Page 57 of Long Hard Road
“It’s not for me. This is a foundational element in case I ever manage to convince some woman to move in with me.” He pointed to a row of shoe cubbies. “That will be my main selling point.”
He had to be insane if he didn’t realize that he was the main selling point. Everything about Nate screamed husband-potential. “Why did you decide to give every bedroom its own bathroom?”
“All of us kids had to share two bathrooms growing up. It was manageable, but I think it would’ve been a lot more difficult if Harper hadn’t been the only girl.” He smiled shyly at me. “Since I’m hoping to have a few little girls someday, I wanted to be prepared.”
Nate Sullivan was quite a man to have already started spoiling his daughters before they were even a possibility. And damn if I didn’t want to be the woman to give him those little girls. The woman whose shoes would fill those cubbies and who would get to fall asleep with him every night in that beautiful bedroom.
“You alright?” Nate asked, noticing that I had disappeared into fantasy land.
“Yeah. I’m great.”
“You were thinking about how good all your fancy clothes would look in this closet, weren’t you?” His look was far too knowing. How did a man that I had known for less than two weeks know how to read me so well?
“I was thinking I want to see the kitchen. Because there is no way you can top this closet.” It was a lame attempt to pretend he didn’t have me pegged.
The downstairs was even more impressive because the rooms were closer to being done. The dining room walls were painted a deep green with the lower half covered in an eggshell wainscoting. It was simple and elegant. I could easily picture a family dinner at one of Nate’s amazing dining sets underneath a classic chandelier.
The living room had a wood-burning fireplace with a mantle above it that would be perfect for hanging kids’ stockings. The large window facing the pond would be the perfect place for a Christmas tree. When I accidentally said that out loud, Nate smiled and nodded.
One of our last stops was the kitchen. It was the largest room in the house because it had another space for a table and chairs.
“For lazy Sunday breakfasts and weekday family dinners,” he said when he explained why he’d planned two spaces for eating. “The dining room would just be for special occasions.”
“These cabinets are incredible,” I said, running a hand over one of the mahogany doors. “I know people are really into white cabinets these days, but I love the rich wood look.”
“Me too.” Nate tapped a hand on one of the cabinets. “I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted so I just built them myself.”
“Is it hard to be so damn good at everything?” I asked in mild exasperation.
“Babe, you don’t even know how good I am at some things.” His eyes drifted to the large island behind me. It had the only flat surface in the room. “Being in this kitchen is making me hungry.”
“Should we go get food?”
He stepped toward me, hands gliding over my hips. “No.” Then his mouth covered mine in an urgency of heat and wetness. His tongue prodded my lips apart and slipped inside like it was claiming my mouth as its own. I could taste the lingering sweetness from the pastry we had shared from Amelia’s.
When he started backing me toward the island, his kiss turned more playful. He sucked on my lower lip and took a tiny nibble that made my core clench. His hands had slipped under my shirt and his fingers played with the waistband of my leggings.
“I want to taste you, angel.” His lips were lightly grazing mine as he spoke. “All of you.”
My eyes widened as he looked at me for permission. “Okay,” I whispered.
“I have a feeling my first feast in this kitchen will always be my favorite.” His smile was wicked as he gave me one last kiss before slowly inching down my pants. When he got them past my butt, he hoisted me onto the island. “Lay back, babe,” he said, eyes darkened by desire.
The granite countertop was cold against my skin. I kept myself propped up on my elbows because I couldn’t take my eyes off Nate as he pressed gentle kisses to my hipbone. Then he resumed removing my pants until they were tossed to the floor. He started trailing kisses up the inside of my thigh. His hand moved up my other thigh, all the way to my pink panties. His thumb stroked slowly over the fabric and he murmured softly against my thigh.
“You’re not nearly wet enough, babe.”
“Sorry,” I squeaked.
His chuckle was warm against my skin. “Don’t be sorry. I like a challenge.”
Before I knew what was happening, he yanked my underwear away and pulled my bottom to the edge of the countertop.
“Spread your legs for me, angel.” He nudged my knees with his hands. I was frozen, equally horrified and delighted by his request. Only my gynecologist had ever been up close and personal with that part of my body. What if Nate didn’t like what he was about to see?
When he saw the conflicting emotions in my eyes, he leaned over me and kissed me gently on the lips. “Get out of your head, Madison. Just enjoy this. I know I’m going to.”
I took a deep breath and nodded while letting it out slowly. Then I slowly parted my legs and Nate moved his body between them before slowly sinking to his knees. He took each leg and draped them over his shoulders, pressing more kisses to the insides of my thighs.