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Finally, he drove into her, hard and deep, wringing another cry from her. He thrust again, his hips working like a piston, too quickly for her to catch her breath. He groaned her name. A demand. A plea.
And she answered him with a whispered “Yes.”
He gave one last violent thrust, spiraling them both into a vortex of all-consuming pleasure that seemed more vital than each rapid heartbeat, more essential than each labored breath she drew. She shattered right along with him, blinded by delirious sensation and intoxicated by his wild need for her.
For a brief time as they made love, he made her forget the threat surrounding her. But in the back of her mind, the fact remained that someone was after her, and she had no idea who, or why.
* * *
It was nine thirty the following morning before Noah heard the upstairs shower turn on and assumed that Natalie had finally gotten out of bed. As for him, he’d been awake since before his alarm clock had gone off at six. He’d taken his own shower, had quietly gotten dressed for the day, then left Natalie burrowed deep in the covers while he headed downstairs. He wanted to get some work done in his office before she woke up and he finally explained her past relationship with Chad Freeman.
Last night, the woman in his bed had been completely and utterly insatiable to the point of exhausting them both, he recalled with a smile. They’d made love three times, and once their passions had cooled, peace and calm had settled over her. When she’d snuggled up to him and asked him to just hold her, he hadn’t been able to shatter the cocoon of intimacy with a serious discussion. He knew there would be plenty of time for that later.
Like t
his morning, just as soon as she came downstairs.
With a resigned sigh, he closed out his email on his laptop, then grabbed Natalie’s case file and headed into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee for her, and himself. He could use another dose of caffeine to get him through the next hour or so.
By the time the coffee was done percolating, Natalie walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of cotton drawstring pants and a blouse she hadn’t bothered to button up all the way. Her hair was still damp and combed away from her freshly scrubbed face, and she greeted him with a soft “good morning”, an affectionate kiss on the cheek, and a sweet smile he knew he could get used to seeing every day for the rest of his life.
His heart thumped hard in his chest, the knowledge that he’d fallen in love with this woman undeniable. She fit so perfectly in his life, in a way he’d never imagined any woman could. For years he’d embraced his playboy, bachelor image, enjoying brief relationships that made no demands on his carefree lifestyle and emotions. No attachment beyond sexual pleasure meant no potential heartache to deal with, and that motto had worked just fine for him.
Until Natalie. He’d taken her in, made her a part of his life, and now he was in so deep every fiber of his being tensed at the thought of losing her, which was a distinct possibility. Their relationship, their affair, had been instigated under false pretenses, and it was only a matter of time before everything came to a head and she realized the truth. He could only hope and pray his feelings for her would be enough to repair any damage he’d done to her emotions.
She withdrew two mugs from the cupboard, finding everything in the kitchen, in his home, with ease after nearly a week in his care. “I can’t believe you let me sleep in so late,” she chastised lightly.
He poured the coffee into their cups, and she added the creamer. “You obviously needed it.”
She grinned impishly, her eyes dancing with a mischievous light he knew he was eventually going to douse as the morning turned to more somber matters. “I guess I did need the rest,” she admitted.
And not just because of their night of intense, sizzling sex. The distressing situation she’d endured at work had obviously contributed to the stress and tension, heightening her need to work off the restless apprehension that had settled over her. She’d chosen to lose herself in sensual sensations, and once she’d slaked her lust, she’d been physically and emotionally wasted. After their multiple encounters, deep, uninterrupted slumber had consumed her, which had been for the best, he knew.
She picked up her mug and took a sip of the steaming brew, and the opening in her blouse gave him a glimpse of the faint, crescent-shaped red mark on the swell of her breast.
He reached out and touched the blemish his teeth had left on her smooth skin and winced in contrition. “I’m sorry about doing this to you.”
“No, you’re not,” she refuted, her tone playful. “And neither am I, though I’m glad you’re not leaving your love bites in plain sight for everyone to see.”
Leaning close, he nuzzled her neck, inhaling the fresh, clean scent of shampoo and mint toothpaste. “I’d like to,” he said throatily.
God, he’d never been so wild and untamed with a woman as he’d been with Natalie last night. But it had turned him on to claim her in such a brazen, primitive way, and obviously it had aroused her, too. Just thinking about her eager, shameless response to the way he’d taken her the first time last night sent a rush of heat to his dick.
Before he gave in to the desire to take her up against the table for a morning quickie, he inhaled a deep, steadying breath and switched mental gears. “Want me to make you breakfast?”
“I’m not overly hungry.” She set her coffee on the table, then pulled a box of Raisin Bran from the pantry and a bowl from the cupboard. “I’ll just have a small bowl of cereal. By the way, I was thinking we could go shopping today to buy a gift for Cole and Melodie’s wedding tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He leaned his hip against the counter as she added milk to her flakes. He let her enjoy a few mouthfuls of her breakfast before deciding to get business done and over with. “Natalie, we have to talk.”
She carried her bowl to the table and sat down, a small, hesitant smile on her lips. “I figured as much, since you said that last night before I distracted you,” she said, and took another bite of her cereal.
He felt a perceptible change in her, a reserve that was nearly tangible. “Not that I’m complaining about your persuasive methods,” he assured her, wanting to be certain she knew and understood that he’d been a willing participant from the moment she’d kissed him in the foyer. “But there’s something I have to tell you.”
She met his gaze head-on, and he couldn’t miss the uncertainties and fear that had found their way back into her expressive eyes. “You know who’s after me, don’t you?”
He felt as though he’d been sucker punched in the belly. He didn’t know how she knew, but he suspected it was mostly intuition on her part. She might have lost her memory, but she was a sharp, insightful woman, and it didn’t take a master’s degree to figure out that someone was following her, considering how bold Chad had been in his pursuit so far.
There was no way to soften his answer, so he gave it to her straight. “Yeah, I do. And it’s someone you know. Someone from your past that you don’t remember because of your amnesia. And you need to know who this person is so you can protect yourself.”
