They were in Bellino’s, a chic little Italian restaurant in the city. The aroma that filled the air was pleasant, tantalizing, hypnotic, but Natalie didn’t feel hungry.
The most she’d had was a sip of her champagne and that was all.
“Hey,” Eric said, reaching across the table to touch her hands. The contact brought her out of her Luke-filled reverie. “Don’t you like the food?” Eric asked, keeping his voice low.
“Oh, I got side tracked,” she replied and stabbed a square of ravioli with her fork. She placed it in her mouth and started chewing. It tasted as divine as it smelled.
“You look side tracked, are you okay?” he asked. His hazel eyes twinkled as he looked at her and she tried to focus on how gorgeous he was.
“Yes, I’m good.”
“Maybe next time we could do Mexican?”
He was sweet. “Next time?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah, if you want to.” He looked hopeful at her and she could see how much he liked her.
This was her cue to take the bait. Take the chance that was being thrown right at her and move on, move past the past with her feelings for Luke and give someone else a chance.
Nothing could have been more in her best interest because, in essence, the road to Luke led nowhere. It was a dead end that would only have pain for her.
All she had to do was imagine what she would have felt like if the news of him being alive was that he died. She would have been devastated.
So why would she want to put herself through that? Being a friend and being devastated was one thing, but crossing over that line of friendship and being something more was entirely different.
“I—”
“She prefers Italian, or Chinese,” said a voice she’d recognize asleep or awake.
Natalie snapped her head around quickly and gasped when she saw Luke standing by their table.
“Can I help you with something?” Eric asked looking confused.
To her shock, Luke pulled up a chair, twisted it around so the back was facing him and lowered to sit. That arrogant smile then filled his face.
“Hey sport. I’m Lieutenant Donovan, you happen to be out with my girl and—”
“Luke, stop!” It was her turn to interrupt him now.
She was so mad at him she could breathe fire.
She stood up, almost knocking her glass over, and took hold of his arm to pull him away.
“Come now.” She tugged at the thick muscle on his arm, but stubbornly he stayed, staring Eric down with madman eyes. “Luke,” she insisted, and it was only then that he got up and walked with her to the foyer of the restaurant where they could talk without curious eyes on them.
“What are you doing?” she began.
“What am I doing? Why are you here?” He had the audacity to ask.
“I’m on a date with a really great guy; please just leave me alone to enjoy it.”
“No Nat. Fuck that.”
“Luke, you are acting like a crazy person.” And he was going to make her crazy, too, in the process. “How dare you intrude on my date like this and ruin it for me?”
He looked at her and blinked several times. “Nat, you don’t want to be here.”
“Stop it. Stop acting like you know what I’m thinking.” It was too much. She was starting to get worked up and lose her cool.
“That’s just the thing though, baby.” He smirked. “I do know what you’re thinking.” He reached out and touched her face.
She should have pulled away but found herself paralyzed and held in place by his touch and stare.
“Why don’t you want to go out with me? You love Italian food, you could be enjoying the food with me instead of here with that guy.” He narrowed his gaze at her.
“Because, you allowed me to believe for ten years that you didn’t want me. Why would you do that?”
He stroked the side of her cheek, and instead of answering he bent his head and moved to her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Nine years, five months and eighteen days. Not quite ten years, but that’s not the point. The point is there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t want you. I thought what I did was best because I was going to start a life that you would hate. I wouldn’t have a regular nine-to-five job or be normal like your date.”
There it was. The answer, but it wasn’t the answer she’d allowed herself to accept over the years. Hearing him say it did something to her.
It opened her heart.
He released her and stepped back.
“What…would be different now?” she heard herself say. It was curiosity, and maybe desperation trying to hold on to something that would make her take a risk with him.
“The difference is…we’re different.” He seductively looked her over. “I’m not the hot-headed guy who was a hundred percent certain he wanted to be a Marine, and…you know I want you. We should do something about that.” His mouth curved into an irresistible grin, confident and full of candor.
The look he gave her then highlighted the sexual magnetism that passed between them.
And, just like the other day, she watched him back away from her, leaving her all alone to her thoughts.
Chapter 9
Luke
* * *
Continue with therapy.
No way.
Luke squashed up the letter of referral the military doctors had sent to the house. He saw it in the letter box and decided to read it before going inside. The other day a letter came just to give him the contact details for the new personnel director in Chicago and his mom freaked out thinking they were calling him back to duty.
It was less attention and stress for him to open all letters outside. This recommended that he continued therapy sessions. He’d had two weeks already back at the base and it was horrible.
He was good without it, and would deal with his grief in his own way.
Those damn therapy sessions he’d been enlisted in after he escaped from the Ra only made him feel worse and put ideas in his head. He was asked things like if he wished he’d died instead of the others, and if he felt he should have done more to help.
