“Where would you like me to stow Miss Mason’s belongings, Mr. Carter?” Alan asked.
“I’ll take them from here, thanks.”
I followed Mac down the hallway. I didn’t know what he had in mind, but I was so tired it didn’t matter. I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. He brought my things into what appeared to be the master suite.
“I thought we could keep your things in here, if that’s okay?”
“Of course,” I said. My feelings were lighting up around my body like a ball in a pinball machine. I wanted him to make love to me, but I also wanted things to go slow. I couldn’t have things both ways and I was frustrated with myself for being so indecisive.
Mac placed my case on the bed. “Let’s get you unpacked and comfortable. Miles has prepared dinner for us.”
“Good. I think that’s why I’m so tired, from not eating.”
Within minutes, my things were stowed away and we headed to the main cabin for dinner. Everything was set up with silver covers keeping the food hot.
After eating salmon, wild rice, and broccoli, I began to feel human again, but my exhaustion hadn’t dissipated. The stress of everything was just too much. Mac seemed to understand I just needed some quiet, and he sat next to me while eating, instead of across from me, placing his hand on my leg when he wasn’t using it to eat. A couple of times he leaned over and kissed me on my cheek.
Trina took our plates away and left a large piece of chocolate cake on the table. Mac picked up my hand and kissed each of my knuckles. His touch sent sparks through my body.
“Baby, you look so tired. I know things have been very stressful. Let’s get you to bed.”
I nodded, but nothing more. We walked into his cabin, where I took out my pajamas and headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed. I felt so nervous being alone in such an intimate setting with Mac. He had brought the cake with him, so I figured we were going to have some of it before…
Mac knocked on the door. “Are you okay, Nat?”
“Yes.” I managed to get out.
“I’m not convinced.”
I opened the door to see him standing there in nothing but pajama bottoms. My eyes scanned his chiseled chest and I wanted to run my fingers down his abs. His physique was…perfect. Perfect to me.
“Looks like you’ve been keeping up with your workouts, Mr. Carter,” I said, looking up at him through my eyelashes.
Mac smiled and slightly shook his head. “I work out with my trainer four days a week. He’s a drill sergeant.”
“I can attest that all of your hard work is paying off.”
“Well, you’re looking pretty fit yourself, Mrs. Carter.”
Hearing the words Mrs. Carter, made me mushy on the inside. I looked at Mac’s mouth and all I could think about was how much I wanted it on every inch of me. Mac put his hands on my face and said, “You are so beautiful, Natalie. I’m such a fortunate man.” Then his mouth descended upon mine and he began kissing me, his mouth claiming mine for his own. I was putty in his masterful hands as my body began to fall toward his. He scooped me up and placed me on his bed. He lay to the side of me and continued kissing me, igniting the passion I had buried so long ago. I wanted him, and in that moment, nothing else in the world existed.
After a few delicious moments, Mac released me from his kisses. “Natalie, I want to make love to you, but I want it to happen when you can tell me, without reservation, that you love me. I want this to be real and not just a technicality. I’m not completely certain you and I are in the same place, yet.”
“What are you saying?”
“What I’m saying, is I need to know I am the only one for you. The only man you want…the only man you love…the only man you need. When I know that to be true, then I will make love to you.”
“How do you know it’s not true, already?”
“I can sense you are holding back. You’re not completely ready and I’m not going to push you. You. Are. Worth. The. Wait,” he said slowly, looking deep into my eyes.
I placed my hands on his face and said, “How do you always know what to do and say to make me feel treasured?”
“It must be one of my many gifts,” he said, and we both laughed. “Now I want you to get some sleep and when we wake up, we’ll be docked in Catalina. It will be a beautiful day.”
“I can’t wait. Thank you for treating me like I am something precious.”
“You are, Natalie. You’re my wife. That makes you incredibly precious. To me.”
Chapter 20: Mac
Natalie drifted to sleep almost immediately, surrendering to her exhaustion. I watched my beautiful girl for a long time, inhaling her essence, aching for her to love me. I never knew I could feel this much intensity and love for someone. I just wanted her to be happy, feel safe, and know beyond all measure, that I am the man for her. If she had been any of the other women I had dated, I wouldn’t have hesitated to take her to bed. But my mom’s words echoed in my head about treating the right woman like a precious jewel. Natalie was my dazzling jewel.
The next month was going to be brutal, with getting through the first Christmas without her sister, and the trial of the man who took her sister away. It made sense she was so worn out. And on top of it all, she had her job keeping her on her feet and customers to please.
I got under the covers with my darling bride and snuggled up close to her. I wanted her to awaken in the morning wrapped in my arms. There was no place else I’d rather be, and I was going to do everything in my power to make her feel the same way.
The sun peeked through the folds in the curtain that didn’t quite restrain its brightness. Natalie began to stir, but she was still cradled in my arms. I knew she could feel how much I desired her as I was pressed up against her backside. Nothing in my world would have been better than making love to her.
“Good morning,” I said, as she began to stir.
“Good morning,” she murmured back.
Neither of us moved and she let me hold her for a while. “Did you sleep well, Mrs. Carter?”
