No matter how much he wanted to deny that he loved her, he couldn’t. Not when her seminude body still lay next to him, her eyes glazed with the aftermath of passion. A woman who planned to betray him simply could not have responded to him like that. He didn’t care what Ethan said or had seen. Natalie couldn’t be the traitor.
Alex gathered her in his arms. She felt weightless, as light as balsa wood. She burrowed into his chest.
He kissed her head and ran his thumb over her smooth cheek. “We’re all right,” he said.
She let out a soft sigh and melted against him. “I’m glad.” Then she laughed. “You sure know how to make a point.”
* * *
Natalie had a secret smile all day. She had no idea what had prompted such sudden passion from Alex, but she didn’t care. His ardor, plus the added spice of knowing they could have been caught in the act, had been almost too much to bear. She’d had to wait a full twenty minutes after he left before she felt composed enough to exit the conference room.
It felt odd walking around the office without any panties on, though. She didn’t do commando, and every time she sat, it made her feel self-conscious.
She uploaded the NSA bid information to the server storage space registered under her name. Ethan was the only other person who could access it.
Danielle came into Natalie’s office and placed a manila folder bursting with documents next to her laptop. “Here’s the contract you asked for.”
“Thanks.” Natalie frowned. Danielle looked pale and withdrawn. “Are you okay?”
“Well…I have cramps, and I’m out of Advil.” She placed a hand over her stomach. “Maybe I’ll go pick up a bottle.”
Natalie rose from her seat. “I’ve got some in my purse.” She dug through her bag and handed Danielle a couple of pills. “Is that enough?”
“Yeah, thanks. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t normally have cramps this bad.”
“If you don’t feel better after about an hour or so, why don’t you head home early?”
“Well…maybe that’s… Well, I have a lot of work to do.”
“It’s okay. Really.”
She nodded. “Thanks, Natalie.”
“By the way, love your new hair. It looks really good on you,” Natalie said. The cut was stylish and framed Danielle’s face delicately. It came very close to making her look cute.
“Oh. Thank you. The stylist said I really should cut it differently, and I wasn’t sure. It looks a little…I don’t know. Kind of dramatic?”
“No, it looks really good. Like a whole new you.”
“Really? Thanks.” Danielle smiled and walked out gingerly.
Natalie played with the painkiller bottle lid, watching her assistant leave. Suddenly, she stopped. Although she was pretty sure she wasn’t pregnant, she hadn’t shown any symptoms of PMS. But then, her periods had always been irregular. It was about time she got the early pregnancy test kit she’d seen in one of magazine ads. It could supposedly tell you six days before a missed period, and she wanted to make sure there hadn’t been any unintended consequences to Alex’s condom breaking back at the cabin. Not to mention what had happened that morning.
Natalie shook her head, amazed at her own behavior. Louise had drilled into both her and Belle that—whatever else happened in their private lives—getting pregnant was simply Not An Option before marriage. This morning had been the first time she had ever given in to the heat of the moment. She knew it said a lot about what she was feeling for Alex, but the depth of the change in her was still a little shocking.
At five o’clock sharp, she left the office. Danielle’s cubicle was empty, but most of the other staff was still working. Natalie drove to the closest drugstore, a CVS in the Tysons I shopping center. Thankfully, the mall wasn’t too crowded. She just wanted to get in and out.
She grabbed a pregnancy test kit and was walking toward the register when she saw Emily. Of all the luck. The older woman’s eyes dropped to the box Natalie held, and an eyebrow went up.
“Emily, I really don’t have time to talk.” She brushed past her godmother, wishing that she’d gone to a different drugstore.
Emily followed her to the cashier, hovering as Natalie paid. Finally, she sighed. “I can’t let you make the same mistake I made. Come on. Let’s talk.”
Oh no. They weren’t going to discuss betraying Alex again. “I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”
“Yes, we do. I promise you’ll never view Alex Damon the same way again.”
Looking at the determination on Emily’s face, Natalie knew she had no choice. She wasn’t going to be able to get rid of her godmother without listening to whatever she had to say.