Chapter Sixty-seven Even though he knew Chandra was sleeping on their couch, and that she would alert them to any possible danger, Nate still couldn't help but jump at every little sound. He and Lindy lay on the bed, Liam cradled between them. As if they could surround him like a protective wall. They hadn't spoken since lying down, too busy lost in their own thoughts and enjoying Liam's presence. They touched and held the little boy almost constantly, reassuring themselves that he was safe...even though they knew deep down that he really wasn't. Not truly. And they couldn't truly rest until he was. Lindy bit her lip, trying to keep from bursting into tears. She had spent most of the ride back from work in stunned silence, and other than her one question to her mother, held Liam in the same stunned silence. [It should have been me,] she thought repeatedly with a mixture of guilt and anger. [I'm the one raising him. All Bryn did was baby sit.] She looked at their son, stroking her hand along his arm. Liam was sound asleep now, one hand curled up in a fist near his mouth. A surge of protectiveness and fear went through her. Whoever this bastard was, biological father or not, he wasn't getting their son. Not without a fight. "Nate, what are we going to do?" she whispered. He sighed. He'd been hoping she wouldn't ask him that question. "I don't know, Lind. I thought about us going away for a while--a long while--but you have your job and you'd miss your family. I thought about asking Anton if we could borrow the loft space above the warehouse, so we'd at least have security guards around us, but I don't like that idea either." He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "The only thing I can think of doing is strengthening the security around here. Maybe hire some guards, build bigger fences...God, even that sounds pathetic." "It doesn't sound like enough. No matter how high we build the fences, he could always dig under them. No matter how many guards we hire, he'll find a spot to slip past unseen. I've been trying to think of a way to stop him. But I can't come up with anything." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I shudder to think of what could have happened to Bryn. And poor Chandra's got to be reliving some of her own attack." "Yeah, I know." He leaned over to brush his fingers against her cheek. "We were extremely lucky this time. But I'm not so sure we will be next time. I hate to say this, Lind, but maybe running is the only chance we have. I know you like your job, but you don't really need it. We could just pick up and move. And if that means taking your family with us, so be it." "I-I-I don't think they'd go." Her eyes welled up with tears. "And I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave, but I don't want to lose Liam either. We'd have to cut off contact with everyone, including Anton and Bryn to. And what happens when he finds us after we move? Do we run again? Keep moving from place to place?" She looked down at Liam, sleeping so innocently between them. "That's not the kind of life I want for him. Or for us." He brushed away her tears with his thumb, leaning closer to kiss her closed eyes. "All right, then tomorrow I'm going to contact the best security company I can. We'll get the whole place rigged, even if that means posting security cameras every five feet on all fifty acres. We're going to know he's coming before he even gets here. And I'll buy a gun. I'll do whatever I have to do. Hell, I'd even buy spring traps if I thought it would help." She opened her eyes, lips twitching into a half smile. "If I thought it would do any good, I'd set those traps myself. But whatever type of security we get, we have to make sure that we stay safe. Guards are good, but how do you explain to them not to shoot these wolves, but not this one? The cameras would probably be the best thing." She gently stroked her knuckles over his cheek. "I guess I could give up my job to stay around more." "You don't have to do that, Lindy. I think between your family and mine, we should be okay. Especially if we install some kind of alarm that alerts all of the houses when one is in trouble. I know it seems like we've been facing one setback after another, but eventually this will all calm down. And the restaurant can wait until it does. I'll just be a stay-at-home dad. I can handle that." "But you shouldn't have to give up your dream either." Lindy sighed. "It just seems lately like we've been moving from crisis to crisis, and we don't get time to recover from the last one before the next one hits." She wasn't sure how he'd take her next statement. "And I can't feel like this is somehow my fault. That if I was still a werewolf, he'd be leaving us alone." "He didn't leave Chandra alone, and you were a werewolf then. Do you really think it makes a difference? The point is, he doesn't want us to have Liam. Period. I just wish we knew if was completely alone, or if he has a pack somewhere. Maybe, if somewhere along the line, there's a sane person in his life, they'll talk him out of what he's doing. Because if he isn't careful, he won't only harm an innocent person...he'll also damage own son." Lindy nodded in agreement. "But how do we convince him of that?" She sighed, snuggling a bit closer to both of them. "I'm so tired, Nate. But I don't think I can sleep. Do you want to try to get some sleep while I stay up? Not that I don't trust Chandra, but she's still got a lot to learn." "I'm not going to be able to sleep anymore than you are. Not until I've at least done *something* to keep him at bay. Which reminds me, we're both going to have to feed tomorrow, and I think we only have enough ampoules for one of us. Besides which, I don't like the idea of both of us being away from Liam for the time it takes us to feed. Not yet, anyway." He stroked her hair back from her face, continuing to brush his hand over the silky tresses. "Before we went to the