Chapter Ten
This friends business was for shit. All damned day long, Trevor had fought to keep a respectable distance from Natalie, but the woman was fucking built for his touch. Hell, he’d shot past wanting his hands on her to needing it the second she’d laid eyes on his bed and got that heavy-lidded, hungry look on her face. How he’d made it through a whole day of horseback riding, fishing, grilling out, and marshmallow roasting without tossing her over his shoulder and carting her off to his room had to put him up next for sainthood.
The drone of his tires against the highway filled the cab of his truck, and the soft strains of a Dierks Bentley ballad matched the easy tenor of the outstanding day they’d left behind on the ranch. Levi was passed out cold in the back seat, the reflection of him slumped down and head cocked to one side in Trevor’s rearview mirror one of the cutest things he’d ever seen. The kid had been up for everything and anything all day long, sticking to Trevor’s side for every second. Especially the fishing. Who’d have thought teaching a kid to put a worm on a hook would have been so much fun?
Beside him, Natalie stared out the window, her body relaxed and a soft smile on her face.
“Admit it,” he said, keeping his voice low so as not to wake up Levi. “You’re more of an outdoor gal than you thought.”
Her smile grew, mirroring the same delight she’d shown the first time she’d laid eyes on Deuce. The big bay’s rich, glossy brown body and ebony points always captured people’s attention first, but it was his sweet demeanor that snagged their appreciation long-term. Apparently, Natalie was no exception. “I might have been a little short-sighted in my earlier assessments.” She swiveled her head toward him. “Though, I can promise you I’d never agree to a day like today in July or August.”
“And the horses?”
She shifted a little in her seat, which only reminded him of how cute she’d been walking—or trying to walk, as it was—when she’d hopped down after an hour in the saddle. He’d been more than a little tempted to offer to rub her sweet ass and make it all better. “It wasn’t like I thought it would be. It wasn’t scary so much as it was powerful. Natural, maybe.”
Yeah, it was. The best stress reliever in the world as far as he was concerned, especially when he and Titan could disappear for a day and do nothing but enjoy quiet trail rides. Maybe he should arrange one of those for Levi and Natalie, too. They’d both settled into the feel of riding quick and took good direction.
And that right there proved why friends wasn’t going to work. Never in his life had he thought about taking anyone on his trail rides with him. Not once. Not even with Frank.
“You fell in love with Deuce,” he said. “Admit it.”
The expression on Nat’s face shifted, not sad exactly so much as wistful and distant. “There was a lot in today to love. Thank you.”
Well, damn. The last thing he’d wanted to do was put a damper on her happy glow. Unlike the usual hustle and hurry behind her actions, today she’d let go and shown a different, more easygoing side of herself. And it was a good thing she’d opened up to the idea of being outside, because if anyone belonged there it was her. Especially with the wind tossing her dark hair around so it teased the sides of her face. At least ten times he had to stop himself from tucking the silky stuff behind her ear or just sliding his fingers through it. But then he’d have caved and kissed her, and she’d have gone tense on him again. “You’re awful quiet.”
She pulled in a deep slow breath and let it out through her mouth. “Wyatt’s week starts tomorrow. He’ll be by around three to pick up Levi.” Her mouth tightened and she shuttled her gaze to his. “I hate Sundays.”
Fuck, the way she looked, he hated them, too. Yeah, he’d comprehended how jacked the idea of her ex having any kind of custody was, but until that moment, he’d never really considered the torture she dealt with. No parent worth their salt could easily send their kid into the lion’s den once let alone every other week.
Checking to make sure Levi was still asleep through the rearview mirror, Trevor lowered his voice. “You said he only hurt Levi once. You think he’d ever do it again?”
Nat shifted enough to glance over her shoulder at Levi then shook her head. “So long as things stay like they are? No. According to Levi, Wyatt spends most of his time at work and once he comes home, Levi steers clear of him. Most of his time outside of school is spent with the nanny Wyatt hired after he got joint custody.” She fisted the hand in her lap and glared out the windshield. Her voice cracked when she spoke. “I hate the time he’s away from me. Makes it hard to think about anything except if he’s okay.”
Trevor shifted in his seat, subtle whispers from his conscience stealing along the perimeters of his mind. He could help her. Wade in beyond the precautionary steps he’d taken with Knox and Beckett and see what options the brotherhood might have at their disposal. Maybe sniff around and see what skeletons Wyatt had to rattle and arm her with an attorney who didn’t mind playing dirty.
But taking those kinds of actions meant staking a claim with his brothers. A claim he had no business making for a woman he barely knew. Hell, he could barely get within five feet of her without her locking up tight and stepping away.
Except it wasn’t fear that had her keeping her distance. A skittish woman didn’t watch a man the way Natalie watched him when she thought he wasn’t looking. A few times the heat behind her gaze had sent his cock swelling in painful seconds, the need to sate the hunger radiating out of her curvy body nearly overpowering common sense.
He parked in the back row of her parking lot and killed the engine.
Natalie pried her purse from between her leg and the center console and twisted toward the back seat. “Levi? We’re here. Wake up, baby.”
Levi didn’t budge, and given how much he’d put into his day, Trevor didn’t imagine he would until bright and early tomorrow morning.
Trevor unfastened his seat belt. “Let him sleep. I’ll get him.”
It should have been weird. Awkward or at least foreign, but Levi settled into his arms like he’d done it a hundred times before, easily trusting that he was where he needed to be. In truth, the whole day had been this way. Not just between him and Levi, but with the three of them as a whole.
The space behind Trevor’s sternum tightened, a not altogether uncomfortable cramp squeezing down on his heart the same as it had when Levi had offered Trevor his first s’more. Carrying Levi in with Natalie beside him after a full day together felt right. A conventional feeling he’d never thought in a million years he’d experience. Just like the days he’d spent with Frank and Bonnie except that now he was the adult. The one giving and caring.
