Will turned onto his side, propping his head on his hand. His dark eyes searched mine, and for a moment, I thought he might tease me. Instead, his tone softened.
“I love you, Natalie,” he said quietly. The words hung in the air. I think I’ve been intrigued by you since the moment I saw you.”
A lump rose in my throat, and my chest tightened. “I love you, too,” I whispered, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. They felt right, like they’d been waiting for this moment to be spoken aloud.
He leaned down, brushing his lips against mine in a kiss that was more tender than anything we’d shared before. It wasn’turgent or passionate, it was filled with a quiet kind of certainty that settled something deep inside me.
We moved to the bedroom, falling into bed with the kind of ease that felt natural, like we’d been doing this for years. Will flipped on Seinfeld as we curled up together, my head resting on his chest, his arm draped around me.
“This was a good day,” I murmured, my voice heavy with exhaustion.
“A great day,” he replied, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
The soft glow of the TV bathed the room in light, but my eyes were already closing. I fell asleep feeling completely at peace.
CHAPTER 42
FOURTH AND GOAL
WILL
The next morning came too soon. I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with Natalie all day, putting her in positions only an acrobat could handle. But I knew she had plans. She was spending the day with James, something she’d been looking forward to since Bebe’s surgery had taken up so much of her time.
Natalie groaned when she looked at the clock. “It’s 7:30. I better get moving.” She was curled up in my nook, her body perfectly spooned against mine. Every inch of her got me going, like some magnetic force I couldn’t resist. I knew it was the same for her because, as soon as she felt me stir behind her, she slid her hand back to confirm what she already suspected.
Her fingers stroked me lightly, teasingly. “Okay, maybe a few more minutes,” she whispered. Those “few more minutes” quickly turned into her straddling me, her body taking over as her breath hitched and her moans filled the air. I held her hipsand met every movement until we both collapsed, out of breath and entirely spent.
She rolled out of bed, her naked frame disappearing into the bathroom. I watched her go, marveling at how she managed to be both graceful and devastatingly sexy. I was a man utterly, hopelessly in love with this woman.
I glanced at the clock. It was almost eight. I had plans with Evan to watch football around 10:30. Natalie stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, her wet hair falling down her back. She picked out jeans and a long-sleeve sweater that hugged her in all the right places.
“You ready for a big day at the amusement park?” I teased as she finished getting dressed.
She laughed, shaking her head. “I’ll meet you downstairs,” she said, walking over to me. I was brushing my teeth, and she stood beside me, looking at our reflection in the mirror as though she couldn’t quite believe it was real. I leaned down and kissed her.
“When can I see you again this week?” I asked.
She thought for a moment. “We have the Christmas concert on Thursday.”
I grinned. “I’ll save you a seat.”
She rolled her eyes, laughing. “How about Tuesday at lunch? I’ll come over.”
“I think I can make that work,” I said, rinsing my mouth. “By the way, Alan wants you at the meeting with his investor for the restaurant project. It’s a big deal.”
“Wow,” she said, her face lighting up. “Count me in. Just let me know the details.”
“Will do.”
Natalie headed downstairs while I showered and got dressed. When I joined her in the kitchen, she was assembling a yogurt parfait. She handed me one along with a cup of coffee. I liked theway she took care of me, like it came naturally to her. It was a stark contrast to Kelly, who always made me feel like any effort on her part was a chore. With Natalie, everything felt easy.
Once breakfast was done, she packed snacks and water bottles for her and James, adding hats to her bag like she was mentally checking things off a list. “Okay, I think I have everything,” she said.
We walked through her garage to the driveway, where my car was parked. I leaned in to kiss her goodbye, but a car pulled up just as I was about to. It was Jason.
He didn’t look happy to see me.
Natalie noticed him immediately. “Jason,” she said, her tone neutral. “I thought I was picking James up at 9:30.”
