Natalie~
Natalie was dead on her feet as she mixed drinks at the bar. Her adrenaline rush was long gone and she felt every ounce of the past forty eight hours weighing down on her muscles and eyelids. The only thing that was still fueling her with energy was Pierce and his teammates at the end of the bar. They had been laughing and busting each other's chops the entire night, including her in their conversations when they could and accepting her as one of their own instantly. It was easy to see why Pierce was so fond of these men.
The bar crowd was dying down and Natalie took advantage of the lull in service to rub her tired neck. Dropping her head, she closed her eyes and massaged the fatigued muscles that were struggling to hold her head up at the moment. The feeling of eyes on her pricked her senses and she didn't even have to look to know it was Pierce.
Lifting her head, she shifted her gaze to the end of the bar and confirmed her suspicions. His concerned eyes swept over her and he mouthed "are you okay?" from across the bar.
She nodded with a forced smile that was obviously not convincing as she only got a skeptical arched brow in return.
He was on his feet and making his way toward her after such a questionable performance which made her stomach swarm with butterflies.
Pulling her into him, he held her against his chest and whispered down into her ear.
"Talk to me." he whispered as she leaned into him, trying to take weight off of her tired feet.
"I'm okay. I'm just exhausted." she said honestly.
He rubbed his strong hands up and down her back in response to her words, which released the tension she had been holding there.
"I'll let Julia close up tonight. I'm beat." She looked up at his handsome face and rested her chin on his chest.
"You just say the word and I'll take you home."
Home?
She knew it was probably a thoughtless slip on his part and most likely a meaningless goof, but she'd be lying if she didn't like the way it sounded.
"The word" she said with a sarcastic smile.
He let out a deep laugh that rumbled in his chest and caused the dimple in his cheek to make an appearance as he smiled down at her.
"Smartass," he chuckled.
Raising his hand, he twirled his pointer finger in the air in a circular motion, making eye contact with Caleb and Slater as he did it. The nonverbal gesture prompted both men to gulp down the remaining contents of their drinks and stand at the ready to leave.
Their ability to communicate without talking surprised her briefly before she reminded herself of what they did for a living.
Pierce kept his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the parking lot to their vehicles and parted ways.
"Well I don't know about you guys, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself tonight." Slater said with a laugh.
"Fist fights and free drinks? It's like Heaven, without the angels." Slater paused briefly before bringing his eyes to Natalie. "Well just one angel," he corrected himself.
Slater's compliment was harmless and endearing, but she felt Pierce tighten his arm around her shoulders which was adorable.
Caleb gave Pierce a friendly slap on the back, then turned to Natalie before heading toward his jeep.
"How's this doing?" he asked as he lightly brushed a thumb over the bruise on her cheek.
"Sore, but it looks worse than it feels."
"No blurry vision in that eye?" he continued, gently pulling her eyelid down with his thumb and examining her eye in the dim lighting of the street lamps.
"Nope," she said proudly as if it were an accomplishment.
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
Caleb wrapped one arm around her in a side hug and gave her a quick squeeze of her shoulders. "You did good tonight darlin'," he praised her before climbing into his jeep.
"See you in the morning for PT?" Pierce asked.
"Bright and early," Caleb said with a smile before starting the ignition.
"Let's get you home," Pierce said, clutching her hand and leading her to her car.
There was that word again, home. She tried to analyze her feelings toward the phrase and the way Pierce was using it so comfortably. Maybe it was unintentional on his part, but it felt good to hear. Not necessarily because his apartment felt like home, it wasn't that. It was Pierce. Pierce felt like home.
*****
Getting out of her dress and putting on an oversized t-shirt and shorts was her favorite part of every evening. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and climbed into Pierce's bed, mindlessly scrolling through her phone and enjoying the feel of Pierce's sheets against her skin.
A text from Lexi displayed bright across her screen that read: "Hey girl! Want to meet me for brunch tomorrow?"
She smiled at the text and was flattered by the invitation. Granted she didn't know Lexi very well, but from what she could tell from their brief encounter, Lexi was extremely kind and pleasant and based on the amount of wine she brought over, she seemed like a fun person to go to brunch with.
"What are you grinnin' about?" Pierce inquired with a smirk as he came out of the bathroom.
His shirtless torso stole Natalie's breath and she salivated at his muscular chest and arms for a second or two before his words completely resonated in her brain.
Shaking away her lusty thoughts, she held her phone up to Pierce, displaying the text from Lexi as he climbed into the bed next to her.
"Lexi invited me to brunch tomorrow."
"Oh yeah? You gonna go?" Pierce asked with a smile.
"Yeah, I think I will. Lexi seems like a really sweet person."
"Lexi is the best." Pierce said with pride. His facial expression and tone changed at the mention of Lexi's name and his feelings toward her were difficult for Natalie to read. She had noticed it the other day as well, through their interaction in Pierce's kitchen. It was obvious that he cared deeply for Lexi, but not in a romantic way. Lexi was his teammates girlfriend after all, but their dynamic was interesting and she was eager to learn more about it.
