I tried to be patient, knowing I’d fucked up by not telling Natalie about working for her firm. It wasn’t much of a surprise when she didn’t show at my place. Pacing in my living room, I talked myself out of going after her until after four in the morning when I finally fell into an exhausted heap on the couch, already unable to sleep in my bed without her.
Patience was a must for any lawyer worth his salt, and I was known for mine. Even I had my limits though, and when I couldn’t get her to answer my calls or texts after three days, I was nearing my breaking point.
On the fourth day, Mr. Warren’s deposition was scheduled at my firm. Time to take action. When I got to the office, I dropped by Isaac’s office to cash in one of my favors. Then I spent the morning prepping for the case. I ended up in the conference room entirely too early, my eyes glued to the entrance, anxious to see my girl.
Warren and his posse finally arrived, with Natalie bringing up the rear of the group. She kept her gaze down, but the goosebumps that appeared on her arms made it clear that she felt the crackle of electricity filling the room as much as I did. Her hair was twisted up again and my tongue tingled with the desperate urge to run along the column of her neck. In a fitted, sleeveless, violet blouse, with little pearl buttons, and a knee-length black skirt, she looked cool and sophisticated, absolutely gorgeous. It wasn’t a revealing outfit; however, I knew what was underneath and my mind wasted no time in reminding me. I was suddenly very glad I’d shown up early, since I was able to hide my growing erection behind the table when I sat back down.
Throughout the meeting, I made minimal efforts to keep my eyes off Natalie. They never lasted long and inevitably returned to her beautiful face, soaking in every instant where she lost control and met my gaze, if only for an instant.
I worried, halfheartedly, that her boss might take notice of my interest, until I realized she had all of his attention as well. A roaring animal seemed to have taken up residence at the sight and it began clawing for freedom, trying to rip the face off of the slimeball I used to work with.
The meeting finally came to a close, and I breathed a half sigh of relief. I would exhale the other when Isaac came through. We shook hands around the group, and I couldn’t help holding Natalie’s for a little longer than was necessary. Her eyes darted to mine, then to her boss, wide with alarm until she realized no one was paying us any attention.
Warren strutted from the conference room like a fucking king, expecting all to part for him and follow in his wake. Natalie followed behind, head held high, back straight. She was fucking amazing, and I tumbled even further down the rabbit hole, losing everything to the Queen of Hearts.
I hung back, almost hidden around the corner, but with a good enough sight line that I could watch the action about to unfold.
“Natalie! Oh my gosh! Natalie!”
Everyone stopped as a petite, dark-haired woman streaked into the lobby. She was vibrating with energy and only stopped when she was right in front of Natalie, taking her hands and practically bouncing on her feet.
“It’s me, Eden! Don’t tell me you don’t remember?”
I stifled a smile at the hurt-bunny look Eden had adopted. No one could resist her adorable charms. And as predicted, Natalie’s confusion immediately gave way to contriteness, clearly feeling guilty that she didn’t remember the pixie-like creature commanding her attention.
“Um, Eden? I…”
“It’s okay.” Eden smiled brightly. “How about we get reacquainted! It’s one, do you have time for lunch?”
“Oh, I really shouldn’t—”
“Natalie.” Warren’s voice cut her off, and both she and Eden turned to face him. He motioned Natalie over and when she reached his side, he whispered something in her ear. He was dangerously close to losing teeth, but lucky for his dental bill, he stepped back and into the elevator, waving her back. “Have fun.”
“Oh!” Eden gushed, clapping her hands excitedly. “Thank you!” The doors shut and her demeanor shifted radically. Still happy, but she was of a more serene attitude when she took one of Natalie’s hands again. “Please don’t be mad at me. I really hope we’ll be able to get to know each other and become friends. But”—she gestured in my general direction—“I owed him a really big favor.”
Natalie glanced around, obviously confused, especially when she didn’t see anyone else in the lobby. “Owe . . . who?”
