by Jayci Lee
Natalie took heavy steps to the parking structure, dreading going home to an empty house. Lost in her melancholy, she jumped when her cell phone rang. It was Garrett. She let the phone ring a few more times, trying to work up a cheerful “hello.” After a deep breath, she picked up.
“God, I miss you.” His words sounded as though they’d been torn from him.
Natalie halted as tears blurred her vision. He’d only been gone for two days, but she missed him with a physical ache. She held back the words on the tip of her tongue. I love you. She didn’t regret telling him she loved him, but he never acknowledged her confession. And every time she said those words again, he would disappear behind a wall of indifference. At least he missed her. That had to mean something.
“I miss you, too,” she said. “Hurry home to me.”
“Soon.” The single word, a promise filled with longing, stole her breath.
“Garrett.”
“I’m headed to my next meeting.” A small pause. As though he was waiting for her to say something. Then he sighed softly. “I needed to hear your voice.”
“I’m glad you called.” She swallowed back her emotion with some difficulty. “Go. Don’t be late for your meeting.”
Natalie hung up before she said more than she should. She slid into her car clutching the phone to her heart, and jumped when it rang again, thinking for a second it was Garrett calling back. Laughing at her foolishness, she glanced at her screen. It was the family-law attorney Garrett had retained for her.
“This is Natalie.”
“Mrs. Song, this is Timothy Duffy. I have some great news.”
Natalie’s heart dropped to her stomach. “Yes, Timothy. I’m listening.”
“Congratulations. You’re a mom,” he said with a smile in his voice. “The judge signed the adoption papers.”
“Oh,” she gasped and tears strangled her voice. “I’m a mom. I’m Sophie’s mom.”
“You certainly are. I’ve notified the Davises, and as previously agreed, they will have a week to relinquish physical custody of the baby.” She could hear the smile in Timothy’s voice. “I’ll email you the details. You should go celebrate.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Her phone fell from her limp fingers and tears streamed down her face as her heart tore into two pieces. One part of her heart was so very happy that Sophie was hers and she was Sophie’s. The other half broke and bled. The adoption had been the one last thing that held Garrett to her.
She remembered his words from Ojai only too well. I want you. But this marriage, it still ends once our objectives are reached. If I make love to you tonight, I’m taking your body and giving you mine, nothing more.
But they’d come a long way from that night. Hadn’t they?
One thing was certain. She couldn’t go on like this. She had to tell him she didn’t want their marriage to end—she wanted forever with him.
* * *
The next evening, Natalie waited in front of the elevator, her heart thumping against her rib cage. The adoption papers were tucked away in her nightstand drawer. She planned on telling Garrett everything—about Sophie, about wanting them to be a real family and about forever. Her ice-cold hands fisted at her sides.
When the elevator opened, Garrett caught her in his arms and spun her around before kissing her senseless. Her fears and worries melted away. He was home and that was all that mattered.
“Did you miss me?” He leaned his forehead against hers.
“Nah.” So much it hurt. “Not really.”
“I’ll make sure to remind you what you’ve been missing.”
“Is that a promise?” She looked up at him through her lashes, biting her lower lip.
“Damn it, Natalie,” he groaned with a pained expression on his face. “I still have calls to make...”
Natalie laughed and danced out of his reach. “Well, you started it.”
“Real mature.” He stalked toward her, his eyes shining with intent.
Then his phone rang.
He cursed with gusto and growled when he checked the caller ID. He pointed at Natalie and mouthed “later” before he answered and stomped toward his office.
Natalie smiled at his back, pleased with his obvious frustration. He really had missed her, and she planned on showing him how much she’d missed him. As she went into the bathroom to take a shower, she pushed aside the thought that they were running out of time.
After putting on a black chemise over her damp skin, she emerged from the bathroom, ready to share the news of Sophie’s adoption. But when Garrett strode into their room only to freeze at the sight of her, all rational thoughts fled her mind. His heated gaze was filled with yearning and another emotion she couldn’t define. Something akin to desperation...fear. Something primal and possessive filled her veins and she sashayed toward her husband. She had to have him. Show him with her body that they belonged together.
“Now, pay attention,” she purred, unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it down his shoulders. “Because I’m going to have you my way.”
“Is that so?” He arched an eyebrow and had a ghost of a smile on his lips.
“I didn’t say you could talk.”
“Natalie...”
He groaned, tilting back his head when she went down on her knees to pull off his slacks. Garrett swayed and planted his feet more firmly as her hand skimmed the outline of his erection on her way up.
“Take off your clothes,” he ordered through clenched teeth.
Natalie just smiled and pushed him down onto an armchair. He lunged for her but she fluidly evaded his hands.
“Shh.” She placed a finger over her mouth. “You aren’t paying attention.”
He growled.
With her gaze glued to his face, Natalie stripped off her clothes, standing barely out of reach. She had no idea how to perform a striptease, but judging by the fierce, unblinking attention of her husband, she was doing quite well.
