Uniformly Hot! Volume 1 from Harlequin: Letters from HomeBreaking the RulesComing Up for Air

by Rhonda Nelson

  This afternoon while he’d gone over to the post office, Natalie had insisted on dropping by the gallery to check on things, citing an incompetent assistant and things that needed her attention. He knew she was purposely avoiding going to the post office with him, and more than ever, he was convinced that Adam was right.

  She’d been writing the letters.

  He felt it in his gut.

  After listening to the sound of her voice, the cadence of her speech, he could “hear her,” for lack of a better description, when he read the letters. Though nothing had arrived from her in today’s mail, he had gotten a few items—bills and such—so things were definitely being forwarded. It was a small comfort. He knew that another letter had to be coming, otherwise she wouldn’t be so damned nervous. If she hadn’t been the one writing to him, then why had she acted like a spooked cat when he’d tried to get her to walk over to the post office with him?

  It had to be her.

  This afternoon, after beachcombing with her for about an hour, he’d come home, and he and Adam had taken his newly unnamed boat out for a short spin. While Adam had lazed around on deck, Levi had taken the time to read back through the letters and had found what he thought was a pretty good clue. In one of her letters, she’d described the view from her living room over the water. There were lots of waterfront properties in Bethel Bay, but very few had a weeping cherry tree in the yard.

  He knew because he’d looked today.

  Point of fact, gut-feeling and wishful thinking aside, there were too many little things that suggested Natalie was his Mysterious Ms. X. The ginger-citrus scent that accompanied each one of the letters, the fact that she’d thrown up when Adam had point blank told her that he thought she was his Mysterious Ms. X—a curiously endearing quirk—and her reticence to join him at the post office. He was ninety-nine-point-nine percent positive that she was responsible for the letters, and the instant the next missive came, he had a feeling he was going to know for certain.

  In the meantime he intended to do exactly what his brother had suggested—he was going for it.

  Whether or not Natalie turned out to be Ms. X, he wanted her. He’d wanted her from the instant he’d seen her dancing around their driveway to the tune of “Sweet Child of Mine” and, though he’d kept his distance and tried to replace her with someone else, had come up with and used many arguments to keep from pursuing her…the time for that was at an end.

  Something about Natalie had always drawn him. Intense physical attraction aside, he could honestly say he simply loved being around her. She had the unique ability to simultaneously energize and relax him. As Adam had so eloquently pointed out, she was easy company. She had a fantastic sense of humor, alternately wry and outrageous, was incredibly talented, loyal to her friends, her town and heritage, and genuinely…did it for him.

  Furthermore, though this made no sense given the fact that he loved traveling and enjoyed living in different places, Levi suspected that the thing that truly drew him to her was the fact that she was so…grounded.

  Natalie Rowland knew her place in the world, her position here in the local scheme of things. She had roots, Levi thought, and despite the fact that he’d rather sow wild oats from one end of the globe to the other, there was something distinctly comforting in that.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to go?” Levi asked his brother again.

  Adam looked up. “Absolutely.” He paused. “You’ll be good together.”

  Levi silently agreed, then grabbed the wine he’d picked up from town and took his leave. The short walk to Natalie’s door was probably one of the longest he’d ever traversed and he was unaccountably nervous. He’d fought terrorists, dammit, and his hands hadn’t so much as shaken. Yet at the moment his insides were vibrating so hard he could barely swallow.

  It boggled the mind.

  And, of course, now that he was relatively certain she was Ms. X, Levi knew he wasn’t going to be able to look at her without imagining each and every one of those fantasies she’d written to him about.

  He wanted to reenact them. In the flesh.

  The mouthwatering scent of lasagna washed over him the instant she opened her door. Natalie wore a pale-yellow-and-white polka-dotted sundress and she’d left her hair down so it fell in soft waves over her shoulders and slithered down her back. Plain diamond studs winked in her small ears and the smile stretching across her elfin face was nothing short of breathtaking. It was also a bit unsure, which he found curiously endearing. Just like those freckles scattered over her pert nose.

