes widen as she looks between me and him.
“Oh, give over Kaleb, they screwed, fuck...” Connie slips her headphones off. “We fucked last night, and this morning and we will probably fuck tonight.”
“La La La La,” Killian sings loudly before I hear Reese's laugh float through the plane, Titus joins in too.
“Honestly,” she shakes her head then looks at me, leaning across. “I bet he’s a good fuck, right?” her lips play into a smile, brows tuck under her NY hat she has on.
My cheeks burn.
“The quiet ones always are,” she scrunches her nose then kicks her leg over her knee before sitting back and reading her kindle.
“Er...” Kaleb looks at her, “the fuck?” and I laugh.
“What?” she shrugs her shoulders up and then goes back to reading her kindle.
Kaleb looks at me, then James then back to Connie.
“What you reading?” James asks, looking over her kindle.
“Some thriller book, I'm enjoying it,” she smiles at me then glances down at James’ kindle. “How about you?”
“A romance,” her brows pinch, “I’m a sucker for a happily ever after.”
“I am too, romance is normally my jam, but this has been all I have heard about so I thought I would jump in, and I am really enjoying it.”
James smiles back at her, she places her headphones back on before soft, muffled music is playing.
“Did that actually happen?” Kaleb looks at me then to James.
“Think so,” I chuckle and fish for my laptop and go back into the head fuck that is Secure Corp.
I want her to know that I am looking into it, want her to know that I am trying to find out where the money is going, but I think deep down, I knew the truth.
Think I have done from the beginning.
But I'm not sure if I can tell her just yet.
I want to be one hundred percent sure, and at the moment I am about eighty percent.
It's still too risky.
Sighing, I focus on the task in hand and lose myself for a few hours.
After what felt like the longest day of travelling, we finally arrive at our hotel.
The journey from the airport was around forty minutes so by the time we actually got here, the sun was already rising and the morning air was humid. It takes us a while to check in and once we're done, we said goodbye to our friends and arrange to meet for lunch around one-ish.
I was exhausted, the kids were miserable and to be honest, all I wanted to do was be alone with James for a few hours and sleep. Eyes were heavy, body felt sluggish, and I was kind of regretting my choice on gatecrashing when I had so much work to actually do.
“You all good?” her voice picks me up and I lace my fingers through hers, bringing the back of her hand to my lips and placing a soft kiss, she smiles at me.
“I am,” I give her a reassuring nod, following a young man to our ocean hut. He pauses outside room 1989 and unlocks it before handing me the key.
“Enjoy your stay with us, Mr and Mrs Spencer,” he gives a soft nod before stepping away and disappearing down the corridor, opposite to the way he walked us in.
“After you, Mrs Spencer,” a playful tone clear in my voice.
She giggles, tugging her case over the threshold, I follow but she stops, a small gasp passing her lips as she looks around at our beautiful home for the next five days.
Floor to ceiling windows panel across the whole back of the hut, drapes tied up and leading onto our own wooded decked area, a hot tub sunk into it overlooking the crystal blue ocean.
A large bed sits in the middle of the room, covered in deep red rose petals and two towel swans. She moves forward, leaving the case as she walks towards the small table and picks up the card.
Many congratulations on your marriage, Mr & Mrs Spencer.
She reads it out and then picks up the bottle of champagne.
“As much as I want to drink that with you, I need to sleep for an hour or two,” I groan, kicking my sneakers off and sitting on the edge of the bed, moaning as the mattress feels amazing.
“I could nap,” she nods, folding the card back over and placing it next to the champagne bucket.
“Come,” I hold my hand out for her, and she stalks towards me, small hand in mine. Tilting my head back, I look up at her and she looks so beautiful. The early morning sun rays streaming through the windows. Her red hair glistening against the golden beams, her skin glowing.
She leans down, her lips dusting across mine and my spare arm curls around her waist, pulling her closer to me as I lay back, her body slipping between my legs.
“We need to sleep,” she whispers as I roll her onto her back, my body over hers.
“We do,” I agree with her as I place another kiss on her lips, my fingers locking into her hair.
“Then let’s sleep,” she smirks against me just as she opens her legs, lowering my body even more.
“Sure,” but we both know that we're not going to sleep.
Not yet anyway.
I needed her as much as she needed me.
My hands peel away her leggings, her fingers fumble with my cargo pants and before we can stop it, I slip inside of her, her erotic moans echoing around our hut and that's how we spend our first few hours in the Maldives, we spend it in pure paradise.