She had no idea what time it was. Her watch was in the living room. She didn’t have her phone either – it was somewhere in the house, forgotten thanks to an evening spent in Nate’s warm arms. Under him, next to him, even over him once or twice, with the help of his strong hands. Every muscle in her body ached deliciously, a reminder of how frantic they’d been.
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The stars were bright. She looked up, pleased that they’d removed the gauze curtain when they finally finished their love-making, and saw Ursa Minor twinkling back at her. Then heard the crash of a wave as it rushed its way to shore.
She was never going to forget this night. Bringing the bed out here had been the best idea ever. And thanks to Lucas and his friend Griff popping over earlier in the evening, it had been pretty simple, too. Ember had raised her eyebrows at the request, but said nothing, though her knowing look as she left the house led Ally to believe she’d be facing an inquisition in the morning.
Not that she cared. It was so worth it.
She turned on her side, propping her chin on her hand as she watched Nate’s bare chest rising and falling with his slow breaths. His lips were slightly parted, his dark hair messed up by a combination of her fingers and the pillow as he slept. Her chest felt tight when she saw how beautiful he was. Beneath the moonlight his skin looked like it was sculpted from stone, the ridges of his muscles enhanced by the shadows cast by the sky above.
It didn’t get any better than this.
A loud bang reverberated from the driveway, bringing her out of her sweet reverie. Her heart went from zero to sixty in seconds, and she sat straight up, clutching the sheet to her chest. The motion-activated lights came on, shining down on her and Nate, though he was still in deep sleep.
She reached out to wake him up when she heard a voice.
“Ally?”
Her racing heart stopped dead. Ally slowly turned her head, holding her breath without realizing it, and saw Riley standing only a few feet away.
For a moment she was paralyzed, not a single muscle moving. And then, as though somebody had flicked a switch, her heart started hammering all over again. Was this what it was like to have a heart attack? Her fingers tightened around the sheet she was clutching against her chest – the same sheet that was pooled around Nate’s waist.
Around Riley’s dad’s waist.
“Riley,” she said, her voice ragged. “We weren’t expecting you home until tomorrow.”
Nate stirred against her but didn’t waken. Ally wanted to shake him until he did, but then Riley would see Ally touching her dad and… oh God, this was terrible.
“Riley, honey? Are you okay?” Ally asked. Riley began to shake her head, her face crumpling as tears welled in her eyes. Riley continued to shake her head but said nothing, her lips parting to gasp in oxygen. She lifted her hands up, her palms cupping each side of her face. The way she was staring at them with wide, horrified eyes reminded Ally of Munch’s The Scream.
“It’s okay…”
“Huh?” Nate muttered, finally opening his eyes. He slowly pushed himself up, taking a sharp mouthful of breath as he saw his daughter standing there.
“What are you doing?” Riley said, her voice soft at first. Then louder. “Oh my God, what’s happening here?” Her eyes widened further as she took in the pile of clothes pooled at the side of the bed. “Dad… Ally,” she whispered, her mouth falling open. “I’ve gotta go.” She turned on her heel and ran back the way she came – through the gate that led out to the driveway.
Nate tugged at the sheet, pulling it from Ally’s grasp, then let it go as soon as he realized what he’d done. “Shit.” He clambered over the mattress, grabbing his pants and pulling them over his naked body, and slid his feet into his shoes.
“I need to…”
“Go,” Ally whispered. Her stomach was churning. It was only thanks to the fact she hadn’t eaten anything for hours that she wasn’t bending over and vomiting. Nate ran across the wooden platform, calling Riley’s name, the nighttime swallowing his voice. Ally grabbed her own clothes, taking longer than Nate to get dressed, thanks to her cast and the fact she couldn’t run around topless.
She heard the sound of an engine, followed by the screech of wheels. By the time she’d made it across to the gate on her crutches, Nate was turning back. “She’s gone,” he said, his voice short. “I’ll follow her in my car.”
“Gone? How? Where?”
“I don’t know, Ally,” Nate said, his voice short. “I’m not a fucking mind reader.”
She blinked at the anger in his voice. Her chest felt so tight it was impossible to breathe in the lungful of air she so desperately needed. “Whose car was she in?” she asked, trying not to wince at the darkness in his eyes.
“I’ve no idea.” He shook his head again. “Christ, I can’t believe she saw that.”
Neither could Ally. Her whole body shivered at the thought. How would she have reacted if she’d seen Marnie and her dad like that as a teenager?
Pretty badly.
He reached in his pocket and pulled his phone out, frowning as he looked at the screen. “I left it on silent after my meeting,” he told her, turning it so she could see the screen.