As promised, Nathaniel never left my side for the next two weeks while I stayed with him and healed.
During the day, I'd be in his office with him while he worked, taking endless amounts of calls while I either read a book, napped, or watched him in adoration. Sometimes when he had a break, he'd join me on the couch to cuddle or just lay there with me in his arms while he thought of the next business deal.
Stella, Theo, Carter, and Gabrielle came over some days for movie night or game night. I had to beg Nathaniel to join us, of course, but all it took was a little persuasion.
The last two weeks were the happiest I'd ever been in my entire life. I no longer had nightmares of Brandon, nor did I see his chalky face whenever I closed my eyes. The fear I had with elevators was now gone, thanks to Nathaniel and the bruises that covered my body were all healed.
Deep down inside, I knew I shouldn't have gotten caught up in the fairy tale life I was living, but I did anyway because for once, it wasn't filled with darkness and turmoil, just full of pure bliss, but whatever goes up must come down.
"You know I don't need to go with you, right?" I whispered to Nathaniel as we laid in bed together, my eyes still heavy from waking up.
He sighed heavily and trailed his fingers up and down my arm, creating goosebumps in its path. "I told you you're not leaving my sight."
"It's been two weeks; I'm completely fine now, I don't need you to babysit me anymore, and if I need anything, I'll call Stella or Carter."
"Or you can just come with me," he countered, brushing his lips against mine.
"You're not going to give up, are you?"
"No."
I rolled my eyes and climbed on top of him, and his arms immediately wrapped around my waist and slid down to my ass.
"Fine," I mumbled into his neck, inhaling his spicy scent.
We stayed there soaking in the sweet moment for a few more minutes until it was time to get up and get ready.
"It won't be more than twenty-minutes like last time," Nathaniel informed me as we made our way to Creed Industries for another one of his meetings.
I nodded, acknowledging his words, my head still pressed against the cool window as I continued to drown myself in my thoughts.
"Anastazi."
"Hmm?" His voice jolted me out of my trance.
"What are you thinking about?" Nathaniel quickly glanced over at me with concern etched across his face as if this wasn't the first time he asked me that question.
"Nothing," I lied, flashing him a bright smile to make it more believable.
His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as he nodded with his jaw clenched, clearly not believing what I said.
"It's not what you think," I whispered, weaving my fingers through his hair, something he secretly enjoyed but would never admit. "I haven't thought about him in a while now."
"Would you tell me if you did?" Nathaniel asked, his eyebrows raised slightly.
No.
"That's what I thought," he grunted, already knowing the answer.
"You can't blame me, Nathaniel; you always overreact."
"I don't overreact."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes in irritation. "Okay."
Nathaniel stayed silent for the rest of the ride while I got lost in my thoughts once again. I hadn't noticed when we made it to our destination until his face was inches away from mine, startling me slightly.
"I'm sorry if I overreact," he murmured once we made eye contact.
My heart skipped a beat hearing his apology, and I couldn't help but feel all my irritation disappear.
"It's okay," I whispered as my eyes flickered down to his lips wanting him to devour me.
Nathaniel read my mind and cupped the back of my neck, pulling me towards him until our lips collided.
No matter how many times we kissed, every time felt like the first. Fireworks erupted in my stomach as our mouths moved in sync, savoring each second that ticked by.
Nathaniel wrapped his other arm around my waist and pulled me over the divider between us and into his lap without our lips ever separating. My core began to throb with excitement as he pressed me against the steering wheel and peppered small kisses against my neck before marking my skin.
The large bulge in his pants pushed against my soaked panties, and I couldn't stop myself from grinding my hips into him, eliciting a low groan from the back of his throat.
I reached down to unbuckled his slacks to release the leaking monster threatening to escape, but he quickly gripped my wrist and stopped me.
"Another time," Nathaniel whispered, confirming my suspicions.
For the last couple of days, he's been coming up with bullshit excuses every time I made a move on him, and I couldn't help but wonder if the spark between us was finally fading.
A part of me always knew that this thing between us was temporary, just like every other female that came into his life, but I foolishly thought it'd be different with us—with me.
I've tried to push that thought aside, considering how he's been glued to my side, taking care of me in more ways than I imagined for the past couple of weeks but these small rejections he's been throwing my way in between brought many seeds of doubt.
I didn't try to fight him this time as I nodded my head, watching him open the door and slide out from beneath me.
"I'll just stay in the car," I muttered, smoothing out my dress in frustration.
Nathaniel fiddled with the gold watch on his wrist before stuffing his hands in the pocket of his tight slacks that did a poor job of hiding the giant bulge straining against it.
"I have all day."
"Nathaniel, just go," I snapped, letting my emotions get the best of me.
He immediately knelt down so that he was level with me and lifted my chin up with his index finger as concern flickered across his face.
"Tell me," he murmured.
I swallowed hard and looked away. I would've sounded crazy if I sat there and told him how I think the spark that we had a couple of weeks ago was fading just because of his lack of deep intimacy, and now that I really think about it, I did sound delusional.
He was probably still too afraid to hurt me, but here I am, thinking that he's ready to toss me aside and move on to the next female on his long list.
"Tell you what?" I decided to feign ignorance after coming to the realization that my theory was just a result of gross overthinking.
