Natalie was just about to tell him that they didn’t need to figure it out since they weren’t having a relationship. But Alejandro was back, dumping his clothes on the floor so that he could dress in her bedroom. He plunked himself onto the floor, ideas running through his mind and he submitted them as possibilities while he worked to get his jeans on over his legs, missing the leg holes repeatedly in his excitement. When his shirt came next, he was too eager to take the time to put it on correctly. Natalie rolled her eyes and slipped out of the room, walking into the bathroom and letting Javier take control of the dressing process.
Leaning against the closed, bathroom door, she pressed her eyes shut and tried to figure out how to extricate herself from the mess her life had become in the past several days. She’d just made love…had sex…with Javier! How could she have allowed herself to do that once again?! She knew the heartache he’d caused her the last time they’d been together! Why had she complicated her life so completely? Again?
She turned on the shower, and picked up her toothbrush, trying to regain some semblance of control in her life. Brushing her teeth, she stared at herself in the mirror, noticing that there were several marks on her neck. Not hickeys, thank goodness, but definitely red splotches where Javier’s beard growth had rubbed against her more delicate skin. Good grief! She’d forgotten that aspect of their sex life! Four years ago, he’d been careful to shave before coming to her each night. They’d learned the hard way that his beard grew fast during the day, which rubbed her skin raw during their sometimes furious sexual interludes.
Last night could only be described as furious. Fast the first time…but then slow and amazingly sensuous the next. Her breathing increased just thinking about the intensity of his lovemaking last night. How he’d made her body sing, her mind to scream with the pleasure of his touch, the way he…
Spitting out the toothpaste, she rubbed her face with a towel, pulled off his shirt and stepped quickly into the shower. Thankfully, the water was warm enough, but just barely. It usually took a while for the water heater to send the hot water through the ancient pipes.
The bathroom door opened and she squeaked, popping her head around the shower curtain to see who had come in. Fully expecting Alejandro, her eyes were lower. Which is why Javier’s erection was the first thing she saw. And that was also why he so easily planted a kiss on her surprised lips. “Good morning, by the way,” he purred, his hand moving to her now-wet hair to hold her head still while he tasted her mouth. “Hmmm…minty,” he growled.
“What are you doing in here?” she gasped when he released her.
“This is the only bathroom,” he pointed out and reached for the button on his jeans.
Natalie realized what he was about to do and groaned, pulling the curtain back into position, hiding in the shower stall while he used the toilet. She gritted her teeth at his laughter, shaking her head and trying to calm herself down enough to admonish him for violating her privacy.
“Get used to it,” he told her. She heard the toilet flush and jumped back, just in time as the toilet stole all of the hot water. “Sorry – I’ll have that fixed.”
She turned around and caught him poking his head through the gap in the shower curtain. “Go away!” she snapped.
His only response was to grin at her even as his eyes moved down her naked figure. “That’s not what you were saying last night,” he told her.
She growled in mock rage, ready to toss water at his face. Smart man, she thought as he quickly ducked out of range. A moment later, she heard the bathroom door close and sighed, leaning against the tile wall. When she realized what she was doing, she pushed away and started soaping up, then quickly shampooed her hair. There wasn’t a whole lot of hot water so if she wanted Javier to shower and get on his merry way, she’d have to be quick about her own bathing needs.
Five minutes later, she shut off the water and grabbed a towel, drying off before wrapping it around her body. When she pulled the shower curtain back, she realized her next mistake. In her haste to escape the awkwardness of the bedroom, she’d forgotten to grab clothes to change into. Now she’d have to walk out of the bathroom dressed only in a towel. Leaning her forehead against the door, she closed her eyes and admonished herself for being so hasty.
Something else suddenly occurred to her. She pulled away from the door, her eyes moving back to the shower. She’d felt…sticky when she’d showered! She’d had to…they hadn’t…oh no!
Fury, sharp and tingly, hit her as she realized that they had forgotten to use protection last night! Again! No condom! Nothing! They were playing fast and furiously with a possible pregnancy!
Granted, she’d been overwhelmed by…everything last night.
No excuse! She was a responsible adult! She knew better than to have unprotected sex! Twice! Well, three times actually, if one counted the other night.
Furious with herself, she whipped the door to the bathroom open and stomped into the bedroom, almost slamming the door. Standing in front of her closet, she considered her options. It was Sunday. Usually, she and Alejandro went to church on Sunday. But she wasn’t sure if she could face God today. Not after all she’d done last night.
Yes, Natalie knew that this was the perfect day to go to church and to bask in God’s forgiveness. Maybe if she felt God’s gentle mercy, she would even be able to forgive herself. But she wasn’t going! Was she punishing herself? Probably.
With a sigh, she rested her hand against her forehead, fighting back the tears. Of all the people in the world who grasped the consequences of unprotected sex, she knew better!
