Nate by Dale Mayer

Author:Dale Mayer [Mayer, Dale]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Valley Publishing Ltd.
Published: 2024-09-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Madeline rolled over and came up against a large, warm body. Her eyelids flew open, and she realized that Nate was curled up beside her. She smiled at that, wrapped an arm around his waist, and snuggled in. When he whispered against her ear, she shifted ever-so-slightly, so she could hear him better. “Hey,” she muttered, yawning, “you’re awake.”

“I am, and I’ve been thinking about getting up and moving for the last few minutes, but a lot can be said for being curled up like this.”

“It’s cozy,” she murmured. “If we didn’t have all this shit going on in our lives, I might even consider another activity.” She felt him stiffen, and she laughed. “It’s okay. I’ll be gentle.”

At that, he gave a loud snort, then flipped them both, and she found herself suddenly on her back, staring up at him. Nate was propped on his elbows above her. “You might be gentle,” he murmured, as he nuzzled his nose against hers, “but nobody claimed I would be.”

She laughed. “You might come across as a big badass in life, but I think you’re just a big softie on the inside.” He frowned at that, making her smile even more. “See? Even the very thought of being considered a softie damages your ego. You have a certain image to uphold, after all.”

“Hey, it’s not so much about image,” he protested, “but lots of other things are going on right now, and I certainly wouldn’t want to head in that direction under these circumstances.”

“That’s why I mentioned it,” she clarified. “You have a tendency to keep yourself ever-so-slightly separated from everything else going on, and I wanted to add something happier to the mix.” He shook his head at that, but she nodded. “You absolutely do. I’m not sure why, but I suspect that it probably has something to do with that overdeveloped bloody sense of honor of yours.” The voltage of his glare deepened, making her giggle.

Immediately a smile cracked his face. “How am I supposed to glare you into submission”—he chuckled—“if you’re making me laugh?” Her own giggles got louder. He shook his head and added, “On that note, as much as I very much want to stay here in this very delightful position, I’ll get up and go put on some coffee.”

Her eyes widened, and she sat upright in shock. “You mean we have coffee, and you didn’t tell me?”

“You were too busy laughing at me,” he declared, faking his wounded dignity.

She snorted. “Yeah, well, get used to it. I want a lot of laughter in my life. It seems there hasn’t been a whole lot of that lately, and I want laughter back.”

“That is an excellent goal to consider.” Nate sat up and shifted to the side of the bed. He rolled his shoulders and murmured, “I really could use a few days of rest.”

“Exactly.” She shook her head. “All of this has been way too much.”

“And yet,” he added, smiling at her, “you’re doing really well.”

She shrugged.

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