A/N - This chapter is rated M as well... but not all of it! Between the 𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ

Now Adrian and Natalie had yet another secret to keep from their friends and families. Though they thought this one would be even more difficult than the other one. The joy and happiness they were experiencing were well worth the effort they had to expend to keep their new status to themselves. They didn't really have to keep their relationship a secret. Still, this special time only came once in a relationship, and Natalie and Adrian wanted to revel in their new connection without input from anyone else.

The world of homicide was, if not quiet, then more mundane the summer their personal lives changed for good, and Adrian's services were not requested for a few weeks. So, the duo could spend quiet evenings alone without interference, watching movies and cooking intimate dinners together. There were long days walking through museums, gardens, parks, and even Natalie had convinced Adrian the zoo. Holding hands, finding they fit comfortably, perfectly. Sneaking kisses in public places. Adrian was still not enthusiastic about public displays but made allowances for their bursting hearts.

Of course, they still worked. They carefully managed and maintained their private consultations, and their reputation as a duo that "took care of business" became more solid. Word of mouth really upped the requests coming to them for help. Soon they might need a secretary. A real secretary, Natalie had laughingly told Adrian. Adrian suggested that perhaps Ambrose might like the job. They could trust him; he was brilliant and also available at all hours.

Moreover, it would add a new dimension to Ambrose's shut-in life and give them all an excuse to speak to and see each other more frequently. Natalie was enthusiastic about the idea and hoped Ambrose would agree. Having him be a more significant part of their lives, and they his, would be a good thing for them all.

The week of the California Private Investigators Exam, Natalie studied furiously until late at night. She counted on Adrian for his stalwart patience and fortitude with her daily freakouts and worries. He soothed her with kisses, shoulder massages, and a lot of lovemaking, which relaxed them both. When the exam was over, they had to wait many weeks for the results, so they put it out of their minds as they concentrated on fulfilling their other obligations.

As July literally melted into August, Adrian and Natalie continued to find ways to spend their allotted money. This month it was $45,000 towards Natalie's mortgage on her old house. Eventually, she'd own it outright. She was also collecting rent on it, so her personal savings grew simultaneously. They spent the other $5,000 on other bills and necessities for the new house, groceries, and some not strictly necessary but very desired items. Adrian finally understood how and why rich people got richer in those first months as he watched his and Natalie's bank accounts fatten in amounts they'd never dreamed of just a year before. They could save all their pay and the rent from her house by using their bequest stipends to pay for their current expenses. It was definitely surreal.

Even more surreal was the love that had finally bloomed and now grew daily between him and his assistant. Former assistant, now partner, and lover. Adrian Monk had a lover. It sounded so illicit and so bawdy that just the thought of it turned him on mightily. His desire grew exponentially as he turned over in bed to see that tousled blonde head peeking out from under the covers. He doubted the flame that burned for her would ever, could ever, be extinguished. He ached for her body constantly. He yearned for her company whenever they were apart. He loved looking at her, especially when she wasn't aware of it. And despite his feelings about touching, it was all he could do to keep his hands to himself when they were in public. He felt he always wanted to be touching some bit of her. It was a disconcerting feeling but one he was learning to manage. He reached over then and gave in to his need to touch. He stroked her hair gently to satisfy himself, not to wake her. His hand wandered lower to her shoulder and then to her back.

Natalie shifted and sighed. "Morning?" half question, half greeting.

"Yes," he whispered, not wanting to break the magic of the gloam before dawn, "but very early. Sleep, sweetheart. I just wanted to touch you to make sure this wasn't a dream. Even after three weeks of waking up next to you, I'm still amazed."

Natalie smiled into her pillow and shifted herself against Adrian. She kissed him on each eyelid and then on his cheeks. "I know what you're feeling. I feel it too. It's like some magic spell has settled on us."

She sighed again and snuggled into his chest like a lithe kitten looking for warmth. She curled up and was soon breathing the even breaths of sleep. Adrian held her and soon followed her into the world of dreams.

𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ

Hours later, Adrian woke to soft fluttery kisses on his chest. It felt like a butterfly was landing and then leaving, landing and then leaving, and the sensation sent a shiver down his spine and gave him goosebumps on his arms. Natalie was gently kissing the skin she was nestled against. She looked up into his face as she felt him stir awake and kissed his chin. He stretched and squeezed her more tightly.

"Mmmm, sweetheart, you're driving me crazy."

"Good, that was the plan," she giggled. She kissed her way down to her recent discovery, his belly button, and giggled some more. When she arrived at her actual destination under the covers, she took him into her mouth. She pleasured him until he was crying her name and other unintelligible words over and over. The satisfaction she got from hearing him let go of his inhibitions and feeling his hands fist in her hair as she succeeded in her mission to bring him to the brink and then got him to let go completely was almost as good as climaxing herself. Having him under her complete control and seeing him at his most vulnerable was so gratifying for Natalie because she knew that his love for her and trust in her was unconditional. It was potently provocative and empowering. She kept at her ministrations until he was utterly spent and his ragged breathing calmed. He regained some sanity, pulled her up to his chest, and held her tight and close.

