Chapter 21
21
Natalie
Love? He said my love . Did that mean what I thought it meant? Or was I reading into it?
I didn’t have time to dissect it before I heard my name in the crowd.
“Natalie! Natalie!”
“Mom?” I turned in Omar’s arms and found my mom leading my dad through the wall-to-wall crowd of people.
Mom waved. “Natalie!”
“Mom!”
Omar released me, letting me hug my parents.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked them.
“Amelia told me about it,” Mom said. “She was surprised you didn’t. Why didn’t you tell us? We wanted to be here to support you.”
“I didn’t want to make you feel like you had to come. You didn’t have to come.”
“We wanted to, Natalie. You were great up there. Always knew you had it in you,” Dad said.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Bet you showed that jerk you had a date with last month how wrong he was about you, too. No one’s too good for my girl,” Dad continued.
My cheeks burned at his words, especially when I felt Omar behind me and knew he not only heard what Dad said, but completely understood he was the jerk in question.
“Um, yeah. Anyway, Mom, Dad, this is Omar,” I said.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Mayor,” Mom said. “We’re happy to hear you’re running this fall. Excited to support you.”
“As long as you’re good to our girl.” Dad crossed his arms and looked Omar up and down. “Are you?”
Omar shook Mom’s hand, then let Dad appraise him. “I am doing my best, Mr. Edwards.”
“Is your best good enough?” Dad asked.
“Dad!” I hissed.
Dad raised his brows at me. “I don’t care how old you are, I’m still your father, and I’m going to make sure any man who kisses you the way he did is holding up his side of things. There’s more to life than what happens between the sheets.”
“Oh my God. Dad!”
Omar chuckled, his body shaking with humor. “I agree, sir. I’m divorced, but my first marriage was not a good one. I’m not going to make the same mistakes I made then. But I do intend to keep seeing Natalie for as long as she wants to date me.”
Dad leveled me with a look, one I knew meant he was waiting for me to answer.
“Dad, we’re fine.”
Dad nodded, then jerked his chin at Omar. “I’m watching you, Mr. Mayor. And if I find out you hurt my baby girl, we’re going to have a very different conversation than this one.”
“Da-ad!”
Omar just nodded. “I’d expect nothing less, Mr. Edwards.”
“Dean, leave the mayor alone,” Mom said. “This is a party. Get me a drink.”
Dad kissed Mom’s cheek, then left to get her a drink, leaving a withering stare behind for Omar.
“Don’t mind him,” Mom said. “He’s harmless.”
“A father is going to do anything to protect his daughter, Mrs. Edwards. I respect that.”
Mom smiled at Omar. “I like you. Better than the man who sent you running to our house. How long have you two been dating?”
“About a month,” Omar said, holding Mom’s gaze and letting her know the truth.
My entire body flushed hot.
Omar slid an arm around my waist. “The beginning was rocky, with a misunderstanding between us. One I have worked hard to correct. I care a lot about Natalie, Mrs. Edwards. I would do anything to make sure she knows how I feel about her.”
“And how do you feel about her?” Mom asked.
Omar looked at me. His brown eyes twinkled in the dark bar, the depth of them drawing me in. “I love her, Mrs. Edwards,” he said, his gaze locked on mine. “But this is the first time I’ve said those words to her.”
Mom gasped. “Natalie! You have to say something back.”
“I would if you would allow me to,” I said.
Mom inhaled sharply, watching us like we were the only entertainment around.
“You love me?” I asked Omar.
He nodded. “I didn’t intend to tell you like this, but yes, I love you. I have for a while and wasn’t sure how to say it. I think I fell in love with you the night we went for a drive. Maybe when we were trapped at the campground. Or maybe the day you landed on your knees in front of me and nearly castrated me. It doesn’t really matter to me when, just that I love you, Natalie.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered.
“Yeah?” His lips lifted on the edges.
I nodded, pulling him close.
He erased the distance between us and sealed our declaration with a kiss that promised so much more once we were alone. He pulled back long before I was ready for him to, but we had an audience. A large one.
That included my parents.
“Oh, I’m so happy for you, Natalie,” Mom gushed. She cupped my jaw, then hugged me tight. “I’m glad you worked things out.”
“Me, too,” I admitted. I knew one day I would have to tell them the whole story, but not now.
“What happened?” Dad asked, joining us with a drink for Mom and one for himself.
