Hot and Bothered - Erika Wilde Page 0,35

the effort of forcing memories to the surface.

“Natalie?”

Warm fingers touched her arm, startling her out of her trance. Blinking her eyes open, she glanced at Noah, who was watching her intently. Unable to put into words what her mind couldn’t even process, she decided to keep the haunting memories to herself for the time being.

“I’m sorry. I got distracted.” She sighed, not wanting to talk about her past with Noah anymore, not until she had a chance to dissect her unsettling thoughts and make sense of them. “I’ve had enough sunshine and fresh air for the day, and I think I could use a nap.”

He nodded his agreement, as she knew he would. “Good idea.”

She headed upstairs while Noah returned to his office, but instead of sleeping she tossed and turned in his big bed, trying to resolve those old insecurities about her appearance with the uninhibited way she felt with Noah. Just the thought of him aroused her, and she closed her eyes and buried her face in his pillow. She inhaled slowly and deeply, surrounding herself with the musky, male scent of him, which intensified the growing hunger to know him again in the most intimate sense.

After an hour of fitful rest, she finally got back up again. Feeling mentally and physically restless and unable to shake the sensation, she headed into the bathroom and brushed her disheveled hair before heading back downstairs. Catching sight of the small white bandage on her cheek, she decided to clean her cut and apply a fresh dose of antibiotic cream.

She carefully peeled the old bandage off with a wince and swabbed the small gash with peroxide, then opened the medicine cabinet to look for the tube of Neosporin. An assortment of male toiletries lined the shelves, and she sighed. Other than a few feminine items, nothing looked familiar—not the can of shaving gel, men’s deodorant and aftershave, or the box of condoms sitting on the bottom shelf.

Condoms? She jerked her gaze back to the latter item and frowned. Hadn’t Noah told her just last night that he didn’t have any protection, so they couldn’t have sex? Certain the box had to be empty, she picked it up and looked inside, only to find it filled with at least a half-dozen foil packets.

Confusion trickled through her, which was quickly replaced by a surge of anger. Dammit, why did Noah feel as though he had to shelter and protect her, even from sex, when the last thing she wanted was to be coddled and treated like a helpless, delicate female who couldn’t handle intimate physical contact?

Noah thought he knew what was best for her, but he didn’t have a clue. Her body and soul craved him in an overwhelming, compelling way that wouldn’t go away until she had him. Maybe not even then.

Jumping on the opportunity that had just presented itself, she withdrew a sealed packet. She would confront him with the evidence she’d found and demand an explanation for his refusal to make love to her.

And this time, armed with a condom, she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

CHAPTER TEN

Noah was so engrossed in work and his research on his laptop that he didn’t hear or see Natalie enter his office until a small square packet dropped right on top of his keyboard. It took him a few seconds to recognize what had landed at his fingertips, but once the knowledge sank in, his stomach gave a sharp twist of dread.

Reluctantly, he glanced up and found Natalie standing on the other side of his desk, hands on her slender hips, her eyes blazing accusation, and her expression pinched with impatience.

He inwardly cringed. Oh, man, was he ever in trouble.

“What happened to the bandage on your cheek?” he asked in a quick attempt to deflect the attention off of him.

Her narrowed gaze told him she wasn’t about to fall for his switch in topic. “I don’t give a damn about my cheek at the moment. I’d rather you explain that.” She pointed a finger at the wrapped condom so there would be no doubt in his mind about what she was referring to.

Very calmly, he picked up the incriminating evidence and turned it over in his fingers, taking a long, drawn-out moment to examine it and buy himself some extra time. “Well, I have to say that it looks like a condom to me.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass, Noah,” she said irritably, and pinned him with a direct look. “That’s not what I meant