Surprise

Title: Surprise

Author: Diane

Pairing/Category: Nathan/Haley, AU

Rating: Adult Rated

Disclaimer: Nope, I don’t own a thing!

Summary: There was absolutely no mention of her birthday anywhere in the message and she had felt her heart sink.

Warning: This story contains scenes and language of a sexual nature

Author’s Notes: This is the fourth instalment in the ‘Crash Into You’ series and is a sequel to 'Making It Official'.

Thanks to Berry and Kylie for their support and helpful comments with this part. You girls are the best! *hugs*

Shifting the two heavy grocery bags she was carrying in her arms, Haley entered her apartment and kicked the door closed behind her before making her way into the kitchen. She placed the bags on the counter and then shrugged out of her jacket, hanging it up on the back of the stool and then began unpacking the groceries, a frown marring her features as she did so.

Today had sucked big time.

First of all, work had been a nightmare. One of the other mechanics at the auto shop she worked at had called in sick and with another already on vacation, it meant that she had had to skip her lunch break in order to have the vehicles ready to be collected by their owners at five-thirty that day.

Then, she had made the mistake of deciding to do some grocery shopping on her way home but the queue at the supermarket checkout had been unbelievable and if it wasn’t for the fact that the cupboards and fridge at home were pretty bare, she would have given up. Actually, she should have done that anyway and maybe just picked up some takeout on the way back to tide them over.

The worst part though was that he had forgotten her birthday. When she had woken up that morning, she’d had a big smile on her face as she turned over to face him only to find his half of the bed empty and after checking the various rooms in the apartment, she had realised he had already left for the day. Okay, granted, he had left a note for her on the magnetic message board which was stuck to the fridge explaining that he’d forgotten all about a breakfast meeting but still. There was absolutely no mention of her birthday anywhere in the message and she had felt her heart sink.

Already she could feel things changing between them and it made her initial insecurities about moving in together rise to the surface once again. Things had been fine while they had been dating but now, now they were different and she was scared they would get worse.

Forgetting her birthday wasn’t necessarily a big deal, she told herself. She knew how busy he’d been lately with work and with a particular case he was working on but it could be the beginning of a slippery slope and that’s what worried her. In the ten and-a-half months that they had known and been dating each other, he had always been so attentive to her but the past couple of weeks… Well, he was still attentive but there seemed to be a slight distance in his behaviour which she hadn’t failed to notice and now with him forgetting her birthday, she was scared that the initial rosy bloom on their relationship was beginning to fade for him.

“Haley, is that you?” A familiar voice suddenly called out and Haley frowned.

“No, it’s your other woman,” she couldn’t help snarking back. Who else was it going to be? She couldn’t help but be surprised that he was home this early since lately he had been arriving home at around ten o’clock each night.

“Nah, she doesn’t come over on Thursday nights.”

While she knew he was teasing, a sharp pain pierced her heart at his words and, as such, she couldn’t think of a suitable witty reply to come back with.

“Haley, you still there?”

In a slightly shaky voice, she replied, “Uh huh, I’m just putting the groceries away.”

“Well, stop that and come here.”

“I’m busy.”

“Come on, baby, the groceries can wait until later.”

She sighed with irritation. “Fine, let me just put away the fridge and freezer stuff.” After doing just that, she stood in the kitchen for a moment, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to compose herself and lose any trace of the anxiety she knew was most likely written all over her face.

Finally feeling ready to face him, Haley walked to their bedroom and frowned when she saw that he wasn’t in the darkened room. “Where are you?”

“In the bathroom,” he answered back and she made her way to their en suite bathroom, again frowning when she found the room empty.

“Nathan! I’m not in the mood to play games tonight… Where are you?”

“I’m in the main bathroom.”

Mumbling to herself under her breath, she made her way to the end of the hallway and upon reaching the doorway to their main bathroom, she gasped at what she saw inside of it. Her eyes welled with tears and all of the negative feelings she had been experiencing all day just seemed to melt away as she met her boyfriend’s warm gaze.

