Perfect Temptation (Perfect Fit Book 4)

by KB Alan

  “Ophelia Crawford-Weber, I thought you’d be on my side in this.” Noah’s strong voice wrapped around Natalie’s senses as his arms wrapped around her waist.

  Noah hadn’t expected to see Natalie less than ten hours after he’d dropped her off at home, but he was pleased that he was. And very pleased when she leaned back into him and raised her head up to smile at him. He dropped a kiss on her lips.

  Ophelia’s eyes went wide with delight. She brought her hands up in front of her mouth. “Yes? Really? Two of my favorite people, together like this?”

  “No promises for babies, as this is very, very new,” Natalie said. “But I’m going to need your recipe for chicken noodle stir fry. If I remember right, that’s one of Noah’s favorites. I’m going to invite him for dinner this week and I need to wow him. We’ll see how things go from there.”

  He liked that she’d noticed what his favorite meal was. “She could probably wow me with burnt toast,” he told Ophelia.

  The older woman clapped her hands, but was distracted by half a dozen phones beeping in unison. A group message from Alec was letting them know that the baby was on its way.

  They headed over to the hospital, Noah holding Natalie’s hand and getting a thumbs up in approval from Annalise. He hoped things worked out with Natalie, not only because he liked her a hell of a lot, but because he was pretty sure he’d get shit for it if things went south. He wasn’t worried they’d kick him to the curb, but it would probably suck for a while.

  When Alec brought out Matthew Isaac Weber to meet them, Noah felt a little kick in his gut. The instant, intense love was almost staggering, and for the first time in his life, he could truly imagine being a father. As Annalise held her nephew, Noah and Natalie crowded in close. He rubbed his finger along the downy head while Natalie caressed the round cheek.

  “Wow,” Annalise whispered. “These things come out of us. That’s just so crazy.”

  They laughed and passed the baby around, then went in to say goodbye to the beaming but exhausted parents, and offer up the pastries to a thankful Sonya. Noah pulled Natalie aside while Annalise was hugging her brother.

  “You can come home with me,” he offered.

  “Tempting. Very tempting. But I have to be at work at eight, on the opposite side of town. And I suspect we wouldn’t get a ton of sleep.”

  It was nearly midnight and she was right. “All right. But I’ll drive you home.”

  “Annalise lives three blocks from me. You live three neighborhoods from me.”

  He sighed dramatically and lowered his forehead to hers. “If you don’t want to see me anymore, just say so.”

  Her giggle made him smile.

  “I mean, I still plan to use your body quite a bit, you’re not getting out of this that easily.”

  “Good to know.” He kissed her and watched as she and Annalise walked to the car, arm in arm.

  When he got home, he was both wired and exhausted. He sent a picture of the baby to his family chat and wasn’t at all surprised when his mother called.

  “He’s beautiful, you tell Alec and Sonya we send our love.”

  “I will, Mom. How was your Fourth?”

  She told him about the barbecue block party with her neighbors and the mostly friendly potato salad contest that had developed.

  “I didn’t feel the need to get involved,” she told him. “I just sat back and got to taste all the effort. What about you, did you go to Leon’s?”

  “No, he went to someone’s beach house with Cedric, so I took advantage of Cedric’s cabin being empty and went out there with a friend for the weekend.”

  “What kind of friend?” He could practically here her waggling her eyebrows.

  He laughed and leaned back into the couch, the tiredness starting to pull at him. “Well, we didn’t fish, but we did use the canoe once.”

  “I see. A whole weekend at the cabin and you only went out on the water once, and didn’t fish. Interesting.”

  His mom prided herself on not being the kind of mother who tried to push her children into anything, though she always had their backs. Her own mother had made it very clear she expected her daughter to get married at a young age and start producing babies, which had driven her crazy. She’d sworn not to do the same.

  “Her name is Natalie, and I like her. A lot.”

  He grinned at the pleased sigh that traveled through the phone. “Then I hope it works out. I want you to be happy.”

  “I know. It’s early days yet, but I can see myself being happy with Natalie. She’s Alec’s sister’s best friend, so we’ve sort of known each other for a while, but now…now it’s different. Everything’s different with her.”

  He didn’t know how to explain it. He just felt it, knew it to be true.

  A suspicious sniffling reached his ears, and he grinned. His mother was a sap. “How’s the garden doing?” He’d planted it on his last trip out there. It was the second time he’d done it for them since they’d moved to Arizona. His mother blamed the change in climate for their lack of success, but she hadn’t been much of a gardener in Oregon, either. He didn’t mind.

  “I’ll send you proof of life tomorrow.”

  His father got on the phone to ask him what he thought about them renting an RV and driving up to his sister’s, then out to Boston. They discussed possibilities for a while, until he was yawning every time he opened his mouth.

  The garden center had been busy and he’d been on the floor, helping customers, from the moment he’d arrived. He hung up with his parents and took a quick shower. When he climbed into bed, it felt big and empty. Despite that, he fell asleep quickly and dreamed very good dreams about his blonde temptress.

