"PULL!" Max roared intensely as we all grabbed onto the big sturdy tree and pulled it back with all of our might.

Like the last ten times, it didn't budge.

I sighed, letting go of the ten foot monster tree. "Why did you even buy a tree this big when it won't even fit through our apartment door?" I asked, stepping away from it and taking a second to catch my breath.

"It was half off." Max shrugged.

"Well we need a new strategy. Obviously pulling it won't work." I stated, leaning against the door frame of the apartment.

We had gotten about three feet of the tree through the door, pine leaves littering the entire floor, with the rest of the seven feet still laying in the hall.

"We could cut it." Nathan suggested again.

"No!" Max yelled defensively. "I can get it in." His face was strong with determination.

"Oh I'm sure you can." Nathan winked at his brother.

I fake gagged.

"Well I'm beat, you guys can keep trying. Call me when it's decorating time." I stated, making my way past Nathan.

Dustin had fallen asleep in the car so we put him to bed and now it was just us three, trying to accomplish the impossible.

He quickly grabbed my waist and pulled me into his chest, surprising me.

"A coffee would be nice princess." He smiled down at me, putting his charm on.

I leaned slightly back to look up at him. "Let me think about it." I wondered out loud. "I mean you did tickle me unfairly before. Oh, and don't forget, put my life at risk too. I don't know, do you really deserve a coffee?" I asked him now with a frown.

His charm dropped once he realized it was quite null and void, but then settled for a slight pout instead, my eyes dropping down to his soft lips. "Please?"

Before I even had a chance to let a breath out, Max scoffed.

"Before it was all 'you annoying little grinch' and now it's all 'please princess?'" Max called out his brother, making his voice high pitched at the end and pouting his lips.

His face looked so ridiculous that I burst out laughing, pushing myself out of Nathan's arms and walking away now as Nathan shot his brother a heated glare.

"Hey Sky, can I get a coffee please?" Max called out casually.

"Sure." I replied brightly, giving Max a smile and glancing at Nathan with a smug look.

"Come on, I saved your life." He argued, causing me to halt in my steps and spin around to face him in an instant.

"Excuse me Mr.Cocky McCockypants, I believe I'm the one who saved your precious little ass back there. So if you're going to lie about my heroic actions and take credit, then don't expect me to make you anything." I did a little hair flip before spinning back around and strutting off to the kitchen.

Max gave a low whistle as Nathan just stood there, getting what I had just said through his thick, ego-inflated skull.

"I saved your life." I mimicked his deep voice whilst pouring three cups of coffee. The third one was going to go out the window. I had perfectly constructed a plan to walk out and hand it to him, before psyching him and pouring it all down the balcony.

I think that was the best course of action required.

"I also gave you life. I gave you everything in life because I am God and I expect you to bow down towards--" I kept impersonating him but was cut off unfortunately.

"You're really hot when you get mad."

I turned my head up to see the devil himself leaning against the door frame, watching me.

"So you'd find it sexy if I acted on my anger and poured burning hot coffee all over you?" I asked sweetly.

"If you licked it off of me then yeah." He replied smoothly.

"What if I bite your face off." I countered, unfazed by his charm which was being lain quite heavily onto me.

"I like it rough." He winked at me.

The wink did make me falter, but only for a split second.

"You're disgusting." I shot him a look now, before turning away and stirring all three cups, adding extra sugar and cream in mine.

"Says the girl that wants to bite my face off weirdo." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm throwing your coffee down the drain." I sighed.

"I thought you were throwing it on me?" He asked with an amused look.

"That's just cruel." I shook my head.

He looked as if he was about to agree before I added on. "For the coffee." I shot him a low smirk, causing him to glare at me.

"Whatever, thanks for the coffee babe." He smirked right back at me, swiftly reaching around me and grabbing his mug before I could stop him.

"You have to pay for that!" I yelled after him.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning around and walking back to me.

I watched with wide eyes as his steps didn't slow and he kept walking towards me, stopping just a breath away. I looked up at him, confused and slightly shook at his sudden proximity and intentions.

Is he okay?

Before I could say anything, he leaned in close and placed a short kiss on the corner of my mouth, making my heart skip a beat.

Am I okay?

I stared at him with wide eyes, unable to move or process what had just happened. He gave me a final smirk, before walking away.

"Keep the change." He called over his shoulder with a wink.

I forced myself to snap out of whatever spell he had put me under and turned back around to busy myself with Max's coffee.

I walked out of the heated kitchen once I had composed myself fully and dropped the entire scenario which had left me quite confused and flustered, as much as I hated to admit. I strolled into the front entrance to see that the two brothers had managed to haul in two more feet of the gigantic tree.

I went over to Max who was currently trying to pull the tree inside by himself with all of his strength. Nathan on the other hand was sitting his lazy ass on the couch, watching the whole ordeal with amusement.

"I think you should take a break." I said, trying not to laugh at the way his face was scrunched up as he tried to summon every ounce of strength in his body, but again, from little to no avail.

He looked over at me and sighed, dropping the tree and slumping his shoulders in defeat.

"Thanks." He mumbled, taking the coffee with an attempt of a smile as we walked over to sit on the other couch where his brother was.

I followed his slumped shoulders, trying hard not to laugh. Even Dustin didn't get this upset.

"So like are we having a Christmas dinner here or?" I asked no one in particular, taking a sip of my overly-sweet coffee.

"Well actually my family's coming over tomorrow." Nathan dropped.

So he does have more family.

"Do they know you're a kidnapper?" Was my first question.

"No, and I don't plan on changing that anytime soon." He gave both Max and I a pointed look.

"So how are you gonna introduce me then?" I cut in before Max could say anything.

"Hey mom, hey dad! Meet this amazing girl Skylar who's living here now, I just swooped her up and kidnapped her, let's drink some eggnog!" I mimicked Nathan's deep voice, keeping it pretty consistent throughout.

Max burst out laughing while Nathan rolled his eyes.

"You're just a roommate that needed a place to stay since her own place got a leak or something." He shrugged simply.

This time I rolled my eyes. "Nathan, I'm in high school and live at home."

His expression didn't change as he wasn't catching on.

I sighed. "Most seventeen year old girls don't live on their own. They also don't live with strange men like you." I crossed my arms.

He shot me a glare as I gave him a smug smirk, knowing I was right still. His family certainly would find that odd.

