Ultimate Surrender: The Surrender Series, Book 2 (20 page)

“Of course.”

Jay shook his head. “They threatened her with trying to shut down the clinic if she didn’t sell it or they’d just disinherit her.”

“What happened?”

Jay tried to hide his smile. “Natalie knows people. Several of the people she happened to be in the meeting with were a group of MMA fighters wanting to host a fundraiser for the clinic. They walked out when the father started raising his voice to Natalie and the rest of the staff. Seeing his face when four of the biggest motherfuckers you’d ever seen flanked Natalie? Epic.”

Campbell made a mental note to remember to find out who they were and call to thank them. Maybe he could buy tickets to a match too. Natalie and he could have a date.

A date.

Whoa. That came out of left field.

Didn’t feel half bad either.

He shook his head and started turning monitors and lights off. “Gotta love good people in the world standing up for each other.”

“I know that’s right.”

A doorbell went off, alerting Campbell that the food had arrived. “Let’s go get the chow and get done so we can clear out of here. Sound good?”

“Yep. Ting Wang is waiting for me.”

“Ning Wah. Seriously. Your relationship isn’t going to last if you don’t get his name right. I mean hers.”

Jay gagged and shut the IT room door, locking it behind them.

Campbell slapped him on the back as they moved down the hall.

“Chop chop, men. I’m starving.”

Just hearing Natalie’s voice made Campbell realize it had been too long since he’d touched his woman.

His.

Temporarily at least.

But he was starting to think temporarily wasn’t going to be enough for him, and he didn’t have a clue what to do with that.

Chapter Eighteen

Natalie

Several days later, Natalie paced behind Campbell, who was seated in her office chair.

“When did it come in?”

“Late last night. Ten or eleven.” Another email sat in her inbox, taunting her and the people trying to protect her. “It was a rare evening that I didn’t check my email at home.”

“Why was that?” Campbell asked with a bit more self-assuredness than he really needed to add.

“As if you don’t know?” She tried for miffed and sounded nothing but flirty.
Ugh. Totally losing my edge.

“But I want to hear you say the words.”

Pausing behind him, she leaned over, specifically not looking at the email screen he had up. “Because I was in the shower with my legs spread for you. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“You’re getting warmer. Any other details stick out in your mind?” He was pushing buttons and doing things she didn’t want to know about so she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on his shoulder.

“You shaved my pussy instead of me going to the salon and I distinctly remember the taste of your cock on my tongue.”

“Mmhmm. Was my taste anywhere else? Anywhere else specifically?”

Running her nose up his smooth throat, she licked right beneath his ear just to hear him groan. He’d let her shave his stubble before they left the condo. Talk about sexy. “In the back of my throat, Campbell. Is that what you want to hear? Is that the spot you want me to remember since I’d never done it before? Because it was a definitive first I shared with you?”

“Hell. Yes. That you’d never deep-throated before, that my cock was the first ever to push in deep. Holy. Shit. I’m so hard for you. Never not ready to take you. Not ever.”

Natalie opened her eyes to stare at one thing.

Campbell’s lap.

Where his cock had gotten hard, taunting her, needing her. Just as she needed Campbell to make the ache go away.

She shivered, lost in needing him, and she swallowed remembering how he’d felt in her throat. Cutting off her air, fucking her in a way no one else ever had.

And it hadn’t been rough, dangerous. It had been…soft almost. He spoke to her, told her what to do, talked her through it. Enticed her, seduced her. He’d also told her to masturbate while she was doing it.

Her fingers on her clit as he fucked her throat threw her into some kind of whirlpool of need she’d never experienced before. She came so hard on her knees for him, the steamy water of the shower swirling all around them.

He came all over her tits in the shower a few minutes later. Thick ropes of cum jetted from his cock to cover her chest in his scent. His possession. Then he cleaned her, soaping her body, paying particular attention to the sensitive, completely bare folds between her legs.

With his hands and fingers he cleaned the slick juices from her pussy and then dried her off, put her in bed, and then licked her until she came again.

It hadn’t been even eleven o’clock when she fell asleep, which was before she normally did her final email check of the night.

She shook her head and stood up. Which was why she’d missed the email coming through and found it as soon as she sat down at her desk this morning.

Talk about turning a great morning into one filled with fear and anger. “I hate that this asshole keeps messing with me. Anything new? Anything that will help us?”

“Same things as always. Different IP that it came from. Different makes-no-sense generic email address. And as for the email, there really isn’t much to go on.”