Gathering, I made some phone calls about getting some cattle for our land. I think I'll call again, and do whatever it takes for them to be delivered as soon as possible." "I think that's a good idea, Nate. It sounds like that would be the best thing." She looked down again at Liam. "I worry sometimes, about what we'll tell Liam when he gets old enough to start asking about his biological family." "We'll tell him the truth, Lind. He deserves to know. And if he wonders why we didn't return him to his father, we'll tell him the truth about that, too. That we thought his father was a danger to him, and we loved him too much to put him through something that could get him hurt. And maybe that was selfish of us, but at least we *knew* we loved him. We couldn't say the same about the other guy." "Which is exactly how I feel." She gently stroked Liam's side, and then Nate's. "It's not selfish. It's doing what we think is best for him. What parents are supposed to do." "We are his parents, biological or not. I don't care what anyone else thinks. He was always meant to be ours." She felt a little silly, standing there holding her coat closed over her naked breasts while she waited for the photographer to set up the shot. Bryn watched carefully as Danika moved the white sheet around, billowing it here and there artistically. The city lights of San Francisco glittered behind her, the moon just barely peeking into view, and the chill in the air had created small crystals on the roof of the building. But it looked like it would be a beautiful shot. She just hoped the woman took it quickly--it was freezing out there! "At last, we are ready," Danika said, her voice slightly accented. "Please, come over here and I will pose you before taking your coats." They both walked over to where she stood, stepping over the sheet on the ground. Anton wore black slacks, and little else. They'd both been able to keep their bare feet warm by the heater, but now it was facing a different direction. Hopefully his coat was warm enough for now. Bryn wore less, a heavy coat and a filmy sarong, hanging low on her hips, her hair slightly spiked but very elegant. Danika situated him first, standing him directly before the camera. Bryn was told to stand before him. "Sabryn, you will stand with your back to Anton's chest. Off-center, only slightly, so he may rest his jaw against your ear. Anton, you will reach around and hold Sabryn's breasts, making sure to cover her nipples for now. She will hold your wrists. It will be very beautiful, with the lights behind you and the moon. She will look like a goddess." "You already do, my dear," Anton whispered to her as they took their positions. He felt the cold bite of the air against his face and hands, and was wondering what made him think about doing this at the start of November. They were lucky that there was no fog this evening, and that the seasonal rains were running late. He let Danika move him, adjusting him until he and Bryn were standing exactly how she had pictured them. Hands fractionally higher, head fractionally lower, eyelids closed just a tad more. As the photographer stepped back to check the framing of the shot one more time, he couldn't help but whisper in her ear. "I think this would have gone faster if you were painting it." "I don't know if I should smile, or be insulted at that remark. I just hope your hands are warm." She waited patiently as the photographer hurried over to take their coats, then made sure they were still in the position she wanted. Bryn shuddered as Anton's hands covered her...they weren't as warm as she'd hoped, but certainly not as cold as the air around them. "Perfect," Danika said, stepping back to the camera. "Should we smile?" Bryn asked. "Not this time. This time we just look sexy...all right, a little more happiness. You're both frowning--" "It's cold out here!" "Just a little smile, please. There, that's perfect. Ooh, I love that eyebrow arch. Hold that. Anton, turn your head just slightly, as if you are smelling her hair. No, that's too...right there! Perfect." She finally took hold of the camera, adjusting the lens. Then she adjusted one of the lights beside them. Back to the camera. Just as Bryn was about to shiver and break the pose, Danika took the picture. "Beautiful. Now, Sabryn turn your head to the side, just a bit...the other way...stop there. Anton, you will bring your head forward, and kiss the edge of her jaw. Perfect. Both close your eyes. Yes, yes, wonderful!" She clicked off another picture, then one more, thinking the first was slightly fuzzy. The wind was starting to pick up, and they both shivered. "All right, come take your coats and get warmed up. I'll reset the stage." Anton grabbed Bryn's offered coat first and placed it on her shoulders. Then he grabbed his coat and pulled it on. He then stepped in close to Bryn, sharing his body heat with her. "How many poses were we going to do, my dear?" "I don't know. I think she wants to do a lot, in case some of them don't turn out." Clutching her coat shut, she grabbed his hand and walked over in front o the heater again. Shivering, she opened her coat and his, pressing her bare skin against his. "Hopefully she won't do too many more up here, and we can take the rest in the studio." "I hope so. It's warm down there." She nodded in agreement, then pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "These will be nice if they turn out." She glanced up at him, a little smirk on her face. "You think they're too risquŽ for the office? Maybe in a nice frame on your desk? Or mine, for that matter?" "I think we could display them discretely, my dear." He ran his hand up and down her back as he watched Danika moving pieces of equipment around and rearranging the lights. "What would you like to do when we're done here? Would you like to go get something to eat? Or do you want to head home right away?" "Well, why don't we pick up something to eat on the way