“That’s what I’ll tell people when they ask. Even though I can’t think of anywhere else I want to be” She giggles into my skin. It’s like oxygen. Like taking my first full breath after a deep dive. Like stepping out of the ocean in winter and warming myself by the fire.
“I can see the headlines now. ‘Nathan West falls for owner of ancient Honda. She’s more than dazzling and spectacular. She’s extraordinary.’” I wave a hand through the air as if I’m reading the article off my ceiling.
The joke sours my mood. I don’t want to think what that stupid Fallon Mae will say about this. She twists everything I do into something awful, and I don’t want that to happen to Mina. She’s wonderful. She’s everything. She’s the light I’ve been searching for.
“No, Nathan. That’s you. You’re the one who’s extraordinary. You’re kind and give so much of yourself. You’re smart and strong and so incredibly sexy I sometimes can’t hear what you’re saying because I’m too busy staring. Me? I’m just plain Mina,” she says, still tracing her fingers across my skin, driving me fucking mad with lust.
I’d rather focus on that then the what ifs and what nows circling my head like vultures.
In one swift movement, I roll Mina onto her back, caging her with my arms. She shrieks, giggling as I lower my lips to suckle a breast.
“What are you doing?” she moans.
“There’s nothing plain about you, HM. Nothing at all.” I nip at her throat, then whisper in her ear, “I was greedy before. Now it’s time to be generous.”
Who knows how long later, Mina and I are back in the kitchen. She’s wearing one of my shirts and nothing else. It grazes her thighs and whispers of familiarity. I like it more than the dress she wore here. She finishes her wine while I sip on whiskey, the light above the sink illuminating the room. There’s something comfortable about having her here with me. In my home. The whole world asleep except for us.
Mina swirls a finger along the rim of her glass, her hips swaying as she leans against the counter. “The day we met, if someone told me I’d end up drinking wine in your kitchen at three in the morning, I’d have laughed in their face.”
I mimic her posture, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, a long line of contact between us. “Your first impression that bad?
“God yes.” She leans her head against mine. “Not only were you exceptionally rude that day, which would have been enough to put me off all by itself, but I called you that night, drunk and desperate, after accidentally hitting send on a text that never should have seen the light of day. I was stupid and you were mean. Not exactly a recipe for whatever we just did in your bedroom.”
“No, I guess it isn’t.” I press a kiss to her head, caught in the memory of that day.
The first time I saw Mina, she was giving herself a pep talk, probably pumping herself up to battle the nerves she felt before meeting her idol and a famous client, now that I think about it. Watching her made me laugh for the first time in a long time, and I got out of my car promising I’d do it more. That I’d stop being an asshole and go back to being myself.
But that didn’t happen.
Not until Mina reminded me who I really am simply by being with me.
“I’m sorry I was rude that day.” I swirl my whiskey and take a sip. “I wasn’t at my best, which is putting it lightly,” I finish with a smirk.
So much about my life has changed since then.
So much about me has changed since then.
“I got the feeling you were going through a lot and forgave you a while ago. Of course, at the time, I thought you were just another rich prick who thought he deserved more than the rest of us. But I see now that’s not who you really are. That was a mask you put on to hide behind after Blossom.”
I flinch, uncomfortable with how close she is to the truth.
There’s a second of silence, laden with anticipation. The condenser on the fridge hums to life and I drop my gaze to my fingers gripping my glass. “Maybe,” I finally manage.
“That’s okay.” Mina pats my hand, smiling gently as she straightens. “You don’t have to talk about it.”
She’s disengaging. Assuming my terse answer has something to do with her when really, it has everything to say about me. I don’t want her to know the side of me that’s weak. The side of me that not only let Blossom into my head, but then allowed her to burrow in, claws hooked deep into my psyche.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it,” I say. “It’s just…”
I don’t know how to finish that sentence.
The pause lengthens, the silence lingers.
“Not with me. I understand.” Mina drops her gaze, seeking her escape, even as she smiles again to make me feel better.
“You don’t though.”
“You could enlighten me.” Her head is cocked, her heart wide fucking open in front of me. She slides herself into my arms like she was designed to fit there.
And that’s the key that unlocks everything.
Because I’m starting to think she was designed to fit there.
With a slow sigh, I wrap my arms around her, close my eyes, and let her in. “Micah and Angela told you about Blossom. My girlfriend.”
“Oh my God.” Mina draws back, surprise lifting her brows. “Is The Prince of Darkness really going to shed light on his origin story?”
Everything in me bristles at her joke. “Do you want to hear this or not?”
“I do.” She mimes zipping her lips, then gestures for me to continue.
“So—"
“Wait, wait, wait.” Mina unzips her lips. “Time out. Pause.”
“I thought you wanted to hear this…”
“Something tells me this story shouldn’t be shared standing in the kitchen.” Taking my hand, she leads me into the living room and pushes me onto the couch, then hands me a pillow before sitting next to me, smiling expectantly.
“What’s this for?” I stare at the thing like I’ve never seen it in my life.
“You put it in your lap. And hug it. Like this.” She grabs the other pillow, crosses her legs underneath her, and wraps her arms around it. “It’s the classic posture for difficult stories.”
With a roll of my eyes, I put the pillow behind my head, throw my arm over the back of the couch, and invite Mina to cuddle in, where she belongs.
“You’re right. That’s a much better idea.” She lays down on her back, her head in my lap, staring up at me with a heartwarming grin. “Okay. Now. Hit me with this origin story.”
I trace my fingers along her features, memorizing the feel of her cheeks, her brows, the gentle upturn of her nose. My thumb drags across her bottom lip and I better start this story soon, before I’m too distracted to continue.
“I met Blossom through the foundation, which crosses all kinds of ethical lines, I know. Hear me out before you judge.”
“Who says I’m judging?”
“Everyone judges, HM. Day in, day out, we’re judging everyone we see. Just imagine if we spent half as much time working on ourselves as we do complaining about other people.”
“That’s a lovely existential point, but you’re stalling, your highness.”
