Nathan’s eyes widened in surprise. “How do you know about that?”

I didn’t want to hide anything from him, so I laid it all out. “My ex-husband was worried I’d get taken advantage of after the divorce, so he’s been secretly looking out for me. As for those photos of you at the airport late at night… I guess it was just a coincidence.”

Nathan’s expression flickered. “Victoria, I really wasn’t trying to keep anything from you. The person I picked up was my half-sister—she came here to take part in a reality show.”

He looked a bit apologetic, almost as if he’d expected this. “She was arriving alone in the middle of the night, and Mariah was worried about her, so she asked me to pick her up.”

“Yeah, I guess I misunderstood you,” I said, feeling a weight lift off my chest. “If it was really his sister, then I had no reason to hold onto this.”

Nathan’s eyes lit up with a smile. “Were you jealous these past few days? Is that why you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder?”

“I wasn’t jealous,” I insisted, trying to sound tough.

But Nathan saw right through me. He gently wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear, “It’s my fault for not explaining everything sooner.”

I pushed him away and headed into the kitchen to boil some water. Nathan followed, watching me quietly with a deep, searching look in his eyes.

“Are you still mad?” he asked, looking a bit unsure.

“No,” I replied, resting my hands on the glass countertop and staring at the kettle as steam began to rise. But inside, I still felt restless and frustrated.

I kept telling myself that men didn’t matter to me, but honestly, I couldn’t help but let my feelings get tangled up over them.

“If you still don’t believe me, I can introduce you to my sister sometime,” Nathan said, trying to reassure me.

“I’d rather not,” I said, turning to lean against the glass counter, arms crossed over my chest as I looked at him. “I’m just not ready to meet your family right now.”

“Then what do you want me to do so you won’t be mad at me anymore?” Nathan moved in closer, like a big, needy puppy. He used his tall frame to pull me into his arms, whispering softly, “You’re making me really anxious.”

I met his gaze—there was a flicker of panic in his eyes. His voice was rough as he said, “Jared keeps trying to find a way to get back together with you. I’m scared… scared that what we have will burn out as quickly as fireworks.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him. The way he looked so lost and confused was almost innocent—kind of adorable, really. It was hard not to like him.

I reached out, tracing my finger gently along his jawline. “Nathan, I’m not here to hold you back. You’re your own person. This is an exception—if I hadn’t known why you left that night, I wouldn’t have let my mind run wild. But now that I do, I can’t just ignore it.”

Nathan turned his face, trailing soft kisses along my fingertip. He leaned in even closer, pressing his cheek firmly into my palm like a puppy craving comfort, clinging to my touch.

A warmth spread through my fingers where he’d kissed them.

The atmosphere between us grew thick with intimacy, swirling around us like mist.

I tried to pull my hand away, but Nathan caught me before I could escape, keeping my fingers pressed gently to his cheek. “Victoria, I love it when you do that.”

He might have had a few things in common with Jared, but when it came to love, he wasn’t possessive or overbearing. Nathan was gentle and innocent, with just enough danger to make him irresistible.

Honestly, he was way more fun than Jared ever was.

He was always the one wanting more, and I was the one indulging him.