by Sofia Grey
Natalie’s heart skittered, and she fought to keep herself serious instead of whooping in delight. “She’s coming to visit me in a few weeks. You could either come up to Auckland, or I could bring her down here. You know, if you wanted to meet her.”
“She’s coming here, from France?” Disbelief laced his voice, and Natalie laughed at his confused expression.
“Well, yes. She comes over every year. She wanted to come while I was in the hospital, but I’d rather wait until I was more mobile. She’s retired now and spends her time shuffling between her grandchildren. What’s so strange about that?”
“She’s blind.”
“So? It hasn’t stopped her doing anything.” Natalie stepped toward Lucas and lightly touched his arm. “She maintains that sight doesn’t define a person. It’s what’s inside that counts.”
*
Lucas didn’t want the afternoon to end. For the first time in more months than he could count, he felt free. He chatted with Natalie in person, as easily as they had talked on the phone, and they had so much to talk about. They meandered from the art gallery to a quiet European café near his home, where they shared a platter of good tapas and a bottle of full-bodied French Syrah wine.
He rubbed his thumb over the back of Natalie’s hand, where it lay on the tabletop. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you.” He thought hard and summoned the complex French phrase in his mind before he spoke. “Tu es dans toutes mes pensées.” You are in all my thoughts. The alcohol had clearly loosened his tongue.
Her breath hitched. “Tu es l’homme de mes rêves.”
Lucas frowned. “Something about a man?”
“Yes… Do you know the rest?” She repeated the phrase more slowly, and he got it.
“I am the man of your dreams?”
“Oui, Lucas.”
He let the words sink in. He felt as though he could leap five-barred gates, scale mountains, and fly to the moon. Unable to speak, he grabbed both her hands, lifted them to his mouth, and pressed a soft kiss to the back of each hand in turn.
“I hate to say it, but I need to get back to my hotel, Lucas.”
He knew he’d pushed her far enough. “You’re staying for the conference though?”
“Yes. I am now.”
“And you’ll come out with me for lunch tomorrow?”
“Yes.” She sounded amused.
“Good.”
He settled the bill, refusing her offer to go Dutch, and eventually they stepped outside into a still-warm night. The café was in a quieter part of the city, one of the many reasons Lucas liked it, and they were just a short walk from a handkerchief of grass and a water fountain. “Bench, Molly,” Lucas murmured, and they set off for a broad wooden bench close to the water feature.
“I know you need to go back, but I don’t want tonight to end just yet.” He really wanted to kiss her. No, he needed to kiss her. Needed to know that he wasn’t imagining this closeness between them. Needed the connection with her. Longed for the intimacy. Her lavender perfume teased him and drew him in, and he turned to face her, and then stretched one arm along the back of the wooden seat.
He couldn’t be sure where her mouth was, so using his fingertips, he traced his way over her hand and up her silk-clad arm, sliding over the delicate fabric, so perfect for her. He glided over her shoulder, brushed against her collarbone, and found soft, bare skin at the base of her throat. He paused there, and waited to see if she pulled back. Her quick indrawn breath gave him courage. With his fingers, he followed the shape of her chin, her jaw, and learned her features, committing them to memory. Her face was small, her bones fragile. Exquisite.
He moved closer and raised his free hand to her hair, imagining how it had to look. Below her collar in length, it felt thick and soft and had a hint of curl—a wildness to it. Natalie gave a little sigh, and he ran his fingers through her tresses, pushing them back, and feeling the hair fall forward again.
He couldn’t wait any longer. He stroked her mouth with his thumb, delighted to draw a soft whimper, and then he leaned into her and brushed his lips over hers. It was a gentle, delicate pass, and he returned to sample them again. They were as velvet soft as he’d imagined. Cupping both hands around her cheeks, he was able to angle their heads for the perfect kiss. Her taste threatened to unhinge him. Every cell, every nerve-ending burst into life when their tongues flicked against each other. Natalie moaned, curled her hands in his shirt, and pulled him closer, pressing herself against him.