"You can pretend to be my girlfriend." Max suggested, causing the room to grow silent.

That was actually not a bad idea... I could say that he brought me here for Christmas and I was staying for a few days.

Funny thing is, I should have been plotting on how to tell his family members the truth and escape, but then here I was, sitting in a conundrum where I couldn't save nor benefit anyone. I had my hands tied, fortunately not literally, thanks to my kidnapper having some manners.

If I tried to get help, I knew that Nathan and his family would face the consequences from Alvin, plus it was only a matter of time before Alvin picked up my brother as well... And I had to be right here for him as soon as that happened, not running around on the streets and risking getting everyone hurt at the end of the day...

"Absolutely not." Nathan's tone of finality brought me back to the conversation at hand.

"Why not? It's the best idea. It's Christmas, I'm the perfect girlfriend to take home to the parents, everything would fit into place." I explained to him.

"There are plenty of other excuses." He said stubbornly, set on his decision.

"No there aren't, just let me be Max's pretend girlfriend." I argued, trying to win him over.

I never had a real relationship, so I might as well get into a pretend one before my life got really on the line in this whole fiasco.

Max did have good looks, and had he gone to my school I'm sure he'd be every girl's crush there.

But Nathan shook his head.

"Why the hell not?" I asked, getting frustrated at his childlike behavior. I was the one trying to cover his ass, instead of betraying him and revealing the truth to his family.

"Because someone is a bit of a jealous Jimmy." Max answered, waggling his eyebrows and looking between Nathan and I.

I stared up at Nathan, who was currently glaring at his brother, with my mouth open. Was he actually jealous of Max and I being a pretend couple...?

The thought was ridiculous but I couldn't help that warm feeling I got when the thought of him being jealous occurred to me.

What? Nobody had ever gotten jealous over me like that... It felt almost liberating. Or maybe it was due to the fact that it was Nathan's possessiveness that was pretty sexy. The spot next to my lips where he had placed a small fiery kiss suddenly tingled and I shook my head to clear these feelings, covering up my emotions.

"If you don't want your little princess fake-dating anyone, then why don't you just be my fake boyfriend?" I asked daringly, looking Nathan straight in the eyes.

"I don't care whoever you fake date, why would-" He started but I cut him off.

"If you're going to get all primal and barbaric on something silly then at least own up to it." I stared him straight in the eyes.

He held my gaze, looking slightly shocked and... impressed?

I was having a hard time trying to decipher the look in his eyes and it was getting all-too-intense all-too-fast.

"Then be mine." He replied suavely, only low enough for me to hear.

His words took me by surprise and I'd be lying if I said I didn't swoon a bit.

The arrogant smirk that started to appear on his face was enough to snap me out of whatever trance he was trying to charm me into and I gave him a big grin.

"Alright then my lovely boyfriend, time to make some dinner!" I exclaimed, shooing him off towards the kitchen.

Max cleared his throat and I corrected myself. "Time to make your lovely girlfriend and lovely brother some dinner!" I smiled, causing him to scowl at me.

"Well that's not a pretty face." I said, shaking my head.

"You'd be a hassle to date." He muttered, going into the kitchen willingly now.

"Oh but you love me and still would." I gushed at him, leaning against the counter as he put his mug in the sink.

"Now who's being a, what was it again, Mr.Cockypants?" He raised an eyebrow, the scowl gone and replaced by an amused smirk.

"Less talking more cooking." I ordered, my stomach growling in agreement.

"Alright alright. What will my gorgeous girlfriend have today?" He asked with heavy sarcasm.

"Surprise me my booboo." I grinned and he thought for a while, before turning back around and starting to pull out ingredients.

"Oh and this time don't start a fire." I reminded him with a smirk.

"You know I got a rag that's just dying to go in your mouth." He said back, keeping his back to me as he pulled out some pans.

"I thought that was your tongue." I said with a wicked grin, calling him out from when he had kissed my cheek.

His eyes lit up and he was suddenly in front of me in an instant. "I know you'd love to interpret it that way, but I think you're reading too much into a friendly, harmless kiss." He shrugged his shoulders.

"It was awfully close, seemed like you missed the spot you were aiming for." I countered back, my breathing becoming hitched as he moved an inch closer.

"Then why don't you let me shoot another shot?" He asked seductively, his voice becoming lower.

I made the mistake of glancing down at his delicious full lips and he caught me looking.

"You know you want to." He whispered, his minty cold breath fanning my lips.

What was this trickery?

I glanced down at his inviting lips again and saw them quirk up slightly.

"No, I don't think I do." I deadpanned, pushing his chest away.

I knew I would have kissed him right then and there, and thankfully that one cocky smirk got me and snapped me out of it.

What the hell was I doing playing so carelessly with fire like that? Maybe it was the way he always pushed and teased me. For some reason, I think he ignited a fiery streak of confidence and danger within me, one that seemed to rapidly grow each time he got closer.

I realized that my heart was still drumming from the close contact once I had pushed some breathable distance between us and I did my best to regain my composure.

"Suit yourself." He smirked knowingly, turning back to whatever he was making.

I opened my mouth to bruise his ego more when Max screamed from the living room.

"HALLELUJAH!" He yelled.

I pushed myself off of the counter and walked to the front to see that he had in fact, pulled the entire seven-foot-tall tree through the door.

"You got pine needles everywhere!" Nathan whined, grabbing his hair.

Max didn't seem to hear him though as he was too busy gloating.

"Told you I could get it in! I told you!" Max cheered.

I rolled my eyes as he did a happy dance and Nathan just turned back around to finish making his surprise dinner.

Having a pretend boyfriend was pretty cool. I was just happy he hadn't told me that my dinner would be pretend dinner.

"Santa?"

I looked up suddenly to see Dustin appear from the hall, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looking adorable in his dinosaur pajamas.

Max stared at Dustin with large eyes as I shot him a glare.

The idiot had woken up Dustin and we both knew what that meant... When Nathan had left to go on his secret mysterious trip with Alvin, he had forgotten to mention not to wake Dustin up at all costs. Once he was awake, you could not get him back to sleep.

"No, Santa's not here yet, go back to bed or else he won't stop by." I smiled down and grabbed his hand, turning to tuck him back in before he became more awake and hyper.

