to her chair and withdrew an Oreo cookie. She twisted the two sides apart and scraped the cream filling off with her teeth, then popped the chocolate wafers into her mouth, one at a time, and chewed. Then she licked her fingers for any lingering crumbs.
Smiling at her blissful enjoyment of the treat, he opened the screen door and stepped outside. Startled by his sudden appearance, she glanced up at him with an impish smile at being caught indulging in such a childish ritual.
'How long have you been standing there watching me?' she asked, a gentle accusation threading her tone.
'Not long. I was just on the way to the kitchen for a snack myself,' he said as an excuse for spying on her. 'Mind if I join you?'
'Not at all.' She snapped the thick book shut but left it on her lap. 'I'd love the company-and the break from studying.'
He settled himself into a lawn chair next to her chaise. Confiscating a cookie for himself from her bowl, he ate it the
Warmth shone in her gaze. 'Thank you. I appreciate that.'
He niched another cookie and said very casually, 'I also wanted to let you know that I have some work plans for Wednesday that will take me out of town for the day.'
Her brows lifted in mild surprise. 'Oh?'
'I hope you don't mind, but I spoke with Melodie, and she's going for her last fitting for her wedding dress on that day and said she'd love to have you along for company.'
A grin quirked the corner of her mouth. 'That sounds like fun, even though I do realize you're making sure I'm not home alone for the day while you're gone.'
'You're absolutely right,' he said, unable to deny the obvious, then changed the subject before she asked what kind of work was taking him out of town. 'So, what are you reading?' he asked curiously.
She stretched her legs and wiggled her toes. 'One of my college psycho-babble books.'
Not sure what she meant, he inclined his head questioningly.
'That's what Murphy calls them.' She shook her head, sending her silky hair swaying across her shoulders, and laughed lightly. 'I'm amazed at some of the silliest things I remember!'
'Do you remember your classes and what you're studying?' he prompted, treading carefully with his inquiry, wanting to learn as much as he could without her feeling as though he was interrogating her.
'Surprisingly, I do.' She smoothed a hand over the glossy cover of her book, then glanced back at him with a smile. 'I'm majoring in social work and I know I want to be a counselor to help troubled kids, specifically foster children.'
'Which is a very admirable cause,' he said, meaning it. And her kind, gentle and caring demeanor made her a perfect candidate for the job.
She shrugged off his compliment. 'I've been there before, so I can relate to kids who are part of the system and don't feel as though they have a place where they belong.'
'Is that how you felt growing up?' he asked, genuinely interested in her past, in anything that would give him better insight to her.
Natalie leaned her head back against the cushioned lounge chair and stared out at the landscaped backyard as she considered Noah's question, which stirred up a wealth of emotions and obscure memories that gradually became clearer in her mind.
She returned her gaze to his and tried her best to explain what her childhood had been like. 'It wasn't easy being shuffled from one home to another. It seemed just when I'd finally feel secure, something would happen and I'd get sent to another home with another set of strangers as my foster family and I'd have to start all over again. After a while, you try not to get attached to the people you're living with, which makes the process less painful.'
Compassion deepened the blue hue of his eyes. 'I can imagine what you went through-I felt that way when my parents divorced, then passed away,' he said. 'What was the longest amount of time you spent with a foster family?'
She thought back, waiting while obscure recollections crystalized. 'Two years, during the time I was sixteen to eighteen years old, and then from there I was on my own.'
As she spoke, she caught a quick glimpse of a blond-haired teenager, and remembered him as the son of the couple she'd been living with during those last two years. More fragmented scenes projected in her mind, throwing her off kilter with recollections of fending off his advances and hating that she had such large breasts and a figure that attracted too much attention from the opposite sex.
Strangely, that memory contradicted the desire she felt so intensely with Noah. The need that was physical as much as it was emotional.
Another male face flashed in the dim recesses of her mind, but this obscure recollection came with an ominous, intimidating feeling that made her shiver. Unable to pinpoint the source of the threat, or place who the man was, she frowned and closed her eyes, trying to bring the mental image into better focus. Instead of a clearer vision, her head spun and her temples pounded with the effort of forcing memories to the surface.
'Natalie?'
Warm fingers touched her arm, startling her out of her trance. Blinking her eyes open, she glanced at Noah, who was watching her intently. Unable to put into words what her mind couldn't even process, she decided to keep the haunting memories to herself for the time being.
'I'm sorry. I got distracted.' She sighed, not wanting to talk about her past with Noah anymore, not until she had a chance to dissect her unsettling thoughts and make sense of them. 'I've had enough sunshine and fresh air for the day, and I think I could use a nap.'
He nodded his agreement, as she knew he would. 'Good idea.'
She headed upstairs while Noah returned to his office, but instead of sleeping she tossed and turned in his big bed, trying to resolve those old insecurities about her appearance with the uninhibited way she felt with Noah. Just the thought of him aroused her, and she closed her eyes and buried her face in his pillow. She inhaled slowly and deeply, surrounding herself with the musky, male scent of him, which intensified the growing hunger to know him again in the most intimate sense.
After an hour of fitful rest, she finally got back up again. Feeling mentally and physically restless and unable to shake the sensation, she headed into the bathroom and brushed her disheveled hair before heading back downstairs. Catching sight of the small white bandage on her cheek, she decided to clean her cut and apply a fresh dose of antibiotic cream.
She carefully peeled the old bandage off with a wince and swabbed the small gash with peroxide, then opened the medicine cabinet to look for the tube of Neosporin. A bevy of male toiletries lined the shelves, and she sighed. Other than a few feminine items, nothing looked familiar-not the can of Edge shaving gel, men's deodorant and after-shave, or the box of condoms sitting on the bottom shelf.
Confusion trickled through her, which was quickly replaced by a surge of anger. Dammit, why did Noah feel as though he had to shelter and protect her, even from sex, when the last thing she wanted was to be coddled and treated like a helpless, delicate female who couldn't handle intimate physical contact?
Noah thought he knew what was best for her, but he didn't have a clue. Her body and soul craved him in an overwhelming, compelling way that wouldn't go away until she had him. Maybe not even then.
Jumping on the opportunity that had just presented itself, she withdrew a sealed packet. She would confront him with the evidence she'd found and demand an explanation for his refusal to make love to her.
And this time, armed with a condom, she wasn't taking no for an answer.