"Why you're angry with me."
My stomach flipped as I stared down at him, wondering how this was the same Nathaniel that made my life a living hell a few months ago.
"Don't you have a meeting to get to?" I whispered softly, brushing a strand of hair out of his face.
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed. "Anastazi—"
"I'm not mad at you," I tried to assure him, but he saw right through me like he always does.
"We'll talk about this later then."
I wanted to tell him that there was nothing to talk about, but I knew it would've been a waste of my breath knowing how persistent he can be.
Nathaniel grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the car before intertwining our fingers as we made our way into Creed Industries.
My heart skipped a beat when he tightened his grip once we stepped foot in the elevator, and it made me wonder how I could have so many doubts about him when he was capable of making me feel this way with just a simple gesture.
"Twenty-minutes," Nathaniel promised before planting a kiss on my forehead and disappearing into his office.
Seconds later, my phone rang loudly, piercing through the quiet workspace, and all eyes slid towards me.
"Sorry," I mumbled to everyone in embarrassment as I shuffled towards the elevator to answer the call.
"Stella, you have the worst fucking timing ever."
"Where the hell are you guys? I'm at Nate's place, and you guys aren't here." Stella whined, ignoring what I said.
I rolled my eyes as I stepped off the elevator into the lobby and quickly scurried outside before any more eyes pierced my soul.
"We're at Creed Industries, he had a meeting, and he wouldn't let me stay alone hence why I'm here too."
"That's perfect!" Stella cheered happily.
I winced and pulled the phone away from my ear before she popped my ear-drum with her high-pitched voice.
"—you, Nate, Carter, Gabrielle, Theo, and me go out for lunch when you guys are done?"
"I don't know, I'll have to ask Nathaniel; you know he doesn't like being out in public," I mumbled, enjoying the warm California breeze flowing through my dress.
"Great. Reservation is set for 12:00 PM, don't be late, bye love you!"
"Wait, Stella—"
She immediately hung up before I could protest, knowing I'd find some way to get out of her plans like I always do.
I sighed heavily and raked a hand through my hair, already dreading the lunch. Every time I went out with Stella, something terrible always happened, and I didn't want to jinx the good luck that fell into my lap recently, but I knew she wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Anastazi," a familiar voice growled from behind me, making my eyes widen slightly.
I slowly turned around, expecting Nathaniel to scold me for not remembering how he wanted to keep tabs on me at all times, but he was already walking back in the direction of his reserved parking spot, expecting me to follow as if nothing happened.
The deal must've gone sour for him to not have been angry with me, but I knew better than to question him when it pertains to business.
"Stella made reservations for lunch in a few minutes," I mumbled quietly as soon as we were settled in the car.
Nathaniel pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as if he had plans already.
"We don't have to stay long—"
"It's fine," he snapped irritably, loosening out his tie as he peeled out of the busy parking lot.
I glanced over at him, recognizing his behavior from when I first started working for him, and those seeds of doubt that I've tried so hard to ignore sprouted again.
The silence between us was deafening, and as much as I wanted to leave him alone and let him fume in peace, I didn't want him shutting me out anymore, not after everything we've been through.
"Did something happen?" I finally asked, turning my head slightly to look at him.
Nathaniel's grip on the steering wheel tightened, making his knuckles turn white, but he continued staring straight at the road without giving me so much as a nod.
My heart sunk at his silence, but I didn't bother trying to pry an answer out of him like I normally would. If he wanted to act like the old Nathaniel again because something didn't go his way, I wasn't going to stop him.
I tucked my hands under my thighs and stared out the window, wishing Stella picked a restaurant closer to us so I wouldn't have to stay in this stifling car with him any longer than I had to.
"You left," Nathaniel's rough voice pierced through the silence like a bullet.
I continued staring out the window giving him the same silent treatment he gave me.
"Anastazi."
"Oh, are you talking to me now?" I snapped back in a bored tone.
I didn't need to look at him to know he was running his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Don't do that," he sighed.
"Don't do what, Nathaniel? You expect me to have something to say to you just because you're ready to stop ignoring me now?"
"You left," he repeated again as if I didn't hear him the first time.
I rolled my eyes and turned my attention towards him. "I left to take a call because I didn't want to disrupt your employees from getting your work done but let's not act like I'm the reason you're angry when in fact, it's because the deal you were brokering didn't work out."
His nostrils flared, confirming my suspicions, and a small smile stretched across my face, satisfied with being right. Thirty minutes later, we finally made it to the restaurant of Stella's choosing, and just as I was getting ready to open the door and leave, Nathaniel gripped my wrist to stop me.
"What?" I snapped, snatching my arm out of his grasp and turning to face him.
He sighed heavily and dragged a hand down his face before leaning forward and peering up at me through his long lashes. "I'm sorry."
I was tired of accepting his apologies just for him to go back on his word and make me regret forgiving him in the first place.
"Okay."
Nathaniel muttered something in Italian under his breath as he reached out and brushed my lips with the pad of his thumb.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness anyway," he murmured to himself.
"Let's just get this lunch over with," I mumbled, rushing out of the car before I got caught up in the moment and did something I'd regret.
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