Chapter 18
ETHAN
“I’m going to look into it, Ethan,” the deputy commissioner, who also happens to be an old friend, assures me.
“If it’s him, I want him charged, Derrick,” I say grimly. “That was a death threat.”
“I know. Look after your girl. I’ll deal with this. I’ll call you back once I have something.”
Ending the call, I check the time. I’ve been out here for an hour, waiting for the two detectives that Derrick had sent to pick up the letters.
They’ve already talked to the doorman to discover the camera wasn’t working and the letters were put in the mailbox by the doorman himself.
This building isn’t a bad one, but it’s not as secure as I would want it to be for Natalie.
It’s a good thing she’s moving in with me.
I head back upstairs and see my brothers standing outside the apartment door. It looks like Caleb is arguing with Jake, who is standing silently, his expression stiff .
“What are the two of you doing out here?” I ask, reaching them.
Jake doesn’t meet my gaze, but Caleb’s eyes are angry as he looks at me. “When were you going to tell me?—“
“We wanted some fresh air,” Jake interrupts him. “You go in.”
Looking between the two of them, I decide not to intervene. They can deal with their own problems. I have my hands full right now.
Natalie is in the bedroom, two suitcases by the door. Her back is to me as she empties out a small locker behind a large painting next to her wardrobe. The fading daylight filters through half-drawn curtains, casting a warm glow on her silhouette.
“The moving company is going to be here in ten minutes. I ordered an express service,” she says without looking at me. I instantly know something is up. Her voice is thick.
“What’s wrong?” When she doesn’t answer, I walk towards her. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” she says just as I take her by the arm and turn her around to face me.
Her eyes are red and slightly swollen.
My heart sinks. It is followed by a vicious rage. “What happened? I won’t ask you again.”
She pulls her hand away from me and snaps, “I just said nothing!”
She freezes, as if realizing her tone. Swallowing, she turns around. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. It’s nothing. Hormones, you know. Welcome to the wild world of pregnancy mood swings.”
“Natalie.” I turn her around to face me once again, forcing her to look at me. My voice is low. “Who made you cry? Which one of my brothers was it?”
She gives me a bright smile, a little too wide, too fake. “It wasn’t them. ”
Her phone begins to ring, and she takes the opportunity to get away from me. She presses it to her ear and nods after a moment. “Great. You can come up. I’ll buzz you in.”
Setting the phone down, she glances at me. “It’s the movers. They’re going to take everything I don’t need to the storage unit. I’m not going to come back here.”
“I told you that Caleb and?—”
“I don’t need their help.” Her voice drops a few octaves, and there is a fierce glint in her eyes. “I don’t need help from anybody, Ethan. I know how to look after myself. Been doing it since before you reappeared in my life, remember?”
She brushes past me as she walks away, and I look around the empty room.
A distant siren wails outside, a typical urban soundtrack.
I have a feeling I know who it was. Caleb doesn’t get angry so easily.
Jake, on the other hand, good natured and all, gets riled up pretty easily.
And he’s been quite touchy over Natalie.
I follow her to the living room. “What did Jake say to you?”
She looks over her shoulder at me. “Nothing.”
Her hand reaches for the buzzer, and I stop her. Whirling her around, I walk her backward till her back hits the door, her eyes wide.
My voice is calm as I search her gaze. “Someone made you cry. Either you tell me whose face I have to break, or I can go knock out both of them. Your choice.”
She tightens her jaw. “Why?”
Her chest is pressed against mine, and I can feel her heart racing.
“Why what?”
“Why does it matter if someone made me cry?” There’s an undercurrent to her words that I can’t identify. “Do you think I need you to protect me all the time, Ethan?”
Her cheeks are getting flushed, and I see the anger burning in her eyes. “Do you think that I’m that weak without you, that I can’t fight my own battles? I can look after myself. I don’t need you trying to?—”
“No,” I say, cutting her off. “I don’t think you’re weak. You’re more than capable of fighting your own battles. But I don’t see why you should have to when I’m here.”
I see a strange emotion flicker in her eyes, and she turns her head to the side as if not wanting to look at me.
“That’s very romantic and all, but I prefer dealing with my own problems. It would be best if you focus on our baby and not me.
Believe it or not, I existed for years without your knight-in-shining-armor routine. ”
She lets out a shaky breath, as if trying to focus. I can feel her hot breath against my neck.
“Next time, don’t make decisions for me.
