by Jayci Lee
He reached around her and pulled off her T-shirt with shaking hands. When he reached her hips, he linked his fingers into her lacy underwear and tugged it down. Then she was naked before him, and she was perfection.
Garrett lowered himself, covering her body with his. Molten heat flared at the contact. He claimed her mouth, sucking and nipping, drinking in her intoxicating taste like a man starved. She writhed under him, and everywhere her body touched his, a fire started. As he explored her, she made those small sounds of passion that never failed to drive him mad. He slid one hand down her silken curves. A guttural groan tore from his chest when he found the hot, moist warmth of her center.
“Look at me.” When her eyes focused on him, he gave himself to her the only way he knew how. “Do you see what you do to me?”
“Yes.” She whimpered and grasped his buttocks as he pulled his fingers from her.
“I can’t get enough of you.” Unable to hold back any longer, he surged into her. “I’ve never wanted anyone like this before. Only you.”
“Please, Garrett.”
“You’re mine.” Wanting to prolong her release, he slowed his rhythm even more. “Tell me you’re mine.”
“I’m yours.”
Her words slashed the last of his control. He raised himself on his arms and drove into her again and again until she screamed his name, her internal muscles clenching around him. His hips bucked once, twice, then he shouted his own release and collapsed over her.
After a long while, Garrett lay with his forearm over his eyes, listening to the steady rhythm of Natalie’s breathing. He’d made love to her with a desperation that should have alarmed him, but he had no space for any thought other than her words. I love you.
They made love every night, giving and receiving pleasure he had never experienced before. It wasn’t love but it was real and tangible. Was it enough for her?
In the last few months, having Natalie by his side had grown into an unwavering need. Subconsciously, he’d been pushing aside the fact that their marriage would end soon. Thinking about it made his stomach twist and churn. His soul rebelled, screaming, “She’s mine.” Did he want to hold on to Natalie?
He had no answers. At least, none he could face head-on.
* * *
Garrett watched Natalie get dressed for work. She twisted around in front of the mirror examining the fourth outfit she’d shimmied into this morning. Not that he was complaining. Watching her dress—and undress—was hotter than a striptease.
“Are you sure?” she asked him for the tenth time that morning. “Adelaide talked me into buying it but I just don’t know.”
“Yes.” Garrett twirled his wife in a pirouette. “And my answer will still be yes when you’ve asked me for the twentieth time.”
Natalie finally settled on a black wrap dress rather than one of her severe business suits. It highlighted her curves instead of hiding them, but the tight fit had her fidgeting like it was crawling with somersaulting circus fleas.
“You look beautiful.” Garrett kissed the tip of her nose. “And professional. You’ll be great today.” Presentations never ceased to frazzle her even though she was fantastic at them.
When she drew in a breath, he pressed a finger to her mouth to stop the objections he knew were coming. But the feel of her parted lips and her intoxicating scent threatened to derail him from the point he was trying to make.
“Our wedding pictures were featured in Focus magazine. Everyone has already seen your lovely figure. I assure you the employees won’t treat you differently because you decided to let your hair down a little.”
“You really think so?” Natalie raised hopeful eyes to his.
“Yes, I know so.” Garrett paused for a beat. “They’ll treat you differently because you’re married to me.”
“You’re terrible.” She punched him in the arm as surprised laughter burst from her.
He loved the sound of her laughter. Garrett pulled Natalie into his arms. “Stop being so nervous. Your presentation will be great, and short, and you’ll be back to your daily routine, whipping people into submission.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t whip anyone into anything. I just make sure that company policies are carried out with uniformity and consistency.”
“Of course, Mrs. Song. You better move your butt, or you’re going to be late,” Garrett said, checking the clock.
“Oh, shoot. Okay.” Natalie hopped around putting her heels on, then rushed to the door. Garrett picked Sophie up and trailed her hurried steps. “Bye. See you tonight!” Natalie called over her shoulder.
He cleared his throat loudly and held Sophie out in front of him. Natalie had almost left without giving her a kiss.
“Oops. Sorry, sweetie.”
She turned to go after brushing her lips on the crown of the baby’s head. But Garrett wasn’t going to let her get away that easily. He shot out his free arm and crushed her to him. Shifting Sophie to one side, he kissed Natalie deeply, sipping in her soft moan. He stepped back before he tore off her carefully selected outfit, and she stood looking slightly dazed.
He reached out and patted his wife’s perfect bottom. “Go!”
Natalie blinked then scowled at him again before rushing out the door.
“Didn’t Mama look pretty today?”
“Yup!” That was Sophie’s it word these days. It actually sounded more like “yah-pu” and involved some spit spewing on the “pu.”
“Mama will do great today, right?”
“Yup!”
He’d volunteered to take Sophie back to the Davises’ since he didn’t have any meetings lined up till ten o’clock. This was the first reprieve he’d had in weeks.