Eden followed her gaze and rolled her eyes when she noticed me lurking in the shadows. She kept ahold of Natalie’s hand and guided her towards me. I hustled into my office to wait and it felt like an eternity.
Natalie walked into my lair, I mean space, and Eden shot me a grin before shutting the door on her way out.
I grabbed on to my girl’s hand before she could attempt to escape and yanked her into my arms, crushing my mouth down over hers. My every intention had been to talk, to hash things out and make a plan. At the sound of her moan, it all went to hell.
7
Natalie
“Four days,” he growled into my mouth before capturing it in another searing kiss.
After doing my best to avoid him, I should have tried to push out of his arms. We were in his office for fuck’s sake, but that didn’t seem to matter to me as I melted into his embrace. When he lifted his head, our chests were heaving, and I couldn’t remember why I’d run from him in the first place. My head was spinning, and the only reason I stayed on my feet was because his hands were wrapped around my arms.
“You ignored me for an entire weekend.” His hold on me tightened. “Hours upon hours we could have spent together if only you’d picked up your damn phone!”
Before I was able to wrap my brain around what was happening, he dropped down onto the couch, pulled me across his lap, and spanked me. Bursts of pain spread across my skin, making me freeze up in shock. I couldn’t believe he was actually spanking me in his office! He took advantage of my stillness, spanking me repeatedly. His rasped out words punctuated the pain.
"I.”
Whack.
“Warned.”
Whack.
“You.”
Whack.
“Jax!” I gasped out, attempting to slide my hands over my ass for protection. I didn’t get far before he had both my wrists in his grasp, pressing them against my lower back with one hand while caressing my stinging cheeks with the other.
“You’re mine,” he murmured, lifting me off his lap until I was standing between his legs. “I wasn’t fucking joking when I told you I was going to redden this sweet little ass of yours any time I have to remind you that you belong to me.”
I had no response. None. What could I say when one half of me wanted to climb onto his lap for wild monkey-sex, while the other, more rational, part knew damn well that the moment I left his office I was going to run again? As badly as I wanted to be his, it wasn’t like I had a choice about waiting. If I were in a relationship with opposing counsel, then I was required to disclose it to my client.
My boss.
A man who seemed to be harboring more than a healthy dislike for Jax. If I could hold out until after the case was over, then I could avoid the possibility of getting fired over the person I was sleeping with, at least until I knew exactly where this thing with Jax was going. The whole situation would have been considerably easier to handle if Jax had manned up and told me who he was in the first place, because then I wouldn’t have been in this deep with him already.
“Why didn’t you say anything when I told you where I worked?”
Before answering me, he settled me on his lap until I was straddling him, my skirt edging up my thighs. “I couldn’t risk the chance that it would scare you away.”
“It’s bad, isn’t it? From the way Mr. Warren spoke about you—”
He didn’t give me the chance to finish. His hand was sliding under my skirt and startling a gasp out of me, which cut off my sentence.
“I’m barely holding on to my control, Natalie,” he warned. “Talk
ing to me about that asshat—reminding me that he had access to you while you were dodging my calls and refusing to see me—is the easiest way to make me lose it.”
“This isn’t losing it?” My hand fluttered between us and then around his office. “You had your partner’s wife trick me into thinking I’d met her and forgotten who she was. In front of my boss, who was thrilled to let me know who she was, just as much as he liked the idea that I might be able to pump her for information over lunch. Then you dragged me into your office, kissed the hell out of me, and spanked my ass!”
“You want to see what me losing it looks like? You’ve got it, sweetheart.”
His fingers slid higher, dipping under the lacy material of my panties to touch me. I was so fucking wet, and there was no hiding it from him, not when his fingers were slipping through the proof between my legs. Closing my eyes, my head fell back as I moaned. My hips lifted slightly, giving him better access. With a sharp tug of his hand, my panties were ripped from my body—another pair biting the dust to our frenzied passion.
