CHAPTER 19
LUST, LOVE AND LEMON MUFFINS
NATALIE
It was sometime in the middle of the night when I woke, my body curled instinctively against Will’s warmth. The room was completely dark, the heavy blackout curtains shrouding any hint of time, but the quiet stillness told me it was far from morning.
I blinked a few times, adjusting to the silence. My cheek rested against his chest, and I could feel the slow rise and fall of his breathing. The steady rhythm calmed me, grounding me in the moment. I shifted slightly, and that was all it took.
Will stirred beneath me, his hands finding their way to my waist as if he’d been waiting for me to move. His touch was gentle at first, a soft graze of his fingers over the fabric of my shorts. Then, with a quiet exhale, he tugged at the waistband, his intentions clear but unhurried.
“Come here,” he murmured, his voice rough from sleep.
I let him guide me as he rolled me on top of him, his hands firm yet tender as they settled on my hips. For a moment, we juststayed there, my knees bracketing his sides, my hands pressed against his chest. His eyes, though barely visible in the darkness, held a quiet intensity that made my breath catch.
Neither of us spoke. There was no need for words. The quiet hum of the night wrapped around us, amplifying every small sound, the soft rustle of sheets, the hitch in my breath, the low hum that escaped his lips when I leaned forward.
His hands slid up my thighs, slow and deliberate, as though he wanted to memorize every inch of me. I moved against him, matching his pace, each motion a wordless conversation between us. His grip tightened slightly, grounding me, pulling me closer.
It wasn’t hurried or frantic, but deliberate and deep, like neither of us wanted to let the moment slip away too quickly. The world outside his room felt impossibly far, as if nothing else existed but this—us.
We came undone at the same moment, I collapsed against him, my head tucked beneath his chin, my heart pounding in time with his. His arms wrapped around me tightly, anchoring me in place as though he couldn’t bear to let go.
I stayed on top of him, my fingers lazily tracing patterns on his chest. His hand ran up and down my back in slow, soothing strokes, his breathing evening out.
“Don’t move,” he whispered after a while, his voice soft but resolute.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” I murmured back, letting my eyes close as the warmth of his body pulled me under again.
He kissed my cheek softly, and we both drifted back to sleep.
When I woke again, the room was still dark, though the clock on the nightstand read almost 10 a.m. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept this late.
I reached for my phone and saw a missed FaceTime call from the kids. Guilt bubbled up in my chest, though I remindedmyself that they were fine with Jason. Quietly, I slipped out of bed, searching for the clothes that had been discarded during the night. Finding them, I pulled on my shorts and sweatshirt and padded downstairs to call them back.
The kitchen was warm and inviting, with sunlight streaming through the windows. I started making coffee as I dialed Jason’s number. After a few rings, Bebe’s cheerful voice answered.
“Hi, Mommy! I miss you,” she said.
“Hi, Bebe. I miss you too,” I replied. “I’ll see you after school tomorrow. Are you having fun with Daddy?”
“We are!” she said matter-of-factly. “We went to dinner last night and got pizza.”
“That sounds like fun,” I said. “Can I talk to James for a second?”
I heard her call for her brother, and as she did, Will appeared in the doorway. He was shirtless, wearing just a pair of fitted sweatpants, his hair messy from sleep. God, he was sexy.
“Hi, Mommy,” James’s voice came through the phone, sounding confused. “I can’t see you. Why aren’t we on FaceTime?”
“I’m about to drive to the farmer’s market,” I lied. “It’s not safe to FaceTime and drive.”
“Oh,” he said, accepting my answer. “Don’t forget to get strawberries.”
“I won’t,” I said, laughing softly. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“Daddy wants to talk to you,” James said before handing the phone off.
“Hi,” Jason’s voice came through, calm and measured. “I just wanted to confirm, I’m bringing in Bebe’s science project tomorrow for school, right?”
