Chapter 16
Ford
I wanted to get closer to Natasha tonight, but she fell asleep while we were watching the movie. I didn't have any intentions of sleeping on her couch again. So I turned off the movie and carried her to bed.
I stripped down to my briefs and got into bed next to her. I was fairly sure my plan to ease into her life was working. She seemed to be enjoying my company, and every once in a while, I got the feeling that she was falling for me again. Maybe it was the way she looked at me.
She seemed to be stuck on that vintage-car ornament before I took it from her and hung it on her tree. Every time she saw it, she'd think of me.
I'd hoped that we could have a lazy morning in bed, but when I woke, sunlight was already streaming through the windows, and the smell of bacon drifted from the kitchen. She must have been making breakfast.
As much as I wanted to lounge in bed, I wanted to see her more. So I forced myself to get up and pull on jeans. I didn't bother with buttoning them, or throwing on a shirt. I ducked into her bathroom to brush my teeth, finding a spare brush in one of the drawers.
I wandered into the kitchen where she was already plating scrambled eggs with bacon.
She smiled. "I hope you're hungry."
I rubbed my bare stomach. "Starved."
Her gaze followed the motion.
I approached, pulling her against me. She held the pot so that neither of us would get burned, and I kissed her. This was how I imagined being with her during those long nights deployed. I thought about coming home to her again.
At the time, the image had seemed like a pipe dream, but now it was closer to reality. I just wasn't sure I could break through her walls.
I pulled back so that she could finish plating the eggs.
"Would you like coffee?"
I grabbed a plate and sat at the island so I could watch her. "I'd love some."
She poured coffee into two mugs.
"What are your plans for the day, besides helping me decorate my tree?"
"I'll check a few emails and make sure everything's okay downstairs. But otherwise, it's my day off."
"I'm going to work on my bathroom for a bit.
Then we can put the tree up. Why don't you plan on coming over in the afternoon?
" I'd see if I had anything to make for dinner and treat her to a nice evening at my home.
I wished more of it was renovated, but my house was a work in progress. which was similar to my life.
She already knew that about me, and I didn't need to impress her as much as get her to trust me again. I needed to make amends for my mistakes.
"That sounds good."
We ate, talking about the workings of the inn and how she felt like she was immersed in life here.
We finished our food. Our empty plates sat on the counter, but neither of us made a move to clean up.
I stood, turning her stool so that her knees bracketed my legs. Then I cupped her face and kissed her.
When I pulled back slightly, she asked "What was that for?"
"I want to go back to bed."
She searched my gaze and then said, "Yeah, okay."
I tugged her hand so that she stood, and then I led the way down the hall to her bedroom. This was what I wanted last night. I wanted one more chance to make her mine.
My heart was thumping, and I wasn't sure where to start. The sun was bright, and there was no rush.
I tugged her toward me and cupped her face, kissing her as if I could pour everything I was feeling into her.
Her palms rested on my chest, sending tingles through my body. There was something different about this morning. Maybe it was the light shining through the window or the fact that this felt intentional.
Her hands drifted lower to my pants, which were hanging on my hips. She reached around and cupped my ass, her breasts pressing against my chest.
I ground against her, needing nothing between us.
She got the message, shoving my jeans down. I stepped out of them and watched as she hooked her fingers in my briefs and lowered those more slowly, as if to tease me. Except this time, she dropped to her knees and looked up at me from under her eyelashes.
My cock jerked, wanting her attention.
She gripped the base, pumping as my hips thrust into her hold. She licked her lips, and then the precum on the head, and my muscles pulled taut. I wasn't going to survive this.
"I want to see you."
She blinked up at me, waiting a beat before pulling her shirt over her head. She wasn't wearing a bra.
"Everything."
As much as I couldn't wait to have her mouth on me, it was worth it.
When she was naked, she repositioned herself on the floor, her knees on the plush rug. Then she gripped my dick and sucked me into her mouth.
Her mouth was hot and wet, and I wasn't going to last long. I gave her a few seconds, enjoying the sight of her on her knees in front of me, her lips wrapped tight around my length.