He’d remember this moment for as long as he lived. The gentle trickle and splash of the fountain like a background symphony, as he learned Natalie’s mouth. Her full lower lip was perfect to nibble. When he traced her upper lip with the tip of his tongue, she wrapped her arms around his back. She teased him, rippling her fingers up his spine to stroke the back of his neck, her soft breasts cushioned against his chest.
He fought to keep things slow, under control, but like a forest fire in a strong wind, she’d ignited something deep inside him, and he didn’t think he’d survive the inferno.
Chapter Fifteen
Natalie wondered if she was dreaming. She ran her fingers through his short hair, and found it silky. She didn’t want to stop touching him. When Lucas broke their kiss and trailed his soft lips down her neck, she melted. He sighed against her throat, the intimacy making her belly clench, and then he pulled back. He nestled one of his hands in her hair, while he stroked slow circles over her shoulder with the other.
“You’d better go, Natalie, otherwise I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.” His words were husky, rough with emotion. She hesitated. He was right. She knew if they stayed on the bench much longer, she’d throw herself at him, and she wasn’t quite ready for that yet. Phil’s cruel rejection still stung. She’d rather stop this delicious moment with Lucas while it was perfect and untarnished, than risk it all going sour.
“How do you get home from here, Lucas?” she asked.
His warm breath flashed across her cheek. “Just a short walk. Where are you staying?”
“The Ibis. I’ll get a cab.” She reached for his hand and tangled his fingers with her own. Much better.
He stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “Thank you, Natalie.”
There was a world of intensity behind the three words, and she felt a lump in her throat. She couldn’t speak. She turned her face to kiss his fingers and together they stood, entwined around each other.
They walked slowly, Molly ambling beside them, and said another prolonged goodnight before Natalie climbed into her cab and Lucas set off home. Natalie watched him until he turned the corner and was lost to her. She felt like spinning and dancing, clutching her hands to her chest, and telling everyone she’d had the most amazing evening with the most wonderful man. She had to settle for sending Lucas an e-mail.
Dear Lucas.
What can I say? After such a terrible introduction, it turned into a lovely night. Thank you for being you. I’m so glad I decided to come to Wellington.
Goodnight. I will see you tomorrow.
Natalie x
She agonized over signing her e-mail with an X, but they’d already shared one deeply delicious kiss. She hoped there would be many more.
*
Lucas walked home in a daze. Everything about Natalie was perfect, from her lilting accent to the taste of her skin. Dear God, that kiss. It had taken every ounce of willpower to stop. He’d wanted more than anything to go back to her hotel, follow her into her bedroom, undress her and explore the rest of her body with his mouth. Having sex with Natalie a few hours after they’d met would be wrong on so many levels. She deserved better from him.
Unable to sleep, he rose early and paced the apartment. They’d arranged to meet for lunch, but need simmered in his veins, and he simply couldn’t wait. A quick phone call to Sarah put things in motion, and by eight o’clock he stood outside Natalie’s hotel door with a giant bouquet in his arms. Would she have already gone to breakfast?
Called room service? Maybe he should have called her first? He knocked on the wooden door and waited, straining to hear her footsteps.
“One minute, please.”
Please let this work. The door lock clicked and then swished open, and he felt an impression of daylight falling into the corridor.
“Lucas.” Natalie sounded breathless, and he hoped in a good way. “Oh my, are those for me? I was just going to call you, to see if you wanted to meet earlier. It’s such a gorgeous day, it seemed a shame to waste it.”
His chest expanded, and his heart pitter-pattered at her delighted words. Yes, coming to her had been the right thing to do. He smiled and pushed the flowers in her direction. “I’d love to take you to breakfast. Have you eaten yet?”
After she put the flowers in water, they took a cab back to Oriental Bay, and Lucas started feeling anxious. He had the sense that they stood at a crossroads. From here they could go in many directions, either together or taking separate paths. The potential to fuck up was still high. He heard Natalie’s sharp intake of breath as he paid the driver.
