I was already half way convinced that I should just stay here until the Midsummer show and I absolutely had to leave.
“Are you enjoying the sun?” Nate’s voice captured my attention and I looked over to where he was walking towards me.
“You have no idea.”
“I told you this was exactly what we needed.”
“And you were unequivocally right. I can see that now. I was wrong. This place is incredible.”
It truly was. The ocean was just as blue as the cloudless sky overhead and the temperature was warm and balmy, the air even smelled sweet as a breeze lifted a few locks of my hair before settling them again.
He placed a kiss on my sun warmed lips, and I sank into the delicious taste of him. Everything about this moment was perfect and I wanted to brand it on my memory forever. I wanted to carry it around like a secret treasure that I could pull out and hold close to my heart whenever I felt the stress of every day life draw a little too close.
The kiss lingered on, caressing me as warm and lazy as the sun on my skin. It sent chills racing up and down my spine despite the balmy heat and I reached up to pull him closer, but he pulled away instead with a rueful shake of his head.
He looked down at me, a look of happiness and some other emotion sparkling in their dark depths that had my breath catching in my chest for an entirely different reason. I felt like I was falling, even though I was laying down, looking up at him. A feeling of vertigo swept through me and for a moment I was sure I was going to lose myself in his melting gaze. And I wasn’t scared at all.
I should have been. I’d never felt emotions this intense for anyone before, but with Nate it felt as natural as breathing, as the blood pumping through my veins. It just felt right with him, in a way that I had never experienced before.
“Poppy, I want to tell you something,” He said suddenly, his voice low and husky, sending another way of lust rolling through me. I nodded, my mouth going dry at the intent look on his handsome face.
“What…What is it?” I whispered, a little nervous to say the words out loud. The only other time he’d looked this serious was when I was in the hospital.
“I…I wanted to show you a few more breathing techniques.”
I let out a huff of disappointed breath. For a moment there, I was sure he was about to say something else, positive that he was going to reveal…something. Instead, he looked away, walking over to the low cushioned chair and dropping into it before crossing his legs.
He still didn’t look at me as he waited for me to join him, getting comfortable, well as comfortable as I could be sitting on the sandy outdoor rug and after settling into position I sent him a smile. I hoped it wasn’t as stiff as it felt.
Why would I possibly be disappointed? We had only been together a few weeks, it’s not like I expected him to profess his undying love of anything. Right? That would be ridiculous. But it still didn’t stop that part of my brain that had been sure he was going to say something… else. Or the part of my heart that had been hoping for it.
“Close your eyes.” Nate said, and I did but only after rolling them up at him first.
As Nate walked me through the mediation technique, I felt my body start to relax despite myself. I couldn’t believe how much I’d been able to relax since being there, and I knew it was because of Nate.
I had been surprised when he suggested meditation and started teaching me breathing techniques, but I was more than intrigued by this gentler side of him, so at odds with the powerful, alpha male, doctor in charge persona he normally wore around like impenetrable armor.
The more I learned about him and his family, though, the more I wondered if it really was a type of armor. A way to protect himself from the overbearing expectations of his parents that he felt he could never live up to.
I found myself staring at him. His eyes were still closed as he breathed in a slow, deep rhythm that moved his chest and shoulders in and out. And damn, were they nice shoulders. Broad, and I knew from first hand experience, made a great pillow for my head as we slept wrapped in each other’s arms.
The line of his jaw was sharp, but shadowed now by a few days’ worth of stubble and his black hair was just long enough to start curling, aided by the ocean salt and balmy breeze.
His brows were relaxed, his forehead smooth and unfurrowed. He looked relaxed. And way too gorgeous for my own good. Just looking at him had my body’s engine revving and wanting him in all the ways I could imagine. Which was a lot.
“Poppy, you’re supposed to be relaxing.” Nate said suddenly, his eyes still closed but somehow he knew I was way too busy drooling over him to concentrate on anything else.
“I can’t help it. You’re distracting me.”
A small, sexy smile teased the corner of his mouth.
“I have another idea.”
“So do I,” I purred and this time he threw his head back on a full belly laugh.
“I was thinking we could take a walk into town, see the sights a little bit. What do you want? Name it, anything at all.”
“Well, if you’re off the menu,” I paused, licking my lips, feeling the heat of the sun, “Ice cream.”
“Ice cream?” Nate arched one brow, his grin spreading seductively, “I know just the place. It’s only a few minutes away, you up for walking?”
“With you? Anywhere.”
He held out his hand to me and I took without a second thought. He pulled me to my feet a little harder than necessary so that I fell forward into his arms.
“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that.”
“Well, you could show me how happy it makes you.” I barely got the words out of my mouth before his lips were on mine, swallowing the last of what I was going to say. It didn’t matter. This was what I wanted. What I needed. Everything I needed was here in these arms.
Everything else disappeared when Nate kissed me, when he touched me. The rest of the world ceased to exist and all that was left was him, and me, and the inferno he raised inside me, burning out of control.
