Begin Again || Nate Maloley

|| Chapter 11

When I awoke, it was dark out. I still heard a mixture of howling wind & heavy rain coming from outside. Nate's body kept me warm beneath the blanket and crisp white sheets. When I looked up, I saw that he was reading The Giver again; his other arm still around me. The sidetable lamp was glowing dimly, sometimes slightly flickering.

I took a deep breath and moved a bit, putting my leg more over his lap.

"I'm hungry," I whispered.

"I didn't give you enough?" He smirked down at me, causing me to blush.

"Shut up," I chuckled. "I can't believe we just..."

"I knew it was gonna happen." His dimples flashed.

"Oh, you did?" I rubbed his firm chest.

"Mmhmm," he took a deep breath. "After we first kissed, I just felt it. Because I knew it would be hard to stay away from you. You have no idea what you do to me, yo." He laughed to himself, shaking his head.

I took the book from him, saving his spot, and put it on the sidetable. Then I took the liberty to go ahead and straddle him, kissing his neck.

"What exactly do I do to you," I speak softly against his skin. "We have a while, in case you haven't noticed."

He breathed deeper, immediately grabbing my ass. I heard the low growl within him and my lips traveled up to his earlobe. He moaned and grabbed onto my shoulders, slowly moving me away from his neck so he could look into my eyes.

"I'm not good with words," he shrugged. "But...I don't know, Liv. You make me wanna do better. I kept gettin' confused when I'd be so angry you did something with another guy because...it's not like you're mine. But it all made sense after a minute. I was a dick at times because I didn't understand you. And I'm not sayin' I'm ready for a relationship right now but I know for a fact that I wanna see you everyday."

Between his eyes and his words, my heart sank. His eyes slowly fell from his gaze into mine and they studied my bare body like a map.

He scoffed. "Shit, I don't mind if we stay in here for a few more days, either." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, breathing me in. He rubbed up & down my back while I played in his hair.

"Sounds like a plan," I smiled.

"Mmm, but I think we need to go shower. What do you think?" He kissed my chin.

"Go start it up."

He bit his lip as he smiled and I got off of him. The view was nice as he walked into the bathroom; back muscles flexing and his ass was a masterpiece. I rolled around in the sheets, stretching and feeling so happy in my skin. I squealed to myself with my eyes closed as I heard the water turn on. I couldn't believe any of this. I went from borderline hating him and wanting him at the same time to just simply wanting him. I wanted to talk to him for hours and learn everything there was to know. His deepest secrets, his deepest fears, and his ultimate dreams.

"Water's ready," he called out from the bathroom.

I got up, wrapping my body in the sheet. I stood in the doorframe in awe. He was already in the shower with the curtain still pushed back. The hot water beat against the back of his neck as steam rose. Water dripped down his chin as he wet his hair. He looked over at me and I automatically wanted to moan...just from this view. He held his hand out to me and I dropped the sheet. I took his hand and stepped into the clawfoot bathtub, closing the curtain.

Initially, it was just us holding each other. He would kiss my forehead, my eyelids, and my lips. I would run my wet fingers over his dimples and down to his chest. I kissed the tattoos on his shoulders and chest. We looked deep into each others eyes for the untold & unspoken and realized that this moment was perfect as is. He smiled a little as he squeezed my ass.