Jericho ~ Past
NATASHA HAD GIVEN HERSELF TO me, and although I knew I was unworthy, I’d never cherished anything more.
We were lying in bed, and although we’d spent many nights in my bed before, everything had changed. She was mine now, and I was hers, and I vowed to myself that the ugliness of my past would never touch her. We would not repeat history. Instead, I’d give her a great life, an amazing life, and she’d never doubt how important she was to me.
“What does our future look like?” I asked, content to hold her in my arms as I played with a long, loose curl.
“Mmmmm,” Natasha murmured, shifting against me.
I wanted her again. Just that one, small movement had me hardening, but it was too soon, so I moved slightly, not wanting her to notice my erection and think that meant I wanted anything more from her now.
I did, God knows I do, but I knew she must be tender, and was content to live in this afterglow for as long as she needed.
“A pretty house,” she began, her voice low and sexy as all hell. “Nothing too big or fancy, maybe a ranch style. I’d like a bit of land, so we can go for long walks at night, and plenty of space for our family to grow.”
“Family?” I asked, liking the sound of that, especially in a place like Natasha described. As far away from the streets of Philly as you could get.
“Yes, of course, but that will come later,” she said, and I could feel the curve of her lips against my chest. “First, we’ll have pets.”
“A cat, named Isaac Newton,” I suggested with a chuckle.
“And a dog.”
“What’s the dog’s name?” I asked.
“I don’t know, I haven’t met her yet.”
“You have to meet the dog before you can name it?”
“Of course,” Natasha said seriously. “It would be horrible if I named her Muffin, and then met her and realized she was obviously a Fiona.”
“O-kay . . . What about the interior?”
“Big windows, so we can look out over our land, and a nice, state-of-the-art kitchen, that we can cook in together.”
“What else?” I asked, enjoying the dream.
“Well, I don’t collect anything like Millie, or obsess over flowers and stuff like Dru, but I’ve always liked the look of country-style homes. You know, lots of rich woods, rustic decorations, that kind of thing.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I could live with that,” I said, thinking it was lightyears away from my mother’s style of junkyard chic. I chuckled dryly at the thought. My mother had never given a shit about decorating, cleaning, or hell, cooking a meal. All she’d ever worried about was her next fix.
“Hey.”
I shook myself out of my thoughts and looked at Tasha, who was propped up on one elbow, looking at me with a worried expression.
“Where’d you go?” she asked. “Were you thinking about your mom?”
God, this girl. She gets me like no one ever has.
“Yeah, sorry, don’t you worry, that part of my life will never touch you,” I promised.
“You know, I’d go with you, if you wanted to go see her . . . your mom.”
“You’re amazing for even suggesting it,” I said, pushing her hair back off of her face and cradling it in my hand. “But I have no desire to see that woman. She didn’t care about me enough to be there for me when I was growing up, and the only reason she’s tried contacting me is because she heard about the money my grandfather left me. I don’t want her anywhere near me, and I seriously never want you to lay eyes on her. She’s in my past . . . you’re my present and my future.”
Natasha nodded and, sensing that I needed to move on from talking about my mother, said, “Well, I can’t wait for you to meet mine. No doubt she’ll take you in as her own and love you just as much. And, Millie and Dru, you’re going to love them.”
“I’m sure I will. From as much as you’ve talked about them, I feel like I already know them.”
It was true, her family sounded great. Well, except for her father, who seemed about as useless as my parents. Still, we’d been so happy in our little bubble together, it was hard to imagine what our lives would be like with other people involved.
“Do you want to live there, near your family?” I asked. So far, Natasha had never mentioned wanting to go back, but the dream home she described sounded like it would fit in perfectly in her hometown.
“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “It doesn’t really matter to me where we go, as long as you’re there, but when you’ve talked about your restaurant, I’ve always gotten the feeling that you were picturing it in a big city.”
“We could always live outside of the city on some land, and get the best of both worlds,” I suggested. “I agree with what you said, though, as long as we’re together, I don’t care where we live. I can compromise, all I care about is your happiness.”
I took her in for a moment, the tousled hair, full lips, and rosy glow, and had the sudden urge to see her fall apart for me once more.
Shifting, I moved her onto her back and covered her body with mine. Nuzzling her nose, I kissed her lips gently and said, “It’s too soon to have you again the way I want, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make you come.”
I felt the change in her breathing, saw the heaviness of her eyelids, then the sexy curve of her lips.
“What did you have in mind?” Natasha asked throatily, laying back against my bed and offering herself up to me.
I kissed my way over her breast and down her stomach.
“How about I show, not tell,” I offered, nipping her belly lightly.
“Show me,” she breathed, as I settled between her legs and complied.