Natalie finagled the lock and leaned her shoulder into the heavy front door. “Give me a head start to get his bed pulled down.” She hurried toward the hall, tossing her purse on the coffee table before she disappeared.
The room was mostly dark, only a light from the kitchen stove spilling into the small living room. As always, the space was tidy and, not surprisingly, minus one sweet, but meddlesome mother. Through the day, Natalie had finally opened up more about how little she’d walked away with. How her mom had sold her small home in Forney, used her furniture and furnishings to outfit their two-bedroom apartment and the proceeds of the sale to fund legal bills and give them a base. Aside from Natalie’s tricked-out Lexus and clothes, she hadn’t asked for a thing, and that dickhead ex of hers hadn’t offered. Which just made Trevor wish he’d given in and pummeled the pompous fuck all over again.
Natalie stepped out of the bedroom. “Okay, bring him on back.”
Trevor hitched Levi higher against his chest and ambled toward her.
Levi’s steady breaths puffed against Trevor’s neck, the memorable scent of a little boy who’d put in a full day slingshotting Trevor back to his own youth. He could give Levi more days like this if he wanted to. Give Natalie and her little family all the things Wyatt was too stupid and stubborn to provide.
But then what? Natalie and Levi had been through enough with Wyatt’s abuse. The last thing she needed was another round with a man with a history like his own. Hell, some of his historic outbursts made Wyatt look like a fucking saint.
He laid Levi down on the twin bed. The black and white Star Wars comforter was neatly pulled back, and the small bedside lamp casted a soft glow on Levi’s tousled blond head.
With well-practiced moves, Natalie tugged off his boots and clothes and wiggled his sleep-weighted body into pajamas.
Trevor leaned a shoulder into the doorjamb and soaked it in. How efficient she was, but still sweet and careful so she didn’t wake her kiddo. Man, she was a great mom. Just like Bonnie had been with him.
And she was going to send him off tomorrow.
He pushed upright and stalked to the living room, the burning violence surging beneath his skin too hot to stay in one place. The muscles along his shoulders and forearms bunched tight, needing release as much as he needed to breathe.
“Hey.” Natalie padded up from behind him and touched his arm. “You okay?”
Hell no, he wasn’t okay. He wanted to physically punish Wyatt Jordan in a way he’d never forget. Wanted to fuck his entire world up the way he’d upended Natalie and Levi’s. But mostly, with her standing so close and looking up at him with those big dark brown eyes, he wanted to bury his hands in her hair, yank her against him, and kiss her until nothing else existed.
“I’m good.” He forced a smile and took a step back, adding much-needed distance between them before he could act on impulse. She already had a nasty day ahead of her. The last thing he needed to do was heap more for her mind to juggle on top of it all. “Anytime you two want a repeat of today, you let me know.”
“Don’t let Levi hear you say that. He’ll have you out there every week.”
Not exactly the worst proposition. Better if he could supplement it with time alone with Natalie. “You forget, time spent on a horse or outside’s my way of winding down. Wouldn’t be a hardship having more days like today.”
She ducked her head and buried her hands in her back pockets, the pretty blue shirt she’d left unbuttoned peeling back with the movement and putting her perfect tits on prime display.
Fuck, but he needed to get his head straight. What kind of asshat considered coming on to a woman when he knew she was scared shitless about how her kid was going to spend the next week? “You scheduled at The Den tomorrow?”
“No.” She shrugged and tried to smile, but it came off a little crooked and empty. “It usually takes me a day or two after Levi leaves to be decent company, let alone be a friendly waitress. I’m not in until Tuesday night after work.”
“Then I’ll see you Tuesday.” Not giving himself time to do anything stupid, he strode to the door and pulled it open, but hesitated at the threshold. “Listen, you change your mind and decide you want to get out of the house, or just want someone to rail at, you give me a call.”
She padded closer, crossing her arms to fight off the chilled air driving through the open entry. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be okay.”
Which meant she’d be stubborn, hole up in her house, and worry about her kid all alone until she found some balance. “Nothing wrong with letting someone help you, Nat. Life goes a whole lot easier when you don’t carry the load all by yourself.”
She met his gaze, such stark honesty and openness in her expression it knocked him even farther off center. “I’m not afraid of sharing my load, Trevor. I’m afraid of crossing a line I’d have a hard time coming back from.”
The nagging need he’d had all day to lay hands on her flared blowtorch bright. He swallowed down a hungry growl and fisted his hands at his sides to keep them off her. “Who said there had to be a line?”
“We both did. Friends. Remember?”
“That what you want? Friends?”
“It’s what’s smart. You don’t need an employee causing you problems at work, and I’ve got to be careful what impression I set for my son. Especially with someone he adores.”
To hell with that. To hell with being smart and with him worrying about his past and his penchant for violence. As far as he was concerned, the neighborly, no-touching bullshit was over. “I’ll give you that tonight. Maybe even tomorrow.” He leaned in close enough she gasped and took a hesitant step backward. “But you should brace, darlin’. One way or another, we’re resetting those lines to a place where I don’t have to walk away from you without taking your sweet mouth in a long hard kiss.”
Barely fighting back the urge to taste the surprise on her lips, he spun and headed for the stairs. Warning her which direction his thoughts were headed probably hadn’t been his smartest move. With her recent past, she might pack and high-tail it for Timbuktu, but even if she did, he’d find her. He might not be long-term material for a quality woman like Natalie Jordan, but he was by God going to make her right now a whole lot better. He was also going to curl her fucking toes in bed and give them both some much-needed relief while he did it.