One Heart

Chapter 3

Snacking

Natalie woke up around 4 pm and sighed heavily. She felt horrible with all the junk she had consumed that very morning. She stretched languidly and yawned. She did have to admit that the leather couch was comfortable, no denying that. Thankfully, before finally falling asleep, she was able to remind herself that she did not have to work that night. She was going to work out. That was a fact. She needed to get up and moving if she was going to work out, and then go home and get ready for the concert.

Natalie did not even bother with coffee. She quietly went up the stairs and into Nick's bedroom. He was still sleeping. She went to the dresser and retrieved some work out clothes and her tennis shoes from the closet. She tiptoed into the hallway and down the stairs. She dressed in the middle of the living room. She removed her pajamas and was leaning over to get her workout clothes when she heard the bedroom door open. She had two options: she could grab her stuff and make haste to the bathroom or just continue. She opted for the latter. It was bound to happen sooner or later with all the time she spent here. She reached over for the t-shirt and put it on over her bra. She looked up and there was Nick at the top of the stairs. She just stood there gazing up at him, as he was still standing at the top of the steps.

He did not move. He just took her in. Oh, he had seen her in a bathing suit but this was different. It seemed an invasion of her privacy. But she was changing clothes in the middle of HIS living room. What did she expect? She was breathtaking. He slowly descended the stairs daring her to move. She just stood there in her t-shirt. Her legs were bare. He let his eyes wander down her shapely, muscular legs and up to her eyes. She did not waver but let him look all that he liked. Before she knew it, he was standing before her. Just inches away. Without thinking, he raised his hand and placed it on her cheek caressingly. Her breathing had become labored.

"Going to workout?" He whispered not wanting to break the spell.

"Yeah, I need to work off all that crap I ate last night." She still stood there and he continued to caress her cheek.

"Well, I guess you need to be going." He searched her eyes and they were smiling at him.

"Yeah, I do. Nick, I need to put on my pants and shoes."

"Oh, right." He regrettably dropped his hand and reached beside them and handed her the pants.

She took them and put them on in front of him. Why not? Then she sat on the sofa and put on her shoes and socks. When she finished, she stood up and there was Nick with her keys and all her stuff she needed to take with her.

"Be careful." He said and slowly handed her the items he possessed. He let his fingers linger on hers and kept eye contact the whole time. She wondered if all vampires did that or if that was just something that he did with her.

"I will." She answered as she began walking towards the lift. She turned slightly, "Nick, I am going to my place and you can pick me up for the concert around 7:00."

"Okay. See you then." He headed towards the refrigerator and she knew what he was going to be doing. Little did she know that he had already fed…again. This was just a snack. After their little encounter, he needed it.

Natalie worked out for over an hour. She worked her ass off. It felt good to do it. It made her feel vibrant and alive. And after the way Nick had looked at her, it motivated her even more. She needed to work more on her upper body. She would address that with her trainer in their next session.

Natalie arrived at her apartment at around 6 pm. It was still dusk. Sydney was ignoring her. However, when the food was poured and water dish filled, he became friendly again. She really needed to spend more time here. She quickly made coffee so she could sip it while she was getting ready and decided to eat a snack. Not that there was that much in her fridge and cabinets. She sliced up an apple and placed it on a plate with some peanut butter coupled with some "light" string cheese.

She was had only an hour to get ready for the concert. She thought semi-casual was the way to go. She decided to wear her new dress. It was a simple brown faux wrap dress that she had bought from the clearance rack at Anne Klein. It hugged her in all the right places and had only a hint of cleavage. She made sure she wore a good push up bra. For jewelry, she wore simple gold hoops and just her usual jewelry of only a watch. She looked at herself in the mirror and her hair looked good. She had pulled it back into a messy bun at the top of her head and there were ringlets all around her face. She looked really good. Her make up was simple. Nick did not like it when women wore a lot of make up. She agreed with him. She decided to wear her leopard printed pumps. They were a little high but they looked good with the dress. She chose a simple metallic bag. It was of decent size. She hated any type of evening bag. They were just too small.

As she entered the living room, the doorbell rang. She looked at the clock 6:58 pm. Perfect. Why didn't he just use his key? She had told him so on more than one occasion. She opened the door to see Nick standing there in a pair of navy blue slacks, white shirt and a matching jacket. No tie. He hated those things with a passion. It was obvious that what he had on was expensive and expertly tailored. She had to keep herself from drooling. He looked so good. He would make a good snack but she kept that thought to herself.

In his hands was a gorgeous arrangement of sunflowers. He handed them to her and said, "You look beautiful, Natalie." His voice was husky with emotion as she took the flowers.