  Chapter Twenty

  Natalie fended off teasing coworkers as she walked out of the office with the Chess pie she’d removed from the fridge. She’d made two, sharing one with the appreciative staff, and threatening bodily harm if they touched the second.

  “Let me guess,” Edgar asked, holding the door open for her. “This is for the same guy who sent you flowers last week?”

  She grinned. Noah had sent a small but beautiful arrangement of mostly orange flowers last week, after she’d made him dinner at her place. Tonight, he was making dinner, and she’d promised to bring the pie.

  “You’re so smart, Ed,” she ribbed as he followed her to her car. She clicked the remote and he opened that door, too, so she could set the pie safely on the passenger seat.

  “He’s a lucky guy. I hope he knows it.”

  “He acts like he knows it.” And it was true. Noah treated her like he was lucky and thankful whenever he saw her. Like he was still chasing her, even though she was well and truly caught. “He’s making dinner tonight.” And after, they’d be making their debut trip to Apex. She shivered as she got into her seat, waving Edgar off.

  Noah had helped her pick out an outfit from an online store, one that would make her feel like she wasn’t naked but was risqué enough she wouldn’t wear it anywhere else. He’d promised her she could wear jeans and a tank top and be just fine, but she wanted to feel sexy and submissive and not like they were just out on a regular date.

  She’d had the dress shipped to his house and had modeled it for him to make sure it fit and was appropriate. They’d been late to meet up with Annalise and visit Alec, Sonya and the baby after that, but she’d been assured that the dress would do just fine.

  Tonight, they’d be going to the club after dinner. Sonya and Alec had planned to go, but her friend had texted her at lunch time to say she just wasn’t ready to leave the baby with a sitter yet—even though the sitter was her mom. Natalie reassured her that she understood one hundred percent. Little Matty was only three weeks old, and his parents were thoroughly besotted with him. So was Natalie.

  When she pulled up in front of Noah’s house, he came to meet her before she managed to get her purse and bag and the pie and get out of the car. He took the pie and her bag and gave her a deep kiss. It was still ki
nd of hard to believe that they were together. Freaking Noah Tucker. Gorgeous Noah Tucker.

  They’d spent most of their nights together these last few weeks, and he’d done an excellent job of convincing her that they were, in fact, together. He was sweet and kind and dominating and patient and giving and fucking hell, she already loved him so much. She tried to tell herself it was too fast, too soon, too easy, too much. But she didn’t listen. If it fell apart, she was just going to have to deal with the fallout later. For now, she was going to enjoy every minute of their time together, and work hard to make it last.

  They’d fallen into a routine of weeknights that were “normal”, going out to dinner or cooking, watching television or playing games. And weekends that included her wearing his collar, and everything that entailed. Not the whole time. Last weekend they’d spent Saturday afternoon with her in bonds and him wielding a flogger. It had been incredible. Then they’d gone to the museum on Sunday and out to dinner with Uncle Leon.

  The weekend before, he’d told her their destination was a surprise, and they’d ended up at the swings on the Lawn on D. She’d told him about her dream, and he’d held her as they swung, whispering naughty fantasies about slipping his fingers inside her pussy, or bending her over the swing and taking her from behind as everyone enjoyed the show.

  She’d been hot as hell by the time they’d made it home and then he’d tied her up and masturbated in front of her, which had made her scream in frustration. He’d made it up to her by licking and sucking her until she was mindless with need and had come twice before he fucked her with the dildo he’d found in her bedside table.

  “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” he promised as he led her to the kitchen and put the pie in the fridge. “Come here.” He turned and leaned against the counter and beckoned her with a finger.

  She pretended to consider the idea. “Or what?”

  “Or I won’t spank you later?” he asked.

  Laughing, she went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His phone rang, and he let out an aggrieved sigh. She leaned back so he could fish it out of his back pocket.

  “It’s my mom, and she wants to do video call.” He rolled his eyes. “She knew you were coming over for dinner. Do you mind?”

  She turned around in his arms and leaned against his chest so that he could hold the phone up and they were both visible. Helen Tucker appeared on the screen, Oliver peering over her shoulder. She grinned broadly when she saw that Noah wasn’t alone.

  “Hi Mom, Dad. Meet Natalie.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you, dear. Leon told me you all had a lovely dinner last weekend for Noah’s birthday.”

  “We did, he’s such a nice man.” Noah’s uncle had insisted that she join them for the belated celebration of Noah’s late-June birthday. Since they hadn’t been together for his birthday, she didn’t think she should get him a real present, but she had ordered some bondage cuffs that had a big bow on them, and surprised him with them later that night. He’d expressed joyful appreciation for the gift.

  Natalie found Helen to be easy to talk to, with Oliver and Noah interjecting on occasion. When the timer on the stove went off, Noah handed her the phone and she continued the conversation until he’d made up their plates and brought them to the table.

  “They’re nice,” she said as she took a look at her plate. “Oh, you made our first dinner.” Baked chicken thighs, roasted squash and rice. “But you didn’t do it naked.”

  “There are several perks to being the Dom,” he noted.

  “I see that.”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes until he leaned over and pulled her lip from between her teeth. “You’re chewing on the wrong thing. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, I’m just nervous.”

