Morning slithered over him whether he wanted it or was ready for it or not.
And after a night with Natalie in his bed, he was definitely not ready for morning. He felt his cock give a half-hearted lurch when he slipped from her side, the delicious curves outlined in the early light beneath the light blanket.
He was a thirty-three year old doctor. But he had no idea his body could be ready and hungry for more of Natalie like she had become oxygen in his system.
True, he’d slept less during rounds and training. So he could adjust.
“Is it morning?” A soft, sultry voice murmured against the empty space.
“It’s morning,” Tre answered, giving into the urge and stretching out beside her, his gaze sweeping to the pajama shorts she’d tossed across the room and he’d never bothered to put on again. His palm slid over the surface of the blanket, tracing the feminine form and groaning when a body that should be satisfied, demanded more.
“I’ll make coffee,” she mumbled, yawning and rolling to her back, stretching and sitting upright, unaware of the male eyes watching the round breasts reaching for the ceiling and calling to him.
Tre watched his palm just miss cupping her breast when she bolted to her feet and stretched again, a long, lean cat reaching to the sky. Her head tipped first to one side and then the other.
And god, the deep breath she took and held…he heard his mind slam the door on him. He closed his eyes and searched for something gruesome and distracting to think about.
Then he opened his eyes in time to see long legs and rounded ass sway across the room, gathering her night shirt and going down the stairs.
Tre continued into the shower, sighing and plotting the next moves. First, too many people, mainly her family, were involved in her life. Second, convincing her that he was the only one that needed to be there. For the rest of their lives.
He was dressed and in the kitchen, listening to the music coming from the guest bathroom. His girl liked to sing in the shower. He sat before the computer with a large glass of juice and several slices of toast and chunks of pineapple on a large plate at his side.
Carter had been working on his quest and hadn’t come up with good news.
The fool that bought her bike had wrecked it two weeks after buying it. It now lay in pieces in a junk yard ten miles outside of Portland. Tre pushed a deep breath between his lips at the same time a slender hand lifted a slice of toast and bit down.
He turned from the screen, taking in the tall figure in those comfortable boots she liked, long, lean jeans and a comfortable t-shirt, the scooped neckline keeping everything nice and demure. Let’s not mention the holster she wore beneath her left arm, he thought, a light jacket lying on the chair.
“You’re staring, doc,” Natalie leaned against his desk.
“Trying to remember that wild woman who woke me up in the middle of the night.” He was surprised to see her look nervous and took her hand pulling her closer. “Natalie?”
“I think I was testing a theory…and you didn’t seem to mind.”
Reconciling the professional cop he’d seen in action with the less than confident woman wasn’t hard to do. He stood up and shifted her to the outside. He sat back on the desk and pulled her in between his knees.
“Why in the world would I mind having my very sexy lady putting the make on me?”
Natalie shook her head. “You are so good with those words, Tre,” she kissed him, soft and long, breaking off to step out of his grasp. “I’ve got to go.”
“Come back for dinner tonight,” Tre didn’t let her fingers leave his, standing up and walking with her to the things he had waiting by the front door. A cup of capped off coffee waiting for her. He watched her look at it and then at him, that sexy little frown creasing her lips.
“I…ah…need to stop at my place and get clean clothes,” she met his gaze, laughing when that grin lit up his face, hair falling over the edge of his glasses. She reached up, tucking the sides behind one ear and leaning in to kiss him. “Tonight. I’ll bring a swim suit.”
“Natalie…what theory were you testing?” Tre pulled his jacket on, grabbed the helmet and keys and followed her outside.
“Kind of a personal theory.”
“Huh…and you don’t want to tell me?”
“Maybe tomorrow morning,” she teased with a wink, sliding into her car and starting the engine after buckling her belt. “I’ll see you tonight, Tre.”
He watched her leave, his mind returning to Carter’s report once his brain could focus on something other than Natalie Templeton. He knew what he wanted to do, eventually and would have that plan in effect for the future. For now, he’d settle for having her behind him when they went out on the bike. He tapped out a quick thanks to Carter and would wait on the second part of his request.
Now he had the ex and her family to deal with.
And a huge collection of friends should he need help.
Natalie spent the day doing paperwork and canvassing neighborhoods, searching for witnesses and missing people. It wasn’t the most thrilling of her jobs since becoming a cop, but it was always a puzzle. And sometimes she got lucky. But it was rarely that the person searching felt lucky when she had to tell them their missing person was deceased and the case turned over to homicide.
