by Nadia Lee
A slick heat began to gather between her legs. The sensation was pleasurable but also dissatisfying. She shifted, trying to quiet the building demand of her body, but it was no use.
She needed more.
His mouth was too leisurely to appease the greedy monster in her. He sipped her as if he had all the time in the world, as if he didn’t have a redwood digging into her belly.
She moaned and let go of his shirt. Her fingers tunneled into his hair. Rising on her toes, she pressed herself against him, and her tongue invaded his mouth for the unrestrained kiss she wanted.
He raised the hem of her dress, the air cool on her suddenly exposed skin. His hands massaged her upper thighs and grazed her bare butt. She hadn’t wanted lines and was wearing only a tiny thong under the dress. One hand traveled up her torso and lightly skimmed her breast. Her knees almost buckled; she tightened her arms around him.
“God, you’re sexy,” he rasped, his mouth hot on her neck.
Suddenly, steps pounded on the deck above them. Belle’s voice shouted, “Dad! Everyone! Dinner is served!”
Natalie jumped at the announcement and stared at Alex’s shadowed face.
He cursed softly. “This is the second time your family has interrupted us.”
His gaze lingered on her mouth, her breasts, her eyes. She smoothed her dress down and swallowed hard. The thin fabric showed the outline of her pebbled nipples. She was in no condition to join the others.
“You go first,” Natalie managed to say. Despite her effort, her hands trembled.
“Natalie—”
“Go on,” she said. “I’ll follow in a minute.”
He nodded, but there was a decisive glint in his eye. “There’s not going to be a third.”
Oh God. She shivered and watched as he retreated into the sunlight.
Chapter Seven
CHARLIE DROVE NATALIE HOME. Alex had been a perfect gentleman throughout the meal, though there was a simmering hostility between him and the Rodales. She had no idea what could’ve caused it. Sometimes Rodale International and DDE bid on the same projects, but surely that couldn’t be the reason.
The moment Alex had excused himself from the table after the meal was over, Charlie had dragged her out. He hadn’t even given her a chance to say good-bye to anyone except her family and Emily. Once they’d gotten into the car, he hadn’t said anything. The ride home passed in a cocoon of silence. He hadn’t even turned the radio on.
Now, sitting in the Porsche in front of her condo, Natalie felt uncomfortable. And somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t Alex taking her home. Maybe she could call him later. But then…she didn’t know his number. She should’ve insisted on staying until she could make her farewells properly…or something.
“What were you doing with Damon out there?” Charlie said suddenly.
“Huh?”
“You disappeared with Damon for a while. Went out in the yard. When I tried to find you, I couldn’t.” Charlie was looking straight out the windshield.
Natalie suppressed an inward sigh. She wasn’t in the mood to endure another session of accusations.
“Where were you?” she said. “You were my escort but disappeared for God only knows how long. You know I had to deal with Marcus O’Dell and his pregnant wife? Thank God Alex rescued me from that embarrassment. You were nowhere to be found.”
“I had important business to discuss. I—”
“You mean more important than being by my side when I needed you?”
He slapped the steering wheel. “I thought you were over O’Dell.”
“I am over him.” Suddenly, she was angry at Charlie. If he’d been around, she wouldn’t have succumbed to Alex…or used him to bandage her ego after seeing Marcus’s wife and dealing with Louise’s cruel comments. The memory made her hot and embarrassed. She should’ve known better. “Why are we even arguing? Alex just did something you wouldn’t do.”
“Hey!” Charlie yelled, surprising her. He rarely lost his temper and never with her. “You think it’s easy? That bastard’s trying to steal my company.”
“What?”
“That’s right. He’s been trying to take us over. Oh, it’s all behind-the-scenes, but make no mistake, it’s happening.”
She frowned. “That can’t be right. I know what’s going on at DDE, and Rodale is priced too high for us.” Alex was far too business-savvy to go after Rodale International. He hadn’t built his empire by paying more than he could afford.
“I’m not mistaken about who wants to fuck me over.”
She gasped. She’d never heard him curse like this before.
“And you”—Charlie raked his hair—“I know you didn’t just have a nice chat with him outside. I’m not stupid. You were pretty close to doing him. Or maybe I’m wrong and you did him already.”
“Doing him? Oh for—! Sure. Right in my-dad-the-senator’s yard. In front of all the guests.”
“I saw the way he was looking at you.”
“That’s your evidence? A man looks at me, and I’m ready to jump him?” She glared at him with a mixture of outrage and guilt. “What kind of woman do you think I am?”
Clutching her purse, she opened the door. Charlie’s hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist before she could step out of the car. She struggled to free herself, but it only made his grip tighten.
“You’re hurting me!”
Suddenly, he let go. She jumped out of the car.
“Natalie—” Charlie began.
The emptiness inside her heart ached, and she was sick of Charlie and her family and everything. Charlie was one of her closest friends—actually, her only close friend from the Halls’ social circle. He’d been nice to her, been there for her when Louise and Belle did their best to make her feel inadequate. He was like a brother to her. How could it come down to this?
