“You want her to move to London with you.”
It wasn’t phrased as a question. Nate couldn’t lie.
“I do,” he confirmed with a nod of his head. “And your mum probably wants me to move here. A Brit in Florida and a southern belle in London. Both of us fish out of water, although your mother fits right in, I must say. Somewhere and somehow we’re going to have to compromise.”
Jason shoved his plate and fork into the dishwasher. “You’re trying to take her away from her family and friends.”
Nate shook his head and stepped closer to the tense young man. “I promise you I’m not. If I have to buy you your own home wherever we decide to live, I will. I will not take your mum away from you.” He looked directly into Jason’s eyes. “I know you don’t believe this right now but in the not too distant future you’ll have your own life and you’ll start building your own family. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still love your mother but you’ll be busy starting your career. You might take a job far away from here. Maybe the woman you fall in love with might live somewhere else. Your mother deserves her own life and happiness, Jason. She’s done all the things she should. She’s been responsible and caring. Now is her time. Time to have fun, travel, live, and see all the things she’s missed. She’s still actually quite young and she has many years ahead of her. I think you love her enough to want that for her.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Jason leaned against the kitchen counter. “I’ll always be there for Mom. She’s sacrificed so much for me and Dad.”
“Of course you will,” Nate replied, patting the boy on the shoulder. “But what is she supposed to do while you’re off at school? Or working your first job? Or getting married? Is she supposed to sit here and not change anything? Just wait for those times you come to visit? Because that would be for you, not for her. Put her first, Jason.”
The young man stood straighter and nodded. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll put her first if you will too.”
Nate smiled. Jason didn’t even realize what he was asking. Only someone that young would think that was easy or even possible. Jason wasn’t always going to put Paige first and that was a normal part of growing up and separating. But Nate’s relationship with her was far different.
“For the first time in my life,” Nate confessed, his voice shaking with the power of his emotions, “I actually feel like that might be possible. It never has been before but I’ve never felt like this. Your mother is one of a kind and I want to spend the rest of my life loving her and taking care of her. I hope that we have your support but if we don’t I’m still not going anywhere. I’m here to stay, Jason.”
A moment passed between them and Nate felt like there was an understanding. At least there was less animosity. It was a beginning and for that he was grateful.
Paige ran back into the kitchen at that moment, her phone still in her hand, jumping around and so excited he couldn’t make out a word she was saying. He and Jason managed to calm her down long enough to set her cell on the counter before she broke it. Her cheeks were pink and her green eyes sparkled with happiness.
“Darling, you look about to burst. What was the call about?”
She grabbed his arm and shook it, practically vibrating with excitement.
“They want to meet about the movie. The studio is ready to talk.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips. “You’re going to be Flynn. We’re going to make a movie together.”
Wrapping his arms around Paige, Nate was so overcome with emotion he couldn’t speak. Everything he’d ever wanted was right within his reach. Paige. Love. A new start for his career by playing Flynn and directing. He certainly had much to be thankful for this year and all because of this amazing woman.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Finally feeling human again, Paige was making up for lost time in the kitchen. So far she’d finished a pumpkin pie and a chocolate chip cookie pie, both of which Nate seemed inordinately interested in. She’d had to shoo him away or she was sure they would have ended up in his stomach when her back was turned.
She was gathering her supplies to decorate the cake pops and Nate, as usual, was right behind her. For a grown man he liked to lick the beaters and the bowl far too much. All to help her, of course.
“What’s next?” he asked eagerly as if lunch hadn’t been less than an hour ago. “What do you need me to do?”
She retrieved the cake pops from the refrigerator. “We’re going to decorate these. You can put sticks in them and help me dip them in the chocolate if you like. Then we can put sprinkles on them or decorate with chocolate in piping bags. You can be as creative as you like.”
Frowning, he inspected the chocolate and yellow cake balls stacked in the box. “When did you make these?”
He’d missed that set of beaters and bowls and apparently wasn’t happy about it. She’d licked them clean and didn’t care that it hadn’t even been eight in the morning. “While you were out for your run. It’s easier to decorate them when they’re cold.”
It was like doing crafts with a golden retriever. Paws and fur everywhere. Or in Nate’s case, long arms reaching across what she was working on, melted chocolate dripping on the table, on their clothes, everywhere but on the pops. Sugar glitter and sprinkles dusted the countertops, their shirts, the floor, and there was even some in Nate’s hair. He was having a ball so she wasn’t going to say a word. She hadn’t seen this big of a mess since Jason was in grade school.
“I think we’re done,” Paige said with a grateful sigh. “I don’t think I ever want to look at another cake pop ever again.”
“Aren’t we supposed to eat these on Thanksgiving?” Nate asked. “That only gives you until the day after tomorrow.”
“Knowing Jason and his friends these won’t make it until the day after tomorrow. I make these to keep them away from the real desserts. Those boys ate me out of house and home during their high school years.”
Nate was eyeing one of the cake pops as if he wanted to bite into it right there and then. “Why didn’t you just send the other boys home?”