  She was beautiful. Quite possibly the loveliest creature he’d ever seen. And the kicker? The thing that just set him off like a firecracker on the Fourth of July?

  She had no idea.

  He held up the bottle of wine. “Your booze, milady.”

  Natalie laughed. “I happen to like chick flicks. You’re the one who’s going to need to self-medicate with the alcohol.”

  She accepted the wine and gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen. Naturally he couldn’t do it without looking at her ass and damn…Though the fabric of her dress wasn’t see-through, he could make out what he instinctively knew was a thong. A band of sweat broke out over his upper lip.

  Clearly she was trying to kill him.

  Levi sighed and shook his head. “So you’re going to hold me to it, eh?”

  Natalie withdrew a corkscrew from a drawer and handed it to him. “You do the honors, would you? And, of course, I’m not going to hold you to the movie.” She rolled her eyes. “Adam’s the one who owes me the chick flick, not you. You can read the back of the DVD box and pretend you’ve seen it.”

  Levi chuckled. “Very crafty. I like that in a woman. So what are we going to do then?”

  He could think of lots of things and none of them included watching a movie. For starters, now that he’d decided to seriously make a play for her, he’d like nothing better than to kiss her. His gaze lingered over her lips. He wanted to taste those raspberry lips, feel her tongue against his. He wanted to push his fingers into her hair and feel it slide over the backs of his hands. He wanted to set her on the counter, lift the dress and make dinner of her. Eat, sample and savor every part of her.

  And because of her letters, he knew she wanted it, too.

  Natalie opened the oven door. The groan of pleasure she gave at the delicious aroma that wafted out affected him on a visceral level. She grabbed a couple of pot holders from the counter and withdrew the bubbling dish, then set it on top of the stove.

  “We’re going to eat and watch a movie, just not the one Adam thinks we’re watching.”

  He poured them each a glass of wine, strolled over and handed one to her. He purposely invaded her space—if she had any doubts about his intentions and what he wanted, he’d disabuse her of those right now—and had the pleasure of watching her pulse flutter wildly at the base of her throat. Mission accomplished, Levi thought, pleased.

  “And what are we really going to see?”

  “The Shining,” Natalie said, shocking the hell out of him as she accepted her drink.

  A startled laugh rumbled from his chest. “The Shining? Really?” What? Was Psycho already rented?

  Her dark gaze met his, then dropped to his lips. She absently licked hers and he went hard. “I’ve, uh…I’ve always wanted to see it and am too much of a wuss to watch it alone.” She quirked a brow. “Is that okay with you?”

  Only if she ended up in his lap, Levi thought. And somehow he imagined that was the whole point. Good food, good company, wine and a horror flick.

  It was the perfect first date.

  He smiled down at her. “It’s totally fine with me. But I’ll warn you. You may have to hold my hand.”

  8

  Dear Levi,

  I love the way your mouth hitches up into that little half-grin. It makes my heart skip a beat…and my nipples tingle…

  HE HADN’T BEEN kidding about the holding his hand thing, Natalie thought as Levi
’s strong fingers lay entwined with hers on top of his muscled thigh. A sexual current seemed to run from his fingers through hers and straight to the very heart of her sex. They sat in a sort of expectant silence as the final credits rolled.

  “Damn,” Levi finally said, releasing a pent-up breath. “That was one scary ass movie.”

  Understatement of the year, Natalie thought. She’d heard about the legendary horror film for years, but had never watched it. Levi hadn’t either, which had made her self-serving, give-her-a-reason-to-cuddle selection perfect.

  Natalie grinned. “Are you saying you’d rather have watched the chick flick?” she teased.

  “Hell no,” Levi said, chuckling. He squeezed her hand. “This was nice. I haven’t watched a movie in ages.”

  “I love movies,” she admitted. “They’re one of my favorite forms of entertainment.”

