Chapter Four
Natalie awoke to the sound of singing. For a moment, she was back in college where a roommate had kept her alarm turned to the radio, but her college dorm room bed was barely a fourth of the size of the bed she slept on now, and she had never had silk sheets.
"What the..."
The memory of the night before came back to her, and she realized she was still fully clothed in Nathan's bed, though his side was conspicuously empty. The door to his bathroom was closed, however, and over the hiss of the shower, she could hear his surprisingly sweet baritone.
"Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road, and all the way to Dublin..."
She knew she should creep back to her own room, at least change out of last night's clothing, but instead she sat up in the bed and listened to Nathan sing.
He came out of the bathroom still singing, nothing but a towel around his hips, and he stilled, an eyebrow raised.
"I didn't think you would be up yet," he said. "Did I wake you?"
"No, but I like your singing." God, where did she look? She had just spent the night in bed with the man, but now it felt like far too much intimacy to look at him in his towel.
Get used to it, a small voice said. You're going to be getting a lot more intimate.
She could feel herself blush even harder at the errant thought, and almost as if he could hear what she was thinking, Nathan came to sit down beside her. Without thinking, she scooted away from him and then winced. When she glanced up at his face, she was relieved to see that there was no anger there.
"Having second thoughts, pet?"
She thought absently that his accent, faint as a ghost in the States, was stronger here. His eyes were as bright as ever, but there was a kindness to them that made her want to hide. She looked down at her hands knotted in her lap.
"No," she admitted. "I...I'm not having second thoughts. I guess I'm just not sure how to treat you, or even how you want to be treated..."
She was looking down, and so she didn't notice his approach. He cupped the back of her neck with his hand to keep her still, and his mouth dropped over hers. This kiss was almost shockingly sweet, even if there was that ever-present warmth to it, and it still took her breath away by the time he sat back, smiling with satisfaction.
"There," he said. "I like you well-kissed far more than I like you nervous."
"Well, thank you for that," she said with a slight smile. "But that doesn't explain what I'm meant to be doing..."
"I'll make it easy for you. Hang on."
She did allow herself to watch his broad, muscled back as he went to his bags tossed carelessly in the corner. He pulled out his wallet, and with a quick motion of his hand, he tossed something at her. She was surprised when the object landed lightly in her lap, a black credit card embossed with slick gold.
"Get yourself some clothes to wear, maybe a few toys to keep you entertained," he said. "Laptop, tablet, whatever. I'm actually in meetings today with some investors from Dubai, and I won't be back until late."
She stifled some of her disappointment that he wouldn't be around, because why would he? He wasn't here to date her, they were here to...
Her mind shied away, and she looked up, focusing on what he was talking about instead of the argument that occasionally raged in her mind.
"And I wouldn't want you to be bored. I should be back tonight around ten, maybe midnight at the latest."
"I'll be here when you get back," she said without thinking about it, and he grinned at her.
She had seen Nathan smile before, but this grin seemed to suck all of the air out of the room, leaving her gasping with breath that had been replaced with heat. There was something so hungry about it that she had to repress a whimper, and from the dark look that stole into his eyes, he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Good," he said, and she felt as frozen as a bunny as he stalked towards the bed. "Because last night, I disappointed myself. Believe me, I really had better plans than to eat the food that you had bought and to collapse on you snoring."
She blushed, and his grin widened.
"I'm not going to disappoint either of us tonight, Natalie. I think you should be ready for that. Rest up, if you have to."
She could feel her face flush with heat, and Nathan laughed, a warm rumble of sound she could almost feel as well as hear.
"Get going," he said not unkindly. "I need to dress, and I'll be honest, I might not stick with waiting until this evening if you're still around when I'm naked."
The sound that Natalie made was definitely not a squeak, and she scuttled out the door, his card in hand. She could hear his laugh echoing in her ears, and by the time she made it to her own room down the hall, her heart was beating faster.
"God," she whispered.
She had some idea what he meant about plans changing if she was around when he was naked, because she could feel herself wanting to change them too. She wished suddenly that she was back in his room, watching him strip that towel off, watching him approach her.
She shook her head, wondering at herself. She had never considered herself very passionate before, but apparently, Nathan was teaching her different.
She kept the door closed, because otherwise she might do something shocking, and resolutely, she took her shower and looked at the bag she had left on her unslept-in bed.