“Is this where you live?”
“Yes. Do you like it?” He tightened his fingers on Molly’s harness and tried to remember how his apartment looked from the outside. A pink-washed Art Deco building, it nestled against the hillside, looking as quirky and out of place as a bridesmaid at a corporate board meeting.
“Like it? I love it.” The laughter in her voice made him relax a fraction. “I used to walk past this building and wonder who lived here. It’s gorgeous, Lucas. I can’t wait to see inside.”
He led her up in the ornate lift, and along the corridor to his apartment. Opening the door, he smelled fresh ground coffee and hot bread, and smiled. Sarah had done what she promised.
Behind him, Natalie sniffed. “Mmm… Breakfast smells good.”
First job was to release Molly from her harness, and then he led Natalie by the hand to his balcony, following the smell of the coffee. While he’d been on his way to the Ibis, Sarah had gone to the local delicatessen for their freshly baked baguette and a jar of local honey. Thanks to his cleaner doing such a fantastic job, he knew his home was sparkling clean, and he had to keep it tidy, in order to know where anything was.
“Lucas, it’s stunning.” Natalie kissed his fingers, and warmth filled his chest. She liked it. She liked him.
“What can you see? Tell me.” He moved closer to her and slid an arm around her shoulders. She felt so right, tucked into his side, that he never wanted to let her go.
“The sea is the blue of a robin’s egg, and calm as I’ve ever seen it in Wellington. The harbor is bustling with kayaks, and it looks as though there’s a race on today. I can see one of the Picton ferryboats leaving in the distance. There are gulls in the sky, and down by the sand, there’s an ice-cream stall just opening for business.” He could see it through her eyes—could almost feel it. For the first time in two years, he was glad of the balcony vista.
“Oh Lucas, I love the view.”
He framed her beautiful face with his hands. “Moi aussi,” he answered. “Me too.”
Chapter Sixteen
Natalie had met Lucas briefly during the lunch break at the conference, and she’d dropped out of the organized dinner to see him. It was her last night in Wellington, and she wanted to make the most of it. She wanted to sleep with Lucas.
After spending all Sunday with Lucas, Natalie shouldn’t be so nervous. She knew he wanted her. She was sure little wisps of smoke flew off her skin when their lips met. Nobody had ever reduced her to a gooey mess just from a kiss until Lucas, but was she ready for this?
Memories of Phil’s rejection swam in front of her, but she pushed them away. She wasn’t that broken girl any more. She’d rebuilt her life and found a new love. The thought stopped her in her tracks.
Was she in love with Lucas?
Yes.
Did he feel the same? She hoped so. They’d talked endlessly for the past couple of days, and kissed too many times to count, but had always stopped there. Such kisses though… They made her dizzy with wanting him.
She gazed into the full-length mirror in her hotel room, and remembered her fears the other day, when she was trying to pluck up the courage to meet Lucas. It seemed like weeks ago. So much had happened.
Tonight she was meeting Lucas in the lobby downstairs, and they’d decide where to go for dinner. What she’d like to do was buy some groceries and cook for him, but how would he feel about that?
She examined her reflection again. The calf-skimming dress was one of her favorites. Fitted across the bust and at the waist, it flared softly from her hips and swirled around her legs as she walked. Little mother-of-pearl buttons gleamed down the front, drawing attention from her arms and legs. She wore a sheer silk-knit cardigan over the top, to hide her scars, but it was fine enough to seem part of the outfit without being a bulky accessory. Even better, everything was soft and tactile, and Lucas would enjoy touching her, examining the different fabrics.
Oh. The idea of him undressing her, his inquisitive fingers brushing across her breasts and sliding into her panties… Maybe they’d skip dinner and go straight to the dessert course. Unbidden, the mental image of Lucas sprawled naked in bed, popped into her mind. Yes. This was the right thing to do.
With her mind made up, she slipped clean panties and a toothbrush into her tote bag, along with a packet of condoms bought at the pharmacy next door. She was ready.
