"Our first date?" I whispered in shock once he broke away.
It had totally slipped my mind that we never actually went on a date before, if we're not counting the time he asked me out. Butterflies erupted in my stomach at the mere thought of him taking the time out to remember that even though he's been extremely busy these past few days.
Nathaniel smirked but remained silent as he unbuckled my seat belt and slid out of the car, making his way to my side. I grabbed his outstretched hand, thinking he was going to lead us inside the beautiful beach house, but instead, he took us around the back towards the beach, and just before my feet touched the sand, I stopped, letting his hand go in the process.
"Wait."
Nathaniel turned around patiently and tilted his head to the side.
"I don't have a change of clothes," I mumbled, staring down at the breathtaking gown I still had on.
"You don't need one," he murmured, reaching out and grabbing my hand again, leading us down the quiet beach.
"But I'm gonna mess this dress up."
"I'll buy you another one."
I opened my mouth to protest again but quickly snapped it shut as my eyes widened in shock from the scene before me. There in front of us was a trail of lamps placed on either side of the sand, leaving a pathway in the middle that led to a beautiful wooden canopy that had string lights wrapped around all four legs with cream curtains draped around each side except the opening with the view of the ocean that was a few feet away. Placed inside the canopy itself was a huge Modloft Worth King Bed with a small drawer positioned right beside it that most likely held changes of clothes.
Tears pricked my eyes once realization hit me. "This is the reason you left before the ball and why you were late coming back, isn't it?" I whispered, looking up at him.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he nodded slowly and continued leading us down the brightly lit path to the canopy, where he began taking off his shoes before turning around to face me. I tried to follow his lead and take my shoes off as well, but before I could bend down to do so, Nathaniel was already on his knee, unbuckling the straps, freeing my aching feet.
His hand trailed up my leg as he stood back up and scooped me in his arms in one motion, turning around to place me on the huge bed in front of us, making sure to cage me in with his muscular arms positioned on either side of my head.
"God, you're so beautiful," he murmured, gazing down at me in admiration. His usually gelled hair was loose now, falling in his face, and I found myself running my fingers through his locs so I could look up into his crystal eyes.
"Thank you," I breathed, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer until our lips locked.
Nathaniel groaned lowly into my mouth as his hand caressed my exposed thigh, sending shivers shooting up my spine. My core pounded with anticipation, longing to be touched, but his hand never shifted an inch out of place as our tongues hungrily explored each other mouths.
A loud moan escaped my lips as he began making love to my fevered skin at the base of my throat, and I tilted my head to the side, giving him better access as he continued leaving a trail of marks down my neck.
"Anastazi," his voice was low and guttural, snapping me out of my daze.
"Yes?" I breathed, trying not to squeeze my thighs together to relieve the pressure building up.
Nathaniel dipped his head and captured my lips again for a fraction of a second before breaking away to continue.
"Have you ever gone skinny dipping?" He asked to my complete and utter surprise.
Never in a million years did I think I'd hear those words come out of his mouth. The Nathaniel I knew was always serious about work and had no time to play around doing childish things such as skinny dipping.
"No," I finally whispered once I realized he was being serious.
"Would you like to?"
My eyebrows shot up in surprise, and when I opened my mouth to tell him no, he was already on the edge of the bed in the process of unbuttoning his dress shirt. My eyes hungrily roamed his dark tattooed back that glistened under the dim light surrounding the canopy as he slowly slipped his shirt off, and I wanted nothing more than to run my hands down his soft skin. Moments later, he stood up, unbuckling his slacks, and slid his pants off before turning around to face me again. My eyes naturally flickered down to the prominent bulge straining against his boxers, and it took everything in me not to press my thighs together, knowing it'd only ignite the flame within me.
"Your turn," he growled lowly as he crawled back on the bed with a predatory look on his face.
"Nathaniel, we can't," I managed to choke out as he caged me in with his arms again, his mouthwatering scent sending my head spinning.
"Why not?" He murmured, pressing his warm lips against the base of my throat.
I sucked in a deep breath as I tried to remember my fleeting thought, but all I could focus on was Nathaniel's mouth against my skin.
"People might see us," I breathed, squeezing my eyes shut.
"This is a private beach."
"How do you know?"
Nathaniel pulled back until we were gazing into each other's eyes as he said, "Because I own it."
And just like that, all my worries flew out the window. I should've known Nathaniel owned this beach the moment we stepped foot on it, considering how he hates the outdoors.
"Then get me out of this fucking dress," I growled, causing a smirk to form on his face as he got up so I could sit up on the edge of the bed.