Oh. I think I can see why he might want me to go shopping for new clothes...
Her clothes from Chicago were serviceable enough, and they were as sturdy as her rudimentary mending skills could make them, but there was no denying the fact that she was a bit frumpy in them.
Now she was in London with whatever buying power an Irish billionaire's credit card could buy, and years of shopping the sales racks at the major department stores had left her completely unprepared.
What in the world am I going to do now? she wondered, and then inspiration struck.
Dressed in an oversized T-shirt and eating some leftover flatbread from the night before, she found her phone.
"Hi, Brooke? Yeah, it's me again, and I have a favor to ask. He got in just fine, and yeah, thanks for your help before..."
***
Life was apparently full of revelations for her right now, and Natalie wasn't sure she was ever going to get used to them. Unlike regular stores, where you tried on your clothes and then carried them out if they suited you, things worked different at the stores Brooke sent her to. They were in buildings that had brass plaques like "est. 1849" on them, they offered you snacks and expensive fruit juice, and when you had made a decision, they said they would be delivered in a few hours.
She had to admit that she had gone a little crazy. Natalie had always had a secret love of beautiful clothes, but her budget had always left her in bargain bin attire, even if she did take care to keep it clean and classy. Now, though, armed with Nathan's credit card, she could buy whatever caught her eye, whether it was silk, cashmere or wool.
She didn't get home until close to eight that night, and taking in all the clothes she had bought, she felt more than a little guilty. The arrangement said she would receive her two million dollars after their business was conducted, but that Nathan would look after her needs until then. She wasn't sure buying her an entire fall wardrobe was quite on the list of needs.
Brooke had been firm that's where Nathan often took women to buy their clothes, however, and though Brooke spoke blandly enough, Natalie had heard the implication. Nathan was known for glamorous mistresses, women who he spoiled and spent time with. She supposed she could count herself in that number, even if it stung a little.
"It's just business," she said to herself. "That's all it is."
Still, it didn't feel like business when she nervously took another shower before going out to look at her clothes again. Besides the stately shopping bags and boxes, there was another silver bag tastefully tied with black velvet ribbon that she kept returning to. It had been her last stop, but she had spent a fair amount of money there.
"Ugh, I can't take this," she finally said.
She dressed hurriedly, finishing in a long wrap dress that gave her a faintly Grecian look, falling in soft folds almost to her ankles. It was simple but amazingly soft, and she figured it would do well enough to greet Nathan in.
It was getting late, and she was nervous, but the thought occurred to her that the fridge was still empty and Nathan would be coming home late. She bit her lip, because it seemed suddenly presumptuous to worry about a man who was well-used to looking after himself. Finally, she tossed her head. If he didn't like it, he didn't have to eat it.
She had also bought herself a tablet, and she was catching up on world news when the door opened. She looked up and thought that it was curiously domestic to catch Nathan in the foyer, his jacket draped over his arm, his shirt collar undone and his sleeves rolled up.
"Did you order again?" he asked, faintly surprised.
"I did, but I already ate. I got hungry."
"Good, I don't want you to starve. That smells delicious."
"It's Vietnamese," she said with relief. "Sit down at the table, and I'll set you up."
He looked bemused, but he did as she said. Even after the way they had spent the night before, Natalie felt shockingly shy around him. She kept her eyes from his, instead talking about the shopping she had done as she set out his bowl of noodles and roast meat before drowning them in the aromatic broth and topping it all with sharp green herbs. She sat down with him as he ate, not surprised at all when he used chopsticks with skill.
"This is pretty good for London," he remarked. "Thank you."
She was smiling and ready to respond when he continued.
"You know I didn't bring you here for your homemaking skills, right?"
The words might have been harsh, but his tone was gentle. She glanced up at him, her hands tangling under the table.
"I know that," she said softly. "I know what we're doing tonight, and I...I want it. I just don't think there's any reason to...to ignore each other, is there? Not when we're both living here."
Nathan hesitated, and for the first time, it occurred to her that he was as lost in all of this as she was. He certainly didn't go around inviting strange women to bear his children for him.
"I don't want you to get the wrong idea," he said finally. "You're...you're sweet, God knows you're so beautifully sweet..."
"But I'm not the kind of girl you go after." She nodded. "I know."
He looked startled. "And how exactly do you know that?"
