Our Way Page 21

  I slowly unzip my suitcase. Now, what am I going to wear? It’s my first official date with Nathan, and I need to be utterly irresistible.

  I turn and look at my behind in the mirror. I love this dress. It’s a smoky gray and fitted with a plunging V that dips between my breasts. It fits my figure perfectly and is super sexy without looking like I try too hard. My long, dark hair is down and styled, and my makeup is minimal. I rearrange my breasts into my dress. I’m wearing some new lacy underwear. This bra feels off. I twist it to try and get my boobs into place. Damn it, why is pretty underwear always uncomfortable?

  There’s a very valid reason why married women don’t wear this stuff every day.

  I turn to the side and look at myself. My boobs do look good, though; even I have to admit that. I smile and take out my lip gloss. I begin to apply it when I feel two hands come around me from behind, followed by a kiss on my temple.

  “Hi.” I smile.

  “Hey,” he whispers. His voice is groggy and still half asleep. He shifts my hair around to one side and gently kisses my neck. “I slept in.”

  “You did. Get ready. We have a very important night ahead.” I kiss his lips, and they linger over his. “Our first official date.”

  His eyes glow with tenderness. “So it is.” He takes my hand and holds it up as he steps back to look me up and down. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Give me a minute, I won’t be long.” He goes out to the kitchen, and I hear him fuss around and a cork pop. Moments later, he comes back in with a glass of champagne. “Have some bubbles while I get ready.” He kisses me softly.

  “Thank you.” I watch him disappear into the other room, and I walk out onto the balcony and stand at the rail. It’s dark now, and the candles flicker around me. The ocean is loud, and in the distance, I hear music playing—maybe a saxophone or something. I sip my champagne and shake my head in disbelief. This is all so surreal. I feel like I’m on the precipice of something teetering between my old and my new life. I smile as Nathan’s words come back to me… the beginning of something wonderful. I already know that it’s going to be wonderful.

  Nathan is special, our relationship is special, and last night eased all my nerves.

  I can’t wait to take this next step with him.

  I feel soft lips on my shoulder. “There you are.”

  I turn toward him and my breath catches. He’s the epitome of masculinity. He’s wearing a black linen shirt and tight black jeans. His hair is messed to perfection, and his only accessory is his chunky silver Rolex watch. He clinks his glass with mine, and his dark eyes hold mine.

  “Are you ready?” He lifts his glass to his lips. The double meaning and the weight of his words doesn’t go unnoticed.

  I smile softly as butterflies dance in my stomach. “Am I ever.”

  * * *

  “This way, please,” the waitress says as she leads us through the restaurant.

  We follow, and she takes us through to an outdoor courtyard where colorful fairy lights are strung through the trees and fire lanterns are lit around the perimeter.

  There is a man in the corner playing a guitar and singing.

  She gestures to the table, and Nathan pulls out my chair. “Thank you.”

  “Can I get you any drinks?”

  Nathan gestures for me to go first. Always such good manners. I open the menu as I try to look what to get. “I’ll have a…”

  “What’s a good choice?” Nathan asks as he scans the menu.

  “Sangria?” she offers. “It’s our most popular cocktail.”

  “Oh, sounds good.” I smile. “I’ll have a glass of that.”

  “Make that two,” Nathan agrees.

  “We serve it in a jug.”

  “Sure, sounds great.” Nathan hands her his drinks menu, and I do the same.

  “I’ll be back to take your orders soon.” She leaves us alone.

  I look around in awe. “Look at this place, Nathe.” It’s alive with chatter and the guitar music creates a wonderful atmosphere. The waitress arrives back at the table with a huge jug of sangria and two glasses not long after.

  Wow, that was quick. They must have this stuff on speed dial.

  “Here you are.” She places them on the table, and I giggle at the size of the glasses. They look like jugs, too. She pours us two, and with another smile, she leaves us alone.

  Nathan takes a sip of his drink and raises his eyebrows at the red drink in his glass. “Hmm, not bad.”

