by Rose Wulf
Releasing a frustrated sigh, Nate shook his head and let himself into his house. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so useless.
****
Madison spent one too many hours wishing things hadn’t gone so horribly wrong between her and Doug, barely remembering that it likely wouldn’t have mattered in the long run, before she finally figured out what she would do. And it was strange how her now-deceased ex-fiancé actually helped point her in the right direction.
“Cooking is what you love,” Doug had said one lazy afternoon when they had been half-heartedly thinking about colleges. “You should go,” he’d added with a lopsided smile. He had been telling her to apply for culinary school, but something about his words in that memory spurred her forward yet again. It was one of the few untainted memories of him she still had.
Taking a deep breath, Madison stood from her couch and started toward her kitchen. She’d tried this on several occasions since the fire, but each time she got near she suddenly found herself worried something might explode. And she felt that panic swell in her chest again as her foot landed on the tile floor, but she steeled herself and pushed forward. It’s not going to explode. That was a freak accident. That sort of thing almost never happens.
With the help of her internal pep talk, Madison soon found herself standing in the center of her small kitchen. She took another deep breath, rolled her still-slightly-sensitive shoulders, and said, “Okay. Now for phase two.”
****
Nate had his head in the fridge, looking for something that sounded even slightly appealing, when someone began tapping softly on his sliding glass door. Surprised, and not a little confused, Nate stepped back and closed his refrigerator door before turning and striding swiftly through his large living room. He wondered briefly if their enemies would be that bold, but quickly decided they wouldn’t. They certainly hadn’t yet. His eyes widened at the unexpected sight of Madison, standing calmly before him, an apologetic smile on her face.
“Hi,” she began almost awkwardly, “I know this is kind of last-minute, but I think I made too much for lunch. I just sort of started cooking and couldn’t stop. So I was wondering if you were available to help me eat it?”
A slow smile curved his lips and Nate nodded. “As fate would have it, I was just attempting to scrounge something up for myself, and I wasn’t having much luck. I’d love to help.”
She stepped back, making room for him to step out, and after he shut the door they turned and made their way back across the yard to her rented home. Madison led the way inside casually, telling him to make himself comfortable as she headed straight for the kitchen.
Nate watched her move around as he sat patiently on her couch. From the impressions he’d gotten from her, he doubted she had accidentally made too much. But he wasn’t going to call her out on it, as he was pretty sure he knew what she was trying to do. So he waited, a small smile tugging on his lips, and when she returned and handed him a fiesta salad large enough to qualify as dinner, he could only laugh. “Are you sure you weren’t thinking it was dinner time?”
Madison joined in his laughter as she settled down beside him with her own salad and said, “No, I’m not.”
While they ate, ideas began rolling around in Nate’s head. He’d already decided to try and keep a closer eye on her, and he certainly knew he was attracted to her. So why not do something about it?
“Nate?” Madison was asking, calling him out of his thoughts with a frown on her face.
Trying not to be embarrassed, Nate managed, “Oh, sorry, I was … just thinking. What?”
Frown vanishing, Madison gestured with her fork toward his largely eaten salad and asked, “How is it?”
He grinned this time, stabbed a good-sized bite of food onto his fork, and said, “Delicious.”
She smiled, ate another bite of her own, and then casually asked, “So what were you thinking about?”
Nate swallowed heavily. It was one thing to think about asking someone out, but actually doing so was another matter entirely. There were probably a thousand factors he should consider first, but for the life of him, he couldn’t think of a single one. So, after a long minute, he turned enough to properly face her and asked, “Do you wanna go out sometime?”
Madison froze, her eyes going wide, at the simple, straightforward, question. She clearly hadn’t expected him to ask her out. A moment later she said, “Sure.” The way she blinked after made him wonder if she’d surprised herself with her answer.
Nate grinned and said, “Great,” before returning his attention to what was left of his lunch. Because it was that or he was going to reach for her, and he wasn’t so sure he was supposed to be doing that.
“What, uh, did you have in mind?” Madison asked carefully as she broke off a piece of her taco shell. She kept her eyes on her food but he sensed she was paying close attention.
Nate paused, swallowing a large bite of his own shell, as he thought over her question. “Well, we’ve already done the food thing,” he began, “so … have you hiked the area yet?”
Madison turned confused green eyes up to him and slowly repeated, “Hiked the area?”
“Yeah,” Nate said, flashing her a grin. “There are some amazing trails on the outskirts of town—not far from here, really—that wind their way down to the beach, or up a mountain. If you’re into that kind of thing, it’s definitely worth the walk.”
Her smile returned and Madison said, “That sounds fun. I actually do really like things like that.”
She’s gorgeous, she cooks, and she even claims to enjoy outdoors stuff. She might be perfect. Okay, so there was more to perfection than those things. But those things helped. A lot. And, as Nate finished his delicious, oversized fiesta salad he realized two things. He didn’t care that, by bringing her deeper into his life right now, he was inevitably going to have to tell her his secret, and he was absolutely going to kiss her. Today. Before he left.
“Can I get you anything else?” Madison asked, her lilting voice snagging his attention. She’d stood and was reaching for his plate, her plate held in her other hand.