She shrugged. "I guess it's obvious, isn't it? I didn't know who you were when we met, but I knew of you, and after that meeting, I did my due diligence and looked you up online."
Nathan had a reputation as an unashamed playboy; nothing could have surprised her more than when he looked down with a hint of consternation. "I...suppose I have an idea of what you've seen..."
"And it doesn't bother me," Natalie said, aware that she was being perhaps a bit too firm. "I saw it, and if it had really bothered me, I wouldn't be here."
He looked startled at that, and she felt compelled to explain.
"The person you were a few years ago, who seemed to travel from big city to big city looking for the next bit of fun? I wouldn't be here for any amount of money. Over the last few years, everyone's talking about how dedicated you've become to your company and your legacy."
She paused.
"That was the man I wanted to help," she said quietly.
Nathan was so quiet that for a moment, she wondered if she had offended him. Then he reached across the table for her hand. She uttered a tiny, soft sigh of satisfaction at his warmth, and then he lifted her hand, turning it so the palm was facing up.
"Thank you," Nathan whispered, and then he leaned down to kiss her palm. The moment his lips touched the center of her palm, that electricity leaped between them again, as if their very touch was wild and almost unconstrained. Through slumberous, half-open eyes, Natalie could see he felt it too. His hand tightened convulsively around hers, as if he was afraid someone would try to take her away from him.
Then he rose to his full height, not letting go of her hand.
"We're going to bed now," he said roughly.
She started to respond, but he swept her up in his arms. She gasped at his strength, but he was already walking, carrying her as if she weighed nothing, sometimes stopping to drop a hurried kiss to her mouth or her brow as they walked. Nothing had changed, but he seemed almost desperate to possess her.
Natalie wondered if that should frighten her, but when she clung to him, an awakening heat inside her told her that she was really anything but frightened.
He carried her back to his bedroom, the one they had shared the night before. They had been too tired to do much more than sleep, but now Natalie knew things were different.
He laid her down on the bed, taking in her dress with approval.
"Good, you did as I said. You look beautiful."
Natalie started to stammer her thanks, but then he was undressing her with a deftness that only came of long experience.
"You're beautiful dressed. Naked, I know you'll be stunning."
She had never heard anyone say words like that to her before, and she was so dizzied with his praise that she totally forgot the other new items he was revealing. She remembered, however, when he tugged the dress down her shoulders and left her lying on the bedspread in her underthings.
"God, Natalie, you're killing me," he whispered.
Self-conscious, she fiddled with her bra strap uneasily. "Is...is it too much?"
She had thought she knew what she was doing in the exclusive little boutique set elegantly back from the main thoroughfare. There had been bustiers and merry widows in black and scarlet and cobalt blue, but she had wanted something simpler. The set she’d purchased was emerald green satin with just a subtle touch of black lace, real lace, soft and not scratchy. They cost more than a dozen similar sets from the department stores at home, but the difference was obvious. The scanty bra pushed her small breasts up, just barely covering the nipples underneath, and the panties were hardly more than a scrap of lace stretched over her hips and giving her curves that were far more womanly than she usually boasted.
Nathan laughed harshly, and she could hear the hunger in his tone. "Just enough, I would say. Just enough."
He pushed her onto her back, looming over her and blocking out the light from the only lit lamp. He kissed her mouth thoroughly, not satisfied until it was red and swollen with need. When he thrust his tongue between her lips, all she could imagine was him repeating the motion below. Her arms rose up to circle around his neck, desperate to keep him close. God, how could she be so desperate for him already? She had only known him for a few short weeks, and right now, she thought she might die if he didn't keep kissing her.
When Nathan moved away from her mouth, Natalie uttered a soft cry of protest. He chuckled a little, but the hoarseness in his tone betrayed his need.
"Don't worry, pet, I'm going to take very good care of you."
His mouth roved from her mouth to her ear, where his tongue caressing her lobe made her whimper in surprise. She lived in this body every day, and she’d had no idea how sensitive it could be under the right touch. The thought was at once distressing and engaging. She wanted to know what other keys Nathan might hold.
When he tilted her head back so he could nibble at her neck, he also reached down between her legs, covering the part of her that was barely concealed by a scrap of lacy satin. She gasped to feel the flat of his palm pressed against her sensitive flesh. The fabric there was so thin that they might have been touching skin to skin. Instinctively, she pushed up against his hand, making him groan slightly.
