Ultimate Surrender: The Surrender Series, Book 2 (8 page)

Laughter was not the answer he expected as he tried not to be so panicked.

Hysterical laughter doubled her over and she wiped another tear from her cheek. “Your face, Campbell. Oh my gawd. Funniest thing I’ve seen in days. Weeks maybe.” She mimicked what was most definitely
not
his expression, because he wouldn’t look like that. Ever. And she walked around him without answering his question.

He straight up growled at her as she put the long ruler in the closet and crossed his arms over his chest. “You laughing at me royally pisses me off.”

“Suck it up, buttercup.” She grabbed the remote control, wiped another tear that slipped free and then caught sight of the dogs. “Thick as thieves they are.”

“Tell me about it.”

Climbing back in bed, she slipped under the covers and turned on the television.

Without any bad guys to save her from he totally knew what a third wheel felt like. “Are you okay?” Jesus. As if he needed her to start talking about her feelings or some shit.

“No, but I’ll get there.”

“Uhh… That’s not a typical girl response. Don’t females normally use that as an opening to tell a guy all about stuff I don’t have any clue about and then want sympathy or flowers or a back rub or something?”

“I’m not most girls, which we already covered, though the flowers sound nice. I’ll have to buy some for myself tomorrow.” That was it. No more…anything.

“Is this where I’m supposed to keep asking you what’s wrong until I wear you down and you tell me?”

She looked away from the television somewhat horrified. “Not if you want to keep your junk attached to your body. I’m okay. I don’t want to have some therapy session, especially not with you.”

“Ouch.”

“Oh don’t act all offended. It’s not your forte. And I’m not giving you shit just to fuck with your mojo. I just had a rough day. Very roller coastery. Kinda kicked my butt and then I dropped the remote control behind the bed. It pissed me off so I cried about it.”

“About the remote control?”

She glanced at him and grinned, which ended in a chuckle. “I’m not gonna lie, Campbell. You being so completely out of your element sorta delights me. Okay, so I am giving you shit just a bit, but it is comical especially with your epic hard-on. You know what?”

“Fuck. Whiplash, girl. You changed moods so many times in that thirty seconds I might need my neck realigned at the chiro.” He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to ignore his dick that was now continually throbbing since she’d mentioned him. “And I most certainly don’t know what. I feel like I should be able to take a guess, like three of them, and win a prize if I’m any way close to the topic you’re wanting to discuss.”

“I was gonna say you aren’t that bad when you’re not being an asshole.” She snuggled down in the covers and smiled.

Fuck. And she looked mighty tasty. “You have the oddest way of giving a compliment.” He shook his head as he grabbed his handgun. “Glad I was here to rescue you from the evil too-short bed. I’m gonna go to bed now and leave you to…whatever. Sleep good.” He turned to grab Killer who was sound asleep curled next to Angel.

Lucky bastard.

“Uhh…”

Turning around, he stared at Natalie. She made a pained face, stared at the ceiling, made a different pained face and then faced him again. “Do you wanna watch a movie?”

“With you?”

“No, with the Queen of England.” Rolling her eyes must have been some sort of calling for her.

His cock getting hard when she did it had quickly become an avocation for him. Fuck. “Maybe, but not some stupid chick flick with romantic bullshit and happy ending crap.” He moved back toward her, trying hard not to notice his boner. Covering it up like a wayward teenager didn’t do anything for him but it certainly made it seem like bad form of some kind.

“Gag. I’m gonna watch
Seven
.”

He paused. “
Seven
? With Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman?”

“That’s the one.”

“You keep surprising me.”

She laughed and pushed a few buttons on the remote. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Glancing at him, she cocked her head to the side, reminding him of Killer.

“I honestly don’t have a fucking clue.”

Her smile. Commercials could be made from it.

Rolling his eyes at himself, he walked around the bed to put his gun on the opposite nightstand. “Go ahead and start the movie.”

“Are you coming back?”

Her quiet voice made his heart kick funnily in his chest.

Looking up at her, he noticed she was looking anywhere but at him.

“Natalie?”

“Mmhmm?” Still no eye contact. And from her, he knew well enough she was feeling anything but safe at the moment.

