Page 31 of Afraid to Hope

“So I’ve been told,” he said smoothly in his deep, rumbling voice while sliding his hand over Natasha’s hip and pulling her to him, smiling like a man crazy in love.

Viviane looked Bane over appreciatively, observing how he had pulled Natasha up against him. She licked her lips before addressing Bane boldly. “My, you are a big, handsome one. What did Natasha do to land you?”

Pink dusted Gia’s cheeks and her deep-blue eyes rounded as they darted to Viviane.

Natasha’s body tightened at the slight, but Bane massaged her back gently and she relaxed. His arm loosely circled her waist after she leaned into his solid strength, feeling protected.

Bane cocked his head and squinted at Viviane, pasting a smile on his face and saying lightly, “All my wife did was walk into the room. I fell hard and fast.”

Natasha looked down at her feet, feeling warm and surprisingly pleased by Bane’s admission.

“I was teasing.” Viviane laughed it off.

Bane freed his arm from Natasha and looked at the women, his voice friendly as he said, “Please stay for dinner. We won’t accept no. There’s plenty, and I’d like to get to know you. And I suspect my wife would enjoy catching up.” He angled his face to Natasha and gave her a beaming smile. “I’m famished, sweetheart. From the glorious smells filling our home, I guess I missed helping you with prep. Sorry, babe. Can I do anything else?”

She was lost in those pools of ever-changing color and grateful he had her back in a way that made her feel protected and cherished. Safe. Natasha gave Bane a genuine smile and spoke softly, like a woman in love. “It’s a lovely, warm night. We’re going to eat alfresco. You can help me with the table.” She pulled dishes, utensils, and linens from the shelves. “Dinner is almost ready.”

“I love how she tells me what to do.” His eyes twinkled at Natasha before he stacked the linens, utensils, and ceramic dishes in his arms. He inclined his head, motioning her ahead of him.

While Natasha and Bane set up the patio, Gia called home and checked on her mother, and Viviane stepped away to make a quick call as well.

Natasha went back into the kitchen to pull thebastillaout of the oven and turn off the stove, and Bane lit the lanterns and came back in to carry out the food and call the women to dinner.

The evening turned out to be enjoyable and dinner was delicious. Natasha and Bane worked in tandem effortlessly, as if they had been doing it for years. Bane was the cordial host, serving food, drinks, dessert, and clearing the table. He was also the attentive husband. His ease at role-playing as her spouse and sharing his experiences as a professional freelance photographer allowed Natasha to slip into her own cover without overthinking it. He drank beer as the women caught up, observing them thoughtfully. Their conversation never paused, although Viviane carried most of it. Eventually Gia began to yawn and the women decided to leave.

Bane closed the door behind them and shot the bolt, his brow furrowed, staring deeply into Natasha’s eyes. “You okay?

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

“You girls polished off two bottles of wine, although I think Viviane drank one all by herself.”

Natasha yawned and stretched her arms up. She caught him watching with interest as her tee moved, exposing her stomach and stretching over her breasts. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows. “And?”

“Are you drunk?”

“No, but I had more than I should have.”

“Wine happy.”

Her mouth twitched. “Yes, that sounds about right. Hey, thanks for taking all the pictures. I’ll need to get copies to them soon or the girls will hound me.”

“There’re some great ones of you three. Gia was able to take some nice ones of us too.”

After an awkward moment, Natasha said, “I’m going to do the dishes and get some sleep.”

“We didn’t go over details, Nat.”

So it was back to Nat. “No, we didn’t. If you are agreeable, we can spend a little time going over them after I clean up the kitchen.”

“Fine. I’ll help you.”

“Thanks.” Fortified by the alcohol, she scrutinized him and asked pointedly, “What else?”

Bane chuckled and leaned back against the door, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his khakis, his fingers relaxed, pointing at the don’t-look-there zone. His eyes captured Natasha’s as her eyes traveled back up. Heat and amusement simmered there. “You’re learning my nuances. Very good. The ‘what else’ is that I find the dynamics of your threesome interesting. You hang back, which is strange. The strong, confident woman I know disappears, sucked dry in the presence of over-the-top Viviane.”

She opened her mouth to speak.

He held up his finger and said gently. “Allow me to continue please?”

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