Nate’s gaze traveled the length of her arm, from extended, slender fingertips up to the soft curve of her elbow. Up higher, until the skin disappeared beneath the bunched up sleeve of her sweater. Her skin looked soft and smooth; he imagined it was warm to the touch. But he wanted to know.
“Yeah,” Nate said, standing and setting his plate aside so as not to make a mess.
Madison’s arm fell to her side as confusion flickered over her expressive eyes. “Nate?”
Locking his gaze with hers Nate reached up and tucked a wayward strand of her thick hair back behind an ear. Her hair was soft. Immediately he wanted to run his fingers through it. He swallowed. “Every good meal comes with dessert, right?”
Her lips twitched and he suspected she was catching on.
He didn’t wait for an answer before swooping in and sealing his lips over hers. He kept the kiss chaste for a long moment, giving her time to pull away. Instead she planted her free hand on his chest and curled her fingers into his shirt, leaning into him.
Nate’s tongue slid out to trace her lips as his hands lifted, framing her face, fingers slipping into those auburn tresses. She responded immediately and his tongue swept into her mouth, finding and dancing with hers. The good kind of electric heat exploded in his blood and he pulled her closer as his tongue stroked hers.
Madison’s hand released his shirt, her arm winding around his torso, as she slid her tongue over his and into his mouth in an effort to take control of the kiss.
Nate moaned, looped an arm around her waist, and hauled her flat against his chest as he sucked on her tongue. Her breasts were pressed into his chest, her hips leaning heavily into his, and there was no way she didn’t know what her kiss had done to him. That didn’t seem to be stopping her. She tightened her hold on his shirt and curved her tongue around his before withdrawing, slow enough to drag out the sensation and pull
one more low groan from his throat.
Uncharacteristically breathless, Nate grinned as their eyes met. “Now that,” he said, “is a helluva meal.”
****
“I’m proud of you,” Kirk declared the next day as he leaned back in the comfortable cushioned seat of Christopher Hawke’s boat.
Nate rolled his eyes, laughing, as he drove. He had talked Kirk into going out with him for his seasonal test run, which was mostly just an excuse to leave the world behind for an hour or two. “Aw, thanks, Dad,” he teased.
Ignoring Nate’s teasing, Kirk asked, “So, when’s the big date?”
“We set it up for Tuesday,” Nate replied as he slowed the boat. They had already gone out about as far as he usually did when he took the tourists parasailing. “She’s hoping to get the bandage off before the hike,” he added, taking a deep, relaxing breath of the ocean air.
“I suppose that’s understandable,” Kirk allowed with a nod and a grin. “Do you want me to be coincidentally hiking the trail backwards on Tuesday?”
“Uh, no,” Nate replied with a laugh, recalling the time they had pulled exactly that stunt in high school. “This is entirely different from that. I actually like Madison. She’s not scary like Kylie was.”
“Maybe I’ll hike it anyway, and just spy on you,” Kirk teased, chuckling. “A good first date could be brilliant blackmail potential.”
Nate turned once the boat was properly stopped and raised a pointed eyebrow at his friend. “Don’t make me blow you out of the boat,” he mock-threatened.
Kirk held his hands up, admitting defeat, and said, “Okay, you win. I won’t take Tuesday off.”
“Thank you,” Nate said with a laugh. He started toward the bow of the boat and added, “Now do me a favor and don’t drive off while I’m gone. I’m gonna fly around for a minute and make sure this is still a good spot.”
“Don’t you think that’s dangerous right now? Considering what’s going on, I mean?” Kirk asked, his laughter gone, as he arched a pointed eyebrow at his friend.
Nate gestured out, to their surroundings, and said, “I don’t see any other boats. And everything we’ve found hasn’t given us reason to believe they can fly.”
Kirk shrugged, shaking his head, and said, “It’s up to you, man. I solemnly vow not to drive off before you return.” The last was said with a teasing grin.
Lifting one recently bared foot to the front bench seat, Nate said, “I appreciate it.” Then he pushed off, not bothering to transform, and propelled himself up, toward the sky. The boat rocked gently with the brief gust of wind, and his discarded sneakers and socks rolled slightly away from the bench.
Nate stopped just below the clouds and took a long, deep breath. I wish I could do this more often. He let his eyes close and focused on the feel of the air circling around him. He loved flying, he just didn’t often get to. Flying untransformed was too risky around town. But the sensation was so freeing that, sometimes, he found himself wishing he lived in the middle of nowhere just so he could fly around all the time.
Pushing that distraction from his mind, Nate opened his eyes and looked around. As high up as he was, he could see for miles in every direction. It was a beautiful view, but if he really wanted to check and make sure the view would still be worthwhile for his customers, he was going to have to drop a bit. His lips curved in an automatic grin as he arched down until he was at an appropriate height. There really was nothing better than the feel of the wind in his face.
Chapter Six
It was always hardest to stay grounded after allowing himself an hour or two in the air.
