VALOROUS (A Quantum Novel)(60)

“I didn’t tell you to stress you out. Just to make you aware of what to expect.”

“I signed on to be with you, not to be part of your business.”

“You don’t have to be part of it. Like I said, you pick and choose, and you have the power to say no to all of it.”

“Just over two weeks ago, I was a teacher in New York, and now I’m married to you and hearing I might be the hot new thing in Hollywood. It’s a lot to take in all at once.”


“You don’t have to take it in all at once. As long as you take me in once in a while…”

Laughing, I push my elbow into his ribs.

When the interview ends, Flynn’s phone begins to ring. He takes the call from his parents, putting it on speaker so we can both hear it.

“You were brilliant,” Max says. “Absolutely spot-on.”

“Everyone in Hollywood is going to want to meet you,” Stella says.

“I was just telling her that. She’s not sure how she feels about it.”

“Don’t you worry about that, honey,” Stella says. “You’re surrounded by people who can handle all that nonsense for you.”

“I told her that, too.”

“We don’t want to intrude on the newlyweds,” Max says. “We just wanted you to know we loved the interview. You did great, Natalie. You’re a natural.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I say, making them laugh. “Thanks for calling. I’m so glad you thought it went well.”

“Better than well, honey,” Stella says. “I just have to say… After hearing your story, I’m so proud to know you and to welcome you into our family. Our son couldn’t have chosen a more worthy woman to spend his life with.”

I’m so touched by her kind words that I can’t find the words to tell her so.

“She’s trying not to cry right now, Mom.”

“Thank you so much for that, Stella. That’s so very sweet of you to say.”

“We’ll let you go,” Max says.

“Thanks for calling, guys.”

“We love you both,” Stella says.

“Love you, too.” He ends the call and puts the phone on the coffee table. It immediately starts ringing. “Do you want to hear from your adoring public?”

“Tomorrow is soon enough.”

“Do you want to know what people are saying about the interview?”

“Not so much. Do you want to know what they’re saying?”

“Not so much.” He bestows a suggestive smile on me. “What do you want to do?”

“I’d like to make out with my sexy husband.”

“You’ll need to relocate the wildebeest if you want to do that.”

I get up slowly and carefully to place Fluff on a blanket on a different part of the sectional sofa. Other than a grunt of irritation, she settles back to her snoring. I can tell that I surprise Flynn when I slide onto his lap, straddling him.

“Well, well, what’s this?”

“This is your wife, who loves you desperately, who doesn’t want you to be afraid to touch me, to make love to me the way you want to. She doesn’t want you to hold back or treat her like she might break.”

“Nat…”

“I know that what happened last night upset you far more than you let on. It upset me, too, but we worked through it. It’s apt to happen again, maybe even more than once, and we’ll work through it then, too. But I can’t bear to watch you try to control yourself because you’re so afraid to scare me or to do something wrong.”

“I am afraid of scaring you. I never again want to see you frightened like that, especially because of the way I’m touching you.”

“You got swept up in what we were doing, and you weren’t thinking about what you shouldn’t do, and that’s okay. I need you to know…”

“What?” he asks softly.

“I loved what we were doing and how we were doing it before it went bad last night. I loved you like that, knowing I made you crazy.”

“You make me so crazy. I’m afraid that if I show you even a fraction of how crazy you make me, I’ll lose you.”

I shake my head. “It’d be unbearable to me if I thought you were thinking about what happened last night every time you come near me.” With my hands on his face, I kiss him, teasing him with my tongue until his mouth opens to let me in.

A groan rumbles through him as he takes hold of my ass and pulls me in tight against his erection. We kiss for a long time, his tongue rubbing against mine in a sensuous dance that has me wanting more. It’s always that way with him. He kisses me, and I’m lost. He touches me, and I need more. He looks at me, and I see everything he feels for me.

His arms tighten around me as he brings me down on the sofa. “Is this okay?”

I nod and reach for him, wanting to feel his weight on me, his hands touching me, his lips kissing me. I want it all. “Don’t be afraid, Flynn. Please don’t be afraid of me.”

“I could never be afraid of you. Do you remember your safe word?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll use it if you need it?”

“I promise.”