Grabbing a pair of jeans, she tugged them on, and tore them back off again when she realized she hadn’t put on any underwear. Underwear and bra in place, she grabbed the jeans again, then yet another sweatshirt, this one only mildly better than the one she’d been wearing yesterday. If Javier didn’t like her attire, then he could just…
No! She wouldn’t even risk asking his opinion about her attire. She knew exactly what he’d do! He’d go buy her a whole new wardrobe. He might be a hard man to understand, dominant and intimidating, but the man was also generous to a fault. He’d loved taking her on shopping trips. Too many times, Natalie had called a halt to his spending. There had been clothes she’d left behind that hadn’t even had the tags taken off! Shoes she hadn’t worn. And why the man thought that every outfit needed separate accessories, she’d never truly understood.
Which only reminded her of how different she was from the people who ran in his circles. The women he was used to would never be seen in the same outfit twice. And if they did dare to wear the same dress, it would be accessorized differently, so that it was a whole new look.
Natalie simply didn’t care enough about her wardrobe to work that hard at her appearance. She loved life, loved being outdoors, loved making cookies with Alejandro with all of his sticky fingers and goofy grins. She’d be too worried about ruining one of the outfits Javier bought her to be around Alejandro.
She was just about to walk out of the bedroom when she froze and stepped back to the mirror. Seeing her pale skin and crazy hair, she sighed and accepted that she might not want all the expensive clothes, but she didn’t want Javier to see her looking quite so crazed.
Picking up her comb, she pulled it through her locks, creating a semblance of order amid the chaos of her life. Adding a touch of lipstick added color and, just because she was here, she applied mascara and a touch of blush, not wanting him to think she was sickly. Then, just because she was doing the makeup, she picked up her hair dryer and dried her hair, softening her features with the smooth locks that cascaded past her shoulders.
Better, she thought with a nod of appearance. Thankfully, after a deep sleep, the dark circles were gone from under her eyes. Well, a good night’s sleep and sex.
The memory of that sex brought back to mind that they’d had unprotected sex and the very real risk of pregnancy hit her right between the eyes. A baby! Another baby!
Storming into the kitchen, she admitted that she would love to have more children. But not as a single mother. And not on her salary. She loved her job as a schoolteacher, but it wasn’t the most lucrative career. When she looked around, she realized that neither Javier nor Alejandro were in the house. A small pulse of panic hit her until she looked outside and saw both of them down at the stables. They were feeding the horses? Goodness! That was a huge job! Even the cats were prancing around, obviously knowing that their food bowls were filled. Charlie and the mares were nowhere to be seen, so they must be in their stalls, which had to have been cleaned out as well since Charlie was a bit of a snob.
How had Javier gotten so much done so quickly?
A stranger walked out of the stables, shaking Javier’s hands. Natalie’s eyes narrowed on the shorter man. Was that…?
It was! The man shaking Alejandro’s hand now was none other than the stable master down at one of the big stables on the other side of town! Good grief, what was he doing here?
And then she realized! Javier must have hired the man to take care of Charlie and his ladies!
Ugh! Javier hadn’t even discussed that with her before making the decision to take the stable chores out of her hands. Yes, it was a wonderful gesture. And yes, it would definitely give her a lot more time in the mornings. But still, he should have talked to her first. It was just being considerate to confer with her before he hired someone to take care of her animals! She loved caring for her horses! It wasn’t a burden!
She smacked a pot down on the stove, grumbling when some of the water splashed out onto the surface. With irritation, she smacked another pot down, and grabbed the bowls.
Javier lifted Alejandro into his arms as they walked up the grassy slope to the house. His son was chattering on about the antics of the cats while they walked, but Javier was thinking about last night and the fact that he’d completely forgotten to use condoms. Again. He wondered if Natalie had realized the omission and cursed himself for being neglectful. All his life, he’d considered it his responsibility to protect his partner from unwanted pregnancies. And himself as well. Never before had he wanted a woman in his life to become pregnant but…well, he was honest enough with himself to admit that the thought of Natalie becoming pregnant wouldn’t bother him in the least.
They had a lot of things to discuss, a huge amount of territory to talk about, not the least of which was what their future would look like. He was determined to marry her, to form a family. He suspected that she was just as determined to avoid marriage.
He would win, he knew. After yesterday and last night, he had confidence that he could overcome whatever objections she might have to a union between the two of them.
He’d have to deal with his father as well. His anger over his father’s machinations, the years he’d lost in Alejandro’s life not to mention the pain and hurt that Natalie had endured simply because of his father’s elitism, infuriated him! It had all been so pointless! Natalie was a beautiful, intelligent woman who had captured his attention from the first moment he had laid eyes on her.
It had never occurred to him that his father would disapprove of Natalie to the point that he would kick her out of Javier’s life, that he would shove his grandchild out of his life, effectively disinheriting Javier’s child.
A confrontation was brewing.
“Uh oh,” Alejandro whispered, tucking his small hand around Javier’s neck.
“What’s wrong?” Javier asked, looking around for a threat. It had taken only days but this little guy was his responsibility now. He would protect his son with his life!
“Momma’s mad,” he whispered, those dark eyes looking through the small window to the kitchen. “I think she’s upset that she didn’t get to help feed Charlie.” Alejandro turned to look up into his father’s face. “Momma really likes feeding the animals.”
