Page 46 of Afraid to Hope

“The fuck you are,” Bane said gruffly, pushing past them and gathering Natasha to him, sitting on the office sofa with her in his lap. He held her for some time before running his hand over his damp hair, smoothing some of the wild waves. Christ, an unbelievable night with her now followed by this. She had quieted considerably and had gradually stretched out; her breathing was slow and steady. “Nat?” No response. She was out. Between last night and this morning’s emotional gut punch, it was no wonder. Once they ventured into intimacy, they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Neither one of them had had more than a few hours of sleep.

He made sure she was comfortable, then set about cleaning up the shattered mess and breakfast before lying next to her. Bane reflected on everything that had occurred in the past eight hours—from Rafiq showing up shot to the most mind-blowing sex he could ever remember to the devastating discovery at hand. They needed more time to go through the desk and the entireriadbefore leaving on assignment.

Natasha burrowed in deeper as he lifted his hips to retrieve his phone from his back hip pocket. He pushed speed dial and waited. Emmet picked up mid first ring.

“Morning, Emmet,” he drawled quietly. “We need to readjust our timetable.”

“Bane. Good morning. Why are you whispering?”

“Natasha’s sleeping and I don’t want to wake her. We need someone to stay here while we’re out. Can Simon possibly do that? We’ll explain when we see you. Trust me, it’s imperative.”

“I realize last evening was unexpected and challenging.” The director cleared his throat. “The two of you need to get out of bed. I have other meetings scheduled this afternoon.”

“Emmet, we’re not in fucking bed. We’re up. Well, she was. We’ve had breakfast and—” Bane rubbed his eyes and yawned. A full breakfast and Natasha’s warmth were making him groggy. “The meeting has to be moved back a few hours—I’m sorry. Also, our departure has to be delayed.”

“Bloody hell, Bane. Is this truly necessary?”

“Definitely. There’s been a major development.”

“Can you—”

“I can’t, Emmet. Given the events of last night and today, you’ll understand fully when we meet.”

“I bloody well hope so,” Emmet said. There was a pause, then, “Hold please.”

Bane pushed back the soft tendrils from Natasha’s temple and kissed the top of her head lightly as he waited. His heart raced. She had to be the most exquisite creature to ever grace his life. He couldn’t get enough of her.

Emmet’s loud sigh came through the phone as Bane was about to trace the shell of her delicate ear with his finger. “Matilda will take care of my afternoon appointments,and she has reached Simon.” The director sounded bristly. “He will arrive as originally planned and plan on staying. You picked up your car?”

“We did.”

“Drive that in.”

“Will do. We can use Simon’s help going through theriad.Encourage him to show up casual. Caretakers live on the property. We’ll take it from there.”

“What does that mean?”

“We’ll bring you up to speed when we see you at noon.”

“Be prompt, Bane. We’ll have a lunch meeting so you and the doctor can share with me what in hell is so important that the timetable has changed and how this affects the operation going forward.”

“Thanks, Emmet.” Bane tossed his phone onto the rug next to the sofa, then set the alarm on his watch. A nap with Natasha was too good to pass up. He kissed her head and closed his eyes, surrendering to the expanding grogginess, and dreamed of her.

Natasha’s glorious dark hair fanned out around her head as she lay naked against the white sheets of the bed, face flushed, gray eyes turned to molten pewter with desire. Bright moonlight played hide-and-seek in the billowy clouds, casting moving shadow and illumination over her glistening and velvety sepia-brown skin. Her exquisitely dark nipples were erect, delectable, and begged for more of Bane’s attention. Her deep, rapid breathing matched his.

“More, Bane. Please,” she moaned, her long legs wrapped around his lean hips, urging him on.

Bane came up on all fours, thrusting deeper, fighting going over the edge. She was hypnotic in her arousal, close but not yet there. His fingers grazed her sensitive thighs, making them quiver.

“Sweetheart, wrap those gorgeous legs around my shoulders.” He licked his lips and lowered his head to suckle, ushering her body and his to an explosive release.

Bane woke up before the alarm went off, hard as hell, aching for release, Natasha still snuggled up against him, breathing heavily, skin flushed, dewy moisture on her skin. Her hand rubbed his thickened length and she moaned, throwing her leg over his hip. He checked his watch and shut off the alarm, facing a quandary—wanting to act on their mutual arousal but needing to go through everything in the office.

Natasha stroked him again even more firmly. If she kept it up, he was going to cream in his pants like he had a number of times during high school dates, only this was far sexier since he had experienced her voracious appetite, which matched his—unveiled last night through round three. Or was it four?

His hand slid over her hip and gathered up her skirt, bunching it to almost her waist, exposing her thong and smooth skin. Christ, she was stunning. Bane trailed his fingers over her silky texture, wanting so much more.

Natasha tried to encircle his girth, but his zipper presented a barrier. Her chest heaved and her brow creased as if she were frustrated.

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