  I take a tentative sip. I hope I like it. There must be ten liters here. I’m happily surprised. It’s fruity and delicious. Ten liters may not be enough.

  Nathan chuckles and we clink glasses.

  “I love this place,” I whisper as I look around.

  “Nice, huh?” Nathan opens his menu and looks through the choices. “What are you having?”

  “Hmm.” I go through the choices, too. “I think for entrée, I’m going with the pasteles de cangrejo.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Grilled crab cakes with mustard sauce.”

  “Hmm, sounds good.” He twists his lips as he looks through the choices. “For the main, I’m going to have the Arrachera steak.”

  “Hmm, yum.” I smile goofily. “I’m having so much fun in Majorca already and all I’ve done is sleep and order dinner.”

  He chuckles. “Good news.”

  I take a drink of my sangria. “This is so good—too good, probably, although most definitely adding to my fun. For a main course, I’m going to have the pollo al ajillo chicken.”

  The waitress comes back over and we order our meals. She leaves us alone again.

  Nathan refills our glasses.

  “Not too many,” I say. I can feel my head getting woozy already. “This is potent.”

  We fall silent and stare at each other across the table. I don’t know what he’s feeling, but I’m feeling a little starstruck.

  “So…” He smiles as he takes a sip of his drink.

  There’s an undercurrent of excitement buzzing in the air between us.

  “So?” I beam.

  “What do you normally talk about on your dates?”

  I shrug. “I usually ask about forty questions so I can do an internal risk assessment.”

  “Ah, the dreaded forty questions.” He raises an eyebrow.

  “Why, what do you talk about on your first dates?”

  “Well, this is my first one.”

  I frown. “What do you mean?”

  “This is my first ever first date.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “Well, I was too young when I met Robert, and since then…” His voice trails off, and he shrugs.

  “You’ve never taken someone on a first date?” I stare at him in horror. “Like… ever?”

  “Nope.” He catches his bottom lip in his teeth, as if slightly embarrassed. “Another of my firsts given to the lovely Eliza Bennet.”

  “Well.” I smile proudly, happy with that answer just quietly. “I’ll have to make it memorable.”

  “You already have.” His eyes hold mine.

  I smile softly. Oh, this man…

  “So?” He rolls his hand out. “Fire away.”

  “What?”

  “Ask me your date questions. I want to see if I qualify.”

  “Okay.” I take a sip of my drink as I narrow my eyes while I think of one. “What makes you happy?”

  “Seeing my family happy.” He pauses. “And seeing you happy.”

  I swoon and take his hand over the table. “I am happy.”

  He dusts his thumb over the back of my knuckles. “I know.”

  Our eyes lock, and electricity passes between us. If he keeps this up, we won’t make the main course. I’ll jump him across the table.

  “What’s your biggest achievement?” I ask.

  “Developing the bionic heart. No brainer.”

  “I’m so proud of you for that.”
<
br />   He smiles, and I know he’s proud of himself, too.

  “Biggest regret in life?” I ask.

  “Hmm.” He frowns, falling deep into thought. “Like, ever?”

  “Yes.” I smile as I sip my drink, I like this game.

  “Probably waiting ten years to fall for you.”

  I giggle. “Apart from that.”

  “Umm.” His brow furrows. “Leaving Robert.”

  What?

  My alcohol high instantly dissipates. “Why is that?”

  “Well,” He pauses as he gets the wording right in his head. “At the time, I demanded that Robert follow me to San Francisco. I had it in my head that if he loved me, he would follow me anywhere.”

  “And he didn’t?” I have always known this story but haven’t paid it much attention before, now I need all the details.

  “No.” He sips his drink. “At the time, I saw it that he wasn’t committed to me so I broke up with him.”

  “But now?”

  “Well, now I realize that he wasn’t ready to make that commitment to anyone. I asked him to leave all of his family and friends to be with me. He was too young.” He shrugs, as if ashamed. “I should have given him time and space. He would have come eventually. Things that are meant to be will always return.”