"Nick, they are wonderful. You know you could have used your key. I really do not care." She smiled at him and walked to the kitchen with a swagger to her hips to get a vase as he closed the door. When she entered the living room with the flower arrangement, she placed it on her dining room table. It looked lovely. She smelled and caressed the flowers. Nick was standing behind her. She felt his breath on her neck.

She turned and he leaned in and surprisingly kissed her cheek and whispered, "We need to go." He lingered for several seconds before retreating.

She grabbed her purse and a wrap and took the arm that he offered. He locked the door behind them and they headed to the car.

The evening was really wonderful but perplexing to Natalie. The music was stellar. Parts of it were romantic. Of course, Nick never held her hand or touched her. It so confused her. He had been so affectionate at the loft, the morgue, and her apartment. Why would this be any different? She sighed to herself on several occasions because she wanted to touch him but she wanted him to want to touch her. It was a puzzle that she could not solve and was tired of trying. She felt so disappointed, as usual. She was so frustrated!

As the concert hall cleared out, Nick did place his hand on her lower back to guide her through the crowd. She savored the moment. If only, he would just leave it there. He did not. As the crowd dispersed, his hand moved away. Now she was just so frustrated to the point that she wanted to hit him. What in the hell was his problem? Could holding her hand send him into some type of vampire tirade? Not hardly. She was angry now. As Nick, opened her car door, he knew her mood had shifted but did not know why. He took his place behind the driver's seat and that was when Natalie turned him and said, "Just take me home." That was it and nothing else.

They drove to her apartment in silence. She tried to persuade him not to come up but that was not going to happen. He wanted to know what was wrong. She just ignored him. Upon entering the apartment, Natalie set her purse and wrap down on the arm of the couch and took her heels off. She walked to the kitchen to make herself a drink. She needed one and a strong one. Basically, she ignored him. She also grabbed some chips that had been looming her cabinet unopened for a few weeks.

Nick sat down on the couch. Oh, this was not good. This had happened before but not so quickly. He could not figure out what he had done. He had been the consummate gentlemen. He treated her with respect and joked with her during the concert. They talked about the music and enjoyed themselves. Or so he thought. In all his almost 800 years, he had never met a more complicated woman.

Natalie sure was taking a long time in the kitchen. He heard her moving around but made no movement of his own to see what she was doing. He was staying where he was planted.

Natalie took two shots of tequila and made herself a drink of diet coke and rum. She was generous with the rum. As she walked back into the living room, Nick had made himself at home. He had kicked off his shoes and jacket was sitting comfortably waiting for her. She did not know why but it just pissed her off. She wanted to punch him. How could he be so comfortable in her house? She plopped down at the other end of the couch and drank heavily from her glass and placed it on a coaster. Then she made haste of the bag of chips. She knew he would ask what's wrong and she was snacking to delay the inevitable. And maybe she would just tell him.

"Nat, did I do something wrong?" He asked her looking her straight in the eye with those crystal blue eyes that made her heart quiver. Damn it, he looked so concerned. Well, he should after what he has done or rather did not do.

She leaned over and took another long heavy gulp of her drink and stuffed a few more chips in her mouth. She had gotten a good buzz going and she was going to need it. Liquid courage is what they called it.

Natalie tucked her legs underneath her and spoke with a little bit of a slur, "You can be so clueless sometimes, Nick."

He was puzzled, "Clueless about what?"

"Think about it, Nick. I am sure you and the vampire can figure it out."

He genuinely thought over the evening and could not figure out where he went wrong. "Natalie, I have no idea what there is to figure out. We had a good time. I was even going to take you to do that diner you like but did not mention it because you were all of sudden so damned mad at me and I have no idea why. So enlighten me!" He challenged her. Now he was getting agitated.

"You, you did not…" She stopped and took a long swig of her drink and this time stood up for effect. "Oh yes, you were the gentleman. Too perfect of a gentleman."

"What the hell does that mean, Natalie?" His voice was raised this time. Now he was getting angry.

She stood in front of her place on the couch and began to shake her finger at him, "It means that you keep your hands to yourself way too much. Maybe if you used them on me every once in a while I would not be angry." She was a little drunk now. This is exactly why she did not drink that much. She was a lush.

He just sat there. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? He looked at her and she had a determined look on her face and her eyes were glassy. She was feeling good. He was not sure what to do. Oh, he knew what he wanted to do but that was not an option. Was it?

Natalie had enough of his crap. "Well?" She was waiting.

"Nat, I am not sure what your asking but if you are saying what I think you saying then we may have a problem." Oh, he so should not have said that. He did not mean it like that.