“Always watching. Well, duh. Isn’t that kind of the stalker motto or something? Maybe they have a secret handshake to go along with it.”

“I’ve got a secret handshake for him and it’ll only take one finger to get the message across.”

Natalie smiled and rested her hand on Campbell’s shoulder. He automatically reached up and grabbed it, weaving his fingers through hers, rubbing her skin. Letting her know he was there for her in such a simple way wrecked her.

He wasn’t just slowly chiseling away at her walls. He nuked them. Obliterated them, rendering her defenseless against his advances into her heart where she didn’t want him. She didn’t need him there.

Surviving on her own with no one else was how she’d made it this far.

It was the only way she knew. The only thing that felt safe.

Until Campbell.

He kissed her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

Now she didn’t know how she’d ever go back to being without his presence. Without his voice or his touch. His possession.

She shook her head, trying to focus on the things she wanted to erase.

The man after her. The person she had no idea of their identity but they knew her. Why they cared who she was or what she did, there was no answer as of yet. Fear was her constant companion.

And only one thing could keep it away.

She stared at that one thing, and he glanced at her over her shoulder.

“Still no idea who could be doing this but he wants to taunt me. I don’t get it,” Natalie admitted.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m frustrated as all hell and tired of feeling like I’m sitting on a mousetrap, waiting for it to spring.”

“It’s sometimes like that though. We just aren’t putting the clues together right yet.”

Natalie squeezed his shoulder as she took her hand back so she could pace again. “But that’s just it. It’s almost as if he wants to get caught.”

Campbell pushed a few more buttons and minimized the screen so he could swivel around in the chair and stand. “Email’s forwarded to Wyatt and more stalkers like this want to get caught. Don’t you roll your eyes at me. I will bend you over this desk.”

“That’s my desk.”

“Which we haven’t broken in yet, might I remind you.”

Trying not to smile as a man that good-looking pushed on her desk to test its sturdiness should have won her an Oscar. “You’ve reminded me of that fact every day for the last two weeks.”

“Just keeping you on your toes.”

“And while I’ve heard the whole bad-guy-tries-to-get-caught-but-not angle before, it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“Why does a stalker stalk?”

“FBI profiler is not on my resume,” she added dryly.

“Hardee har har. Come on. Why does a stalker do what he does?”

“Because he’s crazy.”

“Yes, but there’s more. Because he’s crazy about someone. He loves them, he hates them, he wants to be them. And when someone makes such a concerted effort to get your attention they most definitely don’t want all that masterminding to be attributed to something else.”

“Someone else.”

“Exactly. So this latest email, he’s getting antsy. He wants attention and in my experience he’s going to get bolder and bolder until he’s caught.”

Natalie grabbed onto the back of her neck and squeezed. “Caught would be awesome. Or Acapulco is sounding better and better. Maybe they need a clinic and we’ll just move everybody there.”

“Listen. We’re close. Just hang in there and—”

Knock, knock. “Hey, Campbell? Can I talk to you for a minute?” Thankfully he didn’t open the door.

“Just one second, Jay. Be right there.” He palmed Natalie’s cheek and stared down into her eyes. “Hold that thought.” He kissed her and then headed toward the door.

“I’d rather hold something else,” she muttered under her breath as she turned her chair around and plopped down in it again.

“I heard that,” Campbell told her as he opened her office door.

“You were supposed to.”

He winked at her as he stepped through the door and into the hall. “Hey, Jay, what’s up?”

Natalie shook out her hands and tried to focus on work. The things that made her happy, and taking care of the mothers that would be showing up in less than… She glanced at the clock. “Ugh. Twenty minutes. Behind before I even get started. Awesome.”

Bringing up her email, she tried to tune in to her work but then whispered words drew her back out of it.

Jay and Campbell were speaking in low tones outside her door. “What are you guys whispering about?”

Silence.

“Seriously? As if I don’t hear you or know you’re there. I can see your shadows under the door. Would you like me to bring up the cameras so I can watch you in the hall as well? ’Cause I can you know. ’Cause I have cameras that can do that.”

Campbell pushed open the door and her heart sank in her chest.

“What? How bad is whatever it is?”

He didn’t immediately answer, which made her worry more. “It could be nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing?” Natalie and Jay questioned together.

“Cough it up,” she added so there was no miscommunication.

It seemed to take him a minute to decide and then he sighed. Campbell held his hand out to Jay, who looked at Natalie and then back to Campbell before reluctantly handing over his phone.

He flipped the screen around just as it went black.

