it again and stared down at her with an expression that looked suspiciously like worry. “You being here, sleeping beside you. God, Natalie, it means everything to me.”
“You want—”
He exhaled, long and loud and full of pent-up something. “I want you to stay so that we can figure out what’s happening between us. I want that future you’re considering to include me.”
The words sputtered inside of her. Here she was thinking about covert actions in his personal life, and he was offering her a chance that amounted to more than a few rounds of good sex. She shouldn’t want the opportunity or crave it so much, but she did. From the start her feelings for him had only intensified.
Still, she had to be smart. That protective wall she erected so long ago couldn’t just crash down with a gentle push. It needed to be bulldozed, and it scared her that he might have that kind of strength and staying power. “This started out as sex.”
“Sex and protection.”
Even that much had been a violation of her personal rule and, honestly, of his. “Nothing more.”
He frowned. Looked as if he were preparing for a body blow. “Can you truly say that’s all it is now?”
She thought about how he smelled and how he smiled. How good it felt to lie in bed and run her hands over him. Not just for sex. The getting to know him part.
She should lie and stand firm. Not let the toughness slip . . . but looking into those eyes, so full of genuine feeling, and knowing the leaning of her own heart she couldn’t cut the ties and walk away. “No, it’s a lot more.”
His hands cupped her cheeks now, as if he willed her to believe every word. “Then understand that while I do want you safe and I’ve never forgotten my job is to protect you, the man—not the protector or the president of a security company—the actual man, is hoping you want to stay for him.”
If she hadn’t been falling for him before that moment, that comment would have sent her flying over the edge. His honesty sealed her fate.
She treated him to a quick kiss and pulled back before he could take it deeper. “For a guy who doesn’t say many words, when you do you sure pick the right ones.”
His frown disappeared. “Is that a yes?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and let the unexpected sensation of lightness wash through her. “Yes.”
“We’re definitely getting naked now.” His hands moved to her back and started wandering.
The friction of her body rubbing against his had her thinking about his bed and how much she loved it when he balanced his elbows on either side of her and hovered above her. “No question.”
“What’s that?” He nodded toward the envelope.
Her gaze slipped to it and guilt nagged at her. She’d open it later. She’d peek inside and find the answer because that’s who she was. She didn’t let clues get by her. And armed with the information she might be able to ease his pain or push him toward a test she knew would make his world better. But all that came later. “Something I thought I needed.”
His hands slid down her back making a beeline for her ass. “And now?”
She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his upper thighs. “I need you.”
TWENTY-SIX
Rick had the power to turn a day to shit.
Gabe got the call that his big brother hit the road from D.C. and was on the way. Andy jumped in the car to act as a potential referee, if needed. At least that’s what his text said. A few minutes ago the house alarm chirped and Gabe buzzed the far gate to let them in. Now he had to wait it out. See what was so urgent Rick insisted on a face-to-face meeting here, where Gabe never conducted business with Rick.
As if Gabe didn’t know.
He’d spent last night all over Natalie, barely letting her rest so he could forget the nightmare closing in. He’d settled one part of his life. Actually found a woman he cared about to the point where he wanted to change his life to make room for her. He’d been in her, over her, under her. There wasn’t an inch of her body he didn’t know better than his own.
She’d traced every scar on his chest and back and asked for the story behind each injury. With how he felt about her, the level of trust