by Jamie Summer
Unfortunately, we came up with nothing.
Since the first clues in Lucerne hadn’t been successful, either, we didn’t waste more time on the Eye than necessary. By the time we got out, the sun had started to set, casting the buildings around us in a soft orange glow. It was a beautiful sight.
“We don’t take enough time to find the beauty in life. I realize that time and time again,” Nathan said. I had to agree with him. Life was so hectic, you ran from one errand to the next and forgot to enjoy the simple things in life. Like watching a sunset.
“Let’s go and check out the Tower Bridge, shall we?”
Since we knew we’d only have limited time today, it was the last stop we’d agreed on. Tower Bridge was farthest away from our hotel, but it was the easiest to get to from the London Eye. The subway let us out next to the bridge. I was equally impressed with the bridge itself as I was with the towers standing on top of it.
Since the clue referred to tower, Nathan and I figured we’d need to go inside and look at the jewels the queen had donated. We paid for our tickets, noticing it closed in twenty minutes.
In the end, those twenty minutes were as successful as our time in the London Eye. Nathan noticed my mood starting to plummet, so he did his best to cheer me up with stories about his life as we walked. We’d covered some personal topics over the past several days, so I knew he had a brother, grew up on the West Coast of the US, and worked at his mom’s flower shop. Judging by his looks, I wasn’t surprised. Women probably bought anything he tried to sell them. When I told him as much, he blushed and said nothing could be further from the truth. While it might help, his looks didn’t finalize any sale he made.
He kept me entertained with stories of crazy clients or weird bouquets his mom had to make. It was nice to see his talkative side.
I contributed some of my own stories from the bakery, leaving out anything about my life before I got there.
Before I knew it, we were on our way back to the hotel, stopping at an Indian restaurant close by. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was quiet and cute. Plus, I loved Indian food. We ordered, then our conversation drifted to my life again. I was careful to only talk about the parts I could deal with, and it seemed Nathan quickly understood what he could and couldn’t ask. It was almost as if he had a sixth sense. When our food came, we dove in. The sight of the spicy chicken and veggies in front of me made me think about what Nathan said when we’d gone out to dinner in Lucerne. He liked a woman with an appetite. I fit that bill completely.
After we both finished, we ordered our usual espresso. I leaned back as Nathan stared off, which gave me a moment to unashamedly watch him. Strands of blond hair hung into his face, his gray eyes full of determination and drive. The more time I spent with him, the more I got to know the person behind the pretty face. He was passionate, caring, and independent, a combination I found myself having a harder and harder time keeping away from.
“Daydreaming again?” Nathan’s voice shocked me back to the present and I turned crimson when I realized he’d caught me staring…again.
“Maybe…” I wished I could sink lower into my seat. Nathan didn’t seem the least bit disturbed by my gawking. Instead, his eyes stared into mine. The look in them—a mixture of fear, hunger, and something I couldn’t define—made me shiver. His gaze dropped to my lips and stayed there for a moment too long. He wasn’t trying to hide it, which made my heart speed up.
“Can we have the bill, please?” I hadn’t noticed the waiter at our table, my gaze still locked with Nathan’s. I felt like a prisoner, unable to look away, yet not wanting to, either.
It had been way too long since I desired to be close to someone, but something about Nathan made me want to throw caution to the wind.
He paid the bill, finally breaking eye contact. I took a deep breath, trying to get my body to calm. Every cell tingled in excitement and sweet anticipation, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“Shall we?”
Nathan stood by the table. I took the hand he offered, surprised by the warmth that flooded through me. It was soft and calloused at the same time, making me think sales couldn’t be all he did. He held my hand tightly before letting go and helping me into my coat.
“It’s getting late. I think we should head back,” he whispered. I knew it was barely after nine, so why use it as an excuse? I watched him for a moment. His eyes, focused on me, had gotten just a tad bit darker. I had butterflies in my stomach, and my throat had gone dry, making me wish I’d taken another sip of my water. I couldn’t help but think about not ending the night just yet. My eyes went to his lips, wondering what it would feel like to have them moving against mine.
I shook off the image, knowing it wouldn’t help my body calm down. I tried not to notice Nathan’s hand on my lower back as he led me out of the restaurant, making me shiver. Or the fact he walked closer to me than he had on our way here.
“Emlyn, are you okay?”
Hearing him say my name did something to me. The way it rolled off his lips made my stomach clench in anticipation, which was ridiculous. I knew there wasn’t anything to get excited about. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but it didn’t work. Right now, his mere presence sent my body into overdrive.
The walk back was torture. I wasn’t sure when our partnership shifted. Or even if it had. Yet this evening, this moment, felt so much different than the dinner we had the night before.
“Em?”
I had completely forgotten he’d asked me a question. When I gazed up into his silver eyes, I tried to figure out if I were going crazy. Was I the only one who felt the knots?
“Sorry. I was a little lost in thought.” I tried to smile, but wasn’t sure I succeeded.
