Torque by Gillian Archer (10 ebook reader txt) 📕

waver. I could’ve flown across the room if I wanted. I felt so freaking high. I was the new librarian at UC Davis School of Medicine. Me.

I hadn’t waited.

I’d sent out resumes and filled out online applications per my plan. It’d been nail-biting, since I got the ax at my old job. Actually, both Elaine and I had, so no amount of fighting for my job would’ve saved me. The cuts had been deep. Elaine got the boot for being shitty at her job and I was let go since I’d been the last hired.

But I could give Elaine the metaphorical finger, since I’d be making way more money at my new job.

“So where do you want to celebrate?” Nathan asked with a smile.

I raised my eyebrows. “Who says I want to go anywhere to celebrate?”

Nathan’s eyes darkened with his arousal. I’d thought my love language was words of affection, but now that I had time to think about it and after taking an online quiz, apparently it was tied with physical touch. Heh.

Nathan swept me over his shoulder in the fireman’s hold and swung toward the hallway, I think. It was hard to tell, what with the way the room spun. But I loved it. I was giggling and squealing when I heard someone clear their throat behind us.

I lifted my head and peered at Dylan standing in Nathan’s doorway.

“Uh, you guys might wanna close this before you get too busy.” Dylan rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.

Nathan grunted. “Thanks for the tip. Bye now.”

“Wait.” Dylan lifted a hand. “I have something I wanted to talk to you about, Nathan. If it’s not a bad time.”

“It is. Bye now.”

I slapped Nathan’s behind. “Stop. Let me down.”

“Seriously? But we were going to—”

“Now, Nathan.” I snapped.

The room spun around again as Nathan whipped me around to my feet. I took a dizzied step and had to grab Nathan to stay upright. He smirked and slid an arm around my shoulders.

“What’s going on, Dyl?” I asked.

“I uh, it’s shop business, but I uh, had an idea about the receptionist position.”

I bit my lip to hold back my groan. If there was one thing that’d been the toughest hurdle for Nathan to get over, it was me not signing on to fill the receptionist role at the shop. But I’d been adamant. I was a librarian. I had a master’s degree, and I wasn’t ready to take just any job. I’d gotten by the last three weeks on unemployment and my savings. Plus I was saving a ton on rent since I was still floating between my parents’ house and Nathan’s condo.

“Does the person you want to hire have at least three brain cells?” Nathan asked with a frown.

“Yes. She’s actually pretty smart. She—”

Nathan waved a hand. “Does she want to be an actress or a singer or something?”

“No.” Dylan smiled slightly. “She hates fake people and can’t carry a tune to save her life.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic. She’s hired. Now get the hell outta my living room.” Nathan took two steps to the door, dragging me along with him, and all but shoved Dylan out of the house. The door slammed shut and Nathan twisted the lock with a gleeful expression.

“I guess I’ll tell her she starts Monday?” Dylan shouted through the closed door.

Not that Nathan or I replied.

Because Nathan turned to me with that gleam in his eye.

I squealed and raced down the hallway away from him.

And into his bedroom.

“Ha. You ran right into my trap.” Nathan loomed in the doorway, looking like the villain in a movie.

I rolled my eyes. If anyone had laid a trap, it was me. And I had him right where I wanted him.

Nathan stalked me around the end of the bed then feigned to the left and grabbed me around the waist. He tossed me onto his bed with little effort and I couldn’t hide my glee as my back bounced on his mattress. My smile was so big my cheeks started to ache.

“I am so fucking proud of you. You know that?” Nathan asked as he crawled up the bed to loom over me.

I bit my lip and hitched my shoulder in a shrug. It was still surreal that after all my years of longing and wishing from afar had led to this. To him actually looking at me with all that love in his eyes.

“Don’t do that.” He shook his head slightly. “You deserve every good thing that’s happening for you. Because you’re amazing. And I’m the lucky son of a bitch who gets to call you mine.”

My eyes sheened with tears. “I love you so much.”

Nathan bent down and kissed me with a bruising force. His tongue and lips branded me as his. And then he pulled back and harshly whispered, “Move in with me.”

“Wait. What?” I blinked up at him, lust still fogging my brain.

“Live here. With me.”

“Don’t I already kinda do?”

“Yeah, but I want you here officially and always. No more bouncing back and forth between your parents’ place and here. I want you to live here. Get your mail here. Sleep here.”

“And fuck here?” I asked with a grin.

“Like we’ve ever fucked at your parents’ house. Do I look like a douchebag to you?”

“Well we screwed that one time in Wendy’s bathroom. How’s that any different?”

“It just is, okay? Now answer the damn question.”

“I didn’t hear a question. Sounded like a command to me.” I was big on boundaries now. I’d learned after my time with him that I had to let him know when he was pushing me too much. Like when he commanded me instead of asking me.

Nathan sighed and sat back on his heels. “Fine. Maddie, would you please move in with me? And live and fuck here with me always.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” I grinned back at him.

“Is that a yes?”

“That’s a hell yes!” I grabbed his shirt collar and tugged until he was lying on top of me again. Just how I liked him.

“I love