I’m only taking my clothes to your apartment.
Everything else goes in the storage unit.
I don’t need your brothers here. I don’t need someone to carry my suitcases or hold my hand, or-or whatever it is you think I need.
I’ve survived a long time by myself. I don’t need anyone. ”
I study her, wondering what Jake said to have her this riled up. It doesn’t help that she looks so pretty and endearing when she’s getting angry like this. Of course, I’m not fool enough to say that. I lift my hand to touch her cheek, gently nudging her back to face me.
“You want to make all the decisions? Go ahead. If you want to put everything in storage, do so. You want to use a moving company, I have no issues. But if somebody hurts you, that is where your decision-making ability is replaced by mine. I won’t allow it.
That contract you signed this afternoon says that for the next year, you’re mine.
Your tears, your laughter, they’re all mine. ”
Her lips quiver, and I see the heat in her eyes, the uncertain desire.
Gently, my hand rests around the curve of her neck, my thumb rubbing alongside her jaw.
I press my lips to her cheek, trailing down her slim neck, leaving wet, open-mouthed kisses along that pale soft skin that bruises far too easily.
Her fingers grab my vest, but she doesn’t push me away. A small helpless sound leaves her lips.
“You may disagree, but you have signed yourself over to me, Natalie. If someone bullies you, I have every right to put them in their place.”
“I read the contract,” she bites out. “Nowhere does it say that I belong to you. Pretty sure I would have remembered that particular clause.”
The challenge in her eyes excites me, and I move closer, thrusting my thigh between her legs. “You should’ve read it more closely.”
I bite into the curve of her shoulder, and her body stiffens. “You said you’d behave.”
“I will if you will.”
Her fingers grip the edges of my vest, and she yanks me closer suddenly, her eyes dark with desire but filled with a fierce anger. “If I’m standing here with you, that means I’m choosing to be here. Don’t think for a moment that I need you in any capacity.”
My lips curve. “Is that supposed to upset me? You don’t need me, but you want me? I’d rather be wanted by you.”
Her eyes widen in realization of what she has said, and when she tries to backtrack, I seize those pretty pink lips in a kiss so damning that I feel her nipples harden underneath her blouse.
She’s so fucking receptive to my touch. But?—
“I’m the only one who can bully you, Natalie,” I murmur against her mouth. “If anybody else tries it, stab them in the eye. I’ll handle the consequences.”
She laughs angrily, then pulls me even closer. Her mouth moves against mine hungrily, this burning desire consuming us both .
This woman will drive me crazy.
Taking her wrists in both hands, I pull them over her head, pinning them with my hand and gripping her jaw with the other as I press my thigh up against her pussy. She lets out a wanton sound and rubs against it.
Even if she doesn’t want to be honest with me, her body can’t claim to do the same.
I kiss her till we’re both out of breath, but I want more. I know my brothers are outside in the hallway and there are movers downstairs, but I want to take off her clothes, taste every inch of that sweet skin of hers. I want the loneliness in her eyes to be replaced by need and want.
Her body presses against mine, and my hand slides down under her shirt, cupping her breast, and when I squeeze the supple flesh, she writhes under my touch. It would be so easy to take her here, or in the bedroom. The front door locks automatically, so no one can get in.
I’m pulling up her shirt when I hear the doorknob rattle and then a woman’s voice sounds. “Damn it. Where did I put my key?”
Natalie’s eyes fly open in horror, and my hands let go of her wrists in the next second. She pushes me away, fixing her shirt and hissing, “It’s Sarah. Damn it!”
As soon as she’s rearranged her shirt, she’s fixing my collar and vest, looking over her shoulder anxiously. I watch in amusement as she frets.
“We’re not sneaking around,” I remind her.
She just glares at me. “Don’t even?—”
The door opens, and she tries to leap away, but I’m not having it. I wrap my arm around her waist, her back pressed against my chest as Sarah Brown walks in.
“What are you two—?” The question dies on her lips as she looks at Natalie.
“Oh, ho ho.” She grins. “Is this what it’s going to be like? Do I have to knock on a door before coming into a room where you two are?”
She takes Natalie’s hand and pulls her away from me, slamming a plastic bag in my hand. “Cool it, Wilder. You’ve already knocked her up. Who are the two guys outside?”
Natalie looks over her shoulder at the door. “Ah, Ethan’s brothers.”
“They’re cute. Either one of them single?” Sarah winks, and I hear someone clear their throat from behind her.