The Natural [Answers 3] (5 page)

Dawn laughed, folding her arms beneath her breasts. “What is this, an inquisition?” She was uncomfortable, mostly because his words rang with the truth. He had her off-kilter and on the defensive. She didn’t like it.

Micah leaned forward, dropping the fork and parking his elbows on the table. He laced his fingers together then propped his chin on his clasped hands. “I’m rattling you, aren’t I?” he asked, a smile playing over his lips.

Dawn opened her mouth to blast him with words then thought better of it. She closed her mouth, pressing her lips together while she secretly clenched her hands into fists. He definitely had her blood pumping hot.

Micah winked when she didn’t answer. “So, are you out of your comfort zone yet?”

She blinked, realization striking her right between the eyes. “You’re only aggravating me as part of this scenario.”

He shrugged then leaned back in his chair again. “Sort of. It gets the blood pumping. A little bit of conflict tends to spice things up.” He crossed his arms. “But I would like an answer to my question. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Question?” She blanked out for a moment then remembered. “Oh, about the years versus hours when it comes to trust?”

He nodded.

She glanced at Wilder, who was silently watching the exchange between them with interest. She sighed then turned her gaze back to Micah. “Okay, I don’t want to hurt your feelings but, in my relationships, I’m very cautious. This”—she waved her hand, gesturing to include both of them and Hunter, who had just returned from making coffee—“I don’t see this as a relationship.”

“Ouch,” Micah said, wincing dramatically.

Dawn leaned forward, placing her hands flat on the table on either side of her plate. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to insult you.” Her stomach clenched, an absurd feeling of heartache washing over her. Even more strange was the fact that her eyes were stinging, and if she didn’t do something quick, she just might cry. And that would be the worst thing that could happen. She hadn’t cried in front of a man since…since…

“Dawn, it’s okay. Don’t let Micah get you so rattled,” Hunter said next to her ear, slipping an arm around her shoulder.

She reached up and swiped at the one tear that had gotten away from her and spilled onto her cheek. “I’m not crying,” she said, knowing her voice showed otherwise. Her nose was getting stuffy due to her struggle to hold her emotions in check, to maintain control.

The other two men came to her side also, and before she knew it, they had helped her to stand and she was caught in the middle of a group hug.

“Please don’t cry,” Hunter said.

“I’m sorry, Dawn,” Micah chimed in.

“It’s okay, baby.” Wilder kissed her on her right temple.

All of them were touching her gently, soothing her tears away. She’d never experienced such tenderness from a man before. She wondered if it was because she always maintained her confidence and poise. Being like that probably made her look like she had everything under control. But something had caused her to slip. There was something special about these three men. She hoped she could figure out what it was before her stay was over. Clearing her throat, she patted Hunter’s chest. “I’m okay. You guys can let me go now.”

“Are you sure?” Hunter dipped his head, eyebrows raised. “This is kind of nice, you caught in the middle like this.”

She couldn’t help but smile, and then she chuckled. “It is sort of nice.”

Micah drew her hair back, tucking it behind her ear as he pressed his body against hers from behind. “You know, you could end up trusting us,” he said, his mouth so close to her ear his warm breath caused her to shudder. “And sometimes trust leads to something deeper, something you might not want to walk away from.”

Dawn turned her head toward him, searching for his eyes. She wanted to see if there was sincerity in his dark gaze, but when she turned, Micah captured her chin, and then his lips met hers and she was lost.

Something shifted in Micah’s heart, the movement rippling through him all the way to his soul. Dawn’s lips, so soft and pliant, parted, and he delved inside the moist warmth of her mouth. She tasted of coffee, dark and rich. Their tongues dueled, both of them devouring the other.

“Jesus,” Micah groaned when he came up for air. He looked into her eyes, noticing the wide, dark pupils centered in the beautiful green of her irises. She ran her tongue over her upper lip, her breath warm against his mouth. Dawn’s face was flushed, and Micah could tell from the sensual smokiness of her gaze that she was attracted to him.

Dawn Holiday was a beautiful woman, but the thing about her that touched his heart was the vulnerability she held buried deep inside her confident exterior. It made him want to hold her, to shield her against the outside world. There was a girl at her center, one who didn’t know how to trust. He wanted to find her and show her not only could she trust him, she could trust the twins, too.

The biggest question was—what had made her this way and how was he going to fix it?

“It’s getting late,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s not that late.” What was she trying to say? That she wanted them to leave? He hoped not.

“Wilder, why don’t you and I go on back to the office? We’ve got some paperwork to go over.” Hunter straightened and nodded at Micah. “Besides, we need to let Dawn and Micah get to know each other a bit since we’re all going to be spending so much time together this weekend.”

Micah glanced at Wilder, hoping he took his brother’s hint. He did want them to leave so that he could spend some quiet time with Dawn. He hoped he hadn’t come on too strong with her. He silently chastised himself for being so argumentative in the beginning. He always did that, testing the client to see just how confident they were.

Wilder sighed. “All right.” He pointed at Micah. “You take care of our girl here.”

Our girl?
Micah nodded. “No problem. I’ll talk to you two later.”

“Good night,” Dawn said, looking up at the twins. “Thanks for…” Her face blushed a bit pink as her voice trailed off. She lifted one hand and placed it on the side of her neck, almost shyly.

“We’ll see you in the morning,” Hunter said, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. “Sleep well. And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. I wrote our extensions on the pad beside the phone in the living room.”

“Thanks.” She smiled.

Wilder also placed a kiss on her cheek, and then the twins left. Micah heard the front door open and close.

“Well,” he said, placing one hand on her thigh just above her knee. “It looks like it’s just the two of us. Why don’t we go lie down, and we’ll watch a bit of TV and relax? You do look a little tired.”

