Mr. Mysterious In Black (36 page)

“You still talk with them?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I? The guys bit the bullet for me.”

I swallowed. “So do you still deal with cliques and all that bad stuff?” I wanted to tell him about what happened at Tevin’s place but chose not to bring that up right now. There had been so much shit rolled out tonight, I didn’t think my brain could take anymore. The elephant that was butchered from the room was a freaking Siamese twin.

“Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?”

What is it with him and bible verses?

“No,” he said in answer to my question. “But I’m not tamed. Nelly is still Nelly.”

He donned that familiar smugness. The same one he wore when I knew him as Nelly. Well, he
is
Nelly.

Another question: “That night, when I went in search for you, the boys said really awful stuff. Especially Travis. That you couldn’t stay away from Tanya’s bed and all that. When I came out of the hospital, there were a lot of rumors that you’d knocked up Tanya and two other girls. Is it true?”

Natalio laughed and wagged his head. “Like I’d told you time and time again back then, when you’d always be abusing me with your over-impulsive tantrums, I’ve never slept with Tanya.
Ever.
Want me to tell you a secret?”

I nodded.

“It’s Darren who was sleeping with her, even though she was furtively trying to get with me.
He
knocked her up and they are married now. Happily. The rooftop restaurant I’d taken you to after your interview, it’s theirs.”

What? This is news.

“And as for Travis.” His jaw ticked and tension radiated. “Travis never hated you. He was in love with you. All this was uncovered after the cataclysm and everything that followed that night. The boys came forward and informed me that it was Travis who’d set us up that night.”

Travis was in love with
me
? I found that very, very hard to believe. It’s almost laughable.

“Apparently, he’d always liked you but was too much of a wuss to make a move. Then I came along and that ticked him off. The boys said he’d planned for the men to cripple Darren and me so he could take lead of the clique, and then he’d get to have you.”

Natalio nodded at my ghastly expression, assuring me that it was so. He reached out a hand, brushed it gently along my cheek, and ran his thumb across my lower lip. My body responded instantly with a throbbing ache between my legs. “So to put it simply, Sadie,
you’re
the cause of all that happened.” His darkened stare bore into my eyes and my breathing hastened, my lips quivering as he leaned into me. I closed my eyes and waited in desperation for his lips to touch mine. His breath was hot against my lips as he whispered, “So maybe you’re right. Maybe you were the wrong girl.”

And with that, he rose from his barstool and walked away from me.

B
ereft and rebuffed, my eyes flicked open. My lips parted to speak, but only hot, ragged air escaped.

Natalio strutted over to the dinner table and started clearing the wine glasses. “It’s late, Sadie. You said you wanted to know what happened and I’ve told you more than I’d planned on. Moore will take you home.”

Tears burned my eyes as I watched him superfluously busied himself, emptying the glasses and tossing them in the dishwasher. Why was he being so mean? He still wanted me; it was unconcealed, evident, flashing refulgently in his eyes. So why was he purposely trying to wound me? Did he want me to beg him to stay with me?

One side of me was ready and willing to do so. But pride won over. With all my heart, I loved him, but I wouldn’t beg him anymore. Who the hell did he think he was? We
both
got hurt that night. He in more ways than me, I agree. Now that I know truth, I could finally understand and move on from it. But with a sad note, it’s clear that we’d be moving on separately, because he had given up when I was ready to try.

Squaring my shoulders, I stood from the barstool, trying with great effort to keep my tears at bay. Without a word, I sauntered towards the elevator then pressed the call button. The elevator just wouldn’t respond quickly enough and my tears threatened, the sluice gates rattling, about to burst open at any minute.

Before I knew what was happening, large hands gripped me by the shoulders, flipped me around, then crushed me up against the wall. Natalio pinned me from shoulder to thigh with the length of his body, his eyes glazed, his breathing harsh. My heart floundered; I was both scared and aroused. I wanted him so bad and I think I’d allow him to hurt me, too—if that’s what his intentions were at that moment.