  I stare at him as fear rolls through me like a tsunami.

  “Nathan.” I frown. “Are you still in love with Robert?”

  “No.” He shakes his head as if the thought is preposterous. “God, no, but as I’ve gotten older, and since being with you, I now know that I was very selfish back then. I put my needs before his, and that wasn’t fair.” He thinks on it for a moment. “It’s not something I’m proud of, that’s for sure.”

  I stare at him, my mind a jumble.

  “So, yeah.” He shrugs. “Breaking someone’s heart out of selfishness is my biggest regret.”

  “Wow.” I sip my drink. “Well, I guess that settles it.”

  “Settles what?”

  “You just completely flunked the questions. Biggest regret in your life is leaving your ex. Red flag, Nathan,” I reply flatly. “Motherfucking red flag. I’m drinking this entire jug of sangria and eating my meal, and then I’m pretending to go to the bathroom and never coming back,” I reply as I try to act serious. “It was nice knowing you.”

  He throws his head back and laughs. It’s deep, rich, and does things to my insides. “I’m talking about my behaviour. Not losing Robert… that came out wrong. I’m disappointed in myself, not with the outcome.” He reaches over and takes my hand. “Do I get to ask any questions?”

  “Fire away. I’m completely at ease with my questions now that I know how badly you fucked up yours.”

  He chuckles. “And so you should be.” He stares at me for a moment as he thinks and finally he responds. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

  “That’s it? That’s your million-dollar question?” I laugh. “You’re ridiculous, Mercer.”

  “What? It’s a good question.” He laughs back. Boy, these Sangrias are going straight to our head. “I’m serious. ” He splutters. “Answer it.”

  “Well.” I smile goofily. “I would like to be happily married, with one child and another on the way.”

  He stares at me and blinks slowly, as if he’s processing my words.

  A weird thought comes over me. We’ve never actually discussed this before. “Do you want children, Nathan?”

  “Umm.” He pauses. “I’ve never really thought about it.” His brow furrows, as if contemplating it and then he gives me a soft smile with a shrug. “I guess with you by my side…, anything is possible.”

  My heart swells.

  “Is that your attempt for brownie points after your abysmal last answer?” I ask.

  “One hundred percent.”

  We burst out laughing, and he holds up the jug of sangria. “Another?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Five hours later, the moon is dancing over the water as we walk hand in hand along the boardwalk on the beach. We’re on our way back to our hotel. We’ve had a great time, eaten wonderful food, and had lots of laughs. Gone is the awkwardness of last night where we felt we just needed to get through it. Tonight is different. It’s as if we are unable to waste a single moment of our time together. Every conversation, every topic, every laugh seems special.

  “I had a wonderful first date,” I tell him.

  Nathan stops and takes me into his arms. He bends and kisses me softly. “Me, too.”

  We stand cheek to cheek as the ocean breeze washes over us. He kisses me again and then takes my face in his hands. “You ready to go home?”

  I stare up at him. “I am.”

  His lips take mine again and I melt into his arms. This feels so right.

  He takes my hand and begins to walk with a sudden urgency toward the hotel.

  “What’s the rush?” I ask.

  “I’m being a gentleman,” he replies, distracted as he pulls me along.

  “Huh?” I frown. “Gentlemen rush?”

  “They do.” He continues to walk. “They make sure they get their dates home safe and sound.”

  “And what do gentlemen do with their dates when they get them home?”

  He turns and takes me in his arms aggressively, nearly knocking me off my feet. “Bad things.” He bites my neck, and I laugh out loud in surprise.

  Well, I guess I did ask for a bad man to teach me bad things.

  I never guessed it would be my Nathan.

  He pulls me along so hard that my arm nearly comes out the socket. Ten minutes later, we are in our apartment, and Nathan is dragging me into the bedroom.

  He’s been patient and gentle with me up until this point, but I get the feeling that his control has slipped. He’s on autopilot now.

