White Lies (Book 1)

Chapter 32

I lifted my head to gaze down at Nate's sleeping figure. He seemed so peaceful when asleep – his long lashes occasionally fluttered, and a sigh would leave his mouth here and there. But he always pulled me closer, almost subconsciously bringing me right against him. It felt like my heart was continually on the verge of bursting out from my chest. I wondered when in my life I had ever been so happy.

I knew the answer to that.

Never.

Despite all the horrible circumstances that the investigation had forced upon me, I was absolutely grateful for one thing – Nathan. Back when things were still normal, back when I thought I had the whole world figured out, I figured that what I had felt for Robbie was love. His lukewarm affection had been the closest thing I could find. Turns out I hadn't even known the meaning of the word.

Up until now.

I now understood how Robbie and Jenny's love hadn't been real. They had used one another, taking only what they each needed as a means to their separate ends. Robbie needed Jenny to tuck himself away, to hide from the truth. Jenny needed Robbie to further her aspirations. As a result, both of them were forced to conceal the parts of themselves that the other could not accept. And in the end, their accumulated feelings of bitterness and resentment had been their demise.

But what I had with Nathan – this deep, unwavering connection, our steady acceptance of one another, the sense of mutual purpose in which we both shared... That was love. So was I willing to give up the one thing that made me who I was, all for the sake of keeping it?

Yes, I decided, watching Nate's eyes flutter open. A thousand times yes.

He groaned and shifted slightly, throwing an arm over his eyes. "Go back to sleep, angel. It's too early," he slurred. I could feel the vibration of his voice run against my skin.

I chuckled. "Actually, it's past two in the afternoon," I teased him, softly. "Class is about to finish up. We totally slept through everything."

He froze underneath me, then moved his arm away to look me in the eye. "Serious?" he asked drowsily.

"Mm-hm." I grinned. "My mom's going to kill me once I get home." After some thought, my mouth tugged into a frown. "And so will Peter and Angelica, while we're at it."

"I'd like to be at it," he grinned, stroking my hip. I slapped his hand away.

"Quit it." I laughed. "Were both rounds not enough for you?"

"Not with you looking at me like that – no," was his suggestive answer. He planted a soft, slow kiss on my lips. "Never enough." Then another. And then another.

His kisses were deepening, getting heated. I wrapped myself around him instinctively, leaning into his kiss, taking more and more of him. Tuning into his warmth, his strength as he gathered me tightly to him and rolled us over.

Gearing up for yet another round.

That was when I heard the muted voices echoing down the hallway. Seeing as Nate's house was absolutely massive, it was a wonder I could barely hear it. I wrapped my fingers around locks of his hair, almost leisurely, as his lips broke apart from mine and made their way down my neck. "Is someone downstairs?" I asked absent-mindedly.

"Most likely, yeah." Nathan sounded very much distracted, his fingers trailing up and down my thighs. Grabbing hold of them, wrapping them around himself. He tilted his head up slightly to place a light kiss on my jaw. "Relax. It's probably just Mom arguing with one of the housekeepers."

"You sure?" It sounded a lot more like yelling to me. The voices were growing louder and louder – a dark masculine voice shouted something menacing.