"Why is the tree still on the ground?" Dustin asked us, staying rooted to his spot.

"I forgot! I have to help you guys decorate the tree!" Dustin exclaimed with his eyes wide and awake now, excitement filling them.

If only Max and Nathan had been more competent and able to bring the tree entirely in as soon as we had gotten back.

"Well you really need to go to bed or Santa won't stop by our house." Max tried to softly explain to his younger brother.

"But I want to help!" He complained and stomped his tiny foot. "We didn't even put the milk and cookies! Me and Nathan always put the milk and cookies." He looked up at the both of us with an adorably heart-broken face.

I had to look away otherwise I knew I'd crack.

"Dustin, it's way past your bedtime okay, if you don't go to bed now, no presents for you tomorrow." Max spoke sternly.

This caused Dustin's eyes to well up with tears threatening to burst at any more wrong words spoken.

I shot Max a glare quickly, then looked down at the disheartened kid.

"It's not fair." He mumbled, standing there staring at the floor, trying hard not to cry.

At least the kid was genuine and not trying to cry on purpose for attention.

"What's going on here?" We all turned our heads to see Nathan walk in now from the kitchen.

"They won't let me help decorate the tree. They won't even let me put the milk and cookies out!" Dustin whined, but in the most adorable way where it was completely okay. "What will Santa say when he has no milk and cookies?"

I watched as Nathan walked over to him and kneeled down in front of his younger brother who was just seconds away from becoming emotionally undone.

"You really wanna help us decorate the tree?" Nathan asked, staring at his younger brother.

He eagerly nodded.

"Do you promise to go straight to bed after?" Nathan asked.

"Yes." Dustin promised, trying to hold a solemn expression, the excitement trying to bubble out of him.

"Alright." Nathan said, standing up and turning to walk back into the kitchen.

When nobody spoke or moved, he turned back around to face Dustin.

"Well aren't you gonna help me bake those cookies?" He asked his younger brother with a small smile.

Dustin's face immediately lit up. He suddenly nodded and ran to his brother, grabbing his legs in a hug. Nathan chuckled and picked him up, staring down at Dustin with pure adoration.

The action made my heart melt.

Nathan then walked down the hall to the very end with his brother in his arms.

"Ready?" He asked Dustin as he put him down.

"Ready." He replied, staring ahead of him as I stared at the two in confusion.

"Don't forget about me!" Max yelled, running to join their row they had formed.

I watched as they all grinned at each other knowingly.

"On your marks." Max said.

"Get set." Nathan grinned.

"Go!" Dustin yelled as they all darted forward and almost toppled over everything in their way as they raced towards the kitchen.

I finally realized they were having a race.

I watched as Nathan pushed Max to the ground and turned towards Dustin who was still sprinting his small legs behind them.

"Run!" Nathan shouted at his younger brother as he held down Max.

Dustin started laughing in joy and dashed towards the kitchen just as Max broke free and the two brothers sprinted forward and passed Dustin.

It looked like Dustin was going to lose and I couldn't let that happen. So I took action.

They were almost there but hadn't seen me creeping towards the kitchen so my plan would surely work.

Just as Nathan was about to dash through the entrance of the kitchen and win, I let out a battle cry and jumped onto his back, tackling him to the ground.

"What the f-" I quickly put my hand over Nathan's mouth, cutting off his cuss just in time. He struggled underneath me but I kept him pinned to the floor.

I looked up and yelled at Dustin. "Run! Run Dustin!" I cried dramatically.

His face suddenly became very focused and he put in all his power to those small little legs. I heard a yell from behind me to see Max sprinting his way towards the finish line but quickly ruined his plan.

I stuck out my arm just as he ran by and pulled his ankle, causing him to come crashing down next to Nathan and I.

"What the hell woman!?" He yelled at me as Dustin finally entered the kitchen and cheered in victory.

I sat up so now I was straddling Nathan's struggling body and grinned at Dustin proudly.

"I'm sorry guys, but Dustin is the true deserving winner here." I smirked down at them both.

"It's still rude to interfere in a serious race like that." Nathan said, looking up at me with a hint of amusement in his eyes. He seemed happy to see Dustin dancing around in excitement.

Max nodded. "Nathan's right, that was foul play!"

I rolled my eyes as they both teamed up and began to yell at me for making them lose.

They really were sore losers...

I stood up and walked away from their protests and demands to go congratulate Dustin.

"Congratulations! You did it!" I exclaimed and bent down to pick up the kid.

He laughed and grinned. "You should be on a football team." He stated, his face serious now.

I shook my head. "No way, we make too great of a team. I can't leave you."

He giggled and put up a hand.

I gave his small hand a high-five and set him back down.

"Will you do the happy dance with me?" Dustin asked now, looking up at me.

I smirked back at him. "I most definitely will."

His smile grew wider and I faced the entrance where Nathan and Max were standing, still looking like sore losers.

I bent down to Dustin's ear and whispered my amazing plan, to which he excitedly shook his head at. I stood back up and gave the two brothers a victory smirk.

"One, two, three, go!" I yelled as we burst into song.

"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!" We both burst out singing at the top of our lungs.

"NO TIME FOR LOSERS!" I screamed as I pushed a glaring Max and Nathan away from us.

"CUZ WE ARE THE CHAM-" We were both cut off rudely as the two brothers split up our alliance. Nathan tackled me to the ground while Max picked up Dustin and ran out of the kitchen with him as he screamed and giggled.

"Sup cheater." Nathan looked down at me with humor in his eyes as I finally stopped struggling.

He was now straddling me with all his weight on me, so it was now impossible to get up. Hell, it was impossible to move.

"Sup loser." I gave him a bright smile. "Or should I say, sore loser."

His amused smirk suddenly vanished as he gave me a death glare before doing the worst torture known to mankind...

I burst into a fit of giggles as Nathan's hands tickled my sides, my stomach, my neck, and everywhere else.

This was the second time I had been abused by his tickling hands today.

"STOP!" I managed to get out between breathes. "I DEMAND YOU TO STOP TICKLING ME!" I cried out as I squirmed under his wrathful hands.

His hands suddenly froze and he stopped to give me a smug look.

"Or what?" He challenged with a raised brow.

"I'll pee on you." I smirked, the idea coming out of nowhere.

He just raised his brow higher, and let out a scoff.