“They’re in love, Dean. He just told her for the first time that he loves her.” Mom took a sip of her drink, then looked at me with wide eyes. “You were the woman in the newspaper article.”
She couldn’t have had that revelation without my father next to her? I nodded, but before I could say anything, Omar jumped in.
“Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, that picture was taken out of context. I was walking down the hallway, coming from the bathroom. Natalie walked out of the women’s restroom, and a man was racing past. He bumped into her and knocked her down. I tried to catch her, but she fell. That’s when the picture was taken.”
Dad looked at me with a glare that bordered on murder. “Is that true?”
I nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened. It was the night of that engagement party I told you guys about.”
“For the hair stylist?” Mom asked.
“Yes, Haley and Knox from Al’s Hardware.”
Dad nodded, knowing who we were talking about.
“I tried to grab onto something and ended up grabbing onto Omar. But he was just trying to help me. He didn’t do anything wrong,” I explained, pleading for them to understand.
“That’s very kind of you to try to help her,” Mom said. “Right, Dean?”
Dad grumbled something that was supposed to be an agreement.
“We should go mingle. And I’m sure you need to talk to people, too. We’re so proud of you, Natalie. And Omar, we’re so happy to meet you. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing a lot more of you. You should come for dinner this week. Tuesday night?” Mom wasn’t asking, she was just making it sound like she was.
“We’ll do our best, Mom,” I answered for us.
“Good. We’ll see you then,” Mom said before turning Dad to go back into the crowd.
“So, I met your family. Does that mean we’re more serious now?”
I shook my head. “No. It means I love you.”
He grinned and pulled me in for a kiss. “I love you, Natalie.”
“Natalie!” someone else called in the crowd.
“Go shine, Natalie,” Omar said, kissing me softly before releasing me to the crowd.
And for the first time, I wasn’t afraid to face them. Because I knew I could do it, and I knew he would be right there with me.
I was quiet on the drive to Omar’s after the fundraiser. I was drained and exhausted and needed quiet. He held my hand and allowed it.
I couldn’t remember anyone ever allowing me to be quiet. Not my parents, not Daisy, not anyone I’d dated or been friends with. They wanted me to talk.
Omar wanted me to be myself. If I wasn’t already in love with him, that would have sealed it.
“Thank you,” I said when he pulled into the garage and closed the door behind us.
“For what?”
“For not asking me to talk on the drive here.”
“I assumed you were trying to decompress. It was a lot of people and a very busy night and everyone wanted to talk to you.”
I nodded. “Most people wouldn’t understand that it meant I needed quiet.”
He leaned across the center console and kissed my cheek. “I guess I’m not most people. Are you ready to go inside?”
I nodded, releasing his hand and letting myself out of the SUV. Because we were just going to O’Kelley’s, he drove the SUV, but he promised we’d take the Bluebird out soon.
Yes, I called his car the Bluebird. He vetoed Blueberry.
Omar held the door open for me, then followed me inside. I was almost ready to crash but a part of me was energized from how successful the event was.
“Water?” Omar asked, going to the kitchen.
“Yes, please.”
He poured two glasses and met me on the couch. I’d kicked off my shoes, needing to stretch my toes. I wasn’t used to wearing shoes that weren’t sneakers, and my feet were killing me.
Omar sat on the couch next to me and handed over my water, then set his on the side table and pulled my feet onto his lap.
I tried to pull them back. “My feet are smelly.”
He lifted one to his nose and inhaled deep. “No, they’re not. But I’m guessing by the way you keep moving them around, they do hurt. Let me rub them for you. You find something to watch.” He handed me the remote and went to work on my aching feet.
I found a movie and moaned my way through the best foot massage of my life. By the time the movie ended, I was a puddle on the couch and barely conscious.
“Let’s go to bed. Do you want to change alone?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have to.”
“Okay.” He followed me into his bedroom, where I’d left my bag earlier.
I grabbed my bag and pulled out the outfit I packed for the night. I was feeling spontaneous and sexy, and even though I was exhausted, those earlier feelings were coming back as I changed from my jeans and pretty top into my loose-fitting tank and barely-there shorts. There was nothing overly seductive about my outfit, but both were edged with lace and nearly see-through.
When I caught the look on Omar’s face, I could tell the outfit did not miss the mark.