Naked, she strode to the chair and straddled him, then took his hard length in her hands, making him hiss.
She positioned herself over him. “Do I have your full attention?”
“Yes,” he rasped.
“Good.”
She took him all the way inside her and he groaned against her neck, his hips surging to meet her. Natalie rode him with wild ferocity. Her body knew his intimately and she set a rhythm that would drive him mad. Drive her mad. And like the countless times before, they were caught in a storm neither of them could control.
Afterward, he carried her limp body to bed and they lay down facing each other. She stared at him, feeling too raw and vulnerable to hide the love from her eyes. He stared right back at her with an expression that made her insides melt.
“Wait here.”
With that sudden command, he got out of bed and pulled on some pajama pants.
What a shame to cover up such a fantastic ass.
After digging through his suitcase, he strode back to her with a small box in his hands and sat on the edge of the bed.
“What is it?” she said.
He scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought he looked nervous.
“I have something for you.” He held out the box to her and sat still as a statue as she opened it.
Her hand flew to her mouth and tears filmed her eyes. They were earrings. Emerald with diamond inlays. They looked exactly like his mother’s ring, which Natalie wore every day.
“Oh, Garrett. They’re beautiful.” But what does this mean? she wanted to ask him.
“Put them on.” His voice was gruff, tense.
“I...” She couldn’t put them on. Not when the adoption document sat less than a foot from her. Not before she told him everything. “Garrett, I can’t take them...”
> “Why?” The absence of emotion in his voice shot fear through her heart.
“It’s—it’s too much. And you—you might want the ring back soon...” She trailed off, hoping he would correct her. Tell her he wanted to stay married to her. She didn’t need a declaration of love. Not yet, anyhow. But she wanted to know this was more than just a business arrangement to him.
Instead, he shrugged and a mask of indifference fell across his features. Did he understand why she couldn’t accept the earrings? Did he not care that their time together would soon end? Her heart clenched painfully.
“It’s been a long day.” He eased down and turned his back to her. “Let’s get some sleep.”
The distance between them seemed to stretch out endlessly, and Natalie lost the nerve to tell him about Sophie. Because when she told Garrett the adoption was finalized, she was going to bare her soul to him. Tell him that they were already a family. That they belonged together. Forever. But not tonight. Not like this. They didn’t have long left, but they still had tomorrow. She would tell him everything tomorrow.
“Okay. Good night.”
* * *
Out of habit, Garrett’s eyes shot open at 4:00 a.m. Then, remembering he’d left his calendar open for the morning, he was about to let his eyelids droop closed when he bolted up, the sheets slipping down to his waist. His wife’s side of the bed was empty.
He couldn’t believe he’d slept at all. She’d refused the earrings because she intended to return her ring to him. Natalie was planning to leave him. She said soon, but she couldn’t be gone already.
Garrett groaned. He’d had the earrings specially designed to match her engagement ring, so he could ask her to never take it off. Did she understand my intent? How could she when I didn’t tell her any of it? Instead of waiting for her to come back to bed, he strode over to the en suite bathroom.
“Natalie?”
Considering that it was dark inside, he wasn’t too surprised when she didn’t answer. Maybe she’d gone downstairs for some water. After pulling on the first T-shirt he could grab from the dresser, he jogged down the stairs. The downstairs lights were on and he sighed in relief. He opened his mouth to call her name, but his phone beeped from the room.
Damn it. Who could it be at this hour?
He hesitated before he turned around to get his phone. The timing told him it might be an emergency.
It was a text from Mike. Call me. It’s urgent.
“What is it?” Garrett demanded once he had Mike on the phone, impatient to get to Natalie. “Can it wait?”
“We found him.” Mike’s voice was grim. The spy. His friend was the only person Garrett trusted enough to help with the investigation, but he could deal with that later.
“Good. Is that it?”
“No.” The pause on the other end lengthened and Garrett frowned, his gut telling him something was very wrong. “It sounds bad, but I don’t want you jumping to any conclusions.”
“Spit it out, Mike,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’ll make my own decisions.”
“Starting a few months ago, someone named Peter Klapper was buying up all the Hansol stock he could get his hands on. If he acquired enough shares, he could’ve swayed some key votes to block your CEO appointment, but the oldest members of the board wouldn’t let go of theirs. The board of directors is a curmudgeonly lot, but no one could question their loyalty.”
“Who is he?”
“He works for Yami Corporation. He’s been climbing up quickly. A clever and ambitious guy, but he’s been gambling and amassing quite a sizable debt.”
“So he’s a puppet for a deep pocket.”
“Right. We traced multiple electronic transfers into his bank account. Hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time.”
“Did you find the origin of those transfers?”
“Not yet, and Klapper disappeared without a trace.”
“Goddamn it. We need to hunt down the mole inside Hansol before he runs, too.”
“We’re close to finding that link. It’s someone in the LA office.” Mike sighed. “And the investigator found something out.”
“What is it?” Garrett shoved his hand through his hair.
