Tangled Web (17 page)

“Use your head,” Chase said, tapping his knuckles against my
head.
 

I slapped his hand away feeling completely mortified.
 
How could he treat me like this?
 

“Now,” he said, straightening his tie, “it’s time to end
this charade.
 
Let’s go back to the
office.” He made for the door.

I chuckled as he said this.
 
He lazily turned around and indicated towards the door for me to follow
him.

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” I snapped.
 
I was thankful to Nathan when he came to
stand at my side.
 
It was so much better
to know that I had his support.
 
Chase
cocked his eyebrow at me when I said that.
 
“If that’s how you’re going to treat me… like I can’t do anything
without your permission…”
 
His eyes
narrowed as I said this.
 
“I quit!”
 
I could feel Nathan and Adam both look at me
sharply as I said this.

“You stupid girl,” Chase said, shaking his head.
 
As if he was disappointed in me.
 
He brought this on.
 
Not me.
 
“I’ll box your stuff up for you.”
 

I nodded as he said this but then suddenly I realised that I
hadn’t been working long enough to collate boxes of stuff.
 
He meant the apartment.
 
My eyes filled when I realised he was kicking
me out of my home.

So this was it.
 
Nathan
or my family.
 
What the hell kind of
family did I come from?
 
People who would
just toss me aside when I do something they don’t agree with.

“Fair enough,” I choked out.
 
Chase didn’t hesitate.
 
He turned
around and walked straight out the door.
 
Like I meant nothing to him.
 
The
second the door slammed I broke.
 
I
buried my head into Nathan’s chest and let my tears escape.
 
His hand quickly came up to the back of my
head and crushed me to him.

“I’m here,” he soothed.
 
My hands immediately wrapped around him underneath the back of his
jacket.
 
As I grabbed him I could feel
his shoulders tense.
 
“You’re going to be
okay, sweetheart,” he whispered, rocking me from side to side.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Adam said, leaving the
room.
 

Nathan grasped my hand and walked me over to the conference
table on the other side of his office. “Take a seat,” he said, pulling a chair
out for me.
 

I thought he was going to join me considering I was
basically a leaking mess.
 
He
didn’t.
 
He walked to his desk and pressed
a button on the phone.
 

“Louise,” he calmly said.
 
“Have the car brought around and arrange for some boxes to be collected
from Chase Walker’s address this evening.”
 
Without hesitation he was taking charge.
 
Taking care of me.
 
“Have them
delivered to my apartment.”
 

I gaped at him when he said this. “Nathan…” I hesitated,
standing up.
 
“You shouldn’t have
to…”
 
He frowned when I said this.
 
“It’s too early.”
 
I was kind of freaking out that this was
moving too fast.

“Hush now,” he said, taking my hand and placing gentle
kisses on my knuckles.
 
He turned my hand
over and pressed a long kiss to the palm of my hand.
 
“You’re my lady and I take care of what’s
mine.”
 
I smiled at him when he said
this.
 
“Let me take care of you,” he
said, stroking my cheek.
 
“At least until
you can sort yourself out and know what you’re going to do.”
 

Everyone was so wrong about him.
 
I knew now, more than ever, that people just
saw his name.
 
They didn’t see the sweet
and gentle man behind it.
 
I was
incredibly blessed to have him.
 

“Now let me take you home and I’ll cook us a nice meal and
we can relax.”
 

I nodded in a daze as he said this.
 
Home. “I’m sorry to drag you away from work,”
I said, worrying.
 
“I know you’re busy
and everything…”
 

Nathan pressed his finger over my lips to stop my rant. “That
can wait,” he said, smiling.
 
He pressed
a quick kiss to my lips and pulled back.
 
“It’s not as important as you.”
 

As he took my hand in his I was still worried about
everything that had happened but I also knew that with Nathan at my side,
somehow, it was going to be okay.

While we were waiting for the elevator I noticed that Louise
wasn’t at her desk.
 
I suddenly wanted to
make sure she was okay.
 
Seeing my
brother in a new light I wanted to make sure that he was treating her
right.
 
I may have to put up with his
nastiness but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t leaking out on her.

My eyes wandered and latched on Adam speaking to his
assistant.
 
Nathan pulled me forward as
the elevator pinged.
 
Before the doors
closed Adam looked our way and gave us a small smile while saluting.
 
I smiled back with a small wave.

Arriving at Nathan’s home I felt completely out of
place.
 
If this had happened a few months
ago I would have gone to Sylvia.
 
I knew
out of loyalty to my mother she would have taken me in.
 
Now I don’t feel that was the case.
 
The only person I had was Nathan. Perhaps my
world had been reduced to us.

“Take your coat off and make yourself at home.”
 

I smiled at his gentle command.
 
I immediately slipped my shoes and coat off
and looked out the window at the streets below.
 
Everything still moved.
 
People
still went about their daily routines.
 
Just because my world had drastically changed, didn’t mean that everyone
else’s did.
 
Nathan’s hands wrapped
around my shoulders from behind and pressed a kiss to the side of my head.
 

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.

I looked at his reflection in the window and leaned my body
back against him.
 
I loved that I was so
much shorter than him. “Just how lucky I am to have you,” I said, gripping his
arm.
 