His fingers grazed my clit before diving back down to dip inside me. Two of them thrusting and twisting as he made me shudder and moan. His other hand glided up my back to tangle in my chignon, using his grip on my hair to pull me in and kiss me hard. My lips parted at the slide of his tongue against them, and his fingers and tongue moved in rhythm with each other as he drove me wild.
His hold on my hair tightened as he ripped his mouth from mine with a growl. "Tell me you’re mine. Say it. I need to hear the words from these sweet lips."
The lust and outright need in his tone had me leaning in to whisper in his ear. "You know I’m yours, Jax."
His fingers flexed inside me, making me squirm as his thumb swept across my clit.
“This pussy is mine.”
He yanked his hand away, and I whimpered in protest until he guided my hips lower, bringing my center flush against his crotch. I felt his cock straining through his pants, pressing against my core. Hot and hard as I rocked into him, desperate to come.
"Made for my cock."
He jerked his hips upwards twice before holding me in the air until I was balanced on my knees and sliding two fingers deep inside me.
“My hand.”
Then his head dipped low, his other hand shoving my blouse up and yanking the cup of my bra down, until I felt his hot breath against my sensitive skin.
“My mouth.”
His tongue flicked out, circling my nipple, pushing me closer to the edge of an orgasm. I rolled my hips and arched my back, my hands falling backwards to clench against his thighs as I rode him shamelessly. His fingers and mouth driving me higher and higher, each stroke faster than the one before it. Then he sucked my nipple into the back of his mouth while he pinched my clit, and I flew over the edge—shattered as I shuddered in his arms, my whole body spasming as he continued to finger fuck me.
My teeth were biting down on my lip so hard I could taste blood, but it was the only way I was going to remain quiet through my intense orgasm. My heart was pounding in my chest, and Jax was breathing just as heavily as I was. His hips jerked upwards and the look on his face was one of utter shock.
“Fucking A,” he breathed out, pointing to the wet spot on his lap. “I came in my damn pants. Like a teenager. That’s how desperate I am for you.”
I giggled as I leaned forward to kiss him softly. “It’s not like I’m any better. I’m going to have to walk out of here and go back to work with my hair totally messed up and without any panties. I’ll be starving too, because I haven’t eaten anything all day and my boss thinks I went to lunch with your partner’s wife.” I didn’t mention the reason why I’d skipped breakfast—I was too nervous to eat because I knew I’d be seeing him.
“I can’t do anything about the lack of panties, but you’re more than welcome to use my bathroom to fix your hair.” He helped me off his lap and gestured towards a door on the other side of his office.
Spotting a dry cleaner’s bag hanging on the inside of the door, I grumbled to myself. “So unfair! You have a spare pair of pants while I have to walk around without panties all day.”
“I don’t have extra boxers, though,” he chuckled, grabbing the pants. “If that makes you feel any better.”
“It does,” I sighed. “But only a little.”
I did what I could to repair the damage he’d done to the twist of hair at the back of my neck and used a washcloth to clean myself. When I walked back out, I was surprised to find a picnic basket opened on his desk with a couple of sandwiches, chips, cookies, and drinks spread out for us. It was so damn sweet of him, and would only make it so much harder to do what needed to be done when I left.
“A picnic?”
His cheeks tinged with the slightest hint of pink. “Yeah, Eden tucked it under my desk earlier. She told me that if I was going to hijack you like this then I’d better actually feed you too.”
His partner’s wife sounded like she’d make for an excellent friend. The food was amazing, and I relished the time we had together as we ate, knowing it was going to have to last both of us for a while. Staying away from Jax wasn’t going to be easy, but it was necessary. We finished our food too quickly, the moment bittersweet as I helped him clean up the mess.
“If you run from me again, I will find you,” he warned me, as though he knew exactly what I was thinking.
I had no doubt he would—but hopefully not too soon, if I did a good enough job of hiding this time around.
8
Jax
Natalie’s vibrant-green eyes observed me warily, but then she adopted a neutral expression, her “lawyer” face, and nodded in response to my caution.