“Even the phone is against her seeing it,” Jay mumbled. He pushed a button and swiped his finger across the screen.

“Against me seeing wh—oh fuck.” Yes, she almost dropped the phone. Yes, she broke out in a cold sweat.

The image on the paused video screen was one she never wanted to see again. One demon she never wanted to have to face again. Never.

Braden stared in through the front glass.

“What time was this? And what day? Last night?” She glanced around the screen but the dates and times weren’t making it through the panic eating at her.

“Almost ten last night,” Jay answered.

Natalie looked up at Campbell who was staring at her. “Right before the email was sent.”

He nodded and she looked back down at the screen.

She knew enough about the camera system to rewind the video and play it forward. Jay narrated a bit of it. “He turned the corner at the far end of the block and then walked up here. He looks in all of the front windows, and then he tried the front door…there.”

“As if someone would be here then.”

“I know,” Jay agreed. “But remember when the fire happened? You stayed up here a few nights during the repairs because you were pulling such long hours.”

“You’re right.” She glanced back at the screen. Braden looked right at the camera. Just stared at it and then turned around, walking back the way he came.

Not in a huge hurry but he didn’t dawdle either.

“Hey, Jay?” Campbell captured his attention. “Get on your system and make a backup for me.

“Want me to put it on a stick to get to the cops?”

“No. I’m calling Wyatt in just a second and have him download a copy directly. I just want you to make a copy so the video’s not lost whenever the system starts overwriting in a couple weeks.”

“You got it.” Jay turned to go and then pivoted back around to Natalie. “Sorry to ruin your morning.”

Natalie crossed her arms over her chest to keep from shaking.

Or hide it.

Whatever.

Semantics totally weren’t important at that moment.

“Thanks, Jay. And thanks for keeping an eye on things. Since he didn’t damage anything, if you hadn’t been checking just because we wouldn’t have found it.”

“Don’t thank me, it was Campbell’s idea actually. I check the cameras every morning. Good thing, too.”

“Boy I’ll be glad when all of this is over and we can all just go back to doing our jobs.”

“Me too.” He gave her a ghost of a smile before he left.

Campbell pulled out his cell and dialed up Wyatt. He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his side.

She laid her head on his chest as his phone rang several times. Taking a few deep breaths didn’t really help but she was trying desperately not to completely freak out.

Though she was thrown for a loop.

Seeing him again after so many years.

Wanting to forget him apparently didn’t help. Not at all. Immediately it was as if she were back in her father’s reception area. Listening to them argue about the baby she was supposed to give away.

Wyatt’s voicemail kicked on, jarring her out of her nightmare.

“Hey, Wyatt, it’s Campbell. The clinic had a visitor last night a few minutes before midnight. You can see it on cameras one and two. Will you pull the footage up and give me a shout back? We’re pretty sure who it is.” He hung up and put his phone in his pocket. “Now can you see why I really didn’t want to tell you?”

She ignored that and moved out of his arms to pace. “I’ll be watching. That’s what the email said. And he’d just gotten finished snooping around out front.”

“It could be nothing.”

Rolling her eyes wasn’t even good enough for that statement. “Are you intentionally being obtuse?”

He smiled and shook his head. “Love it when you use big words to insult me.”

“I aim to please, and quit evading. Do you really think him showing up now is a huge coincidence that has nothing to do with the rest of the shit storm we’re dealing with?”

“Why borrow trouble?”

“Such an odd phrase. I don’t want to borrow trouble. I don’t want it at all. I’ll give it away for free.”

“Listen, let’s—” Campbell’s phone went off. “Campbell.” There was a slight pause and then he looked at his watch and smiled. “Yes it is a tad on the early side.” He winked at Natalie. “No, I didn’t realize detectives actually needed sleep like the rest of us humans.”

A knock at her door drew Natalie’s attention away from the phone call.

Cheryl waved her over and she was bouncy with excitement. She could handle some of that.

“I’ll be right back,” she mouthed to Campbell as he moved toward her computer. What he was doing, she honestly wasn’t certain if she wanted to know. Putting her head in the sand sounded soothing.

* * * * *

Fifteen minutes later, Natalie walked back into her office and Campbell was just hanging up the phone.

“Great timing,” they both said at the same time.

“You totally freak me out when you do that,” she confessed.

He stood and took a step closer. “Me? It’s like you’re reading my mind. Totally oogy.”

“Oogy? Is that a Southern thing?”

“Yankee, you had better—”

“Yankee?” she asked with her hands on her hips. “Who you callin’ a Yankee?”