Burdened (A Burdened Novel) (17 page)

We leave the park to go to a restaurant. Scott is more into it today. He’s happy and it makes Glen happy. I’m content with that. It’s better than listening to them go back and forth about nothing.

I just can’t wait for everyone to say they are ready to go, so we can go back to my house and I can pass out against Nathan’s chest. These late-night visitors are killing me.

Dropping off Scott and Glen, back at Scott’s house, we don’t get out immediately.

“You want to go to my house tonight?”

“What? Of course.” I hadn’t thought about going to his house, but the idea sounds perfect.

“Okay, we’ll check on Scott and Glen in the AM.”

“Is my whole break going to be filled with Glen and Scott?”

“No, Tracey,” he says, starting up the car.

It’s early, maybe a little after eight. It’s a thirty-minute ride to Nathan’s house. He pulls into an out-stretched driveway with a bi
g, beautiful white and black house at its end. It is all-white with columns that sit next to the entrance of the front door. Windows galore, accented with black shutters.

It looks like it goes up three stories, lined with brick at the bottom, and aluminum siding on its way to the roof. There is a
long garage with two two-car garages in the middle and single car garage doors on the ends. Aligned on the roof of the garage are flowers, hanging beautifully from the gutters. His truck sits out front, and I smile when I see it, remembering my dream.

“You know, we could make that dream into a reality. Right now,” he suggests, letting up one of the garage doors and pulling in.

I’m intrigued. “I think you’re trying to get something started.”

“You’re probably right.” He smiles to himself.

“I’m okay with that,” I say, taking off my seatbelt and leaning over the armrest to kiss his cheek.

He turns and I kiss his lips instead. “Yes, definitely need to make that dream come true.” He grabs my chin. “But first, you need to meet my mother.”

I practically cough up a lung. “Say what?” I look over myself. I am dressed appropriately for a parent meeting. I just don’t know how I feel about meeting his mom. She might think I’m like, wrong for him or something.

“She won’t think that. If you weren’t my mate, she may, but knowing you are here for the long haul, she may love you more than she loves me.” He kisses me again.

“You think so?”

“Yes, love. Come on. We’ll go meet them, let them hug you,
then go to my truck. I have somewhere I want to take you anyway. Then we can work on that dream, excluding the horn.” I laugh at that. That damn horn messed up my dream.

I get out of the car, looking down the garage at
all
the different types of cars. Why so many?

He leads me through the garage door. We walk about a block to get to the front door. Entering the house, his mother is waiting for us on the other side. She embraces me instantly and I hug her back, surprised. She becomes emotional, but her happiness shows. I don’t do well with emotional.

His mother is beautiful, with round eyes and a slim face. A lot of Nathan’s features came from her. She’s small, like me, just shorter and very cheerful. She expresses how happy she is that her son found someone for him, and how she wants me to be comfortable.

I reassure her I will be, and then his father joins us. No emotion showing in him or his voice, although he tells me how glad he is to meet me, but I can’t tell. Nathan stands off slightly when his father steps in, and it makes me uncomfortable.

“We’ll be back later,” says Nathan, directly to his mom. He doesn’t look at his dad. “I just wanted to bring Tracey by to meet you.”

“It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Newcomb.”
I smile. I like her. She is kind and pretty. She reminds me of Nathan, in the way she speaks.

“Nice to meet you, Tracey,” his dad says, uninterested, and leaves without waiting for a response.

O-Kay, huh. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home. It’s beautiful,” I tell his mom.

“Oh honey, it’s my pleasure. Now, you both be careful. Nathan, don’t stay out too late.” She grabs his hand,
then gives me another big hug. I hug her back.

“We won’t, mom. Don’t wait up for me, okay? Get some rest. I love you.”

She replies with the same, and we leave to walk out the front door and head to his truck. Once inside, I’m reminded of when he had dropped me off. It was just days ago but seems like an eternity. “So where are we going?” I ask, for conversation sake. At this point, I really don’t care.

“You’ll see when we get there.” He turns on the radio and we drive for about ten minutes, until he pulls the truck in front of a lakefront. It’s beautiful. The water sways with the wind and splashes against the bank. It sounds amazing. Apart from the water, it is quiet, and it seems like we have the area to ourselves.

Shutting off the truck, he sits back, but only for a moment, before he reaches over, pulling me near him. I position my body so that I’m facing him. “It’s beautiful out here, Nathan.”

He looks back at me. “Mm, nah, I see something that looks better.” He moves close, kissing me deeply.

There is passion behind his kiss. I move closer so that I can give him just as much as he’s giving me. I run my hands through his hair, loving the way he sneaks his hands under my shirt to touch my skin. He pulls me as close to him as I can go, then moves against me so that I’ll lie down on the seat, as he moves to kiss my neck.

He lowers, and as he does, the buttons from my shirt pop—on their own—exposing my skin, inch by inch. His warm breath against my skin replaces the cold air. Every other kiss, I feel his tongue circle against me, before placing his lips on that same area. I grab his arms—to suppress the urge to moan out against the feeling of pleasure it provides.

I don’t want to do anything to make him stop. It feels so good. He pushes me up, towards the door of the truck, as he kisses lower, down my stomach. He makes sure he covers every inch of it, awaking my nerves and exciting me. Trailing kisses to my navel, the button of my jeans pops open and I let out a soft gasp.

“That was an accident,” he mutters, with his lips against my abdomen. He comes back up to kiss my lips.

“I’m not complaining,” I say against him.

Kissing me again, he says, “Is this better than your dream?”

“Yes, much better. Nice scenery too.” The moonlight seeps through the car just right, touching his face at all the best angels. He is beautiful.

“No, Tracey, you are.” He looks down at me and then at my opened shirt. He closes it over, without buttoning it. He starts to get up.

