| Isabella |

The sun was warm on my skin and I relished in it for a long moment before peeling my eyes open. The room was full of blazing, late-August morning light. My white curtains danced in a breeze coming from a cracked window in my bedroom, the furniture and art work were all a glow with the golden rays. But most of all, the sun was not the only thing heating my body, another person was pressed against me too.

His breaths were slow and steady, even in his sleep he seemed controlled. One arm was draped over my body, I look over to see him on his side, his hair a bit of a mess. I bite my lip, thinking back to last night and how it had escalated. I couldn't believe it had happened but it had and I wouldn't ever take it back. In short, I suppose, it had been completely mind-blowing.

I had been with other guys, yes. But, and I know it's very cliché of me to think, I had never been with a guy like that before. Nathan did something to me . . . something I didn't have words to explain.

I turn under his arm so that I am facing him, and I study his features for a moment, enjoying that I could look at him without his knowledge. His face looked tense, yet somewhat relaxed in his sleep, and I wondered what time he'd fallen asleep last night. After our first time, we'd laid in my bed, giggling and talking about little things. Then, several rounds later, I'd finally fallen asleep, both my mind and my body completely spent. I thought he must have fallen asleep too, but I wasn't sure.

I wanted to reach out and touch him, but I wasn't sure how he'd react to that. I wanted him to be awake when I tested that boundary.

He shifts suddenly, his breath increasing quickly as he woke up. He stirs, and I feel his body stretch along mine as his eyes opened slowly. He looked dazed at first, confused at where he was but then he smirked.

"Morning." he grumbles, his voice raspier than I though it could be. I try not to giggle at him.

"Hi." I sigh quietly and he stretches, his legs detangling from my own. I suddenly realized we were both still naked, and the thought made me feel fluttery.

"How'd you sleep?" he asks and I smile lazily.

"Well." I answer. "What about you?"

"I slept alright." he mumbles, stretching again, clearly still trying to wake up fully. His hands run down over my body, and I am surprised when he pulls me in closer, leaning down to kiss me gently. I reveled in it, not used to this new side of Nathan that I had discovered. I kiss down his neck, and he sighs as I run my hands over him too. I felt him pressed against me suddenly and wondered if I would get another round this morning.

I ran my hands down his back, then over his chest, resting them there, but he was quick to grab my hands and press them away from him. He pins them above my head, looking down at me and for a small moment I thought he looked angry.

"What?" I ask, a little breathless. He relaxed again.

"Sorry." he murmurs, leaning down over me to kiss my chest, but offering no other explanation for his odd behavior, and even though I thought nothing of it, I noticed he held on to my wrists when he pinned me down, not my hands.

"What time is it?" he asks and I roll over, breaking away from his grip, looking at my alarm clock. "Nine."

"Ah damn it." he groans. "I've got to go to work."

"Me too." I mumble unhappily. "But . . . I could call in sick and you could too, you're the boss of everything after all." I point out and he chuckles.

"I wish, but I've got a meeting with some investors at eleven." he tells me and I roll back over, smiling sadly at him. "Can I shower here?"

"Yeah." I say, still groggy and tired from the night before. Not only that, but when I stretched, my body was sore. I closed my eyes when I moved my legs, they were aching terribly.

"You okay?"

I open my eyes to see his smirk and I shake my head, knowing what he was thinking.

"I'm fine, go on, shower." I mumble, reaching out to push his smooth chest and he chuckles, pulling me in toward him. He kisses me slowly, running his hands everywhere again before he finally had to get up and leave me to continue snoozing and wondering what was going on inside his mind.

_

When he left he had kissed me again, telling me he'd call or text later to set up a date and left by 10. I wished he didn't have to leave, especially because I felt closer to him, like I had been able to peak over the walls he put up.

But there was a difference between being physically close and being so close to him, I could see inside his mind. See and know everything he thought, because to really understand what ran through his mind, would mean so much to me.

Rachael had called and left a message that she was at Hunter's, as I knew she would be when the apartment sounded empty after I woke.

I got up too, going into work by 10:30, thankful my boss let me mostly make my own schedule as long as I worked 6 hours everyday for him, and then extra when he needed me to. I slugged through my day, guzzling coffee, finishing all my work and getting home by 7. I kicked off my heals, my feet sore and my body tired.

I found a note from Rachael that she'd come back, cleaned up a bit and packed new clothes to stay with Hunter a bit longer. I smiled at the note, she was spending more and more time with him. I turn the oven on, take out a frozen pizza, and put it in the oven.

I eat it, enjoying half a glass of wine and then I ran myself a bath in the large, claw-footed tub that was in my bathroom. I filled it with bubbles, then soon sank into the hot water, sighing and leaning my head back against the rim.

I felt relaxed until I heard an annoying buzzing coming from next to me on the stand that sat near to the tub. I sit up, dry my hands off with a towel and grab my phone.

"Hello." I answer lazily.

"Isabella." says Nathan's cool voice and I immediately sit up right.

"Hi." I say, suddenly more chipper than I had been before.

"How are you?" he asks and I smile, he was formal as ever.

"I'm good, just relaxing." I say casually, sitting back and wincing as the water sloshes around me. He without a doubt had heard that.

"Are you in the bath?" he asks amused and I sigh.

"Yes." I mumble and I hear him groan.

"Damn, now I want to come join you." he confesses and I giggle.

"You can if you want." I say, unsure how he'd react to that.

"I'm about to go into a meeting." he groans. "Tomorrow though, why don't you come over to my apartment and Antonio can make us dinner."

"Okay." I say, trying to contain my happiness.

"Come over around 6:30, I could send the car for you." he says and I giggle.

"That's alright, I can drive myself Nathan." I tell him matter-of-factly. "And, if what I assume is correct, this is a date right?"

There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the line.

"Yes, it is." he says gently and I nearly screamed from joy and the feeling of success that surged through me. But I contained myself.

"Okay, well then, I'll be there." I agree.

"Good, have a good night Isabella." he says and I smile at his formal attitude.

"See you." I giggle and hang up, feeling like maybe I was getting somewhere with him after all.

_

Hey Guys!

xoxo

-KearaRose