Hot and Bothered - Erika Wilde Page 0,17
kernel of information to help him better understand what had frightened her, but the only intriguing tidbit he’d discovered was an outdated woman’s magazine she’d subscribed to with her name and a Reno, Nevada, address on the mailing label. He’d confiscated the item to help him find out about the life she’d led before moving to Northern California.
He emptied the final bag of clothes onto his bed to sort, and her intimate apparel tumbled out. He grinned as he picked up her underwear and rubbed the smooth fabric between his fingers, then inhaled the clean, powdery scent of fabric softener. He’d been surprised to find that she favored simple cotton panties when she had a body made for “barely there” lingerie, but she’d allowed a hint of femininity in the strip of lace around the waistband. Her bras were plain, unadorned covering for her beautiful breasts.
There was nothing overtly sexy about any of her undergarments, and he’d no doubt seen racier, more provocative stuff in his years, but there was something about her no-frill approach that did it for him in a major way, if the raging hard-on straining against his jeans was any indication. Natalie was all woman, and she didn’t need silk and lace to emphasize her attributes.
She was also a woman with deeply buried secrets, and he planned to discover what she’d been hiding.
Stuffing her panties and bras into a drawer he’d cleared for her, he also mixed a few articles of her clothing into his hamper just for good measure. Her college textbooks were now on his kitchen table, and he’d set a couple of the novels he’d found at her place on his bookshelf.
Satisfied that his two-story house looked as though a woman lived there as well, Noah took a quick shower, shaved, and made a quick call to Bobby and Cole to update them on Natalie’s status and to remind them to play along with his cover of being her fiancé for the time being. He returned to the hospital with a fresh pair of her sweats, socks, underwear, and her well-worn Converse to change into.
When he entered her room, Natalie was up and talking to the doctor, and when she saw him, she graced him with a smile that quickened his pulse and made him feel like a teenager with a bad case of infatuation.
“Hi,” she said, and motioned him over to her bed, her expression reflecting excitement. Once he was there, she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Good news. The doctor is going to release me today.”
He noticed that the IV had been taken off, and she was no longer hooked to the other monitors in the room. “That’s great.”
The doctor jotted a note on her chart, then glanced at Noah pointedly. “She needs to take it easy for the next few days and get plenty of rest.”
“Not a problem.” He set her clothes on the side table, right next to a huge floral bouquet that must have arrived in his absence, then grinned down at Natalie. “I’ll make sure she gets all the TLC she needs.”
“Very good, then.” The older man nodded his approval and slipped his pen back into his lab coat pocket. “She can change and get ready to leave, and I’ll have the nurse bring in her discharge papers.”
The doctor exited the room, and Noah returned his attention to the gorgeous floral arrangement scenting the room, curious to know who had sent them. “Nice flowers,” he commented, hoping his voice didn’t reveal the tinge of jealousy he felt. Hoping, too, that she’d reveal their origin.
“Yes, they are beautiful.” She reached out and fingered a pink rose petal, then met his gaze, her features softening with adoration. “Thank you for sending them. That was incredibly sweet of you, and the sentiment was very reassuring.”
He swallowed not only his surprise, but the words of denial that immediately sprang to his lips. Whatever sentiment was written on the card attached to the bouquet had given her the impression that he’d bought the flowers for her, and his fingers itched to pluck the envelope from the center of the arrangement and read the attached note for himself.
Schooling his expression and summoning restraint and a grin, he played along with the scenario. “You’re welcome.”
With a long, lingering sigh, she sat up in bed and carefully swung her legs over the side of the mattress. “Well, I guess I’d better get dressed so you can spring me out of this joint.”
He