The room was lit with her favourite lightly scented candles, there was a bottle of champagne with two glasses on the window ledge beside their large, sunken bath and said bath was practically overflowing with bubbles and she could see pink rose petals sprinkled over the top.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it,” she replied, giving him a warm smile as she crossed the threshold and closed the distance between them. “I thought you--”

“You thought I’d forgotten your birthday?” Nathan finished for her.

“Yeah…”

“I kind of wanted you to think that, Hales, so that the surprise would be even better.” Cupping her face between his palms, he kissed her tenderly before slowly retreating and resting his forehead against hers. “You don’t know how hard it was getting up and making sure I was gone before you woke up this morning. My initial idea for today had been for us to both call in sick and spend the day in bed,” he teased.

“Hmm, maybe we can do that next year,” she told him, cocking one eyebrow before sealing her mouth over his and kissing him hard.

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and said, “C’mon, we don't want the water getting cold.” His fingers began working on her button-up shirt as he kept his eyes fixed on her chocolate brown orbs.

“Always trying to get me naked,” she said mockingly as her own fingers began sliding his own T-shirt up his body.

“Is that a complaint?”

“Hell no. After the day I’ve had, I need to work off my frustrations so I hope you’re up for it.”

“I’m always up for it,” he stated and then laughed when she groaned at his obvious innuendo.

When they were both naked, Nathan helped Haley climb into the bath he had drawn and he smiled when he heard her sigh of pleasure as she made herself comfortable. Leaning over her, he pressed a kiss to her lips and when she parted them, he slipped his tongue inside her mouth to stroke against hers.

“Are you getting in?” Haley enquired a moment later, her eyes searching his.

“If you want me to.”

“Of course I do and, as the birthday girl, I get whatever I want,” she quipped. “Now, get your cute ass in here, Mister.”

Following her orders, he got into the bath and sat behind her so that she was situated in between his legs, her back resting against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist, his fingers trailing idly up and down her wet skin and with the other, he reached out and picked up one of the glasses of champagne and held it out to her. After she took it from him, he picked up his own glass and clinked it against hers.

“Happy birthday, Hales.”

Turning her head so she could look at him, Haley smiled at him. “Thank you, baby, and thanks for doing this. I love it.” She kept her focus on him as she took a sip of the chilled beverage and she giggled when the bubbles went up her nose.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t have preferred me to have organised a party or something for you? I did consider it but I guess I was being selfish in wanting to be the only one spending it with you,” he admitted.

“I’m more than sure, Nathan. And anyway, we’re meeting up with the gang at the weekend and then we’re visiting my parents next month so it’s not like I’m not going to be celebrating with the others.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” he said before asking, “So, Miss James, would you like me to wash your back?”

Placing her glass back on the ledge and then doing the same with his, Haley carefully maneuvered herself so that she was now facing him, her knees placed on the outside of his thighs. “Hmm, I’ve got a much better suggestion,” she informed him as she shuffled forward and looped her arms around his neck.

“Oh really? And what might that be?”

Instead of answering him verbally, she moved in even closer to him and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, grazing it with her teeth before drawing back slightly. Her fingers caressed the back of his neck while her other slipped between them and wrapped around his hardened length.

Nathan gripped her hips, holding her to him as he watched her through heavy-lidded eyes, her soft hand pumping him slowly. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he fought to stay in control, not wanting things to be over before they had had a chance to begin. Finally, not being able to take much more, he covered her hand with one of his and stilled her.

“H-Hales…you’ve gotta stop,” he told her, his voice thick with lust. “And anyway, shouldn’t I be, you know, taking care of you? It is your birthday, after all.”

“Wait, you mean you’re not my birthday present?”

He laughed and said, “Very funny,” before leaning forward and stealing her lips in a hot, fiery kiss. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he pulled her towards him and arching upwards, he rubbed himself against her heated core, eliciting a deep sigh from her at the contact.

Haley dug her fingernails into his shoulders as she rocked herself back and forth on him and her head fell back as she savoured the familiar sensation of their lower bodies touching. Her lips, which were right by his ear, nibbled on the lobe before kissing the spot just behind it, knowing it drove him crazy whenever she did it.

