Chapter 31 I can drive
The sound makes the hairs on my arms prickle. I stand for a moment listening as Natte starts to sing, ‘Wicked Game’.
He sounds stunning.
On quiet feet, I walk down the hall. Rounding the corner, I pause, leaning against it, watching him.
His eyes are closed. He’s lost in the song. And he looks beautiful.
My hands are suddenly desperate to touch him. I want to smooth my fingers over his lips, his face, up into his hair. I want to kiss him so very badly in this moment.
I have a flashback to back then Natte, the Natte who sat in my parent’s living room playing the guitar for me. I remember how my tummy used to feel funny when I would listen to him play, even back then. I had no concept of those feelings, what they meant.
Love. It was love for him.
And I’m getting that very same feeling in my stomach again. But more intense now.
Natte’s eyes open, meeting straight with mine. His gaze burns into me and I feel naked to him. Like he can read my thoughts in this moment.
He doesn’t break from a note singing.
Keeping my eyes locked on his I walk toward him, my body erupting with trembles from the inside out, as Natte sings to me. Sitting down on the edge of the coffee table just across from him, I’m entranced.
And in this moment I want him.
I know it’s just because I haven’t had sex for a while, and talking to Pine on the phone just got me all horny. And I know this is what Natte does. He has this amazing ability to draw you into him the instant he opens his mouth and starts to sing. His voice is so insanely beautiful. It’s all just so natural to him. That’s why he’s so adored, loved by the world. And why women want him.
This song is stunning, and not easy to sing at all, but Natte does, and he's doing it effortlessly. In this moment I realize how lucky I am to be sitting here with him, listening to him sing like this. Most people would sell their soul to be where I am right now.
Finishing the last note, Natte smiles at me. I feel like my whole body is on fire, and my brain too.
“That was amazing,” I say, feeling a little out of breath.
He shrugs lightly, and puts his guitar down. I hate it when he dismisses himself like that.
"You always do that," I murmur, my voice sounding thicker than I intended. "Act like you aren't doing something magical."
Natte leans back, his long legs stretching out toward the table where I’m perched. "It's just a song, Shia. It's only magic because you're the one listening."
The intensity in his voice makes my heart skip. He reaches out, his fingers grazing the wood of the table near my thigh. "You look different tonight," he says softly. "Softer. Or maybe it's just the light."
"It's the music," I lie, though we both know it's more than that. I find myself leaning closer to him, I'm really drawn into his orbit. "You haven't played that one for me in years. Not since... well, since I was just a kid in Texas."
"I remember," he says, his thumb tracing a slow, absentminded circle on the table. "I remember everything about those days. Your dad teaching me chords, your mum making us lemonade while we sat on the porch. And you, always watching me with those big eyes."
I let out a soft laugh. "I was a little obsessed. I thought you were the coolest person in the world."
"And now?" he asks, his voice dropping an octave, becoming that gruff, sexy growl I hear in my dreams.
"Now," I whisper, "I think the world was never right to agree with me."
He chuckles, but it’s a nervous laugh.
He shifts closer to me, and for a second, I think he might actually reach out and pull me onto his lap.
"You're a dangerous girl, Shia," he says, his gaze dropping to my lips for a fraction of a second before snapping back to my eyes. "Always have been. You have no idea the power you have over people."
"I don't feel powerful," I admit, my heart thudding against my ribs.
He reaches out to me, my heart is about to Pop out of my chest but he just tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His touch is electric, sending a fresh wave of shivers down my spine. His fingers linger on my skin for a while.
"We're a pair, aren't we?" he says quietly. "Two friends from Texas who are far from home."
“So your parents will be at your place in the evening ?” he asks, finally breaking the spell of the silence.
“They will,” I beam, trying to ground myself.
“What time do they arrive?”
“Eight pm.”
“You want me to get someone to pick them up?”
“No,” I shake my head. “I want to meet them at the airport.”
“Do you want me to drive you?”
I'm sure we will be at Texas in the morning.
“Can you do that?”
“Drive a car? Surprisingly, yes,” he chuckles.
“Shut up, idiot,” I giggle. “What else are you planning to drive? You know what I mean.”
“I do, and of course I can.” He gives me an earnest look. “I’ll have to stay in the car while you go into the airport though.”
“Of course.” I run my fingertip over the table. “And, yes, I would love you to drive me to the airport. Thank you.”
Looking up, I meet his eye. We stare at one another for a long moment. I don't understand why when Jake stairs at me I completely lose my senses, this is what also happens when I'm with Pine. My mouth normally dries, and it's drying now too.
Running my tongue around my mouth, I say, “So I, uh, came to see if you haven’t had
dinner already, did you want to eat with me?”