Claim & Protect Page 7
“Says the mom who works two jobs.” Trevor splayed his hand on the small of her back, only realizing what he’d done when Natalie gasped and damned near missed his glass mid-pour.
“Sorry.” Actually, he wasn’t. Although it was weird as shit he’d taken the action without thinking on it first. Somewhere between the front door and now, touching her had shifted from purposeful to reflex. Which was some seriously scary shit considering their combined pasts. After her history with Wyatt, Natalie deserved a guy who could give her long-term and stable. Not a man born into an abusive family. Eager to dodge any deeper analysis, he focused on Maureen. “When I’m not working, I’m at my ranch.”
“I knew it!” Levi hurried up beside him and dropped the now foil-free plate on the table. “Bobby said your boots were probably for show, but I knew better. I bet you’ve got lots of horses.”
Trevor chuckled. Hard not to when the kid got all riled up and animated. Especially when the topic was something that got him fired up, too. “Only five. It’s not a working ranch. More like a retirement home for geldings who’ve put in a hard life. They get a reward for the job they’ve done, and I get a place where I can ride and relax when I want.”
“But you know how to take care of them?”
“‘’’Course I do. I grew up on a working ranch about an hour north of Houston. I’ve got a guy who helps me out and makes sure they’re taken care of when I’m not there.”
Natalie handed out small dessert plates and snatched two cookies off the top of the pile before she strolled to her seat. “How big is your ranch?”
“About seven hundred acres.” Trevor took a cookie for himself and handed the plate to Maureen.
She gaped at him for at least three seconds before she shook herself out of her stupor and took the cookies. “That’s pretty big for a man who’s already busy. How do you take care of it?”
“It’s not that big. Not really. My parents’ place was five times that. And remember, I’ve got a crew to take care of things when I need it.” He bit into the cookie, the chocolate and peanut butter goodness guaranteeing he’d give Levi a run for his money on scarfing back dessert. “You ever ride a horse, Levi?”
“Nope. I only got to pet one at the fair last year. It was huuuge.”
“I’ll take you out to my place someday and let you ride one of mine.”
Natalie perked up in her chair, her eyes wide with one of those oh-no-you-didn’t looks. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”
“Sure it is,” Trevor said, a whole new round of tempting ideas taking root. Long-term might not be his strong suit, but short-term he could handle just fine. “Every kid should get to ride a horse. You can come, too.”
“Oh no.” She shook her head and wiped her fingertips on her napkin. “I do good with dogs and goldfish. Horses are out of my league.”
“You’d be great.” To his mind, his horses didn’t get near enough attention. And Deuce was a complete sucker when it came to women. He subtly inclined his head Levi’s direction. “It couldn’t hurt.”
Yeah it was a shit tactic, but the more he thought about it, the less he cared. If even half the reality Natalie had shared was true, Levi was due for goodness. Not to mention, he’d give a lot for some time away from work with Natalie.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Maureen added before Natalie could argue. “Trevor’s right. You’ve been working so hard to save up for your classes, you could use a break.”
“What classes?” Trevor said.
“Mom’s saving to get her nursing license again,” Levi said around a mouthful of cookie. “She used to work with kids all the time, but then she had me and she couldn’t. Now she’s gonna do it again.”
“I didn’t give up my job because of you, Levi. I gave it up because your father asked me to.”
“I thought you processed health insurance claims during the day.” Sure, Knox had already uncovered the history she left off her application, but background checks seldom offered the nuances of innocent conversation.
“That’s a temporary arrangement.” Nat’s lips pressed together for a second, a tiny flare of the stubborn determination she’d shown so many times at work moving across her face before she banked it and took another bite of her cookie. “I’m not sure I could stomach it for the long run, but my experience at the hospital helped me land it.”
“What hospital did you work at?” he asked.
“At Baylor. I was in pediatrics for about a year.”
“You ever hear of Zeke Dugan?”
“The trauma doc? Yeah, I’ve heard of him. He’s got a great reputation.” Her mouth quirked to one side. “Particularly with the nurses.”
“Yeah, well his popularity’s probably not as high these days. He’s engaged to a pretty little mechanic from Rockwall.”
“A mechanic?”
“Yep. A damned good one, too. Sweet.” He sipped his tea. “So the classes are for your license?”
“As soon as I get the money saved up, yes. I’ve got a long way to go, though. Continuing ed. Refresher courses. State exams and licensing fees. It’s a lot.”
Maureen leaned in and squeezed her daughter’s shoulder. “You did it once. You’ll do it again.”
Of that, Trevor was 100 percent certain. He’d sensed an underlying strength in Natalie the first day he’d met her, but rebooting her life with next to no support from a vengeful ex and a kid and mom to feed took grit most men didn’t have.
Levi dusted his hands off over his plate. “Are you gonna stay and watch X-Men with us? It’s on cable so we’ll have icky commercials, but the movie’s still awesome.”
“Levi, I told you earlier,” Natalie said. “Trevor has to work tonight.”
“Your mom’s right, bud.” Though he had to agree about the movie. X-Men was the shit even with commercials. “I gotta relieve my guy at the club so he can go spend tonight with his little girl.”
