Lessons of Love
Chapter 10 Getting Warmer
Standard disclaimer: I don't own Monk.
Notes: Last chapter, Adrian was just about to be rescued from the cliff. Here's what happened!—A teeny alert for adult situations!
Thanks so much to everyone for the reviews and PMs~ I don't know why, but this story has been tough to write so I really, really appreciate all the support and feedback~ Ya'll are my inspiration! :) (And LOL, don't worry LovAdrian, only 'minor' suffering for our dear Mr. Monk in this story!) :p
Back at the lodge, scrubbed cleaned by copious amounts of soap and gradually thawed by the scalding hot water, Adrian began to feel restored, rebalanced. After his hour-long shower, he was happy to find Natalie had set on the counter a t-shirt and some lounge pants, items familiar and cozy and, most importantly, loose fitting. Natalie always knew what he needed, he mused. Remembering this morning, he would always be grateful that Natalie had given him the Under Armour compression clothes, because they had staved off hypothermia. But then again, he lamented with an embarrassed chuckle, the donning and disrobing would surely give him nightmares for years to come.
Dressing quickly, he wondered why no robe or sweatshirt? Though no longer cold, Adrian nonetheless felt the need for more layers. Carefully opening the bathroom door, he called, "Natalie, where's my-"
His voice fell away, surprised to find Natalie nestled in his bed. Spying her clothes neatly folded on a nearby chair, his eyes darting back to her, narrowing. His thoughts already taking flight, the room suddenly seemed too hot.
Flustered, he pulled at his collar, his comfortable clothes now uncomfortable on his skin. Yes he was still sore and tired, but, well, not that sore or tired. And they had agreed to wait until the honeymoon but, if Natalie changed her mind...
He approached the bed, his voice unconsciously turning husky, "Nat, what are you doing?"
She turned back the covers and patted the mattress, "I'm preheating the bed for your nap, of course. The EMT said you should rest, so come on in."
As the blanket fell aside, he now could see she was wearing a white shirt. One of his plain undershirts. Adrian paused, totally vexed and irritated with himself. Why had he immediately jumped to conclusions? The greatest detective in the world, my ass. He had wrongly presumed Natalie's reason for being in his bed; her attire clearly indicated she wasn't trying to be seductive. She was, as usual, merely taking care of him.
And yet, gazing at her, he couldn't find her any more tempting. Of course his shirt was too big, swallowing her body, obscuring her figure. But the pure domesticity overwhelmed him. To Adrian, she was stunningly beautiful and delicate and, with the shirt collar askew, the hollow of her collarbone revealed, incredibly sexy. He didn't even want to straighten her collar. No, heart now beating double time, he instead imagined placing a kiss there, then up the column of her neck, to her lips-
"Adrian!" Natalie once again patted the mattress and chided, "Come on, you need some rest. Get in- on your side, facing away from me."
Adrian slid into the warm bed and, after a light kiss, turned on his side. As soon as his head hit the pillow, exhaustion stole his strength. His muscles uncoiled and his eyes fluttered shut. He murmured, his voice already gravelly, "Maybe a short nap wouldn't hurt."
Adrian heard her exhale loudly, an unspoken 'I told you so.'
Natalie spooned against his back, sliding her hand under his shirt and stroking his stomach, lulling him further. Her voice faraway, her sentences rambling, the words safe and togetherand danger somehow reached his ear.
Consciousness fading into dreams, shadowy glimpses of Adrian's near fatal 'accident' and rescue began to gather.
Snow fell and cold chilled his bones and soon the snowplow appeared, solid and looming. Bearing down, the threatening steel plow-blade and blinding lights came closer and closer.
Adrian twitched and moaned, his breath shallow, his heart galloping.
Helpless, he was falling and falling…
Although Natalie had also started to doze, she was roused by Adrian's shuddering and incoherent mumbling. She propped herself up on her elbow and rested her chin on his shoulder, murmuring her own soft words of comfort. When he stilled and mumbled her name aloud as a question, Natalie whispered, "I'm here, Adrian. We're together and you're safe."
Sinking back into his dream, now freezing, now clinging to the mountainside by the sappiest of trees, Natalie suddenly appeared. Above on the ridge, she called his name, called he was safe. Through the cold and snow her voice carried, comforting and reassuring, and allaying every fear.