“How could I not, being nestled in your arms?”
“How about you, Mr. Carter?”
“Never better. I could sleep like this every night and wake up this way every morning.” Nothing was better than this. Well, maybe one other thing would be, and God knew I was ready. My hard cock was pressed against her perfect backside. I better get up or things were going to happen.
“Coffee is waiting for us and Trina will make anything we want for breakfast.”
“Great, but I need a shower first to wake up,” she said, her eyes still half shut.
“Okay. I’ll have Trina whip up some omelets for us if you like.”
“Mm. That sounds good.” She had better not groan like that again, or I may not be able to resist her.
Natalie went to shower, and after getting dressed, I went to place our order with Trina. When breakfast was ready and Natalie had still not come up, I decided to check on her. As I approached the bathroom, I heard sobs coming from within.
“Baby, are you okay?”
She just cried more.
“Can I come in?”
“Okay,” her trembling voice answered.
I could see her gorgeous body shaking through the clear shower door. I grabbed the towel off the rack, opened the door, and took her by the hand. Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped both the towel and my arms around her. Continuing to cry, she choked out, “I’m sorry.”
“Shh. There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s only natural for you to be sad.”
“I just miss her, Mac. So much.”
“I know, baby, I know.”
“After our parents died, Jessica and I made our own tradition. We spent Christmas Eve with our parents’ friends, the Millers, but on Christmas day we would go downtown and help at the homeless shelter. Knowing there would be children there, we always brought a trunk full of gifts. It always worked out that we had just the right number of gifts for the
homeless boys and girls. It was all Jessica’s idea. In many ways, she was so selfless and so loving. I hate how our relationship ended. Angry…hurtful. Each of us saying things we can’t take back now.”
We stood there in the bathroom, my arms encircling her petite frame, her head resting on my chest. There was nothing I could say to take her pain away, so I didn’t say anything.
“How did you get through your first Christmas after your parents died?”
“Neil’s mom got me through it. I just wanted to stay home, but she wouldn’t let me be alone. She convinced me her family was my family, and they were there for me no matter what. They got me through everything.” Her grip on me tightened. “I’m here for you and I’m never letting you go.”
After a few moments, Natalie looked up at me with her sad, but beautiful blue eyes. “I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want just yet. I’m just overwhelmed and can’t seem to make decisions…” she said, her words drifting off.
“Baby, I’m not some dumb young guy who just wants one thing. I want the real thing…a marriage, a family, a life-long commitment.”
Natalie smiled, making my heart melt. She didn’t respond to my words, but she stood up on her toes and kissed me. Her kiss said everything I needed to know.
“I’m okay, now,” she said, hugging me again. “Is breakfast almost ready?”
“Yes. I’ll let you get dressed.”
A few minutes later, Natalie met me out on the deck for breakfast. We soaked up the sun and devoured our omelets. “I thought we could go zip-lining this afternoon if you’d like. I checked and they can take us at four. Is that something you would be interested in doing?”
Natalie’s eyes lit up. She squealed with delight. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Awesome, me too. So, you want to explore until we have to meet for the tour or would you prefer to just lounge on the boat?”
“I’d love to check out the shops.”
“Let’s go, then.”
We strolled hand in hand down the main street toward the shops. I was interested to see what Natalie liked, so I’d have an idea what to get her for Christmas.
After a few hours, we meandered toward the beach. It was the perfect set up with cabana’s available so we could relax. A waitress from the adjacent restaurant took our order of appetizers and drinks. We both sat back, gazing out at the ocean.
“There’s something so calming about the ocean. It’s just my favorite place to be. I love everything about it. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, the salty scent wafting through the cool breeze, sand between my toes.”
I watched Natalie talk, but kept thinking about how much I wanted her and how this morning had been a herculean task not picking her up and taking her to bed.
“Mac, what are you thinking about?” she asked me with a coy grin.
My heart was beating rapidly and I almost couldn’t contain myself. “This morning… holding you…feeling your body against mine.”
Natalie’s lips parted and she let out a soft moan. An urgent look crossed her beautiful face. Reaching for my hand she said, “I enjoyed being in your arms, too.”
Our waitress arrived as I was kissing the back of Natalie’s hand. We ate our food and drank our margaritas without speaking. It was strange, but we didn’t need words to be comfortable with each other. We just needed to be together.
Chapter 21: Natalie
Mac had penetrated the hardened exterior that protected my heart for longer than I could remember. He was so open and I found that to be very sexy. I was beginning to believe I could have what Charlie and Mitch and Kate and Neil had—true bliss.
We made our way to the tour company for an adventure of a lifetime. At least, it was for me. There were six other people in our group and the guides gave us the 411 as they drove us up the mountain. After driving as far as we could, we hiked up another mile or so. The view was beyond astounding and I felt like I could see right into Heaven.
Ryan, our first guide, demonstrated what to do as he glided across the first line. He made it look simple enough, but I wasn’t feeling so brave. I kept letting the other guests go before us and pretty soon it was just Mac, Steve, the second tour guide, and me, left on the platform.
