Page 23 of Wes
After patiently waiting for them to eat the place out of every morsel of food, we walked out hand in hand. Fingers linked, I couldn’t help but revel in how natural all this felt with Natalia.
Things with Bridgette became so volatile with the divorce. I really didn’t expect to find someone worth getting to know so soon… or at all. A little niggling thought in the back of my mind wonders if all of this is a façade.Will she turn into a nutcase too?I shove the errant thought aside. I can’t punish her for Bridgette’s mistakes.
Pulling into the driveway of my old house, I see the curtain move. “Great job, bud,” I tell Reece, watching him via the rearview mirror.
“Thanks, Dad. You should probably get out of here before she sees Ms. Kruze.”
Natalia squeezes my hand, and our eyes meet. “Don’t you worry about your mother.” He grunts in reply, and I follow him out of the car. “Hey, before you go, what was that business with that guy?” I ask, nodding toward the house. “Did he say or do something to you?”
Reece turns his attention to the side, uncomfortable with the sudden change in topic. “No, he didn’t do anything to me.”
“What’s the problem then? You said you didn’t mind Natalia and me, so I don’t think it’s an issue of your mom dating…”
“Iheardthem.”
I wince. Bridgette wasn’t exactly a quiet woman in bed, but as Reece became older, I learned how to muffle her cries. I clasp him on the shoulder and walk him to the door. Bridgette opens it when we approach, and Reece slips inside after a muttered “see you later, Dad.”
She glares at me, her eyes shifting to my SUV.
“Look, I’m not in the mood for another scene. Do me a favor,” I say quickly so I can stop whatever nasty retort she’s got under her sleeve. “If you’re going to bring a guy home, wait until Reece is at my place? He heard you two fucking. Our son doesn’t need to hear that shit.”
Bridgette blanches at the news. “He heard?”
I nod. “He did. Night, Bridge.”
The door shuts behind me, and I return to Natalia and Jeremy. Her gaze glides down my body, and my chest puffs at the attention.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
I glance back and see Jeremy’s on his phone. “Yeah, it will be.”
We quietly discuss music, and I learn in the short ride to her place she has an ear for it. I pull up behind her car and shut off the engine.
“Thanks for dinner, Coach!” Jeremy says and hurries out of the car.
Natalia’s hand opens and closes on her thigh. “Come on, let me walk you to the door.” Meeting her around the hood, I catch her hand in mine. “I’m glad you came tonight.”
“Me too. I haven’t seen Jer play in way too long.”
“It happens, baby. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Those were your parents, right?” I ask as we stop in front of her door.
She smiles. “Yeah.”
“I recognize them from other games but didn’t know who they were there for.”
“They try to go to what they can. I’m not sure I could have done any of this without their support,” she says, gratitude shining in her eyes. “Wes… Can I ask you something?”
I cock my head to the side and tip her face toward mine. “Anything.” Her skin is soft under my rough palm.
“What happened back at Bridgette’s house?”
I sigh and shake my head. “The guy Reece brought up? Max? Well, I guess he stayed the night, and Reece heard them having sex.”
Her face scrunches with displeasure. “Oh, gross!”
I chuckle. “Yeah, so I told her about it. She may have her faults, but I know she hasn’t gone that far off the deep end to be okay with it.”
“Poor Reece…”
The concern in her voice for my son tightens the grasp she has on my heart. Lowering my mouth to hers, I kiss her soft lips. I’m slow at first, running my tongue along the seam. I memorize the sweet taste of her mixed with a touch of pizza sauce. She opens her mouth, and I don’t hesitate.
Sweeping my tongue inside, I explore the depths of her sweetness. Natalia presses her body against my front, and a little sigh of pleasure reaches my ears. This woman is so sweet, kind, and enticing. I’m not sure how a man hasn’t swooped her off her feet by now.
I plan to make their loss my gain because now that I’ve had a taste of Natalia, I don’t intend to walk away without a fight.
