Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Natalie
I tried not to listen in to his conversation when every cell in me wanted to hear every word.
Curiosity raised the voltage on my already overstimulated nerves.
Looking out the window, I saw nothing but questions swirling in my head.
Why wasn’t I angry at him for his attempt at a one-night stand?
It would be a failed attempt, but still.
Because you’re head over heels for him, you foolish girl.
And because he was so tragic about his .
. . his . . . condition. I couldn’t even think the V word without shuddering in anger at his ex, even though from all indications she was a perfectly lovely person and who could blame her after a tough birth and having twins?
She was set for life. She could change her mind later.
Shoving the thoughts aside, I turned back to him as I heard him end the call, tossing his phone into the console between us.
The sight of the rough stubble shadowing his jaw tugged at my center, heating it, and the apologetic half smile squeezed my heart and unbalanced my insides, making my gut tumble. I was a goner.
“She’s in a panic,” he said. “If you’re sure you don’t mind getting home late?”
Almost jumping in my seat, I rushed out my words as if I were an overeager child.
“I’m absolutely positive.” Forced myself to stop there, to not add that I was thrilled and looking forward to meeting his girls and that it would be so much fun.
I was going to need to work hard at not freaking him out.
At not freaking myself out at the intensity of my feelings.
But my feelings were a direct result of the connection we had, the kind of man he was, and everything I knew about him. It wasn’t as if he was a stranger, after all. He was on the Militia. Cat knew him. Hunter knew him and had a great deal of respect for him.
Was I working too hard to justify my lust-tainted adoration for this man and all those effortless orgasms he’d given me? It wasn’t wrong to want more of that, more of everything with him.
He was satisfied to return his attention to the road after giving me a thank-you and a nod.
I turned the radio up again, deciding not to endanger our lives by flirting the way I wanted to, by touching him the way I burned to do.
Instead I sang to the music and saw the stifled smile in his profile as he listened to my sometimes on-, sometimes off-key, but always passionate singing as if I were in a karaoke contest.
When we pulled into the drive and the garage of the oceanfront estate, the gate closing behind us, I tried to keep my jaw in place.
I’d been around people with money before.
More than half my sorority sisters at Boston College were from wealthy families, including Cat, and the other half were well off.
I was the only poor, blue-collar girl that I knew.
But for some reason, I’d thought of Max as a regular guy, a hard-working, blue-collar type since he wasn’t a superstar on the team. Clearly I had no idea how veteran backup QBs who doubled as backs were compensated.
“Wow. Just wow,” I said as he led me inside through the mudroom.
“Thank you. Why do I have the feeling you’re surprised about my home?” He looked curious over and above the anxiety I sensed he had about bringing me into his home, about me meeting his girls.
“Guilty. I had no idea what to expect, but it’s spectacular and I haven’t even seen the views yet.”
“I’ve been around the league a while, been smart about my money.” That was all he said before changing the subject and getting serious.
He ran his fingers through his hair and took a breath while he kept his eyes on me.
My heart hammered and I held my tongue, held my arms and hands back from touching him, reassuring him in my way.
“I can’t introduce you as my girlfriend—not to the girls.
You’re a friend who’s here to help me out. You okay?”
I shouldn’t be okay with it, but I was, because I understood his concern. I’d seen lots of problems with kids who had too many girlfriends/boyfriends come in and out of their lives.
“Of course not. I don’t want to upset your household. I know stability and security in their adult relationships are the most important things for Tori and Trish.” Unable to help myself, I reached out and touched his arm, his solid, muscled arm.
The smile lit his face and my knees nearly buckled at the lift in tension from the air around us.
“I forgot I was dealing with a professional. You’re special, Natalie.
” When I thought he was going to lean in and kiss me, he hesitated.
Instead he pushed the door open. I followed him into the kitchen and watched as he was immediately assaulted by two of the most adorable little girls I’d ever seen.
Following behind the two girls was a gray-haired, bespectacled woman, holding a hand over her heart and moving her ample frame at a much slower pace. The ex-mother-in-law? No wonder he didn’t want to leave her with the bouncing, squealing, active children for long.
Watching him as he knelt before the two girls in the massive glossy kitchen that looked like it belonged in a TV cooking show, the giant grin and sparkling love in his eyes melted my core, my heart and every single one of my lady parts including my sorry uterus.
To keep myself from trembling with emotion over the sense of lost opportunity—because let’s face it, the notion was premature at best and downright audacious at worst. But then audacious had always been my style.
The girls bounced around him, hugged him, climbed on him, kissed him, and squealed in excitement about their activities. Eventually, taking one in each arm, he lifted them as he stood and turned to me.
