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“I hope you’re right.”
There was a crease between her eyes. I knew she was worried about not having any guests, but I was concerned about the opposite. That she’d be so busy she wouldn’t have time to see me. But that’s how the early days of a business were. At least that’s what my dad always said. My brothers and I were lucky to take over an established one. We never had to struggle. It had been easy for us.
But being in the business world, I’d heard lots of horror stories. And I knew firsthand how owning a business meant you worked harder, not less.
A sense of dread filled me. I didn’t want to let old insecurities creep in, but I couldn’t help but worry about our future. Would we be strong enough to survive the opening of the business? Would Natalie have any time for me? Or would she be working nonstop?
She was determined to be successful and independent. I admired that, but I also worried she’d be one of those business owners who worked too hard. I’d have to remind her to work smarter, not harder. But it wasn’t the time to talk more about business.
Instead, I tipped her face toward me to kiss her. I wanted to enjoy our time here and forget about what awaited us at home.
I took my time, kissing and touching before we removed each other’s clothes. The effort to stay quiet only fueled my desire. I rolled on top of her, my cock nudging her entrance. Her fingers tangled in the hair at the base of my neck.
It would be so easy to slide inside and forget about responsibilities, but I lifted up to grab a condom. Natalie stopped me with a hand on my wrist. “Do we need one?”
My brow furrowed. “I figured you’d want to be protected.”
“I’m on birth control, and I want to feel you inside me,” she said.
I dropped the wrapper, hoping that meant she was all in with me. This time, I rolled her onto her side and lifted one leg so I could slide inside. I wasn’t prepared for how good it felt to be inside her without the barrier. She was all warm heat, her muscles clamping around me. I was going to come too soon.
I kissed her shoulder as I tried to think of anything but the way her walls rippled around me. But when she reached down to touch herself, it was like she’d pushed a button in my brain. I thrust inside harder, needing to get her there before I blew my load.
She bit her lip against the moan as she spasmed around me, milking my orgasm from me. Afterward, I got up to grab a warm washcloth to clean her. I’d never gone without a condom before. I didn’t think I’d ever trusted a woman to go without.
I held Natalie in my arms as her breathing deepened. I couldn’t sleep for a while, the what-ifs running through my head on repeat. I couldn’t stop myself from conjuring up every worst-case scenario for the next few weeks—Carter moving to Telluride, the B&B perpetually booked, and never having time to see Natalie and Delaney.
By the time I finally fell asleep, my eyes were gritty with exhaustion. Delaney jumped on our bed at six a.m., excited to start the day, but I’d only gotten a couple of hours of sleep.
Natalie kissed me. “I’ll get her breakfast. Why don’t you sleep for a few more hours? You look tired.”
I rubbed my eyes. “I had trouble sleeping.”
Natalie smiled, but there was concern etched on her brow. “I get it. It’s a new place.”
I didn’t bother correcting her; I just lay there while they got ready for breakfast and left.
I rolled over but couldn’t find a comfortable position to fall back asleep. My eyes hurt, and a full-on headache was threatening. We had two more days in Annapolis, and I wanted to enjoy every minute, so I got up and showered, hoping I’d feel refreshed afterward. Then I wandered downstairs for coffee.
I found Natalie rocking in a chair on the back porch, the air crisp but not so cold we couldn’t enjoy the outdoors. I sat next to her. “This is nice.”
There were others eating in the dining room, but no one was back here yet.
Natalie smiled at me. “I wonder if my place will be this inviting once Sam is done.”
“It will be. He creates amazing spaces, and I’m fairly sure he’s going overboard with yours. He wants it to be impressive.”
“I moved to Telluride for a fresh start. I didn’t anticipate meeting you or your family, but you’ve been so good to us. It’s almost like it was meant to be.”
“I think so too.” Or, at least, I wanted to believe that. I felt a little like we’d built a straw house of a relationship and a strong wind could tear it down. I needed to build a brick house that was indestructible, but was it too late? Then I wondered if I just needed to change my beliefs about the relationship.
Before I could spend much time thinking about it, Delaney ran from the gazebo, in the center of the yard, to us. “What are we doing today?”
“I thought we’d take the boat tour. Juliana said it has a nice view of the Naval Academy.”
“We can tour the Naval Academy grounds if you’d like,” I added, trying to remember everything Nolan and Juliana suggested last night.
“Is that what you want to do?” Natalie asked me.