She winced at the door that closed loudly in the run down apartments, the sobbing behind the thin wood reaching into the hall as she wandered back to her car.
It was just before one when she wandered to the EMT bay, carrying a bag of lunch. She’d checked. He wasn’t out on a run and was kicked back in a chair on two legs, reading one of the books he’d picked up when they were out together.
“You lost, detective?”
“Never, Mulvaney,” Natalie tossed back to the man who had often partnered with her ex.
“This isn’t your usual haunt,” he persisted, pacing her along the corridor.
“And you’re not my mother,” she snorted, striding straight to Tre and laughing when the chair bounced to the floor, his glasses slipping down his nose. She reached out and pushed them gently in place. “I brought lunch. Busy?”
“For you, gorgeous, always,” Tre closed his book and rearranged his chair near the table. “Why such a sad face?” He leaned in and kissed her when she sat down next to him.
“I closed a case this morning,” she said, offering the sandwich and container of possible things to go on it.
“Shouldn’t you be a little happier at that?” Tre watched, the little shrug she gave and the dark lashes blinking too rapidly.
“Too often closing a case in missing persons isn’t a happy thing, Tre,” she said simply, opening her sandwich and garnishing it with pickles and tomatoes.
“Ahh…I’m sorry. How many days until you’re assigned to the resort unit?”
“Two weeks from today. It’ll be different. Varied. Partially paid for by the resort and part from the city,” she chatted about that, answering questions and laughing when he talked about his morning runs which included freeing a woman from behind a locked cabinet where her husband had put her, at her request, to keep her from the kitchen. He lost the key and she was hyperventilating.
“Humans,” Natalie shook her head, her palm sliding to twine with his on the table top. “Thanks for listening and making me laugh.”
“Anytime. I get lunch with a beautiful girl…a guy can’t have a better day then that, Natalie,” Tre took a long drink of the soda she’d brought him. “You have the code and key I gave you? Mrs. Yang made dinner…she said we’re too skinny and to eat or she’s calling my mother,” he winked at her. “I told her we’d be at the pool if the weather held…so I’m not sure what she fixed.”
“Anytime I can get real food, I don’t usually protest,” she said with a smile, relaxing and quizzing him about his reading, learning new things and just enjoying listening. She checked her watch, reluctantly cleaning up and standing. “Gotta get back to it.”
Tre took her hands and carried them to his shoulders. They were alone in the quiet room so he kissed her, long and deep.
“I’ll see you at home?” Tre stepped back, grinning when she nodded.
“I’m stopping by my place now and putting a few things in a bag,” Natalie took a step back. “I don’t think you’ll be kicking me to the curb anytime soon…and a girl’s gotta have clean undies.”
“Imperative,” he agreed, his grin matching hers. “Be careful out there, babe.”
“You, too. I come armed at least,” she winked and turned, striding down the corridor and ignoring the looks from the various rooms with people in them.
She stared at the blinking messages on the home phone and walked away. She had her cell with her and made the decision to cancel the home phone, tapping in the number and working through their menu as she packed a gym bag to take to Tre’s house.
She liked him. A lot. And being with him made her happy.
Not a single thing wrong with a little happy in a girl’s life, she decided, locking the door behind her and jogging to the waiting car.
She’d packed her running clothes and managed to get through more paperwork and get to his house an hour before he was due home. She changed, stretched and found her music before setting out to run the new neighborhood.
It was a good neighborhood, stretching in a long rolling collection of hills above the Sound and not far from the resort. When she stopped outside the gates on her way back, bent over and leveling her breathing, she could see the sprawling resort laid out on the acres of land that had been bought and reclaimed for an interesting social plan. She was going to be part of that plan. And she liked the idea.
Natalie went through the gates, taking in the layout a little more. The garages were to the left of the house, set away from it. She walked slowly around the side of the house, her eyes on the expanse of blue-grey waters spread below, the huge bridge off to the left and the jagged outline of mountains in the far distance to the west. And she smelled food. Her stomach took a leap at the same time she saw Tre coming from inside the house carrying a large tray of containers and drinks.
He was cute. Sexy. And house trained, she thought, her traitorous girl thoughts wandering to last night and how well his hands and mouth had worked her body.