"Dear God in Heaven, you are made for this," he growled, his teeth nipping at her throat with pleasure. He kept his hand between her legs as he worked his mouth down her shoulder to her collarbone. With his free hand, he lifted first one breast from the lace and then the other.
"Oh, you are just perfect," he crooned. "Just my perfect darling..."
Through half-open eyes, Natalie could see that her own nipples were erect and hard before he had even touched them. Then he set his teeth to one, suckling gently. The heat and warmth of his mouth on such a sensitive spot made her gasp with pleasure, heat racing through her with a speed that was dizzying. When he drew back and the pleasure subsided slightly, she whimpered. Natalie became aware that she was rocking against his palm even harder, and she blushed a little.
"Can you feel yourself, darling?" he whispered. "Can you feel how wet you are, how you're just spilling open for me here?"
He flexed his fingers between her legs. Oh, now she could feel the fabric between them. It felt as if it might have been leather, it was keeping them so apart. She wanted it gone, she wanted to feel his bare fingers stroking up against her so much.
"I need you," she whispered nakedly, and Nathan laughed again.
"Not yet," he said cryptically. "But you will."
He bent his head to her body again, this time his kisses moving over her with a purpose. It felt as if he were planting blossoms of fire wherever he kissed her, turning her into a raging inferno everywhere he touched.
She whimpered wildly as he started to run his tongue along the creases of her thighs, growing ever closer to the humid center of her but never touching her where she craved. When he finally placed his mouth over the soaked satin there, kissing and probing with his tongue, something in Natalie broke that never had before.
"Please!" she cried out. "Please, I can't wait any more, please, I need you!"
In any other time, she would have been embarrassed to be quite so needy, but she couldn't bear it. She needed him, needed something, and if she didn't get it, she might go insane.
"Well, since you asked so nicely," Nathan smirked.
He slid back, leaving enough room between them that she was momentarily chilled, but it was only so he could yank her panties down her legs, casting them carelessly aside. The cool air hitting her sensitive parts made Natalie gasp, but then he was closing the distance again, spreading her legs and stretching out so he was laid between them.
"God, but you are going to be delicious," he murmured reverently.
Before she could utter a word, he pressed his mouth to her, slicking his tongue along her seam and splitting the flesh there so easily. Natalie was whimpering and moaning under his touch, but she gasped as his mouth covered her clit, drawing with such care and gentleness on her that she froze.
Nathan paused when she went still, his head coming up so he could look at her.
"Darling, are you all right? Did I do something wrong?"
Somehow, the tenderness in his voice when he asked her that only made her hotter, and she nodded frantically.
"I need you, I need that," Natalie implored. "Please!"
She caught a glimpse of Nathan's triumphant grin, and then he lowered his head again. His actions were bolder this time, as if he had been freed to do as he had truly wished to. God, she had thought his smile was wicked, but it was nothing compared to what his tongue could do. He laved her clit with his tongue before suckling on it gently, and when she was trembling like a struck crystal, so close to shattering, he dipped his head down lower to taste the sweet nectar below. When he thrust his tongue into her, she bucked hard against him, unable to control herself.
Over and over, he raised her to the crucial point, but just as she was sure that she must climax or die, he drew back. Her anguished cry only made him laugh, but before she could take offense, he would be back and making her feel that tumultuous pleasure all over again.
"Oh Nathan, please, I need you, please," Natalie cried out finally, her fingers grasping his dark hair. He shook her off as if she were no more menacing than a gnat, but he raised up on his knees to look at her. It occurred to her in a way that it hadn't before that he was clothed while she was utterly naked.
In a moment, he had stripped to his skin, and Natalie was left gasping at his beauty. She had guessed from the interviews given by women who had been associated with him that he was a good-looking man, but now she could see the muscles that she had only felt before, taking in the lean lines of his body and the strength that flowed through him like water down a river. He looked like some wild god come to rest, a mysterious and wild thing that had his own needs, his own language, his own passions. He was still as she looked at him, and when she finally dropped her eyes to his erection, a fine shiver went through his body as if she had touched it. A moment of nervousness crept through her; he was large and wide, more than she had ever taken before, but her hunger flattened her fear and made her reach out to him.
