The Truth of Never (The Never Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  "I think so," I replied.

  "Let's insist that our meal be free since we’re practically family."

  "Don't do that." I said. “She'll ban you from the diner for at least a year. In her opinion, family should pay more."

  Elisa laughed. "Oh Wendy."

  "She's amazing. Anyway, back to Peter. Are you really mad at him just because he forgot your anniversary, or is there something else you’re upset about? I’ve known you for a long time so I know that you don’t usually take things like this personally.”

  "You're right. It's not just about the anniversary. He's mad at me for something else, and this was the only fault I could find with him so I held unto it."

  "What did you do?"

  "I gave his mother some money when she visited. He's not happy about it because she keeps wasting the money we give her on things that she doesn't need, instead of using it to pay off her debts."

  "Oh."

  "He's right, but I don't have the best relationship with her. So it’s hard for me to say no when she asks because I don’t want to give her yet another reason to dislike me. I’ll speak to him about it when he gets here- I can’t stand being upset for this long.”

  "Do that." I nodded, and took back my drink.

  "What about you and Nathan?” She asked. “Hope this whole marriage incident isn't affecting you guys too much."

  "Ugh!" I groaned. “Don't remind me.”

  She glanced at my hand "Where’s the wedding band?"

  "Nathan pulled it from my finger and flung it away. I haven’t even bothered to look for it."

  "He was really pissed wasn't he?"

  "You can't even begin to imagine. But, I am a bit concerned though by how quickly he’s let it go."

  "He hasn't let it go."

  "I know that. What I mean is that he’s speaking to me like normal. I thought it’d take him at least a few months to start talking to me again.”

  "Nathan is a sweetheart."

  "He is, but I wish he would be mad at me a bit longer so he can get rid of all the resentment.”

  "He doesn't resent you."

  "Maybe, but in this case, he should. I want him to, at least for a while otherwise I'll keep walking on eggshells around him, afraid that someday he’ll just explode and pour it all out on me.

  "Maybe he's actually forgiven you. He's not the only victim in this you know. You did give up a lot too by agreeing to this marriage. They're here." She said, and I instantly looked up. But I only saw Peter.

  "Oh, it’s just Peter.” She said.

  “Yeah.” I replied. “Nathan said he's going to stop by the hospital to see Elizabeth so he might be quite late."

  "How is she doing now?"

  "She’s still in the same state. I wish so much that she'd just wake up so that she can put a stop to all of this before it gets any worse. Hey Peter."

  He reached our table and lowered his head to plant a kiss on my cheeks, "How are you doing?"

  “I’m alright.”

  "Hey sweetie." He said to Elisa, but she just tilted her head towards him to receive his kiss on her cheek. She didn't even look at him.

  "Can I sit beside you?" He asked, and without a word, she moved to create some space for him. I sensed that at that moment, they wanted to say some things to each other so I got up and headed for the kitchen.

  It was quite busy when I walked in, with chefs and waitresses trying to keep up with the orders. However, Wendy and Carlie were leaning against a stainless steel counter in the corner, sipping on margaritas and digging into a slice of a cake.

  They were so engrossed in the conversation they were having that they didn't notice me until I had almost reached them.

  "Are the guys here?" Carlie asked.

  "Peter just arrived, but Nathan’s still on his way."

  "I'm hungry." She complained. “Can't we just start eating?"

  "He'll be here soon, but you can start eating if you want. I don't think he’ll mind."

  "No! That’s rude." Wendy said. "We’ll wait. Carlie could you please take a slice of cake to Elisa and Peter?"

  "Sure.” She said and left, while I took her place beside Wendy.

  "How are things between you and Nathan?" She asked.

  I picked up Carlie’s fork and dug it into the half-eaten chocolate cake. "They seem alright.”

  "Is he still mad at you?"

  "I'm not sure. He's not acting like he is."

  "Hm," She said thoughtfully. "Just take things slowly though. Soon all of this will be behind you."

