In Name Only - Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
“Coffee?” Haley asked as she entered their bedroom carrying two mugs.
Rolling over onto his back and propping himself up against the pillows, Nathan smiled when he saw her standing at the foot of the bed wearing his discarded shirt which looked incredible on her, hitting her at mid-thigh and showing off her shapely legs perfectly. Reaching out his hand, he took the offered mug from her. “Thanks, baby.”
She leaned forward and planted a light kiss onto his lips, giggling against them when his free hand cupped the back of her head and kept her firmly in place. “Nathan! We’re going to spill our coffee and I’d much rather spend our morning in bed than take a trip to the hospital because we’ve burned ourselves.”
Placing his cup on the nightstand and then doing the same with hers, he pulled her on top of him and laced his fingers together just above her butt, seizing her mouth in a sizzling kiss before she could say another word.
Haley felt her heart speed up as she gave herself over to the wonderful sensations his mouth was eliciting from her and without breaking the kiss, she managed to move so that she was straddling his waist, her upper body still pressed against his. She moaned when Nathan’s hands slid beneath her T-shirt and stroked everywhere he could reach and drawing back from him, she immediately gripped the hem of the fabric and pulled it up and over her head. Her skin felt hot and she knew she was probably blushing and, in the back of her mind, she wondered if and when that would ever change.
Flipping her over onto her back, Nathan held himself up above her on his forearms and smiled down at her. How did he ever get so lucky, he couldn’t help asking himself. The way she licked and then bit her bottom lip sent a jolt through him and closing the small gap between them, he again seized her lips.
When they eventually drew apart long minutes later, they were breathing heavily, their eyes locked on each other’s as the flirty banter disappeared and the air around them seemed to crackle and spark.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered against her lips before kissing her once more. His lips kissed a path from her mouth, down her throat until they arrived at the base of her neck where he sucked furiously on a patch of her skin determined to leave his mark, feeling an almost possessive need to brand her.
“I can’t either,” Haley replied in kind, practically purring at the feel of what his mouth was currently doing to her. Her fingers travelled the expanse of his back and shoulders, gliding along his warm skin, her nails digging in when he shifted lower and began sucking on her collarbone.
Nathan was sliding further down when he suddenly heard a low rumbling noise and glancing up at her, he saw her face turn pink.
“Sorry,” she muttered, “I should’ve grabbed something to eat when I was downstairs but…”
“But?”
“I, uh, was in a hurry to get back to you,” she confessed shyly.
Bracing his weight on his forearms, he smiled as he looked down at her. He felt his body grow warmer still at hearing her words and he couldn’t resist the call of her lips a second longer. The kiss was soft and sweet yet full of passion as he threw himself headlong into it. He’d never met anyone quite like her before and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he never would again. She was definitely one of a kind.
Breaking the kiss, he nuzzled his face against her throat, breathing in her scent. “How about we go downstairs and get something to eat?”
“Good idea,” Haley answered. “And I think it’s my turn to make it.”
“You don’t have to cook something, we could just have cereal or toast. I mean, that way we get to come back to bed that much faster,” he teased.
“There is that, I suppose,” she agreed, running her fingers up and down his back.
Hearing her tummy rumble again, Nathan rubbed his nose against hers, dropping a light kiss onto her lips before reluctantly pushing himself up and off of her body. “C’mon, the sooner we eat, the sooner we get back here and can work on burning those calories off.”
“Oh, and there was me about to suggest we go for a jog afterwards,” she joked. Leaning over the side of the bed, she retrieved the discarded T-shirt she had worn before and slipped it over her head while Nathan pulled on a pair of pajama pants. Seeing him walking over to their bedroom door, she asked, “You’re not going to put on a T-shirt?”
Giving her a sexy smirk, he shook his head. “Nope. Why? Is that going to be a problem for you, honey?”
Haley shook her head and did her best to keep a straight face. “No, no problem at all.”
Holding out his hand to her, he laughed as he spoke, “We’ll just have to see about that.”
“Is that so?” she said, slipping her hand into his.
Instead of answering her verbally, Nathan lowered his head to hers and suckled on her plump bottom lip, repeating the action on the upper one after a few moments before finally pulling back without properly kissing her. Her breathing was heavier, more ragged and he couldn’t help smiling in satisfaction. “Yeah, I’d definitely say so.”
His words seemed to bring her out of her sudden daze and she gave herself a mental shake as she saw the smug grin stretched across his face. He looked so cute and…happy and she felt a warm sense of pride knowing that she was, at least in part, responsible for the latter. “You think you’re so good, don’t you?”
“Think? I know I’m good and I think I just proved it to you, Hales.”
Stretching up onto her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed along his jaw. “I think I need a little more proof,” she whispered into his ear before pulling back and running out of the room giggling, leaving a slightly bewildered Nathan standing in their bedroom.
“I’m going to get you for that,” he called out as he chased after her.
* * * * *
“So, have you thought any more about going back to college?” Nathan asked after swallowing the last bite of the French toast Haley had made for the both of them.
“I think I might’ve missed the deadline for enrolling,” she told him sadly. “With everything that’s happened lately, I’d sort of forgotten about it.”
“There’s no harm in finding out though.” He smiled warmly at her.
Returning his smile, she nodded. “I know and I’ll do it first thing Monday morning.”
“Good. I’d hate for you to be bored out of your mind here while I’m at the office all day.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she teased. “I could always fill my days with shopping sprees and watching daytime soaps and chat shows.”
Nathan laughed. “Somehow I don’t see you as that type.”
“Really? And what type do you see me as?”