“Is the neighborhood safe?” Tre asked, striding to greet her with a pair of sure palms cupping her face, tipping her mouth up for his kiss. First step in the plan, get her addicted to you, he mused, letting his mouth cruise gently against hers, his tongue out to taste the salt dotting her lips.
“It’s a nice neighborhood,” she said when the kiss ended. Way too soon. But since her stomach had priority at the moment, the other would have to wait. “Can I go shower quick?”
“I tossed your bag and other things into my room, Natalie,” Tre told her with a nod. “I’ll have stuff ready when you get back. But I’m thinking I might move it inside,” he looked off to the west and frowned.
“We’re pretty lucky to have had a few good spring days,” Natalie laughed, grabbing up a tray of food. “I’ll help and be quick in the shower.” She left the tray sitting on the heavy wooden table in the dining area before sprinting up the stairs to the bedroom that was on the second level above the kitchen.
The jump she gave up was visible when she came out of the bathroom wrapped in a large towel and carrying her dirty clothes. The bedroom was lit with half a dozen candles, the small table by the west facing window filled with the food that had been below.
“The laundry basket is by the closet, Natalie. Just drop your stuff in there. Mrs. Yang will return them to the bedroom,” Tre had arranged the chairs so they could watch the wild colors spreading across the western sky, dark clouds edging the sunlit day out of sight.
“I’ve never had dinner in my bedroom before,” Natalie did like he said, lifting the knee length cotton pants from the bed and stepping into them before dropping the towel and letting the oversized shirt fall over her head.
“It seemed a nice alternative since it’s getting windy outside. The rest of the week promises to be normal wet and spring chilly,” Tre patted the chair at his side as he stabbed a cube of chicken with his fork and bit down hungrily.
They talked about their days and about the wind whipping up outside, the bright colors of sunset replaced with layered, building clouds in shades of grey and darker.
“Whatever you’re paying Mrs. Yang, it’s not enough,” Natalie declared, sighing deeply and settling back in the chair with a contented wiggle. “This is like a luxury hotel. You even have the fireplace going.”
“Romantic luxury hotel,” he winked, watching her stretch, the flames of the gas fireplace behind her and sending a gold highlight around her lean, long figure. “Beautiful.”
“It is romantic. Peaceful,” she sighed and glanced over at him. “I canceled the home phone today.”
“So now people can only harass your cell?” He laughed at the face she made, standing up and moving to take her hands. He led her to the bed and stretched out across it sideways, patting the spot in front of him so they could star at the fire. Until they became distracted.
“With my family, you ignore them until something else catches their attention,” she told him, backing against him and letting his warmth seep into her. “This…is nice. I could so get used to it.”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” he told her, kissing the bare expanse of throat.
“So you have a nefarious plan?” Natalie wiggled, repositioned and faced him, her hand just happened to fit right between them where his waist was. The other palm up and brushing those stray hairs behind his ear.
“It’s devious,” he confessed direly. “You’re doomed.”
“It’s brave of you to let me in on the plan.”
“It’s that good.” He assured her slyly, brows wiggling.
“I adore your confidence, Tre,” she moved closer, her tongue out and tracing a languid line around his mouth. “Just remember, I’m not always compliant.”
“But you are an adorable challenge,” he returned, his palms sliding down as he rolled to his back, taking her over him. Her knees were split by his thigh, her lower body stroking seductively and bringing his erection to life. “I think it’s a little warm in here,” his hands slid beneath her shirt, skimming it higher and pulling it over her head, his gaze on the round breasts freed and against his chest. “Nice…really nice…”
Natalie put her palms on the bed and straightened, adjusting her leg over him and squeezing his hips with her knees. She held up one hand when he reached up, one finger wiggling at him. She reached for the hem of his shirt, tugging and freeing it until it was pulled over his head and dropped to the floor with hers.
“This is nice,” she purred softly, her palms stroking over the pale hairs on his chest, her fingers trailing down the center of his ribs to his naval. “I think it’s my turn to play,” she told him, smiling at the flare of heat she saw burst in his eyes.
“And what’s that mean?”
“No touching…” She told him, taking his thick wrists and stretching forward until his hands were above his head. She held him there for a long minute before sliding down his body, her hands pressing heavily down his ribs and onto his abdomen.
“That’s not playing, woman, that’s torture and highly frowned upon…”
“Will you think that when it’s your turn?” She peeked through her lashes up at him, her hands forming together and pressing heavily over his cock. She saw his stomach clench, his breath catch and hold.