"Now that's not very ladylike." He scolded.

His amused grin suddenly dropped and turned into a scrunched look of disgust when he saw my face was fully serious.

"Gross." He said, standing up instantly and taking a step away from me now.

I did a mental fist pump since my poker face had worked. I didn't have the guts to pee in public, let alone on some hot guy.

I sat up and my stomach suddenly grumbled, reminding me that my fake-boyfriend had yet to feed me.

"Where's my food?" I complained as I finally stood up.

"Right here, love." He rolled his eyes.

"Good." I smiled as I sat down at the table just as he placed a steaming bowl of Kraft Dinner in front of me.

My eyes widened and I breathed in the delicious scent, biting back a groan.

Man, this was one of my biggest weaknesses, next to strawberry smoothies of course.

"How'd you know I liked this?" I asked him in wonder, staring up at his smug look.

"Everybody loves KD." He shrugged.

I gave him a wide grin before turning back and picking up my fork before digging in.

I closed my eyes and chewed in delight. Although it was simple, it was much appreciated.

A soft thud in front of me made my eyes snap open.

My jaw dropped at what Nathan had just placed next to the bowl of KD.

"Oh my god, I- thank you." I said to him without taking my eyes off of that tall glass of heaven.

"I know, I'm amazing. Now hurry up and eat so we can bake some cookies. Dustin won't sleep until they're made." He said, before turning back around and heading towards the tree that Max was currently trying to stand up.

"Thank you." I said before he got too far.

"You already said that." He turned back and looked at me slightly amused.

"I know, but really, you don't know how much this means to me." I said with admiration.

"God, calm down. It's just a smoothie." He rolled his eyes now.

I scoffed. "It's a strawberry smoothie." I corrected.

"Yeah okay, whatever. Just don't throw it in my face this time." He grimaced, turning back around.

I burst out laughing at the memory but quickly stopped when he spun back around to shoot me a deadly glare.

I quickly finished my amazingly delicious dinner and after washing my dishes, I made my way to the living room.

I suddenly stopped in my tracks as I took in what was before me.

"Wow." I gasped as I stared at the beautiful large tree standing in the corner of the room.

It was taking up a lot of space with its bushy leaves, but it looked amazing. The boys had put decorations and shiny things all around it. At the very top, stood a large, shiny golden star to complete it.

"Amazing right?" Max smirked at me.

I nodded truthfully. It was beautiful.

"Well now that the tree's done, let's bake those cookies and get to bed before Santa comes." Nathan said, looking at Dustin at the end.

"Actually I'm gonna go to bed, you guys can bake them." Max said, ending the sentence with a yawn.

Nathan nodded and we all bid him goodnight.

"Let's get started." He grinned and looked to Dustin who was busy gawking at the beautiful Christmas tree.

Bless that kid's soul, may nothing ever try to harm it.

"You know, I'm pretty tired so I think I'll just-" I couldn't finish my sentence since Nathan was in front of me in a flash.

"No no no." He shook his finger in front of me, making me feel like a five year old. "You're staying up with us to bake these cookies."

I groaned. "Why? You can make them without me." I reasoned. "Plus, I suck at baking."

"Come on, what kind of girlfriend let's her boyfriend bake cookies by himself?" He asked with a raised brow.

"This one." I said and put my finger over my head to point at myself.

"Well then I guess I'll just have to persuade you." He said in a low voice before taking small steps closer to me.

My heart was drumming as he stood a mere two inches away and leaned in.

Just when I thought he would give me another kiss on my cheek, he pulled back and started tickling me. Again. For the third time.

"DON'T!" I yelled as I tried to leap back but he just kept tickling me mercilessly.

"PLEASE!" I cried, my stomach burning from all the laughter.

He paused for a second to smirk at me. "Will you help bake cookies with us?" He asked.

I took a small step back. "No!" I yelled and turned to book it, but he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back into him, his hands tickling me again.

"FINE FINE FINE!" I cried, gasping for breath. "I'LL DO IT JUST STOP!" I screamed, my cheeks were hurting from smiling and laughing.

His hands finally stopped and he took a step back, giving me a victorious smirk.

Jerk...

"Good." He smiled and I relaxed, knowing he wouldn't tickle me again.

Oh boy was I wrong.

I screamed as he pulled me back and started tickling me.

This boy was truly a demon...

"WHAT THE HELL! I SAID I'D DO IT!" I yelled, trying to squirm myself out of his grip.

"I know." He paused to shoot me an evil grin.

I gave him a death glare which he ignored and was just about to tickle the pee out of me, when Dustin let out a yell from across the room.

We both snapped our heads to the side to see him coming full speed at us and before we could move out of the way, he barreled into Nathan's legs, catching him off guard.

I screamed as he fell forward and brought me down with him.

I groaned in pain from underneath him. "I think I broke my-" I suddenly stopped as I realized how close we were.

His face was mere centimeters from mine.

I felt his breath fan my lips teasingly, and glanced up at his eyes to see his gaze drop to my lips.

I lay there frozen as I watched him lean in closer, no voice in my head trying to stop me this time.

I realized at this moment how badly I wanted to kiss him. To feel his lips against mine. To see what he tasted like. I wanted him to hold me and kiss the living day-lights out of me and never let go.

Whoa whoa whoa, hold on. Where were these sudden thoughts coming from Bella Swan?

My heart was pounding so erratically and loud I was certain he could hear, and those damn butterflies were full out fluttering in my stomach.

I found myself lifting my head up to meet his lips halfway there.

Just as he brushed his lips against mine, making me shudder, I felt him pull back.

I stared up at him with hurt and embarrassment. He had rejected me.

Here I was thinking he wanted to kiss me, but I realized I was wrong. He was simply having his fun and I had made the mistake of reading too far into his antics.

What was wrong with me? He's my kidnapper, I shouldn't even be having any thoughts about kissing him.

I looked away from his face, not wanting to be near him anymore.

I felt his warm breath hit my neck as he spoke, "Sky, look at me." I noticed his breath was slightly husky.

I ignored him and stared intensely at the sofa. "Can you get off please." I tried to sound agitated, but I was pretty certain he could hear the hurt in my voice.

Damn was I pathetic. I went from knocking out a full-grown well-built man, to ending up trying to foolishly kiss him.

"Sky." His tone was more clear now.