Scrunching up his face with the same determination Natalie favored, Levi cocked his head to one side. “You really gonna let me ride a horse?”
“Soon as I talk your momma into it.” He held out his hand. “Deal?”
That got Levi’s smile back in place, a blinding one full of teeth. He shook Trevor’s hand. “Deal!”
“All right then.” Trevor stood and nodded to Maureen. “I appreciate you taking the effort with the food, ma’am.”
“No effort at all.” She stood and picked up the plate of cookies. “Levi, why don’t you help me finish cleaning while your mom walks Mr. Raines out?”
“Walks him where?”
Natalie chuckled and handed Levi two fistfuls of dirty napkins and silverware. “To the parking lot, silly.”
Levi tracked Trevor rounding the table, locked eyes with him and grinned huge. “What she means is, she’s gonna walk you outside so you can kiss her.”
Natalie cleared her throat and tried to downplay the blush setting her cheeks on fire. So much for a low-key, no-pressure end to the night. “Levi, remember how we talked about thinking before you speak?”
Trevor’s hand curled around one of Natalie’s shoulders a split second before he stepped in behind her, his big, deliciously firm torso tight against her back as he grinned down at Levi. “Kisses aren’t a given, bud. Ever. You gotta earn ’em first.”
“Well, I think you earned one,” Levi said. “You helped set the table and everything.”
Good grief, could this moment get any more awkward? “Levi, maybe you should mind your business and leave the grown-up things to us.”
Her mother abandoned the dishwasher and the plates still stacked on the counter and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “Change of plans. I’ll help Natalie with the dishes later and get Levi ready for bed now so the two of you can actually talk.”
Thank God.
She faced him and crossed her arms, the loss of his heat against her back a downright shame. “I’d apologize, but I love the things that come out of his mouth. Even when they embarrass the heck out of me.”
“He says what he thinks, and he’s cute as hell. I’d be tickled to have a kid like that.”
An entirely different warmth unfurled beneath her sternum, ideas she’d be foolish to let take root painting happily ever afters in her head. Levi deserved someone like Trevor in his life. Someone solid who saw the good in him instead of cataloging every annoyance that came with parenthood.
But Trevor was her boss. A boss that definitely didn’t qualify as the happily ever after type. No one had come right out and said it, but every one of the waitresses had commented on his lack of steady relationships. She smiled to cover her melancholy thoughts, uncoiled her arms and headed toward the door. “Come on. I doubt a big guy like you needs an escort to the parking lot, but I can at least see you to the stairs.”
“And here I thought you were a date who’d give me the full treatment. I’m a little wounded.”
Giggling low, she shut the door behind them and ambled slowly beside him. Even in an awkward moment he made things easy. Like the world moved at a different pace in his presence, unhurried and light. “Thank you for doing this. I know this couldn’t have been the most enjoyable way for a man like to you to spend a Saturday night.”
He stopped and faced her. Cocking his head, he leaned against the balcony rail, propped his elbows along the top and crossed his ankles. “Kinda curious what a man like me means in your book.”
She shrugged and stuffed her hands in her back pockets. “I don’t know. Someone with an exciting social life, I guess. Definitely not sitting around a tiny kitchen table in a dingy apartment eating meatloaf.”
“I ate meatloaf damn near once a week for eleven years of my life. Seein’ as how tonight brought back good memories, I’m not complaining.” He waggled his fingers between them. “Keep ’em coming. What other preconceived ideas have you got up in that hamster-wheel head of yours?”
She grinned, all too easily sliding into the playful moment. “Probably out flying your fancy planes and meeting important people. Oh, wait!” She held up one hand. “It’s Saturday night, so according to the girls at work, you’d be out with some leggy blonde.”
“Ah, employee gossip.” He ran the back of his hand against his chin and hung his head, one of those classic poses her son used when he knew he was busted, but was having a hard time not laughing in her face. When he looked up, the mischief in his eyes nearly knocked her back a step. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “At the risk of spoiling my apparent reputation, I really don’t date that much.”
No. Way. A man with Trevor’s swagger and good looks never went without female company for long. “Why not?”
He shrugged and crossed his arms. His answer came out light, but his gaze didn’t quite meet hers. “Just not convinced I’m the best kind of man to settle down.”
Metal clinked against the window behind them.
Natalie twisted just in time to watch the blinds Levi had pried open with both hands snap shut.
“I think your boy’s chomping to see his momma get kissed,” Trevor said. It was a lighthearted comment. A simple yet fond acknowledgement of her son’s eager and wide-eyed approach to life. But the tenor of it vibrated through her, low and rumbling like an approaching storm.
She sighed and faced him. “I’m really sorry. He doesn’t mean anything by it.”
“You got a habit of apologizing for things that don’t need it.” He pushed away from the rail and prowled the few steps between them. “Been a good night. Great food, good conversation, and killer cookies.” He coiled his fingers around her wrist and tugged.
Caught off guard, she lost her balance and splayed both hands against his rock-solid chest. God, he felt good. Warm, strong, and all man, his woodsy scent wrapping her up tight. She swallowed and smoothed her fingers against his button-down, the starched cotton doing little to disguise the muscles underneath. “What are you doing?”