Luke hadn’t actually started thinking any of those things until the ideas were put in his head. Then he felt worse.
He knew there was nothing he could have done better, because he’d always given his best and gave his all when it came to life or death situations. It didn’t mean he didn’t feel guilt or sadness. It was more the case of the horrific nature in what happened, and watching his friends die.
He stuffed the crumpled letter in his bag. He’d just come from the hardware store with some tools to fix the roof on the greenhouse.
His mother was going to call a handyman, but Luke offered since he used to do things like that when he was around.
He opened the door and heard laughter coming from the living room. It sounded familiar. There was a car parked outside so he guessed they’d had a visitor. It wasn’t any of his friends so he figured it must have been someone here to see his parents.
He would have gone past the room, not wanting to intrude or disturb them, but his attention was drawn to the soft feminine laughter he immediately recognized.
Natalie.
A look inside confirmed it was definitely her.
His parents sat side by side on the sofa, laughing at something Natalie had said.
“All I know is that this here girl is the best thing to happen to the company,” his father stated with a deep, hearty chuckle.
“Thank you, that means a lot.” Natalie smiled at his father with appreciation.
“It’s the truth. Mokito is in good hands, better than they hoped.”
Natalie looked pleased to hear that.
His mother turned and caught sight of him standing by the door. “Luke sweetie, you’re back. Look who came to visit.” She pointed her delicate hand at Natalie who gave him a nervous smile.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey,” he replied scanning her attire wit
h satisfaction. She looked casual, like the other night in her shorts and white tank top that showed off the definition of her breasts and the curve of her tiny waist.
“You look busy.” She glanced at the tool kit and bag he carried.
“Fixing the roof on the greenhouse.”
“Do you want some company?” she offered.
“Always.”
His mother glanced across at his father suspiciously and smiled with approval.
Natalie got up from the sofa and joined him.
“Let me know if you guys need anything,” his mother called out to them.
“Sure thing.” He raised his hand in salute and smiled.
Natalie looked at him as they proceeded outside.
“So, you finally decided to come see me,” he stated.
“I did.” She looked up at him and kept her gaze on him. He opened the back door and stepped outside first, completely aware of the sexual tension between them.
“How was your date? Are you going on a second?” He turned to face her and walked backwards.
“I left just after you, and I won’t be going on a second date with Eric.” She looked a little uneasy as she explained, but he couldn’t help but smile.
Excitement rippled through him as he looked her over.
“What? Please don’t laugh. There isn’t anything funny about it.” She stopped and placed her hands on her hips.
“Baby, you have no idea what my smile is for.”
“What is it for?”
“We aren’t fixing the roof.”
“But you said we were.” She narrowed her gaze at him.
“No, I said I was, then the plan changed about five seconds ago.”
She tried to hold back her smile. “What are we going to do, Luke?”
He took his time to trail his gaze right up her body. Starting from her pretty toes in those sandals and up her smooth, golden brown legs. He paused by the button of the shorts, just to see her blush, which she did, then smiled as his eyes travelled up the rest of her, taking in her gorgeous breasts.
“Fooling around,” he chuckled.
“What?” Her eyes widened in surprise.
It was funny, after all these years she hadn’t gotten used to his forwardness and blatant ways.
He dropped the bags and swooped her up, hoisting her over his shoulder caveman style.
She squealed but started giggling. “Luke Donovan, put me down.”
“No, baby.” He smiled as he carried her inside the greenhouse where they would have complete privacy.
This was therapy for him, spending time with her and being with her.
He set her down on the work top and found her delicious lips. She tasted like strawberries, warm honey and feminine desire.
She kissed him but pulled back and pressed her hands on his chest. “We have to talk.”
“Oh God no.” He frowned. “Why? We know how we feel, so let’s just pick up where we left off years ago.”
“Luke, you are so crazy. Do you expect me to just strip and fall into your arms?” It sounded like she was trying to joke but the image of her in that truly sexy, see-through lingerie came to mind and his eyes found her breasts. “Luke, you’re staring at my breasts.” She smacked him playfully in his chest.
“Nat, baby, you’re the one who was talking about stripping. What do you expect me to do, not look?”
“Luke, I swear to God you are the strangest guy.” She giggled.
“So I’m not supposed to look at your breasts?” he teased.
“Luke,” she chided.
“Okay, what are we talking about?”
“You.” She looked concerned.
He placed his hands either side of her. “What about me?”
“Last night you said you were different.”
“I am different.” His gaze locked with her questioning eyes.
“You don’t know if you want to go back to the Marines?” she asked cautiously, leaning her head to the side and allowing that gorgeous mass of silky black hair to sway over her shoulders.
