The next three chapters are rather loving - split into three parts.
Part 1 - When Eric and Natalia meet and their first kiss
Part 2 - Their first time (Rated M Obviously)
Part 3 - Eric being there for her after 4x09
Flashbacks in Bold and Italic.
Part 1 - I need a hero.
When Sutton had finally fallen asleep that night after her party, Natalia found herself still sitting on Christine's couch, nursing a much-needed glass of wine. Christine sat next to her, Anya sitting on the floor in front of Natalia's feet, both girls also nursing a glass of wine. Outside, Eric, Christine's husband John and Anya's boyfriend Matthew were sitting around the glass table with the three of them drinking beer and playing poker. Both Christine and John had agreed that the girls needed time together and he wanted to get to know both Eric and Matt, so he had arranged for them to have beers and poker while girls had wine and just talked. Anya was the first one to ask a question that both girls had been dying to know since Natalia had announced to them that she had been dating again.
"So," Anya looked up at her oldest sister, a twinkle in her eyes and a sneaky smile on her face. "This is something that I've been wanting to ask for a while. How did you two meet?" She asked, gesturing to Eric as he put two cards down on the table outside.
Natalia followed Anya's gaze outside, a dreamy smile ghosting her features. "Well... I think you can guess." She winked as she took a long drink from her glass. Both sisters shaking their heads in unison caused her to roll her eyes as she set the glass down on the table. "Eugh… ok. But don't judge me for this."
9 weeks earlier - Sobe Nightlife Miami Beach 2005
Natalia weaved her way through the small crowd forming at the bar, clutching her bag closer to her as she leaned into the bar when the young man behind her waved her over.
"Here on your own, beautiful?" He winked. Natalia rolled her eyes, causing his smile to drop slightly. "What can I get for you?" He asked, his smile forming again.
"I'll take a vodka sunrise, please." She smiled, reaching into her bag for a $20-dollar bill. But as she went to hand it to the bartender, a slightly darker and larger hand reached in front of her with a $50 and handed it to the tender.
"I've got this one." The voice said, giving the tender a thumb up and looking to Natalia. As Natalia accepted her drink and her eyes widened at the mystery man. He was 6 feet, she guessed in the light. His tanned skin, a similar shade of her own almost shimmered in the lights that were just starting to dim. His jeans and short sleeved white shirt clung to all the right places and Natalia found herself squirming at his glance. He was studying her, it seemed. Trying to read her.
"Thanks," She smiled as the mystery man picked up his drink from the bar. "Not very often you meet a man nice enough to pay for a drink for a stranger." The man smiled, causing Natalia's heart to skip a beat or three. "That is one of the best smiles I've seen on a man in a long time!"
"I'm Eric," Eric reached his hand forward, wanting suddenly to feel more than just the soft skin of her palm against him. "Eric Delko." Natalia smiled, returning the gesture and taking his hand in hers. As she did, she felt a surge of something pulsate through her. Something that she had not felt in over 7 years since she and Nick got together!
"Natalia Boa Vista." She found her smile remaining in place, being unable to draw herself from this incredibly handsome stranger. And she wasn't the only one who couldn't keep her eyes off. Eric found himself almost caught in a trance at the beauty of the Latina woman standing before him. Her royal blue, knee length cocktail dress clung to every part that would drive him wild, the sweetheart doing everything right her cleavage. There was enough there for Eric to appreciate, but not so much that it sent the wrong message.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Natalia." He smiled, following it up with a wink. Natalia found herself giggling; something she again hadn't done for the longest time. What was this man doing to her?!
"Want to get a table?" Natalia asked, suddenly dumbfounded at the request she had made. She was meant to be out here for herself and celebrating, not hitting on the first guy who bought her a drink. But, not everyone in the place looked the way Eric did. And he certainly did not cause her to react the way she was now. Eric nodded and smiled, very much intrigued by this woman who had caught his eye when she first walked in. People around them were slowly filing out to the dancefloor as the music began to get louder, but it was at the volume that a conversation could still be had without people yelling at one another. The two snuck to a table just by a window, Eric standing to the side of her as she slid onto the seat. She turned to him and smiled, slightly touched by the simple gesture.
