‘Okay,’ he pulls out of the parking bay towards my flat, ‘London, our lives start today,’ he announced, as we crawl along the congested streets.
When we arrive back at my flat, I hum as the delicious aroma of dinner emanates from the oven. I watch in delight as Nate pulls out a homemade lasagne from the oven, the bubbly melted cheese dribbling over the sides of the ovenware dish, as he plants it directly onto a trivet. I suddenly feel hunger pains gnawing at my stomach, which is novel for me, I haven’t felt genuinely hungry for months. I eat what little I need to see me through the day, most of what I ingest tasting much the same.
‘Nate!’ I move towards him and wrap my arms around his waist, pushing my face into his back. ‘You cooked for me,’ I murmur, dramatically.
‘It’s pasta, London,’ he chuckles.
‘You cooked for me,’ I repeat, feeling blessed that he is standing here right now after everything that has happened since we met.
‘You need feeding up, Sophie,’ he announces, cautiously. ‘I adore your curves. If the only way I get to see them again is to cook for you every day, then so be it.’ I squeeze him tight affirming his words, he was right, I had lost a huge amount of weight over the past months. ‘Besides,’ he continues, ‘currently, you are the only one bringing in a pay check. Until I can work over here, I am here to serve you,’ he teases, squeezing my overlapped arms at his abdomen.
‘Sounds like a plan,’ I smile, placing a kiss on his toned back. I wander over to the small bistro table I have by the window. Nate had set it with seduction in mind. He had located the scented candles from under the sink and placed them in the centre of the small round space. Kitchen roll had been folded into triangles, to serve as serviettes, and a bottle of sparkling water had been placed in between ice in a silver wine cooling bucket. I smiled, suddenly realising that despite all the horror I had experienced over the past year, as I stood here observing the scene before me, I felt as if I was the luckiest woman alive.
‘What have you been up to today?’ I call over to the kitchen area where Nate was serving up our food onto plates.
‘I have been to a lawyer, or solicitor as it’s called here, to enquire as to how we go about me moving here, us getting married and how long before I can find relevant employment,’ Nate responds. ‘Sit!’ He commands, lightly, placing a steaming plate of lasagne down in front of me.
‘Wow, you have been busy,’ I smell the delightful herbs and spices omitting from the steaming plate.
‘Hmmm,’ he mutters, ‘there’s salad,’ he returns with a bowl of fresh salad.
‘If you weren’t already taken, I’d marry you Nathan Austin,’ I sigh, playfully.
‘Sorry milady, I am very much taken,’ he announces in his terrible English accent his eyes burning into mine. My stomach tips and I can hardly breathe at the intensity of his gaze. ‘If it wasn’t so important to me that you eat, I would say fuck dinner!’ He growls low in his throat.
‘Yeah?’ I whisper.
‘Fuck, yeah!’ he leans in and captures my lips in his for a hard kiss. ‘But it is, so eat!’
********
Our limbs are entwined, we are both naked and sated by our recent lovemaking. My body is almost purring with contentment as I gaze at the Tiffany, heart shaped rock on my finger. Nate had waited until I had eaten almost half of the huge portion of lasagne he had served me, before dropping to one knee and proposing in the traditional way.
I had cried, whilst nodding my acceptance and he had grinned, placed the ring on my finger and announced we were going to Vegas to get married. When I had questioned why Vegas, he had explained that it was easier for us both to marry in the US, as we were both American citizens, plus he had to be out of the country to obtain entry clearance to remain in the UK. It seems our lives merging wasn’t going to be as easy as we first thought.
Nate assured me that either way we were never going to live apart again, whether it be temporary or otherwise. This somewhat comforted me, as I recollected the previous occasion we separated so that I could return to London to tie up the ends of my life.
‘You like it?’ Nate’s voice is low and sexy from beside me.
‘I love it,’ I lean up and kiss his lips, ‘and I love you.’ I hum. ‘You taste of me,’ I breathe against his lips.
‘Best taste in the world,’ his hand strokes a path up my spine until his fingers curve around my nape. ‘I wouldn’t be offended if you wanted to choose something for yourself,’ he whispers against my lips.
