Finding the right apartment had taken a little over six months, but the time had been a good thing. Natalie’s relief at being free of her father had blocked out any actual processing of the events she had survived when she first woke up. Vance had wisely known it wouldn’t last and helped her through the difficult months that followed as well as supporting her continuing to attend her weekly group therapy sessions. She had also taken on an additional personal session with the group leader, Leslie. It had been a long and difficult six months for them both, but they were ready and excited to move on to the next stage.
Stepping over boxes and bags, Vance met her at the entrance to the living room. “How was your session with Leslie?” he asked as he wrapped her up in a tight hug.
“It was good. She said I’m doing really well and making a lot of progress.”
Vance smiled and kissed her cheek. “Of course you are. I’m so proud of you.”
She smiled at his praise, knowing he meant every word. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a beautiful pink box labeled Stephanie. “I’m proud of you too, you know that, right?”
It was a little more difficult for Vance to accept her praise, and his gaze darted toward the box as well. “I didn’t know where to put it.”
“You don’t have to decide just yet,” Natalie said.
Natalie wasn’t the only one who had been making progress. Vance was both Eli’s and Guy’s psychiatrist, but he had always preferred to seek counseling from someone outside his group of friends, and after the trauma of Stephanie’s death and Natalie’s abduction, that hadn’t changed. He talked with his friends about everything that had happened informally, but discussing some of his relationship aspects with Stephanie and his conflicted feelings toward her at the end and the loss of the pregnancies had been too difficult to broach with friends who were so close to her.
Before packing up his apartment, he had asked Natalie to help him go through Stephanie’s belongings. It had taken an entire weekend, and by the end of it, Vance had been emotionally stripped bare, but he had gotten through it and actually found it very cathartic in the end. The pink box housed those memories he didn’t want to part with. He had been worried keeping them would hurt Natalie’s feelings, but she would never have wanted him to abandon her memory. Stephanie was part of him and always would be.
“You know everyone will be here soon,” Vance warned.
“Did you order the pizzas already?”
He nodded and she shrugged off her jacket and set it on the nearest box. They had told their friends they could handle unpacking and situating everything on their own, but they’d all insisted on coming over to help. Part of Natalie still shied away from groups and interactions, but it was getting easier every day, and these weren’t just random people. They were her new family.
By the time the pizzas arrived, Natalie had paper plates and cups and a variety of drinks scattered over the kitchen counters where she could find room amid the boxes. There was no telling where their regular dishes were. Vance was trying to find places for pizza boxes when the doorbell rang. Natalie’s first response was to leave it to Vance as she usually did, as answering the door was still a challenge for her at times, but she steeled herself and made her way through the maze of boxes to welcome their guests.
Expecting Leila and Eli to arrive first, Natalie was surprised when she pulled the door open to find Sabine and Michael Moniteau standing there, each bearing housewarming gifts. “Oh, hello. Uh, come in.”
Sabine breezed in with her bottle of what Natalie was sure was very good wine, hugged Natalie tightly, and said with an annoyed gesture behind her, “I found this on my way up and could not shake him.” Sighing dramatically, she rolled her eyes at Michael and continued on her way to greet Vance.
“Michael, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Vance mentioned it was move-in day and I thought I’d drop by and offer my congratulations on the new home and you both moving forward,” he said happily.
“Oh, that’s very kind of you. Please, come in, although it’s a pretty big mess right now.” He didn’t seem to mind all the boxes and moved to say hello to Vance.
Despite her initial fear of Michael, he had proven to be a rather decent guy. Not only for his help during Natalie’s abduction, but his kindness afterward. He hadn’t made a single attempt to come on to Natalie or push his way into her life. Oddly enough, he seemed genuinely pleased that she and Vance were doing well and simply checked in once in a while to see how Natalie was getting along. He’d tried to offer her a job more than once because he really did seem to value her skills, but change wasn’t easy for her and she liked where she was.
Michael Moniteau was a puzzle, but Natalie shook it off as Eli and Leila arrived with Amelie. As soon as the little one saw her, Amelie’s chubby little hands began grasping for Natalie and she happily gave Leila a reprieve from holding her.
“You’re a godsend,” Leila said as she patted Natalie’s shoulder. “Amelie wants to be held all day right now and it’s killing my back.”
Warren announced the arrival of their last expected guests—Leo was working that night—by crashing into Natalie’s legs and blowing raspberries at Amelie. Charlotte rolled her eyes at his antics, but didn’t object. Guy, however, scooped him up from the floor and tossed him over his shoulder. After a quick hello to Natalie, he whisked the little imp off to distract him with pizza.
Natalie had barely managed to close the door before Charlotte and Leila were back at her side. “We want a tour before we start unpacking,” Charlotte said, smiling and looking vibrant. She hadn’t asked them specifically to time their move for when she was between rounds of chemo, but Vance and Natalie had certainly taken it into consideration. Especially since Charlotte’s doctors were anticipating she would only need one more round before being expected to go into remission.
“A tour,” Natalie said, “of course.”
