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Chapter 4

" What?" he asked as she jumped out of the truck, her face was still flaming, and her body was tense, he could tell, he grinned and followed her out of the truck.

"You son of a bitch" she yelled at him as she paced back and forth acting as if she was a lunatic acting as if she might punch him.

"Okay, not understanding what is going on and what you are so mad about now" he told her in a level, even tone, not wanting to piss her off more.

"What you just said in the truck, about me being good! Does it ring a bell asshole?" she told him, as she got closer, he was actually starting to find this quite amusing. Find her quite amusing.

"Alright then, you really need to learn to take a compliment, I meant it you---" he went to say and it dawned on him, she thought he was complimenting her on bed, on the all night sex they had that night, 'hell' he told himself, if he was describing that night good was the furthest thing of a understatement. He looked to her and smiled, he even chuckled. 'Doesn't remember it my ass' he said shaking his head.

"What are you laughing at?" she told him tired of this game, his game, their game. He came over real close to her, closer than she would have liked, she even backed up a bit causing her to back into her truck door, she was almost pinned there, he stood in front of her, he got even closer in her space, he licked his lips to tease her a bit, he saw her eye's started to change partially to the desire blue he saw in them that night, she was vulnerable, he knew it, Hell she knew it and that was probably the cause for her attitude the whole time.

Natalie felt the truck door behind her she had no where to turn to hide, to run, she could punch him, push him further from her, he was invading her space, making her feel...feel...vulnerable to him. She saw him lick his lips and she couldn't take her eyes off of them. She shook her head, she needed to control this, if anyone was going to be in charge of this next lapse in judgment that she new was coming it would be her, she would not be vulnerable, she would be in charge.

Natalie moved in almost violently with her mouth, she grabbed the back of his head with her hands strongly and brought it in deeper, deepening with every movement, her tongue forced its way into the mix and attacked his. His hands came up to her head and knotted in her scarlet locks. She moved him backwards, slowly as she was unpinned, free, she gave one last deep kiss as she brought her body real close to his, he was breathing heavy, she let him rub his erection up against her body and then she pulled out of the kiss, smiled wickedly as she moved towards her truck door, she got in and left him there, panting, trying to catch his breath, continuing to still feel her lips on his, his eye's closed briefly as the lost of contact hit him. He blinked and realized she was in the truck, he looked at her sitting in the drivers seat, the seat she had just made him aware she planned on staying in.

John got in the truck with her, her truck, he looked over at her serious look, never spoke a word of what had just happened and they drove back to the precinct in complete silence.

John stared out the window, wondering, thinking, asking himself question after question, not about the case, about her, what was her story, was she really a control freak in the sense of the term, and if that was the case, what had made her that way if anything. He looked over at her again, 'damn it, I can't get into this with her, with someone I work with, with someone that works for me, sort of anyways, not again' he told himself as he turned back towards the front windshield of the truck and watched the upcoming road.

Natalie drove, drove her truck back to the station, driving, she shook her head, that was what this was all about, the control, the drive and not vulnerability, to not lose control. She was right where she wanted, in control, he was right where she wanted him, powerless so to speak, powerless over her emotions.

They arrived at the station still no words spoken as they went there own ways, him to his office, and she to the lab.

John watched her walk away after they got to the station, she walked in the opposite direction, without, without a word and he watched as she so confidently swayed her hips back and forth as she walked towards the lab.

Two hours later Natalie found herself at Rodi's, it was a tiring day and she needed a beer, just one. She got her beer from the bartender and headed over towards the pool table, the place was empty tonight only a few stragglers, no one she knew and she was happy about that, that meant she could relax how she wanted to, how she enjoyed to, alone, a beer and a few uninterrupted games of pool.

She smiled as she set the balls, this was her salvation, her release, her favorite thing to do, no talking involved, no nothing but her and the pool table, her and the balls, her pool stick and her chalk, she smiled again, all was right in her life when she was playing pool, all was right in the world, if only for the time when she was playing, zoning out the world.