“Okay, you’re next,” Steve said to Mac. He set Mac up in the harness, attached him to the line, and Mac jumped off, floating effortlessly to the other side.
Then it was my turn. Why did I wait to go last? My nerves were getting the better of me. Steve secured me to the line and I stood at the edge. Fear had taken over.
“Steve, you’re going to have to push me. I can’t jump off.”
Steve smiled. “You’re going to love it. Just relax,” he said, and then pushed me without warning. Looking out at the panoramic view of the ocean and shoreline beyond rendered me speechless. Within seconds, I arrived on the other side of the line and Ryan caught me just like he had everyone else. The rush was intoxicating and the fear had vanished. My only regret was there were only four more lines left and we’d be done. Mac took my hand as we climbed down the stairs to make our way to the next launching area.
“I was getting worried you wouldn’t do it,” he said.
“Me too. I had to ask Steve to push me. I couldn’t jump.”
“Now how do you feel?”
“Like I’m on top of the world,” I said, looking up at Mac’s ruggedly handsome face.
“Good. This is amazing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s more than my brain could fathom when you suggested it.”
We crossed a few more lines with everything going exactly like it should. I could do it all day if they let me.
I was the last person to cross the last line. As I came in for the landing, Steve caught me, but then let go and I drifted back toward the middle of the line. Ryan yelled from the other side, “Don’t move. Just stay where you are.”
I yelled back, “Thanks for the tip,” rolling my eyes.
I heard Steve say to Mac, “Sorry, man. You’re not going to like what I have to do to bring her back in.”
Mac crossed his arms over his chest and said something to Steve I couldn’t hear. Then Steve attached himself to the line and began moving toward me. When he got to me, he had to wrap his legs around my body and pull me to the platform using his hands. So there we were, our bodies entwined with each other and the expression on Mac’s face was not one of amusement. Quite frankly, he looked pissed off. Once I was safe on the landing, he pretty much took me out of Steve’s hands. The ride back was a quiet one, with Mac saying very little.
When we returned to the yacht I finally couldn’t take it anymore.
I knew he was mad, but I couldn’t understand why.
“Mac, he had to come out to get me. How else was he going to do it?” I asked slightly annoyed.
Mac sighed. “This is going to sound irrational, but I couldn’t stand him touching you. I don’t want any other man to touch you again,” he said, pulling me into his body as we stood on the deck.
The jealously that exuded from him was unfounded, but also endearing in a caveman sort of way. I put my hands on his face. “Mac, you have nothing to be jealous about. I don’t want to be with Steve. I want to be with you. I’m here with you.”
Visibly relaxing, Mac said, “I needed to hear you say it, Natalie. I haven’t been sure about what you are thinking or feeling today.”
“I know. Everything is happening so fast and I haven’t caught my breath yet.”
Mac furrowed his brow. “We have all the time in the world, but I can’t help how I feel. I want to be with you.”
I wanted to return the feelings, tell him exactly what he wanted to hear, but I couldn’t just then. Nothing made sense to me. One moment, I wanted to tear his clothes off, the next, I wanted to take things slow. I hoped Mac would understand. I rested my head against his chest and he held me for a long moment. Miles interrupted us with word that we were departing in fifteen minutes. “Trina has prepared everyth
ing if you are ready to dine, Sir.”
“Thanks, Miles.”
Down below in the dining compartment, Trina had set a romantic scene for us. The table had pink rose petals strewn around it, fine china and crystal, wine in an adjacent ice bucket, and two plates enclosed with silver covers. The candles were the final touch that drew me in.
“I see Trina has been busy,” I said. “Looks like she has prepared everything you asked for and then some.”
Mac grinned. He looked so young and handsome. “She aims to please. Shall we?” he asked, motioning toward the table. The patience and care of Mac amazed me.
Mac pulled out my chair for me. We ate and reminisced about our adventure zip-lining in Catalina. It had been a perfect day and I wanted to savor every moment of it. Despite it all feeling a little surreal, and the confusion I was experiencing, I was glad for the taste of wonderful.
Chapter 22: Mac
Seeing Natalie’s beautiful face by candlelight mesmerized me. How could a woman look so sweet and innocent, but be sultry and alluring at the same time? I watched her animated expression as she expounded upon conquering her fear of zip-lining. I could watch her forever.
“I’ve been monopolizing the conversation. Tell me something about you,” she said, sipping more wine. “I know, who was your first girlfriend in high school?”
“That would be Heather. We were the typical high school couple. She was a cheerleader and I was a football player. We naturally gravitated toward each other in our junior year, but before that it had been flirting and hanging out with our group of friends.”
“So, how long did you two date?”
“We were together for two years.”
“What broke you up?”
“Heather was accepted to Oxford, so she moved the summer after graduation. She wanted to study art history and restore paintings.”
“Aw. Did she break your heart?” Natalie asked with a sympathetic look.
“At the time I thought she did, but now I know there is only one woman capable of doing that.” Natalie’s eyes grew wide and her lips parted. “You have that kind of power over me, Natalie. Your heart has captured mine and I never want to be released.”
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