Yami Corporation’s interference in the Vivotex deal was an unexpected nuisance, but Clark and Sebastian were the loyal allies Garrett hoped they’d be. They’d successfully convinced the majority at Vivotex that Yami’s overtures were merely distracting them from closing a profitable partnership, and that Yami couldn’t offer what Hansol promised.
Garrett had worked night and day to finalize the details of the contract. It was grueling work but the deal was within reach, and he thrived on the knowledge. Once the deal closed, the CEO position and everything he’d worked for—including his independence from his grandmother—would finally be his.
The real headache in the fiasco was that there was someone inside Hansol leaking confidential information regarding the Vivotex deal. Every leak had given Yami Corporation an edge in the bid for the partnership. But corporate espionage was a dangerous game to play, and a small-timer like Yami wouldn’t have the guts to start a war with Hansol. It meant there was someone else behind it all, and the unknown puppet master knew how to play the game well. Garrett had to catch the spy to find out who the real threat was.
Fifteen
Soon Natalie was going to look like the bride of Frankenstein. Her curls were beginning to stand from the static Garrett was generating.
“Garrett.” He glanced at her, but continued to pace around his office. “I know you’re nervous, but please stop pacing.”
“I am not nervous.”
“Of course not. You’re just trying to create alternative energy with your feet.” He scowled, but she just grinned from her perch on his desk. “Oh, look. It worked. I see smoke coming from your shoes.”
He strode menacingly toward her, arms outstretched to catch her. Laughing at him, she let herself be caught and pressed up against him.
With a forlorn sigh, Garrett buried his head in her neck. “Okay. Fine. I’m feeling some nervous excitement. But mostly excitement. Hardly any nervousness.”
“Of course you are. Well, there’s no need for any nervousness because Vivotex is here to sign that contract. It’s going to happen.”
“Damn right, it’s going to happen.”
Garr
ett straightened up. Natalie wanted to pull him back to her and hang on for dear life. The grains of sand were falling in the hourglass. She cherished every moment she got to spend with him, but her heart bled knowing every second that passed meant she was that much closer to losing him.
But she couldn’t think about that now. Natalie glanced at the wall clock and hurried toward his chair to retrieve his suit jacket. “Settle down, cowboy. You only have five minutes until the meeting.”
She held the jacket open for him and he put it on. After running her hands over the nonexistent wrinkles on the suit, she straightened his tie and smoothed back his hair. With everything in place, she stared at her beautiful husband, taking in every inch of him, memorizing him.
All hints of his nervousness were gone, and he stood before her strong and confident. He was ready and she had to be, too.
“Are you satisfied with what you see, ma’am?” Garrett’s lips tilted into an arrogant grin. Without fail, Natalie’s heart sped up and desire sparked to life.
“There’s no time for flirting, Mr. Song.”
She made an effort to be stern, but she probably sounded breathless and flustered. With a low, husky laugh, Garrett pulled her into his arms and held her tight.
“You’re right. That’ll have to wait until tonight.”
She walked with him to the door but stopped uncertainly.
“Garrett.”
I love you. I love you. I love you.
The words burned her throat, but she held her silence, knowing he wouldn’t want to hear them. So she forced a cheeky grin and gave him two thumbs up.
“Go get ’em, tiger.”
* * *
The Song family home rang with laughter and celebration, but the endless pop of champagne corks sounded hollow to Natalie’s ears. She was so proud of Garrett, but emotion still choked her as she scanned the scene of the party celebrating the Hansol-Vivotex partnership. Garrett’s eyes sought hers often, so she did her best to smile for him. But amid the strains of piano music and laughter, she was feeling overwhelmed.
“Ah-ga.” Natalie spun at the sound of Grace Song’s voice.
“Grandmother. I’m so happy you decided to join the celebration.” During their weekly visits, Natalie had begged her to attend. “You must be so proud.”
“I expected nothing less from my grandson.” The older woman’s voice sounded wistful. “His mother should be standing by James’s side tonight. I wish she could’ve seen the man Garrett has become, and the family he’s built for himself.”
Natalie’s chest tightened and hot tears stung her eyes. In her own reserved manner, Grandmother was telling Natalie that Garrett had chosen a good wife...that she accepted her. Thank you, Grandmother. And I’m sorry for lying to you about our marriage.
“Well, Grandmother. You should be doubly proud on his mom’s behalf then.”
A gentle smile lit Grace Song’s face and she placed a warm hand on Natalie’s cheek. “I am, and you should be, too.”
When Grandmother made her way back to her guests, Natalie stared at her husband to memorize every detail about him. With their days numbered, she couldn’t hold back. Her hunger and longing saturated her soul and she longed to reach out to him. As though heeding her silent call, Garrett turned to her from across the room, an answering fire flaring in his eyes. She didn’t know if it was her nerves playing tricks on her, but he seemed more restless and edgy than he’d been before the contract was signed. She watched him rush through his rounds, tilting back the flutes of champagne offered to him. Despite her insistence that he should go and celebrate, she was desperate to have him by her side and all to herself.
After spending the shortest acceptable time with his guests, Garrett abandoned them and strode toward her with long, impatient strides. “Miss me?” He raised a hand to cup her face.