Silly you, Sadie.

Oh shut up, unknown voice! I
love
him.

“Did. You.
Ever
. Love. Me?” he breathed, each word a staccato.

Nonplussed, I stared at him. He must be the most intricate man on the planet.

“Answer me, dammit!” he barked.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I love you. Always have and always will.”

“Yet you don’t think I’m worth fighting for?” he asked, his eyes searching mine.

“I-I—” Oh god, what was I trying to say? It’s true, I gave up too easily, but that’s because I don’t handle rejections well. Now he was making me feel terrible.

There was a way to play this game, however. To take the guilt off me. Because I didn’t do too well with guilt. So here goes a question I already knew the answer to. “Did you sleep with her?”

Natalio stilled. “Her, who?”

“Your assistant, Tiffany.”

His hands fell away from me. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Because I want to know.”

He ran a hand through his loose dark hair. “Why?”

Seems to be working…
”Because I want to know!” I shouted.

He turned on his heels and strode off.

I followed him. “So you did, then?”

Natalio unbuttoned his shirt, shrugged out of it, and tossed it on the sofa. That momentarily sidetracked me. “What did you expect me to do? Sit around moping? Hoping that one day you’ll wake up and realize that you want me? You
left
me, Sadie. Repelled me. You wanted me to stay away from you so I did and moved on
—
well
,
I
tried
to.”

“Didn’t take you long,” I said in a mild tone. A tone too temperate. I was supposed to be pretending I was jealous-girlfriend angry, but I just couldn’t pull my eyes away from his pecs. Damn, the man surpassed the definition of sexy. Did he remove his shirt intentionally, knowing it would distract me?

“Oh, it took me seven years. How much longer than that should it take someone to try and move on?”

“You didn’t—”

“I’m a man, Sadie. That’s what men do when they’re heart-broken. They seek solace in booze or faceless orgasms.”

“Well, don’t let me stop you then,” I said with a lifted brow. “Carry on!”

Gathering my wits that had briefly scattered by his shirt removal, I donned my angry mask and flounced off towards the elevator. In a millisecond, Natalio’s hands clasped me around my waist. Just the reaction I was hoping for.

I love it when he chases me. It makes me so…wet.

“Sadie, stop.” He kissed my hair. “It was nothing serious. The blond woman you were ranting about today, that’s Tiffany. I fired her.”

“Why?”

“Because she didn’t deliver your messages,” he said simply. “Sadie, can’t you see how brainsick, unhinged, frickin’ barmy you make me? I’m one big ball of fury and frustration without you. Since I lost you years ago, it’s like everything and everyone riles me. I’m calmed only by thoughts of you.” He spun me around in his arms to face him, his eyes raking all over me, then piercing me with an intense gaze. “Sadie, I love you so much, it just might be iniquitous. Please, don’t leave again. Let’s just start over.”

Of course, yes…

My arms locked around his neck and I pulled his lips down to mine. An enthusiast my tongue was, as it plunged into his warm mouth. How long I’ve longed for this
.
I’ve missed this. Missed him, his kiss, his touch, everything about him.

Natalio pressed me into him, slaking my desires with his. I cared about nothing else, could think about nothing else at the moment but him, his tongue tit tatting mine. Desire sprinted through my veins and I suddenly felt possessed. I wanted him, all of him.
Now.

My kisses became feverish as I voraciously kissed him everywhere, face, ears, throat, while I stood on my tippy toes. “I want you,” I whimpered. “Now. Please.”

Natalio groaned and grasped my thighs, lifting me. And I reflexively wrapped my legs around his waist. Tongues knotted, passion flared, fire flamed between us as he walked into the living area with my body wrapped around his body like a Python sucking the air out of his lungs.

Natalio braced me against the floor-to-ceiling glass window that overlooked the city. Glitzy L.A lights twinkled below. We parted, gasping, refilling our lungs with air.

