Chapter Eleven
Something wasn’t right. Wyatt was never nice when she dropped Levi off at his father’s place, and he sure didn’t dote on his son, but today he’d been a modern version of Father Knows Best.
She uncrossed her feet off the simple wood coffee table her parents had bought ages ago and anchored her heels on the couch, wrapping her arms around her shins and resting her chin on her knees. Maybe stirring a reaction was what Wyatt was after. Given the way he’d behaved in their marriage, any ploy to get a rise out of her made sense. What better way to poke at her confidence than to send her away wondering if he might somehow manage to lure her son away from her?
Nestled in the corner of the couch with her feet tucked under her legs, her mother muted the rerun crime program and set the remote aside. “You could always call Wyatt and ask him to let you check in with Levi.”
God, she wished it was that simple. True, hearing Levi’s voice would go a long way toward easing the clawing anxiety in her stomach, but it also played right into Wyatt’s games. Worse, it put Levi smack-dab in the middle of them. “He’s better off staying close to his nanny. Me calling only makes it so he’s forced to spend more time with his dad.”
The opening video for the ten o’clock news filled the otherwise dark living room with a blast of color. Natalie blinked against the brightness and tried to focus on the program instead of dress-rehearsing every worst-case scenario her mind dished up. Two hours she’d sat in this same spot, eyes glued to the television without taking in one bit of the programming. It was the same routine as every other handoff night. Clean the apartment top to bottom until there was nothing left to scrub, force down food, pretend to watch whatever program her mom picked, then head to bed and stare at her ceiling until she fell asleep. Not that anyone could call what she did until sunrise sleep. More like a light doze with lots of tossing and turning. Working wasn’t much better. Even with the endless phone calls and usual irritated customers, her worry for Levi nipped at the back of her conscience.
A heavy knock rapped against the front door, jolting Natalie upright. “Levi.” She shot to the door and yanked it open, eyes trained where Levi’s little blond head would be, but got an eyeful of jean-clad hips instead. Her gaze shot upward, a shocking amount of relief settling her nerves once her mind registered her unexpected guest. “Trevor?”
“Hey.” The easy smile he’d paired with the greeting slipped as he scanned her head to toe. “I get you out of bed?”
Only once he’d said it did the cool November air slipping through the open door push past her surprise. The soft cotton pajama set she’d donned after dinner with its clingy lines and simple spaghetti straps wasn’t exactly revealing, but it didn’t make for comfortable front-door conversation either. She stepped back and waved him in. “No, we were just watching TV.”
Trevor ambled in and surveyed the room. “Who’s we?”
Natalie stepped out from behind Trevor and found only a dent in the cushions where her mother had been. “Well, Mom was here a second ago. She must not have wanted you to see her without her makeup on.” At least that was the excuse she was sticking with. More likely her mother had sensed another prime opportunity to set her daughter up with what she’d deemed an ideal catch. God knew, her mother had pointed out enough of Trevor’s virtues the last two weeks.
For a second, she considered ducking into the bedroom for a robe, but her jammies covered as much as her tank and jeans combination at The Den and were a whole lot more comfortable so she blew it off. “Can I get you something to drink? Coffee maybe?”
“Nope.” Trevor settled on the couch, taking her mother’s previous spot and snatching the remote like he’d visited a hundred times. Like usual, his blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but a tiny chunk of it had slipped free, dancing around one side of his strong jawline. His button-down was pale blue to match his eyes, and his shirtsleeves were rolled up, showcasing strong, tanned forearms. He stretched one arm along the back of the couch and nodded at the space on the couch beside him. “Have a seat. I’ll hang until you’re ready to go to bed.”
He would?
More than a little stymied by his casual attitude, Natalie padded around the coffee table. For a second, she thought about switching on the lamp, but remembered her lack of makeup and settled for the television’s forgiving glow. She eased onto the couch’s opposite corner, leaving a whole cushion between them.
Trevor sucked in a long, steady breath, set the remote on the end table, and swiveled his head toward her. “You get two choices. You can either scoot over here, or I can crowd next to you and make it so you’ve got less wiggle room. Which one do you want?”