He sighed, then grabbed my arm, making me stop. “Talk to me.” The soft tone of his voice took some of the edge off, but I didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t a clever enough excuse he would believe. And I definitely couldn’t tell him all I could think about was him kissing me. “Em, please…”
“Sorry. I was merely thinking about the clues again.” It was the best I could do. The way Nathan’s brows furrowed, I knew he was trying to figure out if I told him the truth or not. “Seriously. I’m okay. I just need to turn my brain off.” The hell I did. If I turned it off, there was no telling what I’d do. We needed to keep this relationship professional. I groaned inwardly, cursing myself and my noble nature.
“Em, you’re off again,” Nathan remarked, still standing in front of me, his watchful eyes never leaving my face. When he took a step closer, I felt my breath come out in short gasps. “What are you doing?” he whispered, leaning a bit closer. He sounded curious, and I thought I heard a hint of desperation. Or maybe I was imagining things.
“I’m not doing anything,” I managed. My voice was barely above a whisper, so I wondered if he even heard me.
Pedestrians passed us, but I barely took notice of them. I was completely consumed by the man in front of me. He reached out, brushing back a wayward strand of my short, brown hair. “You’re beautiful, Emlyn.”
The words washed over me like a warm summer breeze. I knew there was something I should say, but I couldn’t. The lump in my throat was too big to form any coherent sentence. My hands were clammy and shook, and I was certain my racing heart would jump out of my chest at any given moment.
Before I had time to react, Nathan bent and placed his lips on mine. It was slow and deliberate, feeling as if he silently asked for permission. I moaned quietly, making him deepen the kiss. He pulled me closer, one hand on my waist and the other holding the back of my neck so I couldn’t move away.
I had no intention of doing so. I was completely lost in him.
My imagination of what his lips felt like didn’t even come close. The kiss was soft, yet firm…gentle, yet pressing. My head swam, and all I cared and thought about was him, his kisses consuming every part of me.
We pulled away, and Nathan rested his forehead on mine. “We
should go back to the hotel,” he whispered. His breathing was ragged, and it calmed me to know he was as affected as I was. I knew he was right, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. Somehow, a part of me feared if I walked out of this amazing bubble, I would wake up and realize all of it was a dream. A very nice one, but a dream nonetheless.
“We really should get back,” he said again, almost reluctantly. He moved away from me, depriving me of the warmth and safety I felt seconds ago.
“We should, yes,” I replied. I tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, but it was hard when my legs felt like Jell-O and I wasn’t sure they were going to hold me up much longer.
Damn him and his kisses.
We didn’t talk the whole way back to the hotel, which was fine with me. I wouldn’t have known what to say anyway. The moment the hotel came into view, a mixture of excitement and dread washed over me.
When Nathan’s hand slipped into mine, I glanced down at our intertwined fingers. “Let’s go,” he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine with the promise that sentence held. He grinned, apparently very aware of how he affected me.
We walked inside and to the elevator. Nathan pressed the button for the fifth floor…which was not mine. I looked at him in question. Instead of answering, he pushed me up against the elevator wall and bent down, devouring my lips.
It had been a long time since someone kissed me the way Nathan Holwell did. I wasn’t even sure if I ever was kissed that way. There was something mesmerizing about it. Something that made me forget my nobility. I wanted him to kiss me like his mere existence depended on it, as if I were the only one who could breathe air into him.
The elevator dinged. When the door opened, I saw an elderly couple standing there, watching us with interest. We had hastily separated, but I was pretty sure the evidence of what we were doing was visible on every part of our faces.
“Good evening,” Nathan greeted. The woman gave us a knowing smile, exchanging a glance with her husband.
“Good evening,” the man replied as we exited.
Nathan firmly held my hand and he pulled me along the corridor, stopping in front of his room. He opened the door, smiling. “Come on in.”
I entered, instantly taken aback by the layout. I thought all the rooms were the same, but I was badly mistaken. Nathan’s room was ten times better than mine. It was bigger, had a complete dining table, and a closet. The moment I checked the bathroom, I wanted to switch rooms with him. He actually had a shower and a Jacuzzi tub.
“How did you end up with this room?” I asked, incredulous, hoping there was some mistake and that I should’ve been given the same kind of room.
“They made an error in our reservation. When I went to my room after we first arrived, someone else was in it. The only available room was this one. An executive suite.” There was a grin in his voice. When I met his eyes, they sparkled in happiness. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who could appreciate a big hotel room.
His expression suddenly changed, his gaze going to my lips. All the nervousness I managed to let go off in the last few seconds came straight back. I averted my eyes, unable to stand there and let him devour me with his gaze.
“Em…,” he started, but stopped. Maybe he was as clueless as I was about what was going on. I tried to look at everything but him. He placed his hand under my chin, forcing my gaze back to his. “Emlyn.” My stomach flipped in reaction to the deep rumble that made me weak in the knees.
He pulled me against his hard chest and kissed me again. My whole body melted into him. I couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped me when he pulled back. I heard him chuckle, then he bent down and captured my lips. We kissed for several minutes…or hours. I wasn’t exactly sure.
His lips moved to my cheek, down my neck, then up again. He explored every inch of my face with soft kisses, and every touch of his lips made me crave so much more.