Nathan was utterly still as she ran her fingertips along the velvet shaft of his cock, but when she closed her fist around it, drawing along it firmly, he shut his eyes and groaned. The idea that she could make him as helpless with need as he had made her excited her in a way she could barely stand, and she did it again and again.
He tolerated it for a few moments, shaking and groaning at her touch, but then between one moment and the next, she was pushed onto her back, Nathan rising over her like a hurricane.
"If I spill in your hand, I am never going to live it down," he said with a hard grin. "I mean to have you tonight, Natalie."
"I wasn't arguing," she said with a sweetness that was just short of sarcastic, and he laughed in surprise.
"God, you are just full of surprises."
He spread her legs and knelt between them. She thought he would come down to rest on top of her, but instead his heavy hands closed over her hips, dragging her up to him. She gasped as he lifted her clear of the bed, her shoulders pressed into the mattress while the rest of her was brought up to him. It made her feel as light as a doll that he could pull where he wished.
He tugged her close, and now she could feel the tip of his hard cock against her wet entrance. There was a moment of utter shock when she realized he wasn't wearing a condom, that there was no reason to do so tonight. The feeling of skin against skin in this instance was more intense than she could have imagined, and her gaze flew up to meet his as he teased her opening.
Something about making eye contact with him in this intimate moment was almost too much. Somehow, something flew between them then, something that was too much for their contract and the reason they were doing it. It felt as if she had given him a piece of her spirit and received one in return.
"Nathan," she whispered.
His eyes still on hers, he sunk his length into her, and Natalie's eyes closed shut, her body taking his with an intense sensation that fell just short of pain.
"Natalie? Natalie, God, are you all right?"
She couldn't find the words. It was too much. It wasn't enough. It had been more than a year since her last lover, but it was more than the brief discomfort, there and gone. Instead, it was the power of their connection, how good and right he felt inside her. It almost made tears come to her eyes, and she couldn't explain to him that it wasn't sadness but a kind of profound joy that had no words.
"Damn, Natalie, I'm sorry, here, let me..."
She felt a deep and abiding grief as he started to pull out of her, and finally, she found her voice.
"No," she said, her hand landing on his wrist. He froze, looking down at her with concern, and she smiled at him, shy and almost tentative.
"Please don't stop," she murmured, her voice thin with need and pleasure. "I need you, Nathan, don't stop."
He was stone for a moment, and she thought he might stop, no matter how much it killed the both of them. Then the passion overtook him, and his hands tightened on her hips again. He thrust into her more slowly this time, control in every line of his body. She wanted to urge him on, but caught in this position, all she could do was feel the torturous pleasure he was giving her.
She lost herself in the rhythm of their bodies, of being completely consumed and taken over. There was nothing in this space but the two of them, nothing but skin against skin, being so close to another person that she thought they might never truly be apart again.
"Oh please, please," she whispered, both longing for a release and almost wanting to put it off because that would mean this would end. It would have been a prayer if she wasn't making it directly to the man who thrust into her over and over again instead of a god.
He shifted slightly, and somehow, that was what sent her over the edge. The pressure altered, and the pleasure that had been surging inside her turned into a tsunami. It crashed down into her, shaking her and tearing her apart with no guarantee that it would put her back together. Natalie's frantic hands caught at the sheets beneath her, grasping hard at them as she struggled to let the pleasure flow through her.
"Oh Nathan, Nathan," she cried, and she was lost to it. Every limb was hard with stress and strain, and then at once, in a motion that felt as natural as exhaling, the pleasure flowed over her, leaving her trembling and shaking, speechless with the need that had been fulfilled.
He groaned to see her pleasure overtake her, and his hands tightened on her hips. He lost the rhythm, found it again, and then he was thrusting into her hard. There was no plan now, only the desperation that surged through him as wildly as it had surged through her. She needed his completion just as she had needed her own, but now all she could do was hang on, watching his gorgeous form as he worked her over.
When he came, he thrust into her one last time, hands tight on her hips and his body sealed to hers as if they would never be apart. She could feel him pulse into her, and Natalie closed her eyes at the thrilling pleasure of it. She had never done that with a lover before, never been joined like that, and it was a pleasure that simply overcame her.
When Nathan was still, a silence filled the room, one that was only broken by their harsh breaths. It felt like time had stopped, and Natalie wondered if she would have been content to drift there forever.