“No,” I say, grabbing his shoulder and sitting up with him. I straddle his lap. “Don’t stop. I’m not ready for it to be over. Let me keep dreaming.” He looks at me like I’m saying more than the words that came from me. I kiss him softly, but only once.

And then something happens—every desire I feel starts to pour from me and I dive into a seductive kiss. My kisses become deeper and more aggressive, demanding his tongue to sweep inside my mouth as mine does his.

My right hand stays on his neck and plays with the hair on the back of his head. My other plays with the helm of his shirt and the waistline of his pants, my fingertips frequently scratching lightly at his skin.

From his mouth, I move to kiss his cheek,
then it meets his earlobe for the first time. I take it in my mouth, nibbling it lightly, then sucking on it, before moving to his neck.

His breathing becomes heavy and his hands move from my back down to my butt, grasping it tight. I make out with his neck and one of his hands moves to cuff my breast. His huge hand grabs onto my right breast with just enough force, firm but not too tight, yet not too soft. His head tilts to it and he starts kissing it. My spots tingle when he removes it from my bra, taking it into his mouth,
kissing it and sucking on it lightly. Leaving it out, he moves to the other. I tilt my head back, towards the ceiling of the car, accepting the pleasure his mouth brings to my skin.

I close my eyes, moving my hands to his, as he massages, kisses, nibbles, and sucks me. I’ve never felt anything like it. I softly moan out, and as the kisses and touches start to fill with more aggression and force, my moans grow louder. I grab his head, lifting it to kiss me.

He grabs onto my waist and I mindlessly roll my body slowly against his. He moves out from the seat, and the next time I move against him, I feel nothing but hard—rock hard—and it sparks pleasure inside me. I stay pressed against it, the grind of my lower-body slowing.

He lets out a low, deep, quiet, growl-like moan against my mouth and I kiss him harder. I want more of him. Both of my hands are in his hair, pulling him harder, closer. It’s soft, like the rest of him, like his lips against mine.

I move my body to readjust myself. He’s not having it, pulling me hard against him. Hard presses against me and my body spasms. I moan loudly against his mouth and his eyes shoot open, showing that bright, ocean-blue that hypnotizes me.

He stops kissing me and pushes me towards his knees. “Stop, Tracey,” he practically whispers.

“Go, Nathan,” I whisper back, already knowing where he is going with this. “Don’t, Nathan.” Don’t stop.

“Tracey.”

I let go of an aggravated breath. “Nathan.” I really don’t want to hear it. He always has to mess up the good moments.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Well, don’t. I trust you. I
want
you. Just let me have you. I’m not going anywhere and you’re not going anywhere. Right?”

“Right.”

“Then let me have you.”

“Calm down, Tracey.” He pecks my lips,
then moves me to sit back up in the seat, putting on my seatbelt. He did that just to keep me from attacking him. He sits back up, laughing. “You want to come back here tomorrow and watch the sun set?”

“Yes.” I’ve never watched the sun set.

“There is a spot a little farther down where we can set up and lay out in front of the water.”

“I think I would enjoy that,” suddenly over my urge to attack him and make him give me what I wanted.

“Good.” He starts up the truck and says, “Fix your shirt,” as he pulls out.

We walk into his house, this time not greeted. I don’t care about a tour or remembering my way to his room. I just want to get there, I want more of him, and I want
my
desire to be fulfilled. I understand he has self-control, but I have none and I don’t see the point of waiting or whatever, because I can feel my future with him.

“You can do what?” he asks me, curiously.

“What do you mean?”

“You can feel what?” He’s peeking again.

“You know already. Why do you play with me?” I ask as he’s opening the door to his room.

“I need to hear you say it.”

“Nathan, I—” I become speechless as I walk into his room. It’s huge and everything in it is huge. The TV, desk, dresser…bed. And that’s where I’ll be going. “Nathan, I feel forever is my future with you.” I close the door behind me, find a lock, and walk over to him. Come, follow me into Neverland and fly away with me into forever, until ‘never’ no longer exists in our vocabulary.” I grab his hand. “I
can
feel my future with you.” I look him in his eyes, watching them swirl into that sandy, ocean-blue. “I can feel it just as you can feel my heart beating inside your chest.”

“Tracey, what are you saying?” He looks down at me, the light, sandy-brown swirling behind the blue.

“It is weird to have feelings for you so early after meeting you. But I can feel that I am connected and meant to be with you. I can’t fight it and I won’t. I love you. I trust you…and I want you.” He takes me by my neck, kissing me. It feels affectionate, filled with emotion.

He bends down, picking me up, and pushes me against the nearest wall. Both hands are gripping tightly under my thighs. My arms wrap around him. “Give yourself to me, Nathan. Not just a taste.”

“Tracey, I—” I cut off his words by kissing him. I don’t want to hear it.

He presses his body against me and moves his hands from my thighs to my butt. He pulls his head back, looking at me. “Nathan, I do love you.”

He takes a moment, looking away as if he is thinking. “I know.” He sets me down and walks me over to the bed. It seemed like the bed was farther away, but we make it to it quickly. He lays me down, gently, and I wrap my legs around him, pushing myself up slightly, to turn him over onto his back. I move down to kiss against his neck and he grabs my shoulders, holding me back a little without pushing me away.

I reach down to his shirt to pull it up over his head. He lets me. I throw it off to the side, not caring where it lands. I kiss him everywhere there is skin. He lets me. I let my lips run over his chest. I let my tongue get familiar with his stomach.

He grabs me by my waist and moves me under him—faster than I’ve ever seen anyone move. His eyes roll over me and my shirt comes open. The cool air chills my skin. He starts at my navel, skipping over my stomach, and lowers down to my abdomen. My jeans button pops and the zipper unzips. He kisses past the waistline of them.