  A wicked twinkle lit his eyes and it was obvious he was thinking about a completely different form of entertainment. The kind that involved naked skin and hurried breathing and culminated with a back-clawing, toe-curling release. “I enjoy it, but I don’t think I’d go so far as to say it was one of my favorites. I prefer a more…physical form of entertainment.” His gaze caught and held hers. “Unless it’s reading, of course. Particularly letters.”

  Oh, hell. Natalie swallowed as her stomach gave an ominous quiver.

  “Did Adam mention that I’ve been getting letters from a woman from Bethel Bay?” he asked, studying her closely.

  “He, er…He might have mentioned it.” She’d known this was coming, that it was only a matter of time before he’d bring it up. And she should own up, Natalie thought. Get it out of the way. Just tell him. This deception had gone on long enough.

  All she had to do was admit that she was his Mysterious Ms. X and they could move forward, in the admittedly temporary direction they both wanted. Though she didn’t know whether Adam had shared his suspicions with Levi, given the leading questions he’d asked she knew he had his own incriminating thoughts on the subject as well.

  And just because he didn’t know now for sure didn’t mean he wouldn’t know shortly. That letter with her return address would be here any day, and when it came…

  She should just tell him, Natalie thought again, trying to drum up the nerve to do just that.

  But she couldn’t. Ridiculous and cowardly, she knew, but—

  “I’ve really appreciated them,” Levi told her, twisting the guilt knife even further. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “They’ve uh…They’ve meant a lot.”

  “That’s nice,” Natalie said, for lack of anything better. Meanwhile her heart did a little pirouette.

  She’d known that he’d been smitten with her letters—had enjoyed them—because he’d written her back and told her so. Told her that and so much more. Those letters had opened the line of communication between them and the intimacy they’d created—even anonymously—had been nothing short of magical. She’d poured out her heart, but had measured and selected each word with care.

  Levi waited, evidently for her to confess, and let out a silent, almost imperceptible sigh when she didn’t.

  “It’s getting late,” he finally said. “I should get going.” Still holding her hand, he reluctantly stood and made his way to the door. He stared down at her. “Dinner was fabulous,” he murmured. He edged closer, leaving no room for doubt about his intentions. “Adam was right about your lasagna.”

  He’s going to kiss me, Natalie thought faintly. Finally, finally, finally, after all these years. Her lips tingled in anticipation, her breasts grew heavy, and a steady insistent warmth pooled in her middle.

  “Much as it pains me to admit it, Adam is usually right about a lot of things. I think the world of your brother. He’s one of my best friends.”

  His measured gaze searched hers. “I kept thinking the two of you would become more than friends.”

  Natalie laughed. “You and everybody else.” She let go a breath and shook her head. “But we’ve never been interested in each other that way.” Though she wasn’t about to admit it to Levi, she and Adam had even kissed once to test the waters. Nothing, nada, zilch. Her gaze inexplicably dropped to his lips and a bolt of heat hit her womb. “There’s never been any chemistry.”

  He sidled closer, incinerating her with his nearness. A flash of goosebumps skittered up her spine and camped at the back of her neck. “Chemistry’s important.”

  Sweet Lord, he smelled good. Natalie licked her lips. “Essential,” she said.

  That melting caramel gaze traced every line in her face and settled hungrily on her mouth. “I happen to think that we’ve got it.”

  He’s killing me, Natalie thought. Absolutely killing me. “You do?”

  Another wicked chuckle, then “In spades.” He tugged her closer and bent his head until his lips were just a hairbreadth away from her own. “Do you feel it?” he whispered huskily.

  She nodded because she couldn’t speak. God help her, if she felt it any more she’d self-combust.

  He smiled, ever so slightly, the wretch. He knew what he was doing to her, knew that she wanted him more than she wanted her next breath. In fact, breathing seemed highly overrated at the moment. She’d completely forgotten how to do it.

