Chapter 4 #2
Natalie turned around and rested against the railing. I could feel her watching me, but she didn’t say anything.
Finally, I spoke. “What?”
“I’m just trying to figure out how you are still single.” She flapped her hands. “Look at you. You’re gorgeous. You know how to cook, you’re organized, obviously good with your hands.”
“You have no idea how good I am with my hands.”
She raised her brow. “I can imagine.”
“Anytime you want me to show you, all you gotta do is ask.”
Her tongue darted out and touched her bottom lip as her gaze swept down my body. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Do that,” I growled. This might be playing with fire, but I didn’t care. It had been a long time since I was this attracted to a woman.
Nat sucked in a breath, then stood up, breaking the connection. “Anyway, back to you being single. How is this possible?”
I shrugged.
“Don’t make me ask Beth what your flaws are,” she teased. “How’s it possible no one has scooped you up?”
I hated this question. Why was I single? Because I hadn’t met anyone who made me not want to be. I liked sex as much as the next guy. But commitment? Sharing my home with someone, my life? No thanks.
Natalie was the first woman I’d had in my home that I actually liked having here.
Usually, they took one look at my home and suddenly they were planning our future together and talking about throw pillows and shit.
It was like being invaded. Nope. Whenever possible I avoided having women over.
I always blamed it on my dog, but it wasn’t just him.
It was me. I didn’t want people here. I didn’t want anyone rearranging my stuff, wanting to change things.
Hell, even my family was a bit much most of the time, except for Beth’s kids. Apparently, Walter felt the same way if his sitting at Natalie’s feet was anything to go by.
“I don’t know. Why’s a woman like you single?”
She scoffed. “I don’t have time for romance.”
“Everyone has time if they want to.”
“True. But if I’m being honest, most of the time I don’t want to. Dating is exhausting.”
“No shit,” I agreed.
“I want a guy I can just be myself with. Not one who wants the prima ballerina he sees on stage.”
I grabbed the steaks off the grill and set them on plates. “You want to eat inside or out?” I asked.
“Out.”
Good answer. I set the plates on the table. “Have a seat, and I’ll grab everything and bring it out.”
“You don’t have to wait on me. The least I can do is carry the dishes outside. You are feeding me, after all.” She led the way inside and picked up the two salad bowls.
Resigned to the help, I grabbed cutlery, napkins, and the bottle of wine and followed her back outside. Once seated, I turned my attention back to her. “What do you mean, guys want the prima ballerina?”
“I don’t know. The guys I meet seem to have this picture of who I should be.” Natalie shrugged. “Usually I don’t measure up.”
I gaped at her. How the hell did she not measure up? That didn’t seem possible. “What kind of assholes are you dating?”
“How do you know they’re assholes?”
I just looked at her with my brow raised. There was really no need to answer that question.
She snorted. “Okay, yeah, most of the time they are assholes.”
I nodded. “Obviously.”
She cocked her head to the side and studied me. “Why do you say that?”
“Because look at you.”
Her smile turned sad. “That’s what I mean,” she said.
I held up my hand. “No, hear me out. Yes, obviously you’re hot, that goes without saying, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“What are you talking about then?” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest as if she were expecting me to say something she wouldn’t like.
“I don’t imagine you’ve changed that much since I saw you last, so I’m going to factor that into this as well.”
“Okay, this should be good,” she muttered.
I rolled my eyes at her. Yep, same ol’ Nat I remembered. “I don’t imagine you can get to where you are in your field by being lazy or undisciplined.”
“Of course not,” she agreed.
“You’re a woman, on the backside of your twenties.”
Her eyes narrowed, and I grinned. That one hit a nerve.
“So, you probably have younger women gunning for your job on the daily, and yet you’re still at the top of your game. You still have the lead in every performance you’re in, which tells me you probably work harder and longer than anyone else.” I looked at her for agreement.
“True.”
“You’re in peak physical condition. There isn’t an ounce of fat on you, which tells me you’re willing to sacrifice things most people aren’t willing to sacrifice.”
“Yeah, most guys don’t like that,” she mumbled.
“Most guys don’t like what?”
“That I’m so regimented in what I eat.”
“You don’t seem that regimented to me.” I eyed her empty plate. The girl could put away a piece of protein.
“This is my offseason. I don’t normally allow myself wine.”
I shrugged. “So?”
“So, when I go to fancy parties and refuse to have champagne, apparently that’s embarrassing.”
I scoffed. “Fuck that. You’re a grown woman. You can decide what you eat or don’t eat. Does your doctor have concerns?”
“No. Not at all. She monitors me very closely since eating disorders are incredibly common in the company.” She looked down and touched her hip bone. “I’m skinny.”
“Yep,” I agreed, waiting for her to continue.
“There’s a fine line between good skinny and bad skinny.”
“Okay.” Where was she going with this?
“I’ve been told by more than one guy I’m not the good kind.”
“What the hell?”
She rolled her eyes. “Apparently I’m too bony and my hipbones hurt.”
I snorted. “So go on top.”
She scrunched her nose at me. “Not every guy likes that.”
I raised my brow. “Uh, yeah, they do.”
Natalie laughed. “Trust me, they don’t.”
“Real men aren’t turned off by a confident woman.” I leaned forward and pinned her with a stare. “Trust me, the idea of you riding me is hot as fuck.”
“I didn’t realize we were talking about you,” she teased flirtatiously.
“Didn’t you?”
She licked her lips. “Okay, maybe I did.”
“Mmm hmm.” I smirked.
She shifted in her chair and glanced up at me from beneath her lashes. “Is that really how you see me?”
“Is what really how I see you? Strong. Determined. Hardworking. Confident.” I looked at her and held her stare, allowing her to see the truth in what I was saying. I didn’t know what kind of men she normally encountered, but they sure as hell weren’t worthy of her. “Sexy.”
She swallowed visibly. “Wow,” she whispered.
“I think the men you’ve dated are idiots. I don’t care if you look like you do now or were fifty pounds heavier, you would still be the sexiest woman I have ever seen.”
“Fifty pounds heavier, huh?” she teased.
Shit, was that too low? “I have no idea what you weigh, so, um…”
“Fifty is good.” Amusement crinkled the corners of her eyes.
Thank God, I thought I’d blown it there. “Any guy would be lucky to have you, Nat.”
“You didn’t use to think so,” she teased.
I gave a little laugh. If she only knew. “No, it’s always been true. But we were kids, and you were off limits.”
She pushed her chair back. “But I’m not off limits now?”
I leaned back in my seat and held her gaze. “Now we’re both adults, and I don’t give a shit.”
“Good answer.” She stood, and with the confidence of a woman who knows exactly how sexy she is, she straddled my lap. My hands immediately went to her hips as my fingers dug into her muscular ass.
“I’ve wanted to get my hands on you since the moment I saw you,” I told her.
“Me too,” she murmured as she ground herself against me.
My cock hardened, and I couldn’t help but flex my hips up against her.
“Why don’t you take me upstairs and show me just how good you are with those hands?”
I didn’t need to be asked twice. Wrapping my arms around her hips to hold her in place, I stood up. Natalie gave a little squeak, then wrapped her legs tightly around my waist as I strode across the floor toward the staircase.