Banding his arms around her, he anchored one hand at her nape and the other low on her back, the heat from his palms seeping clear to her bones. “A man like me gets a chance to round out a night like this with a kiss, he takes it.”
Her heart kicked and her stomach did that funny dipidy-doo reserved for roller coasters and teenage heartthrobs. “You don’t have to do this,” she whispered.
His gaze lingered on her lips then lifted to her eyes. “You gonna stop me?”
She should. He was her boss. A man who could lure any woman into swan diving off a break-neck cliff with a single look. But it wasn’t just any woman right now. It was her. And after eight years of nothing but cold and empty and another year beyond that of nothing at all, she couldn’t have stepped away from him if she’d tried. “No.”
“Good.” He cupped the side of her face and lowered his head. His voice vibrated through her, gruff and thick. “‘Cause I enjoyed your cookies, but I want a taste of your mouth more.”
He claimed it, swallowing her gasp and scattering what was left of her fragile logic in one heart-stealing swoop. Holy smokes, Trevor Raines didn’t just kiss. He devoured. Commanded. Possessed and plundered.
And she liked it. The taste of him and the way he demanded her response. The slick, wet glide of his tongue against hers and his effortless control. She rolled up on her toes and wound her arms around his neck.
He groaned into her mouth and palmed the back of her head, holding her in place as he feasted from her lips.
The blinds behind them rattled and Levi’s happy squeal echoed behind the glass.
Jolting inside Trevor’s arms, Natalie pushed against his shoulders and wiggled free, her heart clamoring as if desperate to escape her torso. God, she was an idiot. Tonight was supposed to be about giving Levi enough to cover if his dad asked more questions, not set him up for long-term disappointment. Heck, in another minute or two she’d have clawed her way up Trevor’s torso and wrapped her legs around his waist. She pressed her fingers to her still-tingling lips, too flustered for eye contact. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.”
She lifted her head and her lungs hitched. On the surface, the words might have sounded flippant, but something deep and uncertain moved behind his gaze. Like a man who’d just stumbled onto something unexpected and wasn’t quite sure how to process it.
Although, more likely, she was reading too much into the moment. Hard not to with her body still humming from a single kiss. A single, very delicious and heated kiss. “I should head back in.”
“You probably should.”
Probably should because the awkward factor had gone off-the-charts high? Or probably should because he wouldn’t be held accountable for what came next? Logic assured it was the former, but the way he kept his body angled toward her made her wonder if maybe he hadn’t minded locking lips with a single, sex-starved mother.
Before her mind could add any more fuel to the concept, his gaze slid to the window and his mouth quirked in an almost smile. “Do me a favor and tell your mom and Levi goodnight for me.” With that, he tipped his head and turned for the stairs.
She should let him go. Just go inside and not say another blessed word. God knew the next time she saw him at work was going to be weird enough.
“Trevor,” she said instead.
He stalled at the top of the stairs with one hand on the iron rail beside him and cocked an eyebrow.
“Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”
The smile he gave her was pure trouble and promise all rolled up into one. “Darlin’, that was entirely my pleasure.”
Ch
apter Seven
She wouldn’t get away from him this time. Every other time, something had come between Trevor and Natalie, but this time they were all alone. No mother. No Levi. No one from work. Just him and Natalie alone on his front porch.
She leaned one hip into the porch rail and sipped a cup of coffee, her gaze aimed at the blazing sunset. A soft wind ruffled her glossy dark hair around her shoulders. He knew how it felt in his hands now. Craved the silky feel of it as much as he craved her taste.
Careful not to startle her, he swept it aside and kissed her neck.
Gripping the rail in front of her, she sighed, tipped her head and gave him room to work. “You don’t have to do this.”
Yes, he did. Needed to feel her body against his and hear those sweet little sounds she made when he kissed her deep. He slid his hands around her waist, her pink sweater soft against his palms. He should go slow. Knew she deserved slow and steady, but couldn’t stop his hands from gliding up and cupping her breasts.
She moaned and let her head drop against his shoulder, covering his hands with her own and arching into the touch.
Fuck, she was perfect. One hundred percent natural, full breasts more than filling his hands. He plumped them, grinding his dick against her pert little ass and teasing her nipples with his thumbs. He wanted them in his mouth. To toy with and suck on them while she rode him hard.
The bed shook, shattering Trevor’s dream and jolting him straight into reality.
Lady jumped and spun in an insistent circle at the foot of the bed, oblivious of the out-fucking-standing dream she’d just blown to smithereens. She stopped and dropped back to her haunches, ready to play. Most days it was cute. A perfect way to start the day. But with his cock hard and heavy on his belly and no relief in sight, he had to bite back a curse.
“Yeah, Lady. I’ll get you breakfast.” He palmed his dick beneath the covers and squeezed. Almost nothing kept him from getting up at the crack of dawn, no matter how late he’d been up the night before. Today all he wanted was to linger where he was. Damn, that dream had been hot. So vivid his mind had no problem picking up right where his subconscious had left off.