“Look at me?” He did frame it in the form of a question.

Took her a couple seconds but her gaze finally met his.

“I’m coming back. I’m gonna go do a couple things that will take me less than five minutes and then I’m coming back. Promise.”

Her shoulders relaxed. So did her forehead, which he hadn’t realized until that moment had been tight since he’d pulled her out from under the bed. She nodded and he took that as his cue to go.

When he got to the door, she called his name. “Hey, Campbell?”

He glanced over his shoulder, and her shy smile did funny things to him again.

“Thanks.”

Throwing him curveballs like that was seriously going to fuck with his juju, and he had no clue what to do with them nor how to stay unaffected by them. “I’ll be right back.”

He put pants on, got them both glasses of water, and tried to find a bit of his nonchalant charm he was known for. Took him a while to find it and on the way back to her room he pondered why he would lose it around her to begin with.

It’s not like he wanted some kind of relationship with her.

His stomach turned over.

Relationship.

Gag.

That reaction made him feel a bit more like himself. He normally liked fucking women at their places. Not that he was thinking about fucking Natalie. Much. But he liked the ability to leave. Liked being immersed in all of their girlie shit for a bit but then he could go home to his man cave. With Natalie it felt different.

Her aesthetic didn’t seem put on or all for show.

Everything she had seemed useful. Not utilitarian per se but thoughtful. He nodded on his way back to her room. Not what he expected being the unofficial princess of NYC.

Right before he crossed through the doorway into her bedroom he caught the scent of something delicious. It wasn’t his favorite smell. Pussy. But it was a close second. Lotion. Some ultra feminine fruity flowery concoction they spread on themselves when they were trying to get laid. His libido stood up and took notice. Wondering what state she was in made him want to move faster.

Lingerie?

Handcuffs?

He couldn’t wait to find out.

The movie just started as he walked in. There was Natalie putting lotion on…the dogs. Lights were still on full blast and both of the canines were up on the bed in Natalie’s lap, bellies up, getting rubbed on.

He kind of stopped in his tracks and laughed at himself.

Boy, his preconceived notions of the opposite sex were taking a nosedive with her. He kind of hated to admit it but it really did it for him. Losing interest in people he was dating…fucking…whatever, happened often. He actually wondered about looking for someone with a bit more substance to them. Might keep him interested longer than… Well, just longer.

“Are you waiting for an engraved invitation?”

He grinned at her annoyed tone and walked over to hand her some water. “I’ve taken a vow of celibacy and I’m wondering if I’m safe with you.”

Yes, he did wait for her to take a drink of water before he said it. Who could blame him?

She choked on it and both the dogs rolled over and moved to the bottom of the bed to avoid the splash zone.

He laughed.

She shot him a look that could kill as she coughed again. “Celibacy? You? That’s rich. And how long has this vow of chastity been going on?”

“Oh. You know. I don’t want to toot my own horn.”

He got in bed on the far side. To keep from touching her? Yes. Who could blame him with those gorgeous tits of hers naked beneath a simple t-shirt?

He’d take that outfit over lingerie any day.

Sans the panties.

He wouldn’t mind snuggling up to that while they watched the movie.

“Bet you it’s less than a week.” She didn’t state it as a question and hunkered down under the covers again.

Getting back up to turn off the light, he scoffed. “A gentleman never tells.”

“Neither does a politician so don’t think you’re in all that good a company, Mr. Don Juan.”

He glanced at her when he flipped the lights out. The mood electrified as her fresh face was lit up by the movie. She’d taken a shower earlier, had no makeup on. He hadn’t even noticed it earlier when she was upset.

Interesting.

Noticing that kind of stuff was second nature to him.

He climbed back on the bed and tried not to focus on her or the way she breathed or how cute she looked with her hand tucked up under her chin.

“You seen this before?” he asked with a nod to the movie playing. Detectives Mills and Somerset were in fat man’s apartment and everything was dark in the room.

“Of course. It’s a great movie. One of my favorites actually.”

“Why tonight? What made you think to watch it now?”

“Lots of horrible shit and the bad guy gets it in the end. Seemed fitting.” She shrugged her shoulders and glanced at him.

