"Are you kidding me?" Natalie rolled her eyes in exasperation when she drew the curtains, and bright sunlight flooded her room. The dark, heavy clouds that had blanketed the city over the past few days had disappeared overnight. The day was bright, the sky clear. This wasn't how her day was supposed to start.'On the bright side, you'll have a new partner for the three-legged race,' Hopeful Natalie was wide awake, ready to cheer her on as she turned to her closet.There was no way Levi would have kept her as his partner. Not after her disastrous presentation and their unpleasant phone call last night. She was pretty sure he swapped her with someone else as soon as he saw the roster.She spent a long time looking through her clothes, trying to find the right outfit. She had lots of cute dresses, perfect for picnic dates with her imaginary, hot boyfriend. None would work for the mud wading and wall climbing the Internal Comms team had in store for everyone. So she settled on short denim
When the time for the three-legged race rolled around, Levi was anxious as fuck, convinced Natalie had ditched him, and they'd be disqualified from the race.She'd played far away from him after Jen's opening speech, choosing instead to spend all her time with the guys from her department when she wasn't participating in any activities.Of course, he'd spent the whole morning following her around with his eyes like a lovesick puppy until Mark took it upon himself to intervene and coax him into taking part in a 5-A-Side soccer tournament.Now, as Levi looked around him anxiously, he wished he hadn't given in to Mark's enthusiasm. He was sweaty and grimy, not at all the look he was going for, especially when he had to be up close and personal with Natalie in just a few minutes and woo the shit out of her.Where was she, he wondered as he roamed his eyes over the crowd.Hard as he tried to hide his smile when he saw Natalie stalk her way across the field, he couldn't. His lips seemed to
"If you don't stop making those sounds—" Levi murmured as he pulled her even closer. "I won't be held responsible for what I'll do next.""No!" Natalie suddenly cried as she pushed away from him. "We can't.""We can't what?" Levi asked, a puzzled look in his eyes."This!" she said, waving her hands at the two of them."What's wrong with this?" he asked again, trying to reach for her, but she darted away and held herself away from him, firmly putting her walls back in place."Look, Natalie, we have to talk, and you have to tell me what's wrong.""Why would anything be wrong?" Natalie smiled even though there was a lot wrong, starting with how he broke her heart in his office and how she'd bled for him for thirty days and sent him text messages like a crazy person.She got angry all over again when she remembered how he'd ignored every one of her messages, and now he was smiling at her, like nothing ever happened, like he didn't leave her wounded and almost out of her mind with sorrow.S
As much as Levi wanted to go after Natalie and never let her go until she agreed to give him another chance, he knew he couldn't. Her hurt was still too raw and her anger too fresh. Allowing her time and space to cool off was the best thing he could do for her. For the moment, at least.But giving up on her stopped being an option when he thought he'd go out of his mind from missing her.Sighing, he watched her walk away, taking huge chunks of his heart with her, her back growing smaller until she eventually merged with the throngs of their colleagues.His phone rang, momentarily snatching his thoughts away from all his regrets.He frowned at the caller ID as his heart rate quickened, convinced the PI had terrible news to share about his twin. They weren't due for their weekly check-in till Sunday."Seth," he said as he picked up the call. "What's going on?""Where are you? Can we meet up?"Levi explained he was at Chassis' team building at Zoo Lake."Any chance you can cut it short?
Weary and worried out of his mind, Levi closed the front door behind him and slumped on the couch, where he spent a long time deliberating.He hated asking his folks for anything, and after his bitter fight with his father five years ago over the company succession, he swore he'd never use his family's resources. But finding a reputable security team, one he could trust with the life of the person most precious to him, would take time. And it was becoming more apparent each day that time was something he no longer had.Gritting his teeth, Levi swallowed his pride and called his mother. He'd try her first, and if she refused, he'd have to go to Leviticus and throw himself at his feet. Something he seriously dreaded and despised with a passion."Levi, is everything okay?" his mom asked as soon as she picked up on the third ring. "Is it Colleen? Do we have any news? She's gone, isn't she?""Mom, it's not Colleen." Levi spent a few minutes assuring her he was okay, and there was nothing n
Levi spent the whole weekend restless as fuck. He'd lost count of the number of times he was tempted to call Natalie but had somehow managed to resist the urge.He was a mess of note by Monday, more so since he was flying out to Ghana in the afternoon and would likely be gone for a week.He was at the office bright and early and spent a large part of his morning in back to back meetings, leaving instructions with the heads of the R&D area and the Game development team, the two departments that reported directly to him.Around lunchtime, he buzzed Angela in."Yes, Mr Van Holt?" she said as she waltzed through the door with his lunch and coffee. "You still have forty minutes before we have to head to the airport. You can have something to eat quickly."Levi wasn't hungry—not for food, at least.So he asked his assistant to bring Natalie in."I don't think that's a good idea, sir. The last few times Ms Taylor was here, you weren't too happy with her, and I saw how hurt she was.""Angela!
