In the Air (The City Book 1) - By Crystal Serowka Page 0,71

tried to get in touch with me, along with my father, but I hadn't picked up their calls. My mother relayed both Aubrey's and my father's messages to me. She wanted me to forgive them, but I think in the back of her mind, she knew it wouldn't ever happen. The scheme they pulled almost cost me Natalia, and that wasn't ever going to be okay with me. Natalia was the love of my life, the girl who changed me for the better.

I knocked on Natalia's door, waiting for her to answer. I had a feeling she was planning something, by the cryptic look on her face this morning when we woke up. I asked her about her plans and she replied, "Oh, nothing. Probably going shopping with Kingsley." I knew she was lying by her answer. She never went shopping with Kingsley. She and I both agreed that Kingsley's style was vomit-inducing, and it would take a real patient person to go to a mall with her. Someone like Wren.

I found out Wren was dating Kingsley the night I invited him out to dinner with Natalia and me. Natalia jumped from her chair when she saw him walking into the restaurant.

"Wren! What are you doing here?" Wren's shocked face looked from Natalia and then to me, finally putting the pieces together.

"Fuck. You're Samson's girlfriend and Kingsley's roommate. Shit!" Wren looked nervously between the both of us.

"Kingsley? How do you know her?" I asked Wren.

"Umm ... " Wren stammered, "Well ... "

"Kingsley and Wren are dating," Natalia jumped in.

My jaw dropped. I swear I felt it hit the table.

"Wait, you're Samson's best friend?" Natalia asked, completely baffled.

"Yeah," Wren looked at Natalia and smiled. He then looked at me. "I've been dating Kingsley for awhile now."

"I can't believe this. One, that's disgusting. And two, you're just now telling me you're dating someone?" I was dumbfounded. Yes, Kingsley was hot, but her looks couldn't ever make me forget about her poisonous attitude.

"I've heard you two don't get along, but for the sake of Natalia and me, you'll have to."

Kingsley and I still hated each other, just not as vocally as before.

"Finally, you're here!" Natalia roughly pulled me into her room. All of the overhead lighting was turned off, and there were candles lit on every open surface. The room smelled of lavender and vanilla. I lifted my eyebrow in question. "Sit," she instructed, pushing me down onto her made up bed.

She stood in front of me, her body covered in a familiar brown trench coat. I'd bought Natalia the Burberry jacket one afternoon when we went shopping. She refused to go into Burberry with me again, so I ran in and came out with the coat. I told her that if she didn't wear it, I would wear a seashell necklace every day for the rest of the year. She grimaced at my comment and jerked the bag from my hands. She hadn't worn it once, until now.

"I wanted to show you something." Natalia began slowly unbuttoning the buttons, stopping at the last button.

"What's going on, Brooks?"

She grinned down at me seductively and peeled off the coat, revealing a skintight black romper with pink ruffles along the trim. I felt my heart stop from the vision in front of me. A few weeks ago, I told her how hot I thought it was when girls surprised their boyfriends with lingerie. She laughed, saying that it was stupid to spend money on lingerie when it only stayed on for a few minutes. She declared she would never do something like that. Now, here she was, standing in front of me looking like the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

"Going back on your word?" My arms reached out to grab her waist, but she stepped back before I could touch her.

"I figured I'd prove to you how right I am," she said sweetly.

"You're never right," I teased. I reached farther this time, grabbing her and pulling her onto my lap. Her legs straddled me as she peered down into my eyes. Natalia's beauty entranced me more every day. Staring at her then, the light from the candles casting a soft glow across her face, she looked flawless. Every part of her body screamed for me to touch it. My lips found the soft spot on her neck. Her breath hitched, as my tongue traveled down to her collarbone.

"I love you, doll," I whispered, nipping her earlobe lightly. She moaned loudly, her hands pulling the