“My turn?” He ran his tongue around his lips, his body hardening beneath her touch; the look of her and the scent of her filling his senses.
Pale brown eyes burned when she slid to the side on her knees, her hands tugging the shorts he’d put on down and over his feet. She rolled on her hips, shimmied and kicked her pants free before returning to her knees at his side. Her palm rose, one finger trailing around the hood of his cock, a nervous gulp breaking free when it moved beneath her touch.
Tre groaned and closed his eyes, the soft center of her palms cupping over him and dragging down his length, slowly and with just enough pressure to harden him more. He peered at her through hooded eyes, his palm up and removing his glasses, letting them fall to the floor and hoping he remembered them. The red-gold flames of the fireplace reflected off her naturally tanned flesh, her hair hung free and tickled his thighs when she bent forward.
He was holding his breath.
And continued to do so when her mouth touched him, her tongue out and sweeping softly around the ridge of his cock. She wouldn’t confess to him that she’d never had the desire to do this before. But there was something about Tre that had her wanting to explore her sexuality. Her powers. And he was willing to indulge her.
She licked down the veined length, flicking her tongue out and around and over all the ridges and throbbing hardness. Natalie put her lips near the thick base, kissing, opening her mouth and lightly trailing her teeth along his length to the ridge, tracing the pulsing edge with her tongue before slipping her mouth over him.
Tre was positive he was going to die, his control snapped when she slid him into her mouth. Then she jumped back, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Are you alright? Did I hurt you, Tre? Oh, god…”
“Hurt…Natalie, I don’t remember ever being so fine before,” Tre groaned, leaning up on his elbows. He watched her blink and swallow. The it dawned on him. “Babe, you were doing everything…and I mean everything…right…”
Tre reached out with one hand, taking her palm and placing it back on him, groaning softly when her fingers curled around him, stroking down the hard length.
“Oh, yes…more, Natalie…”
She heard the hunger, the need in his voice and bent forward, stretching herself out and getting comfortable before taking him into her mouth again. Suckling, licking, tasting and exploring.
“Christ, babe…” Tre groaned.
She listened to his sounds, felt the noise he made resonate in her, heat her and rush through her like fire. His arousal was hers. His hips moved as she stroked him, as she took more and more of him and became comfortable with what she was doing, with the pleasure she was willingly giving him.
No, more than willing. Eagerly giving, she realized, relishing the sounds of his pleasure until he abruptly say up and pulled her mouth to his.
Slanting his lips over hers and thrusting his tongue like the cock that had been thrusting into her mouth seconds before, her stroked and caressed and reached behind him for the foil packet, rolling the condom down his cock before pinning her to her back and sliding between her thighs. He could smell her, he reached between her legs and tangled his fingers in the crème flooding from inside her.
Tre listened to the soft mewls, the sound of his name breaking from her lips when his mouth settled over one nipple, suckling and pulling it, curling his tongue around it with strong, teasing strokes.
His palm slid down her stomach, fingers tangling in the dark coils and sliding through the hot syrup. One and then one more. She was more than ready when he seated himself and pushed.
Slow, gently at first. Then her hips surged up, pushed him further and his thumb pressed against the swollen clit, stroked over and around the nub.
Her body exploded when he thrust inside her, deeply seating himself and holding still while the silken walls convulsed and shook around him, squeezing him snugly and refusing to allow him to move.
Natalie twined her fingers with his, lifting her hips and rotating, those fading tremors returning, building again as he moved. Long, strong strokes that took her higher, but with him this time. He had beautiful eyes, she thought as he pulled a palm free, stroking it down her center and flicking, pressing, stroking until the wave crashed onto her again.
Tre felt her body begin to shatter, his own thrusting once and once more before he lost the weak thread of control that had been his. Every muscle in his body froze for an instant, the explosive pleasure streaking through him and sending his shout through the house, low and hoarse.
It was mostly quiet in the room, their raged breathing and the occasional crackle of the fire breaching the silence. Tre wasn’t sure how he found the energy but rolled to the side and went into the bathroom. When he returned, she was stretched stomach down, that beautifully upturned behind greeting him as she stared at the fire.
Tre swallowed the groan and ordered, yeah, that always works, ordered his body to shut down for now. He pulled the blankets over them and stretched out beside her.
“So tell me about this personal theory you’ve been working on,” his palm moved to her shoulders, pulling the long hair to the side.
“You should have forgot that,” but she smiled at the thought.