Natalie didn't need a mirror to tell her she looked like someone who'd just been properly fucked. Or, at the very least, thoroughly kissed. After all, the latter was true, and the former could have easily happened if Levi didn't have to rush off to catch his flight.And she didn't understand how a fifteen-minute chat—in which she was meant to tell Levi to stop summoning her to his office like she was his lackey or something—had turned into a heavy makeout session with her almost begging him to ravish her there and then on his couch.Bathroom break, Smart Natalie suggested, and she was all for that plan. The last thing she wanted was to get tongues wagging again in the chat.Stopping at the ladies to fix herself up before returning to her desk sounded like an excellent idea. So she did just that after she left Levi's office and spent a few minutes in front of the mirror, fixing her hair and clothes before she splashed cold water on her face to cool down her horny self.By the time she
The following morning, Natalie couldn't get to work fast enough, and as soon as Emily came in, they raced to the staff canteen and found a quiet corner."What's going on? I haven't seen you this rattled since Levi found out you're an escort."Natalie played with the Styrofoam cup in her hands. "Aunty Viv's blocked my Dreams profile.""What? What did you do? How's that even possible? Can she do that?"Natalie had questions of her own. "I thought you said we can choose our own assignments, and she doesn't interfere? Why would she block my profile?""Nat, honestly, I've never heard of that happening before. You've clearly pissed off someone, and I'm guessing it's Andrei and the only way to fix this is to take him on as a client again.""I can't do that," Natalie said and cast a wary look around them before she carried on in a hushed tone. "I promised Levi I won't see him.""Talk to Aunty Viv," Emily suggested. "Explain to her why you can't see Andrei. Maybe she'll reconsider.""I've trie
"Something's different," Natalie murmured as she flicked her gaze through the room.Levi gave her a back hug and kissed the top of her head. "I installed shutters.""Why?""This is our second home, Nat, and I wanted you to feel safe and comfortable.""Thank you," she turned around and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. "The windows don't look as scary and frightening as they did when I first stayed over.""That was the plan. To make them look less frightening." He tapped her nose and asked, "are you hungry?""For something else.""I was hoping you'd say that!" he replied and promptly threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he carried her to their bedroom."You sexy brute!" Natalie scolded him. "Put me down. The housekeepers will see us!"But he paid her no mind and only set her down once they were in their room."Say it again," he commanded as he moved over her on the bed and nibbled her lower lip. "Tell me all the filthy things you want me to do to you."Natalie
Natalie had to blink a few times at the picturesque scene before her. It was hard to believe this place, decorated splendidly in ivory and silver motifs, was the same town hall used by Sparrow Beach's residence association to host their weekly meetings."This is amazing," she whispered as she swept her gaze through the room, at all the tiny details, the little things she would never have thought of if she was left to her own devices. Cynthia and the wedding planners had done an incredible job transforming it into a venue fit for a grand wedding reception. Natalie couldn't pry her eyes away from string fairy lights draping the ceiling. But the smell of white lilies permeating the room transported her back to her balcony at The Empress the night Levi proposed to her, and she turned him down. It felt like a lifetime ago, and as she gave him a sidelong glance and caught him looking at her, she couldn't help but be glad he never gave up on her, and she had the sense to say yes on his sixth
At the altar, Seth and Mark seemed to be way more nervous than Levi."Are you sure about this?" Mark asked for the hundredth time, and Levi gritted his teeth for the hundredth time."How many times should I tell you? I love Nat, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.""Well, I'm just saying marriage is forever, you know." Mark dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief."Why are you sweating? It's not even your wedding," Seth said as he pulled out his own handkerchief and patted his face."Can I have some water?" Liam asked. "God, I need some water. What did that crazy Russian do to me last night?""You fell for his dare again," Mark tried to fill in the blanks for him. "He made you a Russian fuck bomb—that's what he called it. Still don't know what was in it. But you were a goner after you drank that shit, and we had to help Eden carry you back to your room at the B&B.""No wonder she's mad as fuck at me," Liam whispered. "Is she looking at me right now? Guys, I can feel he
The weatherman had predicted strong winds and heavy rain. But Natalie's big day dawned bright and sunny. The sky was as blue as the ocean behind her house, with no cloud in sight. Amber and Colleen thought it was a good omen, and Emily, not a believer of anything really, agreed with them."You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen," Amber said for what felt like the hundredth time since Natalie had stepped into her wedding dress.They were in one of the smaller administration rooms on the chapel's grounds, and the stylists had turned it into a makeshift dressing room."What are you talking about? I'm the only bride you've ever seen!" Natalie teased, but she really was overwhelmed by all the love her sister and friends had shown her, and she was trying so hard not to cry and ruin her makeup."Just accept the compliment already," Colleen scolded her as she fussed over the hem of Natalie's dress."Yeah, Nat, you need to learn to work on accepting compliments graciously," Emily agre
"Is everything okay with you two?" Colleen approached him. "I'm sensing a weird vibe. Are you guys getting cold feet?""I don't know about Nat, but I'm not," Levi replied and pushed his hands in his pockets. "How was she today? I don't know…These last two weeks, she's been so calm.""And how is that a bad thing?""Because I know Nat. A wedding is a huge, life-altering event, and she doesn't do life-altering events well. Her knee-jerk reaction is to run. I'm just scared that—Never mind.""No," Colleen refused to let him leave her with half the info. "You're scared of what?""She's too calm, Leeny. The last time she was this way was when she threw you the welcome party. The very next day, she made a run for it without telling me about the twins.""That was months ago!" Colleen reminded him. "You're overthinking this. I've seen the way Nat looks at you. She's crazy about you and your babies. She won't leave you in the lurch! Besides, where would she run to? This is her home town."Right,
Julian and Andrei took it upon themselves to throw Levi the biggest and craziest bachelor party Sparrow Beach had ever seen.And Levi was only happy to blame Mark for everything."What did I do? I followed your 'no bachelor party' rule to the T." His best friend held up his hands as they watched Liam, Jaxon and Matthew try to outdrink each other over a beer pong game."That's exactly why it's your fault. You didn't enforce the rule hard enough," Levi replied, his attention stolen away briefly by Julian and Andrei sipping champagne from the navel of one of the three models-slash-strippers they'd flown in for the occasion.The said model was laid out on the pool table, her half-naked body out on display for everyone to see, and Levi wondered just how Joe had allowed this debauchery to carry on at his family-friendly establishment."Seriously, Mark, as my best man, how do you think Natalie will feel about all this crap?"Ten—maybe even two years ago—this was totally his scene. But now, a
In theory, the idea of having twins had sounded fun and appealing. But the reality was far from it, as Natalie and Levi soon learned over the next few weeks.Indeed, it was double the blessing, double the fun, and double the joy. But it was also double the work, and it didn't help that the first week after they brought them home, Juno and Mars decided to go on different sleep schedules.If she and Levi didn't have a strong support system to rely on, Natalie knew they would have lost their minds in those first few weeks.Mrs Ackerman semi-moved in with them, splitting her time between the Blue Mountains and Green Point. It was nice having her around; she was a pro at the never-ending laundry of tiny-sized human clothes and the general upkeep of the house.Levi suggested hiring a nanny full time, but Natalie wasn't sold on the idea. She wanted to be hands-on and involved in the twins' upbringing."Love, it's not working," he said after one particularly difficult night. They were running
Natalie received a clean bill of health five days after the twins' arrival, and two days later, they were all finally allowed to leave the hospital.After months of being cooped up in bed and eating terrible hospital food, she couldn't get home fast enough.She couldn't stop raving about all the stuff she'd do when they got home, like taking an actual shower and sleeping in her own bed—all the things she used to take for granted before her bed rest.Zachary and Carlos picked them up, and they spent a few minutes gazing at the twins in their double infant stroller, trying to decide who they resembled the most."I really can't tell who they look like," Carlos admitted at last."Neither can we," Levi said with a smile as he covered the twins with a light blanket and turned to Natalie. "Ready to go?"She took one last look around the ward, ensuring they had all their stuff. Satisfied everything was packed away, she nodded. "Yep, let's go home."She hooked her arm around Levi's, and he pus
Levi called his assistant on his way back to the hospital and cancelled all his meetings for the week."Sir," Angela said before they could hang up. "We are all thinking of you. Norah and Natalie's team are beside themselves with worry. But she's a fighter. She'll be out of the hospital in no time.""Thank you," he smiled into the phone, praying with all his heart she was right. He'd lose his mind if anything had to happen to Natalie and their twins. They'd come too far for him to lose her now, especially after everything they'd been through.After he hung up from Angela, he called Amber. She was hysterical, and it took him a long time to calm her down and assure her Natalie, and their babies were fine, and there was no need for them to drive down to Rock Union.He was immensely relieved when he found Natalie sitting up, chatting with his folks and her bestie.Now that he was back, his parents and Emily excused themselves, promising to return later to relieve him."See, I told you I'l