If she needed reassurance.

He always gauged her mood and then adjusted the lovemaking to reflect it. That meant sometimes things were fast and frenetic, sometimes slow and easy, and at times, even sweet and…loving.

Tonight she was worried. About what, he didn’t yet know, but he hoped before the night ended, she’d tell him.

Natalie didn’t recognize it, but an emotional connection played a large role in making the sex so damn good. She was too naive to realize that the thrill of a purely physical encounter quickly dimmed, that just sex, cold and detached, could never be as intense as the involvement they shared.

For a while now they’d been going strong. Neither of them had tired of the other, and neither of them sought companionship elsewhere.

At least, that better be the case, because the idea of her doing this with anyone else felt like acid in his gut.

There were days when he knew she was in her apartment alone, and it kept him on edge wondering why she didn’t come over. The urge to go to her, to change the dynamics of their relationship, prodded him more times than he cared to remember.

It wasn’t until he’d heard her talking about taking off for vacation that he’d decided to push her for more than sex.

“I like you like this, Natalie.” As Jett teased his fingers along her stomach, she shivered. “I like knowing that you’re here and that you’re not going anywhere.”

Her lips parted, and then she dropped her head back to stare at the ceiling. After releasing a long, shuddering breath, she said with confidence, “You would never hurt me.”

“I’d die first.” He saw the tension leave her shoulders, and he smiled slightly. “What were you thinking?”