Then I hauled her up, placing her on the bed and coming over her.
She widened her legs so that she cradled me, and my dick nudged her entrance.
"We good to go bare?" We'd talked about it once, but she might have changed her mind.
She nodded jerkily.
"You want this with me?" I asked, my dick nudging her entrance again. It wasn't a fair question, not with me so close to slipping inside her, but I wasn't feeling particularly sportsmanlike this morning.
She licked her lips again, and my mind flashed to her knees on the floor, my dick in her mouth. "Yes."
I slid inside, and we both stilled, getting used to the feeling of her walls pressing around me, her hands gripping my biceps. There was nowhere else I wanted to be.
For so many years, every minute of my life was planned and dictated, but she was mine to enjoy at my leisure.
There were no demands, only doing what felt good, and right now that was being inside her.
"Ford, I need you to move." Her voice was breathless.
I complied, easing out to the tip, then watching as I slid inside. I had a feeling it wouldn't get old, and I'd never want to be with anyone else. It was only Natasha for me.
I braced my hands on either side of her head, slowly moving so that I rubbed against her clit with every thrust.
She bit her lip as if holding herself back.
"I need you to let go with me." The things I said to her were about so much more than sex, but she wasn't ready to hear them in that context yet. For now, this would have to do.
I leaned down so that I could kiss her, coaxing her to let go, to give into the orgasm that I knew was waiting in the wings. Her grip on me tightened as she cried out. Her head dropped back, and her pussy clamped around me.
I tried to hold back, but it wasn't possible. I thrust one more time deep and emptied into her, wondering what it would be like if we were trying to have a baby.
That idea caught me off guard, and I rolled to my side to give myself a moment to recover.
Where had that come from? I hadn't even thought about children when I made the decision to retire.
Although retirement made everything easier and more possible.
Maybe I was just open to the idea now that I had more free time and was settled? Or maybe it was Natasha.
When you were with the right person, everything snapped into place.
"Are you okay?"
I turned so that I faced her, not wanting her to think I was having any regrets. "That was intense."
Her eyes widened. "Is it because we were together before, or—"
I rubbed my chest. "I don't know. But I haven't felt like this with anyone else."
"Me either."
And it hadn't felt like that when we were younger. We had been figuring things out together, and it was special, but it wasn't like this. The chemistry now was so much more intense. But I wasn't going to question it.
She let out a breath. "We can't lie in bed all day, can we?"
"Probably not. Although I'd like to test it out one day."
"Me too."
We lay there for a bit longer, and then we got up to shower together.
I behaved myself in the shower, letting her wash up while I did the same.
As much as I wanted to spend more time with her, I also wanted to show her my place, and I needed to get home and make the kitchen area somewhat inhabitable so I could host a guest.
When I was dressed, I pulled her against my body, kissing her as if I wanted to stay all day. When I leaned back, her eyes were hazy again. "See you at my place in a few hours?"
She licked her lips, and I almost groaned. "Yeah."
I forced myself to open the door and step into the hallway. She needed time and space to deal with her feelings, and I had a house to make presentable.
If this was going to work, I couldn't come on too strong. Although I was worried I already had and not through any fault of my own.
The sex was incredible.
Maybe that was the way to her heart. Show her how things between us were different, more intense. How her life would be better with me in it. That was the tough part.
At home, I quickly got to work, ordering groceries from a service I had used in the past, then clearing the kitchen, unpacking boxes, and running a load of dishes.
When everything was in the cabinets and drawers, I scrubbed the counters and washed the floors.
Then it was time to tidy the living room.
She'd want to spend time in there too, and I didn't have any decorations.
I found the box of framed family photos Mom gifted to me when I moved in and got to work hanging them on the walls, setting others on the bookshelves. I needed more things in the house to make it mine, but this would do for now.
Then I ran up the stairs to the bedroom to make the bed.
I did everything I could to make it feel like a home.
I didn't want her to see the boxes and think I wasn't here to stay.
I needed her to see there was no reason for me to leave, not with her and my family here.
