Chapter 16
Unfolding
Nick wrapped his arms around Kate, drawing her in to nestle against his side.
He relished her body against his, her warmth radiating through the thin fabric of their clothing, igniting a spark deep within him—a connection he had yearned for without knowing it until this moment.
As he held Kate, he closed his eyes, breathing in her luscious scent—something floral with a hint of vanilla that made his pulse quicken—letting the intimacy of the moment engulf him. This was bliss. Pure, unexpected bliss.
Affection and amusement warred as he recalled those days, still vivid after all these years. “Imagine Zach sleeping on a sofa! David was on his own as well, orphaned, facing the loss of his home while I lived in a house bigger than most apartment buildings.”
A soft smile spread across his face as he remembered those first days together, when everything changed.
“Marguerite was our butler at the time—she ran the household. So, we asked her how we could combine resources. She devised a plan for Diane, Zach’s mom, to take over as head housekeeper, which meant she could live in.
Of course, she brought her two sons with her. ”
He leaned his head back against the cushions, staring up at the rafters overhead, not meeting her eyes as he told her what he had never told anyone.
His throat constricted. “I don’t have the words to describe what it meant to me to have brothers.
My parents were flakes who did nothing but party and waste money.
I only saw them a few days a year. We had no relationship.
Worse, they sent orders back to their secretary on what I was to do and who I saw.
I had no friends as a result. Until Zach and David came along. ”
His hand absently stroked her arm as he spoke, grounding himself in her presence. “They didn’t envy me for having wealthy parents. They didn’t call me Prince Nicholas. They recognized the cage it really was. They understood I would have traded it all for a normal family in an instant.”
A memory flashed in his mind, and he burst out laughing, the sound rumbling through his chest where Kate rested against him.
“You should have seen their faces the first time they saw the house I grew up in. It was an over-the-top monstrosity. I’ll have to show you pictures sometime. Anyway, they were shell-shocked.”
“Before I knew it, we were inseparable.” He continued talking, sharing stories from their high school days, memories of training at the dojo, the thrill of college, and the moment Zach entered the military.
Each tale was a piece of himself he had never exposed to anyone, and with each word, layers of his heart unfolded.
The weight of years of silence lifted with every anecdote shared, leaving him lighter, freer.
“When my parents died, and I discovered the estate was bankrupt, I came up with the plan to build and open this resort. They joined me, no questions asked. David gave up a lucrative job in Silicon Valley. Zach tapped out of the Army when his time was up.”
As he finished his story, he realized this had felt right—more right than anything had in a long time.
Kate had nestled her head against his chest, her steady breath a soothing rhythm that anchored him as she listened without judgment or interruption.
A small smile danced on his lips, though beneath it lay a swirl of emotions: joy, nostalgia, and a flicker of vulnerability that both terrified and exhilarated him.
“I left a few details out, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.
Those are David and Zach’s to share.” The weight of those treasured memories pressed against him like a physical presence.
“We may have met under difficult circumstances, but we became brothers in spirit, if not in blood. We’ve been together ever since. ”
The bond he described was a lifeline tethering him to the people he cherished most, and the emotion threatened to spill over. His eyes burned, and he blinked against the sensation. These were the men he trusted with every fiber of his soul.
“Imagine the faith it took for them to give up their lives and join me when I started the resort.” He gazed out at the moonlit water, its surface shimmering like scattered diamonds, a gentle smile gracing his lips as memories of laughter and shared moments flooded his mind in vivid detail.
“I’ve found something rare,” he said, a profound realization echoing in his voice, roughened by emotion. “We work as a team seamlessly and still like each other enough to spend any off time together. We don’t always travel together, but we do more often than not.”
A chuckle bubbled from his chest, rich and filled with affection. “We do get on each other’s nerves, sure, and the pranks? They can get extreme. But at the end of the day, we’re still family. That’s something I know will never change.”
Kate looked up at him, the shift of her movement against his body warm and real.
A spark of warmth shone in her eyes, reflecting the moonlight.
“You are indeed lucky,” she said, her voice laced with a wistful note that made him want to pull her closer.
“Callie is that for me. Officially, she’s my personal assistant, but she’s more like a sister.
Since the day we met, she jumped right in, managing everything I didn’t realize needed handling. ”
She smiled wryly. “Most of the time, that’s me.
I tend to hibernate. If I could get internet in a cave, I’d move there in two seconds flat.
I don’t like socializing. I’m not comfortable with people.
Callie forces me out, makes me do things.
Like dragging me to the zoo the day before my book tour started. And shopping for this trip.”
A light laugh escaped her, brightening the atmosphere around them like a candle being lit in a dark room, and Nick’s heart lifted in response.
“She took one look at what I had packed, harrumphed, and took off. When I arrived here and opened my suitcase, almost everything was different—she replaced it all without saying a word. Of course, she was right. I didn’t have appropriate clothes for a resort like this. ”
Her expression shifted from gratitude to amusement as she spoke, the play of emotions across her features mesmerizing him, and it warmed him to see her smile so freely.
Nick flashed a wicked grin, his pulse kicking up a notch. “Well, I approve of what I’ve seen so far of your new wardrobe.” His playful demeanor faded as he gazed into her eyes, replaced by a burning desire he could no longer ignore. Heat pooled in his belly and made his breath come faster.
“This dress, for example, is killing me. All I can think about is sliding my hands under that swingy skirt and touching all the silky smooth skin I know is under there.” His words hung in the air, charged with electricity that seemed to crackle between them.
Suiting action to words, he slid his hand to her knee—her skin warm against his palm—before drifting up her thigh beneath the fabric of her dress.
Every inch ignited his senses: the softness of her skin, the subtle tremor beneath his fingertips, and her shiver, a response that stirred something primal and deep within him, making his blood run hot.
He nudged her chin upward with his free hand, their eyes locking, connecting in a moment so charged it echoed in his bones.
Her pupils had dilated, her lips slightly parted, and her pulse fluttered rapidly where his thumb rested against her jaw.
“Tell me when to stop,” he murmured, the heat of his breath mingling with the anticipation of the moment as he closed the distance, his heart thundering, sealing his mouth to hers.