She closed the distance between and leaned over and poked him in the chest. They were face to face. He was getting a full view of her cleavage and it was a thing of beauty. He was mesmerized. "Let me tell you something, buster, I have spent the last six years waiting on you. Well, it is time to pay the piper. You know what is going on with us and I know it. It is time to stop this dancing or whatever you want to call it. We need to get on with it."

Nick looked her in the eyes halfway through her rant. He was busy admiring her cleavage. He was a male and enjoyed her view. Realization hit Natalie what he had been doing. She may be tipsy but she was not stupid. Oh, yeah, he was interested. She gave him a knowing look. "Do you like what you see?"

Nick closed his eyes for a moment, "You know I do!" He spoke softly.

"What are you going to do about it?" She challenged him. She managed to wiggle her way between his knees. She was standing in front him with her hands on her hips. Oh, she was ready for him to do something. Please do something, Nick. I can not take it anymore. She stood there for what seemed liked hours.

Nick's thoughts were not innocent. He was thinking about Natalie in a way he usually only did when he was alone. Without thinking, he raised both his hands and placed them over the hands on her hips and lifted himself up. They were standing nose to nose. She was not moving. He slowly moved his lips to hers. It was a simple little kiss. Nothing fancy. However, it spoke volumes to both of them. Denial was not a good thing. Nick's hands gently cupped her face and he kissed her deeper this time. He parted her lips with his in gentle exploration. He kept things in control. He needed to know he could. Ever so gently his hands massaged the chords of her neck and he kissed her again but this time allowed his tongue to explore the cavern of her mouth. Within seconds, her tongue was exploring his. Nick moaned into her mouth as she caressed his canines. She was careful because she was no fool. Nick was still a vampire. They were on dangerous ground and she knew it. This was what he had wanted and denied himself.

Natalie stopped the kiss because unlike Nick, she needed to breathe. Her chest was rising and falling. She rested her forehead against his trying to control her breathing. Nick's hand was now placed possessively around her waist. "Is this more like it?" He quipped when her breathing had reached a normalcy.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's a start, Nick, but only that. A start."

With that that he kissed her again, this time he allowed his passion to infuse the connection. Natalie could feel that he let himself go and allowed herself to do the same thing. They were both always in control of everything. Letting go gave a good result. The result was a kiss that left them both breathless (as much as Nick could be) and wanting. They needed to slow down.

Talk. Interestingly, the vampire never even really surfaced. Of course, Nick's canines dropped but that was just a normal reaction to any type of stimulation or arousal.

"Where do we go from here?" Natalie questioned Nick.

"I think we both know that. We take things slow and move forward. Nat, I do not know how far our physical relationship can go without the vampire interfering."

"Nick, do you really think that I don't think about the consequences of kissing a vampire? However, as I thought, it is not an issue. I wanted to kiss the vampire too. He is a part of you and I want all of you. Not just a part. That is not fair to either of us."

She never ceased to amaze him. The vampire had remained docile because he knew that he would eventually get his due when the time was right. He knew before Nick that Natalie loved him too.

"Nat, you know this changes things."

"Nick, sometimes you are so naïve. What will change? Other than we share a physical relationship. We are already are in a relationship. I know we keep denying it but we both know that has not been true for the past few years." She beamed at him.

"What do you mean?" He was going to play this one dumb.

"We spend the night at each other's places. We share our lives. We drive into work together. We date each other. We don't see other people. We are committed to each other. Please tell me you are just messing with me."

He laughed and tweaked he nose with his finger. "Natalie, there is no denying what has been going on anymore because even with denial the very thing we were denying was happening."

"Well, before this goes any further, Nick, there are a few things we need to discuss."

"The talk, right?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, we can start with Janette." Oh boy, her they go.

"You know?" He questioned.

"Nick, of course, surely you didn't think I did not know who killed those guys at the bus station. I am not stupid. You turned her back, didn't you?"

Nick released her and sat back down, "There was a fire and she would have died. She was not happy with me but I did the right thing. She has come to realize that but living without Robert has been difficult for her, I guess. We have not spoken, but I feel our bond. It is weakened with distance."

Natalie felt his turmoil and sat down beside him to provide comfort. She should tell him. "Nick, Janette and I have been e-mailing each other for awhile now. She contacted me about Patrick. She knew I would understand. She bears you know no ill will. She just needs time. She desires to be in your life. She loved Robert very much and she is in mourning. I can relate to that and she knew I could understand because of our relationship. She loves you and wants you to be happy.'

Nick was in shock. She knew about Janette. He figured she did but now it was confirmed. This woman was anything short of amazing. He was not sure of other secrets she might know. That would be for later.

"This has been some night, huh!" Nick quipped and intertwined his fingers with hers. "How about we relax and listen to one of the new CDs I bought?"

"I thought you never ask." Natalie smiled as Nick leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips.