“Doesn’t matter. He’s a guy and therefore all other guys are possibilities of taking you. Something Nathan seems to do very well.” She said with a wink.

I felt the blush creep over my skin. “Yes, he does.”

“I wonder what happened to him.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “All I know is he used to be a federal prosecutor and that something bad happened, scaring him.”

“Oh, I know. We can Google him!”

She bounced with excitement and ran to her purse. As soon as she had her phone in her hand, she began searching for him. My hand reached out and covered the screen, causing her gaze to snap up to mine, confusion swirling in her eyes.

I stared at her. “You can do that, but don’t tell me. I tried once, but when the search came up I closed it. I want to hear it from him when he’s ready.” Caroline studied me for a few moments, and all I could do was blink back at her. “What?”

“Oh my God, you’re in love with him.”

“Is that what this feeling is?” I asked, reflecting on all the emotions that swirled around inside me.

My hand rested on my chest, right over my heart. Love? Could it really be? I’d never been in love before, not even with Andrew…in fact, the only love I had was my platonic love for Caroline and my foster family. The idea both thrilled and frightened me.

She smiled at me, her hand moving to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes, sweetie, that’s what that feeling is.”

After that, her attention was drawn back to the shiny piece of technology in her hand. I watched Caroline as she surfed for Nathan, looking for the information to quench her curiosity. I knew the moment she found what she was looking for. Her expression said it all.

As I feared, her smile of excitement fell from her face, sadness replacing it. Her hand moved to cover her mouth, her body sagging against the counter for support.

Her body language answered all my unspoken questions. Again, I felt the pang in my chest. Would I be enough to keep him with me?

I heard the sound of a key in the lock followed by the door closing; Nathan had returned.

“How’s dinner coming?” he asked, and I couldn’t help but lick my lips at the sight of him when he rounded the corner.

Nathan was sin in a suit and equally as sinful in jeans and a t-shirt. To be honest, anything or nothing on Nathan, it didn’t matter, he always looked delicious.

Caroline walked up to stand a few feet right in front of him. “I’m sorry. I Googled you. Don’t worry; I won’t say anything to anyone, even Lila. She wants to hear it from you when you’re ready,” Caroline blurted, speaking fast, and wide-eyed.

Nathan’s eyes rounded in what looked like fear and he swallowed hard. He leaned down toward her and lowered his tone. “I need to request that you please make sure you do. Only a few trusted people in the office know. I stress this because what you learned isn’t the whole story, nor wholly true, and I don’t want rumors spreading.”

“I promise. I won’t say a word. It’s not my place anyway,” she assured him.

Her reaction flared my curiosity again. In one search he’d gained her trust and devotion, a hard feat.

“Thank you, Caroline.”

The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. There was no more talk about Nathan’s past, and only a few times did Caroline bring up Andrew’s name. She did it just to watch Nathan’s reaction to it, of that I was certain. Her eyes lit up every time, and she smiled when his eyes narrowed. She’d then look to me with a knowing smile. We talked about work, the office, and Nathan’s fan club.

It was then that Nathan found out what I called his admirers; I’d never ever told him. He also vowed he would forever refer to them as “B.S.” so that we could be discreet when talking about them in the office. He also assured Caroline that he didn’t buy any of the B.S.’s BS.

When he laughed at his little joke, I couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the smile that formed. It was new. It wasn’t forced, nor a small one. I’d never seen him smile like that, and I was awestruck at the beauty of it, and the light feeling coming off Nathan at that moment. I etched it into my memory; there was a chance I would never see him like that again.

Around nine, Caroline said her goodnights and that she’d see us in the morning, promising to act normal.

I turned to him as we cleaned up the mess from dinner. “Did your phone really die?” I had to admit, I loved that we were able to spend time with someone else knowing about us. It was liberating.

He smirked and my suspicion flared up. Had he known and come anyway?

“Yes, it died after lunch.”

“How long after lunch?” I asked.

A devilish grin spread across his lips. “Sometime around when you got coffee. I was surprised to find she followed you home. I thought she would come over later.”

“Oh, God, you did read it and came over anyway?”

“Technically, I read half of it…then my phone died.”

“Unbelievable!”

“I thought it was a good idea. One of your friends should know, in case…” He trailed off. I didn’t ask him to elaborate. I’d learned that sometimes it was best to let certain things go. He would tell me in his own time.

“You couldn’t have given me a heads up? I was freaking out!”

He placed a kiss on my neck. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“How?”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh, I think I have a few tricks up my sleeves…and down my pants.”

I shook my head and chuckled. “Do you, now? I’m not sure I’m convinced of your professed prowess.”

A complete lie. He had shown me again and again his skills in the bedroom – or wall, living room, elevator, shower, just about anywhere and everywhere.

“Are you challenging my ability to make you come and come often?” he questioned in mock incredulity.

He was being playful. Just what had gotten into him that evening, I didn’t know. Maybe he had taken his meds when he was upstairs. Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to complain. I liked this side of him, a lot.

After the dishes were dry and put away, he leaned over and picked me up, tossing me over his shoulder.

I cried out in protest. “Nathan!”

“Time for bed, Number One.”

“Number One?” I questioned.