home? I'd like to know if Nate figured out anything about the security system. Plus, I wouldn't mind cuddling up on the couch to watch--" Before she could finish the sentence, Danika caught their attention. "One more pose and then we can finish up in the studio. Sabryn please come with me, Anton you may stay here for this one. Letting out a reluctant sigh, Bryn pulled away from him and wrapped her coat around her again. She followed the photographer over the same sheet. As far as he could tell, Danika had only changed the lighting. She removed Bryn's coat, and posed her with her arms crossed over her breasts, her hands on her shoulders, her chin lifted. She finished the placement, with the stark lighting, leaving Bryn looking a bit like a white marble statue. Danika tilted Bryn's head to the side, telling her to train her gaze straight ahead, to give a regal cast to her face. To act like a queen. Bryn couldn't help but giggle at that, but quickly sobered as Danika admonished her. He couldn't help but stare at her as if he had never seen her before. It always puzzled him that she couldn't see how beautiful she was. How her chocolate hair and eyes provided a striking contrast to her pale ivory skin. How her full, sensuous lips appeared to be ready to break into a smile or pout into a kiss. How her body, now rounded with pregnancy, inspired him to drop to his knees in worship. She looked every inch the goddess Danika had promised she would. Danika returned to the camera, adjusting everything exactly as she wanted. Then, at the last minute, she hurried back over to Bryn, shifting her brilliant blue sarong until her leg was completely bare up to her hip. Standing back, the photographer smiled and murmured, "Bellissima." She trotted back to the camera and took the shot. Then, quickly, she told Bryn to look at Anton and smile. The wide grin that came across her face was nearly as bright as the lights themselves. Danika took a picture of that, too. "Let's get back inside, darlings. It's getting cold out here." They pulled up to the gate and entered the security code to open it. Anton couldn't help but look up at the newly installed security camera. There were several other cameras along the fence and also taping the entrances to the houses. The motion sensors had been upgraded, and now all three houses were wired so that an alarm triggered at one would alert the other two. They were secure as they could now be. He was still concerned, though. The werewolves hadn't yet found where the stranger had crossed over into their property. They had found that parts of the woods on their property practically reeked of his scent, indicating he had been there undetected for quite a while. He wasn't at all comfortable with that. He looked at Bryn and smiled, masking his worries for the moment. "So how do you think that went, my dear? Aside from being extremely cold, that is." "I think it went really well. The pictures are going to be great. I really liked the one with us on the couch, all cuddled up in sweaters and the heavy blanket. I think that one should go in our living room. And maybe, if we get them back in time, it could go on our Christmas cards, too." "That is a good idea. We should have the proofs in about a week to make our choices. So then it will all depend on how fast the pictures are printed." He followed the twists in the road to their house. "Was there anything you'd like to do for Christmas, or even Thanksgiving? I know it's short notice to get your family out here, but if you'd like them to come, I'm more than willing to pay for tickets." She smiled at him. "I'd love to have them here when Max is born, but I'm not sure they could stay that long, since we don't know for sure when that would be. And I don't know where they'd stay, unless we got a bed to put in the extra bedroom. It's a very lovely idea, though. Thank you." "You're welcome--" Before he could say more, she added, "I'm not sure if I'll be up to much of anything by the time Christmas rolls around. I'll probably have to just lay around like a beached whale." She scratched her head briefly, wanting to wash the hairspray out of her hair. "What about you? Was there something you wanted to do, for Thanksgiving maybe?" "I usually have a dinner for the employees the Wednesday before. I provide the turkey, everyone else brings whatever they want. It's one of the few times I'm seen during the day, since we shut things down around noon. Other than that, I was going to check and see if Nathaniel had anything planned. I'm sure he'll be doing something with Lindy's family, and I'm sure we'll be invited as well." "Both of those sound great...but how are you going to have the dinner for your employees during the day? You'd have to stay all day at the warehouse, wouldn't you?" "Yeah. On Tuesday night. I hadn't even thought of the fact that it was easy to do because I lived there." He pulled into the driveway and hit the garage door opener. "The warehouse would be closed for a long weekend at about 6:00 PM, so we'd be back on Wednesday night. Assuming you want to stay over with me, my dear." "We'd have to sleep on the floor," she said, somewhat sourly. "Unless you think we can still squeeze onto Lindy's couch without one of us falling off." She failed to smile at that. "I don't know, Anton. I starting to have trouble getting comfortable in our own bed. I wake up with a back ache now. I shudder to think of what it might be like after sleeping on a couch or the floor." "I'm sorry, Bryn. I didn't realize you were waking up sore." He pulled into the garage and shut off the car. Anton reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "I guess we can have Michelle oversee everything this year, and come home on Tuesday night instead of staying." "No, Anton, I don't want you to miss it because of me. This is how you show your employees that you appreciate them...and they can do the same for you." She reached up to press her hand over