Natalie swallowed, his statement from last night about resetting lines fighting its way out of the dungeon she’d buried it in the second she’d closed the door behind him. Men like Trevor didn’t go for women like her. They went for the model-types with Barbie doll hair and Crossfit bodies. Even if he was interested in her, she wasn’t so sure she was ready to give her own judgment a run for its money, not with Wyatt still offering a daily reminder of how ill-equipped she was to pick men.
When she found her courage and spoke, it came out raspy. “Why are you here?”
His lips curved in a subtle but cocky smile. “Told you I’m persistent.”
“Trevor, I can’t...” Shit, what the hell was she supposed to say? Surely he didn’t think she’d be capable of conversation tonight, let alone anything intimate. “About what you said yesterday...I can’t go there. I can’t even think about it with where my head’s at right now.”
His smile slipped and the same intensity she’d glimpsed the first night he’d visited pulsed around him. “Not here to push you on that score. We’ll cross that bridge soon enough.” He leaned over and gently coiled his strong hand around her wrist. “I’m here because I knew you weren’t looking forward to tonight. You’re strong, and I know you’ve got your mom to lean on, but now you’ve got me, too. So are you scootin’ your ass over here, or am I going to have to pick you up and move you myself, ’cause I’ve decided I like this corner.”
A sledgehammer to her solar plexus couldn’t have knocked her off balance any better. “I’ve got you, too?”
“I’m here. I’d say that’s a pretty clear message.” He cocked one eyebrow. “Though one of us is still sitting in the wrong place.”
Her heart punched and kicked in an awkward rhythm, the stubbornness he’d accused her of time and again digging in even as another far more vulnerable side of herself encouraged her to scramble close like he’d asked. “I’m not sure I’m ready to make decisions where you’re concerned.”
“Right.” He leaned her direction so quick she barely had time to gasp before he gripped her around her rib cage, lifted her up and across the cushions and into his lap. With her back to the armrest, he tucked her torso up close to his chest, snagged the remote and changed the channel. “Good call. I think this arrangement works out better anyway.”
She levered herself away enough to see his face, uncontrollable flutters and dangerous adrenaline pumping through her system. “Have I told you, you’re bossy?”
He shifted his attention from the television to her, let his gaze rest on her lips for all of two seconds, then met her stare. “I can take a lot, Natalie. Can give you space if you need it. Can go as slow as you need me to go when it comes to what’s burning between us. But one thing I don’t have it in me to give is to watch you scared and fidgety as a rabbit in a cougar’s sights without touching you. On that one, you’ll have to suck it up, lean in and let me hold you.”
Whoa.
For the first time since she pulled up into Wyatt’s driveway this afternoon, the muscles in her stomach unclenched and her body lightened. She pressed her palm against his sternum, the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm anchoring her in a way she’d never experienced before. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“That mean you’ll sit there, try to take your mind off things and relax a little?”
Relax? On his lap? With her kid in God only knew what kind of situation thirty miles away? “I doubt I’ll qualify as relaxed until next Sunday, but I’ll accept the comfort.”
He squeezed the arm wrapped around her shoulders and rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Appreciate it.”
She nestled closer, resting her cheek against his chest and breathing in his woodsy scent. Beneath her ear, his heart kathumped a steady, soothing rhythm. “Trevor?”
“Mmm hmmm?”
“You’re still bossy.”
His chest shook on a quiet chuckle. “Darlin’, you haven’t seen bossy yet.” He lifted his arm off the back of the couch, slid his hand up her thigh to her hip, and squeezed. “Not yet, but you will.”
Her belly contracted, the mere hint of Trevor taking control in a more intimate setting lighting an entirely different tension. One that warmed her from the inside out and made her feel more alive than she’d felt in years.
As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, he slouched deeper into the couch and kissed the top of her head. “Easy, Natalie. I’ve got no expectations.”
He might not have, but curled up against him, it was awfully hard not to start building her own. To envision what something more than friendship with him might be like.
She smoothed her hand across one pectoral, savoring the crisp feel of his button-down and the hot skin and firm muscle underneath. Bit by bit, her pulse slowed and her muscles unwound. This was intimacy. Maybe not the steamy erotic stuff that so many people associated with the word, but real closeness. Emotional depth without a single word spoken. Two people connected in a simple yet comforting fashion.