“If you only knew the things that went through my head today when I first saw you,” Natalio ragged. “Your hair, I’ve never seen you wear it like this before it. You are, hands down, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, Sadie.” He gave me a swift kiss and said, “Sweet sins, I love you.” He kissed me again, pulling away before I could reciprocate. “Don’t you ever leave me.”

Again, his lips crashed down on mine again, and suddenly it’s like we were swept up into a vortex of lust. We both pawed and growled like two starving animals. My fingers lacing through his hair as he feasted on my heated, squirming body. Devouring my ears, my nose, my lips, my neck—oh, there he lingered. Using his hips to keep me steady against the glass, Natalio grasped the hem of my dress and pulled it over my head. One hand unhooked my bra, revealing my perked and aching breasts, while the other ran leisurely up my thigh.

The warmth of his tongue touched my nipple, evoking an ecstatic moan from me. The rigidity of his erection pressed against my sex, and orgasm threatened.

“No,” I mewled. Inside me was where I wanted him. I wanted to orgasm while he thrusts rigorously inside me.

He flexed his hips in a circular motion pushing me closer to the edge, whispering, “Yes.” Natalio brought his other hand up to my breast and grasped them both, kneading and tweaking my nipples, while he flexed his hips pressing his erection against my sex, pushing me up and onward. “Your breasts fit my hands so perfectly. You were made for me, Sadie.”

“Yes. For you. Only you.” I curled my toes in my shoes, willing myself not to climax at his torturous assault. “Please. I want…I want…” I could hardly think clear.

“What, Sadie? What do you want?” he said silkily.

“I want y-you. Inside me. P-P-Please.”

Natalio flexed back his hips and I was glad for the brief respite. Stealing a condom for his back pocket, he handed it to me then placed his hands flat on the glass, at either side of my head. “Help yourself.”

Shaking and burning with need, I fumbled with his belt buckle, his jeans button, unzipped and freed him. My tongue licked across my lips at the sight of his rock-hard, blood-filled, venous erection.

How good that would feel filling my mouth, hitting the back of my throat.

Not now. At this moment, I want it inside me. With impatient fingers, I opened the condom and covered him, all done under the intense, lust-filled gaze of Natalio.

I arched into him, letting him know that I was ready, but the tantalizing demon decided to torment me more. He slowly ran his tongue across my lips, showering me with soft feathery kisses, making me melt like fudge on a hot pavement. Natalio dug his fingers into the thin, lacy material of my panties and ripped it to shreds, leaving me bare and throbbing. He flexed in his hips and his shaft rubbed against my bud, causing me to mewl and claw at his chest. And he did it again and again and again.

“Please, Natalio!” I cried out.

But he ignored my plea and continued his torture. And just when I was about to fall over the edge, he stopped.

Oh Christ! This man…

Clamping his mouth down on mine, he kissed me, thrusting his tongue in and out. I was taken off guard when he slammed into me, and I bit his lip and gripped his biceps, clenching at the sudden intrusion. He filled me to the brim and didn’t move… And then he did. In slow leisured strokes at first, which incremented to long, hard strokes that went all the way home. I squeezed my muscles around him which elicited a winding groan from him. “Christ, Sadie. You’re so sweet. I don’t want this to end…but I can’t slow down.”

As I felt my orgasm rocking on, I squeezed my muscles again. And again.

“So cruel,” he growled, and picked up momentum, slamming deathly into me. Taking me there. My eyes pinched closed, and I could no longer focus on anything but the sensation that roiled at that place where we were joined together. Natalio’s slick, heated body against mine, the mixture of ragged sounds, harsh groans and soft mewls as we breathed each other’s air.

Soon, I was there at the zenith, and I spread my arms and let myself fall off the edge of nothingness. My body vibrating, my muscles contracting, my tonsils shaking at the loud screams that rushed past it. A pearl of sweat tipped off Natalio’s nose and fell onto mine as he slammed violently into me with a garbled version of my name, and stilled. His shaft pulsating inside me, draining him.