Hesitation suddenly overcame me. Nathan stopped and pulled back, as if he sensed a change in my demeanor.
“What do you think about ordering a bottle of wine and enjoying the view from my hotel room for a while?” he suggested, resting his forehead against mine. I had no idea where the sudden change in me came from, but when he stepped away a little and some of my sanity returned, I nodded.
“Good idea.” I smiled, tracing my fingers along his face. “I just… I need a moment.”
He nodded. “Take your time.” I gave him a small kiss for that perfect answer.
He walked over to the room phone and ordered room service. The wine arrived ten minutes later, along with two glasses, a wine cooler, and a bar of chocolate. Courtesy of the hotel, the card said. Stepping onto the balcony, we pulled over one of the lounge chairs and lay down on it. With my back against his chest and our hands intertwined, we drank our wine and enjoyed the view
I eventually fell asleep to the sounds of Nathan’s even breathing, only waking when I heard the ringing of a telephone.
Chapter Ten
When we got back the night before, Nathan had told the concierge to wake him. Setting our alarms hadn’t been a priority yesterday evening.
No matter what happened, we still had a mission to complete.
At least I did.
I left Nathan’s room to go shower and get ready. A half-hour later, I walked down for breakfast. Nathan had a pensive look on his face, but when I asked him about it, he brushed it off.
Something was wrong. He hadn’t looked at me once. It was as if he focused on everything but me.
We ate breakfast in silence. I tried to think of something to say, something to break the awkwardness, but I couldn’t come up with anything. It was almost painful after what happened last night. I hadn’t expected him to make any declarations of love, but last night changed things for me. It seemed to do the opposite for Nathan. I tried to ignore it, but it was hard. When I asked him if he was okay, he told me everything was fine and not to worry.
An hour later, we walked around the streets of London. I told him I wanted to hit Hyde Park first, considering the green area was a nice change to the buildings we’d passed.
I didn’t have many memories about my time in London with my parents, but I remembered we went to Hyde Park, and the oasis was one of my favorite places. It was in the middle of the city and perfect for people-watching, which I loved to do.
When it came to finding a clue to the keyholder, though, I had no idea where to start. The park was big, and without anything more specific to go on, it was much like the lake in Lucerne had been—hopeless.
“How about we walk around, see if there’s anything that looks interesting?” Nathan suggested, still failing to meet my eyes. I nodded. It was as good a plan as any.
We parted ways, each going our own route through the park. I strolled along the small walkways, passing joggers, mothers on their early morning walks with the kids, or people walking dogs. I loved it.
Trying not to get too distracted by the various people passing, I searched for clues that would help me find the mysterious keyholder.
While the park itself was huge, I realized there weren’t a lot of places to hide any kind of clues. The benches were pretty much it. Trees didn’t make such a good hiding place. Then again, the key carving on the wooden vendor booth in Lucerne showed us wood could definitely be used.
It was all very frustrating.
After a half-hour, we met up again, neither one of us finding anything.
“Another half-hour, then onto the next one?” I suggested, hoping my cheerfulness would rub off on Nathan. No such luck. He simply shrugged and walked off, no emotion on his face. Why was he ignoring me? What was going on? I wanted to ask, but knew he would only brush me off again.
I crossed the park. My eyes searched every inch, finding nothing. It was almost as if Hyde Park wasn’t a clue after all. Just a random place put on that website.
Just like Lucerne.
Since there were a few places in Lucerne that we hadn’t foun
d clues, I decided to focus on that. Out of the places we looked, only two had a clue.
After thirty minutes, I walked back at our meeting point, but Nathan was nowhere to be seen. I waited ten more minutes. Still no sign of him. Had he gotten caught up in something? Had something happened? I turned around, searching the area, but I couldn’t see his blond head anywhere.
I took my cell phone out and called him. We’d exchanged numbers during the trip, just in case, but had never needed to use them. The line rang a few times before the voicemail picked up.
Great.
I considered my options, but short of walking through the park and looking for him, I didn’t know what else to do.
“I haven’t found anything.”
I jumped and spun around, hand to my chest. “What the heck is wrong with you?”
“What do you mean?” He acted as if I hadn’t just spent the last twenty minutes worrying about what could’ve happened to him.
“We were supposed to meet twenty minutes ago. Where have you been?”
“I’ve been out searching for clues for you. Sorry about that,” he snapped. I swallowed back every snarky comment I had on my lips.
“What the hell is going on with you today?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
“Nothing’s going on with me today.”
“Which is exactly my point.”
“What are you talking about?”
I stared at him, mouth open, unsure if he seriously just asked me that.
“I’m talking about the fact that yesterday, we spent the night together, and today, it’s like you can’t even bear to look at me.” The expression on his face turned pained. “Why? If you…” I stopped, taking a deep breath to calm myself. Apparently, I was more worked up about this than I thought. “Tell me what’s going on. Please.” I hated the pleading sound of my voice.
He looked at me. “You want the truth?”
I nodded hesitantly, not sure if I truly wanted to hear what he had to say. But anything was better than what I’d gone through the last few hours.