Chapter 7

Natalie

Ilet out a little moan, curling up into the warmth surrounding me. It feels incredible and safe, more than I've felt in a really long time. It feels like nothing can break into this little cocoon surrounding me, which makes me want to sleep forever.

"Morning baby girl," a low voice says in my ear, sending me up quickly in shock. "Easy Nat, it's just me," Jamison adds settling my heart back to a normal cycle.

I cover my face with my hands, getting myself together as Jamison's arms wrap around me, pulling me into his hold as he sits up. I fully lean into it, needing it even more now that I know last night wasn't a dream. It was real, all of it. All of the talking we did, his promises to keep me safe from Craig…every bit of it was real.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't think but I should have realized you might get scared waking up to find yourself in bed with someone," he says, brushing my likely ratted hair back from my face. I can feel the scrunchie tangled in the ends of it and know after his hands and sleeping, it's come completely down from the loose bun I tossed it in while getting dressed.

"I…" My words pause when I realize I'm not wearing the same thing I was last night and he's definitely not in his jeans and t-shirt. His chest is completely bare, distracting me entirely—more so than realizing we're in the bedroom really. "How did…the last thing I remember we were on the couch," I get out, feeling my cheeks warm as his hand slips behind my neck, holding me still while I untangle my hair from the scrunchie.

"It was around midnight, and you were still conked out, so I carried you in here," Jamison says, his thumb brushing against my cheek. "I was just going to take off your shoes and tuck you in, but you woke up a bit, saying you needed to use the bathroom. I said I'd make sure everything was turned off and the doors locked while you did that, and then I'd tuck you in, stay until you fell asleep again because you needed it, baby girl."

The name fills me with warmth as the hints of last night come back to me, and I smile, leaning into his touch more. "I asked if you'd stay with me all night."

"I couldn't say no. I would have grabbed a chair from the kitchen and sat in here all night anyway, so I didn't argue. Although when I came in and saw you in that shirt, I wanted to rip it off you and put you in mine. It's only because you said it was Nick's that I didn't," he states, and I laugh softly, more of me wishing he'd done it anyway. I really would have enjoyed sleeping in his shirt while he held me. "I started out on top of the sheet to keep myself in check, but you turned over, complaining it was restricting your movement, so I got in under it with you."

"Let me snuggle up against you, feel your warmth while I slept," I muse and he nods, making me grin. "Thank you for that. I haven't slept that good in a long time."

"I'm glad, baby, and as much as I wish I could hold you all day so you could catch up on some sleep, I need to get to work on the cabinets and…"

"And what?" I ask when he hesitates.

"I got hold of Doug last night and he conferenced Chief Davidson in. He's sending one of his detectives out so you can sign the paperwork for them to take to file the restraining order this morning. He just texted saying they're leaving," Jamison explains, and I let out a low sigh, glad it's possible to get something that should force the cops to protect me, but not wanting to face it really.

"Wait, you said they," I state, and he nods. "Who all is coming?"

"Detective Taylor and he's bringing Kayla," he answers making my brows furl.

"Your sister-in-law's sister Kayla?" I ask.

"Yes, she works for the Children's Department as an attorney, helping kids in foster care with legal representation. I called her last night, asking if she could represent you and it not affect her job. Since you're over eighteen and this doesn't have anything to do with the foster system, she can. She said she'd ask her boss for the day off, explain the situation was urgent, that your safety was at risk, and he should be fine with it. She's going to be your lawyer in front of the judge so if they want to know where you are, why you're not there for any reason, she can explain."

"I don't even know what to say, Jamison. All of this…thank you," I manage shaking my head a bit in shock.

"You're welcome, baby, but if you really want to thank me, how about you put some clothes on, so I don't feel like tearing the detective's head off his shoulders when he gets here, because that shirt is a little thin," he states, and my cheeks flood with color seeing that the sunlight coming through the window is turning it almost see-through.

"I will," I manage weakly, covering my face with my hands again.

"I don't mind seeing you like this at all, angel, but other men aren't allowed to, unless you want them blinded."