She and Vance had chosen to purchase an apartment together rather than lease, largely because they wanted the freedom to really make it their own. Head filled with plans, Natalie guided them past the crowded kitchen and into the living room to start the tour. They each gave advice and suggestions on color and décor, clearly thrilled to see their friends moving forward.
“This is the master bedroom,” Natalie said. The other two women were off after that.
“I would kill for this bathroom,” Charlotte gushed. “I could literally spend all day in this room just relaxing.” She ran her fingers along the soaking tub with a wistful sigh. Natalie had instantly loved the bathroom as well.
Leila was more interested in the closet space and architectural features in the room, but they both agreed they loved it. Natalie almost had to drag them out of the room to continue the tour, but they followed reluctantly.
When they reached what would become Vance’s home office, Leila fell in love with the hardwood paneling and massive bookshelves. “Oh, I adore this. What a gorgeous room.”
“I think this was the deciding factor for Vance when choosing between this apartment and the other two we were considering.”
Charlotte prodded them both on, eager to see the last bedroom. “I love how bright this one is,” she said as she ran her hands along the white wainscoting and admired the pale yellow walls. “It would make a perfect nursery.”
“That’s what Vance and I thought too,” Natalie said.
Both women’s heads whipped around to stare at her, making Natalie realize how her words had sounded. “I meant, at some point,” she hurriedly clarified as her cheeks burned red.
They looked at each other, then back at Natalie. Leila opened her mouth to say something, but Vance slipped up behind Natalie at the same moment, kissing her cheek and ruffling Amelie’s fuzzy head of hair. “You girls better go eat before everything is gone. Warren’s on his third piece already.”
Charlotte grimaced. “He’s going to make himself puke.” Shaking her head, she excused herself and went to go find her son.
Shooting Natalie an appraising look, Leila moved to follow Charlotte. “Do you want me to take Amelie so you can go eat?” she asked before stepping out.
Hesitating, Natalie shook her head. “You go ahead. I’ll grab something after you’ve eaten.”
Leila didn’t argue and ducked out of the room. Natalie’s hope that Vance hadn’t noticed the awkwardness fell flat as he asked, “Did I walk in on something?”
“Oh, just me accidentally making Leila and Charlotte think I’m pregnant.”
Vance chuckled as he took Amelie out of her arms and made silly faces at her. “Well, that would be quite the feat if you were, given that we haven’t actually had sex yet.”
Red flooded her cheeks again. “I hadn’t quite gotten up the nerve to explain that when you walked in.”
Grinning at her, Vance shook his head. “It’s not a big deal.” He pretended to chomp on Amelie’s fingers when she managed to stick her hand in his mouth. When she got bored of the game and stuck her hand in her own mouth, Vance leaned against the wall and looked at Natalie. “Of course, if you didn’t want to bring it up, we could always just prove them right.”
Rolling her eyes, Natalie swatted at him. “Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? I thought the plan was to buy an apartment, then talk about getting married, then kids. It’s your plan, after all.”
“That’s right. It’s my plan, so I can change it if I want. Whenever I want.” He was grinning now, charming and sexy, even with a baby in his arms. “We have the apartment, and we can get married whenever you want, but who says we can’t start working on a family before that? I’m game if you are.” Amelie slapped her slobbery hand on his cheek right about then, making them both laugh.
Natalie knew he was just teasing her, but being in that room with him, watching him with Amelie…what he was proposing didn’t seem silly or farfetched. It didn’t seem as out of reach as it once had. “Okay,” she said firmly.
Vance froze in the middle of nibbling on Amelie’s fingers and stared at her. “What?”
“I said okay. I’m ready.”
Blinking slowly, he seemed to be having a difficult time processing her words. “Ready for…”
“Getting married. Having a baby.” She bit her lip as the words left her mouth, holding her breath as she waited for a response.
“I’ll marry you tomorrow if you want,” Vance said seriously, “but having a baby, Natalie that would mean…sex.”
She couldn’t help laughing. She just couldn’t. “I’m well aware of that, Vance. Really.”
“But…”
For the last six months, Vance had been perfect. Patience of a saint, he’d held her every night and guarded her against nightmares without even once pushing her limits. They were beyond hesitant touches and her being afraid of him, but sex had still remained outside what she could handle, though she’d been inching closer to it every day. The memory of her father finding her with Thomas, dragging her out to the porch as she desperately struggled to escape him had been the hardest memory to move past. Even the abduction hadn’t been as difficult.
Being in that moment with him, she was finally able to give up the last of what held her back. She was ready. She wanted to start a family with him and raise beautiful children in a home filled with love and kindness. Mindful of little Amelie in his arms, Natalie leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. “I’m ready,” she said with such honesty Vance could no longer doubt her.
Kissing her again, Vance moaned against her lips. “Why did we invite all these people over?”
Natalie laughed, leaning her head against his chest. “They won’t stay all night.”
“They better not,” he grumbled.
Over the next few hours, Natalie felt better than she ever had. It wasn’t just the prospect of being with Vance, it was everything. For twenty-five years she had lived a half-life. Fear and pain ruled her every move and true happiness was something she had never believed possible. Standing in a room full of friends in the apartment she shared with the man she loved, her life finally felt full.