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” She took a step back. “You should go home.” She turned around and stalked toward her condo.
“I’m sorry,” he called out from his car. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
He didn’t have to say it; she knew. She even felt a little guilty, because she knew why he was acting this way. It wasn’t fair to him that she couldn’t return his feelings, no matter how safe her heart would be with him. But she couldn’t pretend to feel anything beyond platonic love for Charlie.
Not when another man filled her thoughts.
Chapter Eight
NATALIE PADDED BAREFOOT around her condo, opening all the windows to air the place out. She’d been cleaning since breakfast. It was amazing that so much dust could accumulate in two weeks, but she’d finally gotten it all. Now all that was left to do was to shove the vacuum back into the closet by the bedroom, which she did.
Matto rubbed his body around her ankles. She picked him up and scratched behind his ears. He purred, his eyes turning into two thin slits. She lay on the pale green couch in the living room, with him still in her arms. The light yellow curtains danced in the balmy breeze, and she closed her eyes.
Someone rang the doorbell. Natalie frowned. She didn’t normally have visitors on Sundays.
It was probably some salesman. She curled up and ignored it.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong.
She opened her eyes and glared at the door. What was wrong with people these days? She put Matto on the floor. He growled with annoyance and ran over to the door. If he peed on whoever was there, it would serve them right.
Ding-dong!
“Coming!” She yanked the door open and gaped. “Belle. What are you doing here?”
Belle pushed past her and marched inside. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Despite her heeled sandals, she was still shorter than Natalie. Like Louise, Belle had excellent taste in clothes and accessories and just the right sort of wholesome blonde looks to be the angelic daughter of a U.S. senator, a mask that vanished like a crab into a hole whenever she was alone with Natalie.
Natalie shut the door and crossed her arms. “No. And I think it’s rude that you kept ringing my doorbell.”
“Oh please.” Belle spun around to face her. “I saw your car outside.”
“I could’ve been out with someone. Like Charlie,” Natalie said, feeling catty. It was no secret that Belle had a crush on him.
Belle glared at her. “You’re such a bitch. A mean bitch.”
“Original.”
Belle calling her names was nothing new. They’d never been very close, and once Charlie had made it clear that he was interested in Natalie, their relationship had deteriorated rapidly.
“Do you have to rub it in that you have everything?” Belle said, continuing to glare.
This was new. Belle had to be feeling more self-pity than usual if she thought Natalie had more than she did. Except maybe for Charlie’s affection, Natalie had always had less. The Halls had given her money, but they’d never acknowledged her. She’d made excuses for her family when they hadn’t come to her high school graduation. After all, it was Europe. But it had become painfully obvious how little she’d mattered to the Halls when nobody had shown up at her college graduation except Brian. The University of Virginia was only a two-and-a-half hour drive from the Hall residence.
Natalie kept her voice cool. “I don’t imagine you came all the way out here to call me a bitch or compare notes on what we have or don’t have. What do you want?”
“How could you?”
“Just what I wanted to ask you,” Natalie said. “How could you bring Marcus and his wife to me? That was cruel.”
Belle’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe you’re blaming me for that. They just happened to be there.”
“Naturally.”
“Don’t you try to turn this around. This isn’t about me. It’s about you.” Belle punctuated her last statement by pointing a manicured nail at Natalie’s chest.
“Belle. What you do want?”
“You hired a private investigator to find out about your past, didn’t you?” Belle said.
“What?”
Belle sneezed. “Do you still have that damn cat?”
“Yes. And you’re lucky he didn’t pee on your sandals. Now, what are you talking about? What PI?”
“Whatever you’re doing is going to hurt Dad.”
That made Natalie pause, but she quickly recovered. It was just like Belle to exaggerate and blame everything from crappy weather to world hunger on her. Natalie had no idea what this private investigation stuff was about, but obviously the only way to find out was going to be to play along. “And you know this…how?”
“I overheard him talking on the phone in his study.”
“You heard one side of a conversation, and you know it was my fault?”
“He specifically mentioned your name. Don’t think I’m stupid. I know you. Always acting like you’re better than all of us.” Belle fluttered her eyelashes and her voice turned falsetto. “I have the highest grade in all my classes, and I didn’t even have to study that hard. And this guy I dated in Europe is soooooo interesting. And his family is soooooo nice and rich. Very classy and traditional. Do you know his father is an Italian count?” Belle would probably have continued with her impression, but she sneezed.
“I never called you stupid or bragged about my grades or boyfriends.”
“Might as well have.” Belle dug into her purse, pulled out a tissue, and blew her nose. “The thing is, if it weren’t for Mom and Dad adopting you, you’d be nothing!”
“So we’re back to that again?” Natalie compressed her lips. The guilt-trip and the demand for gratitude had been going on ever since she could remember.
“Because you act like you don’t get it!”
“Careful, Belle. If anyone hears you scream like that, it could damage Brian’s reputation.”
“You’re the one who’s going to ruin Dad! Stop your investigation before it turns into something more serious.”