"Stop it," I groan, but a laugh bubbles out on top of it, and he presses a kiss to my forehead, sending little shivers through me.

"I'm going to get dressed and start breakfast, you can stay in bed until it's ready," he says, kissing my forehead again, before the bed dips as he moves to stand. I miss his hold the second he's off it but seeing him in nothing except a pair of shorts that are doing little to hide part of him I regret not getting to feel this morning, sends heat racing through my veins.

"Do you have to get dressed?" I ask, flushing more at the way his eyes darken as he looks back to me.

"Unfortunately yes, I only have so much self-control, baby, so behave," he adds, and I smile as he leaves the room, resting back on the bed until I know I need to get up and help. Jamison shouldn't have to make breakfast on his own on top of everything else he's doing to help me.

I pull on a pair of capri leggings, topping it with a short-sleeve tunic before joining him in the kitchen. A little moan falls from my lips when I see him breaking up sausage in a pan. There are tortillas on the counter along with eggs and cheese, and I can't stop from smiling.

"Are you making breakfast burritos or tacos?" I ask pulling his attention over to me.

"Burritos, yeah," he answers letting the meat brown more as he grabs a bag from the corner and starts pulling out onions, peppers, and tomatoes. He looks around before putting them on the table. The only cabinet in the kitchen is the one with the sink. Even the coffee pot is on a little side table. I'm pretty sure it's a TV-tray type table that Nick bought to use in the living room for when he didn't want to eat at the actual table.

I move to the back room, grabbing the card table and taking it back to the kitchen, setting it up as Jamison is heading towards the kitchen table with a cutting board. "This might work until the cabinets are in," I suggest, setting it in the space next to the sink so it's closer to the stove.

"Thanks baby," he says, as he takes out a green pepper from the bag. "You okay with some peppers and onions in them? If not, I'll set some of the egg mix aside and just add them into mine."

"The more the better, tomatoes too," I add with a grin. "If you have jalapenos as well, you should know I'm never leaving you."

"Lucky for me, I do have them," he teases, pulling me into his arms with a smile. "I'm never letting you leave me though, so it really doesn't make a difference, does it?"

"No, but it definitely makes me want to give you a reward," I counter, lifting up to press a kiss to his lips as he leans down towards me.

"Feel free to give as many of them as you'd like," he states, before turning back to the table and cutting up slivers of peppers and onions, dicing up tomatoes, before taking out some fresh jalapenos and cutting them up as well.

"That smells so good," I sigh as he adds them to the sausage.

"I take it you like spicy food?" he says, and I nod. "The rest of the family is mixed on it, but I love it."

"The spicier the better I say," I admit, watching him work as I sip on a cup of coffee, adding in the creamer Jamison brought with him with a grin. "Nick hates it, doesn't understand how I can begin to eat things with hot sauce and peppers. Then again, he's the one that said the regular buffalo wings at Roscoe's were too spicy, couldn't even eat one, while I'd asked for their Hot Mama sauce on the side for mine when we got some to share."

"You know, I don't think we've ever gone anywhere except a burger place or the bar when we've gotten together," Jamison says, turning to look at me and that's not at all surprising.

"Neither he nor Nanci like spicy things so if we did go out somewhere, it was usually a diner or a burger joint."

"Interesting what you learn about people from their family," Jamison says, and I can't stop the little snort that hits, which sends his brow upwards my way.

"I…last night when I asked what your parents though about your sister and Serena, Anya and Kayla's preferences," I begin, seeing the confusion on his face grow more. "Did you ever meet Nick's ‘roommate' Tim?" I ask, wondering if my brother ever told him the reason he was already headed to State before our parents died.

"A couple times," he says, his brow lifting higher, "why?"

"Did you ever go to Nick's apartment?" I ask instead of answering just yet.

"I stopped by once to pick him up when his car was in the shop our…junior year," he answers me. "It was on my way to a job from the condo our parents bought in Belleview. From Presley it's only thirty miles, but our house is on the opposite side of town from Presley so it would have taken us at least an hour to make the drive one way every day. Why?"