"Oh, my god. Thank you, Natalie," he rasped. Although he wasn't sure if he was thanking her for the mind-blowing experience, for loving him, or for the life they were living.

"You are most welcome," she said smugly into his chest, feeling satisfied in a different way than he did.

Still supercharged from the experience, Adrian ran his hands along the curves of her body and stopped at her breasts, palming both gently at first, then more firmly as he grasped both of her nipples and squeezed them and ran his thumbs along them with feathery touches as she gasped in pleasure. Then, finally, he traded one hand for his mouth and moved his free hand down to her core, where he found her waiting, wet and hot. He moaned into her breast as he licked and sucked, and he eased his fingers along the soft folds and rubbed in a swift circular motion just where she wanted to be touched.

"Adrian!" she screamed his name and bit his shoulder as he felt her whole frame tremble against him, coming apart as she arched closer to him. He could feel her body pulsing as he dared slip two fingers inside her, a move he'd never tried before, but she cried his name again, and he kept the firm circles going outside with his thumb. Finally, he was rewarded by actually feeling her internal muscles contract around his fingers as she climaxed, and he knew that she felt what he'd felt earlier. He smiled with the satisfaction of pleasing the woman he loved.

This was uncharted territory for Adrian Monk, this type of sexual intimacy. Fingers and hands and mouths hadn't played into his very ordinary, very missionary sex life with his late wife, not like this at least, but instinct and an overwhelming desire to please seemed to move him when he was with Natalie. Fear and disgust and thoughts about propriety, cleanliness, stickiness, germs and other of his compulsions had no room in his head or their bed. He was thrilled to be experiencing all of this now and was sorry for people who would never know the wonder of being in love with Natalie Teeger. Making love with Natalie Teeger. She was a treasure in so many ways, but this made her a masterpiece in his mind.

When she had calmed and they lay wrapped up in each other's arms, content and happy, Natalie suggested a shared shower.

"What do you think?"

"I think it would be fun, and I will never be able to keep my hands off you."

"Perfect. We can get clean and be dirty all at once." She wiggled her eyebrows at him as she rose.

Adrian actually laughed at that and followed her quite happily from the bed.

Between soap and shampoo bubbles, a lot of laughing and kissing, and a novel use of the handrail Natalie had the forethought to have installed in each of the showers; leverage was important in a slippery environment, after all. They managed to have amazing shower sex and eventually get clean.

𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ𝕸ɳ

After a hearty breakfast, the happy pair went to the law office for their monthly meeting. August checked out the same as April, May, June, and July had, and Adrian and Natalie were soon on their way. They were scrupulously careful. They didn't want to destroy Trudy or Mitch's reputations or see Molly, Julie, or the Ellisons hurt in any way. They had more at stake than just themselves, and they knew it.

Natalie had a mission for them that afternoon. She wanted to go someplace she remembered from her childhood. A place she alternatively loved and hated. A piano store called Berliner and Adams on Pearl Street. She'd taken years of lessons there, which had served her well but she hadn't played in ages. She thought the last time she'd even touched a piano was at her parent's house the weekend of her brother's disastrous wedding. Although she'd loved learning to play, she had hated the practice. But as Natalie Teeger was a determined human, she plowed through her lessons and practice until she was, if nothing else, a proficient musician, but not a creative one. That is until she found a new teacher and learned to play something other than Chopin and Beethoven. So, she'd had an idea to add a little of her past to their future.

They entered the cool quiet of the store; the still air carried the scent of fine wood and wood polishing oils. They never noticed the figure following them down the street.

"I took lessons here from the time my hands were big enough to reach across the keys until I was sixteen," Natalie told Adrian. A daydream came to him as they wandered the quietly classy space. He was sorry he'd missed out on knowing the teenage Natalie. Honestly, he'd have been too old for her then, it wouldn't have even been legal for them to date, so things worked out. But to have known that wild girl might have been life-changing. It was life-changing now. A soft expression wreathed his face as he thought about how happy she made him, how wonderful his life was now. A beautiful piano concerto was playing at just the right volume to please the ear but to allow soft conversation, and he hummed along a little.

"Mahler," Adrian whispered to Natalie. She nodded in such a way to show she understood, not that she'd known. She loved that he knew those types of things. Her intellectual, brilliant boyfriend. The names of all the flowers at the arboretum, a thousand ways to kill someone, a classical music composition just by a few notes, a vast store of arcane knowledge that solved hundreds of crimes. His divergent mind was one of the things about him that turned her on the most. It was the thing that first attracted her. All she knew was that he was now using that hyper-intelligence to make her happy, to make her feel loved, to make her feel safe. That mind and that memory also worked to his advantage in bed. Every fact he'd ever read, every reaction she had, all stored for later use. It was pure magic.

