Chapter Nineteen #2
Luna cleared her throat and walked toward the elevators, pushing her suitcase by her side. “I haven’t screamed out broccoli yet, Mr. Venti.”
“No, but you did push me off and tap out after I made you co—”
The elevator doors opened, inside was a family with two school aged children.
“Good morning,” she said innocently to the strangers.
Inside the elevator, Nate took her hand in his by her side and ran his thumb over her palm.
Damn if she didn’t feel her body clench as it had right after she’d pushed him away.
Their flight was uneventful, but instead of sleeping on his shoulder, she felt his now familiar hand on her thigh, her arm, his fingers intertwined with hers.
Why had she kept herself from this feeling?
The one that only came with a man’s touch.
A good man’s touch.
Nate’s car was exactly where they’d parked it. A privilege Luna would never again take for granted.
It was on the drive to her house that Luna felt the need to set some ground rules.
“I think we should keep things professional when we’re at the office, so to speak.”
Nate looked at his watch. “That took longer than I thought it would.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Boundaries. The ones I knew you were going to set the second you screamed my name.”
She couldn’t stop smiling. “You’re really full of yourself.”
“I am really happy you charged into my room.”
“You teased me. Kept that first kiss to yourself.”
“I did not kiss myself,” he argued.
“And I didn’t charge. I’m not a bull.” Technically that was wrong. She was a Taurus.
“Okay, then, what do you call it? Pounding on my door, wagging a finger in my face?”
“Confronting.”
Nate reached a hand across the console and placed it on her knee. “You can confront me anytime you want.”
Luna covered his hand with hers, felt the joy in such a simple act. “Boundaries . . .” she directed them back to the subject at hand.
“I agree,” he said. “No public displays of affection in front of Marcus . . . or anyone we’re working with professionally. So long as that doesn’t apply to our home offices when we’re alone.”
“That might make getting our work done harder.”
Nate shrugged. “I don’t know. I kinda feel like I could take on the world today.”
That feeling was mutual.
“And no games,” she said. “That would piss me off and ruin any post-relationship working arrangement.”
There was a beat of silence. “You already thinking of the endgame?” Nate said, much of the humor in his voice was gone.
“I’m being realistic. Things end. People change; stuff happens. You know it’s true or neither one of us would be single.”
Nate turned his palm up and grasped her fingers. “I have a boundary,” he said.
“Let’s hear it,” she said.
“I don’t juggle women. I’ve never understood men that do. If the person you’re with doesn’t check all the boxes, then they should find someone else.”
“Monogamy,” she muttered.
Nate nodded. “If you want someone else, you need to tell me. Not have me find out another way.”
The way he swallowed and didn’t make a point of looking at her suggested he’d been through this before. “Someone cheated on you.”
He looked at her then and gave a single nod.
“Agreeing to monogamy is easy. I don’t juggle either. If I find myself being attracted to someone else, you’ll be the first to know.” Luna noticed his shoulders relax.
Nate grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. It was as if that kiss was the signature on a contract.
Which was good enough for her.
“One more thing,” she said.
“Name it.”
This was hard. The part of her she didn’t like to face but knew it would come out sooner or later. “It’s not so much of a boundary as it is a heads-up.”
Nate looked over, then back to the road. “Okay.”
“I get triggered, sometimes . . . over the strangest things.”
She saw her words processing over Nate’s features. “Because of your ex?”
“Yes. And . . .” She stopped. “I don’t want you to think that it’s you.
If it is, I’ll tell you.” She offered a half smile.
“I’m good at keeping things honest. Like last night.
I’m a little surprised that I was able to sleep .
. . after . . . with you. Even if everything is great, that doesn’t always work. ”
Nate smiled. “I saw how you sprawled out over the mattress in the living room.”
“Yeah.”
“But we can try, right? Like last night? And if it doesn’t work, I’ll find the couch. It’s not like I haven’t been there before.” Nate glanced at her before looking over his shoulder to merge into the exit lane from the freeway.
“We can try.”
“I’ll never hurt you.” He paused. “I will never put a hand on you with the intention of causing you pain. And so long as I’m in your life, no other man will either.”
The way he spoke his promise put a weight in her throat that made it hard to talk.
Thankfully, Nate didn’t ask her to.
He let her hand loose to maneuver his car through traffic. “Now that we’ve covered the rules and expectations . . . when can I see you again?”
Nate had a wonderful way of switching the subject at just the right time.
“Well . . . I have to have the obligatory girls’ night with a bottle of wine to talk about you. Miley’s going to ask all the questions.”
His shoulders moved with his chuckle. “Is anything off limits in that talk?”
“Nope.” Luna lifted a finger, wagged it at him. “If you wanted that in the rules, you should have said that before.”
“Would you have agreed to it?”
“No.” Her answer was quick.
His laugh was quicker.
They drove the rest of the way to her house in comfortable conversation.
This felt good, Luna had to admit. It almost felt like she’d started sleeping with a friend. Luna already knew she could count on him. And he cared enough about her to make sure her needs were met.
Boy had those needs been met.
Miley was going to eat this up.
Nate pulled up into the driveway and parked beside Miley.
“When do you pick up your new car?”
“I almost forgot about that.” She hadn’t considered the car since she left.
He turned off the engine. “A good man will do that to you. Make you forget life’s little issues.”
Luna rolled her eyes and pushed herself out of the passenger seat. “I should be able to pick it up today.”
“Want me to take you?” he asked.
“Girls’ night starts the second you leave,” she told him.
They both moved to the trunk of the car.
Nate pulled her suitcase out, set it on the ground, and lifted the handle to make it easier to roll.
Luna moved to take it from him.
Nate kept it out of her reach and closed the trunk. “I can take it up to your room.”
“I sense an ulterior motive.” Not that she was complaining.
He stepped into her personal space and with his free hand, tilted her chin up ever so slightly. “I can behave. It’s you we need to worry about.”
Nate kissed her before she could reply.
Her response proved she was the problem.
The sound of the back door closing and Miley saying, “What do we have here?” broke them apart.
“I’ll let you explain,” Nate whispered before they turned to Luna’s friend.
Two steps closer to the house, Luna saw the stiffness of Miley’s body and the lack of a smile on her face . . .
“What happened?” Luna asked.
Miley looked over her shoulder and walked to them. “I tried calling. It went to voice mail.”
“I had the phone on airplane mode, forgot to take it off. What’s up?”
Miley looked at her, then Nate, then back. “Your mom’s here.”
Luna stopped all forward movement. The air in her lungs was kicked out.
“When?”
“First thing this morning. You were already on the plane.”
Luna looked up at the house. “Is she alone?”
Miley nodded.
That was a relief.
“One bag, no car. Said she took the bus.”
Fuck.
Nate put a hand on Luna’s shoulder. “Is everything okay?”
No. This was the opposite of okay.
“It will be,” she said.
Nate looked between the both of them. “Do you want me to come in?”
Luna quickly shook her head no and turned to Miley. “Can you give us a minute?”
Miley gave Nate a quick smile and returned to the house.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s long and complicated,” she told him. “There’s not a CliffsNotes version I can give you before I walk in the house.”
Nate placed both of his hands on her face and searched her eyes. “I don’t like the look on your face.”
Luna tried to change it, then gave up. “She’s . . . stressful. Doesn’t normally stay long.”
“Triggering,” he concluded.
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I’ll call you later.”
“You sure you don’t want me to come in?”
“I’m sure.”
Nate pulled her into his arms and placed his lips on hers briefly. A kiss that said he was worried, that he cared . . . and that he was there for her.
Luna let him hug her for a very long time before forcing herself out of his arms.
She turned to the door, straightened her shoulders, and walked in . . . dragging her suitcase behind her.