One news story bled into another, the words and video clips no more than meaningless chatter while her mind shuffled every worst-case scenario it could come up with.
“You want to talk about it?” His simple question vibrated through her, warm and filled with a sincerity that surprised her.
He’d think she was nuts if she told him. Even her mother’s first reaction to her suspicions this afternoon was closer to relief than fear, and Maureen had seen some of Wyatt’s outlandish behaviors firsthand. Then again, he was a man and might be able to offer a different perspective. Maybe a viewpoint she hadn’t considered that might let her actually sleep tonight.
She gently cleared her throat, but stayed cuddled next to him. “I think Wyatt’s up to something.”
Trevor tensed beneath her. “You think Levi’s in danger?”
She shook her head and smoothed her hand against his chest. “No, nothing like that. More like he’s scheming. Planning some surprise that’s guaranteed to send our world spinning.” She shrugged. “Maybe another lawsuit. With Wyatt, you never know.”
He lifted the hand at her hip, cupped the back of her neck and worked his fingers in slow, comforting circles. “He do something to tip you off?”
And here it was. The moment when he’d likely write her up as paranoid and tell her to relax. “You know how he was the other night? Arrogant and judgmental?”
“I’d label him more of a general jackass, but yeah, I get your point.” He hesitated a beat. “He do something worse? Threaten you?”
“More like he was a perfect gentleman. Was polite to me and acted like having Levi back at his house was the best thing to ever happen to him. He even had his housekeeper make all of Levi’s favorite foods for dinner.” She waited, braced for his response.
His fingers slid higher until his palm cradled the back of her head. He hugged her tight against him, and he inhaled deep. “Whatever he throws at you, you’ll be ready.”
Her mind tripped and immediately rewound his response. She pushed against his chest and met his gaze. “You don’t think I’m being melodramatic?”
He frowned back at her. “You married to the guy for eight years?”
“Well, yes.”
“You got a pretty good bead on the way he operates?”
“Um, usually.”
“Then I’d say you’re smart to go with your instincts, keep an eye out and be ready for whatever he throws down.”
A scratchy knot worked its way up the back of her throat and her heart squeezed. “But what if he wins Levi away from me? He can give him things I can’t. Can use gadgets and toys to make his life with me seem dull.”
Trevor smiled softly and cupped the side of her face. “Darlin’, your ex could throw every penny he’s got at Levi, and he’d still come up on the short end. Your kid loves you. There’s not enough money or trash talk in the world to change how a boy feels for his momma, especially when the mom in question is you.” His smile dimmed and his eyes narrowed as though to add more emphasis to his words. “And I’ll repeat. Whatever Wyatt brings, you’ll be ready.”
Tears welled in her eyes and blurred his image until they spilled down her cheeks. Her bottom lip trembled as she spoke, the surge of emotion behind her words nearly too powerful to contain. “You believe me.”
His fingers tightened. “Yeah, babe. I believe you.”
A sob ripped free, the force behind it so strong her shoulders shook with embarrassing ferocity. In the space of a second, it was as if every beleaguered feeling she’d stuffed for countless years surged front and center, purged by Trevor’s simple testament.
Before she could dampen her outburst or escape to her room, Trevor banded his arms around her and pulled her close, tucking her face in the crook of his neck. He didn’t shush or try to calm her, only smoothed one hand up and down her spine while the other kept a steady hold at the back of her neck.
A part of her insisted she push away. That she wrap her pride around her and keep the blistering pain private, but another far more vulnerable part of her burrowed closer, instinctively accepting what he offered as though he’d been born to give it. The tears fell faster, his comforting presence and his unyielding strength creating a silent haven for her release. A refuge to unleash all the terror and fear she acknowledged only in the darkest hours of too many sleepless nights.
Countless whimpers and hitched breaths passed, his manly scent permeating her lungs while his heat thawed her from the inside out. When was the last time she’d felt this safe? This protected and cherished? For God only knew how long, he simply held her and silently offered one of the greatest gifts she’d ever received.
