The Ultimate Seduction

he picked up her underwear and rubbed the smooth fabric between his fingers, then inhaled the clean, powdery scent of fabric softener. He'd been surprised to find that she favored simple cotton panties when she had a body made for 'barely there' lingerie, but she'd allowed a hint of femininity in the strip of lace around the waistband. Her bras were sheer, but plain, a thin, unadorned covering for her beautiful breasts.

There was nothing overtly sexy about any of her undergarments, and he'd no doubt seen racier, more provocative stuff in his years, but there was something about her no-frill approach that did it for him in a major way, if the raging hard-on straining against his jeans was any indication. Natalie was all woman, and she didn't need silk and lace to emphasize her attributes.

She was also a woman with deeply buried secrets, and he planned to discover what she'd been hiding.

Stuffing her panties and bras into a drawer he'd cleared for her, he also mixed a few articles of her clothing into his hamper just for good measure. Her college textbooks were now on his kitchen table, and he'd set the three music CDs he'd found at her place on top of his stereo cabinet.

Satisfied that his two-story house looked as though a woman lived there as well, Noah took a quick shower, shaved and made a quick call to Bobby and Cole to update them on Natalie's status and to remind them to play along with his cover of being her fiance for the time being. He returned to the hospital with a fresh pair of her sweats, socks, underwear and her well-worn Keds to change into.

When he entered her room, she was up and talking to the doctor, and when she saw him, she graced him with a smile that quickened his pulse and made him feel like a teenager with a bad case of infatuation.

'Hi,' she said, and motioned him over to her bed, her expression reflecting excitement. Once he was there, she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. 'Good news. The doctor is going to release me today.'

He noticed that the IV had been taken off, and she was no longer hooked to the other monitors in the room. 'That's great.'

The doctor jotted a note on her chart, then glanced at Noah pointedly. 'She needs to take it easy for the next few days and get plenty of rest.'

'Not a problem.' He set her clothes on the side table, right next to a huge floral bouquet that must have arrived in his absence, then grinned down at Natalie. 'I'll make sure she gets all the TLC she needs.'

'Very good, then.' The older man nodded his approval and slipped his pen back into his lab coat pocket. 'She can change and get ready to leave, and I'll have the nurse bring in her personal items from last night.'

The doctor exited the room, and Noah returned his attention to the gorgeous floral arrangement scenting the room, curious to know who had sent them. 'Nice flowers,' he commented, hoping his voice didn't reveal the tinge of jealousy he felt. Hoping, too, that she'd reveal their origin.

'Yes, they are beautiful.' She reached out and fingered a pink rose petal, then met his gaze, her features softening with adoration. 'Thank you for sending them. That was incredibly sweet of you, and the sentiment was very reassuring.'

He swallowed not only his surprise, but the words of denial that immediately sprang to his lips. Whatever sentiment was written on the card attached to the bouquet had given her the impression that he'd bought the flowers for her, and his fingers itched to pluck the envelope from the center of the arrangement and read the attached note for himself.

Schooling his expression and summoning restraint and a grin, he played along with the scenario. 'You're welcome.'

With a long, lingering sigh, she sat up in bed and carefully swung her legs over the side of the mattress. 'Well, I guess I'd better get dressed so you can spring me from this joint.'

He helped her stand with his hand encircling her arm, waited to make sure she was steady on her feet, then handed her the clothes he'd brought for her. He watched as she headed toward the small bathroom, and nearly groaned at the sweet, delectable view he caught sight of.

Trying to preserve a bit of modesty, one of her hands clutched at the open folds at the back of her hospital gown to hold them closed. While she did a decent job of covering herself, he was still treated to tantalizing glimpses of the rounded curves of her buttocks that gave way to her slender, smooth thighs.

Once she disappeared behind the closed door, he inhaled a deep, steady breath that did little to ease the tightening in his groin, and focused his attention back on the floral arrangement. Knowing he only had minutes before Natalie returned, he removed the envelope, withdrew the florist card within and read the note someone had written specifically for her.

You'll always be mine.

Brief and succinct, that's all the inscription said, with no name or signature to go with the very personal, possessive comment. Unease prickled through Noah, along with a healthy dose of fury that someone would prey upon Natalie so brazenly. And just how far was this crazed lunatic willing to go to stalk her?

The answer to his own question upped his inner rage a few notches and instigated another fierce surge of protectiveness toward Natalie.

Thank God she believed that he'd sent the flowers, and he didn't intend to correct her assumption. He supposed in her frame of mind she'd taken the remark to mean that Noah still considered her his, despite the accident and amnesia. She'd taken the note as a reassurance, and had no idea just how threatening those words were.

Whoever had been following her last night knew that she was in this hospital and was keeping tabs on her, which was a scary prospect. Noah was grateful that patient information was privileged and wasn't given out to just anyone, because Natalie's amnesia was something someone with sinister intent would no doubt use to his advantage.

Finding a notepad in the side drawer, Noah ripped off a page and quickly scribbled the name, address and phone number of the florist shop printed on the outside of the envelope, then slipped the paper into his pocket. Another piece of evidence he planned to follow up on later. He hoped he'd be able to learn the identity of the sender through the shop and hunt him down from there.

If this creep wanted to play cat and mouse with Natalie, then Noah would be the Doberman pinscher in the scenario, because he was determined to catch this guy before he caught Natalie.

Sitting across from Noah in a small, cozy kitchen nook, Natalie reached for her second slice of pepperoni-and- cheese pizza, still absorbing the fact that she and Noah lived together in his two-story house.

So far she'd only seen the lower level of the structure, and she had to admit not only to herself, but to Noah as well, that nothing looked familiar. Not the tweed sofa and big-screen TV in the living room, nor the kitchen where she was certain they'd eaten many meals together. She'd racked her brain for a niggle of recognition, and hadn't been aware of the distressed sound that had escaped her until Noah had gathered her in his strong arms and told her to be patient and give it time.

His closeness, warmth and arousing male scene was all it took to soothe her frazzled nerves. She'd clung to him because he made her feel safe and secure, and as though she belonged in his embrace. In his life. From there, she'd relaxed and told herself to enjoy the man so willing to cater to her every whim and desire. A man who inspired decadent fantasies and a hunger that had nothing to do with the food she was feasting on.

Natalie took a bite of her pizza and moaned her appreciation of the delicious, savory taste filling her mouth. True to his word, Noah had ordered a large pizza for her as soon as they'd arrived at his house, and compared to the bland breakfast and lunch she'd been served at the hospital, the delicacy was like ambrosia to her taste buds and she couldn't seem to get enough.

Noah grinned at her as he washed down a bite of his own pizza with a drink from his bottle of cold beer. 'I take it your stomach is happy?'

Surprisingly, she felt happy, despite every reason she had to feel uncertain. 'Very,' she said, and darted her tongue out to catch a string of cheese from the corner of her mouth. His dark, lazy gaze watched the slow slide of her tongue, setting off a fluttering sensation in the pit of her belly. 'The flavor is better than I remember.'

He chuckled, a low, pleasant rumbling sound. 'You're very easy to please.'

Before she could stop herself, she slanted him a flirtatious glance and asked seductively, 'Am I?'

Slowly, he licked smears of sauce from his fingers in long, slow laps she felt in intimate places. 'Yeah, you are.' Sexual connotation deepened his sexy voice, and a naughty twinkle glimmered in his eyes.

A smoldering heat flared through her, a sensation she didn't bother to fight. 'You're a tease.'