“Come on,” Nate said, panting hard when he finally pulled away, never once letting go of my arms, “We better go before I decide to just keep you here, strip off those clothes, and do what I’ve been dreaming about all morning.”
“That sounds good.”
“Hmm,” He said, shooting me a sideways glance, “Yes, you do. But, I have a plan.”
“Uh oh.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll like it.”
“I’m sure that I will absolutely love it, whatever it is.”
He grinned down at me and I could swear that the sun actually glowed a little brighter up in the bright blue sky.
“Let’s go.” He said, walking down towards the beach and the path that cut across it.
We were walking for only a few minutes before the path veered away from the beach and up towards main street. We walked past the cute, picturesque pier, fully equipped with old timey games and attractions before it disappeared behind a café.
The town itself was small and quaint, with perfectly manicured flowers blooming out of every surface. It was a fancy beach town, way too expensive for the likes of me. There was a yacht club that docked at the marina. Several upscale restaurants, salons, day spas, and stores.
It all looked like something out of a movie set, impossible to be real.
“Wow, this place is incredible.” I whispered, looking around wide eyed.
“I used to come here as a kid every summer. It was one of favorite places.” Nate said with a nostalgic tone in his voice and it was easy for me to see him as a serious little boy, running around the small town.
“It must have been amazing.”
“It was,” He said, then shot me a sideways smile, “But I actually like it better now. Must be the company.”
“Must be.” I tried not to blush at his words, but I could already feel the warm flush start to stain my cheeks.
I glanced around, trying to distract
myself and there was plenty to see with every block we walked. It had been one of Nates favorite places, and it was easy for me to see why. It was like it had been plucked out of a different time, a simpler time. I felt like I had been transported somewhere else entirely, where the worried of the world just ceased to exist.
“It’s over here.” Nate said, still holding my hand as he led me over to a narrow, pink and blue trimmed building with scalloped trim and a pristine, white washed porch.
“What’s over here?”
“Ice cream, remember?”
Honestly, I’d gotten so distracted by the town, and by Nate’s hand wrapped around mine, that I had forgotten about why we were there in the first place.
The chimes on the door sounded like tiny tinkling birds as we walked inside and I gasped at the candy colored confection that was the interior of the ice cream parlor.
“Oh my gosh. I feel like I just walked into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.” I said on a laugh, making Nate smile.
“I know. I used to love this place,” He looked around for a moment, “You know what, I still love this place.”
“It’s amazing! I don’t blame you one bit.”
A few moments later, we were walking back outside, each holding an ice cream cone in one hand. I looped my free arm around Nate’s elbow and grinned up at the sun shining cheerfully overhead.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt such bliss, such utter peace and relaxation. Stress and worry were miles and miles away.
“So, you know how I had that massive panic attack, when I called you and you came over to my studio and then demanded that I come here with you.”
“Yes, I seem to recall something like that,” Nate said on a dry laugh.
“Well, I never told you what had happened just before that panic attack,” I drew in a deep breath, looking straight ahead at the calming town and the sandy beach just visible beyond. “I went to meet Thalia at a little café not too far from the studio. We talked…about you.”
“Is that what upset you?”
“No!” I paused, biting my lower lip, “A little, honestly. But I know that Thalia didn’t have any real feelings for you. No offense.” I added quickly, glancing at him sideways.
“It’s okay.” He shrugged, “I felt exactly the same way about her.”
I let out a little sigh of relief. Knowing it, and hearing them both say it out loud were two very different things.
“She just misses having someone who’s always waiting on her, I think. And her parents still think you two are dating.” I shook my head, “But that’s not what really bothered me.”
“What was it then? Did she say something else?”
“No, it wasn’t Thalia. It was Grant Davis.”
“Who is Grant Davis?”
“He’s another designer. He made some nasty insinuation about me in an article he was interviewed for. And then he walked into the café and had the nerve to tell me how surprised he was that I was going to be in the Midsummer show. He said some other things, too.”
“Like what?” Nate said, his voice serious. I didn’t answer and he pulled me to a stop, his expression just as serious as he turned me to face him, “What did he say, Poppy?”
“He insinuated that the only reason I was in the show was because I must have slept with someone to get in.” I peered up at him, “And, the worst part is, he was kind of right.”
“What? No, Poppy. He was way out of line!”
“But if we hadn’t been together, you never would have taken me to meet your grandmother and I never would have gotten the invitation.”
“It’s completely different, Poppy. You got the invitation because you charmed my grandmother and she liked you. Believe me, she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to, and she never would have given you the opportunity if she didn’t honestly like you and believed that you were capable. She never would have offered the same thing to Thalia.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am one hundred percent positive, Poppy. You have nothing to be worried about on that front.” Nate squeezed my hand in his, “I can’t believe anyone would say that to you! Who does he think he is?”
The expression on Nate’s face was livid, and somehow, perversely, seeing him so upset on my behalf made me feel better about the whole terrible thing.
