Natural Satisfaction (Au Naturel Trilogy Book 3)

by Anna Durand

  My fiancée glanced at me, her eyes widening briefly right before she smiled. "Yeah, I believe in that sappy stuff now too. Love changes your perspective on everything."

  Alex sighed, his lips forming a soft smile. "Yes, it does. And to think I never would've found Cat again after all these years if her meddling family hadn't gotten involved."

  "Is that the mob of Scots you mentioned earlier?" Ollie asked. "Can't wait to meet them. They sound like a crazy bunch."

  "Oh yes, that they are," Alex said with what I could only describe as a devious smile. "Most of them want to murder me, but marrying Cat ought to keep their homicidal impulses at bay. She will beat to death anyone who lays a finger on me."

  Were all Brits as weird as this guy? I kind of liked him, but damn, he had the most bizarre sense of humor. At least I thought he was kidding about Scots wanting to murder him.

  Ollie seemed confused too. "You're joking, right? There won't seriously be Scottish people trying to off you while you're all here for the wedding."

  "Yes, of course I'm joking," Alex said. "My parents did kidnap us recently, but Cat and I outwitted them. Now they're both locked up."

  No one spoke. We all stared at Alex Thorne. Had that been another joke?

  "I can see I've stunned the lot of you," Alex said. "It's true, though. My mother is in prison, and my father resides in a psychiatric facility."

  Eve regained her ability to speak before the rest of us. "Do you tell everyone you meet about your, um, parents being…"

  "Incarcerated? No, I don't spread that around." Alex clasped his hands behind his head. "But it was in the papers and on the telly a few months ago, at least in Scotland. So it's hardly a state secret these days."

  "Telly?" I asked.

  Val explained, "He means television. Brits call it the telly. I spent some time in England when I was on the Brazilian national football team."

  "You're a footballer?" Alex said. "Have you ever tried shinty?"

  "I have never heard of it."

  "Not surprising. It's a Scottish game that I like to call the bastard child of lacrosse and field hockey."

  The conversation continued from there, with Alex making strange jokes while he discussed the wedding preparations and the differences between the UK and America. We all got used to Alex's sense of humor and wound up laughing a lot. The wedding would take place in eight weeks, but when Eve told Alex we already had guests booked for that week, he offered to pay those people to take a vacation anywhere in the world they wanted to go, no matter the cost.

  He wasn't kidding. He seriously would do that.

  After the group confab, Eve and Val went into the caretaker's house to call those guests and tell them the plan. I had a feeling nobody would balk. I mean, Alex had vowed to spend "any amount of money" to send those people on "their dream holiday." Ollie and Mara went to the office to study the list of wedding guests Alex had given them.

  Heidi and I took Alex out to the horse pasture. When I'd mentioned my pilot project, he had wanted to see it "purely for the sake of curiosity but potentially for more." I had no idea what he meant by "more," but hey, if the guy wanted to see the horse pasture, I'd show it to him. He was paying an obscene amount of money for a week-long "wedding extravaganza," as he called it.

  We stood at the fence, petting the horses while we talked. He told us a bit about his life, and we shared funny stories from the resort.

  "I saw a gypsy wagon out there," Alex said. "Is that owned by a guest or the resort?"

  "The resort paid for it, but it's my thing."

  "You would be the Ludar prince referenced on the sign."

  "That's right."

  Alex scratched under Georgie's chin. "Are you a genuine Ludar, or is that strictly an act for the tourists?"

  My Ludar lidar was pinging, but in a good way. I had a feeling Alex knew about this stuff. "I'm descended from a long line of proud Ludar, that's what my mom likes to say. I've got Rom genes on both sides of the family tree."

  "Your ancestors must've fled Eastern Europe in the late eighteen hundreds during the great migration."

  "That's right."

  "I'm not well-versed in the history of the gypsies, but it has always fascinated me. Everything historical interests me."

  "Happy to give you a palm reading while you're here."

