Free Enlightened by Alice Raine Page A

Yes, I stress out over you, but not because of you. I worry on a daily basis about your safety, your happiness, and your health, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.’ Clearing his throat Nathan suddenly looked embarrassed, not an expression I’d seen from him very often. ‘You’ve enlightened my life, Stella. Given me purpose. I’ll take all the stress in the world if it means I get to keep you by my side.’ Crikey. I was utterly gobsmacked. What a declaration. He might not have ever said the ‘L’ word to me out loud, but if that wasn’t a statement of love I didn’t know what was. Licking my lips I watched as Nathan raised a hand and scratched self-consciously at the back of his neck.
    His sudden outpouring of emotion was so uncharacteristic that I barely knew how to respond. Not wanting to ruin the moment by attempting to compete somehow, or respond by listing everything I loved about him, I simply leant forwards in my seat and placed my lips softly against his. ‘I love you, Nathan,’ I murmured against his lips, causing a contented humming noise to rise up his throat as his hand found my hair and slipped through the long strands, pulling me closer to his exploring tongue.
    Heat shot through me from his contact, but then before we’d barely even got started Nathan broke the kiss and leant his forehead on mine, still looking a little sheepish and apparently embarrassed by his outpouring, so I tried to lighten the mood. ‘In addition to worrying you, I’m pretty sure I also piss you off sometimes,’ I murmured through a smile as I leant back in my seat.
    Raising an eyebrow Nathan pressed a button to lower the partition. ‘Yes,’ he agreed sagely, ‘sometimes you do.’ Then turning to speak to Ryan Nathan asked him to bypass my house after getting the sandwiches before he sat back in his seat. ‘Like your stubbornness about moving in with me,’ he stated in a mock accusatory tone as he raised the privacy screen and once again isolated us in our own little bubble.
    ‘I explained my reasons,’ I murmured, but then thinking that my words might sound like a threat about his apartment I quickly added, ‘I’m sure I’ll get used to your place in time.’ I wasn’t sure of that at all – it had already been over a year and I still disliked it, and to be honest I think I’ll always associate it with his previous lifestyle, but if it calmed the moment for now then I was happy to tell a small untruth.
    Sensing the tension leave his frame as Nathan sat back I intrinsically found myself relaxing too. Puffing out the last of my anxiousness I lowered my gaze to fiddle with the seatbelt as I realised that I hadn’t belted myself in. I wasn’t focussing on Nathan, but paused in my task when he spoke again, this time in a far lower tone that echoed around the interior of the car and once again made the air seem thick, but this time with sexual tension.
    ‘Don’t bother with the belt, Stella.’ Flicking my eyes up I watched with rapt attention as Nathan slid across the car so he was sat on the bench seat opposite me. Running a hand down his suit he smoothed the flawless material before raising his dark eyes to mine, spreading his legs and adjusting himself so that his erection visibly tented his trousers. My throat suddenly felt as parched as the Sahara desert. Blimey, where had that come from? Had pissing him off caused that reaction? Because that was certainly an impressive bulge I could spy – not to mention the dark, lusty expression on his face which made the overall look quite a tempting package.
    ‘Come here.’ Two words and a heated gaze was all it took to get me completely fired up. Just those few syllables uttered in his low, domineering tone had my heart racing, cheeks flushing, and my knickers soaked – the way my body reacted so instantaneously to this man would never cease to amaze me. Letting out a slow breath I tried to calm my hammering heart and rationally consider the sensibility of