his. "I--I can always meet you here on Wednesday. I'll just drive myself." She didn't exactly look happy with the idea, but she genuinely didn't want him to miss the dinner. Anton continued to massage her shoulder. "You know, there may be days I get caught at work due to emergencies that come up. There's nothing saying that we couldn't order a bed to have there just in case. We've got the time where it could be delivered before Thanksgiving. I don't particularly want to spend the time apart from you, my dear." She closed her eyes briefly, a smile crossing her face. "Good, because I don't either." She turned slightly, leaning closer to kiss him on the mouth. "Thank you, sugar. I don't think I would've slept at all without you, anyway. You're like my favorite pillow...or a great big teddy bear." She grinned. He chuckled a little at the mental image. "Speaking of furniture, we also need to get the things from Europe moved over here. Have you figured out where you want things put yet? Or will you figure that out when you see the furniture here?" "I should probably come to work with soon and figure it out. I don't remember what all is there." She opened her car door. "Let's go inside. It's kind of cold out here." Anton nodded, squeezing her shoulder once more before getting out of the car and heading towards the door. The moment he had the door to the house unlocked and opened, Petunia bounded into sight, excitedly wiggling and rubbing against their legs. They both greeted her, shaking their heads as she ran back to the living room to get a toy. Carrying their take-home food, Bryn led the way to the couch. "You want to call Lindy and Nate, to see what's going on?" "Okay, my dear." He followed Bryn, grabbing the cordless phone off of it's charging base. Pausing a moment to play tug-o-war with the rope chew toy Petunia was carrying, he sat down and dialed the phone, listening to it ring. Bryn sorted out their food on the coffee table, swatting Petunia's nose as she tried to steal Anton's french fries. The dog gave her an innocent look, and sniffed the air. "H'lo?" Nate answered the phone, sounding as if he'd just awakened. "Hello?" Lindy said, also answering on another phone. "Uh...hello," Anton said. "Nate, you can go back to sleep." The sound of one of the extensions clicking came over the line as Nate hung up the phone. "What's up, Anton?" "I didn't mean to wake anyone up..." "It's all right," Lindy said. "We're kind of taking turns at taking naps. Neither one of us slept today. So I took a short nap a few hours ago, while he dealt with the security people. Now it's his turn." "Oh. Would you like for us to watch Liam so you both can get some sleep?" "No, that's okay, Anton. Thanks for the offer. So what did you call for?" "Actually, Bryn and I were discussing Thanksgiving and Christmas. Did you have anything planned yet?" "I almost forgot that it's coming up. No, we haven't talked about it yet. I need to talk to Mom and see if she's got any ideas. Usually we have some sort of dinner with all of us. Guess the question will be which house we have it at this year." "Okay. Whenever Nate wakes up, have him give me a call. There's something else I need to talk to him about." "Actually...hang on. I hear him walking around." "Okay." He listened as Lindy walked through the house, her footsteps echoing in the hallway. Then she said something with the voice piece muffled. Nate cleared his throat, then his voice came over the line quite clearly. "Hello?" "Hello, Nathaniel." He hadn't meant to talk to him over the phone. This was something that he felt he really should do face to face. "I...ah...need to speak to you sometime soon. It's about what happened at the Gathering." "Um...okay. Is something wrong?" "No. No, I just wanted to discuss something." "Okay. Well, Lindy's going to need a ride to work tomorrow, to pick up her car, so why don't you stop by and we can talk before you go?" "That sounds good. I'll see you then." He said good night to Nathaniel, hung up the phone, and turned back to Bryn. "Lindy's going to talk to her mother to see if she has any ideas for the holidays." She swallowed the bite of roast beef sandwich she'd taken. "Good." Then she took a drink of her shake. "Is there a problem about the Gathering? Or would you rather keep that between you and Nate." "No," Anton said with a bit of a sigh. "I said something to him when I was drunk that I shouldn't have. I've been meaning to apologize about it, but with everything going on, haven't had a chance. I just want to clear the air before anything festers." "Why? What did you say?" "I asked him point blank if he had anything to do with Stephana's murder." "Ouch." She pointed to his food, indicating that it was getting cold. "He did say he wasn't, right? I didn't remember him being involved, but I don't remember everything that happened." He sat down next to her and picked up the turkey sandwich, pushing a piece of lettuce back between the buns. "No, he wasn't. He just wasn't happy with how I asked. He was insulted that I could even think that he was involved." "You had every right to ask, Anton. He did do things to hurt you in the past. How were you supposed to know just how far he'd go?" She ate a small french fry, then gave one to Petunia. "It makes me feel better to know for sure. I'm sure it does you too." "I do feel relieved, but the way I asked wasn't exactly the most polite. It was half question, half accusation." He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed, then swallowed. "I just don't want anything hanging between us, especially since we've made such progress." She placed her hand on his thigh, rubbing gently. "I think every thing's going to be just fine. The only thing I'm worried about is you feeding. You didn't get a chance last night or tonight." "I'll be fine. We've got the blood we were going to transfuse you with. I'm sure Anne will understand if I drink it instead." He snagged a french fry and