“Curse that good memory gene. You don’t want to share?”
“Do you like admitting things you believed were flaws? Or that some little part of you was broken?” Natalie sighed, enjoying the quiet around them, the soft stroking of his palm down her shoulder and back.
“Flaws? Broken? Excuse me,” Tre applied his best appalled face. “My girl does not have flaws and I refuse to accept that,” he watched as she bit her lip, trying to keep from laughing.
“You’re making me want to hit you…”
“Bring it on, babe…” He challenged, laughing when she launched herself at him, wrestling and tangling with arms, legs and blankets until they both lay gasping for breath. “Damn, woman, you’re stronger than you look.”
“And sneaky,” she told him, slipping her hand to his hip and sinking her nails in, laughing when he jolted upright and scrambled to the other side of the bed.
“I think it’s coming up on my turn…I feel it…” Tre moved toward her, the sexy little squeal she offered as she tried untangling herself from the blankets.
“I don’t remember that at all,” she said quickly when she found herself pinned to the center of the bed, a knee on either side of her waist. He held himself over her, keeping his weight off but her hands were stuck between his knees and her hips. Natalie glared at him.
“So you’re saying you’re not a woman of your word?” Tre looked shocked, leaning carefully over her and smoothing the hairs from the sides of her face. His fingers trailed down her chest, each circling around one nipple. He watched them respond and grinned when she squirmed beneath him.
“I don’t recall giving you my word on anything,” she said, smiling sweetly, despite the urge to moan and thrust her chest against his hands. “Do you have it in writing? Maybe a recording?”
Tre bent forward carefully, taking one pert nipple between his teeth.
“I should have asked where your cuffs were,” he teased, feeling her body give a little shudder when he switched to the other breast before sliding down her legs, taking her hands in his and keeping them from moving. He had her legs trapped beneath him until he positioned himself lower, his mouth moving in soft, moist kisses over her ribs and onto her stomach.
“Tre…”
“It’s my turn, Natalie…don’t distract me while I’m exploring,” he whispered against her skin, his tongue trailing down to the soft, dark coils. He released her wrists when her fingers curled into the blanket. “You don’t mind, do you?”
He drew one long finger between the swollen petals, separating them, drawing the thick dew up and over her clit. She didn’t protest but her body definitely responded.
“So tell me what your theory was you were working on?”
“Tre…it was just…something…”
He leaned closer, inhaling and flicking his tongue out, over and around the little nub sticking out for his attention. He licked at her softly, like a kitten with fresh milk, taking it all in and demanding more. He slid his fingers lower, swirling around the tiny entrance that had already closed around his finger as he slipped it teasingly inside while suckling at her clit.
“Theory, Natalie…share with me…”
Natalie felt his tongue, stroking and touching. Soft and hard, teasing her and taking his time. Tre wasn’t concerned with himself, she realized, only with her. Her needs and pleasures. And he definitely wasn’t rushing her. And she had no idea a tongue and fingers could feel so damn good.
“Tre…I think…oh, god…”
“Let go, babe…just let go and enjoy,” he breathed against flesh already heated by his caress. His mouth moved back to lick and suckle the sweet syrup coating her. Two fingers slid into her at the same time he bit down lightly and he was glad his body held her in place. When he felt the velvet insides begin to quiver, her hands came up and gripped his head and her hips surged. He heard her calling for him, gasping and tightening muscles that had taken control of her.
Tre reached for the nightstand and had himself sheathed in time to sink into the soft velvet, her walls stroking and convulsing around him. His mouth lowered on hers, their tongues mingling as another round of pleasure began beating at the both. His hands slid beneath her, pulling her hard as he thrust repeatedly before dropping off to the side, his breathing ragged and deep.
Natalie curled against him when he returned after lowering the heat of the fireplace.
“Not going to share your theory?” Tre closed his eyes, the thick blankets over them and the soft pillows beneath when she rolled to her side and snuggled back against him. He wrapped his arm around her middle, the soft fragrant hair beneath his face.
“I think you’ve proven my…original fears…inaccurate,” she murmured sleepily.
“Fears?” Tre let his brain work over their conversations since meeting. “Are you alright, Natalie? I didn’t hurt you…”
“Oh, no hurt…no, Tre…I never felt this good before,” she whispered contentedly.
“Ahh…” He kissed her neck and settled down to sleep. Not completely sure he understood, but glad she was in his arms and his life.