Open Your Eyes (17 page)

Chapter Thirty-three

Nick

I was born with the proverbial silver spoon in my mouth. More like the
golden
spoon. Everything I touched usually turned to gold. I had whatever I wanted. The career of my dreams, power, fame, wealth. But I’d give it all up in a heartbeat for a chance to be with Natalie. My soul needed her to be whole. I needed her as I needed air to stay alive.

I’d never begged for anything. But I was prepared to grovel if she would have me. The thought of her refusing me had
driven me wild for days now, sleep evaded me as I rolled around imagining my life without her.

So I had to come to her. To plead my case. Because I knew once I looked into her eyes, I would know the truth. Connecting with someone the way we had connected was a rare occurrence in life. Something that not everyone was privileged to experience. I knew that. So since it happened to me, I was not prepared to let it go. I would fight to the death for her. Because really, without her,
my soul would be dead
.

If only she
realized that she held my life in her tiny hands.

“Natalie. Say yes. We can work it all out. I promise.” I placed a kiss in the palm of her hand – a kind of promise to the gods, that if she spared my life and my soul, I would give thanks every day.

She just blinked and stared at me for the longest time. Slowly a lone tear trickled down her cheek.
What the hell does that mean?
My heart plunged; I wished I could reach into her thoughts. I saw what I needed to see in her eyes.
She wants me as much as I want her.
But it wasn’t that easy. She had other things to consider. And knowing the angel she was, I wasn’t too happy about my chances.

Natalie was the kind of woman who always put everyone else’s wants and needs above her own. Especially those of her family. I
f I was going to have a shot with her, the way to play my cards right would be to show her I needed her too.

There was only one way I knew to do this. I couldn’t just sit
there and do nothing. I pushed up from my chair and pulled her to her feet, snaking my arm around her waist, crushing her against me. God, she felt so good, I wasn’t sure I could ever let her go again. My need for her was spiraling out of control. I felt my dick harden as her soft curves melted into me.

My
mouth crushed down on hers, hard. Every ounce of my need poured out of me. All the yearning and longing in me begged her to have me. Every inch of me ached for her. I needed to fill her, claim her. My desire was throbbing through my body as I pressed her to me even tighter.

She gasped for air and I slid my tongue into her mouth.
I want you. I need you. Can’t you see? Choose me!

My
head was buzzing. I wanted to be her man. Her only man. And there lay the problem. Because another fucker had gotten to her first. She had borne his name and his children. I closed my eyes, a growl rumbling in my chest. In this moment I knew I could kill a man. I could kill him so she could be mine, and only mine.

I broke the kiss and steered her
toward the elevator. A scorching fever burned in my veins, I was not responsible for my actions. I had to get us privacy before I lost my mind completely. Nothing but Natalie registered in my consciousness.

She didn’t object, her face drained of all
color, her eyes wide. As soon as the elevator doors closed, my lips locked over hers again. I wanted to suck her into me, I couldn’t get enough of her. Her hands tangled in my hair, her breasts pushed against me - her agony as clear as mine. I groaned as the elevator stopped and walked us out of the elevator backwards; lips still locked. I fumbled for the goddamn key, brushing over the tip of my erection as I reached into my pocket to finally retrieve it. Thank God I didn’t need to find a keyhole, swiping the card took far more effort than I could muster.

Inside the room, I pushed her against the wall, my lips tasting her jaw, then her neck as I feverishly undid the buttons of her dress. Her leg straddled my hip and she rocked her mound against me as
I kneaded her breast while my mouth found the hard-pebbled nipple on the other breast. I sucked hard, letting out an animalistic groan.

I pushed her dress up around her waist, slipping my hands under the thin fabric of her panty and ripping it off her. I wanted nothing between us. No clothing, no other man.

She’s mine!

The scent of her arousal drifted to my nostrils. Fuck!
I had to taste her. Now. She gasped as I fell to my knees and pushed her legs apart. My head disappeared between her legs, my tongue hungrily finding her hard bud. God, she tasted good. Her sweet pussy was swollen and her juices flowing so heavily I drank them in, thirsty for more.