  Alex raised one brow. "Don't think I'll risk finding out what the Fates have in store for me. I prefer to live in blissful ignorance believing only good things will come my way now that I have Catriona. The past is prologue, but it's not the denouement."

  I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded cool.

  Heidi cleared her throat. "Can I ask you a personal question, Alex?"

  "Go on. I'm not at all shy. Shameless is more accurate."

  The Brit and I had something in common. Who knew?

  "Okay," Heidi said. She hesitated before asking, "How did you deal with having bad parents?"

  Alex studied her for a moment, his head tipped to the side. "Am I sensing a bit of a kindred spirit in you, Heidi? Are your parents not the sweet, doting sort?"

  "No. They're not as bad as yours, but they aren't ideal either. They've always made me the center of their arguments, even when I was a kid, and even after they got divorced."

  I draped an arm around her shoulders. "Heidi told them off a while back. I think they're still recovering from the shock."

  Alex braced his arm on the fence, tapping one finger on the board. "My best advice for dealing with rubbish parents is to pretend they don't exist. If your mother and father should ever want back in your life, you'll have to decide whether to let them in. Unless and until that happens, make your own family with the friends you have here. It seems as if they're already like family to you."

  "Yeah, we're all super close. And you're not the first person who's told me family is what you make it, that blood isn't everything."

  "That's true. I'm about to have parents-in-law, three brothers-in-law, and two sisters-in-law, not to mention an army of Catriona's cousins. Then there's my half-brother, though I had no idea he existed, and vice versa, until a few months ago. My brother has cousins too, and they've sort adopted me." Alex smirked. "I'm positively swimming in family."

  Heidi wasn't swimming in family yet, but she had plenty of people who loved her. I got why she'd asked Alex how he dealt with having jerks for parents, but I was also pretty sure she wouldn't have gotten upset if he'd told her he had never made peace with his past. Heidi had moved beyond all that too. I still hoped one day her mom and dad would get over their issues and start acting like adults. I wouldn't hold my breath, though.

  We talked to Alex for a little while longer, then we returned to the resort to check in with what the rest of the gang had done in our absence concerning Alex's big wedding. Heidi went to the office to sort through all the ideas the gang had come up with and start formulating a plan. I had my concierge stuff to do, so I left Alex with Eve and Val.

  Halfway through the afternoon, I stopped by the office to check on Heidi. She was poring over the information on several pieces of paper that were stapled together.

  I settled onto the chair beside the desk. "How's it going?"

  "Okay." She held up the stapled sheets so I could see the text printed on them. "This is the guest list. It's four pages long. Of course, some of that is explanations of how each guest is related to Alex or Cat or if they're just friends, plus details about their occupations and ages and how many kids they're bringing. This is more than a huge event. It's like Woodstock and the Super Bowl put together."

  "You'll get it all sorted out. But if there's anything I can do to help, just ask." I spread a hand over her thigh. "The only payment I ask for is a blow job."

  "Yeah, you're the easiest employee to handle."

  "I'm not your employee, but I am your willing slave."

  "Thanks, but I'm doing okay on my own." She leaned over to gaze into my eyes from inches away
. "But I'll give you head anytime you want."

  "Ditto." I slid my hand between her thighs. "Don't forget about our wedding plans. It's only two weeks away."

  "I haven't forgotten. It's all sewn up."

  "Seriously? Heidi, you are amazing."

  "You know, I don't mind if you want to have a bachelor party."

  "Got a better idea." I bent toward her to clasp her hands. "Let's ditch the traditional crap about not seeing each other the night before the wedding. I want to give you a full-body reading instead."

  "Ooh, I'd love that. It's a date."

  I rose and kissed her softly. "Don't work too hard."

  Then I left Heidi to sort out the arrangements for the big event while I got back to work.