"So," Eric started, sliding onto his seat and clasping his hands around the beer bottle. He didn't think that he would even get a hello from this woman, let alone be sitting across from her! "Tell me about yourself."
Natalia smiled as she took a sip of her drink, which seemed to be calming her down a lot easier than she thought it would. "Ok. Um... I am 33, just moved here from Washington and I work for the FBI." As she told Eric this, she swore she saw his face droop slightly. "What's up?" She asked, taking another sip of her drink and setting it on the table. "Why don't you tell me about yourself?" She asked, hoping to bring back a smile to the face she couldn't stop herself from staring at.
Eric smiled, waving his hand at the question. "Nothing just had a thought. Never mind. Ok..." Eric took a mouthful of his drink, his throat suddenly dry as he caught a glimpse of her cleavage. He cleared his throat, setting the drink on the table. "I'm the youngest of four, my older siblings three girls, I am a qualified scuba instructor and I also work for the Miami-Dade Police Department. I work in Fingerprints and Underwater Recovery." Natalia pursed her lips, realising Eric's falling smile moments ago. She was a Fed, he was a CSI. If they got further than drinks, which she secretly hoped they would, it could be big trouble for both. But, taking another sip of her drink, she felt her confidence surge.
"Ok, so... we are technically work enemies. Depending on how you look at it. But right now, I don't feel like being Agent Boa-Vista..." She smiled widely at Eric and winked. "I feel like being Natalia Boa Vista; single woman who is out on the town to have a good time." She raised an eyebrow, clearly reading into Eric's cat-got-the-canary smile. Returning the wink, Eric found his leg wrapping around Natalia's, running the side of his foot along her leg.
"And who do you want me to be?" He asked with a wink. As she felt Eric's foot run up and down her leg she felt goose bumps begin to form on her skin and her heart went into her throat. But she swallowed it back down and allowed herself to relax.
"I want you to be the man that can help me let my hair down and relax for the first time in 5 months," She finished her drink with a large swig and stood up from the table, catching Eric off guard. "I'll be right back." She winked at him before turning away from him, making her way towards the bathroom. "Meet me in the Beer Garden! I want to talk more!" She called as she weaved through the crowd to head towards the lady's room. As she neared the door, she felt a hand grab her arm. She snapped her head towards the mystery grabber and her heart dropped. The face staring back at her was Nick. The same eyes, cheekbones, everything. How did he find her?!
"Come on out here with me baby… come and dance with me." He pulled her close to him, almost sinking his teeth into her neck. A million thoughts ran through her head, and none of them good. She did the one thing she could think of; she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Unbeknownst to her, Eric walked back towards the bar and leaned in. "Can I get another Vodka Sunrise and a Bourbon No Ice." He turned away from the bar, casting his eyes around the suddenly crowded club. He saw Natalia weave through the crowd, disappearing behind a stone pillar. A hand on Eric's arm caught him off guard. Looking back at him with wide eyes was his oldest sister, Marisol. The last place he thought his sister would be was at a club; she had been feeling unwell for two weeks and the last time he saw her she was hugging a bucket with a washcloth on her forehead.
"Mari?" He asked, giving her a quick hug. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for Mariah's bachelorette party. What are you doing here?" She asked. The scream drew both Delko's attention towards the wall by the lady's room it being loud enough to be clearly heard over the music. Marisol heading towards the scream, turning back to Eric. "I'll go help her. Get him thrown out of here!" She was quick to run from her brother, not realising that she was in fact going to save his brother's crush.
"Get away from me!" Natalia screamed. On instinct, she grabbed his left shoulder and brought her knee to his crotch, delivering a hard blow. When she opened her eyes, her vision swam. It wasn't Nick at all, it was a man who in fact looked nothing like Nick. 'This must be what a flashback feels like' she thought. "I am so sorry…" She repeated to herself as she backed away from the man and the small crowd forming around them. Natalia almost ran into the bathroom, leaning on the sink in front of her as she found herself unable to catch her breath. Her heart was up in her throat, her legs were losing their strength and if she didn't stop herself, she was most likely going to pass out very soon.