I was deep in the family business and had severed ties with the army.
There was nothing that could possibly pull me away.
I was here to stay, and I needed to prove it to her.
In the bathroom, I hit Play on my hard rock playlist and got to work.
This was what my brothers and I listened to when we were together working on a project, and it made me feel not so alone.
I could ask any one of them to come over, and I knew they would, but I didn’t want to field questions about what was going on between Natasha and me.
Some people in Christmas Town might question what was happening, but we hadn't spent any time together outside of town. And her showing up at my parents' for dinner was their doing, not mine. Or at least that's what my brothers believed.
I didn't want my brothers giving me their opinions. I didn't need it. Especially since the last time, Hudson had warned me off her. I didn't need to hear all the reasons why it shouldn't or wouldn't work.
I was content to stay in this bubble with her. Everyone else's opinion was just noise. This thing with her felt right. It was a genius idea to ask her to go with me on holiday events. It was just the thing I needed to have her spend time with me.
It was no pressure. Just a friendly gesture. Falling into bed together wasn't exactly my plan, but I thought it could work.
I continued tiling the bathroom until the afternoon, and then I cleaned up my tools and jumped in the guest-room shower. My hope was that she'd want to stay overnight at my place. That would mean our relationship existed outside of Christmas Town too, which I would take as a good sign.
When I got dressed, I saw the text from Natasha indicating that she was on her way, and my heart rate picked up again. I hoped she'd like the house, even if it wasn't close to being finished.
I saw that the groceries had been delivered while I was in the shower, so I unloaded them in the kitchen.
When the doorbell rang, I rushed downstairs, wondering why I hadn't bothered to at least get a dog. This house seemed emptier now that I was expecting a guest.
I opened the door, something settling inside me to see her standing on my porch, bundled up in her puffy jacket, jeans, and boots. "Come inside where it's warm."
She stepped across the entryway, taking off her gloves. "This place is great. I love it."
I chuckled. "You haven't even seen it."
She paused. "I fell in love with your porch."
I wanted her to fall in love with me, but the porch was a good start. I took her coat, hanging it one of the hooks by the door.
She sat down to pull off her boots.
"I didn't get dinner started yet. I was hoping we could make it together."
Her face softened. "That sounds nice."
I rubbed my hands together, feeling a little nervous to have her see my space. Would she think it was lacking, or would she like it? "Do you want to see the house or cook dinner first?"
She smiled. "The house, of course."
I gestured around us. "This is the foyer."
Natasha held her hands out in front of her. "This staircase is picture-perfect. I can see garland running to the top with lights wrapped around the banister. And a tree right here."
"In the front of the house? I was thinking of putting it in the living room."
"This would be a second tree. I would only do it for guests, or if you had kids though." Then she shook her head. "Sorry, I'm thinking like an inn owner. Every nook and cranny needs something to highlight the season."
"I don't get many guests here. We usually go to my parents or Lincoln's place, now that he's with Penny. No one wants to come to the bachelor house that needs a ton of work."
Natasha tipped her head to the side as she walked into the formal living room. "I think it has character. The woodwork is gorgeous." She ran a finger over the shiny surface of my grandmother's baby grand piano. "Do you still play?"
I was one of the only boys who'd stuck with practicing piano, along with Aspen.
It was something our grandmother started, and I kept doing it to have that connection with her.
I wasn't just a rough-and-tumble boy; I could play music with my fingers.
"Aspen doesn't have a place for it, so I have it for now. "
A crease appeared between her brows. "You're planning to give it to her?"
I shrugged. "She might want it if she has kids."
"What if you have kids?" Natasha asked.
"I haven't thought that far ahead. It seems like Aspen should have it since she's the only girl."
Natasha gave me a slightly confused look before moving around the room. "It's the perfect space to play, especially with the fireplace. Does it work?"
"Yes. There are several in the house: this one, the family room, and my bedroom."
She sighed. "Your home is utterly charming."
"You haven't seen the kitchen yet," I muttered, leading her into the family room that opened into the outdated space.