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And I plan to do the latter.
Chapter 14
Natalie
I sit on my bed, my legs swinging back and forth in an attempt to calm myself down. It was hard for me to see Emmy hurt like that, and I would’ve given anything to get her out of there and keep her from harm. But we’re both stuck here now, prisoners once again.
There’s no escaping this place.
No running from the people who seek us out.
So what should I do when there’s no more options left?
Burn the whole place down to the ground.
My mother was on the right track, but she didn’t enlist more people to help.
But I will.
I most definitely will.
And the first person I’m going to start with is Noah.
A knock on my door makes me pause and look up. The door slowly opens, and someone steps in.
“Noah,” I mumble as I get off the bed.
It’s been only minutes since I saw him going into the president’s room, but it was too short, and we didn’t get a chance to speak. We haven’t had time alone since … since we were brought here.
And for some reason, seeing him makes the tears well up in my eyes.
“Natalie,” he says as he comes toward me.
My legs tremble as I take a step forward too.
Even if he was the bad guy, something’s changed. Something about his demeanor, his choices … his heart. He chose to save my mother, chose to love me instead of following the rules, and he chose to give me what I needed the most, which was time to make my own decisions.
His heart is finally in the right place, and it resonates with mine.
When his arms lock around my body, I collapse against his chest, sniffing, taking in his musky scent, which reminds me of the time we spent together in my apartment and of all the dirty things we never spoke about again.
My body instantly responds to his touch, and I feel hot to the core.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmurs as he buries his face in my hair and takes a whiff. “I’ve missed your touch, your scent, your body … everything.”
“I thought I’d never see you again,” I whisper, my throat almost clamping up from the thought. “I thought he was going to kill you.”
He leans away and looks me deeply in the eyes. “I thought so too.” When I lower my head in shame, knowing it was my choices that led him to a certain death, he tilts it right back up again with a single finger. “But you saved me.”
“I almost got you killed by fleeing,” I say.
“Because I drove you to,” he says. “But I’m not going down that path again. No more lies. No more pain. I can’t offer you anything but my heart and my truth …” He grabs my hand and presses a kiss on top. “I just want my wife and my child to be safe.”
I can’t help but look at his reddened hand, marked by the fire. “You didn’t tell me this was from the fire.”
When he notices what I’m looking at, he quickly pulls down his sleeve and hides his hand behind his back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I cock my head. Still trying to save face? “No more lies, remember?”
My hand instinctively reaches for the neck of his shirt, and I slowly unbutton it to reveal his delectable six pack that tightens as my fingers graze his skin. I pause and take in just how sexy he truly is. Did I never realize, or did I never allow myself to see him in that light?
Biting my lip, I slowly slide the shirt off his shoulders, and it drops to the floor.
He swallows, judging my every movement with a penetrative gaze, but he won’t stop me either. My eyes follow the red lines from his hand all the way up to the burned skin on top of his shoulder. The scars go all the way into his back muscles, but he doesn’t seem fazed by it.
“Does it hurt?” I ask as I gently touch his skin.
He shakes his head, but winces when I press down too hard.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“It’s okay,” he says. “It’s still healing.”
A soft smile forms on my lips. “You saved her, didn’t you?”
As he looks down at me, his nostrils flare to release a big breath.
I place a hand on his muscular chest, and whisper, “Thank you.”
His lips part strenuously, and his muscles harden under my touch. Suddenly, he grabs my arms and smashes his lips onto mine. My eyes burst open as his mouth covers mine, claiming me with fervor. He groans into my mouth, and my pussy thumps in response.
Fuck.
He’s never kissed me like this.
So hungrily, so all-consuming, as if his life depended on it.
Like he wants me for more than my body. As though to him, I’m a true queen.
