“What are you waiting for?” she blurted.
“Uh, you.” He raised his hand to tug his hair, and themasculine visuals assaulted her. Bunched bicep, dark armpitthatch, flexing chest and stomach muscles, shallow navel, dark hair arrowing below the low-slung waistband of his boxers.Hailey whooped. Natalie dared not let her eyes travel any lower, instead fixingon his breathtaking tattoo, illuminated in the glow of the bedside lamp.
Dashing her eyes away, she piled under the covers and thrashedher way into the semblance of a comfortable position on her back. Suddenly wide awake here.
He seemed to take his cue from her, waiting until she’dsettled before slipping between the sheets. The mattress dipped drunkenly underhis weight, and she inched her butt to her edge to keep from rolling againsthim—or on him. Action item: replace saggy mattress.
Lacing his hands over his bare chest, he cleared his throat.“Should I turn off the light?”
“Yes,” she squeaked. “Although, for the record, I’m not one ofthose women who objects to doing it with the lights on.” Omigod!What is wrong with me? She suppressed the urge to clamp her hand over herfat mouth.
He slid his eyes her way. “Good to know.” Then he rolled onhis side and reached for the lamp. She stole a peek at his broad, smooth backand shoulders, biting back an inner moan.
I thought this was a good idea, why?
CHAPTER 27
Open Kimono Redux
Despite a pounding skull and astomach that sloshed like a green hurricane sea, T.J.’s body parts were allfunctioning, and one in particular was having difficulty settling down because,Jesus, he was surrounded by Natalie. Her scent drifted from the bedding, thepillow—hell, it floated from her skin mere feet away. It had him captured andbound in silk and air, and there was no escaping. Did he want to escape? Fuckno. He wanted to pull her against him, climb inside her, and stay thereforever.
Instead, he lay on his side, every muscle bunched,struggling to ignore how his dick was drawn to her like a witching rod towater. Didn’t help that her last words had branded an indelible image on hisbrain—one where she straddled him, gloriously naked. With thelights on.
Think of something, anything else.
Kendra.
Oh shit, where had he left her? Vague recollections of Nelsondriving his car surfaced, and he eased.
When he’d picked Kendra up, he’d been optimistic he couldlose himself with her and break his dry spell. She’d certainly done her part,coming on strong. Really strong. The attention strokedhis ego and should’ve broken out a song-and-dance routine in his pants.Unfortunately, he couldn’t get the dog-sitter beside him out of his head, andthe hopeful celebration south of his belt never got off the ground, insteadfizzling like a spent party popper.
So he’d backed away. Right into a bottleof Jameson.
And wound up in Natalie’s bed.
I’ve wanted to be here since the first day I saw her.
Trouble was Natalie hated him. But if she hated him, why wasshe letting him lie next to her, half-naked? Especiallyafter his humiliating display?
The memory of her sweater sliding down, exposing the smooth,tawny skin on her shoulder with only a thin, black strap made him hard. Theimage of her after she’d pulled the jeans and sweater off—in atiny top and short shorts—made him harder still. Unbearablyhard.
He drew in a breath and tamped down a few hope bubbles thatwere effervescing their way into his consciousness. I’m in Natalie’s bed. Hedidn’t dare let those bubbles grow and pop.
Her arm, silky and warm, snaked over his side, surprisinghim, delighting him, raising goosebumps on his skin.She flattened her palm against his upper abdomen, splaying her small fingers.
“Is this okay?” she whispered behind him.
Yes. No.
He clamped his hand around her forearm and pulled, snuggingher to his back, then covered her hand with his to keep her there. Her heatspread through him, enveloping him, and he relaxed into the mattress and herhold on him. The dog clock ticked. In the distance, a train horn wailedplaintively.
“Are you still open kimono?” she asked.
A chuckle vibrated his chest. “I’d call lying here in justmy underwear pretty much open kimono.”
“What happened that soured you on relationships?”
The question froze his blood, and he must have tensedbecause she rubbed her cheek against his back, soothing, murmuring, “Never mindif it’s too personal. But I’d like to know.”
Jesus, he didn’t want to go there. Everagain. But what did he have to lose? It wasn’t like he was going tosleep. Not like this.
He closed his eyes and traveled back through the graveyardof his memories. “The night I was drafted, I was on top of the world.”
A hard swallow. “My girl was withme. Melissa. She’d been my girl since I was old enough to care about thedifferences between boys and girls. In high school, I billeted and played allover, so we didn’t see much of each other, but we stayed close. She was alwaysthere when I came home.” He paused, and Natalie squeezed his hand, silentlyurging him on. “I got the call straight out of high school, so we went toMontreal for the draft. I’d borrowed money from her dad so I could bring her.My entire future was right there, so damn dazzling I needed sunglasses.”
Natalie softly sang the chorus to the old Timbuk 3 song, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades,” making him smile despite the nauseawaving through him. For an instant, he felt like a kid whose mom crooned alullaby while she held him close. The moment was vivid but fleeting, like ashooting star.
“The month before, I’d asked her to marry me on theanniversary of our first date, and she’d said yes. I was ecstatic. Finally, mylife was on the track I’d always dreamt of. She acted like she was thrilledtoo.”
He checked the urge to lurch upright. Natalie seemed tonotice his body language and traced fingertips along his back, calming him. God, that felt good. She felt good. He eased backagainst her. “This girl was it for me—the one I was building my life around.And there we were, on the brink of something incredible. At least that’s what Ithought.”
A beat to catch his breath.