I felt his hand cup my cheek as he turned my face back up to meet his piercing gaze.

Before I could tell him to piss off, he stared at me, then flickered his eyes to the side, giving me some sort of secret message with his eyes.

I stared to the right, confused, until I saw Dustin's feet standing mere feet away from us.

I looked back at Nathan to see he was glancing between us, then at Dustin, then shaking his head.

It was a but confusing, but I finally got the secret message.

He had pulled away because Dustin was standing right there. Seeing as how Max had shielded his younger brother's eyes the last time we had been caught in a compromising position, I remembered just how innocent and untainted the poor confused kid was.

I formed my lips into an 'O' as I looked back at him.

He nodded and gave me a small smile, before leaning down real close to my ear and whispering. "But I'd love to continue later on." He pulled away and gave me a wink, before getting up on his feet and giving me a hand.

I wasn't sure if he was serious, or if he was just being a flirt again.

My heart and breathing had finally come to a normal state and I quickly fixed my hair, before grabbing his hands as he pulled me up.

I quickly let go as I was still feeling quite flustered.

"Let's bake those cookies now." Nathan stated, breaking the awkward silence.

"FINALLY!" Dustin cheered, making me laugh in relief as his innocence seemed still intact.

Two hours later, I was stood in the kitchen in one corner with flour all over my face, hair, and clothes, watching as Nathan and Dustin were cleaning up after my mess.

I had told him I was no good at cooking. I had told him! But the stubborn boy wouldn't listen.

Now he had learned his lesson. As soon as I had stepped foot in the kitchen, I had sent a pot that was simply lying on the drying rack to come crashing down. And that was just the beginning. Nathan had given us all different roles. Mine was to gather all of the ingredients. The first one was flour, which I had easily found, but as I was walking over to hand it to Nathan, he had shot me one of those drool-worthy smiles, causing my heart to stutter which resulted in me tripping over air. That explained how I got flour all over myself and the kitchen...

As if that wasn't enough proof that I was not meant to be in a kitchen, Nathan had given me a different job, an easier one. The clueless boy thought that leaving me to wash the blender-- I have no idea why you'd need a blender for cookies-- would be okay. I had warned him but he had just laughed and said that I was being over dramatic.

He was quickly proven wrong when I had almost electrocuted myself, since me being me, I had forgotten to unplug the damn thing.

If it hadn't been for Dustin's quick thinking by pushing me away from the sink, the kid had some mad kitchen skills just like his two older brothers by the way, I would have been burnt toast.

Well since the blender was completely irreparable, I had come to the tragic realization that there would be no more strawberry smoothies, and that made me really sad.

And last but not least, the boys had been so caught up in cleaning up after my messes and scolding me, and yes Dustin also had given me a piece of his mind, that they had completely forgotten about the cookies in the oven, causing them to turn into dark black lumps.

And now here I stood in the corner of the kitchen, strict orders from Nathan, far away from anything, watching as Nathan threw the busted up blender away along with their ruined cookies while Dustin scrubbed the last trace of flour from the ground.

"I'm really sorry guys I-" I started but Nathan quickly interrupted.

"Ah-ah-ah!" He shook his head at me, looking all stern and all. "Not one more word. At least not until you're out of the kitchen Stanley." He ordered, using his nickname for me that he'd thought of from Spongebob Squarepants, that one episode where his disastrous cousin Stanley came to Bikini Bottom.

I quickly shut my mouth, thinking it'd be best to listen to him right now. Even though it was a terrible decision to listen to him two hours ago.

Nathan pulled out a box of cookies from a cupboard and placed five of them on a plate, pouring a glass of milk right next to it and walking out of the kitchen to put it on the table for stupid Santa. Sorry, I was just mad because if it hadn't been for the big old guy in a red suit, we wouldn't even be baking cookies in the first place...

"Let's hope he won't mind store-bought cookies." Nathan muttered before leaving.

Now it was just Dustin and I in the kitchen.

"Dustin, I'm really-" I started to apologize but he interrupted me. Must run in the family...

"Stop!" He quickly ordered, putting up a small hand. "I don't want to clean any more messes!" His eyes widened in fear as he took a step away from me.

I hung my head low in defeat and shame as he ran out of the kitchen.

I sighed but stopped mid-sigh, afraid I might get yelled at for even sighing.

Although I blamed the whole thing on Nathan since he was too stubborn to listen to me, I still felt bad that I made them do more work than necessary and ruin their cookies. And I felt bad for killing their blender. Poor strawberries. Now they had no good future...

A hand on my wrist suddenly made my head snap up as I saw Nathan standing in front of me, shaking his head at me to increase my guilt, before turning and leading me out of the kitchen carefully. And I mean very carefully. At one point my arm had brushed the side of a counter and he had quickly grabbed both my arms and pushed me ahead.

Once I was safely away from the kitchen, more like once the kitchen was safely away from me, I followed Nathan down the hall to his bedroom.

Since Max had gotten here, he had set up his bed on a mattress in Dustin's room, leaving Nathan and I alone.

"You can use the shower first." Nathan told me as we stepped into his room.

I was about to say thanks, when he added, "You really do need it, you look like the definition of disaster." He chuckled.

Deciding to ignore him, I grabbed a full sleeved pajama top (because it was winter and the days were getting colder) and my long black shorts I had bought from the shopping trip, walking into the washroom.

After I had scrubbed all of the flour out of my hair and off of my body I thoroughly scrubbed shampoo and conditioner in my hair, repeating the process thrice. Once I had washed off all of my mistakes and disasters, I quickly changed into my sleeping attire and walked back into the room.

I saw Nathan quickly stand up as he heard the door open and turned to face me. "About time." He muttered.

Jerk.

As he was walking past me to go to the washroom, I got my wet towel and whipped it on his butt.

I burst out laughing as he jumped about three feet up.

"Getting kinky are we?" He sent me a wink, changing his painful expression to an arrogant smirk.

"Gross." I said, scrunching up my face. "Now go take your shower, you stink."

He shot me a glare and opened his mouth to say one of those stupid comebacks he seemed to always hold in store for me, but I was quick to stop him.

Without hesitation, I slapped my hand over his mouth, grabbed his arm, and walked him to the bathroom like a mother walking her two year old to the toilet.

I shoved him inside and slammed the door in his face, not wanting to stick around for his smart-ass reaction or whatever.

