I didn’t expect Nathan to be so bold, saying that straightforwardly. I decided to mess with him and grinned, “What if things get too hot between us? Do you have a fire extinguisher


    ready?”


    Nathan burst outughing, then turned and headed into the guest room. A momentter, he came back holding up a square box, teasing, “Is this what you told me to buy?”


    My mind practically exploded, and I shot him a re, my face burning red. “I didn’t ask you to buy it. That was all you.”


    “Alright, it was me. I wanted to buy it,” Nathan said, moving in closer, his tall figure crowding me. I sidestepped, pressing myself against the wall, but he just leaned in even more, boxing me in.


    “Victoria, will you be my girlfriend?” Nathan’s voice was low and full of longing. “I’ll do whatever you say. If you don’t want to get married, we can just keep dating.


    “And if one day you want a family, I’ll make sure you have the most beautiful home.”


    “Is there no other way for us except being a couple?” I asked, my emotions swirling, but I forced myself to stay rational.


    Since I couldn’t give Nathan a definite answer, I knew I had to set things straight from the very beginning. That way, neither of us would have to feel any pressure.


    Nathan’s gaze faltered, and when he looked down at me, there was a trace of unease in his eyes. I gently pushed him away, crossed my arms, and walked over to the floor–to–ceiling


    window.


    In that bossdy tone of mine, I said, “Nathan, I don’t want to be your girlfriend. I just want


    to spend the nights with you. When morninges, we go back to our own lives.”


    Nathan’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “You want me to be your lover? The kind that has to


    stay in the shadows?”


    I turned to look at him. “I just don’t want to put too much of myself into love anymore. Sorry, but if you’re not okay with this, I won’t push you.”


    08:43 Fri, 22 AU


    38


    “Victoria, you know I can’t say no to you,” Nathan said, his voice tinged with bitterness as he stepped behind me, wrapping his long arms around me. “Whatever you want, I’ll go along


    with it.”


    “Don’t say yes right away. Make sure this is really what you want–don’t do it just for me,” I said, sounding a little cold and distant. Maybe I seemed heartless, but this was the only way things could work between us.


    wasn’t after a man’s money. What I wanted was to learn how they made it, to leverage their power and connections for myself. But I didn’t want their feelings.


    Love just made women lose their heads. Nathan’s great, and he was good for what I needed, but if he wanted my heart, that was just not happening.


    “What’s there to think about? Victoria, I understand how you feel. You’re afraid of falling too deep, right? Don’t worry, I’m not like Jared. I won’t make thingsplicated for you,”


    Nathan murmured.


    His voice was husky as he pressed a possessive kiss to the nape of my neck. His lips left a trail of heat on my skin, and his arms tightened around me, pulling me closer.


    My mind went nk, and my body felt weak, like all the strength had just drained out of <ol><li>me. </li></ol>


    Nathan seemed to sense that I couldn’t stand on my own anymore, so he bent down, scooped me up in his arms, and gently láid me on the big bed next to us.


    His strong arms braced above me as he gazed down, eyes burning with both passion and longing. He leaned in, starting with a hungry, restrained kiss that soon gave way to a deep,


    unrestrained one.


    I realized just how fit he was–his abs were rock–hard and perfectly defined, and when my


    hand brushed over them, they felt amazing, solid and strong.


    Guess it’s true that the best guys looked slim in clothes but were all muscle underneath. I never expected Nathan to be this ripped, and for a moment, I let myself get a little carried


    away.