With Me in Seattle Bundle One (15 page)

It’s incredible and comfortable.

“Welcome, Natalie.”  A very tall blond man is busy working in the kitchen.  He wipes his hands on a towel and comes around the island toward me.  “We’re so happy to meet you.”

“Nat, this is my dad, Neil.”

“I’m delighted to meet you, sir.”  He shakes my hand firmly, and his kind blue eyes smile at me.  Luke is a dead-ringer for his father. 

Luke’s younger brother, Mark, who also looks like his father and older brother, is helping Neil in the kitchen.  “’Sup, Natalie?”

“You must be Mark.” I smile at him, and he nods.

“Yep, I’m the best-looking one here, aside from you.”  He gives me a Cheshire cat smile, and I can’t help but laugh.  The Williams men are all handsome as sin and charming to boot!

“And this,” Luke interrupts, glaring at his little brother, “is my sister, Samantha.”

Samantha is sitting on one of the plush couches with an iPad in her lap and a wine glass in her hand.  She is simply beautiful and petite like her mother, blond and blue-eyed, with delicate features. But her eyes are shrewd, and she is not smiling or welcoming me into the fold.

“Natalie.” She nods at me once, and then goes back to her engrossing piece of technology.

I look up at Luke, but he’s staring at Samantha.  I can feel the tension in him, and remembering their phone call last night, I squeeze his hand so he looks down at me.  Clearly, Samantha is going to be the hardest one to get to know in his family.

I shrug and smile at him, and he smiles back at me, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

“Natalie, come sit with me at the table so we can chat while the boys cook.  Luke, grab an apron, son.  I think your dad needs help with the steaks.”

“I do not need any help.” Neil looks affronted, but I can tell this is a running joke in the family.  “I can cook a steak just fine.”

Lucy rolls her eyes at him and leads me to the dining table.  “Would you like a glass of wine, dear?”

“Yes, please.”

We settle at the table with our drinks, and I take a large sip, mentally preparing myself for the interrogation that is about to come. 

“So tell me, what do you do, Natalie?”

“I’m a photographer.” I glance over at Luke in the kitchen with his father, and my mouth goes just a little dry at the sight of three very handsome, virile men bustling around the kitchen.  What is it about a man who can cook?

“Oh, how interesting.  What kind of photography do you do?”  Lucy leans her elbows on the table and takes a sip of her wine.  She’s genuinely interested in me, and it makes me relax.

“I mostly do nature photography.  I live on Alki Beach, not far from Luke, so I have a lot of opportunities to take photos of the water, the boats and such.  And I enjoy taking day trips around the area to take photos of flowers and just pretty things in general.”  I take another sip of my wine, and Luke catches my eye with a naughty grin.  He smirks and goes back to chopping something.

“I’d love to see some of your work.  Do you have a website?”

“No, I sell my work in shops around Alki and in downtown Seattle near Pike Place Market.”

“I will have to look for it.”  Lucy smiles at me, and I can’t help but lean forward so only she can hear me.

“I have to thank you for something,” I whisper.

Her eyes widen in interest, and her grin widens.  “What, dear?”

“Thank you for teaching your son how to cook.  He’s amazing in the kitchen.”

She laughs, a full-on belly laugh, and clasps my hand in hers.  “Oh, darling, you are welcome.”

I glance in the kitchen, and Luke is staring at us open-mouthed.  He frowns, and I smile to myself.

“What are you two whispering about?”

“Nothing,” Lucy responds innocently.  “How is my steak coming along?”

***

We’re all seated at the table off the kitchen.  Neil is at one end, and Lucy is at the other.  I’m seated to Neil’s right with Luke next to me, and Samantha and Mark are across from us.

The guys prepared rib-eye steaks, roasted baby red potatoes and roasted asparagus with garlic and bacon.  Luke refills my wine glass as serving plates are passed around the table.

“So, Natalie”—Neil hands me a basket full of rolls—“are you from around here?”

“Yes, I grew up in Bellevue.”

“Oh?  That’s not far from here.  Would I know your parents?”

Luke’s fork stops midway between his plate and his mouth at his father’s question.

“Dad…”

“No, it’s okay,” I murmur softly and smile at Luke’s father.

“My parents passed away a few years ago, but you may have known them.  Jack and Leslie Conner.”

