Page 3 of Forces of Nature

“Yep, that’s right. Two peas in a pod,” Natalie chirped. She wasn’t going to douse her cheery nature on account of his sombreness. If anything, she dialed it up a bit.

“I figure that means you must be Luca Moreno’s kids then.”

It was a statement rather than a question, and again it grated.

Natalie knew why. She was wildly attracted to this serious, brooding guy and the fact he’d just referred to her as a kid was galling to say the least.

She pursed her lips and considered her response, because there was no way she was letting that go, even though he technically didn’t require an answer. “Well, if you know Luca, and I’m guessing you’re about the same age, then I’m pretty sure you also know he’s nowhere near old enough to be my father.”

His eyes flashed at that. “You’re a sassy little thing, aren’t you. You should be careful, if you let your mouth run away with you in my dungeon, you’re likely to find yourself on the wrong end of a spanking.”

They’d just arrived at what was obviously her suite, since she recognised the door number.

“Promises, promises,” Natalie murmured under her breath as she dug in the pocket of her coat for her key card.

She’d thought her words were far too quiet for Jared to hear, but the man must have ears like a bat because he not only heard but replied.

Leaning close, so close that she could feel the entire length of his body warming her back; so close his warm breath tickled the back of her neck and made the fine hairs stand up on end, he whispered, “Be careful, little girl, I always keep my promises.”

And then, he pushed away from her, much to Natalie’s regret, and was gone.

Moving through the door to her suite, Natalie was impressed by its size. The huge expanse of the bed alone, made her think of her parents and the unique threesome they shared with her ‘pseudo dad’ Luca.

She snapped a couple of pictures, knowing they would be interested. Sure, they co-owned an entire Caribbean Island resort which they were planning to make their home, but who didn’t love the mountains and the snow. It would make a nice change for them when they wanted a break from the tropical paradise.

After quickly unpacking, Natalie fired off a text to Nathan, telling him she was planning to explore and asking if he wanted to do it with her. As much as he griped, they’d always been very open about their ‘proclivities’, which each of them appeared to have inherited from their parents, even though Ryan and Zoe had been careful to hide that side of their relationship until the twins were adults.

Some things were just part of your DNA, and that certainly seemed true of her and Nathan.

And she really did want to spend some quiet time with him before she left for Elysium. She was excited about her new job and all the new things she could learn but being away from Nathan was going to take some getting used to.

Growing up, they’d been inseparable, even at that age when siblings grew apart. Being twins made a difference despite the gender gap. They’d even chosen to go to college together, and then to both stay on to do their masters degrees..

So, after twenty-three years it would be odd to be without him.

She didn’t get a reply, but ten minutes later, there was a knock on her door, and she opened it to find Nathan standing there.

He wandered into her room and looked around. “Nice,” he remarked, eying the bed in much the same way as she had.

“What’s your cabin like?” Natalie asked as she brushed her hair and checked her makeup.

Nathan walked over and peered out of her window, checking out the criss-cross of forest and ski slopes that patterned the hillside beyond and the plump, gray clouds that cloaked the tops of the peaks in a thick veil.

“It has a different vibe from this.” He turned and gestured around the plush room. “It’s much more rustic and private. I like it.”

Natalie nodded as she dug out a pair of shoes and pulled them on. “I’ll have to come and check it out.”

Picking up her key card, she stuffed it into the back pocket of her snug fitting jeans and proceeded her brother to the door. “Did you find out if there’s much going on?”

Nathan inclined his head and gave a sly grin. “Apparently lover boy has a demonstration later this evening if you’re game for watching him with another woman.”

Natalie rolled her eyes and shook her head, her brown curls bouncing around her face. “Is that the best you can do? You’re going to have to up your game if you want to get a rise out of me, Nath.”

“I can dream,” he sighed, in mock grievance as they made their way back downstairs.

They decided not to go back outside again, so they occupied themselves with checking out the interior of the lodge. The dungeon was a massive room which took up most of the second floor and they planned to visit that later when the demonstrations started, but right now Natalie and Nathan familiarized themselves with the dining room, where all their meals would be served and the lounge.

“Wow!” Natalie exclaimed as they walked through double doors into the massive, double height room complete with an enormous stone fireplace.

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