popped it into his mouth. "Those cattle Nathaniel bought should be delivered sometime tomorrow. It's almost becoming a farm up here. Which reminds me. I've got to call Mack about getting the colt sent up here." He sighed a bit. "I think it's obvious by now he's not going to come after Chandra." She hung her head a bit, nodding. "Poor Chandra. Not only does she have to deal with Mack, but now she's also faced with the fact that her attacker is still around. Our attacker, I guess. I keep trying to convince myself that he didn't attack me, I was just in the way. But I guess that's not entirely true." "Even if he hadn't clawed you, Bryn, I still would have considered it an attack. He clearly was watching here, and chose to wait until you were alone with Liam. He could have approached us at any time to discuss custody. He didn't have to hurt you or Chandra." She put the rest of her sandwich down, suddenly not at all hungry. She could still remember so clearly what it had felt like to be so helpless, to know he would catch her eventually...to stand on that balcony while he clawed down the door, and wonder if it would be better to jump or be eaten alive. Trembling, her eyes moist, she said, "Can we talk about something else?" He put down his sandwich and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Bryn. I didn't mean to upset you." He pressed his lips to her head. "We could talk about anything more we need to get done before Max is born. Or we could talk about how beautiful you were tonight." She let out a slightly wet laugh, leaning her head against his shoulder. "We need to ask Anne about where I'll be giving birth. And pack a suitcase. Then finish setting up his room. Make sure we have diapers, wipes, all sorts of supplies. We need an infant car seat before we can take him home. A stroller. I can think of hundreds of things, and yet I'm sure I'll forget something huge." "Well, then let's start a list. Some of the things we need we can buy now. And I'm sure we can get things as we find out we need them." He grinned at her. "I can't tell you how excited I'm getting, my dear. I never thought that I would have the chance to be a father. And sometimes I still think I'm dreaming." He leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Thank you, Bryn." She smiled softly, kissing him again. "You're welcome, Anton. But it wasn't just my doing, you know." She touched his cross with her fingertips, then grinned at him. "Thank you, too, sugar." After sunset the next day, Anton pulled his car into Nate and Lindy's driveway. He was ready to give Lindy a drive back to work. And more than ready to apologize to Nathaniel. Although nothing had been said about his comments, he wanted to make sure that Nate understood that he only said them because he was drunk. Not that he really believed it. Getting out of the car, he walked up to the front door and knocked on it, watching for anything out of the ordinary. A few minutes later, Nate came to the door, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, holding a half-awake baby in his arms. "Hey. Come on in," he said, leaving the door open for Anton to follow him into the kitchen. Anton closed the door behind him, stepping to the side as Lindy rushed past him, giving him a quick smile, and went into the bedroom to finish getting ready. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw that Nate had already strapped Liam into his highchair, and was in the process of pouring a small amount of cereal on the tray for his breakfast. Looking half-awake himself, Nate set the cereal box down and ran his hand through his wild hair. "What'd you want to talk to me about?" Anton took seat at the table. He looked down at his hands and then up at Nathaniel. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for saying what I did that night at the Gathering. Asking you if you had anything to do with Stephana's murder," he clarified. "It was out of line for me to say, and my only weak defense was that I was drunk at the time. But it still didn't give me any right to say it. I've been meaning to apologize before now, but things kept happening. And I don't want it to fester between us." Nate frowned, leaning back against the island in the middle of the kitchen. "I already told you I forgave you, Anton. I told you that just minutes after you said it. I know why you asked, and I also knew very well that you were drunk. I honestly haven't thought about it since. So it's over." "Good," Anton said, sitting back as well. "I'm sorry I didn't remember that. A few hours that night are a bit fuzzy. And like I said, I don't want anything to come between us again." He studied his brother for a moment. "Would you do me a favor tonight, Nathaniel?" "What?" "Bryn's probably going to be edgy tonight, since it's her first night alone after the attack. Would you mind checking in on her in a few hours?" "Sure. I'll ask her if she wants to come over here for a while. I doubt we'll be too comfortable about being alone, either," he said, nodding towards Liam. "He flinches at every loud sound, now. I'm a little surprised he's not having nightmares. I know I've had them." "So have I," Anton admitted softly. He had dreamed last night that the Jess hadn't shown up in time and the werewolf had done a lot more than claw Bryn's back. He had spent about an hour after waking up in a cold sweat just watching Bryn sleep, reassuring himself that she was all right. "Has Lindy's family found how he got over the fence yet?" "No, not yet. They've been searching the fence, but no luck so far." "I hope they find it soon. I'm sure we'll all feel a lot safer once we find this creep and take care of him." "I wish it was that easy." He watched Liam pick up a piece of cereal, turn it over in his hand, and drop it on the floor. Nate shook his head, slightly amused even though he didn't smile. "So far he's only shown physical violence. What if he actually starts a custody battle? There's