Lucas waited by the reception desk, Molly sitting patiently at his side. Natalie took a moment to gaze at him. Tonight would change everything.
She couldn’t wait.
*
Molly nudged his leg a few seconds before he registered Natalie’s familiar scent, and then her hand closed around his arm.
“Hello.” Her voice was husky and slightly breathless.
“Hey.” He sensed where she stood from the brush of her hip against him, and turned his face, seeking her kiss. The noise and bustle of the hotel lobby faded into the background. Nothing else mattered
There she was. Their lips met in a brief, soft greeting, and his nerves calmed a fraction. He’d no idea how she’d react if he asked her to stay the night. God knew he wanted her to. He didn’t want her to go back to Auckland at all, if he was perfectly honest, but he had to admit it was presumptuous of him. They’d been together properly for just three days.
Natalie had been hurt badly by her ex. He totally understood she might not be anywhere near ready for a physical relationship yet. The crass part of him hoped he was wrong.
“So,” he began, as she spoke too.
She laughed and squeezed his arm. “You go first.”
“Dinner.” He went for the safe question. “Where do you fancy tonight?” For your last night with me.
“Well”—she hesitated, and then blew out a soft breath—“I wondered if I might cook for you tonight. If you’d like that.”
“I… Yes. Definitely.” Christ, he sounded like an idiot now. “I’ve got basic food at home, and a ton of frozen meals for one, but that’s all. We probably need to go shopping.” Another task he hated.
“We don’t need much.” Her voice was reassuring. “And if you don’t mind walking round the supermarket with me, I promise to make you something delicious.”
“How can I refuse?”
He was conscious that her ankle had to be aching after she’d been on her feet all day. He insisted they take a cab to the supermarket, and then asked the driver to wait.
A familiar bubble of panic surged when they walked inside the cavernous shopping hall.
Natalie squeezed his hand. “Ten minutes. That’s all we need.”
He swallowed down his anxiety. “What are you planning? Or is it a surprise?” He tried to sound confident, as though shopping was an everyday occurrence. As though he was a normal guy. He could do this.
“Mushrooms, I think. And garlic and some fresh herbs.” They walked forward at a steady pace, Molly calm at his s
ide. “Grand-mére taught me a dish with pork and apples, and a splash of cider. Pork a la Normande. How does that sound?”
“Great.” Although he’d probably agree if she suggested cardboard with ketchup. Anything to get out of here quickly.
They continued to move through the supermarket, Natalie keeping up a light conversation as they walked. She consulted him at every opportunity. White bread or sourdough? Brie or Camembert? Did he prefer the button mushrooms or the large field ones?
Before long, he was gently squeezing avocados to determine the ripest, while she picked through a selection of salad leaves. In no way was he enjoying himself, but it wasn’t as bad as he feared.
He still had to ask the question. The would-you-like-to-stay-the-night question. There was no right time. Not while they shopped for food, and not in the taxi back to his place. Not as they lugged the bags of groceries into his apartment or when he released Molly from her harness.
Natalie was talking to him from the kitchen, telling him a funny story about one of their colleagues, and he paused in the doorway. From the noises of her moving around, she was collecting pans and cooking implements. Running the tap. Unpacking the food they’d bought. All very domestic and incredibly normal, and something he longed to experience every day.
Lucas took a step forward and felt for the counter. “I need to ask you something. If you want to, and you don’t have to, I’d love you to stay the night.”
He held his breath and heard her give a little amused huff. Was it so funny?
“You haven’t tasted my cooking yet.” Her tone was teasing. “Oui, Lucas. I would love to.” Her voice moved closer. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Seventeen
Lucas intended to go slowly. A gentle seduction, taking his time with Natalie, and easing them both into deeper intimacy. Their lips met in a brief kiss, and his plans evaporated.
Natalie returned the kiss, hot and hungry. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed against him, chest to chest, thigh to thigh. He pulled her closer and tilted his head, to drive the kiss deeper, his hands falling to her slim waist.
