I don't know how long we spent making love in the middle of the beach or what time it was when we finally called it a night.
"Oh my god, I don't think I can move any more," I panted, collapsing on the bed beside him. My limbs were officially out of commission from exhausting all of my energy in our insane sex frenzy.
"I can," Nathaniel smirked, turning over on his side to face my flattened body.
I rolled my eyes dramatically and laughed. "You have the stamina of a fucking horse; of course you can."
"Mm, that I do," he murmured, leaning forward and locking lips with mine, but I immediately pulled back and weakly pushed him away.
"You can't do that," I groaned, feeling my core throb with excitement despite my exhaustion. "That's how things get started."
Nathaniel chuckled and flattened on his back, tucking his hands behind his head. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It is when you can't move." I shifted closer to him until my head was resting on his chest, tangling our legs together. His arm automatically wrapped around my body, pulling me closer.
"Forgive me; I'll try to be more gentle next time," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss on my forehead.
"But I don't want more gentle," I pouted sleepily, forcing my heavy eyelids to stay open.
"Whatever you say, my love."
I nodded happily and sighed, desperately wanting to close my eyes, but I didn't want this beautiful night to end.
"You're sleepy," he mumbled as he began rubbing small circles along my back.
"No," I lied, but he saw right through my horrible facade.
"Go to sleep, love; I'll be here when you wake up."
I wrapped my arm around his wide torso and snuggled my head deeper into the crook of his neck. "I'm fine."
"Anastazi." He brushed the tips of his fingers against my cheek. "Go to sleep."
"I don't want this night to end."
"Me either."
The way he those words made it seem as if he was saying goodbye, but I quickly shook the negative feeling away, wanting to enjoy these precious moments together.
"I love you," I mumbled, finally giving in to the sleep invading my body.
"And I love you," he breathed before the darkness consumed me.
* * *
The sound of light shuffling and metal clinking together pulled me out of my peaceful slumber, and pain immediately shot through the lower half of my body like a bullet, a clear indication that last night wasn't a dream.
"I didn't mean to wake you," Nathaniel's voice spoke up as I whipped the covers off my head, prying my eyes open to welcome the bright sun shining down on us.
I looked over at him and standing at the edge of the bed wearing a fresh pair of boxers holding a large tray filled with fruits, muffins, pancakes, waffles, eggs, and so much more. My eyes flickered from the tray in his hand to his muscular tatted chest, pausing to admire the view, especially the veins bulging in his arms. My eyes eventually trailed up to his face taking in his lightly stubbled dark beard, strong jaw, and piercing light blue eyes. And his dark hair was wild and tousled as if he had just gotten out of bed.
My abused and aching core throbbed violently from the mere sight of him, and suddenly, I longed to feel him inside of me again.
"Good morning, love," he murmured, snapping me out of my dirty thoughts as he climbed on the bed and waited for me to sit up before placing the tray in between us.
"Good morning," I managed to choke out, eyeing the huge long-sleeve t-shirt I just realized I was wearing.
"You were cold," Nathaniel explained casually, relieving my confusion.
I nodded slowly, moving the tray of food out of my way so I could straddle his waist and wrap my arms around his neck. Pain instantly spread through my core like a wildfire, but I gritted my teeth and plastered a small smile on my face as I gazed deep into his beautiful eyes. Nathaniel groaned lowly, sliding his hands under my shirt to grip my bare ass firmly, sending a shiver of pleasure running down my spine.
"Thank you for the shirt and breakfast," I whispered, pressing our foreheads together as I inhaled the comforting scent radiating from his skin.
"Mm, I thought you'd be hungry after last night," he mumbled, sliding his hands up and down my back soothingly.
I wanted to tell him that I was hungry, but not for food.
"Well, I am, and it looks delicious," I said instead, pulling away to sit comfortably in between his legs. I pulled the tray closer towards us and snatched up a banana nut muffin, quickly stuffing the mouthwatering pastry into my mouth.
I leaned against him and continued eating the breakfast that was prepared for me while I answered some of his questions on whether I enjoyed our first date in between bites. Occasionally I'd turn around to feed him some of the food, knowing he hadn't eaten anything for the day, and surprisingly, he happily accepted.
But despite all the laughter and joking around we did, I couldn't help but feel as if something was off. His smile didn't reach his eyes like it usually did, and he kept glancing over at his phone that was sitting on the small drawer beside the bed as if he was waiting on a call. I tried my best to shove the negative feeling aside, but after we finished breakfast and I turned around to face him completely, his face suddenly grew serious, making my stomach drop immediately.
"There's something I need to tell you," he finally spoke, running his hand through his tousled hair.
I couldn't for the life of me seem to figure out what was coming next, and the blank expression he wore did nothing to relieve my anxiety. I sat there staring back at him in silence, not being able to find my voice, and waited for him to speak again.
Nathaniel cleared his throat, jaw clenched, and nostrils flared—all terrible signs. "I have to leave," he finally informed me in a tight voice.
I squinted at him in confusion, wondering if my ears were playing tricks on me.
"What?" I finally asked.
He roughly ran fingers through his hair again, glancing over at his phone before his eyes flickered back to mine.