no way we'd win...especially once they find out we have false documentation about his adoption." "Maybe he can't," Anton said after a moment's thought. "What do you mean?" "Lindy said she thinks he was raised by wolves, or at least not familiar with humans. What if he was, and his father doesn't have any sort of documentation that Liam is his son? It would have been a lot easier to show up at Chandra's with the police and demand to know where his son was. Or here and demand custody of Liam. Instead, he's attacked us, because that is the only avenue of action available to him." Nate thought for a moment. "Finding out would be as easy as getting a paternity test...but he wouldn't do that, because it might expose what he is." He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know if I should feel better or not. Without the law behind him, he's only going to keep trying to attack. And no matter how much security we have here, there's always a chance that something could happen off the property." "I've thought about that too. I just pray that Natasha never finds out about him. God only knows what would happen if those two joined forces." At that point, Lindy walked into the kitchen. "I'm all set. Are you ready to go, Anton?" "Yes I am." Anton looked at Nathaniel. "So you'll check on Bryn later?" "Yeah, I will. We can figure out what's going on for Thanksgiving." "Thanks," Anton said, giving him a meaningful stare. "You're welcome." Nate watched as Lindy said goodbye to Liam. She placed a lingering kiss on his forehead, very obviously reluctant to leave. She let out a sigh before turning to Nate and hugging him. He squeezed her tightly, before kissing her lips. "Every thing's going to be just fine, Lind. Don't worry. Just go and get your work done so you can get home." "I will. And I'll be thinking about you too the whole time. And maybe if I'm lucky," Lindy winked at Nate. "The boss will let me leave work early tonight." Anton rolled his eyes. "You know you've got Bryn convinced I'm an absolute ogre to work for." As Lindy grinned, Nate said, "I think you're the one perpetuating that myth, Anton." He mimicked what he once heard Anton say, paraphrasing, in a horrible impersonation. "'I've got to warn you, I hear the boss can be one mean bastard.'" Anton looked over at Lindy. "Please. Tell me I don't sound like that." Lindy just laughed. "C'mon. We're going to be late." She picked up her purse, checking to make sure her keys were inside. "I'll give you a call before I leave for home, Nate." She kissed Liam once more on the head. "And you don't give Daddy too much trouble." As if in protest, Liam hurled another Cheerio onto the floor and then giggled. Nate sighed heavily. "I forgot...he won't eat anything that's not coated in an inch of sugar." He turned his attention back to Lindy. "I'll look forward to your call. Have a good night, gorgeous." "Have a good night, Nate." Lindy started to the front door. "I'll talk to you later, Nathaniel. Give me a call if anything happens." Anton followed Lindy to the front door. Nate could hear him questioning Lindy as they closed the door. "Seriously. Do I sound like that..." She'd called about twenty minutes ago to tell him she was on her way home. In the middle of fixing dinner, he and Bryn had decided to make enough for both their families even though she'd be eating at home with Anton. Bryn left, through the tunnel, a few minutes ago, and Nate hurried about setting the table. He heard Lindy's car pulling into the garage and picked up Liam from the floor. "Mommy's home!" Liam squealed, bouncing in his arms. It was a minute later that Lindy walked in from the garage. "Hey you!" She kissed Liam on the cheek. "And hey you," she said, kissing Nate's lips. "Hi, gorgeous," Nate said. "How was your night?" "Incredible," Lindy said. "You know, for the first time since I've been Transformed, I think I can actually do this job." "Really? What happened?" "Well, I had a couple of pieces to look at. I finished all my paperwork first, you know, putting them off. But eventually I had to start working on them. So I picked up the first antique. It was an oriental rug, and it was marked as hand woven, but they were having problems with the age on it. So they wanted me to look closer at it." "I was really nervous, because I didn't know what I'd do. I couldn't tell by smell how old it was. I was so desperate that I actually ended up putting my nose down by the rug, sniffing at it hoping I could tell. That's when realized that it wasn't hand woven, but machine woven." "A fake?" "No, just a lot newer than we thought. But I realized then that I've paid attention visually to what was a true antique and what was faked. I was using the smell as primary, but visual as a second check, but I didn't realize I was doing that. It's the first time since I've been Transformed that I think I can actually *do* this." "That's great, Lind!" He leaned over and kissed her as he handed over Liam. "I knew something like this would happen. Even if you hadn't been paying attention, there's no reason you couldn't have learned. But this is much better. I think this calls for a bit of a celebration. Any preferences on the wine?" "Hmmm...I'm in the mood for a red wine. Assuming that will go with whatever we're eating." She then turned her attention to Liam, who was babbling at her. "So what did you do all night? Sounds like a big adventure, whatever it was." "He played with Petunia all night. I'm surprised he's not worn out by now," Nate said, heading for the wine cellar. "And we're having lasagna for dinner. Do you want some garlic bread, too?" "If you can stand my breath afterwards, sure. You want me to start it while you get the wine?" "Go ahead, Lind." Putting down Liam in his highchair, she then walked over to the counter and picked up a knife. She had sliced a loaf of french bread in half and was spreading it with butter when Nate returned from the cellar. "How soon will we be