“Kiss me,” he demanded a few seconds later when he couldn’t take any more and turning his head to the side, he made it easy for her to comply. Their tongues tangled in a dirty, hungry kiss which hit him deep in his soul. He moaned into her mouth when he felt her hand once again wrap around a certain part of his anatomy, only this time she placed him directly at her entrance and knowing that right now neither of them could take any more teasing, he thrust up into her just as she ground down on him.

As their bodies moved together, water splashed up and over the sides of the bath but neither of them gave it any thought.

Nathan’s hands cupped and massaged her breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples in a maddeningly light teasing touch which was slowly driving her insane. Haley’s thighs tightened on either side of him as his cock stroked a particularly sensitive spot deep inside of her and she instinctively clenched her feminine muscles around him which earned her a loud moan in response.

“Like that?” she managed to gasp out as their bodies gained momentum.

“Oh yeah,” he drawled before taking her mouth in yet another passion-filled kiss. His teeth nibbled on her plump lower lip when she clenched around him again and he could feel his orgasm fast approaching. Slipping a hand between their slick bodies, he found her clitoris and he rubbed the protruding little nub from side to side, wanting her to climax with him.

The feel of his lips against hers, the sensation of his large, slightly calloused hand kneading her breasts in turn as he repeatedly thrust up into her while rubbing her clit had her spiralling completely out of control and she exploded in a mind-numbing climax. When he followed her over the edge a short moment later, it caused her to orgasm a second time and her fingers gripped the moist skin of his shoulders as she continued to move on him, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

When he had once again found the ability to speak, Nathan asked, “How about we move this to our bedroom? We can finish off the champagne and have some of your birthday cake.”

“There’s cake, too?” she teased, rubbing her cheek against his as her body continued to ride the aftershocks of her orgasm. “You know, we probably should’ve eaten the cake first and then done this to burn it all off.”

Giving her side a gentle pinch, he laughed. “Well, it just means we’ll have to do this again after we’ve eaten our cake.”

Pressing a kiss to his lips, she smirked, replying, “Aww, my boyfriend’s so clever.”

“C’mon, let’s get out of here before the water gets cold.”

Gently easing her off of him, he stood up and grabbed the showerhead and turned it on, rinsing all of the bubbles that were clinging to him. Once he was done, he helped pull his girlfriend up and he did the same with her before stepping out of the bath and grabbing a towel off the heated rail.

Haley couldn’t help but take advantage of seeing him in all his naked glory and she let her eyes roam all over him, admiring the view. She couldn’t help but laugh when she saw his cheeks redden in a light blush.

“Quit it,” he told her as he wrapped the towel around his waist, his lips curving up in a half-smirk.

She giggled and crooking her forefinger, she beckoned him over to her and when he was within touching distance, she leaned forward and kissed him. Her laughter grew louder when he picked her up and instead of putting her down like she had been anticipating, he carefully placed her over his shoulder before grabbing the champagne bottle off the ledge.

“Nathan!”

“What?”

“Put me down!”

“Nope, not yet.”

“I’m soaking wet and--”

“Oh, I know,” he said with a chuckle, the double meaning once again obvious in his words.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, pinching his ass.

“Hey! That hurt.”

A few moments later, they were in their bedroom and Nathan had carefully placed her down onto the floor and after grabbing a towel from their dresser, he began patting her dry. As soon as they had both dried off, they somehow found themselves once again fused together upon their large, queen-sized bed.

Before things got too out of control, Haley’s voice piped up, “Now, where’s this cake you were talking about?” which had them both erupting into laughter.

* * * * *

Later that night, despite the light-heartedness of what they had just shared, Haley once again felt the waves of anxiety that had troubled her earlier that evening rolling over her and without looking up at him, she whispered, “Are you wanting to break up with me?”

Nathan’s mouth dropped open in shock and a few seconds later he managed to sputter out, “W-What?”

“You heard me, do you want to break up with me?” Without realising she was doing it, her hold on him tightened as she nervously awaited his reply.

“Where the hell is this coming from? And how can you ask me that after what we just shared?”

“You’re not answering the question, Nathan?”

“Maybe because it’s a stupid one,” he stated before continuing, “But to answer it, no, I don’t want to break up with you.”