"Sweetie?" A voice called from beside her. A soft hand on her hip guided her to an open stall and she was sat down on the closed lid. "Can you hear me?" Natalia had no idea who this voice belonged to, but she just wanted them to keep talking to her. "Can you tell me your name?" The voice called again, placing damp paper-towel on the back of Natalia's neck to calm her. Natalia sighed in relief, the cool water working its magic very quickly.
"Natalia… my name's Natalia." She found her words, but they were wobbly as she felt her eyes begin to swim. 'On the ONE night I decide to come out and have some fun something has to happen to screw it up. Damn you, Nick!'
"Hi, Natalia," The figure knelt in front of her, taking both of her hands in hers. "My name is Marisol." The oldest Delko was taken aback by the woman. Her eyes were glassed over, and she was shaking. It was clear that she was coming down from a panic attack, and the last thing she wanted was for her to be going home alone. "Are you here with anyone?" She asked.
"Marisol!" A drunk voice called from the door. "Are you OK?"
"Mariah, can you get me some water? My friend isn't feeling well." Her voice was all business. "And tell Eric where I am." The door closed, Natalia's ears pricking up at the name.
"Eric?" She asked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
Marisol smiled widely. "Eric Delko, my baby brother. Always doing what he can to keep people safe." She noticed the look on the older woman's face. "You know him?" She asked, handing her some dry paper towel. Natalia accepted it, dabbing her eyes.
"Yeah, um…" She sniffled. "He brought me a drink, actually. I wanted to talk to him more outside, but I had to pee first and when I was on my way, I got grabbed by a guy. I just… I reacted." She felt her eyes water again, but she angrily swatted the tears away. Before either woman could respond, the door to the bathroom opened and a familiar hand appeared over Marisol's shoulder, passing her a bottle of water.
"Are you OK?" he asked, not moving from his place behind his sister. He smiled to himself, realizing the irony of this situation. He wanted Natalia to meet his sister at something like a BBQ or a dinner, not keeping her calm in the bathroom of a club when they just met!
"I'm ok now…" She smiled softly, despite the situation. "Your sister is being very helpful." Eric laughed a little, standing now next to her rather than behind her. She kept her attention on the older Delko, feeling very thankful that both were there for her.
"Will you be ok?" Marisol asked, keeping a tight grip on her hand. Natalia closed her eyes and nodded, giving her hand another squeeze. "I think you're in good hands with him." As she stood, she gave Eric a nudge. "Just remember where you are, little bro." She winked before she left. Natalia looked up at Eric, her chocolate eyes still glistening.
"How about we get out of here?" He asked, offering his hand to her. Natalia accepted it, standing slowly. Eric pulled her close to him, wrapping both of his arms around her and letting her head rest on his chest. Even if it was a brief hug, he knew that she needed the comfort. Releasing her, he kept his hand around her waist resting just below the hip and the two walked out, Natalia immediately bombarded by the music and flashing lights. As they headed towards the exit, a tap on Natalia's shoulder pulled them back. It was Marisol again, clutching Natalia's bag in her hand.
"Here! You forgot this." She handed the bag to her, a smile still on her face as she studied her little brother. 'Yep, he has it bad for this one.' "I hope you get home OK. And it was good to meet you, despite the situation. See you soon, baby brother!" Marisol turned back to her group of friends and cheered, clearly swinging back into party mode. As the two headed outside, Natalia was casting her eyes around.
"Did you drive?" Eric asked, pulling her closer to him as he felt her begin to shiver in the cool breeze.
"Yeah, I just need to get my keys…" She fished in her bag, pulling out her keys and unlocking the silver Ford Focus parked four spaces away from them. Natalia looked at Eric and smiled tiredly. "Eric… I am so sorry this didn't turn out how you wanted it to." Eric smiled and shook his head.