Seconds later, Nathaniel was behind me, slowly unzipping the back of the dress until it fell and pooled around my waist, leaving me in a skimpy see-through lace bra. When I stood up, allowing the gown to drop to the floor, revealing my matching lace thong, I turned around to find Nathaniel's eyes hungrily roaming my body as if this was the first time he'd ever seen me half-naked.
"See something you like?" I whispered seductively, snapping him out of his trance.
"Come here," he ordered lowly, his voice sending shivers shooting down my spine.
But instead of doing as he said, I slowly made my way out of the canopy towards the welcoming ocean and slipped off my thong and bra in the process, leaving a trail of my garments on the sand.
I continued down the beach and into the dark ocean, loving the way the warm water felt against my skin, and it wasn't until I was almost shoulder deep when I finally felt his strong arms wrap around my body possessively and his lips against my ear.
"You're going to be the death of me," he growled as he nipped my earlobe roughly.
"Took you long enough," I breathed, suppressing the moan that threatened to escape my throat.
"Forgive me; I had to gather myself."
His hardened member twitched against my back, and it was in that moment when I realized he was completely naked as well. The calm water slapped against our skin constantly as the warm breeze flowed through the silent night. I sighed heavily, resting the back of my head against his shoulder as I stared up at the dark sky littered with beautiful stars along with the brightly lit moon.
"Beautiful," Nathaniel murmured, and I nodded my head in agreement, assuming we were talking about the view, but I could feel his gaze on my face, and a part of me wondered if we were talking about two different things.
We spent what felt like an hour soaking in the warmth of the ocean as we stood there silently enjoying each other's presence until Nathaniel thought it was a good idea to try dunking me underwater, which he couldn't bring himself to do, and eventually, my stomach growled, interrupting the moment.
"Let's go eat," he whispered without hesitation, not even waiting for me to answer as he grabbed my hand and led the way back to shore. To my surprise, there waiting on one side of the bed in the canopy were clean towels and fresh pairs of clothing, and on the other side was a wooden tray with a huge charcuterie board placed on top of it littered with different types of meats, fruits, nuts, honey, crackers and pressed Italian sandwiches, the sight alone was enough to make my mouth water.
We quickly hosed ourselves down, washing the sand off our feet before stepping into the canopy and wrapping ourselves in the warm towels waiting for us; I assumed Nathaniel had one of the housekeepers and chef stop by to give us what we needed before we came back to shore. As soon as I dried off, I dropped the towel and picked up the first article of clothing I saw, which happened to be a huge grey t-shirt that belonged to Nathaniel, and quickly slipped it on, loving the way his spicy scent enveloped my small body. Afterward, I threw my damp hair into a messy bun before crawling onto the bed, positioning myself so that the charcuterie board was in front of me as my back rested against the headboard.
"It's all for you," Nathaniel informed me as he slipped on his boxers and t-shirt before sliding on the bed and positioning himself so that he was lying on his side, facing me with one hand tucked under his head.
My eyes widened as I looked down at the food in front of me, then at him. "I can't eat all this alone."
He shrugged. "Save the rest for later."
I glared over at him, knowing he hadn't eaten anything for the day either, seeing that he was too busy planning this date and plotting against Luther. "You know you're not superman, right?" I reminded him, grabbing a grape from the tray and hovering it over his lips. "You need to eat too."
Nathaniel shook his head and gripped my wrist, stopping me from shoving the fruit in his mouth. "I'll be fine."
My eyes narrowed. "Eat, Nathaniel."
He eventually gave in, taking the grape from my hand with his teeth and chewed slowly as his sapphire eyes remained on me. "Happy?"
"Nope." I grabbed a pressed Italian sandwich and took a bite out of it before shoving it in his face for him to do the same.
"Anastazi," he sighed, gripping my wrist again. "I'm--"
"Shut up and eat it."
His eyebrows shot up.
"Please," I added sweetly, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist.
I continued going back and forth between eating and feeding him like a baby, and after a while, he stopped his useless protests allowing me to do whatever I pleased. Once I was completely satisfied, I placed the almost empty charcuterie board on the floor and turned to Nathaniel, who hadn't taken his eyes off of me since we left the car.
"Are you tired?" He asked softly, brushing the pad of his thumb along my lips, and when I shook my head, a weird expression flashed across his face as if he was hoping for another answer.
"Are you sure?"
"Do you want me to go to sleep?" I asked suspiciously, wondering why he was acting weird all of a sudden.
Nathaniel's face remained composed as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine briefly. "I'll be back," he murmured, sliding off the bed and out of the canopy, leaving me alone to wonder if this romantic night was soon coming to an end.
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