Neil’s eyebrows shoot up.  “The lawyer Jack Conner?”

“Yes, sir.”  I take a bite of steak. 

“He did work for us at Microsoft on occasion.”

I look up and notice Samantha’s brief scowl before she smoothes her face into a perfectly neutral expression and drinks about half the glass of wine in front of her in one gulp.  She fills her glass again and drinks some more.

“I’m so sorry to hear about your parents, Natalie,” Lucy says softly.  “I’d heard of their passing on the news when it happened.”

“Thank you.”  I desperately want to change the subject, but Mark comes to my rescue.

“How did you guys meet?”

I smile smugly at Luke and answer him myself.  “Luke tried to mug me one morning.”

All eyes go to Luke, and I can’t help but laugh.  Luke’s cheeks flush as he looks over at me.

“You should know my brother doesn’t need to mug anyone.” Samantha’s voice is cold and mocking, and she clearly doesn’t find me funny.  Mark elbows her.

“She’s kidding, Sam.”  Luke grasps my hand under the table, and I resume eating with my left hand, content to keep my right one snuggled in his.

“I was taking photos down at the beach one morning, and he mistakenly thought I was taking photos of him, so he approached me.  Quite angrily, really.”

Lucy gives her son a knowing look and glances back at me.  “How did you react, Natalie?”

“I was angry.  I thought I was being mugged for my camera.”

“You thought Luke Williams was trying to mug you?” Samantha’s voice is incredulous.

“I didn’t know who he was.”  I shrug and take a sip of wine.

“Right.” She snorts.

“Samantha…” Luke’s warning is unheeded by his now tipsy sister.

“Anyway,” I continue, “we ended up running into each other later that same day when he was out buying a gift for your birthday.” 

“Which I’m now reconsidering based on your behavior,” Luke adds.

“So you mean to tell me that you don’t know what my brother does for a living?”  Her face is openly hostile now.

“Samantha, what in the world is wrong with you?”  Lucy’s face is flushed, and she’s clearly embarrassed by her daughter’s performance.

“Of course, now I know what Luke does for a living, Samantha,” I respond before Samantha can.  “But I didn’t recognize him at first, no.”

“So you’re not just fucking my brother because he’s a rich movie star?”

Holy fuck.

Chapter Fourteen

“Samantha!”

“What the hell!”

“Oh my God!”

The Williams family all start yelling at Luke’s sister in unison, but she remains firm, her eyes blazing at me.  Amazingly, I take a deep breath and find a Zen-like calm that is very
un-me
.

I grip Luke’s thigh when he starts to come out of his chair in fury.

“Samantha, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“Luke, stop.”

“No, Nat, I will not have you spoken to like that, least of all by my own family!”

“Hey.” I grip his thigh again, and I feel all eyes on me as I look up him. 

I turn my gaze back to his sister, and I know my eyes betray my outer calm.  I’m just so pissed.

“First of all, and I mean no disrespect to your family, Luke, how dare you say such a thing about your brother?”

Samantha gasps, and I continue, “Not only are you intimating that I’m a whore, but you’re also insinuating that your brother has the intelligence of a mud fence to be with a woman who would take advantage of him because of his celebrity or his money, and be perfectly okay with that.

“I don’t need or want Luke’s money.  Not that it’s any of your business, but I do just fine, thank you.  I’ve never seen his movies, but I don’t doubt that he’s very talented.  What I do know is that he’s amazingly smart. He is honestly the kindest man I’ve ever met, and he is beautiful, inside and out.  I will not tolerate anyone speaking about him like that, Ms. Williams.”

I scoot my chair away from the table and stand.

“Natalie.” Luke grabs for my hand, and I squeeze it reassuringly.

“Is there a restroom nearby where I can regroup?” I ask Lucy.

“Of course, dear, down the hall to the left.”

I look down at Luke and then throw caution to the wind and lean down to kiss his lips.  “I’ll be back.”

As I walk, more calmly than I feel, down the hall, I hear the table erupt in anger at Luke’s sister.  Good.  She deserves everything she’s about to get.

I find the bathroom and lock myself inside.  Leaning my hands on the vanity, I hang my head, trying to keep the shaking at bay.  I know it’s from the adrenaline, but I can’t make it stop.