I leaned my head up to look at him
and he quickly leaned down to press his lips to mine.
 
He pulled back and grinned. “Come with
me.”
 

I frowned when he said this.
 

“Come on, angel,” he said, taking me by the hand.

As we entered the bathroom upstairs I eyed the shower
cubicle with longing.
 
Nathan turned the
other way and I suddenly noticed the monstrous bathtub.
 
It looked like heaven.
 
Nathan began filling the tub and pouring the
most beautiful-smelling salts into the tub.
 
I couldn’t help but wonder if it was for the last woman.
 

“I love the scent of lavender,” I said.

“I know,” he chuckled.
 
“That’s why I had Louise purchase some at the beginning of the
week.”
 
I smiled as he said this.
 
“I’ve been dying to get you in this tub,” he
said, winking over his shoulder.
 

Fuck, was there ever a moment where I didn’t want this man? “Are
you going to bathe me?” I asked cheekily.
 

He chuckled. “Not tonight,” he said, straightening up.
 
“If I get in that tub with you I’ll never let
you get out of it.”
 
He wrapped his arms
around me and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my nose.
 
“You will stay up here and relax.
 
Then when you’re ready – come downstairs and
I will feed you.”

“Thank you for spoiling me,” I whispered, smoothing his hair
back.
 

He leaned down and slowly pressed his lips to mine.
 
He pulled back stroking his nose against
mine.
 
“I’d better go before I do
something inappropriate,” he said, walking backwards away from me and winking
before he eased the door closed.

I raced out of my clothes and slipped into the tub.
 
I moaned out loud when my body dipped into
the bubbles.
 
Nathan had poured enough
bubble bath and salts in here that I was completely covered.
 
Not an inch of my skin was showing.
 
I could literally feel all the tension
dissolving from my muscles.
 
I so needed
this.
 
My problems with Chase suddenly
seemed far away.
 
Chase’s words and
actions had cut me deep but I was determined not to focus on him right now.
 
For the moment I was going to focus all of my
love and attention on Nathan.

I was no longer fooling myself over whether I loved
Nathan.
 
I was afraid to love Nathan
because of the obvious difficulties between our families but that didn’t mean I
didn’t love Nathan.
 
I couldn’t lie that
love scared me.
 
Growing up as the
youngest daughter of Andrew Johnson was no easy task.
 
Chase never doubted that he was the
favourite.
 
Andrew wanted sons to take
over from him and it was a fact that a daughter was second-best.
 
The only person who had openly declared that
they loved me since my mother left was Nathan and that scared the hell out of
me.

Family was supposed to love you but I had nothing to offer
Nathan in return for his love.
 
Just
myself.
 
I was scared that wouldn’t be
enough.
 
That wasn’t fair to Nathan.
 
He had given himself to me completely and had
also opened his home to me.
 
It was
unfair for me not to be just as open to him.
 
I owed him more than that.

I leaned over the tub to check the time on my watch and
realised I had been here for nearly an hour.
 
Nathan was probably wondering what the hell was taking so long.

After I slipped the fluffiest bathrobe ever on from the back
of the door I made my way downstairs.
 
I’m sure I looked like a wreck with my wild hair hanging in wet ringlets
and no makeup but I was too tired to make an effort.
 
If Nathan truly wanted a more permanent part
in my life this would be the side of me he would have to get used to.

The kitchen greeted me with the most delicious smells.
 
Nathan was indeed cooking just like he said
he would be.
 
I expected him to order in
and try to pass it off as his own.
 
He
must have felt me watching him.
 
He
turned around giving me one of his sexy lopsided smiles.

“I was just about to send a search party out,” he grinned,
teasing.
 

I laughed. “That tub was heavenly,” I sighed
blissfully.
 
“I didn’t want to get
out.”
 

He laughed in response, pouring me a glass of red wine.
 

I took a sip and quickly hoisted myself up onto the stool.

“Maybe I could join you next time?” he asked, taking a sip
of his wine.
 
His eyes darkened when he
said this.
 

I nodded my head blushing. “I think I’d like that,” I said,
looking down at my lap.
 
He slowly walked
around the worktop and took my hand in his.
 
I looked up at him as he brought my hand to his lips.
 

“I love you,” he whispered against my knuckles.
 

His chocolate orbs could make me melt any day of the week
but when he said those words...

I was his completely.

“I think I love you too,” I whispered.
 
His eyes widened when I said that before a
beaming smile took over his face.
 
I’d
say it a thousand times if that was the reaction I got.
 
I still felt awkward saying those words.
 
It wasn’t something I was comfortable
with.
 
“I know I’m not the easiest person
to be in a relationship with but…”
 
He
frowned at me, no doubt wondering what I was trying to say.
 
“I’ll try.
 
For you…
 
I’ll try to let you in
more,” I said, stroking his cheek.
 
He
kissed my palm in return, holding it to his face.

“That’s all I want, angel,” he whispered.
 
As he pressed his lips to mine my arms slipped
beneath the back of his shirt.
 
Just as
his tongue met mine we were interrupted by a beeping noise.
 
I pulled back looking around at the same time
Nathan opened the oven door.
 
He pulled
out the most gorgeous looking lasagne I had ever had the pleasure of
smelling.