Page 86 of The Fool

“Nathaniel,” I return, still with my eyes closed.

“Open your eyes, Summers,” he orders, reiterating his words by leaning down and pulling at my hand so my whole body is now facing his. I automatically begin to pull at my dress to try and hide the sluttiness of it. “Stop fidgeting, Beatrice.”

I look up to find him smiling and looking smug, but damn, he looks amazing.

“Is there any chance you missed me telling a room full of strangers how I feel about you?” I whisper.

His face turns more serious as he slowly shakes his head. With his intense eyes looking straight into mine, the people around us blur into nothing, and for a few wonderful moments, it’s just me and him.

“But I still want to hear you say it to me,” he says, stroking my cheek with his fingertips. “Tell me, Beatrice, please.”

“Nate,” I whisper, breathing out slowly again, “Nate…”

I take another deep breath, then take both of his cheeks inside of my hands. We stare at each other for a moment or two before I kiss him on his soft lips. He reciprocates and wraps his arms around me, giving me the courage to say what I need to and to trust again.

“I’m stupidly in love with you, Nate.” He smiles with his whole face lighting up, and it sends electricity ricocheting up my spine.

“I love you, Miss Summers.”

Chapter 28

Bea

Mere moments later, after having declared our love for one another, Nate smuggles me away to a secluded spot. His kiss is intoxicating, his heat addictive, and the way my dress keeps slipping down my boobs and up to my panties, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up going the whole way. The fact that the wedding party is literally around the corner from us, including my brother and parents, doesn’t even cross my mind; I’m too turned on to even think about where the hell I am.

“Need…you…” Nate murmurs between kisses. His open mouth travels across my skin, massaging it with his tongue. I emit an excited giggle over his desperation, though it is one that I am sharing with him too.

“Carter,” Ben growls from behind us, “molesting my sister, are we?”

Nate and I freeze on the spot, staring into each other’s eyes with shock, and a pinch of amusement over being caught out. Eventually, my boyfriend steps back, adjusts himself as discretely as possible, and turns to face the man who has repeatedly threatened his life. He smiles sheepishly while I give Ben a look that warns him to behave himself. Lord knows I’ve had to see him molesting Leah on countless occasions.

“Not molesting, no, just showing her how much I love her,” he says, then pauses for a moment or two. “Her and her body. I believe I’ve actually heard you showing your love in a similar way.”

I hold my breath, waiting for the moment when Ben loses his temper over Nate being so cocky. To my surprise, however, my brother merely quirks up the side of his mouth into a smile, then kicks a chair out opposite to the one he’s just occupied. Nate looks at me before taking the offering, as if seeing if I think it’s a legitimate olive branch. I shrug my shoulders, not entirely convinced myself. With a heavy sigh, Nate takes hold of my hand and leads us over to the table and chairs and takes a seat with my brother.

“Congrats, Bea, your speech was officially puke-worthy,” Ben teases, to which I give him the finger for good measure. “I think it made me feel as uncomfortable as the groom.”

“You noticed that?” I sigh.

“What are you not telling us, sis?” he asks, now looking as serious as he did when he first caught Nate and me getting frisky. However, now Nate is also staring at me with a questioning frown. In fact, he looks just as constipated as Ben does.

“I will tell you if you promise not to lose it like an unevolved ape,” I level with him, looking at Nate too. They actually glance at one another before nodding. “Dean came to see me in the city, just days before the wedding.”

“What?!” Nate gasps, looking like his own inner ape is about to come out.

“Go on,” Ben says over him, though his inner ape isn’t far behind; I can tell.

“He told me he didn’t want me to come, that he still thought about me…still loves me,” I admit with a strange feeling of guilt.

“But he’s just married your sister?” Nate growls, positively foaming at the mouth.

Ben says nothing, just continues to stare at me with an expression that says he’s still thinking about how to react. With each passing second of us looking at one another, with so many words remaining left unsaid, his face turns tenser, harder, angrier. A second or two later, he jumps up from his chair, sending it flying backward, and begins to stomp in the direction of the wedding party.

“Where the hell are you going?” I whisper shout, pulling rather pathetically at his huge arm.

“I’m gonna kill him!” he growls. “Emma and I may not have the relationship that you and I have, but she needs to know her new husband has just married her while still being in love with her sister.”

“You can’t go in there and blurt it all out in front of everyone!” I argue. “Nate, please talk some sense into him.”

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