“Fuck, you’re so
hot,” I growled. She moaned and writhed against the wall, opening her legs wider so I had even better access to her. “You taste like heaven,” I mumbled against her skin as her fingers twisted painfully in my hair. It was the best pain I’d ever felt. I fucked her with my tongue, trying my best not to scrape her skin with my stubble as my nose rubbed her clit.

“So wet, you’re so fucking wet.” It got to me every time – making my cock
surge in anticipation of sliding into that warm wetness.

“Come for me now,” I commanded. She didn’t resist. She arched her back
, gasping. Her insides gripped tightly as she exploded around me. I loved that she responded to my commands with such abandon – she didn’t hold back – her moans and writhing made my dick go even harder till. I lapped up her juices, insatiable.

She let out a whimper as she sagged to the floor, limp in my arms. I kissed her passionately, the taste of her mingled with our tongues. She reached out and undid my belt, pulling my pants down, freeing my engorged erection. I was so hard my balls ached
, the veins along my shaft were ready to burst and my breath expelled in short gasps.

A surge of heat raced through my body.
She ducked her head and as her mouth covered the tip of my dick, it jolted in appreciation. God, what she did to me. She pulled me in deep, sucking and rolling, her soft cool hands cupping and stroking my hot balls. Fuck! I couldn’t hold on a second longer, I exploded in her mouth, groaning as I released, pushing my dick as deep into her mouth as she would have me. “
Baby
. Fuck!”

I gathered her in my arms and crushed her to me, tears spilling from both our eyes as we held one another, trembling, our chests
rising and falling in unison. We sat like that for the longest time, her head resting against my shoulder, our fingers intertwined, unable to let one another go. I smoothed her hair, telling her how much I missed her; that she was the only one for me.

As our breathing came back to normal, I lifted her and carried her to the bed. She buried her head in my neck and gently placed the softest kisses on my throat. I lay her down
gently and crawled in behind her, pulling her against my chest, cradling her. I felt her relax immediately, holding my hand to the soft swell of her belly.

Tenderness filled my heart.
My dick was half-mast, dying to get inside her, but I knew she was exhausted, physically and emotionally.
Later
, I smiled to myself as I drifted into the best sleep I’d had since she’d left me in New York.

Chapter Thirty-four

Natalie

No! I glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside. Eight pm. Crap! I’d slept for three solid hours.

We had fallen asleep in Nick’s hotel room, completely exhausted. His arm spun tightly around me, pressing me to him even as he slept.
The warmth of his breath on my skin and the feeling of his erection in my back made me smile. I knew he’d wanted more, yet was happy to just hold me so I could get some rest.

“Turn around,” I whispered. I knew his subconscious mind would hear me and obey. But no, he was dead to the world.
My heart swelled. Poor man, he had flown nearly twenty-three hours straight to get here, then to go through all the emotional turmoil as well, no wonder he was so tired. Jetlag would help him sleep soundly for several more hours, so I tried again. “Nick, turn around.” This time he turned and I was free.

I slowly got up, not wanting to wake him. I pulled my clothing straight and smoothed the rumpled fabric with my hands.
Damn, my panties were torn to shreds.
I better keep spares in my handbag.
I giggled at the thought.

As I tried to straighten my sex
-mussed hair in the darkened room, a sobering thought hit me. This couldn't happen again. Not till I’d decided about Gabriel. It's wasn’t fair to either of them.
Or to me.
I got deeper into trouble every time I made love with Nick. Yes, the sex was mind blowing and I couldn't get enough of it with Nick. That was exactly why we needed to stop for now. It was just going to be so much harder on both of us if we had to end it.

Torn. I was torn between two men. One from my past, who I was inextricably linked to through our history and our children. Another who awoke feelings and desires in me I never knew existed, who looked deep into my soul and really saw
me
.

This was
so screwed up.

I knew what Miranda would say. Bugger Gabriel. He had his chance and he blew it. Which was true. But how do
es one erase a lifetime of memories, good and bad, and just move on? Miranda hated clutter of any kind. To her it would be simple. Just chuck Gabriel out with all the other things that cluttered up my life. I sighed as I grabbed my shoes and left the room quietly.
I wish it were that simple.

