“Engaged?” I repeated dumbfoundedly. I could understand his ego wanting me to seduce him. However, getting betrothed for the wrong reasons was a bit too much, even for a narcissist. “Are you mocking me?”
Nathan’s touch grew softer around my cheeks. “No. Why? Why do you think that?” he spoke tenderly. “I don’t mind being engaged to you.”
The trapped tears left in my eyes rolled down my cheeks. “Thank you for not giving them my location, but that is one awful reason to get engaged. My heart is already in shambles. There is not much I can give you, and I don’t want it to get used again. Why? Uh, why do you want to marry me? I thought you hated me.”
“Sh! Don’t cry.” Nathan traced his thumb over my lower lip and wiped my tears with his bare hands. “We may live in different worlds, but we have similar stories. A painful death can hug us at any time. We are innocent and suffering at the hands of something we didn’t create. Nothing is certain in our lives, and each day is a battle with ourselves and the world.”
I got so lost in the meaning of his words that I momentarily forgot whose mouth it was coming from. Was there goodness way deep down in Nathaniel Sinclair’s black heart?
I found a strange comfort in his eyes and warm touch. No one had been that nice to me since John’s arrest. “I don’t know what to say. You know how I feel. Is this why you want to get engaged to me? I thought you weren’t attracted to me and only wanted to see if I could make you feel something for me.”
Nathan’s hands slid to my waist, and he winked at me. “Well, can you? An engagement can benefit us both. You’ll stay safe here with me. Nothing and no one can go past the security we have here. And I can give love a first chance. Think of it like an agreement. By the end, if we both develop feelings for each other, we can get married.”
Even though I wasn’t sure how that would work out, I liked the sound of it. He had the chance to be cruel to me, yet he chose peace. How a person treats you during your hardships speaks volumes about them. My first love, John, had left me to suffer in an unforgiving world. And now, I had found kindness in an unexpected place.
Mrs. Sinclair was trying so hard to help her son. She would be glad to hear that all he needed was the companionship of someone going through a similar problem to him.
“Thank you. I accept your offer wholeheartedly.” My eyes welled up with tears of immense gratitude.
“I am glad.” A wide grin adorned Nathan’s face. “Now, are you going to cry over everything?”
“Yes!” I nodded, smiling through my tears. Nathan wouldn’t be saying that if he knew how bad my situation was. He had two considerate parents and an army of servants to look after him, whereas I had no one.
Nathan was about to say something when my phone rang. The gangster had called a few minutes later as it was agreed upon. He answered the call and put it on speaker again.
“Tell me where she is. You have exactly ten seconds to speak before I write your name on my hit list,” the gangster started with an aggressive threat as usual.
“Alright. I better get started then,” began Nathan in a fidgety voice. “Go fuck yourself, you moron! If you don’t watch your tongue around me, I will do the same to you.” Nathan ended the call and switched off my phone. “I hope you don’t mind if we keep it like this for a while?”
“No, not at all,” I replied, dazed by his bravery. I could never imagine swearing at someone from the underworld, and I couldn’t believe I was feeling a connection to the devil. Frank needed to see this side of Nathan and give him a new nickname accordingly.
“I am keeping my end of the deal, so I expect to see a snippet of what you will do to keep yours.” Nathan put his hand on my ear and whispered. “News flash, rejection can only make me want something for a while. So, I hope for something much better when you feel okay.”
“I think I am feeling good enough to start from now,” I said, grabbing Nathan’s face.
“What do you have in mind?” His flirty eyes expressed interest in a lot more than words.
Without thinking, I pressed my lips against Nathan’s and gave him a hard closed mouth smooch. The kiss ended with a smacking sound of our joined mouths. Oh my! I had kissed Nathan Sinclair without seeking his verbal consent first. I could have misread his expression. Honestly, I was terrified but also turned on by the feel of his velvet soft lips. I wouldn’t mind to steal another taste of them.
“I am so sorry. I should have asked before doing that,” I apologized.
Nathan wiped his lips with a straight expression. Was he disgusted or unimpressed? My breath must be awful, or my lips were too dry. “Hm. I don’t see a future in our engagement. Is this the best you can do?”
I sighed in relief. At least Nathan didn’t mind me kissing him so soon. “Of course not. I can do a lot better. I held back because I didn’t know I had your permission.”
He licked his lips suggestively. “Permission granted. You can do whatever you want with my mouth. My body, however, is off-limits for now. And I will rate you for whatever you do next.”
That was a lot of pressure for our first open-mouthed kiss, but it was also hot as hell. Nathan was attractive, so it wouldn’t be hard to put some real feelings into a kiss. I licked my lips, cracked my knuckles, and went straight for my first test, fully charged and prepared.