  “I hope so.” I said, and raised the fork to my mouth.

  Carlie came back a few minutes later with a huge smile on her face. "Nathan’s here." She announced, and my heart did a little dance. I placed my hand on my chest in an attempt to steady it.

  "Let's go and take their order." Wendy said to Carlie. "Lenora, I’ll send Nathan over so he can have some cake with you.”

  "Okay, thank you.” I plopped the last piece of cake on the plate into my mouth, and then went to carve out another slice for Nathan. I was transferring the slice unto the plate when I glanced back and saw him heading towards me.

  First of all he had his dark rimmed glasses on, and that messed with my brain for a few seconds. He was dressed in a light blue dress shirt, tucked into black slacks but with no tie on. His sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbow and his thick dark hair was slightly windblown. I couldn’t stop staring at him.

  "Nora." He said, and the soft, sexy rasp of his voice made my toes curl. “How are you?”

  I was about to respond when he touched the side of my arm and suddenly, all the strength was drained out of it. His quick reflex was the only thing that stopped the plate from slipping out of my hand and crashing to pieces on the floor. He placed it on the counter and turned to me.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  Amused, I nodded and handed him a fork.

  He accepted it. "I thought dessert came after the main meal?"

  "We made it an appetizer since we were waiting for you.”

  "Oh, okay. Hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long." He dug into the slice, and raised a piece of cake to his lips. A little bit of frosting stuck to the corner of his mouth but before I could use my finger to wipe it away, the tip of his tongue shot out and took care of it. I was mesmerized as I watched him and at that moment, wanted more than anything to be alone with him.

  "How was your day?" He asked me, and I nodded.

  "Good. I see you're back in work mode."

  He smiled. "I've been having meetings all day. We’ll start broadcasting soon."

  I picked up his fork "I can’t wait. I love watching you on TV."

  “Really?”

  I didn't notice that he had shifted even closer to me until I looked up and realized that his chest was almost brushing against mine. I swallowed.

  "Uh, yeah. I u-used to watch you before we reconnected."

  "My program is pretty informative."

  "Sure.” I said dryly. “That was why I was watching.”

  He was amused. "So it wasn't for the content?"

  "Oh, it was." I replied, my eyes flirtatiously sweeping down his torso.

  Grinning, he slid his arm around my waist and slanted his head to press a hot, open-mouthed kiss to my neck, just over my pulse. I should have been shy, since we weren’t the only ones in the kitchen but at that moment I couldn’t have cared less. I was too busy trying to contain the wave of pleasure that was coursing through my entire body.

  I needed to get him alone, but a couple of things held me back. First of all we would ruin dinner because our friends would wonder and then eventually guess where we'd gone, and secondly, there was the fact that I was now legally married to Damian. Although my friends had been doing a pretty good job so far of ignoring it, I wasn’t quite certain of the extent to which Nathan would allow it to affect things between us.

  "Time to go back." He said, so I put my fork down and proceeded to walk in front o
f him. I was incredibly self-conscious, especially when I glanced back to see that he was watching me intently.

  We returned to the diner expecting to find everyone seated together but instead, met Wendy and Carlie seated on the stools in front of the counter. They were watching what looked to be quite a heated conversation between Elisa and Peter.

  Carlie groaned. "Ugh! This is the problem with hanging out with couples. If I had gone out on my own I would have eaten and been asleep by now."

  Wendy on the other hand was blatantly staring at Nathan and I. "Lenora, you and Nathan can go and wait in my office. I'll call you when the food comes out."

  "Oh it's fine." I said, but Nathan took my hand and led me away.

  *

  Wendy's entire office was painted a bright pink. The first thing that caught my eyes when I pushed the door open was a pink elephant in the corner, and a huge rhinestone embellished fish against the wall. I didn't have the chance to notice anything else because suddenly, Nathan's hands were on my waist. Lifting me up, he sat me down on Wendy's desk and settled his hips between my thighs.

