“Calm down. Wearing a trench in the floor isn’t going to make her ready any sooner,” Aaron pointed out from where he was sprawled on the sofa.
Meg rolled her eyes and stopped pacing. “We’re supposed to be at the restaurant in twenty minutes.”
“Aunt Caro is always late. It’ll be fine. If they somehow make it there before us, they’ll get a table. Relax.” He tipped his head back and closed his eyes.
Meg stared at him. He was usually the one yelling up the stairs for her and Emily to get a move on. Usually impatient and ready to walk out the door without them. She shook her head and sat on the chair across from him, leaning back with a sigh.
She rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension. Everything was good, except she hadn’t been able to connect with Nathan all week. Other than texting. While she understood he was busy with work and the time difference royally screwed them, she couldn’t help but feel disappointment. And not a little doubt. She tried to shove that aside, she really did, but if the first week they were making a go of this they couldn’t even manage a phone call, it didn’t bode well for the long term. Though, the voicemail she’d woken up to had certainly helped.
Hello, love. I just wanted to hear your voice. I guess I’ll have to make do with the recording. This week... Well, fuck this week. It’s going to be better, I promise. I’d give anything to see your gorgeous smile, right now. Soon, though. Sleep well, darling girl.
She’d probably listened to that damned message a dozen times through the day. Desperate for some reassurance as her texts went unanswered and her calls went straight to voicemail. She was proud of herself, though, because she wasn’t obsessing. Much. Though, she was worried that something was wrong. Maybe with his sister. Meg knew his mother and Maddie had returned to London, and she hoped everything was all right.
The doorbell sounded, and Meg sat up with a jolt. She glanced at Aaron who hadn’t moved so much as a muscle. Footsteps thundered down the stairs.
“I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it!” Emily called, racing for the front door.
“We were meeting them at the restaurant, right?” Meg asked, pushing to her feet.
“Yep,” Aaron answered, eyes still closed.
She crossed the room and stuttered to stop. Nathan. It was Nathan. Standing just inside the foyer with Emily, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“Nathan?” Meg whispered.
“Hello, love.”
She stared, unable to move for the shock of it. Her mind, though, oh, her mind was racing, putting it all together. Emily taking so long, Aaron relaxed and uncaring, Emily running for the door...
“You knew,” Meg gasped. “You knew he was coming.”
Emily pressed her lips together and nodded. “He was late, though, so I had to stall.”
Nathan lifted a shoulder. “Connecting flight was delayed.”
“He kept texting me updates,” she said brightly. “I thought he’d never get here. Or I’d have to tell you and ruin the surprise.”
Meg shook her head. “You have her number?”
Another slight shrug. “She managed to track me down. Very resourceful, your daughter, and determined.”
“I see. And you’re here for—” She didn’t know how to finish that, what she was asking, really.
“For as long as you’ll have me,” he finished for her. “You asked me if I’m serious about us and making this work. This is my answer. I’m here for as long as you’ll have me, love.”
A flush swept through her entire body, her skin tingling under the intensity of his gaze. He was here. Here. For her. Her lips curved.
“There is it,” he murmured “That gorgeous smile.”
She took a step then, in a blur, the distance between them disappeared, and she was in his arms. Pressed against him, face buried in his neck breathing in his scent.
“I missed you,” she said against his warm skin, clinging to him, only vaguely aware of Emily’s delighted giggles.
“Missed you, too,” he murmured, smoothing his palms up and down her back, finally settling on her hips.
She drew back slightly and wet her lips. “We’re supposed to meet Caro and her family for dinner and—”
“And we’re meeting them in an hour,” Emily said quickly. “I texted Aunt Caro when I knew Nathan was here. We just shifted things. She’s excited to meet him.”
“Of course she is,” Meg said dryly. “Did everyone know about this?”
“Pretty much.” Emily grinned. “Surprise!”
Laughing, Meg stepped back, and, grabbing Nathan’s hand, she tugged him toward the living room. “Well, come on in.”
As they entered the room, Emily on their heels, Aaron rose. While he wasn’t vibrating with excitement like his sister, a smile brightened his face.
“Aaron,” Nathan greeted, holding his hand out.
Her son grasped it and nodded. “Nathan. Glad you finally made it.”
They stared at each other a moment before letting go then Aaron cleared his throat. “Let’s give them a few minutes, Em.”
