Chapter 22
Jensen
Natalie lay with her head on my shoulder, her arm draped across my bare chest. Morning light filtered through the curtains, and I traced slow circles across her skin while I drifted in sated bliss.
She’d spent the last several nights in my bed, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was quickly becoming addicted to her—to her scent, the feel of her skin. To her presence.
That probably should have alarmed me, but it didn’t. Nothing had ever felt so right.
I was getting a taste of small-town domestic life and found it surprisingly pleasant. Charming, even. Strolling through Christmas Village, watching Annabel’s excitement, picking out a tree. I wouldn’t have thought those things would appeal to me. But with Natalie and her little family, they did.
We’d spent an afternoon decorating said tree. It had been so fucking wholesome, with Christmas music playing and the scent of baking cookies in the air. And I’d loved it.
I even decorated the outside of their house.
Most of their lights had been defective, so I’d taken the liberty of buying more, largely under Annabel’s direction.
She’d wanted it to look like a gingerbread house in the snow—multicolored lights on the house and white lights in the yard.
Never one to do anything halfway, I’d added candy canes along the driveway and lit gingerbread people in front of the house.
Apparently, I did have some Christmas spirit.
Natalie shifted, letting out a slow breath. With a slight grin, I kissed her hair.
She’d been busy the past several days securing a rental car, dealing with her insurance company, and doing her part on the picket line with her fellow nurses.
As much as I wanted to step in and fix everything for her—or at least the things I could—my gut told me to tread lightly.
I was in uncharted territory with her, but I was good at reading people.
Swooping in with a brand-new car, paying all her bills, and stuffing the space beneath the Christmas tree with an outrageous number of presents might have seemed like the heroic thing to do.
And a very Jensen Lakes thing to do. But she was still guarded.
I had a feeling she’d take it the wrong way.
I still wanted to do it—all that and more. But how and when were important.
“I feel like I could fall asleep,” she said. “You took everything out of me. Again.”
I kissed her hair.
She propped herself up and caressed my chest. “I almost don’t want to bring this up because part of me wants to drag this out as long as possible. But we probably need to get moving on Julian.”
“Hmm, business or pleasure?” I slid my fingers through her hair and brought her in for a lazy kiss.
“I know, I know. But we don’t want to miss our chance. What if he has it and he’s planning to sell it?”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t been idle.”
We sat up, and as she slipped her tank top back on, I grabbed my phone from the side table and opened an app. It displayed a map with a series of lines tracing routes through town.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“I put a tracker on his car.”
She looked at me in surprise. “How did you manage that?”
“It was easy. I followed him until he left his vehicle unattended. It’s been recording his movements for the last few days.” I pointed at a spot on the map. “He goes to this gym daily, always around the same time.”
“Is that red dot where he is now?”
“Yes. He’s at home.”
“The gym is perfect. I could go and pretend to be there for a workout. I’ll find a way to get him to talk to me. Should be a piece of cake.”
I still had my misgivings about the plan as a whole, but she was right. Planting her at the gym would work well.
“There’s a problem, though,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“I need to get a membership. And I hate to be blunt, but gyms are not cheap, and I’m not working.”
“You won’t need a membership.”
“I doubt they’ll let me work out for free.”
“No, but you’ll only need to get in once. Don’t need a membership for that.”
“True, I can probably get a guest pass. But have you ever been through the gym tour and sales pitch cycle? It takes forever. They’ll have some big muscly guy or super fit girl show me around and talk about all the different equipment.
Then sit me at a desk like I’m there to buy a house or something and try to up-sell me on their personal training and nutrition program.
By the time I got my pass, Julian would be long gone. ”
“Why would you go through all that nonsense?”
“To get in.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Okay, but how am I getting in the gym when I don’t have a membership or a guest pass?”
“You just walk in.”
She looked at me like she had no idea what I was talking about. “You can’t just walk in.”
“Sure you can.”
“Someone at the front desk would stop me.”
“That depends on how you handle yourself. If you walk in as if you belong there, and no one could possibly question you, they won’t.”
“You want me to just walk in like I own the place?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if I can pull that off.”
“Why not? You’ve done it already.” My mouth turned up in a smile. “Did you think I had tickets to the Snowflake Ball?”