“I don’t. I now have five months and two weeks to decide.” Maybe less, but he wouldn’t say that to her to scare her away.
“And then you could go back?”
He nodded. “I could.”
“And if you did, would they ease you back into work, like maybe put you in the office or something?” Those same eyes that looked at him, fearing for his life years ago, stared back at him now.
He would have loved to tell her yes, that it would be something like that, but it wouldn’t be. Definitely not for him; an officer with his expertise and skill would never be placed in an office anywhere to get eased back in.
This leave he was on was the down time, and he knew that when he got back on duty, chances were he’d be sent on some sort of mission to gather intel on the militants or the Ra group.
He straightened up and took both her hands into his, brought them up to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
“You wish I had a regular office job, don’t you?”
“That wouldn’t be you.”
“But you liked Eric because he had a regular nine-to-five job,” he pointed out.
“He wasn’t you.” This was the direct side of her that he liked.
“So, does that mean you could possibly like me more than Eric?” He smiled.
“I do.” She reached out and touched his face.
“Natalie,” he breathed.
She held his gaze. “You’ve never called me Natalie before.”
“I want your attention. I want you to see how serious I am when I say this. I take you very seriously.” All that he’d been through taught him that there was no point in holding back when you wanted something, and he wanted her. So he had to be real with her. “Natalie, I can assure you that whatever I decide, I’ll be sure to take my time and really think about it. I’ll make sure it’s the right decision, and I’ll consider all my options.”
He hadn’t even gone as far as telling his own family that. He knew they were looking for him to go back but wishing he wouldn’t.
She leaned forward and kissed the top of his nose. “Okay.”
“Okay, as in you’re okay with that?”
“I have to be.”
He knew that meant she wasn’t entirely okay with it, but he understood. And he respected that.
“So…can we try this? This me and you thing that started nearly ten years ago?” He smiled hopefully at her.
She nodded. “Yes. I’d like that.”
That was the best news he’d heard in years. “Kiss me.” He crooked his finger and the goddess leaned forward again but placed a kiss on his lips this time.
Luke pulled her closer, allowing his desire for her to rush through his veins.
Yes, this was indeed his therapy, because it was the first time in weeks that he’d actually felt good and positive. Like he was looking forward to something.
He was looking forward to her.
Being with Natalie.
An idea brewed in his mind.
Chapter 10
Natalie
* * *
“I love this dress,” Laura gushed, holding up her new black bodycon dress with specs of gold splashed across the fabric.
“That would look amazing on me.” Jessica jumped up from the sofa and snatched the dress from Laura.
“You little minx, give it back,” Laura cried, grabbing for the dress, but Jessica ran away with it.
Laura chased her and the two dashed away from the living room.
Good.
Finally some peace and alone time.
They were supposed to be watching When Harry Met Sally. Part of this chick flick fest they’d planned because Jessica felt bad that she’d been away a lot recently, and so did Laura.
The problem was, they’d watched When Harry Met Sally so many times in the past that it had actually lost the novelty of a chick flick fest and, if anything, Natalie thought, for her, it would be her chill out f
ilm to ease her into sleep.
It was definitely still one of her all-time favorites, though, just not the film she wanted to be watching now. Or what she wanted to be doing now.
She was thinking about Luke. They’d had a really great day together the other day and she was looking forward to seeing him again. They were supposed to be going to dinner tomorrow and she couldn’t wait.
They were going on an actual date.
Excitement filled her, but she couldn’t pretend that her worries and concerns about him were not all still very much there.
When she realized that he actually wanted to be with her, she had to ask herself a few serious questions.
The main one being if she’d allow fear to get in the way of her giving them a chance.
He’d been right about pointing out the differences between now and the past. She’d never forget his words.
Now you know I want you.
That’s what he’d said to her, and those words were what sold her. They melted her like hot butter and made her realize that she’d wanted him too.
So she decided to suck it up and take the risk, screw her worries.
She deserved fun. And she wanted fun.
Too many years had gone by without it.
In L.A., she was always so focused on her career. Coming back home and working at Donovan Inc. took that stress off her. She was finally getting the chance to allow her skills to flourish, and she could see that his father was proud of the work she was doing.
Natalie basically had that job in the bag and predicted that in the next two months, when the deal concluded with Mokito, her talents would truly shine. They stood to make a million dollars just for the management of the deal and the investment value they had placed in it.
That aside, she really wouldn’t have minded living a little.
The doorbell rang and she rolled her eyes. The only person that could be was Joshua, but he knew Jessica was going to be hanging out with them tonight.
She was tempted not to answer the door but didn’t want to be rude, so she got up and took her time walking over to it.
The nonchalant expression she always sported when he came around was already set on her face, but it disappeared when she saw the gorgeous Luke standing before her.
Only You Page 7