“Oh,” she murmured quietly.

“Is that all you can say? You actually sound disappointed with my answer, Haley. Maybe I should be asking you if you want to break up with me, huh?”

“No! No, of course I don’t want to break up with you,” she told him adamantly, shifting over onto her side of the bed and raising her head so she could look him in the eyes.

“Good, I’m glad to hear it. Why did you think I wanted to break up with you though?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know… I guess this past few weeks, you’ve been a bit distant and I know it’s probably because you’re so busy at work but… It just made me worry that you’d changed your mind about us or something.”

Threading his fingers through her tousled honey-blonde hair, he shook his head. “Are you kidding me? I feel more strongly about us than I did when we first got together and that’s saying something considering how strong I felt about us then.”

“Really?”

He nodded and lowering his head to hers, he kissed her hard for several long moments, only pulling away when he felt the burning need to breathe in some air. “Really,” he whispered against her lips, rubbing his nose against hers as their foreheads pressed together.

“I’m sorry for doubting you…us, but--”

“Don’t apologise, Hales. This case at work has had me all tied up in knots but, I promise, I’ll do my best from now on not to shut you out. I guess I’m still not used to having someone to confide in about my day, you know.”

“I know, me either.” Laying her head down on his chest again, Haley snuggled into him and sighed, this time with relief, at his reassuring words to her. She had just closed her eyes when his next words to her had them flying open with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

“Marry me.”

“W-What?” Her head shot up off his chest and she regarded him with wide eyes which were already glistening with tears.

Nathan smiled at her stunned expression and repeated his words to her. “Marry me.”

“Nathan, I--”

“And don’t say it’s too soon. I mean, you said that when I asked you to move in with me and look how great things have been between us. I know this past couple of weeks haven’t been great but I’ve already promised I won’t let that happen again.”

“Why are you asking me this now?” Haley couldn’t help asking. The last thing she wanted was for him to be proposing just because of what she had asked him a few minutes ago concerning the direction of their relationship.

“Because I want to marry you, Haley. Hell, if I’d have known it wouldn’t have freaked you out, I’d have asked you four and-a-half months ago.”

Her eyes grew wider still if at all possible at his statement. “You mean--”

“Yeah, I wanted to propose then instead of just asking you to move in with me but I figured it was probably too soon for that so I figured I’d do the next best thing which was have us move in together. I hoped that it’d make you see how great things could be with us being together full-time and that maybe when I did get around to proposing, I’d get my three lettered answer.” Nathan felt his cheeks heating up at finally confessing his true intentions towards her and he felt the relief wash over him when his girlfriend wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a scorching hot kiss.

“You’re crazy, you know that, right?”

“Oh yeah,” he teased, fusing his mouth with hers once more. The kisses grew hotter, wetter and even more frantic as their lower bodies began grinding against each other’s and it wasn’t long before Haley was lying flat on her back with him covering her entirely.

Their gazes locked on one another and this time when they kissed, it was slower and more gentle but the passion was still there tenfold. Nathan kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her eyelids before arriving once again at her mouth and kissing her hungrily. His hands stroked everywhere they could reach as he physically demonstrated just how much he loved and wanted her.

Haley, for her part, did the same thing. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her ankles locking at his lower back as she gripped him tightly between her thighs. She let her hands roam all over his back and shoulders before her fingers toyed with the short hair at the nape of his neck, working their way upwards to tangle in the longer strands.

She gasped and moaned his name when his lips latched onto her nipple and he grazed his teeth against the little nub causing her to dig her fingernails into his shoulders as her lower body rocked against his.

Sliding a hand between them, she wrapped her fingers around his thick, hard length and stroked him up and down, loving the way his mouth fell open with pleasure. Her hand moved slightly lower and she cupped his balls, one finger rubbing a particularly sensitive spot which had him bucking into her hand.

“Fuck! Haley…I--”

“Shh, I’ve got you…” she whispered into his ear before nibbling the lobe and tugging on it.

Placing his erection exactly where she wanted it, she rubbed the head up and down the seam of her womanhood a few times before directing him to her entrance, telling him without words what she wanted.