‘Are you kidding, it’s stunning,’ I run my teeth along his jaw.
‘As are you,’ his mouth covers mine and he kisses me deep.
‘You know, we don’t have to get married,’ I notify him, reluctantly dragging my mouth from his. ‘I know you have done it before, and to be honest, I never saw myself as the marrying kind.’
I feel his whole body tense, ‘you backing out, London?’
‘No!’ I screech, ‘that isn’t what I am saying. We can be together and not get married.’
‘You love me?’ He asks, bluntly.
‘More than life itself,’ I inform him, passionately.
‘Do I love you?’ He queries.
‘Yes,’ I know this, ‘yes, you love me.’
‘Then we’re getting married.’ He states, dominantly. ‘My first marriage was a mistake from day one, me and you couldn’t be further from that. The universe can throw whatever the fuck it likes towards us; we will still be us.’
‘God, you’re so romantic,’ I curl my leg over his waist and push my core against him as I whisper into his ear. ‘You know, when I am wrapped around you, I feel as if I am protected from the world.’
‘I will always take care of you, Sophie,’ Nates hands grasp my backside pulling me over until I am completely on top of him.
‘I’ve never doubted that,’ I admit, tearfully.
********
Epilogue
As I step back onto American soil, I feel trepidation creep through me.
‘You okay?’ Nate checks for the thousandth time since we boarded the flight almost eleven hours ago.
I nod, but grasped his hand tight signalling to him that I needed his strength.
‘It will be fine,’ he curves me into his side as we continue to pace through to security, his arm around my shoulders. ‘There is no reason at all for you to be nervous, London,’ he reminds me. ‘The past is just that now,’ he assures me. ‘No one from Ollie’s life, or from your past, have any interest in you now.’
We had discussed my intense paranoia over and over throughout the past six weeks. Nate had put out feelers to his contacts in Denver, criminals and law enforcers alike, and had been reassured that no one has any intention of approaching either me or my kin.
I had seen Luke’s dead body for myself, and a fair few number of his suits too, including Robson, his right hand man. They couldn’t hurt me anymore and those that survived were locked away under a number of convictions, the majority pleading guilty to the heinous crimes of their boss. Looking back, I knew that most of the suits disapproved of how Luke treated me. I would watch as their jaws tensed at his disrespect he showed me on a daily basis. Logically, I didn’t feel I had anything to fear from his suits, they were just doing what they were paid to do.
My appointments with Dr. Jenkins were going incredibly well, me immediately taking to her strength and no nonsense attitude. Nate had also attended a session, at Dr. Jenkins suggestion, which he found exceptionally helpful in coping with my fears and insecurities. He had stopped treating me as if I was going to bolt at any moment, and instead had reverted back to the cocky, sometimes arrogant, self-assured, sex god that I knew and loved of past.
Nerves flutter in my gut as we enter The Venetian Hotel, on the strip. The extravagance of the décor in the foyer took my breath away. The gilt columns and ceiling murals were stunning, the décor in perfect keeping with the Venetian theme. We were marrying tomorrow in a ceremony in the courtyard of the Venetian, which
Nate confirms is the prettiest setting of them all.
When he had asked if I had wanted to invite my father, I had gasped in horror, my father funding my rehab had no bearing on him featuring in my life. He had made his decision thirty-two years ago to erase me from his life, I lived with the consequences of his decision. Now, it was his turn.
The week before the wedding, Nate had announced that he wanted me to go back to being me, suggesting I start to dress like a young, beautiful woman and not a middle aged woman who didn’t own a sensation body, oh and legs to die for. I tried to explain that I felt uncomfortable dressing slutty after what happened, but his eyes went cold and his face tightened before he vocalised that he fucking well wasn’t going to let the bastard take any more of us. He then demanded, yes demanded, I wear a fucking wedding dress that exposed my long legs so that he could wrap them around his shoulders by the end of the day.
I raised an eyebrow in surprise of his outburst and stood their speechless as our eyes locked in stubbornly, blue against hazel. Frowning, I turned away from him and exploded, ‘fuck you, Austin.’ I heard his chuckles as I departed the room, keeping my focus in front of me to prevent him from seeing my grin.