Rolling onto his back and enveloping her in his arms, Adrian gave a purr of satisfaction and pressed her to his chest. He slurred, "Natalie."
Nestled against his shoulder, a smile toyed with Natalie's lips. "That's right sweetie. No bad dreams now."
The snow fell harder and the wind howled, obscuring his vision and drowning out Natalie's voice. Then in a blink, Jonathan was there beside him, harnessed, rope tied to the truck above, ready to secure his future brother-in-law. Buckled up, his hands disentangled from the life-saving pine, Adrian's panic reignited when his feet left their safe perch. Jonathan hoisted him up towards the roadside while Adrian tightly gripped his rescuer, hoarsely begging, "Please slow down…slower….Oh God…No, don't stop! Keep going."
Held fast in his arms, Natalie's eyes widened and she chortled, "Keep going, eh?" She returned her hand to under his shirt, her fingers massaging his hot skin. He sighed and she shifted closer, trailing kiss after kiss up his neck.
Safely at the top of the ridge, caught in Natalie's arms, his face tucked into the crook of her neck, he murmured, "Nat, I love you." The rest of the scene, Jonathan and Leland, the waiting ambulance and police, the EMT's examination for frostbite and hypothermia, the dry, borrowed clothes, all faded into a blur. It was just Natalie and warmth and, as he turned his head, an impossible kiss that stole his thoughts and left the world inconsequential.
Tightening his embrace, his eyes fluttered open. Lips still hovering so close, thoughts still jumbled, he let out a small breathy laugh, "Natalie, hey."
"Hey yourself," Natalie responded, a smirk crinkling her eyes. Her eyebrow cocked, she playfully teased, "Some dream you were having."
He sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling, "Nightmare's more like it. Getting hoisted up that slope by Jonathan-" he groaned in dismay, twitching.
"What? Oh!" Natalie bit her lip and slid her hand out from under his shirt. Her expression falling, her voice echoed disappointment, "So you were dreaming about Jonathan rescuing you?"
"Yep. And -" His gaze landing on hers, his eyes filled with love and wonder, "you. How do you do it, Natalie? Always saving me when I stumble into trouble?"
"It's my gift," she chuckled, a glimmer returning to her eyes. Sliding her leg over his, Natalie pushed herself up and over, straddling him. His hands splayed across her back as she settled on top of him, burying her face in his neck. After a few minutes of cuddling, her body tensed and, stifling a sniffle, she whispered, "I'm so sorry, I should have been with you this morning."
"No Natalie," He murmured, his lips brushing against her hair, his hands wandered her back, soothing. He could feel her halting breaths and, without warning, his eyes welled up, "Thank God you weren't with me…If you, or the baby, had gotten hurt, I-" his voice faded, the thought too horrific.
Propping herself up, cupping his face with her hand, Natalie's stormy eyes met his, "Adrian, shhh, no one's hurt. But this case is dangerous… I don't want you alone, okay? If I'm not with you, Leland or Randy needs to be, right?"
Resting his hand atop hers, kissing her palm, his voice warmed, "Yes dear. Whatever makes you happy."
"Whatever?" Natalie asked suspiciously.
"Anything." Holding her eyes he pressed another, slower, kiss into the hollow hand. He felt a spark ignite between them, erasing her sadness, rousing her. She leaned down and his eyelids dropped, his heated gaze drawing her closer.
Natalie tilted her face, her lips grazing his, repeating in a whisper, "Anything?"
The room hot and spinning, his eyes falling closed, he pressed his lips to hers as a reply. Soft and gentle at first, the kisses soon turned hungry and passionate, quiet moans turning louder, hands wandered, impatient, the once-cozy blanket , now confining and hot, carelessly shoved aside.
He knew he should stop this, they had agreed this passion should be delayed until the honeymoon. But so caught up in her, the weight of her body and the warmth and her scent and taste, his body was immune to his thoughts. Sliding his hands lower and lower, he shamelessly fondled her curves. The joy of being alive, of being with Natalie, his only thought. Kiss after kiss, caress after caress, the idea of waiting dwindled away. When she shifted and slowly rocked against him, he responded, following her rhythm, now noticing the flimsy clothes they still wore, clothes that kept them apart, clothes that could easily be pushed and pulled and thrown into a heap on the floor.