“Desperately.” She placed a lingering kiss on his palm and a tremor ran through him. Good, because I’m trembling, too.
“We’re leaving,” he rasped in her ear, his hot breath caressing her skin.
A thrill of anticipation slid down her spine and gathered mass at its base, where Garrett rested his hand. They stepped out into the night, but instead of heading to his car, he led them toward the garden at the far end of the property.
“Garrett, where are we going?”
“Somewhere private.” His voice was low and dangerous.
She quickened her steps to keep up with him, frantic to touch him. To possess him. To mark him as hers.
Soon they were sprinting through a topiary maze with sharp turns and narrow passageways. The maze stood at least two stories tall and the half moon hardly pierced its depth. She’d never be able to find her way out, but Garrett seemed to know it even in near darkness. He stopped at what had to be the heart of the maze, where there was a beautiful but aging pagoda.
“What is this place?” Natalie whispered, not wanting to disturb its eerie peace.
“It used to be my sanctuary.” Garrett’s voice sounded far away. “No one knew how to find it but me.”
“What would you do out here?” She leaned her cheek against his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
“Nothing exciting. I would just read a book or stare at the clouds.” His hand made idle circles on her back. “It’s not what I did that made this place special.”
“Then what was it?”
“As a kid, you don’t have much that you could truly call your own, but this place was mine. It existed only for me.”
“I didn’t know you could be so possessive,” she teased.
“Oh, yes. When I have something rare and special, I want it all to myself.” His hands became bolder, dropping to her backside.
“And now? What do you want all to yourself?” She wanted to hear him say it. Even if it wasn’t love, she wanted him to claim her as something rare and special, and only his.
“You.” His answer didn’t sound like a word but a primitive growl. “You’re mine and I want you.”
Right then, Natalie became a flame, burning wildly for him. She kissed him wherever her lips landed, tearing ineffectively at his clothes. With a suddenness that shocked her into momentary stillness, he picked her up and carried her up the stairs of the pagoda. When he set her on the ground, she slid down his powerful body and felt his unmistakable hardness.
“I need you,” he said before crushing her mouth with his. His kiss was erratic and wild; there wasn’t a hint of his damn control in sight. He groaned, pushing her against a wooden pillar. “Natalie.”
His hand moved under the hem of her dress to her panties. Reaching her center, he growled in satisfaction. “You want this. You want me.”
“Yes, Garrett. I want you.”
He spun her around to face the pillar and pulled her hips back, bending her at the waist. Her arousal was blinding and she didn’t know how long she could wait. She heard Garrett unzip his trousers and tear open a condom packet.
Natalie was frantic when he pushed inside her with a moan. His fingers bit into her hips as he withdrew from her and plunged back in, deeper than before. She knew he was trying to slow things down for her but his maddening pace was going to kill her, so she tipped up her rear and pushed against him, setting a pace more to her liking. She felt his control break and she laughed in triumph.
“Natalie.”
Too far gone for finesse, he worked frantically to bring them to their climax, his shout coarse and wild in the night.
* * *
Garrett made a conscious effort not to grip Natalie’s arm too tight as he led her out of the maze. She darted uncertain glances his way, but he didn’t trust himself to look back at her. He’d ravished her like a madman in his childhood hideout, but the thought encroaching on his triumph had rattled him to the core. He had no excuses left to hold on to Natalie. She’d held up her part of the bargain, and
Sophie’s fall had rattled the Davises enough to withdraw their opposition to the adoption. Once the adoption papers were approved by the court, there would be nothing left to prevent Natalie and Sophie from walking out of his life.
But she loves me.
“Garrett—”
“Home.” He cut her off more brusquely than he’d intended, and he turned to give her a stiff smile. “We’ll talk at home.”
He had to eradicate the notion of a temporary marriage from Natalie’s mind. He’d put it there in the first place, but things had changed—he had changed. Garrett admired and respected her. Burned for her. Couldn’t that be enough? There were relationships based on far less.
And she said she loved him. Something warm and aching tore through his heart at the thought. He was afraid his past wouldn’t allow him to love her like she deserved, but he could offer her and Sophie everything they could ever need. They would never have to worry about money again. He would move to New York with them, and work out of the office there. He would show his girls the world, promise them a future they never dreamed of.
Would that be enough for Natalie? Would she give up her chance to find someone who truly loved her?
But that was just it. Their relationship was more than sex and companionship. They were incredible together. He had never experienced anything even remotely close to the connection and pleasure he felt making love to Natalie. Their passion. That was rare and special. Not only that, but they could also talk to each other and truly understand what the other person meant...as if they had a distinct wavelength that existed exclusively for them.
What they had might not be the stuff of fairy tales, but they were good together. He might not deserve her, but he would fight to keep her.
Sixteen
Garrett had been traveling often the last several weeks to prepare for Hansol’s first joint venture with Vivotex. The trips were short, no more than a night or two at a time, but Natalie felt as though her time with him was being stolen from her.