“Touché.” He expected her to look away but her gaze lingered on him. He almost asked what she saw but decided not to be a pussy. He liked how she looked at him though.

“Aren’t you cold?”

It was a little bit chilly in her condo and he did only have pants on, but getting under the covers seemed intimate. He almost rolled his eyes at himself. Lordy if he’d said that aloud he’d never hear the end of it. “A bit.”

“Then get under the covers, Campbell. I promise to leave your chastity intact.” There was that smile again. It completely disarmed him in ways he didn’t get.

She’s my client, she’s my client, she’s my fucking client.

He repeated it to himself while he pulled the comforter and sheet back and slipped into bed with her.

But not to fuck her.

So odd yet…nice.

Wow. Yeah, he had to share it with someone so Natalie was it. “I don’t think I’ve been in bed with a girl I wasn’t screwing since I was twelve.”

“Jeez, you started young.”

“I didn’t start fucking that young. I kept myself pure for several years after that.”

“How many years?” Her lips were already tilting upward but it looked as if she were trying really hard not to just laugh at him.

“Four. I was sixteen, almost seventeen, and the girl was Janeen Birkowitz.”

“Football stands, junior prom, you lasted approximately forty seconds?” Her delight in asking totally worked for him.

He laughed. “You just think you’re so smart. It was her senior prom.”

“Oh, an older woman, my apologies.”

“As you should be. And it was in her Acura Integra.”

Her smile showed her pretty white teeth. “Bet that was a bit cramped.”

“She was a gymnast.”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “Of course she was. Why am I not surprised by how this story is going? Okay, keep going. I’m into it this far. I want to know the rest.”

“And I lasted long enough to completely steam up the windows and I had to pay an extra cleaning fee on my tuxedo pants from all of her pussy juice that ended up on my lap.”

“Did you not take them off?”

“She was a horny little thing and wanted to fuck me in my tux. I wanted to fuck her in her prom dress. We were young and dumb with limited sex options for where to go. We made it work. And it sure makes for an awesome memory.”

“Forty seconds? Since you sort of answered I’m assuming that part was right.”

“How dare you doubt my nubile prowess?”

She laughed again. “Which again isn’t a no?”

He smiled. Loving that she was so curious, he couldn’t help but be completely honest with her. “I had at least double that. Like a full two minutes tops.”

She barked out another laugh and both dogs perked their ears up before they settled down in sleep again.

“But it was the best two minutes of her life. She told me so. And seventeen-year-old somewhat tipsy girls from Texas don’t lie about stuff like that. They just don’t. It’s a thing.”

“Ha. Love her telling you that so she didn’t crush your teenage horniness.”

“Please. Nothing was crushing that. I’d found my own personal mecca between a woman’s thighs. Nothing was gonna kill that addiction.” He glanced at the movie screen and Mills was in the lawyer’s office. “What about you? Have a better cherry-popping story than me?”

“Hmm…”

“No. Wait, wait, wait. I get to guess just like you did.”

“By all means. Let’s see if you can get any closer. I got only one out of three correct.”

“Two minutes was not forty seconds.”

“Mmhmm. Come on now, I’m ready. What’s your guess?”

Rolling onto his side, beneath the covers he propped his head up on his hand, which inadvertently moved him a bit closer to her. Whatever. He was fine. Totally wasn’t pulling any hijinks, especially not with the kids on the bed with them. “Hmm. Okay.” He closed his eyes and tried to picture Natalie as a carefree teenager. “So many choices of debauchery on how you got your cherry popped. Okay. You know the game Clue?”

Her eyebrow went up. “The mystery slash process-of-elimination game? Colonel Somebody in the Library—”

“With the revolver. Exactly. This totally feels like the same kind of game.”

“And you’re stalling.”

“Am not. Much. Okay my final answer is college dorm room, high school crush, five minutes.”

“Ehhhhh. Oh I’m sorry, folks, that was the buzzer. You got none of them right. None of them.”

“Dammit. Was I even close?”

“Parents’ house during the summer between my junior and senior years in high school so I’d just turned sixteen, pool boy, and an hour and half.”