I purchased a wedding gown that confirmed I would be more than okay with my legs being wrapped around Nate by the end of the day. It was a champagne coloured, A-Line, sweetheart neckline, sleeveless, lace number that was incredibly stunning and made me feel like a queen. I had also splashed out on a new pair of strappy sandals, that criss-crossed up my ankles, elongating my already lengthy legs.
Nate had invited his family, Marnie, Ellie and Eli and Kyle, who had flown back to the US after two weeks in London, to the wedding. My stomach churned at the thought of facing Marnie and Ellie again, after the recent dramas. Nate had declared that Ellie was excited to see me again, and Marnie apparently always knew that we would somehow defy the odds and end up together. It felt strange, awkward even, at the prospect of seeing them all again after so long, they had become so important to me, in such a short amount of time, but I hadn’t heard or seen anything of them since the abduction.
Nate updated me that they were happy for us, but I found that extremely hard to grasp after all the commotion I had caused their loved one. Guilt was a major part of my recovery, I knew this and tried to find a positive in my mind, the only one apparent was the fact that I loved their son/brother so much that I was willing to give up my life for him. That had to count for something.
I hear a screeching and my face immediately splits into a grin. Shauna! I am lifted off of my feet into the embrace of my best friend. We hadn’t been able to book the same flight, Shauna’s having arrived a few hours earlier. Pushing the pram towards Nate, she briefly kisses his cheek in greeting before linking her arm in mine babbling about all the sights she had seen so far. Her excitement was contagious and I found myself giggling along with her as she made plans for us for the evening as Nate followed on pushing a pram.
Nate had forbid us from spending the night apart, even on the eve of our wedding. I got this, it wasn’t Nate being ultra-controlling, it was Nate being apprehensive of my well-being. He knew that when I laid beside him, I slept. When he was in my company, I was calm. He wanted me relaxed and bright eyed for the ceremony tomorrow, so insisted we break tradition and spend the night together.
Shauna had pouted and expressed that she had Emily-Jane along, and a girly slumber party was just what the doctor ordered. Nate had said it sounded great, but any of the girly shit could be done in the morning when we had decided to part to prepare for the ceremony.
He had always been possessive, but Nate taking control didn’t make me feel any kind of anxiety or fear, instead it made me feel warm and fuzzy, protected. I knew his concern came from love, rather than control, which meant I was happy to comply to his demands, well most of the time. Nate, I knew, would never take advantage of my love for him and therefore would only demand something from me if he felt uncomfortable with the alternative.
By the time we had dumped our belongings in our luxury suite, which had to be said was out of this world with its sunken living area and L shaped sofa, and showered off the journey, it was already time to meet everyone for dinner. We had agreed to a casual dinner tonight, after everyone arrived at staggered times throughout the day.
I put on one of my new dresses, to please Nate. My wardrobe at home was still too big on my slighter frame, so I had decided a girl only gets married once, well hopefully, and added a couple of smaller sizes to my collection. It was simple in design, green in colour, reaching mid-thigh where it hugged my new slim figure. Some of the weight I had lost had returned, my breasts the first thing that had reappeared, much to Nate’s delight.
‘You nervous?’ Nate’s arms circle me from behind, his mouth touching the exposed flesh of my nape. I had pulled my hair up into a messy bun for tonight.
‘A bit,’ I confess, leaning my head to one side to allow his mouth the room to suck a trail down to my collarbone. My body immediately tingles, my nipples pushing against the confines of the lace that holds them.
‘Anything I can do?’ Nate teases, as his hands move down to touch the skin at my thighs. ‘Just to alleviate the stress, you understand,’ he adds, playfully.
‘Well, come to think of it,’ I purr.
His fingers push up the hem of my dress to expose my black lace thong. My eyes observe in the full length mirror, I had been appraising myself in, as his hand slips inside the lace and his fingers stroke a trail down the hot folds. I watch as his sapphire gaze darkens and his cheeks flush as he continues to stroke the wetness.
