Page 1 of All He Wants

CHAPTER ONE

Ember

“Aaand just for you, folks, here’s the Jackson Five with Frosty the Snowman.”

The radio clicked and crackled as I took one hand from the wheel to turn it off. “Absolutely not,” I muttered, carefully reaching down to change gear as the road curved narrowly ahead. Nick chuckled from his place in the passenger seat and my lips twitched in response to the sound. My car was ancient and a far cry from the fancy SUV Nick drove around in, but he managed to look relaxed and at ease in the seat to my right — even though I’d caught him stomping on an imaginary brake a few times when the winding roads made the car creak.

Snow had started falling in heavy clumps around the second hour into the drive and I’d cranked the heater up, low-key regretting the choice to take my car instead of Nick’s whose had seat warmers. But he had invited me to spend the holidays with him and his family, the least I could do was offer to drive us there.

Even if they did live in the ass-end of nowhere.

It had been a long drive filled with cheesy music and relative quiet, but I didn’t mind the latter. Nick and I were comfortable in our silence, even if it made for a slightly boring drive. Though he had at least thought ahead and packed all my favorite snacks, and when I glanced over at him and opened my mouth he placed two M&Ms on my tongue. My lips closed around the end of his finger tips before he could retreat entirely and the blue-green of his eyes deepened before I pulled away and munched on the chocolate happily.

“There’s a small bend up here on the left,” Nick said, leaning in close to point out the turning nearly hidden between the snow-covered branches of the overhanging trees. It was a narrow road, but it opened up relatively quickly and revealed a view over a white-out field to the right where a large house sat in the distance. More forest rolled out on the side of the road closest to the driver’s side and I jumped when the branches thwacked against the window.

A warm hand fell to my knee and stroked soothing circles that sent a tingle up my leg.

“Turn right here,” Nick murmured, voice husky and deep and doing nothing to help the warmth curling low in my belly. His full lips curved, like he knew exactly how he was affecting me, but I was pulled out of my admiration as the road shrank and the house I’d seen in the distance before came into view.

House had been an ungenerous descriptor.

Estate was more accurate.

Nick was watching me closely, I could feel the heat of his eyes on the side of my face, and when I turned to him he looked… nervous. Not an expression Nick Hart often wore. A light blush had settled over his cheeks, the pink standing out against his pale skin and not quite obscured by the dark stubble along his jaw.

“Nick…”

He licked his lips and I met his eyes fully as I pulled the car to a stop outside of a large mansion that looked like something straight out of Saltburn.

“Is this your parents’ place?” I’d known he came from money, he’d told me as much, but this wasn’t just ‘my parents are well-off’, this was old-money Batman shit.

“Don’t freak out,” he said, eyes going big as he reached over to take my hand in his, the warmth settling me slightly. “I didn’t want you to be nervous.”

I blinked. Oh, God. I hadn’t even thought about that yet. This was a whole other world to me. “Why didn’t you warn me?” The words came out snappy and I took a breath to calm down. “Sorry, I just–You should have told me. I could have prepared.”

He grimaced. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. You’re fine as you are. I know all this looks intimidating…” He waved airily to the estate looming over my tiny, beat-up car. “But my parents aren’t stuffy or posh or whatever else you’re worrying about. I mean, you like me right? And you’ve already met Oakley.”

That was true, Oakley was Nick’s brother and the two were thick as thieves when they were around each other. It was kind of adorable, really. They shared the same dark brown hair, though Oakley had his artfully styled with an intentionally messy look and Nick kept his tamed but natural, and the ocean eyes I loved so much on Nick were a familial trait as Oakley had them, too. At least there would be one familiar, friendly face other than Nick.

“I just would have maybe put on something a little nicer.” I plucked awkwardly at the soft cream sweater I’d chosen that morning. I’d layered it with a long puffer jacket, as the forecast had called for snow, and my favorite comfy brown jeans. It was warm and cozy and perfect for a meet-the-parents encounter, except when your boyfriend’s parents lived in a place like this.

Nick cupped my face, tilting my chin up and placing a soft kiss to my lips. “You’re perfect.”

Well, there was nothing I could do about it now anyway. Though, it made my handmade gift of freshly baked shortbread feel even more subpar. I’d spent ages crafting little sparkly boxes for the cookies to sit in and tying them up with shiny ribbons that curled at the ends and before this moment, I’d been pleased with them. Now, I felt like a kid bringing macaroni art home from school.

“Hey.” When it was clear my doubts persisted, Nick kissed me again, deeper, harder, and when we surfaced for air my lips tingled and the warmth between my legs had turned into an aching need. “You have nothing to worry about, okay? They’re going to love you just as much as I do.” He reconsidered, tilting his head as a small smirk pulled at his mouth. “Well, maybe not quite as much,” he growled, and his next kiss made me dizzy. “Feel better?”

There was definitely some smugness in his words as he took in my likely-dazed expression, but the truth was that I did feel better.

Like he could sense as much, Nick turned and opened his door before walking around the front of the car to open mine too. His breath fogged in front of his face as he helped me out, tugging me in close so my front was pressed to his while he closed the door.

The driveway had been cleared of snow, though more was falling so rapidly now that it would likely be covered again in no time at all.

By the time we’d grabbed the bags from the trunk and my shortbread cookies from the backseat, Nick’s nose had gone pink at the tip and snowflakes were caught in his dark hair. But he was smiling as we approached the solid wood door, decorated with a green and red holly wreath.

“What?” I nudged him with my hip and he lowered our overnight bags to the ground before turning to brush some of my long blonde hair behind my shoulder.

“I was just thinking you look like an angel out here, glowing in the snow.”