  I'd been craving the taste of him for so long that when he slipped his tongue into my mouth, I held unto his neck and hungrily kissed him back. I’d never in my life been this yielded to or enamored by another human being, and the intimacy that we were able to share was what set me on fire. I felt at home with him, completely accepted and loved for exactly who I was. He’d taken the time to learn how to see right through me, so each time I had the privilege of being this way with him, I savored it with all of my being.

  The kiss went on for quite some time, but when he eventually drew his lips away from mine, I groaned in complaint and automatically tightened my legs around him.

  “Relax.” He said, amused. He planted a soft kiss on my cheek, and then another on my jaw, before making his way down to my collarbone. Lifting my blouse, he put his hands to fantastic use and moved them upwards to cup my breasts. I bit my lips to contain the rush of ecstasy that coursed through my veins, but then his mouth left my neck and replaced his hands underneath my blouse. It wasn’t long before I was holding unto his arms around my waist for dear life, and whimpering with pleasure.

  Suddenly, there was a sharp knock on the door.

  “Your food is here." Wendy yelled, but neither of us could answer her.

  She had to rap on the door again before I allowed myself to answer her. “We'll be right there."

  “Hope you're both having a civilized conversation, which was why I sent you here in the first place. Don't you dare desecrate my office!”

  Nathan pulled his head away and came up with a wide grin on his face. "We’re communicating just fine Wendy." He said, and I had to cover my mouth to stifle my laughter. With his eyes gazing into mine, he shifted my bra back into place and pulled down my blouse.

  "I'm sorry," he said, and tucked tendrils of escaped hair behind my ears. "I told myself that I'd wait until the annulment but I can't seem to control myself around you."

  That made me frown. "Why? You don't have to."

  "I know, but I just feel like it's the right thing to do."

  "Well the right thing for Damian to have done was not to blackmail me into it. You don't owe him anything."

  "It's not for him, it's for you. I want you to come out of this as innocently as possible. Don’t worry, it won't be long.”

  He kissed me again, but I cut it short. "I don't agree with you.”

  With his hands on my waist, he rested his forehead against mine and stared into my eyes. "I don’t completely agree with myself either, but I know that to an extent you do understand what I mean."

  "I do." I admitted.

  "So, will you help me keep my hands off you?"

  I shook my head. "I won't. You set the rules. You keep them."

  "I sincerely thought I could, but seeing you, for instance, in these trousers was more than enough to distract me.”

  "What? These pants are huge. What do you mean?"

  “They’re glued to your hips."

  "Oh."

  "Why don't you stick to wearing loose clothes for a little while?"

  "That's not going to happen. In fact, I'm going to dress in sexier clothes. Let's see how long you can keep this up."

  « CHAPTER 16 »

  Lenora

  A few minutes later, we joined our friends in our booth. Wendy came over then and placed two plates of fancy looking appetizers in front of Elisa and Peter.

  "Wendy do you serve this here?" I asked.

  "No, this is specially made for their anniversary."

  “Aww.” Elisa fawned, tears filling her eyes. “Thank you Wendy.”

  She turned around to walk away. “Peter you better step up next year.”

  “Thank you Wendy.” He said with a sheepish smile on his face.

  Carlie examined Elisa’s plate. “What is this?”

  “It’s Brie cheese, and diced pears. There’s also some vinegar and honey action going on here… and some other…things.”

  “Wendy should have explained it to us.” Carlie complained. “It looks great.”

  “And it tastes great too.” Peter said. He’d already started eating “There’s a hint of brandy on it.”

  “Really?” Carlie rubbed her hands together. “I can’t wait for mine.”

  Wendy however, came back a few minutes later with two plates of fries and burgers. She placed one in front of Nathan and the other in front of me.

  “What about our appetizers?” Carlie asked. “Just like Elisa’s and Peters’.”

  Wendy gave her a mocking look, and then left without a word. The rest of us burst into laughter.

  “I don’t understand.” Carlie said.

  “The special treatment is only for Elisa and Peter.” Nathan said.