"Did it really seem big enough to have two bedrooms?" My brow rises a hint watching him, relaxing when it all seems to start making sense from the look on his face.

"Your parents didn't approve?" he asks, seeming perfectly fine with the idea that my brother's roommate was actually his boyfriend.

"I didn't fully understand it at the time. A few weeks before they died, I remember them getting into this huge argument with Nick. They'd come home to find his friend Carl and him in his room. Apparently they were kissing, and my dad completely lost it. They were constantly arguing from then until they died," I admit, my fingers tightening around the handle of the cup. "Nick's blamed himself for the accident, which I think is why he hasn't really come out to the world even more than him being worried that it would affect his job. That companies that usually referred people to him would stop."

"Because a lot of construction guys are testosterone fueled apes and bigots," Jamison suggests, and I nod. "It doesn't matter to me either way, baby. As long as he's a good brother to you, he can see and sleep with whoever he wants…as long as it's none of my sisters."

I can't stop the little laugh the bubbles up hearing that and my brow lifts at him curiously.

"What? Oh, you think that's hypocritical of me since I want to sleep with his sister more than I want food to eat or air to breathe?" he teases, and I blush furiously at the look in his eyes. "Well, the difference is, I don't fool around, never have, never will. I'm looking for one woman and one woman only to be in my bed, and that woman, will carry my name, my commitment to her for life."

"Are you…no, you can't…Jamison?" I stumble through the words, not sure I can even begin to comprehend them right this minute.

"At our sixteenth birthday party, all of my friends were talking about how they wanted to do my sister. I could have thrown the lot of them through a window for daring to say that, but then I realized that I'd been thinking about some of the girls in our grade similarly and it hit me that I was being a jerk for doing it. That any of them could have, maybe not a twin brother, but a brother that would do to me what I'd do to any guy that touched my sister, tried to talk her into bed with them because they just wanted sex. It stopped me, made me think of what our dad said to us boys about sex, and I told myself to wait. To finish high school first and then if I met someone in college or afterwards, then I'd reevaluate things," he says, shocking me entirely. "Only most of the girls I met saw money signs when they looked at me, rather than me, and I dated less and less. Being an apprentice takes up a lot of time, so I focused on work and stopped dating. I haven't met anyone that's made me change my mind, made me even want to go out on a date, until I saw you, Nat. One look and I knew you were mine, meant to be mine, and I'd do whatever it took to prove to you that you could feel the same."

"You're seriously saying that you're…a virgin," I get out, staring into his gorgeous blue-grey eyes that make me melt.

"Yes, baby, I'm a virgin. The only one that's ever touched my cock is me. Other than in movies, and I don't mean porn, because it didn't feel right to watch it if my sister was in the room next to mine," he adds making me giggle slightly, "I've never seen a woman naked until you yesterday. Never touched a girl over or under their clothes as well."

"You are seriously too good to be true Jamison Cartwright."

"I'm completely real, baby girl, and it's all for you. I promise," he says, dropping a kiss onto my lips before finishing up the egg mixture.

"Thank you," I whisper, giving him a kiss when we're sitting at the table.

"You don't have to thank me for feeding you Nat. As your man, it's my job to make sure you have food, are taken care of," he adds, and I smile even more.

"My dad always demanded my mom thank him when he cooked for us," I admit after a bite that makes me moan with how delicious it is. "If she didn't, he'd get mad, storm out, and we'd hear about it for days. It wasn't until this stuff with Craig and talking to the therapist that I realized how toxic that was, but this…it's really sweet that you cooked it for us."

"Get used to it because while I may not be the best at making dinner, I am pretty good with breakfast stuff. Probably because I live alone and unless you get take-out every morning, it's not as easy to find others to join you for that meal as it is for lunch or dinner. I feel weird if I'm eating somewhere alone, probably because growing up I was never alone and even in school, Jasmine and I ate together all the time. So I make breakfast pretty much every morning before I go to work, and I like variety, so I know how to make pretty much everything breakfast related. The only thing I don't like is poached eggs," he adds, his nose wrinkling and god it's so hot.