Leaning in close to her, he whispered into her ear, “You’re exactly my type.”
Haley blushed at his words and turning her face slightly, she pressed her lips against his. One hand came up to stroke against his stubble-roughened cheek as she deepened the kiss, her tongue sliding inside his mouth where she could taste the sweetness of the maple syrup he had poured over his breakfast.
“You’re my type, too,” she told him in a breathless whisper after the kiss had finally ended.
He was practically beaming at hearing her words and pushing his stool back, he stood up and took Haley’s hand in his. “You up for a workout?” he asked, giving her a salacious wink that had her breaking out into a fit of laughter.
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Interlacing their fingers together, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze before being the one to lead him out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
“What about the dishes?” he joked.
“Well, I can go back and do them now if you’d prefer.”
Instead of answering her, he suddenly lifted her up, placing her over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift which had her squealing in surprise.
“Nathan!”
“The dishes can wait,” he said as he took the stairs two at a time, holding on tightly to the precious cargo he was carrying.
“Thank god for that,” she said before swatting his butt with her hand.
“Hey!”
“Sorry,” she choked out before breaking out into a fit of giggles.
“I’ll give you sorry,” Nathan told her as he deposited her onto their bed, watching with hungry eyes as she pulled off the T-shirt she was wearing and then laid back amongst the mountain of pillows.
She felt herself grow warm all over at his approving gaze and she bit her lip in an attempt to keep from moaning when he shucked off his pajama pants. The moan couldn’t be held back though when he climbed on top of her and his body was pressed flush against her own. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down so he was pressing her even further into the soft mattress beneath them and she sighed into his mouth when he kissed her again.
“I love you so much,” Haley murmured against his cheek as she breathed in much needed air once the kiss had ended.
“I love you, too… I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone,” he told her honestly as he looked down at her beautiful face. “I-I sometimes think that you’re too good for me, Hales. That you deserve someone better and—”
“No!” she interrupted, her tone firm. “We’re good for each other.” She kissed him urgently, reinforcing what she had just said but this time without words, before retreating and confessing something to him, something she had never shared with anyone else. “When I was younger, I used to dream about what my wedding day would be like and I used to try and picture the guy I’d marry. In all of the dreams I had over the years, I can honestly say I never felt for him what I feel for you.”
“Haley…”
“I know I’m young, Nathan, and that I’m not as experienced as you or the other women you’ve been with but… I love you so much and I can’t imagine feeling this way about anyone else.” She smiled through the tears that had filled her eyes as she tried to lighten the mood by adding, “You’ve pretty much ruined me for any other guy.”
Cupping her face between his palms, he held her steady as he looked deep into her warm, chocolate brown eyes. “Good,” he choked out. The sense of jealousy he felt at the mere thought of any other man touching her was overwhelming. Lowering his head, he seized her lips in a scorching hot kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth to tangle wetly with hers. The feel of her fingers threading through his hair and her blunt nails raking across his scalp was sending delicious shivers up and down his spine.
He slid his hands down from her face, touching and caressing every part of her that was within reach and he couldn’t get enough of the soft moans and gasps he was eliciting from her.
The only thought in his head when he finally entered her was: home.
* * * * *
Monday morning came around much too quickly for the young couple who, much to their reluctance given the wonderful weekend they had spent together, were up bright and early.
Sitting on the countertop in the bathroom, Haley smiled at her husband who was standing in front of her, shaving foam covering half of his face while he ran a razor over it. Holding out her hand, she gestured for him to give her the instrument and she chuckled at his slight hesitation.
“C’mon, Nathan, you know I’ll be careful.”
Handing it over, Nathan smirked and placed both of his hands on her warm upper thighs, pushing the shirt of his she was wearing up even higher.
“Be careful with those hands, buddy, unless you want me to cut you.”
His hands stilled except for the occasional movement when he felt the need to feel her silky soft skin more fully. He couldn’t help smiling at the look of utter concentration on her face as she shaved him. When she paused to dip the razor into the basin to rinse off the collected foam, he took the opportunity of letting his hands roam even higher, fingering the edge of her lace-trimmed, silk panties when they came into contact with the fabric.
Haley sucked in a breath. “Okay, you need to stop that right now if you don’t want me to nick you,” she told him as she brought the razor up to his face again.
Nathan grinned but capitulated with her request and went back to stroking her upper thighs, revelling in the softness of her skin. He felt the urge to smile when she poked her tongue out as she focused on the task in hand. Whatever she did, she always looked cute doing it, not to mention hot as hell. His hand snaked around from her waist to her butt and he kneaded her curvy behind through her panties.
“Hey!”
“What?”
The innocent look on his face made her laugh. “Don’t give me that look, Scott.”
“And what look might that be?”
“The butter wouldn’t melt look because you know it doesn’t work on me.”
“Really? ‘Cause if I remember correctly that look worked pretty well all weekend and once this morn—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Haley interrupted. “For your information, I was just letting you think it worked.”
Feigning shock and hurt, he took a step back and placed a hand on his chest over his heart. “Damn, that hurt, Hales.”
Tilting her head to one side, she willed herself not to laugh at his antics while, at the same time, loving his playfulness. “Aww, do you want me to make it better?”
“I don’t know. It depends on what you have in mind,” he told her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“You’re going to be late for work,” she observed while dropping the razor into the sink again and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m the boss, then.” Pulling her towards him, he directed her to wrap her legs around his hips which she did and a second later he was carrying her back into their bedroom. God only knew how he was going to get through a whole day without her and as their bodies again became one, he wondered if this feeling, this need for her, would ever subside. Somehow he didn’t think so.