  “About going to the club tonight.”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ve already agreed we’re not going to do a scene, so what’s making you nervous. Seeing something that will upset you? Or just memories of the last time you were at a club?”

  “No.” She didn’t really want to say but she couldn’t lie and knew he’d get it out of her anyway. She got up and dished them pie to give herself some time, but then told him. “About making a good impression on your friends.”

  He burst out laughing, and she glared at him. “Noah!”

  “I’m sorry, Nattie, but that’s just ridiculous. Unless you suddenly turn into an entirely different person when we walk through the doors, there’s no way you could make a bad impression.”

  Well, that sort of made her feel better. She took a bite of pie. “The thing is, it’s not like you’re just a regular member. You’re a monitor and a mentor. The members respect you and some of them look up to you. They’ll be checking to see if I’m good enough for you. And I haven’t got a single doubt that there are some submissives there who are going to be upset you’re no longer available.”

  He’d gone to the club twice to pull monitoring duty, and had been worried she’d be upset about that. She loved that he was there to keep people safe and secure while they played. She trusted him to not cheat on her. He’d been very clear about what kind of touching he might do while there, and she was fine with what he’d described.

  “Would you rather go to a different club?” he asked. “I can tell you that my friends will welcome you, and I don’t really care what anyone else thinks, and will have words with anyone who tries to treat you badly, but if it’s something you’re really worried about, we can have your first experience somewhere else. I know a few other clubs I’d be willing to go to with you.”

  She sighed. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be fine. But thank you, I appreciate that you made the offer.”

  “Let me know if you change your mind.” He checked his watch. “You better get dressed. I’ll put away the dishes.”

  She blinked and looked at her own watch. “I thought you said you wanted to leave at eight-thirty?” It was only just after seven.

  “Yes, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to need to fuck you once I see you in your dress again, and I don’t mean a quickie.”

  She stared at him, jaw open. He picked up their plates and headed for the kitchen.

  Noah held Natalie’s hand as they entered Apex. The club was its usual Saturday night full, music loud enough to feel, but not so loud it impeded on conversations too much.

  He’d fucked a lot of the nerves out of her before they’d left, which had been his plan. Then he’d had her kneel so he could put his collar on her, while she was still naked, her lips swollen from his kisses and her inner thighs still red from his beard.

  “Whose job is it to make sure that things go all right tonight, Petal?” he’d asked as he clicked the lock into place.

  She’d licked her lips. “Yours, Sir.”

  It hadn’t been the most emphatic statement.

  “And how am I going to do that, since I’m not a mind reader?”

  The little line had appeared between her eyebrows, then it had cleared. “I’ll tell you if I start to feel uncomfortable. Or worried. Or scared.”

  “That’s my girl.” He interlaced their fingers, holding her hand in the normal way. “You have my permission to hold my hand at any time while we’re at Apex.” He let go and wrapped her hand around one of his fingers. “If you do this, I’ll know you’re at one.” He moved her fingers so that she was holding two of his fingers. “Two. Like that. You can grip my whole hand if you get to five. It’s different than when we’re holding hands and our fingers are interlaced. All right?”

  She’d nodded and practiced grabbing his fingers. Then she’d kissed him. “Thank you, Sir.”

  He’d ordered wrist and ankle cuffs to match her orange collar, but they hadn’t come in yet. If she decided she was ready to play at the club soon, he’d save them for that night, as a special treat.

  Now she held his hand tightly, but he could see her begin to relax as the club was presented. They’d entered a large room, with a hallway on t
he opposite side, which led to individual rooms for play. A bar took the space to their left and a stage to their right, with conversation areas dotted between them and several play stations on either side of the stage. A small retail area next to the bar sold some toys, clothes and essentials like condoms and lube.

  A Saint Andrew’s Cross had been set up on one end of the stage and a set of stocks on the other. Both were being used, giving those in the conversation areas a good show, if they chose to watch.

  The dress varied widely. Some wore jeans and shirts, like him. Some wore nothing but collars and cuffs. There was leather, latex, and lace aplenty. A lot of corsets, some with nipples showing, some without. Natalie’s black mini dress fit right in. It had wide lace panels up both sides, allowing a tantalizing view of thigh and breasts, and a vinyl-like center that barely covered her nipples and was only inches below her pussy. A lace V at both of those positions allowed for a peek at those points, less than her sides, but enough to fire the imagination.

  He brought her to the bar and introduced her to Marcos, one of the club managers, who was currently offering drinks. He requested waters and let her take a seat on the stool, then stood between her legs. It meant that her dress was stretched wide, but no one could see since he was covering her. She narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t say anything. The stool was high enough that she could see over his shoulder, it also meant she could watch the room from around him, get a sense of it, without everyone seeing her.

  He put his hand on her thigh and she wrapped her fingers around his index finger. Good to go.

  Marcos gave him a rundown of the few interesting things that had happened since he’d last been there, and they both pretended not to notice as Natalie’s nerves waned and her curiosity rose. She’d moved her hand to his biceps and was leaning forward, trying to get a better look at the action.

  After a few minutes, he put his water down next to her untouched glass. “Ready to get closer, Petal?”