  He turns me away from him and slowly slides down the zipper on my dress. My heart beats hard.

  He kisses my neck as he slides my dress down over my hips. His lips linger over mine, and then as if remembering what he was doing, he spins me back toward him and holds me still. I’m in a black, lacy bra and matching G-string.

  Nathan hasn’t seen me in anything like this before—not in this context, anyway. His eyes drop down my body, and when they rise to my face, his eyes are blazing with desire.

  I stand still, unable to move. The heat of his gaze is burning my skin as his eyes roam all over me.

  He’s so hot like this.

  He sits on the bed and lifts one of my legs onto the bed beside him. He pulls my panties to the side and kisses me there.

  “Do you have any idea how badly I want you, Eliza?” he whispers.

  Hearing him say my name, watching him kiss me there… it all makes goosebumps scatter up my spine.

  He reaches up and takes off my bra, and his eyes darken as he sees my hardened nipples. He cups my breast in his hand as his lips take mine.

  His tongue slides effortlessly through my mouth as if he’s done this a million times before—as if he was meant to do it all along.

  He takes my face in his hands and kisses me hard. My knees nearly buckle from underneath me. The emotion in his kiss tears my heart wide open. I whimper softly, overwhelmed by the tenderness between us.

  He stands and slides my panties down my legs, and then twirls them on his finger as he circles me—his eyes drinking me in.

  I stand still, waiting his next command. I’ve never seen him like this. I always knew that my Nathan was bossy, but his sexual dominance is next level.

  He scrunches my panties in his fist and lifts them to inhale deeply, and my eyes widen. “You smell good.”

  Oh, hell….

  He drops to his knees in front of me and nuzzles into my sex to inhale deeper. “Open,” he moans as he lifts my leg onto the bed. He pulls my sex apart with his fingers and licks me soft at first, and then harder and harder with his thick tongue. My head falls back in pleasure.

  I need him naked.

  I reach down and pull
his shirt over his shoulders, and I catch my breath as I look down at him between my legs.

  Naked from the waist up, I see the muscles in his shoulders flex as he works me. His stomach muscles catch the light as he clenches against his hand. His eyes are closed as he licks up what my body is giving him.

  Lord almighty. What a sight to behold.

  His eyes rise to mine, and he slides a finger in deep. I bite my bottom lip as I clench around him, and he hisses in approval.

  He adds another finger, and I want to show him what I can do. I clench harder, and his jaw ticks, fighting for control. “Fuck me, Eliza.”

  “That’s the plan.” I smile darkly.

  He snaps and in one quick movement he’s on his feet and throws me back onto the bed, he spreads my legs wide and tears his jeans down, his eyes are fixed on my sex as he slowly strokes himself. Preejaculate drips from his end and my stomach clenches in appreciation.

  I stare up at the beautiful specimen of man before me. Those broad shoulders and that rippled abdomen with a scattering of dark hair that runs in a trail from his navel down to his well-kept pubic hair. His thick cock hangs heavily between his legs, and his quads are full and strong. There’s only one word that comes to mind:

  Virile.

  He bends to lick me again, and I can’t wait any longer, I just want him inside of me. “Now.” I reach for him. “Nathan, get up here.”

  His eyes close as he licks me, over and over—the pleasure so strong. He’s a master at this. I can’t stand it anymore. I reach for him.

  “Now, Nathan. Please.”

  I writhe beneath him, begging for him to fill me.

  He crawls up my body and nestles in between my open legs. His cock slides through my wet flesh.

  Electricity crackles in the air. I can feel it. This is something special.

  “Fuck me,” I mouth.

  Fire dances in his eyes. He reaches down and grabs the base of his cock.

  He’s so different to anyone I’ve slept with before. His sexual power is so all consuming that it takes over. I can hardly breathe.

  His dick slowly slides through my open sex, up and down, and we fall serious as we stare at each other and I run my fingers through his stubble. Ten long years, and it all comes down to this. The moment in time where we connect on a deeper level—his body inside of mine.