Her lips parted. “I was wondering about that. I didn’t think about it until later, but we didn’t check in when we arrived.”
“Of course not. People see what they expect to see. If your body language tells them you belong there, they’ll believe you. And if not, just pretend you can’t hear them and keep walking.”
She took a deep breath. “I guess the worst thing they could do is ask me to leave.”
“Exactly. And I don’t think they will.”
“I should probably get dressed. If he goes today, we should be ready.”
“You getting dressed is the worst news.” I leaned over and kissed her.
“What time does he usually go?”
“Typically around ten.”
Biting her bottom lip, she climbed on, her legs straddling me. “Then we have some time.”
I groaned. “You dirty girl, you’re insatiable.”
“Maybe.”
“Good. So am I.”
True to his routine, Julian left for the gym shortly before ten.
Natalie was ready, dressed in a cropped tank top and leggings.
Instead of bundling up in her winter coat, she’d put on a hooded sweatshirt.
I was concerned she’d be too cold, but she reassured me she was acclimated to the mountain winters and she’d only be going from the car to the building.
A buzz of anticipation pulsed through me as we drove across town. She tracked Julian’s route, noting when he arrived at the gym a few minutes ahead of us. By the time we arrived, he was already inside.
I parked on the side of the lot, away from his Range Rover, where I had a clear view through the large windows. I got out the earpieces and handed one to Natalie.
“Take a few deep breaths,” I said. “Walk in like a model on a runway. Back straight, chin lifted. It’s your gym. It belongs to you, and no one needs to raise a bloody eyebrow about it.”
She nodded and inserted her earpiece. “Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear.”
“Okay, so I’ll walk in and position myself where he’ll notice me. Then I guess see what he does.”
“Try to let him come to you. Eye contact is good but keep it coy. A little smile, glance away. Then look again, like you’re trying to catch him watching you. You’re enjoying the attention.”
“What if he ignores me?”
“He won’t.”
She rolled her eyes. “But what if he does? I need to think this through. Actually, I’ll just ask him to spot me.”
A low growl rolled through my throat. “I don’t want him touching you.”
“He doesn’t have to touch me.”
I growled again.
She laughed. “Jensen, I’m trying to get this man to ask me out. Not just ask me out, but invite me to his house. I’m going to have to flirt and be a bit aggressive about it.”
“I know. But I don’t have to like it.”
“I probably shouldn’t say this to you, but this possessive thing you’re doing is so hot.”
I scowled, and my voice had a hint of sarcasm. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
She leaned across and planted a firm kiss on my lips. “Wish me luck.”
“We make our own luck. And you’re going to be magnificent.”
With a smile, she took another deep breath and got out of the car.
Tension rippled through my back and shoulders as I watched her walk in the front door. This was the least dangerous part of our plan, and my stomach was already in a knot.
And at the same time, I knew she could do it.
A moment later, she whispered to me, “You were right. I walked in, and no one said anything.”
“I told you.”
“That was a rush. Anyway, I don’t see him. Oh wait, there he is. He just came out of the locker room.”
“Go get him, darling.”
“My heart is beating so fast. He’s going over to the weights. He hasn’t looked my direction yet.”
“Be patient.”
“Okay.”
I heard movement but no voices. Lifting the binoculars, I took a brief look through the windows.
It was difficult to see past the line of cardio equipment, but I located Julian racking weights on a bench.
Natalie came into view, moving closer to him, as if she were looking for the dumbbells she needed.
He did a double take.
“I think he saw me,” she whispered.
“He did. Relax, darling.”
I heard her deep breath, and I checked with the binoculars again. He finished his set and got up, his attention clearly on her.
Lowering the binoculars, I waited, my ears sharp. I could hear the music playing in the background, but not well enough to place the song. Except… was that Christmas music? In the gym?
So very Tilikum.
A male voice made my back straighten.
“Hey. Sorry, I don’t mean to bug you while you’re working out.”
I lifted the binoculars. He’d approached her.
“That’s okay,” Natalie said. “Do we know each other? You look familiar.”
“I don’t think we’ve met.” He held out a hand and she took it. “Julian Myers.”
“Natalie Thatcher.”
“You are Natalie,” he said. “I thought you must be.”
“How did you know?”