I turned and walked back to the bed, hearing his muffled laughter from behind the door.

I jumped onto the bed and rolled to my side, resting on my back as I stared up at the white ceiling.

It had been a really long day and to say I was exhausted would be an understatement.

I had after all, been interrogated by a chipmunk, stood in the freezing snow in flip flops, had held a random chick at gunpoint, saved my kidnapper's ass, escaped six crazy men shooting bullets that could've ended my life, and if that wasn't bad enough, again almost ended my life with that damn blender and practically destroyed a kitchen. And now here I was, laying down on my kidnapper's bed instead of sitting in a corner losing my marbles.

Before I could let my thoughts convince me that I was starting to become a crazy patient and that I needed Nathan to check me into a hospital-- no, an asylum-- I heard the bathroom door open and footsteps walking towards the bed.

Just as I was about to sit up, I was attacked by a kidnapper. Crazy how that sentence seems so ordinary now.

I let out a shriek as Nathan jumped onto the bed and landed on top of me, crushing my body with all of his weight.

"Hey princess." He grinned down at me.

"Hey loser." I got out, my lungs becoming crushed now. "You really need to lay off the cookies." I wheezed now, struggling to push him off.

He gave me a frown, before rolling off of me and laying down facing me.

I turned so now we were both facing each other.

Wow we were close...

"Hey can I ask you a question?" He asked me.

I opened my mouth for a smart retort but he stopped me.

"And don't give me a smart-ass reply." He shot me a look.

Damn, he really could read minds.

"Just say yes or no." He ordered and I sighed.

"Yeah shoot." I waited for him to tell me, curious now.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked me confidently, making me almost choke on air.

"I mean, I know you won't kiss me because you're so stubborn, but if I kissed you then you won't regret anything." He continued on, oblivious to my shocked behavior.

"I think it's because you've been getting closer and closer to me, and it's been something that truly has been bothering me. You don't have to say yes and I can back off if that's what you want and I'll respect your boundaries. I don't know why I have this sudden urge but I really need to kiss you, just for a second to kill my curiosity. So will you allow me to?" He finished nervously, meeting my gaze with pure confidence still.

I just lay there for a few minutes, not able to complete a full sentence. I mean, he had really caught me off guard there.

My heart was beating loud and fast as I realized how badly I wanted to say yes. I mean, I thought I was falling in love with him, I'm not sure yet because I've never experienced love before, but the butterflies and the anxiety whenever he's near must mean something. I had pushed all those feelings to the side because I knew I shouldn't be feeling this way, but all those mixed emotions came flooding to the surface as he stared at me anxiously, his expression adorable.

"I-" I stopped myself and suddenly realized how little I knew about this guy. I couldn't let him kiss me, no matter how bad my heart and body wanted that. He was a big mystery to me still and I was very confused about anything romantic. I didn't want to end up getting hurt. He was my kidnapper and if there were to be anything between us, it would surely end in a disaster.

"No." I said quickly, before my heart could change my decision.

His face fell and it killed me not to reach up and pull his face to mine.

"Okay." He spoke after a while. He cleared his throat and repeated in a stronger tone now. "Can I ask you why not?" His eyes masking his emotions. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that. I just thought there was something and I thought you saw it as well." He looked away now.

Who knew that the smooth-talker devilishly handsome man could get nervous? Although he only let it show for a split second and was quick to put his guard back up, him opening up to me and choosing to be vulnerable was shocking. It made me feel closer to him...

I searched his eyes some more, before answering him. "Because Nathan, I don't know anything about you." I started, feeling his eyes snap up to mine but I continued to stare down at the space between us.

"I really, really want to kiss you Nathan, and it scares me. But I can't because I have so many unanswered questions and you won't even let me in." I stopped to look up.

His eyes were burning into mine intensely.

He didn't say anything for a while and I was scared that he thought I was being stupid.

"Let's make a deal." He said finally, those three words not helping the nerves.

"What type of deal?" I asked slowly, having no clue what he was up to.

"What if, tonight I answer two of your questions, anything you want to ask me." He started, making my eyes widen in shock.

He was willing to give me two answers to what my curious mind was wondering about? I knew I would take the deal, no matter what price I had to pay.

"But." He quickly said before I could get too happy. "I get to kiss you after." He grinned at me.

Like I'd say no to that.

Stupid voice, get out of my head.

I pretended to think it over for a while, before putting on a neutral face.

"We have a deal." I said, trying to drain the excitement out of my words, but I don't think it worked.

Nathan's smile grew and I found myself smiling back at him.

"Okay, first question." I started, not able to wait any longer.

Nathan's lips turned up slightly in amusement and that masked look in his eyes started to dissipate again.

"Where did you go when you went on that mystery trip with Alvin?" I asked without hesitation. This was the number one question that had been bugging me since the day he got back.

There was a small pause as he thought for a second.

I was starting to think that he would back out on the deal, but then he answered.

"Can we please leave that question for last?" He asked me quietly, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

I nodded and brought up my second question. "Why did you kidnap me?" I asked, looking into his eyes with curiosity.

I remembered he had told me that he was doing this because he was stuck and needed help. Or something like that. But it had been a very vague answer. For all I knew, he was just stocking up on his heroin addiction.

"Because Ryland ordered me to." He spoke automatically.

I sighed. "You know that's not the answer I'm looking for." I stated.

He let out a deep breath before starting his answer. "About four months ago, my dad walked out on us." He started, his expression and voice void of emotion. "Ever since then, everything became a huge mess. He was the only one that had a job and it was a pretty good one. Once he left, the bills became too much, the stress was growing us all up faster than normal, and the aftermath of it all was starting to tear our family apart. We ended up kicked out onto the streets pretty soon. We had gone broke and lost our house and car. My father had really drained every last coin we had, stripping us from all of our belongings and savings and fucking off to nowhere. We barely had money and I was lucky enough to find a job as a car valet.

I'd work about eight hours but it still wasn't enough to pull my family out of poverty. All I could do was provide them with food and clothing. But it wasn't enough. I knew there would be no stable future for us." He looked so adorably sad that I had the sudden urge to hug him.

"For Hana." He added softly after, the whisper almost slipping past me.

I was about to ask who Hana was, but he quickly continued on.

