Page 98 of Fumbled Into Love

“I want to lie and say Gordie loves you, but…” she shrugs, and her lip quirks upward.

“He’s planning my demise,” I finish for her. “He only keeps me around because I give him treats and feed him outrageously expensive food.”

“That’s why I keep you around, too.” Nathalie jokes, attempting to shove my chest with her free hand.

“Is it?” I ask, voice deepening. Her breath hitches as I press against her. “No other reason?”

“I-I can’t think of any,” she chokes as I graze her ribs, millimeters away from her breasts.

I lift a shoulder.

“Well, if you think of any more reasons, I’ll be in bed.”

With that, I spin on my heel and disappear into my room.

The ball is in her court.

CHAPTER 22

“Do you catch your breath when I look at you? Are you holding back, like the way I do?”

Crush – David Archuleta

Nathalie

I’m hot on Deon’s heels as he slips into his bedroom. As I race through the threshold, I slam into a wall of muscle, colliding against Deon’s back.

“What happened in here?” he whispers.

I grimace. I meant to clean up the disaster zone before he got home, but then he was home, and I was shocked, and he trapped me between his arms, and now, here we are, surrounded by everything I own, covering Deon’s floor.

“Well…I couldn’t find an earring, so I went searching.”

“Did you find it?” He toes a pair of underwear and quirksa brow.

“Yeah.” He tilts his head. “In the kitchen.” His laugh is deep, and it vibrates to my core. “I’ll clean it up.”

I bend over and begin haphazardly shoving things back into my suitcase. My hands shake slightly as I stuff as much as I can into the empty side.

Can he tell I’m nervous?

I don’t know how to act around him anymore. I’m trying to play it cool and not give away I have feelings for him, but after the last night I spent in his bed and then the way he took care of Declan and me, I’m shaking with anxiety.

He’s sharing more and more of himself, and with every piece he gives me, a piece of my heart becomes his.

It’s bending our rules, but aftercare is part of them, and hopefully, I can fall asleep in his arms. I want that soft moment with him at least once before this ends so I know how it feels to be held by someone I care for and understand the feeling of safety within someone's arms.

Deon crouches beside me, passing a lacy purple balconette bra.

“You forgot this,” he says, eyes sparking.

“Thanks.” Deon slides a neatly folded shirt into the suitcase beside a crinkled one I shoved in with brute strength. “I’m sorry I’m so messy.”

It’s always been a fact of my life, but now I’m self-conscious about it. He’s so tidy and put together that I can’t help but notice how opposite I am.

Does he find it unattractive?

“I don’t mind it,” he admits, throat bobbing. “If it’s your mess, I don’t mind it.”

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