Futilely tugging at his shirt, Natalie ripped her lips from his and pushed herself upright. She immediately grabbed the hem of his shirt and, as he also sat up, she pulled and freed him from his shirt. Tossing his shirt aside, Natalie gasped, "That abstinence idea was pretty stupid, wasn't it?"
"No, Nat." Adrian answered automatically. Falling back upon the mattress, he let out a quiet groan as her fingers caressed his chest then his stomach then hooked around the waistband of his lounge pants. Opening his eyes, he met her smoldering gaze and his breath caught. Those two little words, words that had slipped so mindlessly from his mouth, suddenly registered and hit him full force.
No, Nat.
Capturing her hands, he pressed them to his chest, muting his thundering heartbeat. "No Natalie, you've never had a stupid idea as long as I've known you." Lust tempered by his boundless love, gazing into her flawless blue eyes, he knew. He had to remind her. "You know, it's only three days till the wedding."
Shifting her shoulder, Natalie frowned, incredulous, "So, you, you want to stop?"
"I want whatever makes you happy, Nat." His heart soared at such a simple yet all-encompassing desire. He exhaled a breath and squeezed her hands, "What'll make you happy?"
The wildness in her eyes cooled and she curled down against his chest, thoughtful and subdued. Sighing as his hands traced over her back, she murmured against his neck, "This makes me happy."
He kissed her forehead in agreement. Though admittedly disappointed, he was gratified to give into her every want. Stroking her hair, sinking into a comfortable silence, it wasn't long before he felt her stir.
"But, you know-" She lifted her head, a wicked grin on her face, "in three days, I expect my husband to make mad, passionate love to me."
"I will," he whispered, his eyes filled with longing and desire. Moving his hands to her hips, in one swift motion he eased her off his body and together they rolled to their sides. "In three days," he eagerly promised. He chuckled to himself as his mind flashed back upon his talk with Leland and also Sharona's gift- he was finally ready to fully express his love for Natalie. His wife, Mrs. Natalie Monk! Bestowing a quick kiss, he climbed from the bed.
"Where are you going?" she laughed.
Grabbing his robe, strategically holding it in front of his body, he shot a pointed glance at the door, "You're going- back to your own room, my beautiful fiancé. I need to get dressed." He then closed himself in the bathroom, not giving into the temptation of staying to watch her change into her own clothes. Reaching into the shower, turning on only the cold tap, one extraordinary thought distracted him from all others.
In three days she would, forevermore, be his.
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
The morning's snow squall proved fleeting and by afternoon, Lake Tahoe turned beautiful. A sapphire sky and a brilliant, warming sun gave hint of an early spring. A day perfect for skiing or sightseeing or even sipping coffee at an outdoor café. And much to the encouragement of Natalie and Sharona, Julie and Benji would do all three today. Regrettably, the rest of the wedding party had other, more sober plans - Mike Philips' funeral.
Exiting the car and staring across the snowy graveyard, Adrian reflexively pulled his coat closed, an unexpected chill shooting through him. He found the starkness of the brown earth piled high atop the pure white disquieting, the soberly dressed mourners loosely trekking toward the grave haunting.
His heart eased when Natalie looped her arm through his, "Thanks again for coming, Nat. I just want to, you know, look around and, with any luck, talk to Tiffany Philips. Hopefully it won't take too long."
Guiding him towards Leland, TK, Sharona and Randy, Natalie slyly smiled, "Take as long as you need, Mr. Monk. I'm fine as long as tomorrow's plans aren't interrupted- remember we have our respective bachelor/bachelorette parties."
Adrian groaned just as they joined their friends.
Leland snorted, "What's the problem?"
Adrian opened his mouth but Natalie squeezed his arm tight, silencing him. "Nothing's wrong Captain, except for that pesky murder attempt this morning."
"Do the police have any leads?" Adrian asked while manually pealing Natalie fingers away from his bicep.
The Captain shook his head, "Well Monk, I talked with your friend, Deputy Alexander. She wanted to check in with you, but someone left word that that you needed your rest and were not to be disturbed." A grin crept beneath his mustache as he looked between Natalie and Adrian.
The couple stammered and exchanged a glance as Leland continued, "Anyway, the local LEO's found the snowplow- of course it was stolen, no witnesses and no prints. But for laughs and giggles she called on our friend James Kelly. He claims he was at work, working on some top-secret project but, oops, his office door was closed all morning- no verifiable alibi. Not that we have anything solid to charge him with, or even cause to formally question him."