  And in two weeks, I'd be married to that incredible woman.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Heidi

  Two weeks later

  I got married. Wow. The ceremony was mostly a blur of sounds and motion, but I remembered Eve and Mara fussing over my hair and my dress, then I walked down the aisle toward Damian—and I lost my breath. He looked gorgeous in a tux, but I'd already known that. What stole the air from my lungs wasn't his outfit. It was the expression on his face. He looked at me like I had a glowing golden aura around me and a sparkling halo over my head. When I reached the altar, I realized his eyes were glistening like he might cry any minute.

  Yeah, I'd gotten choked up too, but I started crying the instant we faced each other and the minister started reciting the wedding spiel. I had only the haziest memory of speaking my vows and of exchanging the rings. The guests had clapped and cheered, and Sylvester Norris whistled, when Damian and I kissed. It wasn't a hot kiss, but we held our lips pressed to each other for a long moment, savoring the knowledge that we had bound our lives together. Euphoria had swept through me because I suddenly realized I had everything I'd always wanted.

  Oh, did I forget to mention my parents showed up? Yeah, they had. My dad even asked if he could accompany me down the aisle and give me away. I said yes. I mean, my parents had gotten a lot better lately. Each of them had called me several times over the past two weeks, and they knew about the wedding. I'd sent them invitations, though I included a note saying I would understand if they didn't want to come.

  Damian had bet me fifty bucks they would come.

  He won. Was it thanks to Ludar lidar?

  Mom and Dad arrived two days before the ceremony, and they hadn't argued once in all that time—at least, not so anyone heard or saw them. My parents were seeing a therapist, together and separately, to work through their issues. They had no plans to get back together, but they wanted to become better parents. All it took was for me to finally stand up and tell them how much they had hurt me over the years. Jeez, if I'd known that… I still wouldn't have done it any earlier. My parents were trying to change, but I'd had my transformation already, thanks to the amazing man I'd just married.

  The reception was held at the resort since that was where we'd met and fallen in love. Damian and I stayed at the party for twenty minutes, just long enough for me to dance with my dad and my new husband. Then we retreated to the gypsy wagon. Sure, we had a Hawaiian honeymoon planned, but for tonight, my husband owed me a full-body reading.

  I lay on the bed on my stomach, naked.

  He straddled my legs and ran his hands over my body, starting with my shoulders, exploring my skin with his fingertips and painting a path of tingling warmth in their wake. I always got hot and bothered when Damian touched me. But the way his fingers trailed over my skin made me shiver too and suck in a breath. My nipples ached. Slick heat gathered between my thighs, and I knew I couldn't survive much longer without him inside.

  "Your body tells me everything I need to know," he said while he skimmed his palms over my ass. "But I can't read you the right way unless I'm inside you."

  "The whole body-reading thing was just a ploy to get me naked, then."

  "I don't need tricks to do that." He dragged his tongue down my spine, swirling it as he moved. "All I have to do is look at you."

  "Mm, that's true. For you, I'm the easiest lay on the planet."

  "Ditto." He patted my hip. "Turn over, baby. I want to look into your eyes while we make love."

  I flipped over, which took a little finagling since he was still straddling me. His dick waved above me, hard and thick, the crown damp. I couldn't resist lunging up to lick the moisture off it and flick my tongue across the slit underneath.

  Damian hissed in a breath. "You can do that later. I need to be inside you now, baby."

  He reached for a condom.

  I grasped his wrist. "Skip that. Let's work on making a baby."

  A grin slowly spread across his face. "Love to."

  "We can skip foreplay too. I'm so damn ready."

  "I can smell how ready you are." He knelt over me, pushing my thighs apart with his knee. "Let's make a rug rat tonight."

  "You're supposed to say 'bundle of joy,' not rug rat."

  "Right." He thrust into me with one long, swift stroke, filling me completely. "Might need to do this at least three times if we want to get you knocked up tonight."

  "As long as it takes. I can't get enough of you, Damian."

