Page 60 of Heartstruck at Dawn
“Exactly,” he whispered, our lips still touching. “And something like this, too.” He crushed his lips against mine as I caressed his soft stubble. His right hand traveled behind my neck while his other hand wandered up my thigh, higher and higher.
I grabbed his hand, and he groaned back in protest. He wanted to continue doing whatever it was he intended to do. Some other time, maybe. Not before being sure of what I wanted. But at that moment, I wanted him so badly.
I knew I needed to stop, so I convinced my lips to unlock from his.
“So that was snogging,” he said, caressing my warm, flushed cheek with the back of his fingers. “Let me know if I wasn’t thorough enough with my demonstration.”
“I do lean toward forgetfulness.” I brushed my fingers through his soft, brown waves, lightly combing them, familiarizing myself with him.
“Splendid,” he said under his breath. His lips idled near mine.
“Aren’t you going to test me on my newly acquired skill?” I asked. “I’m looking forward to acing this test.”
“Oh, God, yes.”
October 31, 2009
NATHAN LEFT AFTER“a proper snogging session”when he saw I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer from exhaustion. He took my apartment key with him and gave it to Sophie and Cecile so they could come back whenever they felt like it. All I wanted was to sleep.
I woke up a few minutes past 9:00 a.m. with a slight headache. I opened the door to the guest room just a tad and found Sophie sleeping alone in the bed. The living room and kitchen were also empty. Strange.
I poured myself a big cup of morning fuel and grabbed my cell phone to check my messages.
Tobias:Cecile’s phone is dead. She’s staying over.
That message came in at 3:47 a.m. Dammit. That was odd coming from Cecile. She was still Paul’s girlfriend. It’s one thing to go to a party and have fun in a group setting, but spending the night with Tobias? I just hoped she wasn’t too drunk or hadn’t made any decisions she would regret.
As I peered out the window, the day greeted me with ago back to bedvibe. It appeared to be chilly and gray. Running out in the cold wasn’t an option for me today. I was exhausted from last night.
I finished my coffee and took a shower. I couldn’t stop thinking about Nathan. He really had been a surprise I didn’t see coming. The only thing that worried me was the three-year relationship he had just gotten out of. But taking things slowly as he suggested would help ease that worry. I didn’t want to fall for another guy who didn’t know what he wanted.
On the other hand, I couldn’t brush off the frustration I felt with William. One second he’s all worked up and demanding things from me, asking me to cancel on Nathan to come with me to the party, and the next he’s stepping out of his apartment with two girls. Two!
And the way he walked out, with his hair all wild, the comfy clothes he probably threw on after whatever happened inside that bedroom was even more disappointing. I couldn’t even imagine how something like that would work, not that I wanted to dwell much into that image.
A stubborn, and foolish, part of my mind wanted to think of an alternative scenario. Something to explain what those two girls coming out in the wee hours of the night, looking all plump and pretty, might’ve meant.
I couldn’t come up with any options for the life of me other than:threesome parade. Ugh. I couldn’t stomach it. It was so confusing because something inside me insisted that William wasn’t that type of guy. He couldn’t be. Not the William I’ve had the opportunity to know. But the evidence was right there in front of me, and that’s what made it so grueling. It was driving me nuts.
It was best to drop the illusion, turn the page, and move on.
Mimi arrived to save the day and offered to cook breakfast for me. I accepted since Sophie was still sleeping, and I wanted her to rest.
Cecile worried me. I just wanted to know if she was okay, but I was sure she and Tobias were asleep too. Mimi said she would prepare food for everyone. That way, they could eat later when they woke up.
Nathan:Morning, Murph.
Looking at Nathan’s text made fluttering butterflies, and all these other tingling feelings materialize themselves in my stomach. How was it possible that I missed him already?
Me:Hey, you! What are you up to?
Nathan:Just woke up five minutes ago thinking about you.
Me:I was probably thinking about you too. Do you want to come down for breakfast? Mimi’s cooking all sorts of yummy things.
Nathan:I don’t know who Mimi is, but I sure want to eat whatever she’s making.
Me:You do.
