Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“So, we have a little problem,” Nate says, giving me a sheepish look that’s so unlike him. “When my assistant booked the room, it was supposed to have two bedrooms, but the hotel is overbooked, and they only have a room left with one bedroom.”
“Okay…”
“Which means one bed.”
“Oh.”
My mind immediately goes to Nate and me sharing a bed. Does he wear pajamas or only boxers to bed? Maybe he sleeps in the nude. The thought of him sleeping naked causes a whole new set of questions to enter my brain. Is he—
“Boxers,” Nate says, snapping me from my thoughts.
“What?” I squeak out.
“You asked if I wore pajamas or boxers to bed,” he says with a playful smirk. “I wear boxers. Well, boxer briefs to be exact. But if you want me to sleep in the nude…”
“Oh my God,” I gasp. I must’ve spoken my thoughts out loud. Please, ground, swallow me up now.
“Paige,” Nate says, stepping closer to me, “are you okay with sharing a bed? If not, I can find another—”
“I’m okay with it,” I rush out, not wanting him to have to find another hotel.
He’s already done so much, and what’s one night in the same bed as Nate? We’re both adults.
After getting the key from the woman handling our check-in, we walk outside and over to the building next door. We haul our luggage up to the second floor and into the cutest room.
“Apparently, they consider that a couch bed,” Nate says dryly, pointing to the seat that runs along the window.
It looks comfy enough to sit on and read a book while having the gorgeous view of the outside, but it’s not something I’d want to sleep on, and seeing as Nate is a good six inches taller than me, I don’t think he’d even fit on it.
The bedroom has a large king-size bed with a dresser and a fireplace against the wall. To the left of the bed is a window that overlooks the cute courtyard outside.
I leave my bag on one side of the bed and then check out the adorable bathroom, complete with a vintage claw-foot bathtub. The entire place can’t be more than a few hundred square feet, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in character.
“This place is perfect,” I tell him because it is, and I’m so happy to be here, experiencing one of the places my mom loved with him.
“All right, good,” he says, hitting me with a boyish grin.
“Thank you for this.” I take a step toward him. “You’ve gone above and beyond.”
I wave my hand around the room to make my point, and Nate catches it, threading his fingers through mine and tugging me the rest of the way so our bodies are almost flush against one another.
“You don’t have to thank me,” he says, his eyes locking with mine.
“What you’re doing for me…” I shake my head because it’s so hard to put into words how I feel right now.
It’s been a long time since someone thought about me and put my needs first. Since the moment we met, he’s done nothing but focus on me. Even when I hear his phone vibrating, if we’re in the middle of something, he won’t check it. When I’m speaking, he listens, and I didn’t realize how much I needed that.
For so long, I’ve felt like my needs come after everyone else’s—my dad’s job, my mom’s illness, John’s career. But when I’m with Nate, I feel like I matter. Like I’m worth thinking about.
“I’m quickly learning that there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you,” he murmurs, his lips less than an inch away from mine.
While I’m trying to figure out how to respond to what he just said, he whispers, “Tell me I can kiss you,” his warm breath wrapping around me like a blanket on a cold day.
And because, once again, the only answer my brain will let me give is yes, I say just that.
With my permission verbalized, Nate closes the gap between us and brushes his lips against mine, first the bottom lip and then the top, and then he deepens the kiss, taking my breath away.
“Fuck,” he mutters against my mouth. “I was hoping it was the liquor that had you tasting so delicious last night, but it wasn’t. It’s all fucking you.”
He backs up and, keeping our fingers entwined, guides me to the door. “Let’s get out of here before I say fuck exploring Bath and spend the day exploring every inch of you instead.”
I nod in agreement, but as he closes the door, I glance at the bed, wondering if maybe staying in the room so Nate could explore me wouldn’t be the better option—especially if it meant I got to explore him too.
chapter eight
PAIGE
Nate and I spend the day exploring Bath. We visit the Roman Baths, which I haven’t been to since I was a teenager. We have lunch at a delicious Moroccan restaurant, and then we have afternoon tea at the place he reserved.