So sorry, everyone! I genuinely appreciate all of your continued support for this story. Seriously. Your continued interest makes me so happy! I apologize for taking so long to update but, I PROMISE, I am still totally invested in this story. So, here you are. Hope you enjoy.


After a couple more weeks went by with no updates from Leland, Natalie had decided to take matters into her own hands. She had spent several hours researching online each night after Adrian left. Tonight, when Adrian arrived for dinner, he found Natalie sitting at the kitchen table with a broad smile on her face.

"Hi, Nat," he announced, wrapping his arms around her as she stood to greet him.

The two embraced for a few moments, kissing each other gently before each sitting down at the table. They began eating their dinner in contented silence, Adrian periodically glancing at Natalie with curiosity.

"You look happy," he noted, smiling slightly.

"Yes," she agreed, nodding. "That's because I have some great news."

"What is it?"

"I might have figured out how we can work together again," Natalie exclaimed, the broad smile returning to her face once again. "I've been doing research, Adrian, and I've learned that it would actually take little to nothing for me to get my private investigator's license."

"What, really?" He asked incredulously, his eyes lighting up. "How?"

"Well, all I need is to be able to prove that I have spent at least 6,000 hours doing paid investigative work under an already qualified private investigator, which, obviously, I have, with you. Then I just have to get fingerprinted, background checked, submit my application, and pass the state private investigator exam, and then I will be officially qualified. I know that doesn't guarantee me a place at the department, but I think it's a great start."

As Natalie's words sank in, Adrian beamed. He couldn't help but feel a great sense of pride at the thought of Natalie in her own right as a PI. He certainly felt she had earned that right and, as far as he was concerned, he felt she was incredibly capable. She had spent many years under him, watching and learning, and in the more recent years she had sometimes even surprised him with her keen eye and intuition.

"I think that's a fantastic idea, Natalie," Adrian replied, grinning from ear to ear.

She nodded in agreement, still smiling as she rose from the table to wash their dishes.

Adrian felt a deep satisfaction well up in his chest as he watched Natalie at the sink. He studied her carefully. Her long blonde hair trailed its way down her back, swaying slightly as she moved back and forth. Her hands danced across the dishes, gracefully moving them in such a way that they almost seemed to float. Adrian surprised himself as he couldn't help but briefly admire Natalie's body as well, taking note of her narrow waist, her gentle curves, her strong arms, her toned legs peeking out from beneath her skirt. Adrian was taken aback by how much these things were affecting him in ways they hadn't before. He realized the pride he felt for Natalie was causing him to see her in a more intimate light. He suddenly felt overcome with the desire to take her into his arms, to kiss her, to learn what it felt like to run his fingertips along parts of her that he had never touched before.

As Natalie finished with the dishes and turned around, she noticed Adrian's face was flushed bright red. Taking note of his overall demeanor, Natalie thought, if she didn't know better, it seemed as though Adrian appeared to be rather aroused.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" She asked, smirking slightly.

Adrian cleared his throat in an attempt to regain some sense of calm, though he failed miserably.

"Uh," he began, pausing. He realized his body had been physically reacting to the thought of being intimate with Natalie and he forced himself to take a few deep breaths.

Natalie raised an eyebrow, her smirk turning into a smile.

"I was just...admiring you." He finally replied.

Natalie couldn't help but giggle, pleased with the fact that her instinct had been correct. She crossed the kitchen, coming around to Adrian, who was still sitting in his chair. She came around behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders and lowering her face down beside his.

"You looking at me like that," she murmured, planting soft kisses on his neck, "drives me crazy, Adrian." She continued to trail kisses up his neck, stopping just behind his ear. "You better be careful," she continued playfully, whispering into his ear, "or I'm going to have to do something about it."

Natalie's breath against Adrian's ear, and the tone in her voice, was setting his whole body on fire. He held his breath as he used every ounce of his strength to maintain his composure.

Still behind him, she moved her hands from his shoulders, running them down over his chest, just to the top of his abdomen. Natalie could feel the tightness of Adrian's abdominal muscles beneath his thin shirt, and she realized he really must have been focusing on getting into shape since she had left him. She suddenly felt her breath catching in her throat, as she was now overcome with her own desire to feel his bare skin against her hands. Sliding her hands back up his torso, she settled them onto his biceps, squeezing slightly as she leaned in and kissed his neck one more time.

"You know how much I love you, right?" she stated softly, brushing her nose against his cheek.

Adrian nodded, very distracted by the intense physical pleasure that was threatening to overwhelm him.

Natalie smiled, moving away from him and exhaling deeply as she sat back down into her chair beside him. Several moments of silence passed as Natalie calmed herself and took stock of Adrian's body language. He was sitting completely upright, his whole body tense, his face flushed, and his breathing erratic. His eyes were somewhat glazed over, as though he was lost in deep thought. A smile crept onto Natalie's face as she was assured that Adrian was feeling incredibly physically aroused. She knew he wasn't ready to take the next step yet, and that was okay. She wasn't trying to torture him, she just wanted to build the tension between them a little bit. Natalie knew from experience that all Adrian needed whenever he was facing a new challenge was patience and encouragement. This was simply her way of providing that. She continued to smile, watching with amusement for a few moments as Adrian ran in circles mentally trying to figure out how to calm himself back down.

"Hey," she said quietly, breaking his trance, "I'm going to go to the bathroom, okay?"

He nodded absentmindedly. She stood from the table and left the kitchen, giving him a few moments of privacy.

Adrian took a deep breath. He couldn't hardly believe how intensely his body had reacted to Natalie's intimacy. He had to admit, he hadn't been aroused this way in decades. He knew he needed to relax, because he didn't feel quite ready yet to be intimate with Natalie, but with the rate things were going, he soon wouldn't be able to control himself. He took several more deep breaths, feeling relieved as his body began to loosen up. He considered for a moment why he was still holding off. Was he really not ready? Or was he ready but just afraid to actually make the next move? He knew he needed to talk to Dr. Bell about this, but just the thought of that made him want to crawl beneath the table with embarrassment. Adrian took yet another deep breath, forcing himself to think of Natalie and how much he loved her. He knew, for her, he needed to get the courage to move forward. He made up his mind that he would speak to Dr. Bell about this in their next session, despite his embarrassment, for Natalie's sake.