Love Consequences (Season 2 of Nata & Phillip's Romance)

6: A pillow fight?

Nata

Whatever idea Phillip has in mind starts the swirling inside my ribcage. I bite my lip.

"Let's go back home," he says.

No. Way. I can feel my eyes open wider. "The duplex?"

"Yes." The side of his mouth slides up. "My bedroom."

I tug my hands out of his fingers. "I'm not ready for sex."

His nascent smile falls off his face, his gray eyes stormy. "What kind of monster do you think I am?" Phillip's voice is colder than a Chicago winter. "Even though I'll never say no to you if you want sex, I don't imagine you'd want it for a while until your body heals." His tone softens. "This isn't about sex."

The acidic churn in my gut slows. I tilt my head. "What other letting off steam activities can one do in a bedroom?"

The smile makes its way back into his eyes. "I have a great imagination." Phillip's voice goes low and slow, like the hot foamy milk we were pouring in our one-of-a-kind class. His knee bumps into mine underneath the table. Shivers creep from the point our legs touch up to my hip. "I'll be happy to introduce you to one part." He leans across the table. Although none of his words are sexual, my chest heats. "Would you like me to tell you? Would you like to guess? Or Would you like for it to be a surprise?"

Fire ignites behind my breastbone. Him bringing me here was one of the rare surprises I enjoyed.

I trust Phillip.

My heart beats quicker in anticipation.

"Surprise me." The churning in my stomach that I thought was fear turns out to be a whirl of excitement. Whatever Phillip's idea is, I want to be part of that. I stand and leave the undrunk coffees on the table. "Let's go home."

Phillip takes the bag with to-go boxes and sneaks us out through the back door into the parking lot and into the warm luxury leather of his SUV. Coffee and excitement rush through my veins. It's mid-day, and I should feel guilty for not being at work with my new employee, yet I'm not eager to return to the office. The hustle, the staring at the screen, the endless meetings—their importance diminished, and I haven't been away for a full workday yet.

I watch Phillip's profile as he focuses on the road and navigates the car to the highway that takes us back home. I thought today would be boring. Would anything with Phillip be truly boring? I imagine me sitting on the couch reading through the backlog of my medical journals as he reads...whatever people like him read. What does he do in his spare time? Maybe I do not know him as well as I think I do if I can't answer that question. The dull ache below my belly button builds. I swallow another pain pill to alleviate it.

Monday lunchtime traffic isn't bad. The weather is a perfect September sunny day when it feels like an echo of summer came to visit. We have a bit longer to go, and my hands bend and straighten a piece of paper I took from the console between us. What is Phillip planning to do with me in his bedroom that involves feathers? My thoughts jump straight to him teasing my naked body with one and even with the pains in my abdomen, a jolt of "yes, I want that" speeds across my skin at the image. I file it away for future use. I unfold and refold the paper again. I need to get my mind off the guessing game.

"How come you are so close with your dad?" The question that appeared in my mind yesterday when I saw the two men together, genuine affection and respect clear as day between them, comes out before I censor it as too sensitive. We've discussed my parents. This only feels fair.

Phillips throws a quick glance my way but remains focused on the road. "Dad and I have always spent a lot of time together. He used to work a lot when I was little, getting the company to the position it has today, that's why Mrs. Buckingham took care of most of the days, but Dad was there for my baseball games, swimming competitions, and birthdays." He explains as if we were in the middle of a conversation already. "We always went on several trips a year: skiing, visiting his extended family in the Netherlands, or traveling around the world. He used to blindfold me and hand me a pin, and we'd visit the country I stick it into." Phillip's face burst into a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "The best adventures I had as a child were with him. He is one of my best friends."