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“The good guys always win?” she asks, searching my face for reassurance.
“Exactly.” I give her a quick kiss on the forehead, my fingers lingering below her tiny chin. “And remember, Daddy always keeps you safe.”
Finally relaxed, she leans back into her seat, a yawn escaping her. "Okay."
As I close the door, one of the officers calls me over for a brief questioning. It’s clear from their tone and approach that they don’t see me as a suspect, but are just doing a routine check.
"Do you know anyone who would want to break into the building?" the officer asks, his notebook poised.
I shake my head with a frustrating sense of helplessness. "No, I honestly can’t think of anyone. Everyone involved in the project wants the best for the building."
The officer nods, jotting down notes. "We’re still investigating, and we'll keep you updated. Thank you for your cooperation."
After being let go, I walk back to the car, my thoughts heavy with the night’s events. Just as I reach the car, Natalie approaches, her earlier anxiety replaced by a gentle concern. "Is everything okay? Were they able to give you any more information?"
I shake my head, offering a weary smile. "Not much more to know right now. They're still investigating."
Natalie nods, stepping a little closer. “That's what they told me, too.” The chaos of the scene around us seems to recede, the focus narrowing to just the two of us. "Thank you for coming," she says for the second time tonight. "It means a lot."
And for the second time tonight, I'm compelled to touch her. But this time, I can't fight it.
Reaching out, I gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, the contact small but weighted with feeling. "Thanks for calling.”
Her eyes meet mine, and something unspoken passes between us. I feel a little thrill down my spine, arousal making my body hot.
Now is not the time, I tell myself with a scowl.
"It’s late," I murmur, glancing back at Aria, who’s now dozing off. "I should probably get her home."
Natalie follows my gaze, her eyes softening as they land on Aria in the backseat. For a moment, she's silent, her mouth hanging open slightly as if she’s about to speak, but the words never come.
Finally, she nods, her reverie broken. She gives my hand a quick squeeze before stepping back.
“Right, of course.” There’s another pause. I can practically see the gears turning in Nat's brain, her eyes flicking back and forth between mine. And then, in what seems like a split-second decision, she asks, "Listen, can we talk for just a second?”
I hesitate, knowing full well that if I go with her, something will happen between us that I really am not ready for. The events of yesterday have played in my mind all day as I tried to come to some kind of conclusion. I don't want to stop seeing Natalie, but I wouldn't be able to bear a “friends with benefits" situation between the two of us.
But it's Natalie. And her earnest expression staring back at me makes my knees weak and compels me to agree.
"Sure," I relent, nodding towards a quieter spot away from the car and Aria’s ears.
Under the dim glow of a streetlamp, Natalie turns to face me. The flickering light casts shadows that dance across her face, highlighting the intensity of her eyes as the rain above us begins to slow. "I haven’t been able to stop thinking about... us," she confesses, her words trailing off as if searching for solidity.
Her hand reaches out, resting lightly on my chest, her touch sparking a warmth that radiates through my whole body and stops my breath. The air between us thickens, and I shiver.
Driven by desire and the irresistible pull I feel towards her, I close the distance, my hands framing her face. The first touch of our lips is tentative, a question posed in the silence of the night. As Natalie responds, the kiss deepens, growing more urgent, more insistent. My tongue tastes her mouth, teeth nipping at her full, soft lips.
The sensation of her lips against mine, the softness of her skin under my fingertips, and the sweet, intoxicating scent that I'm convinced is something uniquely Nat—it’s so much it's almost painful. The kiss is fiery, each movement stoking the flames of a desire that I've tried to temper, tried to rationalize away since the last time we kissed.
Natalie's fingers thread through my hair, pulling me closer, and I respond in kind, my hands traveling down her back, pressing her body against mine. The heat between us burns fiercely, each kiss feeding the fire, each touch a declaration of the attraction that refuses to be ignored.
It's so similar to the first time—our very first kiss, all those years ago. Memories of her from that day flood my mind. How much she wanted us to be together. How I broke her heart.
That’s all I’ve done for years; break one heart after another, never on purpose but unable to help myself. Because the horrible truth is that I've never been enough. Not for Nat, not for Tara.
What if I do that to her again? I guess the better question is, could I put myself through that again? It seems so horribly inevitable.
As the kiss breaks, the reality of the situation crashes over me like cold water. Stepping back, I catch my breath, the taste of her still lingering on my lips. The look in her eyes— heady and shining—forces the words out of me.