Randy nodded towards Tiffany Philips, "And she has an alibi for this morning, at home with the husband. So, even though we can't prove it, it looks like Kelly's the guy."
"Well, she can also be the guy." Adrian corrected. Rolling a shoulder, he added, "They're both the guy… The guys? The guy? - Anyway, I would like to get the grieving step-mother alone and talking."
"Well let's first go pay our respects, it looks like the minister is about to start his sermon." Leland placed TK's hand in the crook of his elbow and led the group toward the small gathering.
Standing behind the two dozen mourners, Adrian studied Tiffany Phillips' profile. As the minister read from his Bible, Tiffany turned and met Adrian's gaze, a flicker of annoyance in her green eyes. She then looked away, sliding on a pair of sunglasses.
The minister finished the service and Sharona went over to Adrian and pointed to a shoveled path, "Adrian, why don't you take a walk over there- it's private but we can still keep an eye on you. I'll get Miss Murderer to join you."
"How are you going to get her over there?" Natalie questioned, releasing Adrian's arm.
"Leave it to me," Sharona winked, "I can be very persuasive."
Minutes later, as he walked along the path, Adrian wasn't surprised when Tiffany Phillips wandered towards him. He bowed his head in a gesture of condolences, "Mrs. Philips, so sorry for your loss."
Sunglasses obscuring her eyes, she impassively replied, "Mr. Monk, thank you for coming today. Especially after this morning's excitement; rumor has it you had some type of accident? "
"A minor inconvenience really," he shrugged, deflecting the subject away. He looked toward the mourners and rolled a shoulder, "I'm surprised your old friend James Kelly didn't show up."
"James Kelly? What makes you think he's my friend?" Tiffany asked quietly.
"You didn't meet years ago, when Mr. Kelly attended college in your home town? I could be wrong, but you know, I'm not."
Taking off her sunglasses, Tiffany stepped closer. She ran her fingers along Adrian's coat lapel, "I have lots of friends, Mr. Monk. Hmm, Mr. Monk, that sounds so formal. Can I call you Adrian?" Without waiting for his reply, Tiffany continued to stroke his lapel and smirked, "Adrian, I'm a very friendly person."
Holding his ground, Adrian countered, "Was your step-son aware of your friendliness?"
She chortled then her eyes suddenly darted past his shoulder, "It looks like one of your friends is coming to join us, Adrian." Her hand dropped from his coat and she slid her sunglasses back on.
Adrian turned in time to see Natalie arrive at his side. She slipped her arm in his and addressed Tiffany, "Mrs. Philips, hello, I'm Natalie Teeger."
Putting her hands in her pockets, Tiffany gave a stilted smile, "Miss Teeger, yes, Mr. Monk's fiancé. Thank you for coming today. I'm sorry your stay here at Sugar Pine Lodge hasn't been more joyous."
Natalie volleyed back, "Actually I couldn't be happier. I love when Adrian gets drawn into a case and solves the unsolvable."
"Well… If you'll excuse me, I have guests waiting at home. Goodbye now." Tiffany turned and strode towards a waiting limo.
"Learn anything new?" Natalie asked, leading Adrian towards their friends.
"No, I just verified she and James Kelly are, you know, involved." Adrian twitched, frustrated. Without a doubt, he knew Tiffany to be James' co-conspirator, but he still hadn't unraveled the riddle. How did James Kelly exit the locked room? He knew the answer was close and yet he couldn't see it.
Walking arm in arm, Adrian suddenly stopped. Natalie swung around to face him, "What's the matter, sweetie?"
Adrian's jaw clenched, his next questions coming out as a directive. "You know your rule that I shouldn't be alone? I want the same rule for you. And Julie, okay? No argument. If you're not with me, then you need to be with Leland or Randy or Sharona."
Natalie nodded and added, "Or TK, she took a self-defense class and she's pretty tough." Adrian managed a small smile and Natalie glanced at the departing limo, "Do you really think she'd try something?"
Watching the limo disappear around a curve, Adrian's eyes darkened as he shook his head, "Nothing's going to happen, I won't let it."
A/N: Eek, time to start writing the next chapter- the bachelor/bachelorette parties! ;)