Read Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) for Free Online Page B

pains me to know that my feelings of fear and sorrow wake him from his sleep.
    I clear my throat, looking at him with sincerity. “I know you are nothing but honorable. Thank you.”
    His smile is soft when he bows his head, accepting my thanks.
    I get up and walk toward the kitchen counter to grab the car keys. “Do you want to drive?”
    When he doesn’t answer, I turn around to ask again. As soon as I turn, he is standing mere inches from me. He is so close that I have to lean back against the kitchen counter.
    Without taking his eyes from mine, he leans forward and puts his hands on the counter, boxing me in so I can’t escape. I feel my cheeks flush as my blood rises and warms under the surface of my skin. Nate must sense it because he runs his hand along my cheek, his fingers brushing away a few strands of hair that have fallen loose from my braid. His fingers caress my jaw line, and then he rests his hand on the racing pulse at the base of my neck. The familiar heated energy I always get when he touches me is coursing through me like a shot of adrenaline.
    Nate sees my reaction, and his voice is labored when he whispers, “I’m sorry. I just needed to touch you. I can’t explain it. “
    He starts to pull his hand away, but I stop him from moving and place it back on my neck.
    I close my eyes and softly say, “I know. It’s alright.”
    That’s all the permission he needs to slip his arms around me, pulling my body flush against his. I put my hands on his chest and inch up on my toes to get as close to him as I can. His breath dances on my lips, sending surges of an addictive tension straight through to my core. Not yet touching his, my lips already feel like they’re on fire.
    I breathlessly say, “You didn’t answer my question. Do you want to drive?”
    Nate brushes his lips against mine once, and then he pulls back, leaving me wanting more.
    He responds quietly, “Yeah, I’ll drive.”
    Then, his lips take mine, and I moan from the wave of energy that explodes within me.
    Nate’s cell phone begins to chirp, interrupting our kiss. We don’t respond to it right away. We’re paralyzed in each other’s gaze.
    When I wonder if it could be his parents or Ezra, I pull back just a little. “You should answer that.”
    With his eyes still heavily staring at me and his body not making any effort to move away, he pulls his phone from his front pocket. He looks down at it and sighs. “It’s my parents.”
    His thumb runs along my jaw as he pulls away slowly. When he releases me, I feel like I can’t move. My legs are shaking like Jell-O, and the only thing that keeps me from melting to the floor is my grip on the countertop.
    I slowly walk toward the back door to leave Nate alone with his parents because what they need to talk about is private.
    I hear Nate answer somberly, “Hello? Hold on.”
    Nate interrupts my quiet escape. “Hey, Jes, where are you going?”
    I point toward the door and mouth, “I’m going for a walk on the beach. I’ll be on the porch when you’re done, alright?”
    Nate nods and whispers, “Thank you.”
    I exit before I hear anything else.
    * * *
    About twenty minutes later, Nate opens the sliding door and leans out.
    “Man, it’s cold out here. Jes, get your butt in here! If I would have known it was this cold, then I wouldn’t have let you come out!”
    I’m leaning against the railing, looking out at the ocean. “It’s alright. I’m fine.”
    He steps out onto the porch and stands next to me.
    I ask, “So, how did it go?”
    Nate stands quietly for a minute. He’s looking out at the ocean. “They said that Alexander is my cousin. They said after my aunt and uncle were killed, he disappeared. They tried to track down my aunt’s mother to find him. They wanted him to live with us. By the time they tracked her down in Florida, she had passed, and Xander was nowhere to be found.”
    Nate turns around and looks at the ground briefly, then up at me. “I asked them