  “Well that’s not fair. Then why wasn’t I given a plate of normal people food either?”

  “She’s on her way with yours Carlie.” Elisa said.

  “I know that but if you notice, she served Lenora before me. What, is there a rule now that single people get served last when they go out to eat with their couple friends?”

  “There is, so if you’re that offended, get a boyfriend.” Elisa said.

  "I would," she said. "But there are no more Peters or Nathans."

  "I have two single brothers." Nathan said.

  Carlie placed her hand against her chest. "I love you Nathan. Please put in a good word for me and set me up with the one we met at the hospital."

  His eyes slightly widened. "Uh, I don't know how to handle that whole matchmaking business. Lenora will handle it."

  I playfully smacked his arm. "Are you kidding me? I barely know Adriano."

  "Well, he knows you. He won't mind. I hope."

  I turned to Carlie. "I'm not doing that. Get his number and be bold."

  "Lenora, please don’t talk to anyone about being bold. In fact, both you and Nathan should refrain from using that word. You both avoided each other for years."

  "I didn't avoid him.” I said. “I just didn't know where he was."

  The moment I said that, Elisa’s spoon clattered to her plate.

  "You watched him every evening on CNN." She accused, and then turned to Nathan. "Nathan she’s watched every one of your broadcasts in the last three years. Even when we had late night meetings at the office, the television was always on during your broadcast."

  He looked at me. "Is that true?"

  "I have no idea what she's talking about."

  "And you, Nathan." Elisa continued. "You're no better. You called me constantly for thirteen years to check up on her."

  "What?" I glanced at him. "Nathan is that true?"

  He put a fry in his mouth. "I have no idea what she's talking about.”

  "Of course you’ll both deny it now.” Elisa said and returned to her food.

  “Carlie you can have Lenora's food." Nathan said. "She'll eat with me until hers gets here."

  "Wow, way to rub my status in my
face." Carlie said, but still reached out to pull the plate towards herself.

  "Then reject the food." Peter said.

  "No way.” She replied. “I'm starving. And why wasn't Craig invited? FYI, we’re not in the same relationship status category; that one is single because he's dead inside and not because he can't actually find someone decent."

  "He left for Chicago today.” Peter said. “His sister just had a baby."

  "Wow! Everyone's having babies too. Lenora are you pregnant yet?"

  I almost choked on my food then, and quickly glanced at Nathan to see what his reaction was. There was a quiet smile on his face. I turned to glare at Carlie.

  "What is wrong with you?"

  "It was just a question."

  "She's right Lennie." Elisa said, clearly excited about the direction the conversation was going. "It was just a question. What are you so defensive about?"

  Peter joined the attack on me. "Yes Lennie, what are you so defensive about?"

  "What's Lenora being defensive about?" Wendy asked, just as she arrived with the last plate.

  “We’re asking if she’s pregnant.” Carlie said. Wendy shook her head in amusement and collected Elisa and Peter’s emptied plates. “Your main course is on its way.” She told them and left again.

  The dinner continued entertainingly; light chatter was exchanged, and laughs were shared. Wendy brought us dessert when we were done with our plates and then sat down to have some drinks with us. Eventually Carlie grew tired and left, and not long after, Elisa and Peter had to head home to relieve their babysitter of her duties. That left Wendy with us but she had business to take care of so she too, left us alone.

  "Let’s have an affair." I told Nathan. The diner’s patrons had dwindled now so I was leaning quite comfortably against him.

  He chuckled, and leaned forward to plant a kiss on my cheeks.

  "I'm serious. Let’s sneak around, and have quickies in cars, or in restaurant bathrooms. This has to be the only circumstance ever in which infidelity is acceptable."

  "I don't like it." He said, and I groaned half-heartedly.

  "Nathan you're too boring.”

  "Don't worry, there’ll be lots of excitement coming your way soon. Let's just get this whole mess sorted out first."

  "Will you ever get mad at me?"