"I'm just happy that I got to meet you at all." He kept hold of her hand. Natalia looked into his eyes, his own eyes almost drinking her in. Unable to restrain herself, Natalia took hold of Eric's shirt and pulled her close to him. Her right hand rested on his cheek and before could think, she felt their lips meeting in a surprised but soft kiss. She felt Eric tense up at the first moment but after a second, she felt him relax into her. Natalia moaned softly into the kiss, pulling herself impossibly closer to him as she felt his tongue silently ask to explore her, which she happily agreed to. But before it got to out of hand, Eric pulled himself away, kissing her again softly and resting his forehead.
"I want to see you again. I don't want to forget you." He sighed, kissing her once more. Natalia almost sobbed. This man, who she hardly knew, had helped her through an anxiety attack as well as his sister. And now, here she was standing in front of her car kissing him like there was no tomorrow. This was not like her, what was Eric doing to her? And why could she suddenly not get enough of him?!
"Come with me?" She almost begged, her hand once again resting on his cheek. "Stay with me, tonight." She felt her eyes grow large, the heat between them almost too much. She took Eric's chin in her index finger and thumb and pulled him back to her, craving him like a cold drink on a summer's afternoon. Eric felt torn. Nothing in him more wanted to take Natalia home and do everything and anything to her, but after seeing her in the stall with Marisol, he didn't want to hurt her.
"I don't…" He pulled away from the kiss, his hand running down the side of her cheek. "I don't want to hurt you. I saw you before, I just-" Natalia's lips, the same softness as satin, silenced him. He could get used to that!
"You won't hurt me… I promise you. I will be OK as long as I'm with you." She looked up into his eyes, seeing the same lust burning deep in his brown orbs that she knew were burning in hers. "I promise you that I will be ok." With another kiss, she felt Eric relax into her.
"Promise me," He kissed her again. "If you need me to stop," another kiss. "Tell me and I will stop." Natalia sighed, feeling her knees buckle at the sensation. She could not remember the last time she had been this turned on, let alone this safe with a man she just met.
"I promise I will tell you," She moaned. "But not in public." She pulled herself away, taking another chance to look Eric in the eyes. A silent 'are you sure?' passed through Eric's eyes and, not missing the silent question, she nodded. "I'll drive." She winked, her keys still wrapped around her finger as they climbed in. Tonight was certainly going to be a night that she wouldn't forget.
"And I think we need another glass of wine!" Anya was the first to stand up, heading to the kitchen to re-fill the three glasses she balanced in her hand. Christine laughed, facing her sister again.
"You're not going to leave me hanging there, are you?!" She demanded. "What was it like?" On cue, they both heard a small voice call out,
"Mommy!" Sutton toddled out of her room, clutching her blue blanket and rubbing her eyes. Natalia regarded her niece with a small smile and walked over to her. "Aunt Nat!" The toddler forgot her nightmare temporarily and she happily threw her arms around her aunt, clinging to her like a lifeline. At this point, Eric walked inside and stopped when he closed the door. He had never seen Natalia interact with a child and the sight made his heart swell a little more. Natalia looked over to the door, hearing it close. She looked at Eric, smiled and winked at him.
"Who's winning?" She asked, swaying Sutton softly from side-to-side as she heard her yawn softly.
"John. He's kicking our butts. I'm just getting another drink," He rested his hand on her lower back. "How are you guys going in here?" He asked, kissing her on the temple. Natalia smiled at the contact and leaned into him slightly.
"Just some girl talk." She winked. "Go back out there, I'm fine in here." She reassured. Eric smiled again and kissed her softly on the lips.
"I know…" He smiled. "I just wanted to give you a kiss and hug." With that he turned around and walked back outside, Natalia feeling her heart in her throat and tears of happiness in her eyes.
"Here…" Christine took Sutton from her and smiled, feeling her daughter snuggle close to her. "I'll tuck her back in and then we can continue this story." With a wink she walked away, leaving Natalia standing by the couch with a smile on her face and her heart in a flutter at how much her life had changed for the better in the last nine weeks, and all because of one Cuban Man.
Next chapter will be the ever anticipated love scene. Thankyou my loyal readers and followers for sticking by me.