After talking to Jess Natalie felt much better. She missed Jess so much. She never really realized how much she had come to depend on seeing her family until she left. Though out of everyone she missed Jess and Rex the most.
She had talked to Rex once since she left town. He had been so worried about her. It had almost broke her heart to lie to him. She had said that she and Cris were on a trial separation and that she was ok. But Natalie knew if Rex found out what was really going on he would probably kill Cris. She didn't want her brother in jail because of her.
Feeling better about her decision to let John into her life Natalie went to bed. She stayed awake for a long time just thinking about John and how much she enjoyed their pool games and just simply talking to him. She did feel bad that she knew more about him, via Jessica, then he knew about her. But that wasn't going to stop her from being friends with him.
"Hey," John said breaking into her thoughts. Hoping for a game of pool he had stopped by the bar earlier then usual.
"Hey, John," Natalie said happily, glad to see him. "You're here early."
"Well I was hoping for a game. What do you say?" John asked hopefully. He loved to see her at the pool table. He had some hot fantasies of her and that table.
"Well I get off in 20 minutes. Want to wait?" Natalie asked.
"Sure. Can I get a burger and a beer?"
"Of course." Natalie said heading for the kitchen with his order. Coming back out Pam pulled her aside and said, "See I told you he had a thing for you."
"We're just friends, Pam." Natalie said for like the 100th time in the past 2 weeks.
"Yeah, sure." Pam said skeptically. Looking over at John then back at Natalie she grinned. "If you two are 'just friends' then I'm the Easter bunny." She said with a smirk.
Natalie looked at her and said dryly, "Ha, ha. Very funny." She came back with John's burger. "Here you go, John. Enjoy," She said with a smile.
John took a bite of his burger and sighed with pleasure. "Mmmmm… Now that's a burger."
John sipped his beer and ate his burger while waiting for Natalie to finish her shift. He didn't mind waiting. It gave him a chance to just look at her with out being noticed.
"Ok, John. Read to get your butt whipped?" Natalie asked.
John looked at her and grinned. "Any time sweetheart," he said flirting with her a little. "But maybe this time I will win."
Natalie looked at him with a little smirk, "yeah right, in your dreams buddy." She racked up the balls and looked at him again, "you want to break?"
"no you go a head." He said knowing If she broke that he probably wouldn't get a chance to play. But that was ok with him. It gave him a chance to look at her bending over the table setting up for her shot.
As Natalie bent over the table John came up behind her and leaned in close. Whispering in her ear, "want me to tell you what your doing wrong?"
Natalie shivered, his voice like a caress. "Tell me," she whispered back. Shifting a little, partly because she didn't like him that close and partly because she did, she looked up at him a little anxiously.
John moved even closer and was about to say something else when a male voice broke them apart. "Natty!"
Spinning out of John's grasp Natalie turned toward the voice she knew so well. "Rex!" She cried happily running into his arms.
John watched jealously. Clenching his jaw he wondered who this man was that Natalie, his Natalie, ran right to him. It had taken him 3 weeks to hold her hand for heaven sake!
"How did you find me?" Natalie asked excitedly. Rex was here! Oh, how she had missed him. "how are you, let me look at you! Are you getting enough sleep? You look tired."
Rex smiled as she bombarded him with questions. "I always knew you would come back to AC Natty. You love it here. I'm fine now that I know you are ok. Who's your friend?" He asked nodding to John, who stood there looking annoyed that Natalie had forgotten all about him with the arrival of this other man.
"Oh, Sorry!" Natalie said looking chastened. "John, This is my brother Rex. Rex this is John McBain."