She looked ready to protest but allowed her brother to pull her out of the room and down the hall toward the kitchen.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Meg whispered.
Nathan lifted his free hand and cupped her face. “Couldn’t get here fast enough.”
“You could have told me,” she said, but then laughed. “Though that wouldn’t have made Emily as happy as orchestrating all of this.”
He chuckled, dragging his thumb over her cheek. She tilted her head into the touch with a low moan.
“Are you...are you really here for good?”
“Yes.”
“And your job? Your family?” she asked worriedly. “They’re all right with this?”
“This is what I want. To be with you, to have a life with you. They have no choice but to accept it,” he said firmly. “My mum is quite looking forward to meeting you, and the kids. If you haven’t already made plans, maybe we could go over Christmas.”
Her face heated, and her heart thumped wildly as she stared up at him. “God, this is really happening.”
He frowned slightly. “Unless you don’t want this to happen.”
“No! I do. I really do. I just...” She drew in a deep breath, held it a moment then released it. “I didn’t expect so much.”
“What do you mean?”
“I never thought you’d give up so much to be with me,” she admitted. “That you’d do this for me... I don’t know what to say.”
“Oh, love.” He brushed his thumb over her mouth. “I’m not doing this for you. Or rather just for you. I’m doing it for us. I’m not giving up anything; I’m gaining everything.”
She blinked, vision blurring as tears threatened.
“And, I still have a job,” he added. “I can do what I do from anywhere. I’ll have to conference at weird times and travel often—probably more often than either of us will like—but it’ll be worth it, because I’ll always get to come back here, to you.”
“Well, that’s just not fair,” she said with a watery laugh. “Coming here like this—sweet talking and noble.”
“Never claimed to play fair. Especially, when going after what I want.”
Her stomach clenched hotly, and it took her a few tries before she could speak.
“Um, where are you staying? Did you get a hotel room or are you planning on...” She trailed off, face heating. He’d come in empty handed. Likely, he’d already gotten a room. And that shouldn’t be as disappointing as it was—all that mattered was he was here.
“I rented a car and came here straight from the airport. But I’m not making any assumptions, Meg. It’s your call,” he said firmly. “In this, you’re one hundred percent in charge, love. I understand it’s...” he glanced toward the hallway, “complicated. Having me here with your kids, that’s a big deal, and I completely understand. I’m perfectly fine staying at a hotel, for now, and will start looking for a place of my own, soon enough, if that’s how it needs to be. So, yes, your call.”
Meg thought about it—for a fraction of a second. “Go and get your bags.”
Nathan grinned, that bright grin that made her tummy flip every freaking time. Untangling their fingers, he brought his other hand up so her face was cradled between both hands. Lowering his head, he caught her lower lip between his, sucking gently before settling his mouth atop hers completely. Meg’s knees buckled, and, gasping into the kiss, she grabbed his arms to stay upright.
“Fuck, if we were alone...” he murmured, drawing back, thumbs skimming over her cheekbones. “Be right back.”
After another quick, hard kiss, he released her and walked out. Meg lifted her hand to her mouth and just stood there, staring at nothing. He was here. He’d come here...for her. For them. Oh, God. She pressed her other hand to her stomach and drew in a deep breath, hoping it’d calm her.
It didn’t.
“He left?”
Meg dropped her hands to her sides and turned to see Emily coming into the room hesitantly. She shook her head as her daughter approached.
“He just went to get his bags.”
“He’s staying here, then,” Emily said happily and threw her arms around Meg, squeezing her tight.
She laughed, trying to stay upright and hug back at the same time. “So, you called him, huh?”
“You were sad,” Emily said simply as she stepped back as the sound of the front door closing reached them. “And, now, you’re not.”
“What exactly did you say?” Meg asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Our conversations are between Nathan and me. Right, Nathan?” She looked to where the man in question stood, suitcase resting beside him.
“Absolutely.” He winked.
Meg sighed. “It’s bad enough I have them—the children I carried for month and months and birthed quite painfully into this world—ganging up against me constantly, now you’re joining in?”
She sighed dramatically, even though inside she was a mass of fucking goo to see a connection already formed between Nathan and her daughter.
“Come on.” She crossed the room, gesturing for him to follow him. “I’ll show you where you can put your stuff. I’m sure after that long-ass flight, you want to clean up before we go to dinner.”
“Lead the way, love.”