It wasn’t easy walking out of the
Park Hyatt with hair crumbled and clothes shabby, panty-less, trying to pretend everything was normal. It chafed between my legs where Nick’s stubble had scraped my flesh when he… a warm flush spread over my skin, adding to the absurd picture I made. Yet I was beaming. I saw a few heads turn in my direction. Thankfully nobody I recognised.
Boy, if they only knew why I look the way I do…

A good-looking guy
in the lobby, probably in his early thirties, let out a low whistle as I passed him. He winked as I turned my head and gave me a real come-to-bed smile.
Too late, buddy.

My spirit soared for a moment – two sexy guys hitting on me in one afternoon. How lucky could a girl get?

But then my thoughts wandered to Gabriel. I told him I was just going out with a friend for a coffee. Which was completely true at the time. Now he must be wondering where I was – it was just before three pm when I left the house. How was I going to explain an absence of five hours? And how was I going to sneak into the house without him hearing and calling to me? It was one thing to walk around here where nobody knew me without panties on. But Gabriel only needed to give me one look and know what I'd been up to. He may not be sure with who; but he would definitely smell sex on me.

And if I went straight to shower first, without popping in to say hello, he’d be suspicious anyway.

He’d always been insanely jealous, so there was no knowing what he would do. And I wouldn’t want to risk him getting another heart attack. I didn’t want that one on my conscience.

My only hope was that Gabriel had drifted off to sleep by now. I started the engine and pulled away
. I dreaded getting home. It felt strange going to my own home, my privacy invaded. I tried to shake the uneasy feeling; I was being silly. It was our family home where we had lived together for just over two decades, for goodness sakes. The fact that he had moved out nearly two years ago and was now back because he needed someone to care for him shouldn’t make any difference.
Yet it does.
In ways I didn’t like.

No such luck. As I pulled up, every light in the house was on, including the front of the house.
Damn! There was no chance in hell I’d be able to sneak in unnoticed. I needed a backup plan.
Fast
. I drove past the house at the last minute and stopped around the corner. Plan B. I hauled out my phone and rang Miranda. Voicemail. Shit!
Where are you when I need you, Miranda?
That’s what I hated about cellular phones, everyone could always get hold of me, but when I needed them, it went to goddamn voicemail.

What the hell
was I going to do? I decided to drive directly to her house for a quick shower. Maybe I could borrow a clean sweatsuit. Damn. I hated deception, but I remembered the doctor’s warning. Right now I had more than enough complication in my life.

Miranda’s car stood in the driveway.
I sighed, relieved. It took her thirty seconds to open the front door after I knocked.

“There you are! I was just on the phone with Gabriel. He’s about ready to send the cavalry out to look for you. Where the hell have you…” She stopped short and drew in a sharp breath when she saw the disheveled state I was in. No doubt my appearance screamed ‘sex’.

“Fuck, Nat,
what happened to you
? Have you been… raped or something?” The alarm in her voice made it shriller than usual.

“No, it's nothing like that,” I said as I pushed past her. “What did you tell Gabriel? And did he sound OK?” It was hard to hide the panic in my own voice now. Shit, Gabriel was not only worried about me, he was calling around to try to locate me.
Not a good sign
. I needed to hurry back home.

But first I desperately needed a bit of a clean
-up. “Is it OK if I have a quick shower? And borrow some track pants?” I called from the hallway as I started stripping out of my dress.

“
What the fuck, you’re not wearing panties,” Miranda screeched behind me. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Nick. Nick happened.”

“Nick? You mean he’s
here
– in Sydney. Good God! And you just screwed him, didn’t you?”

“Well
, not quite, but close,” I yelled above the noise of the running water as I felt the warm water rinse away my sins. Crap. Crap. Crap. This was bad.

Miranda laughed as I rolled up the sleeves of her borrowed sweatshirt and the legs of the pants. “You’re such a short shit,” she observed – once again. She liked to rub it in that she was tall and slender. Unlike me with my ample boobs, Botticelli bum and child bearing hips. And of course, compared to her, I was really short.

“You’ve got to tell me what happened before you go,” Miranda wailed as I headed for the door. I gave her a big hug and ran down the driveway. “Not if you want to save Gabriel’s life. We don’t want him getting another heart attack while we chitchat – do we?” I laughed, a little bit too hard, a lot too hysterically. “Tell Gabriel I'm on my way home if he calls again.”

“I’ll just call Gabriel and tell him to calm down. That you are on your way home.” She blew me a kiss in the review mirror.