"I have some business I need to take care of out of town."
"Okay," I swallowed hard, already preparing myself for his answer to the question I was about to ask. "When are you leaving, and how long will you be gone?"
Nathaniel sighed heavily and reached out to pull me closer towards him, but I shied away from his touch, not wanting to be comforted; I just wanted answers.
"Anastazi," he murmured, a hint of anger in his voice.
"How long, Nathaniel?" I asked firmly, gripping the bed sheets tightly.
"Four weeks," he answered without hesitation, nearly knocking the breath out of my body.
I sat there frozen, unable to speak or move as I processed his shocking words, and when he tried to grab me again, I scooted back farther, away from his grasp. My head was spinning out of control, and I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe.
Last night wasn't just our first date; it was his way of saying goodbye.
Tears immediately sprang to my eyes at the mere thought of not being able to see him for an entire month. I had grown accustomed to being around him all the time, from seeing him at work to spending nights with him at home.
"Anastazi—" His low voice tore through my thoughts.
"When are you leaving?" I finally whispered, keeping my eyes trained on the sheets, not daring to look up.
"Tomorrow."
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded, choosing my next words carefully. "Is it because of her?"
I knew his mother's death date was nearing, and Carter warned me that he had a tendency to disappear around this time to mourn alone.
"No," Nathaniel snapped viciously, and when I raised my head to look up at him, his jaw was clenched tightly and chest rising and falling rapidly, clearly irritated that I would think him leaving had anything to do with his mother.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to..." I cleared my throat, trying to get rid of the rising lump, wondering why my vision was suddenly becoming so blurry. "Carter told me that you—I just thought maybe it had something to do with..."
"Fuck, come here, love," Nathaniel murmured, interrupting my scattered thoughts as he reached out and scooped me in his arms, placing me on his lap with my head pressed against his warm chest.
"I didn't mean to snap at you like that," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around my body and tucking my head under his chin. "I know you were only trying to look out for me, and I appreciate that tremendously, but this trip has nothing to do with her," Nathaniel informed me gently.
"I'll probably be too busy to even..." He paused, searching for the right word. "...celebrate her."
"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling a pang of guilt stab my chest.
"Don't be," He murmured, pressing his lips against my hair briefly.
"Why do you have to be gone for so long?"
He shrugged. "Business."
"Can I come with you?" I asked hopefully, turning around and positioning my legs on either side of him to look him properly in the eyes.
A hint of regret flickered across his face, subtly giving me the answer I was looking for. I nodded slowly with my jaw clenched, and I didn't realize I was crying until Nathaniel cupped my face and brushed the pad of his thumbs under my eyes, drying the tears.
"I need you to run Creed Industries while I'm gone," he whispered casually, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist.
My eyes widened in complete and utter surprise, searching his face for any sign of a joke. Carter was qualified enough to run Creed Industries while Nathaniel was gone seeing that he owned a part of the company, so it made no sense for him to appoint me as the acting CEO.
"You're joking, right?" I half sniffled, half laughed, waiting for him to tell the truth.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he gazed down at me in adoration. "I'm not."
"But Carter is more than qualified, and he owns part of the company."
"I know."
"So pick him."
"I want you," he breathed as his eyes flickered down to my lips, but I placed my hands on his solid pecs, leaning back slightly so he wouldn't be able to kiss me easily, not wanting him to interrupt this serious conversation.
"Nathaniel," I glared. "I'm serious."
"So am I," he murmured, tightening his arms around my waist to pull me closer and nuzzling his head into the crook of my neck.
I squealed loudly and slapped his chest when he suddenly started tickling me while placing sloppy kisses along my neck, trailing up to my jaw, cheek, nose, and forehead. He leaned forward, continuing his sloppy kisses and tickling until my back was flat against the bed with him on top of me, caging me in with his arms.
"I love you," he murmured, brushing his lips against mine, finally giving me a moment to breathe from his sudden attack.
"We were having a serious conversation," I panted heavily, a smile forming on my lips from his playfulness.
"Say it back." He demanded lowly.
I feigned ignorance, scrunching my face up in confusion. "Sorry, I missed that; what did you say again?"
A low growl resonated in the back of his throat, widening my smile.
"I love you," I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck. "And I don't want you to leave me."
"Anastazi," he groaned, watching as tears sprang to my eyes again. "Say the word, and I'll stay."
"Is this an important trip?"
"Very."
"Then I can't do that," I sighed. "Of course, I want you to stay more than anything, but your business comes first—"
"You come first, Anastazi," Nathaniel growled, gripping my chin and forcing me to look up at him. "Not some pathetic company that was handed down to me by my pitiful excuse of a father."
"Don't say that." It was my turn to snap at him. "You still worked hard to get where you are today, and I'm not going to take this opportunity away from you."
"I'll stay for you, Anastazi," he murmured again in a finalized tone, pressing his forehead against mine.
"I know you will," I whispered, knotting my fingers in his hair. "But I'm telling you to go."
He finally nodded in defeat before capturing my lips with his, and I raised my hips to meet the large bulge straining against his boxers.
"Fuck, I need you right now," Nathaniel growled, nipping at my earlobe roughly.
"Then have me."
--