ready to eat?" "Well, probably about half an hour from now." He walked up behind her, framing her with his arms as he set down the Cabernet Sauvignon. He tilted his head to kiss her neck, whispering in her ear, "We could always give Liam something to eat for now, and fool around on the couch." She grinned, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "I like how you think." She looked over at Liam. Now that the initial excitement of her coming home had worn off, Liam's eyes were looking distinctly droopy. "I think we can put him down for the day now, without him objecting." Nate nearly purred with approval. "Why don't you go do that while I uncork the bottle and pour us some wine? I'll meet you on the couch." She smirked, then picked Liam up off the floor. As she headed towards the bedroom, he quickly finished buttering the bread and put it in the oven. Then, grabbing the fancy cork remover he'd bought at the vineyard, he opened up the bottle and quickly pour a few glasses. Sauntering over to the couch, he sat down, placed the glasses on the coffee table, and unbuttoned his shirt a bit. He looked down at his chest, slightly ruffling the few chest hairs he had. "Damn, I'm hot," he murmured. "Yes you are," Lindy said. She had stepped into the room in time to hear his comment. She walked over to him and placed her palms on his chest. "You're so hot you might self-combust." She leaned up to kiss him. He couldn't help blushing a bit, even as he pulled her closer and kissed her fully. He tugged her onto his lap, straddling his legs, and squeezed her ass. He let out a approving rumble as her hips jerked against his. "Mmm...God, you taste good, Lind." "You taste good yourself. " She lightly sucked on his tongue as she unbuttoned his shirt. "I was thinking about this when I was at work. I couldn't wait to get home to you, just so I could look at you." She slipped her hands inside his open shirt to tease his nipples. He moaned softly, lifting her shirt a bit and rubbing his fingers over her stomach. "That's all you want to do? Look at me?" He grinned when she gave him a dry look. Slipping his hands a little higher, he let his fingertips skim over her bra, just barely teasing her, only to drift down until his thumbs slid under the waist of her pants. "I've been thinking about you all day. You spoiled me being home all that time. Now that you're back to work, I feel like calling you every ten minutes." "Why do I get the feeling that would have been a lot of hot phone sex?" Lindy leaned forward to suck at his lower lip. Her hands slid down his sides until her fingers caught in his belt loops. "I wouldn't have been able to get any work done." He lifted her shirt, pulling it up and over her head. As his fingers slid down to unhook her bra, he said, "See, that's precisely my point. If you aren't getting any work done anyway, why not just stay home with me?" She grinned, pressing her forehead to his. "Because then I'd never leave the house. Or probably get dressed for that matter." She lightly pecked his lips as she slid his shirt off his shoulders. "Although, I have to say, that sounds very appealing to me." "I should certainly hope so." He tossed her bra to the floor, leaning forward to pull her nipple into his mouth. He moaned, sending a little shiver through her, and pulled her towards him until he was reclining against the couch again. Sucking firmly on one breast, he squeezed and kneaded the other. Circling his thumb around her taut peak. She moaned, arching her body closer to him. She could feel his hands tighten on her ass, pulling her even closer. She let out a low whimper, shifting her hips over his cock. She smiled when she felt him thrust upwards reflexively. "A bit eager, aren't you, Nate?" He gave her a heavy-lidded stare, but only lifted his mouth to switch between nipples. His hands slid down, angling towards her crotch, until his fingers were pressing the thin material of her slacks to her sex. He could feel how hot she was, seeming to burn right through the material. He let out a soft groan, allowing his fingers to rub small circles over the inseam. She whimpered pressing harder against his hand. Her hands rubbed over his shoulders, sliding down his spine, When she reached his ass, she dug in her nails, squeezing. Her breathing got heavier as he continued to pull on her breast. "Nathaniel," she whispered in his ear. "What do you want, Lind?" He reached down to unbutton her slacks, easing the zipper down and pushing his hands in the gap he'd created, above her panties, to squeeze her ass again. "What do you need from me? Tell me how you want it." She swallowed and licked her lips. "I want you on top of me. I want you to push my thighs wide apart and impale me. I want you to make me scream your name over and over and over again." She pulled on his lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth. He bucked his hips, letting out a moan that was half-whine. He felt about to burst out of his jeans. Trying to make her as ready as he could, he slid his hand into her panties, shuddering as he felt her wetness, probing gently for her clit. He grinned as she pulled away from his mouth, gasping, as he circled the tip of his finger over her clit. She let out a sharp squeal, thrusting her hips against his hand. "Nathaniel, I've been ready for you for the last two days," she said. She slipped her pants off without dislodging his hand and then started unbuttoning his jeans. She nuzzled the side of his head. "Just take me," she breathed, then licking his ear. "A little eager, are we?" he grinned, reminding her of her earlier statement. So fast he made her squeak, he flipped her onto the couch, on her back, covering her, shoving his jeans and briefs to the floor. He dragged her closer, tugging her panties down and stabbing into her. He let out a loud groan, pressing his forehead to hers. "God, you feel so good, baby." She moaned and arched up underneath him. "You feel