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his hand moves another inch up the bare skin of my thigh .
i widen my eyes at him but he does n't react .
`` that 's right .
we 'll all be living at pierce 's house- '' `` our house , '' pierce corrects my mom with a smile .
`` our house , in potomac .
it 's got tons of space , beautiful views of the river .
it 'll be wonderful to have the summer to bond with each other , and really become a family . ''
nate 's hand moves another inch up my leg .
i can feel the rough , calloused skin of his palm .
i 've never been so turned on in my life , but i 'm struggling against it .
what is he thinking ?
we 're at dinner with our parents !
`` i know you have some stuff at the old house , but we 'll have it moved to the new one .
everything will be all set up when you get home , '' my mom says , smiling at me .
`` mmm , '' i reply , trying to focus on her words .
`` i was n't that attached to the old place anyway , '' i add with a shrug .
we 'd moved a couple times after my dad left , so no one place has ever felt like home .
nate 's hand moves another inch up my thigh , pushing up the hem of my dress so his fingers rest under it .
my whole body is tingling .
holy hell , i can barely breathe .
i 'm shocked pierce and my mom do n't seem to notice that anything 's happening .
with his other hand , nate takes a calm sip from his champagne flute .
where 's the waitress ?
he 'll have to move his hand when the food comes .
he moves his hand up another inch .
i ca n't take it any longer-another second and i 'm going to start moaning .
as my mom moves her head to pierce 's ear to murmur sweet nothings , i slide my fork off the table and press it tongs-first into the top of nate 's hand .
i hear him make a sharp intake of breath and then his mouth twitches as he tries to hold position through the pain .
i press down harder .
suddenly he yanks his hand away and i just manage to stop my hand in time so the fork does n't hit my leg .
he turns to me and smiles , a wicked glimmer in his eyes .
he was fucking with me , i realize .
that 's his way of taking revenge for me showing him up in front of his dad ?
what a goddamn creep !
i lean toward him with a fake smile plastered on my face .
`` if you 're that pissed about it , bring it up with your dad , do n't take it out on me .
i did try to turn it down . ''
i hiss into his ear .
he turns to me with an equally fake smile .
`` i 'll do whatever the hell i like , sis . ''
he says quietly so our parents ca n't hear .
the rest of the meal passes without nate making another fake pass at me .
the gears in my brain begin to move as i think about how i 'm going to be spending the entire summer , and potentially many other seasons , living with this guy .
my life has been completely upended tonight , and i need some time to process everything .
after the waitress clears our coffee cups and pierce takes care of the bill with a black amex card , we stand up to say goodbye .
they 're going to drive back to maryland tonight since it takes under three hours .
i hug pierce goodbye , then my mom .
`` i know this was a lot to take in , honey .
we 'll talk everything over , i promise , '' she whispers reassuringly , then kisses me on the cheek .
i smile at her and begin to tear up-i 'm pretty overwhelmed .
nate surprises me by leaning in for a hug as our parents look on with a smile .
`` great to meet you , '' he says , then whispers almost silently in my ear , `` sorry , we 'll never get a chance to have that threesome , sis . ''
i freeze as he pats my back once and then breaks away .
he remembered .
and now he will always know how attracted i am to him .
i have a feeling i 'm never going to hear the end of it .
chapter five `` i do n't mean to question the relationship , it was just so sudden , '' i explain to my mom as she drives me home from the airport .
i usually never fly to or from college , but pierce insisted .
my biggest worry was that nate and i might be on the same flight , but luckily his exams ended earlier than mine .
i want as much time as possible to prepare myself for our interactions .
`` no , i get it , i really do , '' my mom assures me .
`` you can ask me anything about pierce , or me and pierce , and i wo n't be upset . ''
`` he treats you well ? ''
`` he 's wonderful .
he 's always surprising me with little gifts , trips , even .
i do n't know what i 've done to deserve him . ''
`` well , i think you 're pretty great . ''
i offer dramatically .
`` oh , i did n't mean it like that !
i just mean , pierce treats me like a princess .
and the house is basically a castle , '' she adds , pointing to her right .
i gasp at the flagstone mansion we 're pulling alongside .
`` shut up .
that 's his house ! ?
it 's huge ! ''
`` i know , right ? ''
my mom replies with a laugh .
`` it has maid 's quarters !
but you 'll get used to it , really . ''
`` there 's a maid ? ''
`` he used to have a housekeeper/maid who would cook for him , but now i do most of that stuff .
i love having someone else to cook for again .
the maid just comes once a week now to do a really thorough cleaning , '' she explains as we pull through the wrought-iron gates leading the driveway .
`` are you still working at the salon ? ''
she used to support herself as a manicurist at the tiny salon back in our small town in eastern maryland .
`` nope , not anymore .
i 'm volunteering , though , and thinking of joining some charitable boards , '' she says nonchalantly .
my mom , a lady who lunches , i think , shaking my head .
i do n't know if i can see it .
my mom presses a button on the car 's dashboard and one of the two garage doors opens .
we pull inside and i look around at the huge space as the door closes behind us .
if i 'm this in shock about the size of the garage , i ca n't imagine how i 'll feel about the rest of the place .
after the tour , which took over an hour because the house is so massive , my mom finally leads me to my room .
my head is swimming at the lavishness of my new home .
as we walk down the plushly carpeted hallway , i 'm alarmed to realize that i can actually smell nate .
he must be nearby somewhere .
i 've been dreading seeing him again and hoped i 'd have more time to settle in before our first confrontation .
`` here 's nate 's room , '' my mom says as we pass a partially open door .
`` he 's out somewhere right now . ''
i shake my head at myself .