Natalie led them to the section of the store she sought, the player pianos. These could be played and could play themselves. She'd always wanted one but could never afford or justify financing the steep cost. Even to allow Julie to have lessons. Adrian looked at the glossy black finish and examined the mechanism of something called a Disklavier. Natalie brought over a pile of items that looked like CDs and started sorting through them.

Just as Adrian was examining the interior of the Yamaha piano, a gentleman in a nicely tailored suit strode purposely over to them.

"Hello. Can I help you today?"

"Hello. Yes, you can," Natalie replied. "We're very interested in purchasing a Disklavier baby grand piano and the disks that make it play on its own."

"We are?" Adrian looked at her with surprise, not realizing this errand was more than a trip down memory lane.

"Yes! The French Provincial Cherry finish will be perfect with the pool table, bar, and barstools!"

"Whatever you want, sweetheart." It was such fun to indulge every desire she had—both in and out of bed.

The salesman looked between the couple and said, "Well, this is excellent. Let me get you the catalog of CDs and an order sheet so we can get started." It wasn't every day that people came to spend about $20,000 without arguing or trying to get a better deal, and his commission sheet would look great this month.

Adrian and Natalie chose music they both liked and music they individually wanted. The salesman showed them how to use the disks and change from "player piano" to "human" mode if someone decided to play. He promised delivery within two weeks. They needed to get the French Cherry from a warehouse in Nevada. They paid the salesman and were on their way.

When they were back in the car, Adrian asked, "What brought that on? I mean, the urge for the piano?"

"Well, it was one way to spend the money this month, but more than that, I thought it might be a novel addition to the playroom." Playroom was what she'd taken to calling the formerly formal living room.

"As usual, you're right; it will. It's so funny that people have formal living rooms and never really use them except possibly on holidays. It just shows that I'm not the only one who lives with rituals and habits that are hard to break!"

Natalie laughed. "That's true. I never really thought about that before. My old house and your apartment didn't lend themselves to formal anything. I'd rather have a room we'll use. We can leave the formal stuff to my parents and their estate."

"It's a deal!" He replied quickly. The ease and comfort of his life with Natalie were much preferred to the rigid regimentation of the life he'd existed in before.

When they arrived home, a car was in the driveway, so Natalie pulled in next to it, annoyed that she couldn't pull into the garage. She didn't recognize the car and thought it was rude that someone would presumptuously pull into their driveway.

Adrian was silent but smiling smugly to himself when they got out of the car. He knew why there was a car in the driveway.

They walked to the front door, and Adrian let them into the house.

"Adrian," Natalie whispered urgently, "There's someone in the backyard."

"I know."

Still a little on edge from the Brian Phillips incident, Natalie continued, "What are we going to…. You do?"

"Surprise!"

"What?"

"Happy Anniversary! It's been a month since July 14th, sweetheart. So I thought we should celebrate."

"Adrian, you are so thoughtful!"

"You make me so happy. All I want to do is make you happy." He smiled a little shyly.

"I can't believe you're saying those words to me after all these years."

"I know I treated you horribly, selfishly, wrongly for so long. I will spend the rest of our lives making up for the last ten years."

"You really don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't, but I will not turn this into an argument if you feel you must. It's silly to argue over positive things."

"I couldn't agree more, and I never want to argue with you."

"You know it's bound to happen at some point, right? I mean, we won't spend the rest of our lives without arguing. We argued over the last ten years. Not a lot, but sometimes."

"I remember," he cringed, thinking of the silly, sometimes dumb things they had argued over.

She hugged him then, "We don't have to worry about that tonight. Let me in on your surprise!"

He pulled her through the house and into the backyard, where it looked like fairies had taken up residence.

Tiny lights flickered everywhere, in the three trees she'd planted, on the umbrella, from the cabana support poles, and every other bush and vertical surface. It was magical. On the table were two covered dishes. He'd had dinner from Casis, a French bistro he knew she liked, brought to their backyard.

Natalie clapped her hands together when she recognized what was on their plates, and they spent a happy evening talking, laughing, eating, and sipping champagne. They were so happy they didn't notice the camera that had poked through the fence that faced into their backyard from their neighbor's yard. It silently took a few dozen pictures of the pair eating and chatting…and occasionally kissing. It would be a few weeks before those pictures returned to haunt them.

After they cleaned up and sat cuddled on the couch, Natalie's back to Adrian's chest, Adrian dropped kisses along Natalie's jawline. "Natalie, sometimes I wonder, is this even real? I've thought about nothing but you and this for so long." He sighed. "Thought about it, but... I didn't know how to say it or was too afraid to say it. But now…" he chuckled, "I feel like I have a future again… with you. Because of you. Just like this."

"Well, I guess it's possible we're both stuck in the same delusion, but unlikely," Natalie grinned at him.