"I don't think I've ever had one so not an issue there," I promise. "I like the idea of having breakfast with you every day. At school, I'd end up sitting alone at a table because most of the people I knew didn't get up or have classes at the same time. It'd be nice not to be alone first thing in the morning."

"It will be, baby," he agrees, giving me a soft kiss. His eyes grow more serious, and I sigh hearing his next words, "What did you mean by Nick feeling guilty about the accident?"

"He and my dad were fighting that evening. I remember hearing Nick tell him to go to hell and a door slamming. He wasn't home by nine when I went to bed and in the morning, I woke up to find my sister's boyfriend and his mom in the house with her. I guess when Nick wasn't home by midnight, my mom made my dad go out to look for him with her. They hadn't gotten Nanci or Nick cell phones even though they were seventeen and eighteen, so they couldn't just call him," I explain, seeing the understanding in his eyes of the rest without having to say it.

"They were out looking for Nick when the accident happened."

"Yeah, he was fine. Mike's dad found him at his friend Levi's place, brought him home just after I woke up, and they all told me that Mom and Dad were in an accident that night, were dead. Mike's parents had us all pack a bag and we went back to their place. We never spent the night at our house again. I think that's also why Nick didn't fight Mike's parents when they said they would look after Nanci and me so he could still go to State. I think he thought if I lived with him I'd blame him more, but honestly, I don't…never did. They could have called around, Mom knew all of his friends' numbers, rather than go out, but…"

"But what, baby?" he asks pulling my face back up to his.

"I think they were probably fighting, and she wanted to be out of the house, so they didn't wake me up doing it again," I admit. "Some of their fights got really loud, I'd wake easily and then couldn't get back to sleep. Usually I'd end up in bed with them, and when that happened, they were so nice and loving. I don't know how Nanci came out so unscathed by things really. She and Mike would occasionally disagree, but they never fought fought. They didn't raise their voices or scream at each other. I used to think that they didn't really love each other, didn't have any passion because they seemed so tame compared to my parents, but now…after everything with Craig, I'd give anything to feel like this every day."

"Like what, Nat?" he asks lifting my chin up to see him better.

"Comfortable, secure," I offer as I bite my lip, trying to explain it. "You kiss me, and it floods me with heat that those peppers never could. You touch me and wake everything within me. Then you add onto it by saying you want to feed me, take care of me, and I can't begin to not want that. Even last night when you were pushing me to tell you about Craig, you never once raised your voice or got mad at me. Never threatened me that you'd walk away if I didn't tell you, answer you…it's hard to believe I could have love and passion without anger and violence."

"Believe it, baby girl, because even if I get angry, I can promise it'll never be at you. It might be at a situation I don't like or agree with, like when you were scared to tell me the truth about Craig. I hated that you didn't trust me enough to tell me. Even knowing we just met, I wanted you to trust me to make it better, which wasn't fair to you, but I'd never take it out on you. Especially now, knowing the type of relationship you had modeled, mixed with what I'm guessing is your brother and sister never really explaining that it wasn't normal to fight, verbally and especially not physically when you were old enough to start dating," he says, and I nod. "I will love you, emotionally and physically with every ounce of my being, but it will never come from a place of violence or ultimatums. I will never try to use my emotions or yours to guilt you into doing something you don't want, I swear."

"Thank you," I whisper, stopping him when it looks like he's about to tell me to stop doing it again. "You don't know how good it feels to have someone promise you kindness. Time to come to terms with what's happening, when my life has always seemed to revolve around having to accept things. Not having a say in anything that happens. I need you to know what that means to me, but I honestly don't have the words to express it other than by saying thank you right now."

"I've got you, always, know that. Even if it takes you longer than just getting Craig dealt with to come to terms with us, I'm not going to leave you. Even if you won't let me give you my last name in the coming year, I still won't. I can't, because I know enough for both of us that this is meant to be, we are meant to be, and I'm never going to give up on it, okay?"

"Yeah," I sigh, letting him hold me until his phone goes off with a message, saying Detective Taylor and Kayla are ten minutes away.