John walked into the bar Michael had told him to meet him at, it was nice he told himself, clean, he was about to sit down when he saw her, at the pool table, she was bending over and his body moved quicker than his head could process things, process the fact that she was off limits, she had issues and they worked together. He was on his way, almost by her as she was bending down over the stick with her backside to him, his head got fuzzy and he knew what he wanted to do to her at that moment, he was coming closer as Michael stepped in front of him.

"No, John" he told him and his brother looked at him confused, the way Michael spoke, as if, as if he was some sort of dog being told the bone was off limits.

'Michael?" he questioned and Michael again shook his head.

"To interrupt Natty as she is playing pool, that is the biggest no-no anyone could make...anyone' he told him and John shook his head.

"Again with the no-no words Michael, does mom know the fancy words that your learned with all her hard earned money?" he asked joking but not really, inside he was a bit pissed that his brother kept warning him against her, against being around her, being near her, he told himself as a flash of heat past thru his body as he saw her again, set up her shot by bending over the long, long, pool stick.

John opted not to start in with Michael, he was here to have dinner with him, to catch up on the past few years that they hadn't been in touch, to relax have a good time, not make things more complicated by thinking of her, by wanting to relive things with her, things she did with her hands, her mouth, her tongue, 'shit' he said as he felt the heat pass thru him again, he felt himself harden with the thoughts of her and he thanked God he was already sitting at a table and no one, including Michael could see how excited she made him.

John and Michael just finished up dinner as Michael's cell phone went off, it was the hospital and he had to go, he turned one last time to John as he said good bye and warned him.

"Johnny, she is a no-no," he told him and John shook his head, "again with the fuckin no-no shit' he told himself as he gave Michael a nod.

Natalie was still playing pool, it had been a few hours and she was enjoying herself, no interruptions, just the game and she was getting a new perspective on things, on life so to speak, she was rebuilding her control, the control she was reminded she lost that night with him, it was almost back, all of it, she could just feel it, then she heard someone clear there throat, she looked up and it was him.

John removed a stick from the wall and just invited himself to start playing pool wit her, he didn't speak, she didn't speak, she just stared as he took his first shot. She stood for a few minutes after he invited himself into her game, into her space and she was unsure if she should just leave, or if she should just beat his ass. Beat his ass in pool, show him yet again, again that she was the one with the power, the control, she was not vulnerable, not to him, not to anyone, not to life.

They played pool, she didn't scream at him, get mad, or even stop playing, he watched her, she was good but then again... so was he. She won the first two games, a smile never appeared on her face as she did, they just went into the next game and the next, for which he won, for which she wasn't happy about. She was steaming, her face turning red.

They were all tied up at this point two games to two when the bar tender told them he had to close up, she made arrangements with him to close for him when they were done, she needed to beat him this last game, beat his ass and bad, she needed to feel the rush, the control. Still without words to each other this whole time, none spoken she leaned in and was setting up her shot, she was about to release the stick to hit the ball into the pocket, the 8 ball into the side pocket and win when her cell phone went off in her jeans pocket, it startled her just as she released the stick and caused her to scratch.

She was fuming inside,' who the hell is calling me at this hour' she asked herself as she took her phone out, it was her mom, she listened closely to the voicemail left and she got white in the face.

John watched her scratch on the 8 ball and he knew it wasn't going to be good, he hadn't known her that long but from what he saw he knew her short temper, then... then he watched her pick up her voice mail, she became white, white as a ghost, he couldn't bring himself away from her, he walked closer to her, put out a hand, touched her face, she let him, he was shocked, she didn't push him away for a minute there, she was looking paler by the minute. He spoke and spoke softly as she still hadn't made any attempts to remove his hand from her cheek.

"What is it?" he asked her and she fumbled with the words.

"My sister, she's in the Hospital, she's been in a car accident, her and my niece" she said barely being able to finish her sentence, as she spoke softly almost child like, he was seeing a vulnerable side to her and he knew it. Still seeming a bit in shock he moved his hand to her hand, he took it, and guided her to the front door, he turned briefly still holding her hand, still guiding her, he locked up the bar and walked her towards the parking lot.

"I'll drive you," he told her and he let her in his car.