“He’s a jackass?” I said with a shrug. It really was the only answer and after a moment, Nate let out a releasing breath.
“Thank you for telling me, Poppy. Thank you for trusting me.”
“I do trust you, Nate.” I looked up at him, marveling at the truth of that statement, “I don’t know why, but I do. I haven’t even known you that long, but I really do.”
“Thank you, by the way, for this,” I said, still gazing up at him, “For all of this. For bringing me here. For helping take some of my stress off.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Poppy.”
“Yes, I do. It’s the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a really long time and I want you to know how much I appreciate it.”
“In that case, you are very welcome.” He leaned down, his dark gaze growing as warm as the sunlight, his lips just a bare inch from mine.
“Nate?!”
Nate jumped back at the sound of his name, and I looked over to see a posh looking middle aged woman walking towards in a pristine white on white suit and impractically tall heels for the sand dusted sidewalks.
“Nate, darling, I thought that was you!” The woman said in a high pitched voice, patting her pale blond hair as she came to a swaggering halt beside us on the path. “Whatever are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Darling, it’s May day. You know I can’t stand being in L.A. for too long. I needed a break, so I booked a week with Margarite.” The woman patted her hair again, “Isn’t she a genius? She’s the absolute best. She’s doing my Botox later and you know I can’t be in the sun after I get injections. It makes me terribly spotty.”
The woman finally seemed to take notice of me and turned her sun-glassed gaze towards me, and then back to Nate.
“Well, darling, I see you’re here with your…friend.”
I cringed at the way she said friend. It sounded shameful.
“My friend’s name is Poppy,” Nate said through gritted teeth. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscles working in his cheek as he spoke, “Poppy, this is my mother, Beatrice.”
I stared in disbelief from the woman to Nate and then back again. They couldn’t have been more different. Suddenly, I saw a new side of Nate. The one that came from exclusive beach towns, high society soirees, and elite circles.
When it was just the two of us, I could forget just how different our backgrounds were. But standing there, it was unavoidable.
I opened my mouth to speak but she cut me off.
“Where’s Thalia?” Nate’s mother said, completely ignoring me now, as if I was beneath her notice.
“Mother, Thalia and I aren’t dating any more. I’m with–.”
“WHAT?!” Beatrice shrieked and I winced at the yowling sound of her cry. “Thalia was perfect for you, Nate. She was gorgeous, she was a model for Pete’s sake. She comes from a very well-known family, in fact, our families have been friends for generations. She smart, she’s well-connected. Everything you want in a wife.”
“No, mother, everything you want. I never really cared about her, and she never really cared about me.”
“So what?” Beatrice sneered, “A marriage is about more than feelings, Nate. I thought you understood that.”
I gasped in shock, opening my mouth again, this time definitely meaning to say something but Nate squeezed my hand and gave a shake of his head.
“I’m dating Poppy, mother.” Nate’s voice was so hard that I nearly cringed. I didn’t blame him one bit thought. I could only imagine what sort of roll model his parent’s marriage had been, and what sort of precedent it had set in his relationship
s. It made more sense to me now, why had stayed with Thalia for so long even if there hadn’t been any sort of intense feelings between them.
His mother had a look of abject horror on her face and she held a hand to her chest as if he had personally attacked her, as if our relationship was about her at all. I nearly scoffed out loud at the very idea.
“I’m not going to argue with you,” Nate said after a moment, “We’ll be staying at the beach house for a few more days.” He warned her and her eyes narrowed even more before cutting towards me, up and down from the top of my messy bun down to the tips of my boots and back up, finally landing on the ice cream cone currently melting all over my hand.
“Are you sure you should be eating that, dear? You really aren’t doing yourself any favors.”
“Mother!” Nate started, but she had already turned and stalked off in the opposite direction, leaving me standing there speechless. I hadn’t felt that embarrassed of my body since I was in grade school and the kids used to tease me about my weight.
But I wasn’t a little kid anymore, and I drew in a deep breath, shaking off her words. I knew their effect was just temporary, and after a moment I was able to let out a sincere laugh.
“Well, your mother sure is a…character.”
“Something like that,” Nate said with an apologetic look before taking my hand in his once more, “My surprise should be just about prepared. Are you ready to head back?”
“With you? Always.”
14
Poppy
“I’m so sorry about my mother,”
I looked over at Nate. He was in the middle of clearing away the dishes after the delicious dinner he’d made for them to share. Turns out his surprise had been the most incredible meal I had ever had finished with chilled champagne and candlelight. I shrugged.
“Hey, no one gets to pick their families.”
“I mean it, though. She was way out of line.”
I got up from the lovely eight person dining table and walked closer towards him. He leaned his hips back against the marble counter and I fitted myself into the vee of his thighs. He wrapped his arms around me as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if we had been doing just this for years instead of weeks.
Best Friend's Boyfriend (Be My Boyfriend Book 2) Page 10