asked.
“You wanted to visit the club. Not only do you get to meet everyone, there’s also going to be food.”
“I like it.”
It was Sunday morning, and they were both sitting at the kitchen counter. She sipped her coffee while Saint read the newspaper and ate his cereal. To her, it felt very … domestic.
“You keep on staring at me. You’re making me nervous,” he said.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Ignore me.”
Saint ate some more of his cereal, and she sipped her coffee, staring at him over the rim of the cup.
“What is it?” he asked, putting his paper down, and focusing on her.
Damn, she got a little shiver having his hotness directed completely at her.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nat, it’s not nothing.”
“Okay, fine, Friday night.”
“What about it?” he asked.
Just ask him.
“I woke up in pajamas that I have no recollection of ever putting on.”
“So?”
“Erm, I wasn’t able to ask you yesterday about it. You seemed to rush off to do some stuff.”
“Club stuff.”
“Right, and I guess, how did I get into them?”
“I changed you.”
Natasha bit her lip. “Oh. How?”
“I took your clothes off, and then put on your pajamas. I mean, I didn’t put them on. I put them on you.”
She started laughing. “You closed your eyes though, right?”
“Nope. I stared. You look beautiful by the way. I didn’t take advantage. It’s not my style.”
“I would never accuse you of something like that.”
“Good. I’m not a rapist, or an abuser.”
Natasha frowned. They were strange, really extreme choices of words, and she stared at him. They may have been apart all these years, but she also knew Saint’s little tells. The way he wouldn’t look at her, how he became interested in something over her shoulder.
“You went to see Simon, didn’t you?”
“Nigel advised that I go and have a chat with your ex.”
Her stomach tightened, twisted, and she put the coffee down on the counter. “What did he say?”
“He talked shit about what it was like being married to you. How you were, what he did.”
“He didn’t rape me, Saint.”
“Did you want it?”
“No, yes, it’s complicated. We were married, and…”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re married or not. If you don’t want to, then no means fucking no, Nat.”
She tensed up. “Life is sometimes different than what we imagine it would be, isn’t it?”
“You’re going to change the subject.”
“I can’t change what happened.” She shrugged. “If I wanted him to stop, I could have stopped him.”
“You really believe that.”
“It’s what I want to believe.”
Saint held his hands up. “Simon’s going to give you a divorce, and you’re not going to have to worry about him fighting you.”
He stood up and made to leave the kitchen. Natasha rushed toward him, grabbing his arm, and stopping him. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For being the Saint I know.” And love. “For being here with me, for me. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.
“I have a condition for it though,” he said.
“Anything.”
“You can’t leave here. You can look for work, even take a job at Dirty Deeds. They need someone to help pack, and post orders that come in via the internet.”
“I can do that.”
“Make this your home. Live with me.”
“You’re sure?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure.”
“I’d love to.”
He reached out, holding her chin.
She held her breath as he seemed to lean in just a little as if to kiss her. Suddenly, he stopped and pulled back.
“Be ready in an hour. We’ll go then.”
She nodded. “I will be. What is the proper dress for something like this?” she asked. “I left my leathers at home.”
“Speaking of home, I’ve got some of the boys ready to grab your stuff on Monday. You got a problem with that?”
“Nope, none at all. Do you need me there?”
He shook his head. “Wear something that