Chapter ELISE
ELISE
“THIS IS GOING to be amazing.”
I stepped back, hands on my hips as I admired my masterpiece. A perfect, cozy blanket fort in the middle of our very elegant, very adult living room.
Nathan, on the other hand, stood at the edge of my creation with his arms crossed and his expression blank.
He was dressed in his usual all-black attire for bed which consisted of a plain black t-shirt and black flannel pants while I wore my favorite light blue, silk pajamas. We were, as always, complete opposites.
“Cupcake,” His voice was calm. “We have a perfectly good bed upstairs.”
“Yes, but this is better.” I patted the pile of pillows I’d arranged. “Come on, haven’t you ever built a fort before?”
“No.”
I gasped. “Nathaniel Edge, tell me you’re lying.”
His face didn’t so much as twitch. “Why would I lie about that?”
I pressed a dramatic hand to my chest. “That is tragic.”
“I was running a business when I was a teenager. Not…doing whatever this is.” He gestured vaguely to the blankets and fairy lights I’d strung up. Our living room was dimly lit with the only light illuminating from the flat screen tv,where the movie Tangled was waiting to be played.
I rolled my eyes. “God, you’re such an old man.”
Nathan exhaled, the corners of his mouth twitching in what I swore was amusement, though he’d never admit it. “You want to sleep on the floor instead of our king-sized bed?”
“Yes! Me and my friends do this all the time during our girls night. It’s fun, it’s nostalgic, it’s cozy.”
“It’s uncomfortable,” he deadpanned.
I pouted. “Nathan.”
“Elise.”
“I know what that night did to you,” I said gently, watching his jaw tighten. “I’m not trying to fix it,” I added softly. “I just want to give you something different.”
He stared at me, and I held his gaze.
And then, to my absolute delight, my intimidating, ultra-powerful, billionaire husband pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and lowered himself onto the floor.
Victory.
I clapped my hands, grinning from ear to ear. “See? Not so bad, right?”
I joined Nathan inside the fort. He stretched out next to me, his large frame taking up more space than I’d accounted for. His scent was clean, warm, and wrapped around me as he settled in.
I beamed, but my joy was cut short when his strong arms suddenly wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him, flipping us so I was trapped beneath him.
My breath hitched.
His eyes gleamed darkly as he propped himself up on one elbow, his free hand tracing lazy circles on my hip. “I’ll sleep in your fort,” he murmured, his voice deep, rough, and dangerous in the way that made my stomach flip.
I swallowed. “You will?”
His lips brushed my ear, his body pressing into mine in a way that left no room for misinterpretation.
“Yes, Cupcake.” His voice dropped to a sinful whisper. “But we won’t be sleeping.”
Nathan’s words sank into my skin, hot and insidious, like melted honey dripping over every nerve ending.
We won’t be sleeping.
A shiver worked its way down my spine, and I barely had time to process it before his mouth was on mine.
I gasped, but he swallowed the sound, deepening the kiss as his hand slid to my waist, his fingers flexing like he needed to hold on, like he was the one at risk of losing control.
God, he kissed like he owned me. And the worst part? He did.
His teeth grazed my lower lip before he soothed the sting with his tongue, his breath ragged as he whispered, “You drive me insane, you know that?”
I curled my fingers into his shirt, tugging him closer until there wasn’t a single inch between us. “Good.”
His hand skated beneath my shirt, slow and torturous, before gripping my bare hip. My breath caught when he pressed down, pinning me beneath him, the weight of him heavy and perfect against me.
This was what I loved about Nathan. The contrast. The contradiction. How he was all cold, ruthless control in the boardroom, but when it came to me, when it came to us, he was raw, hungry, and possessive.
His lips trailed down the side of my throat, lingering over my pulse, his teeth scraping in a way that sent fire curling low in my belly.
The fort cocooned us in golden fairy lights and soft blankets, but nothing about this moment was soft.
Nathan’s hands. His mouth. His eyes.
They burned.
“You wanted a sleepover, Cupcake?” His voice was pure gravel as he lifted his head, his gaze dragging over my face, over my kiss-swollen lips. “Then let’s stay up all night.”
And when he kissed me again, sleep was suddenly the very last thing on my mind.