MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Nathan gave her a curious look. "You want me to tell you a story?"

"Well, yes." Crystal smiled nervously. "We can move to the bedroom, and when you're done, we should be able to fall asleep."

Nathan smiled, gave her a quick kiss on the lips, and said, "If it is a story that you want, then a story it shall be."

The couple moved to the bedroom, and once they were comfortable, Nathan began his story: "When I was sixteen, I had a cat that I liked very much. One winter day, the cat fell into the water. We thought that the cat was dead, but then a little girl jumped in to save it. Unfortunately, the cat still died. It froze to death."

"That's a sad story." There were tears in Crystal's eyes. "I guess cats don't have nine lives after all. What was its name?"

"We called her 'I love you," Nathan replied.

"You lie." Crystal rolled her eyes and said, "Nobody names their cat 'I love you."

Nathan chuckled. He pressed a button on his watch, and Crystal knew immediately what he was up to. He had tricked her into saying, 'I love you so that he could record it. She groaned and said, "You are such a scoundrel!"

"I am not." Nathan looked like he had been hurt by her words, but Crystal could not tell if he was playing possum. "I just wanted to do something nice. I already put a recording of me saying that on your watch, and now I will have a recording of you for mine. It was supposed to be a surprise. That is why I was being so sneaky. But you caught me in the act..."

Crystal's brows furrowed, and she asked. him, "Who taught you to be such a romantic?"

"I'm just improvising. I swear."

"Alright." Crystal nestled in his arms and listened to his heartbeat. After a while, she looked up and said, "No more games, though, okay?"

"No more games." Nathan kissed her eyes and told her to go to sleep.

Unfortunately, whenever she closed her eyes, an image of Carlos appeared in her mind's eyes. Most likely, he was still being tortured, and it would not stop until she returned. Eris had been right, though. Nathan would not let her go. And as far as Carlos went, he was her ex-boyfriend. Thus, she did not owe him anything.

A voice in her mind scolded her for such thoughts. It said," But it is your fault that he is in this mess!" The voice was, of course, correct, and the more Crystal thought about it, the sadder she became. The way that Nathan was treating her complicated everything. Now, no matter what she did, she would be burdened

by guilt. She felt like the woman from Sophie's Choice, except instead of choosing which of her children would live, she had to decide which man she would be loyal to.

Crystal opened her eyes and ran her fingers up and down his arm. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, and she quickly bit her lip to stop her crying. If she cried, her eyes would be swollen the next day, and he would notice it immediately. He was so attentive to her.

Suddenly, Crystal noticed that Nathan was abnormally warm. She put her hand to his forehead. Most likely, he had caught a cold while lighting the candles on the beach, and already he was feverish.

****

Crystal placed a fresh cloth on Nathan's forehead. She had been taking care of him through the night. He had just woken up, and he seemed to be disoriented. He looked at her and frowned. He asked, "Am I awake?"

"You're awake." Crystal sighed. She stroked his forehead and said, "And you're still running a fever."

Nathan chuckled feebly. "Are you happy that I'm sick?" He seemed to think that his situation was amusing, but Crystal was not amused.

"Since you are sick, I am glad that I am here to take care of you. But no, I am not happy that you are sick. I had hoped that I would be able to do something for you, though..." 

Nathan rolled his eyes and said, "You've done enough for me."

"Be that as it may..." Crystal let the sentence hang for a moment, and then she asked him what he wanted for breakfast."

"Can I have anything I want?" he asked. He grabbed her arms and held them tightly. He had a wolfish gleam in his eyes. "Because what I want to have is you."

Crystal was appalled. "How can you have the energy to be so naughty when you are sick?" She had a book under her arm, and as she struggled, it fell onto the bed. Nathan let her go immediately so that he could grab the book. "Don't open it!" Crystal's face turned white.

"Please..." she begged.

Nathan looked at the cover. "What's in here?"

"It's just a book," Crystal replied.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Nathan's ire was beginning to rise, and Crystal could see from the look on his face that she would have to give a little.

She said, "I sketched you while you were sleeping." She took back her sketchbook.

"There's nothing to see."

"Can I see what I look like in your eyes?" Crystal shook her head and said, "No, not yet."

"When will I see it?" Nathan was not a patient man.

"Just wait until I finish it," Crystal replied. "It is for you, and I don't want to ruin the surprise."

Nathan thought about it for a minute, and then he said, "Fine." It was clear, though, that he was not happy.

Crystal placed the book in a drawer, locked it, and put the key in her pocket.

"I'm not a criminal," Nathan grumbled. "You don't need to keep it under lock and key...".

Crystal smiled sweetly and said, "No offense, but I was worried that the temptation would be too much for you to handle. Now get some rest while I get you something to eat." 

As Crystal reached the kitchen, she got a feeling that something was wrong. She went back upstairs, and when she went into Nathan's room, she found him attempting to jimmy the locked drawer.

Crystal stood akimbo over him. "I thought you said that you weren't a criminal. What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Nathan's face turned red, and he stuttered an apology. He looked like a child that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and she could not stay angry at him for long. "Alright," she sighed. "Back to bed with you. And no more getting up. Do you hear me?"

Nathan nodded sheepishly, and he did not say anything.

Before she left, Crystal retrieved the book, and she took it with her.