She hiccupped and eased away from his neck. Wet splotches from her tears dotted his shirt and the once-crisp fabric was wrinkled from the way she’d curled against him. She smoothed one particularly nasty crease and sniffled. “I ruined your shirt.”
“Darlin’, if it means I get you curled up next to me, you can ruin all my shirts.” He grinned and tucked her hair behind one ear, seemingly nonplussed by her crying jag. “Feel better?”
Ducking her chin a bit, she nodded. “Embarrassed though.” She sniffed again and brushed the last of her tears off her cheeks. “I never break down like that.”
“Then I’d say you were overdue.” He nudged her face upward with gentle fingers beneath her chin and leaned in close. The chunk of hair that had escaped his ponytail fell forward to his jawline. “Nothing for you to be embarrassed about. If anything, I’m honored you trusted me to hold you through it.”
Such a simple claim, but it rattled her whole world, righting all the misshapen ideals she’d let Wyatt warp and destroy. Holding her was an honor. Not a burden. Not a disappointment or a task to be endured. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“No need to thank me when I was where I wanted to be.” His warm minty breath ghosted against her face, his lips achingly close and flooding her with the memory of how firm and talented they’d felt against her own.
Without conscious thought, she traced the lower one.
His arms flexed around her. “Careful, Nat.”
The barely contained growl behind his broken voice dragged her attention from his lips to his heated blue eyes. She gasped and snatched her hand away, clenching it against her chest. “I’m sorry. I just—”
“Don’t.” He shifted just enough so his hold on her went from one of comfort to domination, and he palmed the back of her head so she couldn’t look away. “Whatever you do, you don’t apologize for touching me. Ever.” He scanned her face and his inhalations deepened, so much intensity radiating from his body her own tingled in response. “I don’t want you to mistake why I’m here. That line you’re dancing close to right now is one you and I are definitely going to cross, but not at the expense of you doubting my motives tonight.”
So honest and open. Completely transparent. In fact, the more time she spent around Trevor, the more she realized her mother was right. He wasn’t Wyatt. Not even close. There was honor in the way he operated. A stability and confidence that grounded his life, even to the point of clearly stating his intent. Now if she could just figure out how much she was willing to risk from a man who’d openly stated he wasn’t the relationship type. “I believe you.”
Holding his gaze, she softly traced the line of buttons on his shirt, letting her fingertips dip below the starched placket where the buttons parted and splaying her palm against his hot skin. His heart thrummed strong and steady, a strong and sexy lure that sent her own pulse racing.
“Nat?”
She swallowed, need and desperation warring with safety and common sense. She could either walk away, or lean in and press her mouth to his. She licked her lip instead.
A sexy rumble vibrated from his chest, and he dipped close, running his nose along the side of hers. “This what you want?”
His scent and touch filled her. Intoxicated her until her body hummed on sensation alone, all reason cast aside in favor of the here and now. She mustered what was left of her courage. “One night.”
“Not going to agree to that.” He teased his lips against hers, touching only enough to build a desperate ache before he pulled away. “I’ve had your mouth. Felt the way you moved against me.” He pulled away only enough to meet her eyes head-on. “No way I’ll get enough of you in one night.”
Her sex clenched, and a sweet, decadent flutter swirled low in her belly. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for more than one. Not without screwing things up.”
“We’ll keep it light.” He dragged his thumb along her cheekbone, his gaze roving her every feature as though mapping details to explore. “Only what feels good for as long as both of us are into it. No one else but the two of us so long as we’re exploring.”
Light. No strings beyond exclusivity, and no expectations. It sounded so simple, and her body practically begged her to accept. “If I want to stop?”
“Then we stop. No questions.” Mimicking the touch she’d given him before, he slid the pad of his finger along her lower lip.
On instinct, her mouth parted and her tongue flicked against it.
“Fuck, that’s hot.” His hips flexed against her and he exhaled rough and ragged. “Say yes. Tell me you want this.” A command and a question all rolled up into one.
She could do this. It might hurt like hell in the end, but for one small slice of time she could feel and luxuriate in the moment. Live and revel in the simplicity of white-hot passion. She slid her hands up around his neck and speared her fingers into his thick hair, slightly loosening the tie that held it in place. She dragged in a solidifying breath and whispered, “Yes.”