I knew he had more family coming to visit tomorrow for Christmas tomorrow and I guess I'd just see then.

"I had managed to move my family to a shelter home within the first week. Max was able to go back to college and stay residing on campus with his student loans, and so I sent Dustin with him to stay safe. Anyways, one night while my mom and the rest of my siblings were all asleep and I was outside the shelter to make sure no one tried to rob us, this man came up to me and offered me a new job where the pay would be grand. I had no idea how this man knew me or why he would just offer some homeless boy a job but I was too excited to care. I took the job without hesitation and the man paid me a thousand bucks in advance. He told me it was completely safe and legal, and even had contracts and papers for me to sign. It just seemed like some recruiting agency and at the time I was at such a low point, I didn't care what I had to do to survive."

I noticed Nathan had laced our fingers together and was softly playing with our entangled hands between us as he opened up more. The action made my heart warm but I continued to listen to his story with full attention. Never had I been so intrigued on a person's life story like this.

"With the money I had scrounged up from my old job and the new money I had just gotten, I managed to rent us a small apartment and that's where it started. I had no idea what my job was but the man said he needed to train me first. I'd wake up early in the morning each day and go to this building where there'd be instructors. First they built up my body and made me strong. Then they taught me how to fight and eventually I became pro. I still had no clue what all the training was for but I hardly asked, only focused on collecting the thick stacks of cash being handed to me and putting it towards sustaining a good future for my family.

Soon enough, I was able to support the rest of Max's studies at college, and even bought my mom and siblings a nice cozy house. Everything was perfect until one day I walked to that building, ready to train some more, when they pulled out firearms to train with. They said that I'd become really good and that they were ready to take me to the next level. That was when I freaked out. I asked them what all the training was for but just like every other time I'd asked, they ignored me. I realized just how serious it all really was and I knew it wouldn't turn out good. I was just about to quit, not wanting to risk the lives of my family, but that same day that man who had offered me the job in the first place told me they had found me a mission.

I was confused at first, then I began to think that they had been training me to become a spy or something cool, and then later on I found out that a man named Ryland needed someone to kidnap a girl. I knew at that point I had to get out, and I had almost escaped it, but it was too late. By then I was in too deep. He had already gotten leverage over me." He stopped to look away, but I still caught a glimpse of the crushing agony in his eyes before he was able to hide it.

I looked down and noticed his hands which had left mine were slightly shaking. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and grabbed his trembling fingers, bringing them up to my chest.

Ignoring his burning gaze on me, I gripped onto his hands against my chest and waited for them to stop shaking.

Thankfully, he didn't say anything or try to stop me, but instead shot me a small smile, making me feel happier.

"They... They took Hana." He said quietly, his eyes showing his broken expression which he had been trying so hard not to let show.

It made my heart crack seeing him in this much pain, but I knew I could do nothing. Not yet, he still had to finish his story for me to understand fully.

"I-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Please don't run away." He silently pleaded, looking down into my eyes. "I know I was selfish and ignorant for taking on such a serious deal without even questioning it. I ended up putting my family in danger and you, and if I could fix it, I would do it in a heartbeat. Had there been any other way I knew I'd go back and take any other option." He stated with pure genuine emotion, his words breaking me.

"You know..." He trailed off, before taking a breath and continuing. "I'd give my life up for the sake of my family's safety and yours." He stated.

His words did it. I stared up into his vulnerable, agonized and tear filled eyes.

I suddenly felt a strong urge to help him. I wanted to help this broken boy because at the end, he was taking everything onto his shoulders when he was already drowning himself. He had done what was necessary to save his family, and I could see the ache and grave grief it caused him. He held that weight each day and was still strong enough to put it aside to be there for Dustin, for Max, and even for me now.

Yes he had been the one to kidnap me, but at least now I knew it was basically forced and sprung onto him. Although it was easy to still blame him for everything, I knew that had he not been the one being trained and controlled, it would have only been someone else being in the same spot, and I really did doubt that they would have anything near the amount of compassion that Nathan possessed. I was certain that anyone else being controlled to do this would not be going about making me strawberry smoothies, averting angry violent chipmunks away from me, or give a single ounce of trust the same way he was giving me by opening up right now.

"Nathan." I called his name, not getting a response. His eyes were staring off into the distance.

"Nathan." I spoke more louder this time, causing his dark and heavy eyes to meet mine.

"You can't take on this much weight." I started. "Don't worry about me, because I'd be way more worried if you weren't here." I stated honestly, causing his eyes to meet mine again. "I know if it wasn't you, it would be a lot colder, darker, and lonelier being here. I probably would be looking a lot worse, and you prevented that."

He gave me a small grateful smile. It was barely there, but I could see my words did have some sort of effect, even if it was momentarily.

"I think what you did was brave." I continued. "You were there for your family when no one else was, and you still gave them their happy ending." I smiled softly. "Max is still in college, and your mom and siblings are all safe now."

"No." Nathan finally spoke. "They're not okay. I appreciate your words Skylar, you're truly amazing and have such a good soul." He looked at me with a sad smile. "But I didn't fix everything. It's too late and I'm stuck in this mess. I couldn't save her and now it's too late. They already ruined her." He said quietly, looking down.

"What happened?" I asked.

He didn't answer me this time.

"Next question." He mumbled after a long silence. "Please." He added softly after.

I thought for a while, before opening my mouth.

"Why do you trust me so much?" I couldn't help but ask.

He stared at me for a moment, as if my face held his answer.

Thinking that I was making no sense and he didn't understand my question, I added on. "I mean how do you know that I'm not gonna go run to the cops and tell them your whole story?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Well princess, one, you're not even sure you'll be released." He said with a smug smirk.

Despite his playful look, I shuddered at the thought of being kidnapped forever.

"Sorry, that was harsh. That's not the case. You will be released when the time is right, one way or another." Nathan added after he took in my fallen features, his eyes holding strong promise.

His words surprised me, and although he wasn't specific, I slightly relaxed and let my hope and faith grow stronger.

"And second." He continued on. "Because I know you won't tell anyone." He added, his eyes vivid from any clouds of doubt.

"But what if I wanted to get revenge on Alvin?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Then I'd have to tell them the whole story."

"But you'd leave me out of it." He retorted confidently.

"How do you know?" I challenged, feeling bothered a bit now.

"Because you care." He answered simply with a smirk, his eyes twinkling.

