Page 18 of Naughty Secrets

Chapter Eleven

SAM

“It’s been a long time since you’ve seen me without clothes on. I’m not the same.”

My stomach knots. The idea that my Natalie feels embarrassed to undress in front of me says more about the state of our marriage than the fact she was out with another man.

“There is nothing about you that I don’t love.” This could go two ways. Either we take it slow and easy, or I appeal to the rebel who tried everything to get her family’s attention, including dating the new kid in town, a city boy with long hair, a battered guitar, and dreams of becoming a star.

It’s a choice that is no choice at all. I want the rebel. My rebel. My Nat.

Without warning, I lift her off my lap and cross the room to the armchair in the corner. Settling myself on the soft cushions, I gesture to her clothing. “Strip for me.”

“Sam . . .”

“Now.”

Her eyes narrow and a kick of adrenaline rushes through my veins. This is the Natalie I know, the Natalie I lost. She’s a fighter to the end. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

I lean forward in my chair. “Do I need to pick you up and carry you over here?”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Her eyes sparkle with the challenge.

Yesterday I wouldn’t have dared. Yesterday I would have told myself Natalie wanted her space and I needed to respect that. Yesterday it was easier to follow the path we’d been following for five long years.

But yesterday, she wasn’t out with another man. My Natalie had one foot out the door and Steadman was waiting on the other side. If there was ever a time for a Hail Mary pass, it is now.

“Try me.” My heart pounds, counting out the seconds.

She walks across the room, swaying those beautiful hips, looking up at me through her long, thick lashes. “Come and get me.”

I lean back in the chair, legs spread, arms on the armrests, feigning a casualness I don’t feel in the least. “If I have to come over there, I’ll tear it off you, and that will be the end of your sexy dress.”

Lips quivering in amusement, she fights back a smile. “You think it’s sexy?”

“You’re sexy. And in that dress . . . no wonder Steadman was all over you.”

Right thing to say. She reaches for the zipper on her side and slides it down “He wasn’t all over me. We had a few drinks. We talked. He was a perfect gentleman until you showed up and went all alpha on his ass.”

I give a satisfied grunt, remembering the fight in the bar. Steadman got what he deserved. “I know how guys think. And what he was thinking was not what any man should be thinking about my wife except me.”

“What are you thinking?” Slowly, carefully she pushes one strap over her shoulder, then the other. My mouth waters in anticipation.

“Sick, twisted, dirty things, baby. All the places I want to put my cock. All the ways I want to make you scream.”

“So . . . the usual.” She slides her dress down to her waist, exposing her cream-colored bra trimmed in fine lace. When did Natalie start wearing lace? I hate that I don’t know. “At least, the usual like it used to be.”

Fuck. Now my head is filled with images of our sex life before she got pregnant. There weren’t many things we didn’t try. Few lines we didn’t cross. I yank open my belt, unzip my fly and wrap my hand around my erection.

Natalie wiggles gently, working the dress over her hips, as I work my cock.

“Slower, baby. I’m taking it all in.”

“Maybe I don’t want to go slow.” Her gaze drops to my fist as I pump. “Maybe you’re too tempting.”

I like that she’s looking, and even more that she likes what she sees.

Her dress pools at her feet. She steps out of it and walks toward me, a feast of curves in all the right places.

“You haven’t finished.” I gesture to the silky cream-colored panties that cover the soft down between her legs.

“Neither have you.” She kneels between my legs and covers my fist with her hand.

A low growl escapes my lips. My Natalie. Half naked. Kneeling in front of me. Impossible to resist. I am sorely tempted to give in and give my cock over to her sweet mouth. But still feeling raw and vulnerable, with my inner walls crumbling, I need more than quick and dirty. I need to explore the emotions I locked away ten years ago—to feel again, and I want her on the journey with me. Tonight, I’m going to make love to my wife in such a way that she knows I never stopped loving her, and I never will.

Tonight will be Natalie and Sam. The way we used to be.

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