Birthright

“Gold brick.” Nate snickers. “Right.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Never, my love.” He presses his lips together, clearly trying not to laugh. “It’s a really nice place. I’m surprised to see a gated drive. Is the gate always open?”

“Yes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it closed, actually.”

“Then what’s the point of having one?”

I don’t reply. I can’t help but wonder if closing the gate might have kept Janna away. I look at the house and wonder what it looks like to him. The front porch is cluttered with lumpy white cloths, concealing the furniture. I remember sitting out on the porch swing, drinking lemonade with Aunt Ginny on hot summer days, and wonder if the house looks as lonely to Nate as it feels to me.

I park around the other side of the gazebo and turn off the car.

“You asked if I forgive you, and I do. If I couldn’t, you wouldn’t be here now, but I do want to be perfectly clear on one point.”

“What’s that?”

“That I’m not going to forget it.” I turn sideways in my seat to face him. “If you ever even hint at laying a hand on me, we’re through. Permanently. I don’t care about the consequences.”

“I understand that.” I see his throat bob as he swallows. “It won’t happen again, Cherry. I swear, I’ll never do anything like that again.”

“Good.” I give him one last look before we head into the house.

Once we’re inside, I shiver and rush over to the thermostat to turn the heat back on. The past few days had been warm, and I hadn’t needed it.

“It’s very quiet in here,” Nate whispers as he looks around.

“You get used to being in an o

ld house after a while,” I say. “It makes a lot of noises at night. It used to scare me when I was little.”

“That’s all the antiques talking.” Nate looks around at the furniture.

“Well, that was Aunt Ginny’s business.”

“It wasn’t though, was it? You were raised by Sofia Ramsay. That much we know to be true. She didn’t run an antique store until after she took Virginia Bay’s place.”

“I guess she learned,” I say with a shrug. “She certainly sounded like she knew what she was talking about.”

Nate makes a subtle remark about food, and I grin before making us peanut butter sandwiches. I even manage to eat about half of mine, but Nate quickly becomes quiet, staring at me intently.

“Are you okay?” I ask. I thought he would get a kick out of the sandwich, but maybe I should have at least ordered some carry-out from the diner.

“Cherry…I don’t know if I can hold back any more.”

“Hold back?” I look into his eyes and suddenly understand exactly what he means. “My bedroom is upstairs.”

It’s tempting to hold back and take it slowly, but neither of us wants to delay, and our clothing is quickly strewn over my bedroom floor. He runs his hands all over my skin as our lips press together. He enters me without hesitation, and his groan nearly makes me come when I hear it.

“Needed this…so much…”

I can’t reply. My mind and body have only one focus, and forming words just isn’t on my priority list. The tension is already built, and it’s all I can do to hold off for a few minutes as I feel our bodies merge into one.

I’ve missed this so much—missed him so much—and now that I have him once more, I know I never want to be parted again. I lace my fingers in his hair and wrap my legs around his hips as if I could keep him with me forever if I just hold on tight enough.

“I love you,” Nate whispers against my neck. “I thought…I thought I’d never be with you again.”

“Love…you…” I manage to mutter, then cry out. “Oh, God! Nate!”