Page 52 of Falling Again
CHAPTER 15
In the light of day, Natalie could not stop smiling. She understood that a roll in the hay did not constitute a perfect marriage, but damn, it was a great place to start. The wind outside howled against the window, proving it would be another stormy day. Oh well, at least they had plenty to do in the house—and her mind was anywhere besides packing tape and cardboard boxes.
Natalie rolled over and pulled Anthony closer, a tiny snore escaping his open mouth. He didn’t complain or wake, just fell into her arms as she clutched him against her chest. “I love you,” she whispered into his hair as she cradled him. Natalie couldn’t remember the last time she’d held her husband like this, and she savored every second.
From the nightstand, both of their phones chirped with an incoming text alert. Natalie didn’t want to lose her hold on Anthony, so she craned her neck to see who sent the text. If it was Alice, she’d need to call back right away. But if it was Trudy, she’d gladly let the text fester a little while longer. Natalie loved Trudy like family, but she was still in her vacation sex-induced haze and planned on staying there at least through coffee.
Another series of buzzes came from the nightstand, this time waking Anthony. “What did I miss?” he asked, leaning into Natalie’s hold before kissing her cheek. “Good morning, by the way,” he said with a lopsided smile. Goodness, she loved that smile.
“Not sure,” she sighed as she released Anthony and snagged both of their phones. It was what she feared: Trudy was texting like the town was on fire.
Mumbling a few choice profanities that would have made Madeline do a cartwheel, Anthony pulled himself up to a seated position. “Looks like Elm River went ahead with their coffee shop plans.”
Anthony scrolled through his phone while Natalie sat up and wiggled her ankle around. The swelling had gone down considerably, and she was relieved to find she could stand on it with little pain. Taking a break from his texts, Anthony looked up and frowned while Natalie started tiptoeing around the bedroom. She made it to the bathroom and tried the light switch, letting out a yelp of triumph when the lights came on.
“We have power!” Natalie exclaimed, looking up at the light bulb with a wonder akin to someone at the 1893 World’s Fair.
Before she knew it, Anthony was at her side and looping an arm around her waist. “Yes, but you still have a sprained ankle.” As she opened her mouth to protest, Anthony slung her over his shoulder and took her back to bed.
Natalie giggled, despite having her ass in the air. “I’m not necessarily complaining about the caveman routine, but don’t throw your back out on my account.”
Anthony swatted her bottom playfully before putting her back on the bed. Adopting what could only be described as the worst caveman voice in history, he leaned down and said, “Anthony love Natalie.” Then he proceeded to growl until he was on top of her and peppering her stomach with kisses.
If it had been twenty-four hours ago, Natalie would have covered her belly and shielded her gaze from Anthony’s. But these last few hours had been a revelation with not only their communication, but also their intimacy. Natalie felt both seen and vulnerable, and she knew Anthony had her back. She knew, down to the marrow of her bones, that he still loved and desired her. It was a heady feeling.
As Anthony’s kisses made their way from her stomach up to her neck and ears, Natalie’s head fell back in anticipation of a redo from the night before. Unbrushed teeth and ratty hair be damned, she wanted to make love to her husband. Grabbing his shoulders and spinning herself on top, Natalie returned the favor and nibbled at the base of Anthony’s neck. The primal moan that escaped his throat would have gone well with his caveman-talk only minutes before.
“Nat,” he said with a hoarse voice. Anthony reached and cupped her face, giving her another glowing grin before closing the distance and kissing her senseless. His hand slid down her frame, cupping one of her breasts on its way south of her waistband.
Natalie hissed as his cold hand caressed her navel and she bucked in anticipation. “Anthony.” His name came out like a prayer, a prayer for more of what they started last night.
Just as he peeled down her pajama bottoms, both of their cell phones erupted in a chorus of dings and pings. “God damnit!” Anthony snarled as he reached back and pawed for his cell phone, sending the offending device toppling to the floor.
Natalie squirmed and tried to get Anthony’s hands back in place, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the series of incoming texts. Could they really not get a full week away? “We don’t need to check it,” she reassured herself, wanting anything but reality in that moment. Right now she wanted Anthony, exactly like before. No distractions, just him and a pile of clothes on the floor.
“Trudy can wait,” Anthony insisted. But it wasn’t lost on Natalie that his hands had slowed their progress south, and his breaths were slightly less labored.
“Trudy’s been running this town since the Eisenhower administration,” she teased between kisses. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
Anthony nodded, his attention clearly still on her body. “You’re right,” he agreed. “She said she’d only reach out if the town was on fire.” He froze his place, almost like a website struggling to load. If she wasn’t angry about it, Natalie would have laughed.
That reminder had the same effect as a bucket of water on a campfire. Before she knew what he was doing, Anthony slung himself off the bed and retrieved his phone. Natalie sat back on the pillows watching her husband’s expression shift from annoyed to concerned. “Christ,” he said under his breath. “I need to call Trudy.”
Draping the sheet over her bare chest, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through a series of texts that made her mad as hell. “But we said no work on this trip. We promised each other.” Hating that she sounded more like Madeline or Otis, Natalie tried a different tone. “We were going to spend the day in bed, remember?”
That broke through a little of Anthony’s fog and he slowly lowered the phone. Natalie could tell he was warring with himself over the intrusion to their vacation bubble. Last week he would have taken the calls and shut her out, but now he seemed torn.
“I need ten minutes. I can talk Trudy through some of the points with the coffee shop idea and that should be the end of it. Elm River knows we want to partner on things like this. We’ll remind them that we’re on vacation and can mock-up the terms next week.”
Natalie frowned, feeling her entire body deflate. “What about all we talked about last night? Making each other the priority?”
Anthony finally let his phone fall onto the bed, his legs scampering across the mattress. “Nat, listen to me. You are my priority. I’m trying to think ahead here. Ten minutes now can save me from a headache when we’re back in Buckeye Falls. Please, just a few minutes?” He clasped his hands in front of himself in prayer.
Natalie pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming. She didn’t want to fight, she really didn’t, but she also didn’t want to fall back into their old patterns before their sex haze had a chance to wear off.
“Fine,” she said through a growing lump in her throat. She snatched her cell phone and hobbled over to her robe. Shoving her arms inside, she hastily fastened the belt and headed for the door. “I’ll start coffee and check in with Ginny.” Anthony raised his eyebrow, presumably ready to call the kettle black, but thought better of it. But Natalie was too steamed to be reasonable. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” she spat, sounding like a children’s fable on drugs. “Take all the time you need.” Sarcasm dripped from her words, and she winced. Perhaps she was taking it a tad too far...
Natalie was in the kitchen slamming mugs and pans around for five minutes before she followed her own suggestion and called Ginny. She was calling for more than a work check in, she wanted someone to validate her feelings, like only a BFF could. And judging by how Anthony hadn’t followed her into the kitchen, she knew she wouldn’t get what she needed from him right now.