She didn’t say anything as they climbed the stairs. Her steps faltered in the hallway just outside one of the bedrooms. The door was open, and it was clearly a guest room—even to someone who’d never been in the house, the bare walls and sparse furnishings gave it away. She looked at Nathan and found him watching her with brow quirked up in question. Clearing her throat, she continued to the closed door at the end of the hallway.
“Meg,” he said softly as she twisted the knob and pushed the door open. “I can stay in the guest room if that’s more comfortable for you.”
“No.” She smiled over her shoulder and stepped inside. “I’m not pretending. Not even for my kids. They’re adults, and, please, they know we slept together in London. And,” she turned and faced him, “it’s silly for you to keep your things in another room when we both know full well which bed you’ll be sleeping in.”
He set his suitcase near the foot of the bed and, taking a step toward her, grabbed her arm and yanked her to him. Her breath whooshed out, and she tipped her head to meet his gaze. The intensity staring back at her sent a shiver through her body, and she pressed more fully against him as his hands found her hips.
“Bed’s going to see more than sleeping,” he promised, fingers digging deliciously into her curves.
Before she could formulate an answer in her Nathan-scrambled brain, he reclaimed her mouth. No teasing, no hesitation. His taste stormed her senses as his tongue twined around hers, dominating and demanding. When he dragged a hand up her body, palm sliding over her belly, between her breasts to her throat, she whimpered, fisting the front of his coat.
His fingers molding to her skin, pressing just right, just where she needed them, Nathan answered with a rumbling groan that had her pussy clenching, aching to be filled.
Meg nearly cried out in protest when he broke the kiss and lifted his head.
“Where is it?”
His harsh, graveled voice washed over her, brought goosebumps to the surface of every inch of her body. His blue eyes, darkened and lust-blown, were fixed on her, and she struggled to figure out exactly what he was asking her.
“W-what?”
She wet her lips, then pressed her legs together when his lips curved. Not a humorous smile or the vibrant grin she loved. No, it was that dark, knowing twist of his mouth when he knew...just knew he owned her, and he was about to show her how completely.
He slid the hand on her neck around until the tips of his fingers grazed her nape and pressed his thumb against the hollow of her collarbone. Oh. Oh. Her breath quickened, and her vision blurred.
“In...in the...” She swallowed audibly, swaying toward him, fingers aching from the grip she still had on his coat. “In the dresser.”
“Get it.”
“Okay.” She nodded, letting him go and moving to slip past him.
His hand tightened on her neck. “What was that, love?”
“Yes, Sir,” she amended quickly, stomach fluttering wildly.
“Better,” he whispered as he released her and stepped back.
She crossed the room on shaky legs and pulled open the top drawer, withdrawing the flat black box. When she lifted her head, she startled at Nathan’s reflection in the dresser’s large mirror. He shifted even closer, his front hot and solid against her back. His arms circled her as he reached around and opened the box. Meg’s breath caught at the sight of the necklace—as mesmerized by it as she’d been the first time she’d seen it. Maybe even more so, because she knew what was coming, fully understood what this meant for them, what she was agreeing to.
The silver knotted chain was no longer a symbol of something temporary or a reminder of what she’d lost, but a promise—on both of their parts—and a visible sign of whom Meg belonged to.
Nathan bent his head slightly and dragged his lips over her temple as he held her gaze in the mirror. He grasped the ends of the necklace—her collar—and brought it up to her throat. When it was clasped, when it was locked in place, where it belonged, Meg nearly wept in relief. How could she have thought to walk away from this without a fight? It was worth fighting for. Worth everything. Dizziness flooded her, and she grabbed the edge of the dresser.
“Breathe.” His arms slid around her torso, and he flattened one palm between her breasts and the other just below where the collar rested.
Eyes wide, she blew out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding before drawing in deeply.
“Good girl.” His fingers danced along the silver chain. “What does this mean?”
“I’m yours.”
He hummed then brought his hand up farther, covering the necklace, pushing against it so it pressed into her skin.
“You do not take this off, again,” he bit out. “Not without permission. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Sir,” she sighed, leaning back heavily.
“You are mine.” He nudged her feet apart with one of his before shoving a knee between her legs. Dropping his head, he sucked a kiss on the side of her neck, just above the collar.
Meg shifted her hips so her pussy ground against his hard thigh. Nathan’s answering chuckle tickled her damp skin.