Javier gave his son a gentle squeeze, reassuring him that he hadn’t done anything wrong. “I think I know why your mom is mad, and it has nothing to do with Charlie and the mares or your kitties.”
Alejandro looked through the window one more time, then at his father. “Are you sure?”
Javier chuckled. “I’m not sure about anything. But let’s go check, shall we?”
At his father’s amusement, Alejandro seemed to relax, although his dubious expression didn’t change. They walked through the back door and stood there, waiting for Natalie to acknowledge them. When she only slammed another pot down on the stove, Javier suspected that it might take a bit more cajoling to ease her fury.
“Need help?” he offered.
Natalie spun around, her eyes shooting daggers at them. “After yesterday’s oatmeal debacle? I don’t think I have enough pots to accept your offer.”
She turned back to the sink, missing Alejandro’s grin when his father made a face at him. She heard his giggle though and spun back in their direction. But both of them presented innocent looks that didn’t fool her in the slightest. “Sit down,” she told both of them.
Javier set Alejandro down in his chair, and moved over to Natalie. When she felt his arms wrap around her, taking her hands so she couldn’t slam another pot down onto the stove, she froze. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t maintain her anger when he was touching her like this. Every part of her mind and body thought back to last night, the way he’d held her, the way he’d touched her. Oh, the way he’d made her body sing!
Still, her spine stiffened and she opened her mouth to snap at him. Even that was stopped when he gently kissed her neck. “I know why you are angry, and I’m sorry.” His voice was gentle, trying to soothe her ruffled feathers. But the sound only sent more desire zinging through her body and she resented the power he had over her.
“I don’t think you do understand.”
His hands moved to cover her fingers, just resting gently but the effect was the same. She stopped and froze, her body tensing.
“I forgot to use…” he hesitated, not wanting Alejandro to hear him, so his voice lowered to a whisper, sending awareness to her ear, “protection. I’m sorry. Sincerely. Things got carried away and it wasn’t my intention to put you at risk. Have no fear, I will not abandon you, no matter what happens.”
She stiffened for a long moment, refusing to look at him. But his words, the same words that she’d needed to hear four years ago, sounded so good. Reassuring and wonderful.
Could she believe him? She’d trusted him four years ago and…
Looking up at him, she saw the sincerity in his eyes. And she’d seen the way he’d reacted to Alejandro. There hadn’t been any hesitation at all. The moment the two had seen each other, Javier had known that he was Alejandro’s father. No DNA test had been necessary because of the similarities between them.
And it wasn’t all his fault. In fact, she knew that she was just as responsible for their behavior last night as he had been. She’d thrown herself at him. She’d begged him, pleaded with him to hurry, to not stop.
With those memories, she quickly turned away, not wanting Javier to see the blush stain her cheeks. He had enough power over her already. She didn’t need to remind him of…what she’d said and done.
His soft laughter and the way he nipped at her ear told her that she wasn’t hiding anything from him. She’d never been able to hide from him, why had she even tried this time?
“Sit down and I’ll start the oatmeal,” she told him.
Once again, he covered her hands with his own. “How about if we go out for breakfast? Let me treat both of you to something other than oatmeal?”
She was just about to open her mouth to argue with him when she heard a whoop of delight behind her. Obviously, Alejandro was fully in agreement on Javier’s plan. She ran a hand down her sweatshirt, shaking her head. “I’m not dressed to go out for breakfast,” she told him, remembering the fancy places he’d always taken her for meals.
He turned her around, taking both of her hands in his larger ones. “I think you look beautiful.
”
She blushed, bowing her head in yet another futile effort to hide her reactions. How could he do this to her so easily? Darn him! She wanted to be angry!
“We have too many bananas. We have to eat them.”
He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure we can figure out something to do with all of the bananas.”
“The food shelter needs food, Momma. You’re always telling me that,” Alejandro piped up, obviously eager for the “breakfast out” option and trying to come up with ways to overcome her objections. “And I think you look pretty too!” he chimed in, his eyes moving from his mother’s face to his father’s, obviously looking for approval.
Seeing that glance, Natalie’s heart melted just a tiny bit more. Once again, the need for Javier in Alejandro’s life was right there, front and center. How could she object?
“Get your coat,” she said, giving in to the pleading look in her son’s eyes.
“Wahoo!” he yelped and jumped down from his chair, clattering to the front door, where his coat hung on a hook right at his level. “Can I have pancakes?” he asked, tilting his head all the way back so that he could see his father’s face.
“I think there are pancakes on the menu,” he agreed.
Natalie grabbed her keys as she reached for the door, realizing that it was locked. “Did you…?
“Yes. I locked the doors last night and turned off all of the lights,” he told her, reading her mind as he put a hand to the small of her back. “You were pretty out of it.”
His eyes told her that he remembered exactly why she’d been ‘out of it’ and she sighed, buttoning her coat. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
Javier plucked the keys out of her hand. “I’ll drive.”
She started to reach for the keys once more, thinking that it was her car, therefore, she should be allowed to drive. But sitting out in front of her house was a brand new Land Rover, black and sparkly. “Where did that come from?” she asked, startled.
Spanish Passions (Friends Forever Book 2) Page 9