"She'd be a really good person for you to talk to about all of the things you've been going through lately." Pierce offered as he grasped her hand.
"What makes you say that?" Natalie asked cautiously.
Running his hand through his hair, he restlessly fidgeted before turning to face her as if he were trying to find the right words to say, but couldn't.
"Lexi's ex-boyfriend was a monster who beat the living daylights out of her." Pierce bit out as if the words tasted bad in his mouth. Natalie's jaw to dropped slightly at his statement. No wonder she gave me such a big emotional hug earlier.
Pierce held his gaze down at the comforter and she could tell he was lost in his thoughts. She didn't know where he'd gone, but he wasn't there with her anymore. He was wrestling with something and it clearly wasn't pleasant.
"I get the feeling there's more to that story?" she asked, trying to pull his attention away from the blankets and bring him back to the present.
He scoffed at the oversimplification of her question.
"Yeah, a hell of a lot more, but it's a long story."
"Well, I don't have anywhere to be, and I'd like to know, if you feel comfortable telling me, so I don't unintentionally bring up something at brunch tomorrow that would upset Lexi."
He nodded along with her justification and he gave her a slight smile in agreement before pushing out a hard breath in preparation.
"The team got to know Lexi a few months ago when our tech guy, Nate, introduced us. She and Dec were falling for each other pretty hard when Lexi's ex got jealous and beat the hell out of her. Obviously the team jumped at the opportunity to go whoop his ass, but what we didn't know was that he was a dirty accountant for a drug dealer and that going after him meant picking a fight with the cartel, which we did. The only problem was they were always one step ahead of us and eventually they kidnapped Lexi."
Natalie gasped and brought her hand to cover her mouth briefly before she spoke.
"Why would they take her? Why not go after you guys if you're the ones who picked the fight?" Natalie asked, still trying to piece together the events of Pierce's story.
"They took her because during a gunfight we...I...killed the leader's nephew. He wanted revenge and our heads on a platter...mainly mine, so he took Lexi as collateral hoping we would offer ourselves up in exchange for her life. We tracked them down and found her, but not before they tortured and killed her."
What? Lexi's alive. That doesn't make any sense.
"Killed her?" Natalie asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"They tortured her...Shot her...Threw her in a fucking lake and let her drowned."
The word drowned fought against Pierce's vocal cords, causing his voice to crack as if it were too painful to say out loud and she understood why. His story was horrific and almost unbearable to hear much less experience first hand.
Grabbing one of his hands, she brought it to her chest and held it there. Her small hands clutched his massive hand and squeezed it tight against her heart hoping some of the comfort he had placed there would seep out and soak into his skin to relieve his pain.
"When we pulled her out of the lake, she wasn't breathing. She had no pulse. We watched her die on that dock, Nat. And I watched Declan die along with her. Of all the messed up shit I have seen in my life, that had to be the worst thing I've ever had to witness."
He paused for a long time as if he could still see the scene playing out in front of him and Natalie let him take all the time he needed.
"Caleb literally pumped the life back into her and got her heart started again and the only residual damage is a periodic tremor in her hand, which is a damn miracle."
"Oh my God." Natalie finally said, because what else could she have said?
"Lexi is special to the team. We've been to hell and back with that girl and she's...ours."
Hearing the way Pierce talked about Lexi warmed Natalie's soul. His loyalty was unmatched by anyone she'd ever met and the true tender heart that resided behind his playboy antics was a side of him that she couldn't get enough of.
"I can't wait to get to know her." Natalie said.
"She's going to love you," Pierce said confidently.
Natalie gave him a bright smile followed quickly by a deep yawn that made her ears pop.
"Let's get some sleep, beautiful. Is it okay with you that I sleep in the bed? I can always move to the couch if it makes you more comfortable." he offered, pointing his thumb toward the living room.
His offer was chivalrous and genuine, but she could tell he was hoping she wouldn't ask him to leave.
"My favorite thing about this bed is the fact that you're in it," she said with a smile as she leaned back against the pillows.
He flashed her a smile in return and lowered himself into the bed, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her backwards until her back was flush with his chest. They were touching from head to toe and he draped his muscular arm across her body, holding her in place like a weighted blanket and forming his massive body around hers perfectly.
Feeling his chest rise and fall against her back was rhythmic and soothing and she felt her muscles relax instantly, melting her into a puddle beneath his arm.
Sleep found her quickly and pulled at her eyelids, but just before she was about to drift she felt his soft lips on the nape of her neck. His kisses were sensual and intimate, but not necessarily sexual. They were comforting, healing kisses, as if he were kissing away all of the stress and pain she had gone through in the last forty eight hours and if she was being completely honest, it was working. Everything else faded into the background, leaving only Pierce in the forefront of her mind.
This. This feels like home.
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