At last, however, he drew away from her with an exquisite gentleness, letting her come down to rest on the mattress again. Instead of resting next to her, however, he padded to the bathroom.
For a few moments, Natalie was filled with doubt. Had she been bad at it? Had she done something he found ridiculous or foolish? She had never thought she was bad in bed, but perhaps Nathan was used to women who were highly aggressive, taking as much as they gave...
Her fears were allayed when he returned bearing a soft, damp towel.
"Here, lie down," he said huskily. "Let me take care of you."
"You don't have to—"
"I want to. Lie down, please?"
She might have protested longer, but his soft “please” sunk her like nothing else could. She stretched out on the bed, and her face slightly red despite everything that they had done, she spread her legs for him again.
Nathan had been a storm at sea when they had made love, but he was gentle now. The touch of the towel against her intimate flesh made her eyes flutter closed, sighing with a different kind of pleasure.
"You look all right," Nathan said at last. "Do you feel all right?"
"Of course I do," she said with surprise. "Should I not?"
He scowled, but his hand resting on her thigh was as light as sunshine. "You're a virgin or damn close. I didn't expect that."
She propped herself up on her elbow, frowning a little. "I didn't think I had to report my previous partners to you. And I'm not a virgin."
Something flickered through his eyes then, but he shook his head, laying the towel away. "Good. I didn't want to deal with any virgin's ideas of what this was."
His words were harsh after the pleasure and comfort he had given her, and she sat up. Just moments before, she had been comfortable letting this man touch her in incredibly intimate places. Now she felt her nudity even more than she had before.
"And just what would I think this was?" she asked tartly.
He shrugged. "Love's the goal for many people. I don't begrudge it. I just can't have it be a goal that women set on me."
Her skin burned slightly with embarrassment, but underneath it was the passion that Nathan had kindled so sensuously just a short moment before. Yes, she could see how an unwary woman might fall in love with him. She could feel the tug of it herself, and she might topple as he said if she wasn't careful.
"Well, don't worry about that for me," she retorted.
Nathan didn't look relieved, but only turned away.
"It might keep things clearer if we slept apart," he said, and it was impossible to read his voice. "Would that be all right with you?"
Natalie stood up from the bed as proudly as she could when she was naked.
"Of course," she said, her voice held together with twine and tacks. "What a good idea. Then neither of us gets the wrong idea."
She had expected Nathan to make some remark about never getting the wrong idea when it came to situations like this one, but he only nodded, still looking away.
"That's for the best, then," he said.
Natalie gathered her clothes with short, jerking motions and stalked naked back to her own room. She would need a robe or something, she thought, because even if there was no one to see, this naked walk raked hot claws of humiliation down her bare form.
It was only when she was back in the room she had not yet gotten a chance to sleep in, the door locked behind her, that she let hot, confused tears run down her face.
"God, what am I doing?" she whispered.
This was the bargain she’d struck, and she was all right with it. She was getting two million dollars to give a good man what he wanted. She would never have to work a day in her life if she didn't want to after this.
He was right, she decided, pulling on her nightgown and crawling into bed. They had to keep things separate. It was for the best.
***
After Natalie left, Nathan prowled around the room like a panther, hungry for something that should have been sated. Finally, he gave in to temptation and stretched on the bed, lying down where she had lain. He could smell the sweet scent of her on the pillows, but the warmth that seemed to emanate from her was gone.
She's right down the hall, his traitorous brain thought. I can go find her, bring her back where she belongs.
If Nathan weren't so very surprised at his own thoughts, he might have done just that. He had never wanted to sleep with a woman, just sleep with her, in his life. He remembered waking up with Natalie in his arms that morning and how sweet it had been. He wanted it again.
And she was the last woman he should be indulging in that with. They were in a contract, one that he had drafted to protect them both. It had been going well, but now he was shocked at his feelings of anger and rebellion towards it.
He wanted her, he didn't care what a contract said, and Nathan knew himself well enough to know that impulse could ruin everything.
He hadn't been worried about Natalie ruining things. He was more worried about himself doing it.
It should be fine if I don't sleep with her, he told himself, turning to rest on his back. If we keep that barrier up, we should be fine.
It sounded logical enough to him, but as he drifted off to sleep, he fell into a labyrinth of dreams where he could hear Natalie but never, ever reach her...