‘Fuck!’ I groan, as he enters two fingers inside me as his thumb presses down on the swollen nub of my sex.
‘Does that feel better, baby?’ He growls low in his throat.
‘God, yeah,’ I gasp, pushing against him. He continues to fuck me with his fingers, his eyes fixed on mine until I come spectacularly around them, clenching them into my contracting sex as I whimper his name.
‘Jesus, Fuck!’ Nate rumbles, his teeth biting down on my ear lobe, ‘that was hot.’
I turn in his arms and wrap mine around him, ‘thank you, baby. Is there anything I can do for you?’ I ask innocently.
He grins, flashing me his dimple, ‘haven’t got time, London.’
‘You sure?’ I purr, dropping down to my knees.
********
‘Where have you two been?’ Shauna scolds Nate and I when we roll into the restaurant later than scheduled.
I am grasping his hand for dear life, while he lazily strokes across my knuckles with his thumb.
‘Aw, leave them alone!’ Ellie approaches, her rounded abdomen almost pushing Shauna out of the way.
My glance falls to her evident pregnancy, the reason for the spontaneous marriage, according to Nate. A smile sits on my face as our eyes meet. ‘Hey, El’s,’ I mumble, quietly.
She grins, her eyes tear and she wraps her arms around me. ‘Don’t give me all that, ‘Hey, El’s,’ shit!’ She mutters in my ear. ‘It’s good to see you, girl,’ she whispers. ‘I was so worried about you.’
I squeeze her as much as her stomach allows, ‘thank you,’ I feel the tears roll silently down my cheek as I struggle to control my emotions.
‘I missed you, babe,’ Ellie sniffs. I nod, unable to voice words through the apple sized lump clogging up my throat.
‘That’s enough Ellie,’ Nate calls gently, ‘I don’t want her upset, not tonight,’ he instructs, lightly.
‘Sorry,’ she attempts to pull away, but I pull her back in.
‘I’m fine,’ I squeeze her again before releasing her, both of us wiping at the tears.
I feel Nate behind me, his hands on my hips protectively. A blurry Marnie enters my vision and she too hugs me hard. ‘Good to see you, honey,’ she mumbles.
‘Right, can we eat?’ Kyle calls. I glance over to see him with a pink covered Emily-Jane jumping up and down in his lap. What the fuck?
‘Hey, K
yle,’ I wave. He winks at me, before standing and leading us all inside the steak house.
I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed an evening so much. I may not have any family to speak of, but I know that the people currently surrounding me have filled that void.
Ellie and I fall into the easy banter that we previously enjoyed, Eli and Kyle chat about law enforcement, Marnie confiscates Emily-Jane from Shauna, and Nate holds me close, a contented expression fixed to his handsome face. I observe as Kyle turns to Shauna, his face soft, she grins at whatever he suggests as she leans in and whispers in his ear. I knew they got cosy when he visited London, but Shauna swore it was a revenge fling to distract her from the fact her pig of a husband had left her for another woman. As I look on, I wonder if something more is building between them, he certainly looks comfortable around the baby.
‘Will you visit?’ Marnie asks me as she rocks a sleepy Emily-Jane in her arms.
‘Visit?’ I ask, turning my attention to my new mother-in-law to be.
‘Krystal. Will you bring my grandbabies to visit?’ Her face appears relaxed, but I sense the alarm behind her enquiry.
Will I ever visit Krystal?
‘Erm, I don’t know Marnie,’ I admit, earnestly. ‘I’d like to think we could, I know Nate considers it home.’ I update her.
She nods, a small smile on her face. ‘I will look forward to that, Sophie.’
I feel a curling in my gut, Marnie is putting on a brave face, but she is devastated that Nate is moving to England. I lean into Nate, and he immediately turns from his conversation with Kyle, his perceptive gaze taking in my expression.
‘You okay?’ He frowns.
‘Yeah,’ I provide him a small smile, ‘just a bit tired.’
‘You want to go?’ he offers. My Nate, he would do anything for me, that much is obvious.
‘I’m okay for now, baby,’ I turn my face up eager for him to drop his lips to mine. He complies, but his eyes assess me closely.
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