Natalie might not realize it yet, but they were totally in sync. He was experienced enough to know it, even if she wasn’t. Sexually, they were a perfect match.
It’d be interesting to see how they matched up out of bed too, but he had to tread lightly with that idea. If he came on too strong, she might mistake his interest for a commitment.
Looking at her voluptuous body, he told himself that he should take what she so freely offered and enjoy it while it lasted.
But deep down, he knew that someone in her past had hurt her.
Whether that person was still in the picture, Jett didn’t know. He did know that Natalie wasn’t married and never had been, wasn’t engaged and wasn’t seeing anyone other than him. But maybe the guy who’d hurt her was an associate or a family friend.
Jett scowled. Eventually he’d uncover all her secrets.
One thing at a time.
As a teacher, Natalie got extended time off for spring break. That meant plenty of grown-up time away from kids and papers, without the administration keeping tabs on her. No way in hell would he let her hit the dating scene without him.
Not without a fight.
And God knew, he never fought fair. Soon enough, Natalie would know it too.
“Honey, look at me.”
Warily, she brought her gaze back to his, uncertain yet willing. “What?”
Jett kept one hand on her right leg, on her inner thigh. The other was still between her legs, playing with her ever so lightly. “I overheard you on your cell phone last week.” Beneath his palm, her thigh felt sleek and soft. “You were coming into the apartment, talking about spring break.”
She went utterly still, her eyes widening with caution. “Spring break?”
He narrowed his eyes at that evasive reply. “I know that you teach middle school, Natalie.”
She shook her head but asked, “How?”
To distract her from what he had to say, Jett draped her legs up and over his, widening her even more and scooting in closer to her body. He was so hard that he hurt, but for now he could ignore his own need.
He heard her sharp inhalation at this new position, and he said, “You told me that you teach.” Back before she’d decided she had to keep him out of her life. “Don’t you remember?”
“No.”
To keep her just as he wanted her, he put both hands on her thighs. “You didn’t give me any details, but I have ways of finding out things.”
Though he didn’t look at her face, he felt her new nervousness, the burgeoning suspicion. Any second now, she’d demand that he let her go.
And of course he would. She needed to know that she could always trust him, and that for him, no meant no, period.
To keep her from calling it quits, he cupped his hand over her mound again. “You are so hot.”
She hesitated, just as he’d known she would. It had been that way from the beginning with Natalie. They were so sexually suited that a mere touch could ignite them both.
But despite Natalie’s deliberate avoidance of emotional ties, he sensed that what she shared with him was more than sexual.
She definitely loved having sex with him, but sometimes she used sex as an excuse to seek him out for other reasons. After weeks of the most detailed physical exploration imaginable, he could easily read her frame of mind. Within minutes of Natalie knocking on his door, Jett knew if she was upset with someone, if she needed comfort, or distraction.
If she needed reassurance.
He always gauged her mood and then adjusted the lovemaking to reflect it. That meant sometimes things were fast and frenetic, sometimes slow and easy, and at times, even sweet and…loving.
Tonight she was worried. About what, he didn’t yet know, but he hoped before the night ended, she’d tell him.
Natalie didn’t recognize it, but an emotional connection played a large role in making the sex so damn good. She was too naive to realize that the thrill of a purely physical encounter quickly dimmed, that just sex, cold and detached, could never be as intense as the involvement they shared.
For a while now they’d been going strong. Neither of them had tired of the other, and neither of them sought companionship elsewhere.
At least, that better be the case, because the idea of her doing this with anyone else felt like acid in his gut.
There were days when he knew she was in her apartment alone, and it kept him on edge wondering why she didn’t come over. The urge to go to her, to change the dynamics of their relationship, prodded him more times than he cared to remember.
It wasn’t until he’d heard her talking about taking off for vacation that he’d decided to push her for more than sex.
“I like you like this, Natalie.” As Jett teased his fingers along her stomach, she shivered. “I like knowing that you’re here and that you’re not going anywhere.”
Her lips parted, and then she dropped her head back to stare at the ceiling. After releasing a long, shuddering breath, she said with confidence, “You would never hurt me.”
“I’d die first.” He saw the tension leave her shoulders, and he smiled slightly. “What were you thinking?”
She squirmed in indecision.
“Natalie.” He put his hands by her hips and leaned over her. “You can ask me anything.”
“All right.” Her gaze dropped to his thigh but then flickered away. “That scar on your leg…”
Though it still ached at times, Jett rarely paid it any mind these days. “An old bullet wound. What about it?”
Her eyes flared wide. Hesitant, she licked her lips.
Damn, but he felt that lick everywhere. “You are so fucking beautiful.” He had to hurry this along so he could get inside her. “Now tell me, what about the scar?”
“I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Jett had to shake his head at her indecision. She was so damn vulnerable and so defensive of her privacy. She shared her body without reserve but feared sharing anything more. “But you did, so tell me, does it bother you?”
“No!”
He looked at the scar and shrugged. “I’m used to it. To me it’s just a mark, but I suppose it’s ugly.”
“Oh no, Jett.” Pure reaction tightened her thighs around him. “Nothing about your body is ugly. I didn’t mean anything like that.”
“Then what?”
She gave another small tug on her restraints. “This hardly seems the time to chitchat.”
It was exactly the time to chitchat. “Why not now? We’re neither one going anywhere, so we have plenty of time on our hands.”
After a few seconds more, she got her backbone and met his gaze with an exasperated expression of daring. “It looked like a bullet wound to me, so I’ve sometimes wondered what type of dangerous man you might be.”
His mouth twitched. She thought him dangerous? Perceptive of her.
“Is that funny?”
Given his background and his capability, it really wasn’t much of a stretch. When necessary he could be deadly. “I guess not.” He hoped she wouldn’t be too put off by the life he’d led.
“So why are you smiling?”
Jett tried to look more serious. “I’m only a little dangerous, I promise.” Encouraging her toward more conversation, he explained, “I do security work now, mostly domestic investigation.”
“Security work?” Her expression sharpened. “What does that mean?”
“Means I’m a private eye.” Jett watched her and saw her eyes widen with understanding. “It makes it pretty easy for me to uncover secrets.” Your secrets.
Aghast, her brows came down and her mouth firmed. “Have you been snooping into my life?”
He gave a noncommittal roll of one shoulder. “Can’t help myself. I’m the cautious type. See, I’m also ex-military and ex-FBI. Being well-informed is the name of the game, and I’m afraid old habits die hard.”