“You’re going to kill me.” His tone was gravelly and overflowing with desire. The erection he was sporting only added to the impact.
“That was never my intention.”
“What was your intention?”
“Celebrating the night, whether it was a success or not.”
“It was a hell of a success. And that’s a hell of an outfit.”
“Do you like it?” I spun so he could see the extra low droop in the back and the way my cheeks were almost exposed.
“Fuck me, Natalie.” He crossed the room in three quick steps, not pausing before he captured my lips. His hands went to the low back, scorching my bare skin with his need.
I kissed him back with the same urgency. He’d stripped out of his pants and button-down shirt and was in his boxer briefs only. His skin was warm and smooth and inviting for my fingers.
He cupped my ass with both hands, finding the lace and flesh and groaning when he got his hands on me. He guided us to the bed, pausing to get one more look at me before he nudged me to climb onto his bed.
I crawled to the top and laid down, drawing him on top of me. He positioned himself between my thighs and kissed me again, his hands exploring my body as mine did his.
He thrust against me, revving me up before either of us was out of clothes. He lifted my shirt between us, getting his hands on my exposed stomach before breaking our kiss and dragging his lips down my throat, across my collarbones and over my top to suck hard on my nipples.
He left wet spots behind from his mouth and kissed my stomach, nudging my shirt up until he could access my breasts without a barrier. He nibbled and teased my nipples while I panted and writhed, wanting more and wanting him to never stop.
“I love you,” he whispered against my breastbone.
“I love you.”
He shoved at my shirt, and I leaned up to remove it. He devoured my fully exposed top half, his lips everywhere at once and driving me wild. When he dipped a finger beneath my panties, I went even more crazy.
“Omar,” I moaned.
“You are so beautiful,” he replied. “I love watching you.”
I pried my eyes open and found him. He was kneeling between my legs, one hand invisible as he played under my shorts. The other hand cupped my breast, teasing my nipple and playing with me.
“I need you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He pressed his fingers into me, and my hips rose in response. “I want to watch you. Then I want to taste you. Then I want to feel you.”
I whimpered at his words, desperate for all of it. His thumb rubbed over my clit, then pressed down as his fingers curled deep inside me. I went flying without notice, my body popping like a balloon as I came instantly.
The next moment, my shorts and panties were gone, and his face was buried between my legs. He sucked at my clit and pumped his fingers deep into me, taking me from one peak to an even higher one. He refused to let me fall, holding me on that edge until I tried to nudge him out of the way to finish the job myself.
He growled at my hand and grabbed it with his free one, wrapping his fingers through mine and ruthlessly pounding into me with his other hand.
I flushed hot, then came with a shout, my hips bucking against his face as he fought to hold on and take everything I had inside me.
“Fuck, I love you,” he said as he licked back up my body, leaving wet trails all over my stomach. His fingers stayed inside, teasing me and keeping me reaching for more.
“Please, Omar,” I begged him.
He grabbed a condom from the nightstand and handed it to me. He kneeled next to me, keeping up the delicious torture between my thighs while I rolled the condom down his length.
As soon as it was on, he crawled between my legs again and replaced his fingers with his cock.
“Oh, God, that feels good,” I moaned.
“Yes, you do, my love. So good,” he said.
“I love you.”
“I love you, Natalie. So much. I need to feel you. Are you ready?”
I nodded, bracing myself.
He withdrew, then slammed hard into me.
My body tightened, the feel of him sending me back up the cliff.
He did it again, his rhythm increasing in speed with every stroke. He pounded into me, losing himself in the moment, but never losing me.
“I love you, Natalie. Love you.” He repeated the words, like a chant, his hips matching his words as he took me somewhere I’d never been before.
Up and up, higher and higher, more and more, we climbed together. My throat tightened. My body reached. My orgasm raced for me, needing to let go before I passed out.
“Omar,” I breathed. “Omar,” I whimpered. “Omar!” I screamed, coming so hard I worried I peed a little.
“Fuck, yes. Natalie!” he shouted, surging and releasing with me.
He pumped into me a few more times, twitching and shaking as his muscles tightened and his body emptied into mine.
He collapsed onto me, and I wrapped myself around him to hold him in place. He trembled in my arms, matching the way my body shook.
We laid there forever, our bodies cooling and steadying, our hearts blending. And I knew, without a doubt, he was the one I was meant to have in my life forever.
I just hoped I got to keep him.