Page 65 of Rescuing Nathaniel

CHAPTER17

March 7th

7:00 P.M.

Somethinginside her snapped as she heard the way Nathaniel spoke about himself, and she saw the desolation in his dark eyes.

Nobody talked about the man she was falling for like that, not even himself.

Ava didn't know what came over her, but the next thing she knew, she was throwing herself at Nathaniel.

He caught her automatically, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his neck and leaned in to crush her mouth against his, kissing him before he could voice the confusion in his expression.

Now she knew why Nathaniel had been switching from interested to annoyed quicker than she could get her head around what was going on. He was insecure and worried about the differences in their childhoods. That had to be it because he’d made a point of telling her that his life hadn't been the same as hers.

Good thing that wasn't going to be an issue going forward.

She no longer lived the luxurious lifestyle she’d been indulged in as a child. If she didn't share the rent and utilities with her two best friends, she could never afford this beautiful apartment. Prey paid her well, but she wasn’t rich in her own right, and her parents had disinherited her when she refused to follow the plan for her life they’d mapped out for her. Art was her only indulgence but if she had other priorities, like building a life with someone, then she could easily be content with the collection she already had. She’d even be fine with selling it to get a down payment on a house.

Which meant nothing was standing in their way.

If that was Nathaniel’s only barrier, she was going to blast her way through it.

“What are you doing?” Nathaniel asked, his breathing ragged, eyes wide with tentative hope when they finally broke apart.

“Thought that was obvious,” she said, then brushed her lips against his again.

“You kissed me.” His voice said it like he thought there might be some sort of trick involved. It hurt her heart to know that he was that suspicious just of a woman expressing an interest in him.

Guess she was going to have to be a little clearer.

Holding onto his shoulders, she ground her center against the growing bulge in his pants. Already she could feel a steady throb pulsing between her legs, and her skin suddenly felt alive, tingling in an almost feverish manner as it craved Nathaniel’s touch in a way she never had before.

How amazing was it going to feel when he finally slid inside her if it felt this good just grinding against him with way too many layers of clothes between them.

“Ava.” His voice was tight, and his hands gripped her hips, stilling her and making a whimper tumble from her lips.

“Yeah?”

“We can't do this.”

She stilled. Can't do this because he didn't want her the same way she wanted him, or because he was still hung up on this idea he had that they were incompatible because they’d had different childhoods?

The reason mattered a lot. One meant there was no problem at all, the other meant she had to respect his boundaries and give up on the idea of there ever being something between the two of them.

“Why?”

“Because we’re too different.” There was infinite sadness in those few words, a weariness that told her he’d been carrying the burden of his childhood on his shoulders for far too long.

“But you want me?” she asked, a hint of her own vulnerabilities showing. Just because she’d chosen to find her own way in life and forge her own path didn't exclude her from sometimes doubting herself and her worth. Didn't everybody feel insecure at times? It was part of being human, but she wasn't going to allow those vulnerabilities to stop her from reaching out and taking hold of what could be the best thing to ever happen to her.

“Of course I do, who wouldn't want a woman like you? Beautiful, intelligent, adorable, sweet, strong, brave. Aves, you're perfect.”

What he didn't say she heard anyway.

Too perfect.

In his mind anyway, certainly not in reality.

---