“Because I was happy that my house was the neighborhood hangout. That meant I kind of knew what my teenage son was doing from time to time. I figured an astronomical grocery bill was the price I had to pay. It was worth it to me. Honestly, I think they would have hung out here even if I only provided popsicles and soda. They liked the game room upstairs.”
Nate was giving her that smile again. “You’re a wonderful mother.”
“Ha! You never saw me yell or stomp around. I’ve been known to lose my temper.”
“You’re sexy when you yell.”
His voice had dropped an octave and she shivered at the suggestion in his words. They hadn’t since before she got sick. It had been too long.
She shoved the last of the dirty parchment paper in the trashcan. “It sounds like you have something on your mind, handsome. Care to share?”
She reached for the bowls of melted chocolate but his hand stayed her movements. “I do have something on my mind.” His blue eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown wide. “You. Me. This chocolate. A blindfold. What do you say?”
Glancing down at the bowl, she could see that there was still half of the dark chocolate and white chocolate left. She did have a sweet tooth.
“I think I say yes.”
* * *
Paige kicked off her shorts and tank top, grabbed a black scarf from her closet, and climbed into bed after closing the blinds. She didn’t have nosy neighbors but there was no sense flaunting her sex life either. Nate had stayed behind in the kitchen to warm up the chocolate in the microwave but he wasn’t far behind her. Flipping the lock on the bedroom door, he then placed the two chocolate bowls on the nightstand.
“So am I the blindfold-er or the blindfold-ee, love? Your choice today.”
Nate’s smooth as caramel voice rolled over her and she felt herself relax a little more, knowing she could safely put herself in his competent and skil
lful hands. Absolute trust.
“The blindfold-er”, Paige replied immediately. “But let’s just remember that Jason is hanging out with his friends and will be home before dinner.”
That sexy as hell eyebrow quirked up. “Darling, dinner isn’t for four hours or so. You certainly are an optimist this afternoon.”
“I know how you are when you haven’t gotten any for awhile. Just go easy on me. I don’t want my son to see that I got fucked so hard I can’t walk.” She shook her finger at him. “And no visible love bites or bruises. I’m a mother with a sexually active son. He’ll know exactly what they are. He’s not a toddler anymore.”
Nate chuckled and tugged his t-shirt over his head. “I love it when you get stern, and I will be careful. Jason doesn’t need to know anything about our sex life.”
Paige was trying hard to keep both Nate and Jason on an even keel. Change was never easy and Jason hadn’t always dealt with it all that well. Just like Noah, he was a fan of the status quo. He’d pitched a fit the last time she’d rearranged the living room furniture.
Kicking his shorts away, he ran his hand up and down his cock, his gaze hot and full of desire. Paige reached over to the bedside table and held up the black scarf.
“I think this will work. You’re also welcome to use anything in here that might strike your fancy.”
She’d given this a lot of thought and had decided it would be better to brazen out his discovery of her stash of sex toys. She shouldn’t be embarrassed. She was a grown woman with needs that hadn’t been fulfilled in a long time before she met him but the thought of him opening the drawer by accident had filled her with horror. Better to be in control of the situation and introduce it on her terms.
His brows shot up. “Is that where you keep your naughty things, love? I can’t wait to see what you have in there.”
He didn’t have to wait. They were sitting in the drawer not three feet from where he was standing. Just look at them, laugh, and then they could move on.
“I don’t consider them naughty, and there’s not much there. Just a few things.”
Nate didn’t even glance at the drawer, instead advancing on her, snatching the blindfold from her fingers. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he pulled her in for a long slow kiss that singed her lips and curled her toes.
“Do you trust me, love?”
Paige nodded, her mouth suddenly gone dry. “I do.”
“If you say stop then everything comes to a halt. Understand?”
Nodding again, she sat very still as Nate pressed the blindfold over her eyes and wrapped it around her head, knotting it snugly in the back, careful not to catch any of her hair in it. He tugged at the material, fixing it exactly as he wanted it.
“Can you see anything?”
“Just a little light from the left corner.”
He adjusted it, his warm fingers brushing her over sensitized skin. “Better?”
“Dark. Now what?”
His chuckle vibrated through his chest. “Now you lie back and be a good girl. I want you to do everything I tell you to, do you understand?”
She nodded but he tapped her chin lightly. “I need to hear your words, love. Do you understand? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
There was no way she was stopping, already well down the road of arousal. “I understand.”
“Good girl,” he praised. “Now lie back and put your hands under the pillow. I want you to keep them there no matter what happens. Can you do that?”
Paige tucked her hands under the pillow as Nate pulled back the covers, exposing her naked body to the cooler air. Her nipples puckered in anticipation as she listened to his slow, even breathing in the silence. Her other senses came alive and she could smell her own arousal, the sweet aroma of chocolate, even the citrus in Nate’s body wash.
“I don’t think there is a more beautiful sight in the world than you lying here like the most luscious buffet. I’m definitely going to feast on every inch of you.”
