Cash was as surprised as Natalia looked, although he kept his feelings hidden beneath a cocky smirk. He’d as good as told her he loved her without actually saying the words, and even he didn’t know yet if that was true or not. He was miserable when they weren’t together, he still hoped to persuade her to move in, and he couldn’t imagine a future without her.

But love? Was he even capable of feeling that deeply for someone? He’d always firmly believed he’d lost the ability to love when his life turned to shit just before his sixteenth birthday. And he wondered how he could love her when he couldn’t share his deepest secrets, long-buried ones about his mother and bastard of a father.

“I adore your bouts of jealousy,” he said, aware that neither of them had spoken yet.

“Yeah, me too. A red-hot poker twisting in my gut feels sooo good.” Natalia attempted to keep a straight face but failed miserably, a high-pitched giggle bubbling between her lips.

Cash’s stomach clenched. She was fucking adorable. What had started as a purely physical response to a woman far removed from his normal stereotypical type had turned into something he’d never imagined having: a real relationship with a real woman who wasn’t any more perfect than he was but was fucking perfect for him.

He picked up Tally’s fork, pierced a tender piece of beef, and fed it to her. She kept her eyes trained on his as her mouth closed around the fork, and Cash dug fingernails into his free hand as desire flooded his gut.

After they finished dinner, Natalia insisted on clearing away. Cash sipped his wine as he watched her move about his kitchen, more sure than ever that this was where she belonged. He’d rushed it last time, but this time, he’d play a little smarter. He needed to show her how amazing their life could be if they weren’t living hundreds of miles apart.

He put on some music and settled onto the sofa, tugging Natalia between his legs. She let out a soft sigh and snuggled into him.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Cash said, stroking her hair with the back of his hand.

“Me too. It’s been a long week. I hated being so far away from you.”

Hope soared within him. Perhaps giving her the space she’d asked for would prove that being apart wasn’t what she wanted after all.

“I thought you were looking forward to going back to work.”

“I was.” She paused then blew out a long breath. “But it wasn’t the same. Or maybe it’s because I’m different. Oh, Cash, I don’t know. My career means the world to me, but so do you.” She twisted her head around to look at him. The conflicting emotions flickering across her face made him want to kiss her troubles away, but unfortunately, life wasn’t that simple.

“I feel like each of you has an arm and is tugging in opposite directions.”

“That’s because we are. Look, baby, I promised I wouldn’t push you, and I meant it. Let’s enjoy this weekend and see what happens.”

Natalia sat up and straddled him, her face bright with excitement. “So what have you got planned?”

He tapped the side of his nose. “That would be telling.”

“You’re such a tease. As long as you’re not taking me skydiving, I’m game for pretty much anything.”

He snorted. “Skydiving? I’m bad enough getting on a plane. You think I’d voluntarily jump out?”

She laughed. “Good point. But what if I haven’t brought the right clothes for what you have planned?”

“How do you know I’m not planning to keep you here all weekend and the only clothing you’ll need is your birthday suit?”

Her eyes sparkled, and she ran the tip of her tongue over the edge of her teeth. “I’d say that sounds like an awesome weekend.”

His desperate, constant need for her punched hard in his stomach. The remarkable change in her confidence was awe-inspiring and so goddamn sexy. He sat up until their noses were touching, and he grabbed her hands, holding them tightly behind her back. The position made her breasts push forward, and he smiled wickedly.

“Well, if you’re offering…”

He used his free hand to unfasten the top few buttons on her shirt. His shirt. He sucked one ripe nipple into his mouth. Natalia groaned and arched her back. He was instantly hard, and she knew it too, writhing against him in a way that drove him absolutely crazy.

He tugged at the elastic on her knickers, cursing his earlier insistence that she wear them.

“Take ’em off,” he said, barely recognising the husky tone of his voice.

She stood up and hooked her thumbs into her knickers before slowly removing them. “What about this?” she said, tugging on his shirt where the tails graced her fabulous legs.

“Leave it on.”

She climbed astride him and trailed her index finger inside the waistband of his jeans. He shuddered as her nail scraped tantalisingly along his skin. She unbuttoned his jeans and slowly pulled down the zipper. As he tilted his pelvis to make it easier to remove them, she shook her head. “No, you leave them on.”

A smile stole across his face as she reached inside his jeans and teased his cock through the gap in the front of his boxers. His heavy erection fell into her hand, and as she wrapped her hand around his girth, he groaned, his eyes rolling back in his head. Her fingers delved into the front pocket of his jeans, and she pulled out a condom.

“Once a scout…” Natalia grinned as she tore open the packet and rolled the condom onto his erection. She lowered herself slowly until he was balls deep inside her. They both groaned. She raised herself again before lowering herself once more.

“Christ, you feel good.” Cash sat up and wrapped her legs around his waist, which made it easier to increase the pace. His T-shirt stuck to his damp skin as they both began to move in harmony. His hands gripped her waist, and she clenched her muscles tightly around his cock.

“Don’t wait for me,” she whispered in his ear. “Let go.”

His whole body trembled as he shattered around her. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent as he waited for his orgasm to abate. Once he’d finished coming, he stayed inside her, unwilling to separate them just yet. He lightly nipped her bottom lip. She smiled, slow and sexy, and moved her hips in a perfect circle.

“Do that a few more times, and I’ll be ready to go again,” he said.

Her tongue flashed out to dampen her lips. “You’re insatiable,” she said, doing as he asked.

Cash grinned. “Can’t get enough, baby.”

“Then take me to bed. I want to finish what I started earlier.”

 

* * *

 

Natalia’s hair lay in a tumble across the white pillow, her face turned towards him. One arm rested above her head and her breathing was deep and steady. He couldn’t resist touching her open palm with his index finger. Her hand closed around him, and for a minute, he thought he’d woken her, but he hadn’t. She was still fast asleep, her lips slightly parted—lips that had spent a considerable amount of time covering every inch of his skin with soft kisses that had driven him to the edge of madness.

It would be so easy to reduce this to something purely physical, but what he had with her was so much more. He cherished every moment, in and out of bed. Her laugh made him laugh. Her smile brightened the darkest of days. Her selflessness humbled him. She was the half that made him whole. He might not have been sure before, but now, he couldn’t ignore the voice screaming in his head.

He’d fallen in love with her.