“For your information, I didn’t hire anyone. So if someone’s snooping for dirt, it’s not my fault. I don’t even talk to reporters.” Natalie threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t know why everyone wants to blame me for everything, but I’m not the cause of this particular problem. If you want to help Brian, you can start by not barging into my place and making groundless accusations.”
Belle took a single step toward Natalie, giving her a look that was equal parts disdain and disgust. “Just. Call. It. Off.” Then she turned on her heel and left, slamming the door after her.
Natalie took a deep, calming breath and went to the kitchen to put a kettle of water on the stove. The purple flower prints on the cream wall sat like dark shadows.
Now that you know, call off your hounds.
Louise’s comment the day before made more sense now—she also apparently thought Natalie was to blame for the problem and had probably decided to send Belle to make sure she got the message loud and clear. Paranoid, all of them. She hadn’t hired anyone.
The doorbell rang again, and Natalie glanced upward in mute appeal. She briefly debated ignoring it, but Belle would just keep ringing.
She yanked the door open. “What?”
“No need to be hostile.” Alex stood in the entryway, with a black shirt covering his V-shaped torso and a pair of dark blue jeans hugging his lean hips. He held up both hands, palms toward her. “I’m not here to make you work.”
Heat rose from Natalie’s neck and spread to her cheeks. “Sorry. I thought you were someone else.” She smoothed her hair and realized that it wasn’t bound. And she didn’t have any makeup on. Great. She stared down at her pink manicured toes. “Umm… What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by… Is there something on the floor?”
She raised her head. “No, nothing.”
“Okay.” He stood there for a moment. “Are we going to talk out here?”
“Oh, sorry. Come in.”
Matto came out from wherever he had hidden and trotted toward Alex. She shut the door before the cat decided to explore the neighborhood on his own. But he sniffed Alex once and walked away, tail held regally high.
“I was just making tea. Want some?”
“Do you have any coffee? Otherwise, no thanks.”
“Sorry, I don’t.”
On cue, the kettle whistled. She went to the stove, poured herself a mug of green tea, then took it into the living room where she sat on the Turkish rug in front of the coffee table. Alex was examining a set of jade figures on the rosewood shelves. There was something erotically disconcerting about such a dark, masculine figure in her bright, feminine living room.
He pointed at them. “May I?”
She nodded.
His finger skimmed over the scales of the coiled dragon. Two delicate stag antlers grew out of its head, and a red pearl glowed between its teeth. Then he explored the smooth contours of the piece next to it—its tortoise back, snake neck and stag’s hindquarters.
“What’s this called?”
“A fènhuáng. I think Americans call it a Chinese phoenix, although it’s nothing like the western version. A dragon and fènhuáng set represents a harmonious relationship between a man and a woman.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Hong Kong.”
He smiled. “Kind of whimsical.”
“Maybe.” Natalie sipped her tea. “I thought I would give the dragon to a man I lov—a worthy man.”
Alex picked up the dragon and glanced at her, his expression unreadable. “But you still have it.”
“Yeah. I thought I’d found one, but I was mistaken.”
Marcus had returned it when they’d broken up.
I…well, I never knew what you wanted me to do with it. It doesn’t go very well with my apartment. I guess it’s good that it’s going back to you.
Natalie stared at Alex. The dragon seemed to fit well in his hands, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to give it to anyon
e now.
His lips curved into a slight smile. “What?”
She hid behind the mug. “Nothing. I was just thinking… Well, it’s just interesting to have the CEO of my company in my living room on a Sunday.” She fidgeted and smoothed her hair. She really wished she’d put on makeup.
“Is that all you see when you look at me?” He came closer and leaned forward. “Your CEO? When I look at you, I see a smart, beautiful, passionate woman.”
Natalie looked at him. She wasn’t particularly embarrassed by what had happened in her adoptive parents’ backyard. Alex was an attractive man. But what if she was doing this on the rebound, or as a selfish act of salvaging her pride after Louise’s vicious words at the party? She didn’t want to be a user.
“Alex…”
“Shh…” He moved closer and placed his index finger in her lips. She closed her mouth. “I could’ve strangled your sister yesterday.”
Oh, I wish you had.
“And Rodale for sneaking you away.”
“Sorry—”
“What’s up between the two of you? Dating or something?” His tone was casual, though his gaze was probing, sharp.
Had Louise said something? Talk about giving the wrong impression. “No, just friends. We’ve known each other for years.”
“I see.”
Natalie relaxed a little bit. Of course he wasn’t going to be like Louise, who insisted on being right no matter what.
“Come on, pack whatever you need for a day and let’s go,” he said.
“Go?”
“Since we can’t seem to do anything without your family interrupting us, I want to take you somewhere private. A small cabin by the place we went yesterday. And no cell phones.”
He held her hand and caressed her palm with the calloused tip of his thumb. She shivered. Amazing that her palm could be so sensitive.
As tempting as his suggestion was, she hesitated.
But the feeling of being desired so intensely…
As if sensing the cause of her indecision, he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll behave.” Then his eyes crinkled slightly. “At least, as much as you want me to.”