“Oh,” she said, brushing her hair back with one hand. “I must look awful.”

“Are you kidding? You’re gorgeous. What brought that on? You seem to be pretty secure in your looks and even in your personality. Don’t get all nervous with me, Dawn. You really can trust me.”

Something in her face changed slightly. Her chin rose a bit higher, and she smiled. “Of course. You’re right. I’m sorry.” With a flash in her eyes, she pushed back from the table and stood. “Come to bed with me.” She held out her hand.

Her confidence had returned. Micah liked that. He placed his hand in hers and allowed her to lead him into the bedroom, hoping she would let him see past that veneer again soon.

* * * *

Dawn entered the bedroom, Micah in tow.

She was tired, her body and mind well used this evening. It wasn’t an exhausted tired, but a good one. She felt well loved and satisfied. What she really wanted right now was someone to cuddle her close and let her be girly for a while.

“Would you stay the night with me?” she asked, letting go of his hand and moving toward the bed. She began straightening the covers, turning them down so they could crawl beneath them. It seemed like such an ordinary thing to do in such an odd situation.

“If you want me to, I’ll stay.” He walked around the bed to the other side and mirrored her actions, turning down that side of the covers.

Their eyes met, and she smiled. “I’d like you to, yes.” She picked up the TV remote from the nightstand on her side of the bed and tossed it to him. “Pick something relaxing.”

He caught the remote and laughed. “What, since I’m the man I have to have the remote?”

She giggled and turned away, removing her robe. “Something like that. I don’t usually watch television, so I have no clue what shows are on. I just thought you could pick something for us.” She turned back toward the bed and lifted the covers, then crawled beneath the cool sheets. Settling back onto the fluffy pillows, she sighed and patted the bed beside her. “Come on.”

Micah wore a sort of soft smile and had a tenderness in his eyes. He laid the remote control on the bed and removed his clothes, his gaze not leaving hers. A moment later, he slipped under the covers beside her. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, lying on the pillow with his head turned toward her.

He was handsome, a man who looked as if he knew who he was and wouldn’t ever try to fake being someone else. She nodded. “I’m very sure.”

“Good.” He grinned and rolled onto his back. He pointed the remote at the flat screen TV that hung in the far right corner of the room near the ceiling. A loud laugh track resounded through the room. “Sorry,” he said, quickly turning down the volume. Then he started flicking through the channels.

Dawn scooted closer to him, and without looking at her, he raised his arm and pulled her close. It felt natural and comfortable. Exactly what she wanted. She placed her head on his shoulder, one hand resting on his chest above his heart. It thumped steadily beneath her palm, a solid rhythm that felt like the beat of the earth, never ending and forever there.

Finally, Micah stopped changing channels, settling on an old black-and-white movie. He placed the remote on the nightstand and reached up to switch off the light. Turning slightly toward her, he wrapped his other arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Comfy?”

She nodded. “Very.” This was nice, being with him and settling into bed like a couple. She wondered if Micah did this with other clients. She wasn’t going to ask. It would ruin the illusion if he said yes. Her heart clenched, a yearning she hadn’t felt in years returning. She wanted something like this, a relationship this close.

Micah’s hand trailed up and down her left arm, making her skin flush with goose bumps. “Are you cold?” Micah asked, leaning back enough to look into her eyes.

She angled her head to meet his gaze. “No, actually I’m getting quite warm.” Heat was spreading through her, amazing her at the thought of being turned on yet again tonight. She was so attracted to these men, and she was flabbergasted.. She’d never felt this way about a man before. Sure, she had been attracted to men and wanted them, but this—this was something very different. This felt basal, an organic need from deep in her core.

“What are you telling me, Dawn?” He shifted, kissing her lightly on the lips. “You’re not as tired as you said, are you?”

“I am tired but…” She slid the hand from over his heart down over his stomach. She watched his face and felt a jolt of spice when his nostrils flared, sucking in a deep breath, when her hand came in contact with his cock. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and stroked lightly, loving the way it came alive, swelling in her hand.

“I’m going to have you,” he said, his voice deep. His hand moved from her arm to her breast, his fingers playing over the firm mound.

“I won’t argue with you.” She pressed toward him, her pussy beginning to cream in anticipation.

Seemingly in tune with each other, Micah rolled on top of her as she rolled onto her back. He moved her legs apart using his knee and then he rose above her, braced on his arms. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“Fuck me,” she said, digging her nails into his shoulders.

Micah groaned and hooked one hand beneath her left leg, lifting it until her leg was draped over his elbow. He shifted, and with one smooth thrust, he was buried to the hilt inside her.

Dawn pressed her head back into the pillow, her hands dropping from his shoulders as she clutched the sheet in her hands, her lips parting as she gasped. “Oh god,” she said, jerking with each thrust.

Micah lifted her leg higher, locking it over his shoulder at her knee. Then he did the same to her other leg and pressed forward. “Let me hear you, baby,” he ground out, thrusting deeper than before.

“Argh!” she screamed, heat shooting through her. Her knees were almost on her chest, the position raising her hips to the perfect angle so that every thrust of his thick cock into her pussy rubbed deliciously against what must be her sweet spot. “Oh god, Micah, yes!”

Every word she spoke caused him to ram into her with even greater force. “You like it rough, do you, Dawn?”

She did. She liked it this way. She’d never allowed anyone to fuck her like this, and now, she was so close to the edge she was about to explode. “Harder! Please, Micah!” She wanted him to ram into her until it hurt. Pleasure and pain were her new drugs.

Micah chuckled, giving her exactly what she asked for.

A shiver raced through her, and then, she came, her pussy clenching so hard around his cock it took her breath. She heard him groan, but that was all that registered, her mind gone into her own sort of heaven.