I thought about it. Did I really care? Well I knew that I wanted to kiss him and felt weird feelings and emotions in his presence. But did that mean that I cared about him?

Yes.

"And plus, I know you wouldn't risk Max and Dustin's safety." Nathan added after a while.

I slowly nodded, not knowing how to reply to that.

He had caught me, one way or another. It still bothered me how he was able to confirm that so confidently.

"Time to pay your end of the deal." Nathan suddenly announced, cutting off my thoughts.

A small blush crept its way over my face as I remembered our deal.

"Wait!" I suddenly exclaimed, ignoring his amused expression.

"What?" He asked with a raised brow.

"You forgot to answer the last question." I stated.

He simply looked at me blankly. When his poker face didn't slip, I added on. "The one I asked you first."

"I'm sorry princess, but the deal was you get to ask two questions, and then I get a kiss." He stated.

"That's not fair! You said you'd answer it last." I frowned, realizing I had used up my two questions already.

"I know. Not my fault you asked a different question." He shrugged.

I glared at him. I was determined to get my answer.

"Plus, you promised me the day you got back that you'd tell me where you went that day. I think now's a good time for that." I reminded him, crossing my arms.

We had a stare down and I kept my guard up, staring right into the depths of his stoic green eyes.

His eyes finally broke away from mine, surprising me that I had won.

I was about to give a small victory speech but stopped myself once I saw his eyes move away from me and suddenly fill with emotion again. The same heavy sadness returned to his eyes.

I suddenly regretted pushing him, and was about to apologize for overstepping my boundaries but he started to speak again, causing me to grow silent and still again.

"When Ryland told me I had to kidnap you, I did manage to escape. I made it far away and was so relieved, thinking it was all finally over and I could put it behind me, but I was too reckless to think at the time. It took his men less than three hours to locate my little sister and take her. They used her as leverage for me to come back. So just as fast as I'd ran from that hellhole, I was sprinting right back to it to save my little sister." Nathan let out a humorless chuckle, his eyes darkening to a deep harsh green. "I ended up back there and Ryland finally let go of my little sister.

"So I sent her back to my mother who was staying in the house I was able to buy for her and my siblings, which was in a different state, safely far away. At first my mom was relieved, but then she was determined to bring the police into it and thought she could 'fix' everything. She thought they'd help her out and be able to help me as well. So without even telling anyone, she took her own daughter right back to the building where Ryland and his men were, calling the police after-- not even beforehand, and demanded to get justice. With the time it took for the cops to arrive, Ryland's men had already spotted them outside the building. They immediately brought them in and waited for the cops, shooting and killing every single one once they'd arrived." He paused for a second, his eyes hardening.

"They kept Hana after and kicked my mother out, and that was that. They relocated the building so the police can't find them and my mother went back home and decided to keep this all to herself." He said, his tone venomous at the end. "The worst part is, she kept it all hidden from everyone up until recently. She would regularly call and act as if she were taking care of Hana back home. I had gone off believing all of that, until Ryland took me to go see her myself." Nathan stopped there, trying to control his breathing now.

"This is all still fresh to me so sorry if it was a little intense. But yeah, that's where I went over the weekend." He stopped and looked up at me finally. "Why are you crying?" He asked with a weird expression.

I now noticed I had tears streaming down my face as he finished his story. This was definitely the most heart-breaking situation I had ever heard. It made me see Nathan in a different light, and it made my heart ache.

"I-I don't know." I answered lamely, trying to wipe away the tears.

"Well I hope that answered your question." He managed to give me a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

I nodded. Before he could turn away and pretend like this talk never happened, I spoke up.

"Thanks for telling me." I said quietly, feeling his eyes on me, but I kept mine down. "I'm glad you trust me."

"Do you trust me?" He suddenly asked, causing my eyes to reach his intense gaze.

I thought about his question. I knew he'd never hurt me and I knew he'd protect me, because that was all he had been doing since the moment he pulled that blank gun away from my head that day at the mall.

"I probably shouldn't, but I do." I answered honestly, looking into those entrancing green eyes that were so fixated on me.

"You trust me that I won't hurt you?" He asked now.

I nodded my head. Now that those words were out, no point in denying it anymore.

"Good." He smiled slightly. "Then I can do this."

Before I could ask what, he started leaning in and without further adieu, his lips embraced my own.

________________________________________________________________

A/N

HEY! Uploaded more, hope you guys are having a beautiful warm last month of the year :) I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you. I truly love reading all your comments, they really cheer me up and make me LOL. I appreciate all the love you guys give this book and just know that UR GREAT <3 thanks for spreading so much love around this book, I'm gonna be uploading more than I should be lol because I see you guys enjoying this and want to give you as much as I can :) KNOW THAT YOU'RE LOVED AND APPRECIATED AND THAT YOUR BEAUTIFUL EXISTENCE MAKES THE WORLD SHINE BRIGHTER ;) this time of year can be cold to a lot of us, just remember to keep your head up and know theres better things heading your way if you open yourself up to it and allow it :) So thanks for making this book so much greater by your lovely comments and votes, stay laughing, dont take things too seriously, and be kind towards yourself <3

Enjoy

The winner for my dare is....... @imahorsefreak who said:

Oh lord😂😂 I went up to this guy in Walmart and followed him around wondering if I should hug him and then I hugged him. Then he hugged back & I was like. 'Oh.' Then he said "why did you hug me?" And I was scared because he was actually really built up and I was like "im sorry, I thought you were my dog." And he said "I get that a lot" and he walked off. Then I ran away and was like ooPS

HAHA I liked the part where you were like 'oh.' But there were A LOT of funny ones, also PLEEAASE don't lie about your dares, I want real life scenarios, not something you want to happen. Anyways, thanks for making me laugh my arse off with those hilarious dares.

Next dare: stand against a wall somewhere and when someone walks by, grab a strand of your own hair and put it up as a mustache and cough really loudly and when they look say "You're on my lawn." O_o

I just HAD to leave it at a cliffhanger, sowee.. Heh.. Hehe.. BYE NOW *runs away*

I wrote 13 pages on this one so maybe you should vote for me? Eh? *wink wink* heh it would be much appreciated :)

BANNER TO THE SIDE BY ILOVETOWRITE369 -------------->>>>>

~Ghostface