wonderful, Nate." Her hands continued to grasp at his ass, relishing the play of his muscles. She arched the leg nearest to the back of the couch over his waist, letting the other fall so her foot rested on the floor, leaving her wide open to him. She pulled his head to hers so she could kiss him hard and long. "What do you want me to do, Nate?" "Whatever you want to," he murmured, against her lips. He grabbed the leg over his waist and pulled it up higher, hooking it over his arm, starting to thrust slowly into her. He held her gaze, intensely focused, his movements lifting her hips slightly with every pass. "I love you, Lind. I know I don't say it very often, but I really do." "I love you so much, Nate. And you tell me in so many ways with out saying it." She gasped as his pubic bone pressed against her clit. "The way you look at me." Her hands clenched his ass even tightened The way you touch me." She arched against him, trying to rub harder against him. The way you kiss me." Her voice grew even breathier. "The way you...fuck me." He let out a soft laugh, leaning forward to kiss her lips. He settled down heavily upon her, shoving her legs apart with his hips and giving rapid-fire thrusts inside her. She squeaked, the resulting pressure on her clit becoming almost constant. His hand slid under her head, pulling her closer to his kiss. She kissed him back, tangling their tongues together. Lindy arched beneath him, giving one loud gasp. "Oh...Nathaniel!" He thrust twice more and came deep inside her, clutching her tightly against him. His breath was hot and fast against her ear, and he tilted his head to kiss her jaw. He smiled as she continued to quiver around him. "As good as that felt, I think we should try it again after dinner. A little slower." She nuzzled his neck, a contented smile on her face. "That sounds like the best dessert I've had in a long time." She inhaled deeply, nose pressed to his skin, but then pulled away to sniff loudly. "Nate, do you smell something burn...oh no the garlic bread!" He swore softly, reluctantly pushing away from her and standing up. He pulled up his briefs and jeans, refastening them, then leaned down to give her a lingering kiss, before heading for the kitchen. He coughed as he opened the door on the bottom over. Waving smoke from his face, he turned on the exhaust fan. "Hope you don't mind your bread a little crunchy." Pulling her slacks and shirt back on, she followed him into the kitchen. Taking one look at the pan he placed on the kitchen counter, Lindy wrinkled her nose. "I think we're beyond 'a little crunchy,' Nate. More like charcoal." She gave a little shrug. "You want me to make a salad instead?" "That would be perfect." Taking off the oven mitt, he tossed it on the counter and turned to hug her closely. "I'm glad you're home, Lind." He kissed her cheek, nuzzling her cheekbone. "I hope you don't mind, but I think I'm going to bring Liam out here while we eat. I don't feel comfortable with him being alone in another room for so long." "Yeah, bring him out." She went over to the refrigerator and opened it as Nate started to leave the room. "Oh, I did it. I called a realtor about selling my old place. I mean, between here and your place in town, we really don't need it." He stopped, leaning against the wall to the hallway. "That's good...I hope they've built the new place with huge picture windows to take advantage of the view. Once people see that, I'm sure you'll have a quick sale. Any idea what you want to do with the money?" "No clue. Maybe start a college fund for Liam?" She pulled out the lettuce and began tearing leaves off. "Maybe donate the money to charity. I really haven't decided yet. I just don't think I need it anymore." He shrugged his shoulders. "Both sound like good ideas. I'll be back in a minute." He disappeared down the hallway, only to come running back a few minutes later. "Lind, come here!" he said, urgently, making her worry. She threw the lettuce down in the bowl, dashing towards him. "What's wrong?" He put his finger over his lips, signaling for her to be quiet. Taking her hand, he slowly walked towards the bedroom, his footsteps becoming slower and quieter as they got closer. Carefully reaching out, he eased the door open until she could see the crib. Inside, Liam was curled up, sound asleep, his arm around what he thought was his favorite toy. Instead, he was lying there with his fingers tangled in Montel's fur. The cat was curled up next to him, his eye on the doorway, purring loudly as he kept watch. Lindy smiled and put an arm around Nate. "I don't think that I've ever seen Montel be so peaceful around him. You think we can get a camera and take a picture? It would make an adorable Christmas card." "If you can get close enough. Looks like Montel's been dipping into the catnip." His voice grew low and twangy, as he imitated a bartender from the Old West. "He's liable to ornery cuss." He bent down slightly to look into the cat's shining eyes. "Yep, he's got those dilated eyes. I think it's best not to bother a cat whose high on the 'nip." "In that case, we'd better let them sleep it off." She and Nate quietly sneaked out of the bedroom, closing the door. Once they were both in the hallway, Lindy put her arms around Nate's waist and leaned back against the hall wall. "You know, sometimes I have a hard time believing that I'm not dreaming all of this? My life is so much better than I ever dreamed it would turn out to be." "Well stop dreamin' gorgeous, 'cause it's only going to keep getting better. I promise." He leaned down to kiss her, lingering against her lips, before slipping his hands under her knees and lifting her up. Unfortunately, he forgot to move away from the wall before she tilted backwards...accidentally smacking her head against the wall. "Ow," she said, rather dryly. "Okay...you know that part doesn't count, right?" End Chapter Sixty-seven <- Previous Chapter | Home | Next Chapter ->