Chapter 36 Within rieach
I suddenly feel a little breathless. Then when he starts to sing ‘within reach’, those hauntingly beautiful lyrics he once wrote, strumming his guitar, my heart starts to drum pure feeling in my chest.
And I feel a heavy mixture of emotions stream through me.
It is pin drop silent in here and I am spellbound to him.
I’m not the only one. Everyone in this room is eyes on Natte, and it’s in this exact moment, I truly see just the level of power he has over people.
Mostly, over me.
I’m so totally mesmerised by him.
And so totally in lust with him.
And so totally screwed.
I have my phone with me in my hand ready to make a record, but I can’t move. I can’t do anything except breathe.
Even when he finishes up the song, I’m still immobile.
And for the next half hour of the show, all I can do is watch Natte sing.
Watching as he makes every single woman in this room feel like he’s singing to her, that tonight she is the one he is taking home. She’s the one he’s going to share his bed with tonight.
And in this moment all I want, more than anything, is to be the one he chooses.
We stay backstage after the show and have some drinks with the staff. The talk is business, mostly about when the recording of the show will go out, and how they felt it went. The general consensus is everyone is really happy, but in all honesty, I’m barely listening.
Natte is entrancing tonight, more so than normal. And I’m struggling to keep my eyes off him. Something has changed since the concert. There’s an almost physical charge there, flowing out of me and heat seeking onto him like a bloody missile.
So evident and tangible I’m sure people must be able to see it. I’m kind of worried he can.
I don’t know maybe it’s always been there, but now, it’s heightened somehow for some unknown reason. So I’m keeping my distance from him, staying in the safe zone for as long as I can, until this thing, whatever it is, goes or dies down at the very least.
Because right now I want Natte.
I just need to keep repeating my pine mantra.
I love pine. I love pine. I love pine.
Natte’s still on a high from the show, all the guys are for that matter. Maybe it’s something about smaller intimate shows and the live recording for TV that buzzes them, but they are happy, buoyant, and everyone’s feeling it, including me.
But I’ve noticed that Natte seems even more pumped than the rest, and he is not ready to go back to the hotel.
I’m also feeling wired from my Natte hormones which are currently on heat, but mainly because of the serenade Natte did to me. I wonder if that’s what set me off, oh and also the accompanying two glasses of wine I’ve had all contributing to a horny shia.
Horny shiv, who wants in Natte’s pants.
All in all, not great.
Well it would be great I imagine, but it’s not going to happen.
Natte doesn’t see me like that. I know he screws any woman he deems sexy enough which is most, but to him I’m just Shiva Golden who he used to live next door to once upon a time. His newly reacquainted best friend.
Best friends, that’s what me and Natte are.
I know we have the innocent flirty banter thing going on, but that’s all it is, innocent. And of course I’m with pine.
The only man who makes me completely limp, I smile as I remember how Pine had pinned me on the wall, at first he was damn angry but a simple touch from me and he cooled down. Before he started questioning me again.
“No, I’m saying you can’t let him near you I can.”
He scowled at me some more and then muttered, “Fuck me.”
“I think we’re done here,” I announced and started to move to continue with my shower but then suddenly found myself pinned against it again by his big, hard, sculpted, exceptionally warm body with both his hands at either side of my neck, thumbs at my jaw forcing me to look up at him.
“Oh no, babe we’re not done,” he whispered in a scary voice and I fought my mouth dropping open again because he was back to freaking me out more than half a dozen times. My parents were out for a walk that's why Natte Johnson had found a chance to wake me up. I didn't realize how scary Pine could get after he saw Natte leaving my room and I succeeded in this endeavor mainly because his thumbs were there.
“Step back,” I demanded and was pretty pleased my voice didn’t tremble.
He ignored me and didn’t move. Instead, he said, “Your friend is used to buying himself a load of girls, then he buys himself more, not done, he bought himself more. And he's pissing me off. The best end to this scenario is he turns up dead if he doesn't leave you alone. I know there’s no love lost between you two and I know it still sucks for you to hear that but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
“Step back,” I repeated.
He continued to ignore me. “The best thing you could have done when Natte showed on your doorstep was close the door, close your mind to that shit. You didn’t. You strutted your ass into this bathroom naked, got his attention and, trust me, babe, you do not want Natte’s attention. And doin’ that, you made yourself visible to a lot of people you do not want to know you exist.”
“How do you know Natte was here?”
His brows shot together and the way they did made him now look scary and scarily impatient.
“Clue in, sweet Shia, I keep tabs.”