“Not now,” he admonished, straightening. Though, he left his leg right where it was nestled against her. “Tonight, I’ll remind you.” He flexed his fingers, drawing a ragged moan from her. “I’ll remind exactly what it means to belong to me.”
* * * * *
Nathan stood next to the bed, the taste of Meg’s arousal still heavy on his tongue and clinging to his lips, and surveyed his handiwork.
Meg writhed on the mattress, arms above her head, her slender wrists bound to the headboard with thick black rope. Her moans, low and muffled through her panties—the ones he’d dragged off her and shoved in her mouth just before she screamed through her first release—danced on the air. Her pale skin flushed and damp as she canted her hips, desperate already to come, again. Her face was wet and messy with makeup-stained tears.
Fucking gorgeous.
He trailed his finger over the curve of her breast then lazily circled the tight crown. She arched into the touch.
“So beautiful,” he murmured. “What should I do with you? Maybe I’ll fuck you, now.”
A shudder wracked her body, and her eyes rolled back.
“Sink into that snug cunt...” He hummed, bringing his knee up onto the mattress, leaning over her. “Been dreaming of that, but maybe not. Maybe I’ll take your mouth first. You’d love that, wouldn’t you? To take me so deep you’d be gagging on it. Or maybe...”
He ran his hand down her body, over her quivering stomach to glide through her dripping pussy. Fingers drenched, he continued until he pressed against the tight furl between her cheeks.
“Just maybe, I’ll take your arse.” He chuckled when she tried to push into the teasing touch. Reaching up with his other hand, he yanked the damp fabric from her mouth.
“Yes, please,” she gasped as soon as she was able.
“Which one?” he asked, swirling his finger, spreading her juices, working them into her skin.
“Any of them, all of them,” she cried. “Just please... I need you.”
“You’ve got me,” he assured, withdrawing his hand, making her sob in protest.
“Please, fuck me. Anywhere. Just need you. In me.”
Laughing darkly, he shifted, straddling her then bending forward until their breaths mingled. “We’ll get to that...eventually.”
“Damn you,” she muttered.
“First, I’ve something I need to say. Something I need you to hear.” He brought his hand to her neck, dragged his thumb along the silver chain. “I’ve admitted it to my family, to your daughter, to Jack, for fuck’s sake, but I’ve yet to say it to you. The one who actually matters.” He kissed her, a chaste, tender brush of lips.
“Nathan,” she breathed.
“I love you, Meg,” he said simply, pulling back so he could see her face. “I love you so much. I can’t imagine not being with you.”
Her eyes filled, tears spilling over, but her entire face lit up with a shaky grin. “I love you,” she whispered. “I loved you before leaving London, and I wish I’d said it then, before I...” Her voice broke.
“Shhh.” He smoothed the hair back from her face and rested his forehead against hers. “No regrets or what ifs. We’re here together. That’s what matters.”
She nodded then drew in a deep breath, wiggling beneath him. The movement rubbed against his cock, bringing his focus back to the other matter at hand. She smiled knowingly, squirming some more.
“I’d really like it if you’d get the rest of your clothes off and follow through on the promised fucking.” She licked her lips then added, “Please?”
He straightened and moved to kneel between her legs, eyes locked on hers. “A bit demanding, aren’t we? Forgetting who’s in charge, already?”
“No.” She shook her head, flush high on her cheeks. “You are—always—because I’m yours.”
“Damn straight.” He slid three fingers into her, slow and steady.
She clenched around his stroking digits, turning her head to muffle her cries against her arm.
“Ah, ah, none of that. House is ours tonight, love. Scream for me.”
“Don’t know...” She gasped. “How I feel that you made arrangements...oh, God...for them to be gone so we could...have loud sex. Oh, fuck, oh, fuck!”
“Well...” He widened his knees, so he was better balanced and able to skim his palm up her torso while continuing to fingerfuck her relentlessly. “I certainly didn’t say anything to them about sex—loud or otherwise.”
“Please, Nathan. I need you inside me. Fucking me.”
“Patience, love,” he crooned, wrapping his fingers firmly around her throat, the links of her collar biting into his palm, grounding him. “So desperate to have your holes filled, to have me so fucking deep inside you. First, I want to feel you come for me again. You don’t even have to ask this time. I’m telling you”
“Please,” she breathed, shifting so she pressed into the hold he had on her neck.
“Oh, we’ll get to the fucking, darling girl.”
He flexed his fingers and grinned when her cunt spasmed in response.
“Eventually.”