She didn’t bother to beg as she knew he’d proceed at his own pace. Listening, she heard the spoon scrape the sides of the bowl and then warmth as a dollop of chocolate landed on her abdomen. Her body bowed as his tongue lapped at it, sending arrows of arousal straight to her clit. More stripes along her torso, more of Nate’s tongue running up and down, sometimes with short flicks and other times with long, slow strokes. Each one sent her higher, making her twist and moan in the sheets. Her fingers flexed on the pillow, her grip tightening as if she could hold on to her sanity by not letting go of the fabric bunched in her hands.
A few warm drops slid down her already hard nipples and she sucked in a breath, waiting…no, pleading for the feel of his rough tongue. It was frustrating to not be able to see him, his expression, the look in his eyes, but it was exciting too. It was all up to him and her only job was to accept the pleasure he gave her.
Sucking a hard peak into his mouth, he scraped the tender flesh with his teeth as he swirled his tongue around and around until her torso was arched off of the bed, his name on her lips. She was so close to going over.
But of course the British bastard wasn’t just going to let her come. He played with her for what seemed like an eternity. A kiss here. A nibble there. A long lick as he lapped up the chocolate he’d painted on her quivering flesh. She never knew where he was going to go next and the surprise kept her on the edge, teetering there. Sweat covered her flesh and the room felt hot and humid. A breath would send her over.
He insinuated himself between her legs, his shoulders pushing her thighs wide. Cool air raised gooseflesh on her arms as he hovered there, just inches from her clit. This time there would be no shock and the anticipation was killing her slowly. Without a smidgen of doubt, she knew where the next drops of chocolate were going to land and her legs shook with arousal, fierce in its intensity. She wanted to scream as the tension grew, every nerve in her body on alert. Biting down on her lip, she tasted blood in the effort to keep from screaming. She needed him right this second.
When it finally came, the heat was a sweet relief. This time she did scream his name as his mouth and tongue devoured her, his face pressed in the most intimate of spots. Her thighs clamped onto his head as she rode his tongue to one orgasm after another. They all began to run together and it felt like her body didn’t belong to her anymore. He was the maestro and he conducted this orchestra in complete control.
It might have been minutes or hours later when he swiftly climbed up her body and impaled her on his massive cock. This time she couldn’t keep her hands under the pillow; she had to grab onto his shoulders and hold on for dear life. He was thrusting into her like she was sending him off to battle, grunting and gasping with the effort to pound her into the mattress.
She wouldn’t come again, her body too spent, but she caressed his back and dug her heels into his very fine ass as she whispered filthy dirty things into his ear, urging him on. As his peak hit, she could feel every muscle in his body go rigid as her name fell from his lips. He collapsed on top of her, his breathing ragged and labored, his skin covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
Eventually he levered off of her and eased the blindfold from her eyes. She blinked a few times against the light before looking up into the worshipful gaze of the man she loved.
“We did good?” he asked, hope in his tone. “The trust stuff. It was okay?”
“It was better than okay. We’ve got to put that down on the list of things to do again.”
His smile was dazzling and she marveled how she could still be surprised when she saw it. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to it. The buzz of his phone broke through the intimate moment they were having and she groaned, pushing at his shoulder. She was becoming used to the phone interruptions, hers and his.
“That’s yours.”
Groaning with the effort to move, he reached onto the nightstand and checked the screen. “It’s Max. I’d better take this.”
“Tell him I was
starting to like him but if he interrupts sex again he’s on Santa’s naughty list.”
“It could have been worse. He could have called five minutes ago.”
Chuckling, Nate stood and padded naked into the bathroom, phone pressed to his ear.
Dozing for a few minutes, she was roused by Nate sitting on the edge of the bed. “Darling, are you awake?”
She rubbed her eyes and sighed. So much for her nap. “I am now. How’s Max?”
The look on Nate’s face didn’t say happy things. “He’s not good. Alana was supposed to come to London so they could make one last try at reconciliation. Now she’s called and she is not coming. He’s devastated.”
Paige pointed to the phone Nate was holding. “Is he still on the line?”
He nodded. “He’s on mute. I think he’s been drinking. He wanted to save his marriage but she won’t even try.”
Some people didn’t appreciate what they had and Paige had a feeling Max’s wife was one of them.
“Tell him to get the first flight out and get down here. Charter a jet if he has to. We don’t want him to be alone.”
Nate’s face lit up, his smile full of gratitude. “Are you sure, love? I was afraid to ask.”
“I’m sure. Tell him to get his ass down here. We’ll have him cheered up in no time. Or we’ll have him drunk. Just tell him we can definitely do one of those things.”
How did one cheer up a famous Shakespearean actor without sex? Paige was going figure out the answer.
* * *
The kitchen smelled wonderful. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, sage, and cinnamon all combined to create one delicious sniff. Max had drifted in and out of the kitchen but always with a drink in one hand. Frankly he didn’t give a fuck if it was too early to drink alcohol. He was going to do whatever he wanted. Now he was hiding in Paige’s office and hoping no one noticed he had disappeared.
It was nice of Paige to invite him but he shouldn’t have come. He was bringing everyone down with his foul, gray mood. He knew enough about America to know this was supposed to be a happy holiday with everyone feeling thankful for all they had. He wasn’t feeling particularly grateful about anything.
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