Sucking her bottom lip into his mouth before tugging on it gently with his teeth, he then whispered huskily, “Tell me what I want to hear first.”

Haley giggled. “Hmm, this all feels so familiar… Have we been here before?”

“Yeah, I think we have although the question is different this time around.” Kissing her soundly, he retreated once again and looked down into her rich, chocolate brown eyes. “So, will you?”

“Will I what?” she teased, tilting her head to one side.

“I’ve already asked you twice, woman.” The twinkling in his eyes gave away his amusement as this time around he felt more secure that he knew what her answer would be.

“Once more for luck?”

He pressed another kiss to her lips before pulling back and smiling at her. “Haley, will you marry me?”

Biting her lip, Haley looked up at the man in front of her, the man she loved with all of her heart and with every fibre of her being and she knew there was only one answer to give. Returning his smile, she nodded her head and said, “Yes.”

Nathan’s smile grew wider and lowering his head, he kissed her again, his tongue slipping past her lips to playfully tangle with hers. When he eventually broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers for a moment before pulling away from her.

“Hey, where are you going?” Haley questioned.

“You’ll see,” he told her as he reached over and opened the drawer to his nightstand. A few seconds later, he was lying beside her and he showed her what he had in his hand.

Her mouth went dry as she saw the small square box in his palm and she realised that he had definitely been doing some planning. She held her breath as he slowly opened the box and she gasped when she saw the beautiful ring that was lying inside on a bed of blue silk.

“Do you like it? He was sure the nervousness could be heard in his voice.

“It’s gorgeous, Nathan,” she told him as she looked closely at it. It was a thin white gold band with a cluster of five diamonds in the centre. It was simple and elegant and definitely the sort of ring she would have chosen for herself.

“It was my grandmother’s,” he admitted as he watched her continuing to look at the ring. “She left it to me in her Will and, to be honest, I never thought I’d have use for it. I figured I’d give it to my brother whenever he decided to get married but it just didn’t feel right parting with it somehow.”

Reaching out her hand, she cupped his cheek in her palm and stroked her thumb back and forth over his cheekbone. “Are you glad you kept it now?”

“Oh yeah,” he replied, smiling at her and then, taking her left hand in his right one, he carefully plucked the ring from the box and slowly began sliding it onto Haley’s finger before he realised something and stopped.

“Changed your mind already, huh?”

“No way! I just wanted to show you something before I put it on you because after that? It ain’t never coming off.”

Haley’s smile grew wider at hearing his words. “So, what do you want to show me?”

“Now, there’s a loaded question if ever I heard one.”

“You, Mr Scott, have such a dirty mind.”

“Yeah, but you love it.”

“Maybe a little,” she confessed. “So, come on, show me what’s on the ring so you can finally put it on my finger.”

Holding it out to her, Nathan said, “I wanted to personalise it for us so that although it was my grandmother’s ring, I wanted it to be yours, too if that makes any sense.” When she nodded that she did, he continued. “I had it engraved with today’s date so you can remember the day I proposed.”

“As if I’d ever forget that,” she told him, her hand caressing the back of his neck.

“I also had something else put on there and I figured I could put the rest of it on your wedding band when we pick them out.”

Chuckling, she asked, “What? Did you have them write a book on there or something?”

“Very funny, smarty pants. It’s just a phrase that keeps going around in my head and I wanted to include it on both the engagement and wedding rings.”

“Okay, so what is it?” Her curiosity was piqued and she was dying to know what this phrase was. When he handed her the ring she saw one word etched inside the band alongside the date he had already mentioned he’d had put there.

Always

Haley’s eyes welled with tears as she looked up at her fiancé and she bit her lip in an attempt to stop herself from crying. “Nathan…”

“Is that okay?”

“Okay doesn’t even come close to describing it, baby. It’s perfect.” Leaning up, she captured his lips and kissed him softly before gently easing back. Her fingers remained on the back of his neck as she asked, “What’s the rest of the phrase?”

Briefly rubbing his nose against hers, he kissed away the tear that had fallen down her cheek and answered in a quiet voice, “Forever.”

Fin

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