Vance, on the other hand, gave her a longing look every time their eyes met, which only made her chuckle. She hadn’t intentionally meant to torture him, but it was just a little bit funny. She ended up manning the door as everyone began to leave just to make sure Vance didn’t shove them all out at once. The second the door closed on the last guest, though, he pulled her away from the door and into his arms.
“I love you,” he whispered as his mouth began moving down her neck.
An electric feeling pulsed with every kiss. “I know,” she gasped.
The same numbing, tingling, breath-stealing feeling she had experienced before the fateful gala erupted all over her body. It didn’t feel like panic this time. It felt like bliss. Everywhere he touched her brought warmth to the point that her skin felt like it was on fire. He broke off suddenly and her immediate response was a pleading, “No.”
The desire in her voice brought fire to Vance’s eyes. He reached out and took her hand, leading her through what remained of the boxes to their bedroom. Stopping at the doorway, his expression was flushed, but hesitant, worried about pushing her too far. “We can wait,” he said, though his voice was full of need and desire.
“I don’t want to wait,” Natalie whispered. Her free hand slid up his chest, fingers closing around the fabric as she pulled herself closer to him. She kissed him…slowly.
His hand pressed against her back, cinching her in as close as she could possibly get. “I’m afraid of hurting you.”
“You won’t.”
“I’m afraid you’ll think this was a mistake,” he pleaded. Torn between his desires and fears, his eyes begged her for surety.
“Nothing about you being in my life has ever been a mistake,” Natalie said.
Knowing words would never convince him, she took the lead and pushed him away from the door, closing it behind them. Still locked in indecision, he stood stock still in the middle of the room as she came to him. He didn’t resist when she took her time unbuttoning his dress shirt, though his chest was heaving by the time she finished. Her own heart was racing and she felt seconds away from passing out as she slid her hands up his warm skin to his shoulders and pushed the cloth back so it fell to the floor.
After so many years of shying away from physical contact, fearing it and avoiding it at all costs, she was stunned to be standing so close to him with that barrier no longer between them. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered. It wasn’t just that he kept himself fit. His body wasn’t a reminder of her mistakes and failings or some twisted notion of purity. It was warm and full of life and real.
Tugging at the bottom of her shirt, she was interrupted when Vance’s hands closed over hers and slid gently up the length of her body, removing the fabric and trailing heat as they went. Eyes closed, struggling to breathe, she reveled in the sensation. When Vance’s hand began sliding back down her skin after tossing the shirt aside, she wasn’t sure she could handle much more until his fingers slipped beneath the strap of her bra and released it in one smooth motion. So gentle and loving, his hands pushed the straps from her shoulders and curved around her body before dropping the clothing and pulling her against his chest.
Natalie hit her limit as the heat of his body spread into hers. Breathing was nearly impossible, but she couldn’t pull back and didn’t even want to. Fears and inhibitions vanished as she gave herself over to the man she loved. As her lips crushed against his hungrily, he responded in kind. Jeans were removed in a matter of seconds and Vance swept her into his arms and onto the bed. He didn’t ask her again if she was sure or too scared. He saw the answer in her eyes, her consuming want, and accepted her desires.
Hovering over her, Vance kissed her stomach and kept moving lower, one inch at a time. His lips trailed a sweet agony across her skin as she struggled between wanting to urge him on and a desire to prolong his touches as long as possible. When Vance’s kisses reached her
panties, he slipped his fingers beneath the fabric and gently slid them from her body.
She watched raptly, frozen and overwhelmed, as he removed the last of his clothing and she felt his weight and heat settled over her. Her body was screaming for him to take control and make her feel everything all at once, but he looked at her, studying her expression as he brushed hair back from her face. “You look scared,” he whispered.
Natalie shook her head. “I don’t know how to do this right,” she said, her inexperience suddenly overwhelming her and making her voice tremble. One time as a teenager that was interrupted in the most brutal way possible made her uncertain, scared of disappointing him, but not scared of being hurt.
“There is no right or wrong,” Vance said softly. “There’s just you and me and how much we love each other.”
He was so confident in her, so trusting and kind. It gave her strength as she reached up with trembling hands to pull him down. Their mouths met as she kissed him, working in tandem to express what words could not. There was no talking after that. She felt numb and alive all at once. Every touch and kiss strengthened the passion between them. The moment they came together, she knew perfection. She knew the darkness of her past had lost its grip as she let go of everything and lost herself in the bliss of being truly loved.
The End
Acknowledgements
There is always a long list of people to thank on each Date Shark book because it always takes lots of comments and feedback from my beta readers to get these books just right. I often feel like a newbie again trying to write in a new genre and I often screw it up, but these fabulous people are always so encouraging and helpful that I keep at it.
Thank you so much to Mylissa Demeyere, Monique Bogan, Joel Sturtevant, Gina Larson, Brittany Willis, Sneha Mohite, Apryl Baker, and Deanne James. This was a great team who helped me balance out the tough subjects with the romancey parts and reminded me to describe things once in a while (Thanks, Joel!). You guys are the best!
The Only Shark In The Sea (The Date Shark Series Book 3) Page 28