“Don’t push me, sweetheart,” I scolded, closing the distance between us and wrapping her up in my embrace. Plunging a hand into her hair, I gripped the strands, dislodging all the pins, and yanked her head back. Lowering my mouth to hers, I kissed her until her knees buckled and I had to hold her up. Breaking away, I grinned smugly. Her walls were down again, and I could see the indecision swirling in her emerald pools.
“Be at my house tonight by eight and bring a fucking bag,” I growled. Then I nudged her towards the door of my office with a soft pat on her delectable ass. If I didn’t get her out of there, it was likely I’d throw her over my shoulder and take her home, tie her to the bed and keep her there. Indefinitely. I hated sharing her, especially with the son of a bitch she worked for. “Eight.”
I followed her down the hall and watched her get on the elevator, controlling my primitive urges, the ones that could get me arrested for kidnapping. When the doors closed, I felt my chest tighten, almost squeezing the breath out of me. I fucking hated being away from her and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew she was going to run.
Returning to my desk, I picked up my phone and called in yet another favor. This one resulted in my ending the call with Natalie’s address scribbled on a notepad.
I gave her until ten before I drove over to her apartment. She lived in one of the smaller buildings near Smith, Yates, & Warren, close enough to walk to and from work. I parked on the street in front, unhappy at the thought of her coming home in the dark by herself, even if it was only a ten-minute walk. This piled onto the reasons I needed to get her moved in with me asap.
At her door, I rapped sharply on the hard surface with my knuckles. I was met with silence, not even the faint rustle of someone moving around inside. I knocked again, a little louder this time. “Natalie. Open the door,” I barked. Still nothing.
Normally, I wouldn’t want to bother her neighbors, but all bets were off with me when it came to my woman. This time, I pounded hard with my fist. “Natalie!” I bellowed. “Open the fucking door.”
Someone popped their head out of the apartment next door, and I tried to calm down in case I needed to sweet talk my way out of having them call the police. Turning, I spotted a young Asian woman with an irritated frown marring her pretty face. When her dark eyes lan
ded on me though, her lips turned up in an amused smile.
“She isn’t home.” One black eyebrow lifted as she studied me. “I’m assuming you’re the one she’s hiding from?”
I was surprised at her reaction and annoyed that Natalie’s neighbor obviously didn’t care if a lunatic was chasing her.
“She’s been trying to hide it, but I’ve watched her moon over you for days,” she informed me, and I perked up slightly. “I don’t know what you did to piss her off, but she took off like a bat out of hell earlier this evening.”
I exhaled slowly, stretching my fingers to keep from balling them into fists. The last thing I needed was to come off threateningly if I was going to charm Natalie’s location out of this girl. “What we have is intense and she’s a little skittish about it,” I explained carefully. “I need to find her and convince her we belong together.” My features dropped into a dejected stance, drawing on her sympathy with my sad smile. “She’s everything to me.”
It wasn’t a lie, but I was laying it on a little thick. I was a damn good lawyer and rarely had to result to manipulation, but like I said, there was nothing I wouldn’t do to find Natalie.
As expected, she turned a little dreamy-eyed and gave me a soft look of understanding. “I’m sorry. If I knew where she was, I would tell you”—she blushed and glanced away—“she’s, um. She’s a lucky girl.”
I sighed and pulled out a business card from my suit pocket, holding it out to her. “I’m Jax Croix. If she comes home, would you call me?”
The girl smiled and took my offering. “I’m Keiko, um, Kiki. And, sure. I’ll let you know when she returns.”
“Thank you, Kiki,” I said with a beaming smile. She blushed again, then disappeared inside her apartment.
Fucking hell. When I got my hands on Natalie, she wouldn’t be able to sit for a week. Which shouldn’t be a problem since I intended to keep her chained to my fucking bed until she was wearing my ring and carrying my kid. Not only was it what I wanted more than anything, but it would tie us together so she couldn’t run from me anymore.
The Yeah, Baby Series: Limited Edition 9 Book Set Page 37