“Peter Klapper and Natalie went to college together. They dated for a few months...” Garrett’s heart slammed into his rib cage. “They kept in touch for a while until a couple years ago, and the investigator claims Natalie hasn’t been in a relationship since she broke up with Klapper. He thinks she might’ve been carrying a torch for him...”
“And he approached her to resume their affair and use her as his informant,” Garrett said, finishing for him.
“Look, Song. That investigator is playing Sherlock Holmes and failing badly. His theory is so far-fetched and flimsy I was tempted not to tell you, but I refuse to keep information from you.” Mike’s voice rang with fierce conviction. “I know you’ve been burned by Samantha, but you need to remember Natalie is nothing like her. I don’t know what the story is, but don’t shut her out. Talk to her—”
Garrett hung up. He’d heard enough.
The pieces—the nightmarish pieces—started fitting together. The spy. It was Natalie. She’d been feeding Klapper the information. Garrett had been stupid enough to let a woman use him again.
Why, Natalie? What did the bastard offer you?
Garrett could’ve given her anything that Klapper offered and more. She had to have known that... Then it hit him square between the eyes.
Love. Peter Klapper had offered her love. A real family for her and Sophie. The one thing Garrett made clear he couldn’t give her. The room spun at the realization. He shoved away the searing pain and focused on his cold, numbing fury.
He found her in the living room, sitting with her feet tucked under her and staring out at the city lights.
“Natalie.”
A sweet smile lit up her face when she saw him. It nearly broke him. Lies. All lies.
“What are you doing up?” she said.
“Mike called. We found the spy.”
“You caught the spy?” Natalie gasped, her hands rising to her chest. “Thank God for that. Who was it?”
Her feigned relief knocked the wind out of him. He’d never told her about the spy or the investigation. “You knew there was a spy.”
“Yes, I found out recently. I wish... I wish you’d told me, Garrett.” She sounded both hurt and frustrated. He narrowed his eyes as his fury built. “You didn’t have to worry alone.”
“I didn’t tell you because it’s none of your business,” he snarled like a wounded beast.
She gasped then looked away. “I—I see.”
Oh, she is good.
“Do you, Natalie?”
“What?” Her eyebrows drew together. “What’s wrong?”
“Wrong? Well, that depends on one’s perspective. I suppose it’s for the best I found out sooner than later. Before I made the mistake of my life.”
“What are you talking about?” She stood and walked toward him. His gaze flickered to a manila folder that fell from the couch. She cupped his face in her hands. “Garrett, look at me.”
“What did he promise you, Natalie? Did he tell you he loves you?”
“Who?”
“Peter Klapper.” He watched for her reaction. Guilt? Fear? All he saw was bewilderment.
“How do you know Peter?” She cocked her head.
“I had the misfortune of being the target of his corporate-espionage scheme.”
“Peter? Corporate espionage?” Finally, her face reflected the horror he’d been expecting and her hands dropped to her sides. “But how? He used to be a little full of himself, but I can’t imagine him doing anything illegal. Besides, he doesn’t have any money or connections.”
“He doesn’t need money. He’s just a pawn for someone who ha
s it. As for connections, you supplied those for him, didn’t you?”
Natalie stumbled back from him. “What are you saying?”
“Do you love him?” He took a step toward her and she retreated a step. “Is that why you betrayed me?”
“Me?” Her hands flew to her mouth and the blood drained from her face. “You think I stole information from you to help Peter?”
“Are you trying to tell me it’s a coincidence he was your lover?”
“Yes. He was my lover for a brief time. It was a long time ago,” she said, her voice soft and trembling. “Tell me. Are you playing six degrees of separation or investigating corporate espionage?”
“I am not playing a game. I’m confronting my wife about being unfaithful to me,” he roared, pain searing his heart. “Did he tell you he loves you? Did he promise you forever?”
“Listen, goddamn it.” She took a step toward him with her hands outstretched, and this time, he stepped back from her. “I love you. Only you.”
“Of course. Love.” A ragged laugh tore from his throat.
Her eyes widened and she swayed slightly on her feet. He fisted his hands to stop himself from steadying her. A part of him shouted for him to stop. To listen. To think. But he couldn’t do any of that. The pain and fear he’d run from for so long nipped at his heels, and if he stopped, those feelings would catch him—hurt him.
“I’ve never said those words to another man.”
“Words. Mean. Nothing,” he spat.
She hunched forward as though he’d hurt her physically. Her eyelids flickered and her lips parted but no words came out.
Samantha had said she loved him. They were only twenty but he’d asked her to marry him and she’d accepted. All those lonely years after his mom died... He thought she would fill that void. But when she found out his trust fund couldn’t be accessed until he was twenty-five, she’d left him for a guy who had immediate cash to burn. Words meant nothing.
“Are there any more secrets you kept from me?”
“Yes.” He flinched even though she had whispered the word. “I was going to tell you, but I was too afraid to find out what it would mean for us.”