Maybe I should have kept my big mouth shut, but she just made me so mad!  I don’t know what her problem is with me, but she’s been openly hostile all night.  And the last comment just pushed me over the edge.

I’m sure his parents now hate me for verbally castigating their daughter at the dinner table.  Although, they seemed to be more shocked than anything when it was happening, and Mark had a wide grin on his face as I walked away from the table.

Oh, how am I going to go back out there and face them?

I take five deep breaths.  The shaking starts to subside, and I don’t know how long I’ve been locked in the bathroom.  I open the door and start the journey back to the table.

Before I can turn the corner, I hear Lucy’s soft voice.  “Honey, she obviously loves you.”

I stop in my tracks and listen.

“Mom…” Luke starts to speak, but Lucy interrupts him.

“I know, it’s none of our business, but it’s pretty clear how she feels about you, honey.  Why else would she defend you like that?”

“She’s a keeper.” This is Mark’s voice, I think.

I decide to stop eavesdropping and walk into the room, noticing that Samantha is no longer at the table.

Luke stands and quickly walks to me, wrapping me in his strong arms.  “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”  I pull back and smile up at him, then turn to his family.  “I’m so sorry for the way I spoke to your daughter…”

Neil holds up a hand to stop my speech.  “No, Natalie, we are sorry for her behavior.  Please, come finish your meal.  Samantha won’t be rejoining us.”

I look up into Luke’s eyes, and he looks nervous and unsure, his eyes searching mine.

“Okay.”

“You’re sure you’re okay?” he murmurs.

“Yes, let’s finish dinner.”  We sit back in our places and continue eating.

“This is really delicious.” I smile at Neil, and he grins back at me.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I love a man who can cook.”  I grin at Lucy, who beams back at me, and settle in to enjoy the rest of our evening.

***

Luke is quiet on the way back to his place after dinner.  He’s biting his thumbnail, which tells me that he’s thinking.  He’s not touched me since we left, and I can’t help but start to feel a little apprehensive.

“Are you okay?” I ask, breaking the silence.

He glances over at me and frowns.  “Of course.”

“Okay.  Good.”  I clasp my hands in my lap and stare at the lights from the city in the distance out my window. As we pull up to his house, the silence is deafening.  He opens my door for me and escorts me up his front steps to usher me inside.  He turns on a light as I walk to the kitchen and lay my purse on the breakfast bar.

I turn to look at him and am surprised to find that he’s not in the room.  Where did he go?

I frown as unease starts to unfurl through my stomach.  Oh my God, I really screwed up.  He must be mad at me for the way I spoke to his sister at dinner.  Where is he?

Maybe he wants me to leave, and he’s giving me space to pack my things.

I climb the stairs and head for his bedroom, willing myself not to cry until I get home.  I’ll just pack my things and get the hell out of here. Then I can fall apart. 

Just before I cross the threshold into his bedroom, my phone pings in my pocket.  I pull it out, and I have a text.

From Luke.

Natalie, would you please join me in my bathroom?

Huh? 

I walk through the bedroom and to the entrance to the bathroom and stop in my tracks.

He has drawn a bath in that huge egg-shaped tub of his, and the scent of lavender is hanging in the air.  There are candles lit on the vanity and the side of the tub.  Luke is standing next to the tub wearing only his jeans, the top button undone.

Finally, I find my voice, but all I can say is, “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I thought you were mad at me.”

“Why?”  He walks over to me and grips my chin in his thumb and forefinger, tilting my head back so I can look him in the eye.

“Because you’ve been so quiet since we left your parents’ house.” 

“I’ve just been thinking.”  His fingers caress my cheek, and he tenderly kisses my forehead.

“About?” I whisper.

“Let’s get in the bath.” Oh!  I want him to keep talking.           

“I’m overdressed for a bath.”

“So you are, baby.”  He peels my jacket off my shoulders and down my arms and sets it on a nearby chair.  He pulls my dress over my head and gently folds it and places it over the jacket. 

“Step out of your shoes.”

I comply, unable to take my eyes from his.  He wraps his arms around me and leans down to kiss my shoulder, while unclasping my bra and pulling it down my arms.  As he steps back, I hook my thong in my thumbs and push it off my hips, letting it drop to the floor.  I stand before him and flush with pleasure at the way his eyes go glassy with desire as he runs them up and down my nakedness.