“Girls, this is Natalie. She’s a friend of mine who came over to help make dinner.” He twisted to his left and said, “This is Tori, the tempest.” Then he twisted left and said, “This is Trish, the teapot. Say hello to Natalie.”
They chorused their hellos as advertised, Tori a boisterous greeting that included a wave and blowing me a kiss, and Trish a quiet, refined hello. I laughed and told them each how happy I was to meet them.
Tori said, “Is she gonna play wiv us, Daddy?”
“I think she might.”
“Playing games is my specialty,” I confirmed. I looked to the older woman who stood quietly observing, not seeming to mind as she gathered up her purse and car keys from the island counter.
“Oh—sorry, Ma, this is Natalie. Natalie, this is Betsy.” We nodded and smiled and though I didn’t feel animosity, I definitely felt worry.
“I hope you don’t mind if I run along—I’m late already. Sorry, I couldn’t stay, Max.” She stopped to hug and kiss each of the girls on her way to the door and left through the three-car garage.
Max put the girls down then and clapped his hands.
“Who wants to make pizza?”
Turned out, we all wanted to make pizza and Max was in charge.
He stood the girls on the stools at the island and let them decorate the premade shells with toppings of pepperoni and mushrooms. I helped by keeping the mess to a minimum, making sure they didn’t fall off their perches, and generally laughing and encouraging their creative spirits.
Then we went out back onto the deck while the pizzas were in one of the wall ovens—a convection oven so they’d be ready in ten minutes.
The girls took my hands to show me around and we went into the yard where an infinity pool overlooked the ocean and an impressive fenced-in playscape took up a chunk of the yard to the far right.
By the time we’d run around the yard once, it was time to go back inside and have dinner.
It was late afternoon by the time we’d finished eating and cleaning up. It was my idea to take them back outside to play and Max raised his brows at me as if to say are you sure? as he held a DVD in his hand. I nodded and the girls took my hands and pulled me to the French doors.
“Come on, Daddy, you too.” Tori turned and dropped my hand and ran to take Max by his because he’d clearly not been moving fast enough for her. He laughed. The delight in his face, the pure joy, hadn’t left his face since we’d stepped into his house to the greeting of his two cherubs.
As we pushed them on the swings, he said to me, “You up for assisting with bath time?”
“Really? Sounds like my kind of fun.” I moved my eyebrows up and down to suggest I had something sexier in mind than bathing his children. He threw his head back in a laugh.
With the amused twinkle still in his eyes, he said, “Maybe later.”
I couldn’t help the clenching in my pussy at his words. “Watch out, Max. I’ll hold you to that.”
“In the meantime, you’re in for a treat. Wait till you see their bathroom. It’s more like a water park.” He gave me a wry grin. I opened my mouth to tell him he was exaggerating, but then looking around, I changed my mind. He probably wasn’t.
“I can’t wait.”
The bathroom was as advertised, filled with bath toys and princess chairs and a gigantic pool-size jetted tub.
He lifted Tori into the tub to join Trish in the bubbles and she said, “Nattie come in with us.” She patted the water as if it would be a perfectly natural thing to do.
Truthfully, if I was alone with them, I’d so do it.
As it was, Max gave me a lecherous grin and I made some crazy excuse about how if I got wet today my toe polish would melt off.
After the bath, we dressed them in their night clothes, Tori in Wonder Woman pajamas and Trish in a pink princess nightgown.
Then we took turns reading stories to them.
They looked a lot alike though they weren’t identical, but their personalities couldn’t be more different.
One other thing they had in common, aside from their adoration of their dad, was their intelligence.
They were so whip smart, they were already starting to read at four, pointing at and sounding out many of the words in the books.
When it was time for them to go to bed, I left their shared bedroom to let Max have his private time. Or I tried to. Trish sat up in bed and said, “Nattie, aren’t you going to kiss me good-night and sing?”
How could I turn down a request like that? I looked at Max and, after a slight hesitation, he nodded. It was the sweetest time of the day spent with these two active angels. Afterward, I left the room with Max right behind me, pulling the door closed and couldn’t help my sigh.
“I know what you mean,” he whispered near my ear.
I wanted to melt into him right then and there, but I held back, knowing I was on borrowed time here and not wanting to push him—in spite of all his innuendos throughout the day.
I should probably call an Uber to get home, but it was the last ting I wanted to do.
Instead, I texted my Dad to let him know I was delayed and wasn’t sure when I’d be home.
What I wanted more than anything was to spend the night with him, another night and another. Without taking a chance, how the hell was I was going to convince him to invite me to stay?