  He braced his hands at either side of my head and thrust in a measured rhythm, sucking in a breath every time he withdrew and blowing it out with a long groan when he pushed deep inside me again. I grasped his biceps and bent my knees, lifting my hips every time he plunged in. My gaze stayed riveted to his as our breaths quickened and his movements accelerated. The wet sound of our bodies merging mingled with our grunts and gasps and the groans that resonated in his chest. He punched into me faster and harder, making me bounce, and I latched my legs around him, clutching his arms, my neck arched and my back bowed, my mouth open though I couldn't draw in a breath, not anymore. The need to come bore down on me as every muscle in my body tensed.

  Damian reached down to pinch my clit.

  And I came. Thrashing, writhing, screaming his name, while my sex wrung his cock in wave after wave of pleasure. I was still climaxing when I felt his release pulse inside me. His back bowed too, and strangled shouts burst out of him.

  He dropped onto the bed beside me. "That was—Holy shit."

  "I know." I rolled over to cuddle up to him. "Imagine doing that over and over and over…"

  "Gimme a few minutes, and I'll be ready for round two."

  We did make love twice more, then Damian sneaked back to the reception to grab us some food and a bottle of champagne. Celebrating alone, in the wagon, seemed like the most appropriate way to start our marriage. The party continued for us even after the reception ended because we hopped on a plane the next morning to start our Hawaiian honeymoon. Though our honeymoon was fabulous, we were ready to come home after six days. Good thing we'd arranged to stay in Hawaii for only that long.

  My parents visited the resort a few weeks later, and though they didn't go nude, they did see naked people. At first, they were freaked out, but they quickly got used to it and even made some new friends.

  We still had the big wedding event to handle, but I wasn't worried at all. I had a blueprint for the entire week-long extravaganza, plus I had a bunch of amazing friends to help me. This event would prove to the world that a rural nudist resort could handle any kind of get-together. Alex Thorne had sent us a massive check that was way more than the contract for the wedding called for, but he included a note to explain.

  "This is for the pilot project," he wrote, "and I fully expect to see more horses on the premises when I arrive for the wedding."

  Damian was thrilled, but being a guy, he had to play it cool.

  And the next day, we heard more good news. Eve was pregnant. Damian swore his Ludar lidar assured him I'd be a mom too, very soon. Having a baby would be amazing, but even if that never happened, I had everything I wanted. I had a real family—my parents, my friends, and all the other wonderful pe
ople who had come to mean the world to me. I'd been blessed. The future looked more than bright, it shined with the brilliance of a thousand stars. What else was there to say? Well, maybe just one more thing…

  And we all lived happily ever after.

  About the Author

  Anna Durand is a bestselling, multi-award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her books have earned bestseller status on every major retailer and wonderful reviews from readers around the world. But that’s the boring spiel. Here are some really cool things you want to know about Anna!

  Born on Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Anna grew up moving here, there, and everywhere thanks to her dad’s job as an instructor pilot. She’s lived in Texas (twice), Mississippi, California (twice), Michigan (twice), and Alaska—and now Ohio.

  As for her writing, Anna has always made up stories in her head, but she didn’t write them down until her teen years. Those first awful books went into the trash can a few years later, though she learned a lot from those stories. Eventually, she would pen her first romance novel, the paranormal romance Willpower, and she’s never looked back since.

  Want even more details about Anna? Get access to her extended bio when you subscribe to her newsletter and download the free bonus ebook, Hot Scots Confidential. You’ll get hot deleted scenes, character interviews, bonus chapters, fun facts, and more! You even get bonus audiobooks narrated by Shane East, Vanessa Edwin, and Ava Lucas.

  Craving more sizzling-hot romance?

  Subscribe to Anna's newsletter

  for updates on upcoming books

  &

  to receive free gifts for signing up!

  Connect with Anna Durand

  Thank you so much for reading my book! Catch up with me on social media or on my website, where you can sign up for my newsletter or send me a message.

  My website: AnnaDurand.com

  Follow me on any of these sites:

  BookBub

  Twitter