Hours later he was sitting on the edge of the cliff behind his property, legs dangling over the side. In a way, sitting there made him feel like a kid again. In another way it almost helped him cling to that feeling of freedom. And it always tempted him to simply rock forward and let himself fall. There was plenty of space between the top of the cliff and the rocky ground below to catch himself. He’d be fine, and he’d get to feel that feeling again. Most days he couldn’t remember why he resisted.
“Please tell me you’re not thinking about jumping,” Madison called as she approached him.
Nate started, so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t felt the gentle stirring of air that heralded her arrival. He turned a lopsided grin toward her and said, “More like falling.”
“Jumping leads to falling,” Madison argued as she carefully settled herself beside him. She swung her legs over fearlessly and turned a curious gaze toward him. “So, what’s got you out here so late at night?”
He held her gaze for a moment before letting his eyes go forward again and quietly admitting, “I like to come out here to think sometimes. Sitting here feels freeing somehow.”
Madison turned her gaze forward as well, her eyes sweeping over their fairly clear view of the rolling ocean beneath them. It occurred to him to wonder if she’d notice that the nightly fog hadn’t actually encroached on them, but he didn’t let his mind linger there. He didn’t really care if she asked about it.
“You might be right,” Madison declared after a long second. “It is sort of freeing—and terrifying all at once.”
Nate chuckled, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “Glad you can see the appeal.” He paused, something else occurring to him, and turned a raised brow toward her as he asked, “What are you doing out here?”
Madison grinned and said, “I happened to be looking out my window and noticed that some crazy guy was sitting here, so I thought I’d give it a try.” She winked at him with a laugh as she leaned back and rested her palms against the ground beneath them.
“Huh,” Nate began, looking around curiously, “I haven’t seen any crazy guys. You must’ve been looking out the wrong window.”
Madison laughed lightly, the sound carrying on the late-night breeze. “I must have,” she agreed. They lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment, until she sat up properly and said, “Oh, I almost forgot. I noticed an older BMW parked in front of your house earlier, but the guy never got out or anything. He glared at me when I was walking down the driveway, though.”
BMW? Nate repeated silently, his eyes widening. He remembered an older BMW, and he had come to assume that the man driving it was Jacob’s father. It had been that man who had dropped an unexpected hail storm on his head back in March. And if he hadn’t been heading to meet Logan he didn’t know how long it might have been before he’d have been found.
“Nate?” Madison asked carefully. She’d clearly noticed the immediate tensing in his muscles, or perhaps that his hands had clenched into fists in his lap. She reached out and dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Is everything okay?”
He took a deep breath and forced his muscles to relax as he turned a half smile to her. “Yeah, sorry.” He paused, briefly debating the wisdom of his next words, and then added, “Would you do me a favor, though? If you ever see that man—or that car—around here again, will you stay away?”
Clearly alarmed at his request, Madison let her hand fall back to her side and asked, “Why? Is he dangerous?”
“He’s… We just don’t get along well, and I can’t honestly say I trust him,” Nate replied slowly. He wanted to just say “Yes, he’s very dangerous,” but he knew she wouldn’t be satisfied without an explanation for that answer. And he could only hope she heeded his advice.
Slowly, Madison nodded. It was obvious that she recognized he wasn’t telling her everything, but she only said, “Okay.”
He smiled, an easy light in his eyes that reflected his appreciation of her answer. Then he took a deep breath and climbed to his feet before holding out a hand toward her. “Come on,” he said, smile shifting into a laughing grin, “I’ll walk you home.”
Madison laughed softly and accepted his hand as she moved carefully to her feet. “Why thank you, that’s so kind of you,” she teased.
They walked quietly to her door with their hands loosely twisted together. Madison easil
y pushed her door open, just a bit, and then turned a smile up at him.
“Good night, Madison,” Nate said as his hands tucked themselves into his pockets.
Madison’s smile widened for a beat, and then she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. She let the contact linger for a long moment, waiting until his surprise had faded and his lips were pressing back against hers, before pulling away. “Good night, Nate,” she whispered. Then, with one final smile, she quickly ducked into her house and shut the door.
****
It was after midnight now and Madison was wide awake, staring at her bedroom ceiling without seeing it. Her mind was still replaying her kisses with Nate—one of which she had initiated. And she couldn’t decide if she was more surprised at herself for that, for how she’d responded to the first one, or for the fact that she didn’t regret either of them.
Since literally throwing her engagement ring into Doug’s face nearly two years prior she had only kissed—or been kissed—twice before now. She hadn’t even been expecting the first one, and she’d been too drunk to think better of (or enjoy) the second one. And each time, without fail, she had gone home and cried herself to sleep.
But this was entirely different. She hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since moving into her current home, so she certainly couldn’t claim impaired judgment. Not that it mattered, because she honestly wasn’t feeling a single ounce of regret. More importantly, though, was that she wasn’t feeling any of the other expected emotions. There was no guilt, no anger, no bitterness, not even grief. For all the times in the past couple of weeks that her mind had forced her to draw comparisons between her former fiancé and the man she was planning a date with, now she found herself having to focus just to realize she wasn’t upset.
A small smile tipped her lips and Madison rolled onto her side. Maybe she and Nate came from two different worlds, but that was becoming less and less of an issue. She was beginning to think that that might even be exactly what she needed.