  And then his lips finally, blessedly—she even heard faint tones of the hallelujah chorus—touched hers and the air she’d been holding inexplicably leaked out in a sigh of utter and complete pleasure. It was as though every minute of her life was tied to this particular second, as though every tick of the clock had been leading up to the mating of their mouths, to the instant when he would kiss her. Sound receded. Sensation reigned. Happiness and joy the likes of which she’d never known, and instinctively knew she’d never recognize again, rushed through in waves of euphoria so intense she could scarcely believe it.

  Levi made a soft growl of masculine pleasure as his lips brushed lightly—almost reverently—over her mouth. Once, twice, a sampling, and then his hands framed her face, pushed into her hair, and her soldier, her badass, her hero, the bona fide love of her life, laid siege.

  There was no other term for it.

  His tongue tangled around hers in a thorough exploration of the soft recesses of her mouth. He tasted like wine and marinara, like rain after a long drought. Like heaven, Natalie thought dimly. Even better than Winnie’s petits fours and that was saying something.

  His thumb stroked her cheek in an achingly tender gesture, as though he’d been waiting a lifetime for this as well, and he fed at her mouth, suckling, tasting, deepening the kiss until her legs shook and her knees threatened to give way. She leaned closer, absorbing the hot, hard feel of him against her, then carefully entwined her arms around his neck.

  She loved the feel of his close-cropped hair against her fingers and slid the pad of her thumb behind the curiously vulnerable patch of soft skin just below and behind his ear. Soft, vulnerable. Descriptions that should have been at odds with such masculinity, but were, quite strangely, perfect.

  “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do this?” Levi asked, a hint of desperation in his gravelly voice. His hands slid purposefully down her back and settled hotly over her rump.

  “Not nearly as long as I’ve wanted you to, I’ll bet,” Natalie told him, her giddy heart giving a little jump in her chest. She suckled his bottom lip, wanting to kiss other parts of him. Neck and shoulder, chest and abdomen…and parts farther south. A particular part that was currently nudging impatiently—gratifyingly—against her middle.

  Levi rested his forehead against hers. “Years,” he said.

  She drew back, shocked. Years? Really? But she’d never detected—She’d never imagined—Years? “What the hell was the hold-up?”

  “I’ve told you already. I thought you and Adam would eventually become a ‘thing’ and I didn’t want to tread into my brother’s territory.”

  He wouldn’t, she knew. It made perfect sense. And yet…“What about Sabrina?
”

  He chuckled darkly. “A poor substitute, a mistake, a monumental lapse in judgment. Need I go on?” He gave his head a shake. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”

  “I don’t know what the hell you were thinking, either. She was all wrong for you.”

  He grinned, seemingly pleased with her assessment. “And I suppose you know what’s right for me?”

  Natalie felt her cheeks warm. “I think I’ve got a better grasp of it than she ever did, yes.” She was right for him, thank you very much.

  Levi drew back a bit once again and seemed to hesitate. “Adam has threatened to kick my ass if I hurt you.”

  Translation—this is temporary, I’m only home for a few more days, my career comes first, and this will never be more than it is right now.

  He didn’t have to say it. She’d known it all along. And it was good enough, Natalie thought. It had to be. She’d rather have him now—for whatever amount of time they had—than miss the opportunity altogether. She’d deal with the fallout later.

  Natalie leaned forward and gently kissed the corner of his mouth, not the least bit surprised that he’d addressed the elephant in the room before taking things any further. It was noble and right and heroic. She inwardly smiled.

  It was so Levi.

  Which was why she’d lie. “You’re not going to hurt me, Levi.” She didn’t have any expectations beyond this week. “I know what we’re doing.”

  THEN THAT MAKES ONE OF US, Levi thought. Because he sure as hell didn’t know what he was doing.

  He’d thought he did…until he’d kissed her.

  Then every bit of gray matter he possessed seemed to vanish and it had just been his lips on hers, her lithe body pressed tightly against his. Those talented fingers that created unique and wonderful works of art sliding over the back of his neck and into his hair, tracing the shell of his ear. It had conversely soothed and enflamed him, made his chest go tight and his heart do a funny little thump against his ribcage.