hand before he can start the car. He turns his head to look at me, his hard grey eyes lingering on mine before falling. Locking my fingers around his, I sigh and he looks away, swallowing heavily. “Nolan, look at me.”
“I look like shit, Bunny.” He gives me a dry smile.
“Yeah . . . you do,” I agree with a teasing grin, “but I understand. I’m sorry for your loss, but you know you can talk to me about anything. That’s what I’m here for.”
“There’s not much to talk about, Natalie.” He pulls his hand away to reach up and place his fingers behind my ear. My skin tingles from his touch and his gaze that’s focused on mine. “Thank you for coming. Sorry if I’m acting a little . . . off.” He places a quick kiss on my lips then pulls away to crank the car.
My immediate reaction would be to speak but I’m stuck. I can’t. I don’t know what to say. Instead of talking, I let the ride carry on silently. He doesn’t seem to mind it, but I do. It’s most likely a girl thing but I want to talk about it. He shouldn’t be bottling his emotions up. I know Nolan and if he feels a certain way he’ll tell me. But this time is completely different. He isn’t saying anything at all.
I should have gotten a dozen kisses and his hold should have never left from around me at that airport until another few minutes but I have to understand. I have to put myself into his shoes.
I just hope this behavior doesn’t last for very long.
****
The home we arrive at is a cute brick home with black shutters and a large porch with four wooden rocking chairs on it. The grass is surprisingly green and the few oak trees in the yard hover above the house like towers.
Nolan hops out of the car quickly and hurries for the trunk and I get out, but my movements are cautious.
Pulling out his key, Nolan unlocks the front door and as soon as I step in I absorb the homey feel of it. Black leather couches are against the north and east wall. A flat-screen television is sitting on the TV stand and a dark-brown coffee table is centered between it all. I can’t help but stare at the half-empty bottle of vodka on the table. I look from it to Nolan who has just sighed.
“Wanna see my room?” he asks.
“Sure.”
I follow him down the hall to the last room on the left. He swings his door open and I smile because it’s the kind of room I would expect someone like Nolan to sleep in. His walls aren’t painted but he has a large bed, a small flat-screen television on his dresser, a corner desk piled up with books, and loads of clothes sitting in the corner. It’s simple, just like him.
“Excuse the mess. I tried to clean but . . . well I just gave up on it,” he murmurs. “I hate cleaning.”
I smile at him as he drops my bags in the corner then steps towards me again. My breath hitches as he pulls me against him, staring solely at my mouth. I pull my lips in to bite on them, feeling his fingers spread across the small of my back before drifting down to my hips.
“I’ve missed you, Bunny,” he murmurs against my lips. I release the bite from my lips and he doesn’t hesitate to kiss me. A moan catches in my throat from the plushness. Oh, how I’ve missed his lips against mine. “I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you . . . it’s just been awful,” he breathes. He kisses my neck and I nod, catching a grip of his shirt.
“I understand.”
Groaning, his lips find their way to mine again and he begins to back me up towards his bed. The back of my legs press against the edge and we fall slowly, but his hands never leave from my body. He kisses a trail from my neck to my collarbone. Rigid breaths tumble out of me as he reaches his hands beneath my tank top to pull my shirt over my head. I allow him to do so freely. I’ve wanted this for so long and I know he has as well.
He unbuttons my jeans and I undo his. Slowly, he tugs my jeans away from my hips. His lips work their way from my navel to my