Intimate Secrets: 10 (Touched By You) by Emily Jane Trent Page B

thoroughly with my legal and business advisors. But I’m inclined to go forward. It’s very important to Dani; he’s a friend and now I know our families have history together as well.”
    “I guess it can be a small world.”
    “Yes, it tends to be, especially in the area of wealth and investments.”
    Natalie was relieved the call had been good news. The way Cheryl texted, it could have been anything. A lot of the details were beyond her, but it did sound like a worthy investment. And supporting Dani in his humanitarian goals made sense.
    Hearing from Cheryl only made Natalie miss her, and she hoped to see her back in New York soon. Looking across the table, she saw Tanner rubbing his temples. “You okay?”
    “Sure, just a headache. I’ll take something for it. No big deal.”
    She wondered. Tanner used to have headaches but hadn’t for a while. She hoped this wasn’t the start of a pattern. In the past he only got them as a result of internal stress. What that could be now, Natalie didn’t know. Possibly it was “just a headache,” but somehow she doubted it. He’d seemed preoccupied about something lately. Maybe she’d ask him—at the right time.
    “You’ve been talking in your sleep, baby,” Tanner said.
    His comment startled her. “Really? When?”
    “The last couple of nights.”
    “What do I say?”
    “I couldn’t tell. Your voice is low, some name or something. You haven’t talked in your sleep for a long time.”
    Tanner took a bite of his salmon, showing no further interest in the subject. Yet it bothered Natalie. She used to talk in her sleep a lot, and had to pry the details from Tanner. Uncomfortable about what she might say, she hoped it didn’t continue.
    Restless sleep, and talking while dreaming, meant she was disturbed about something. It had always been that way. Natalie wasn’t sure what was bothering her. Was it the recent meeting with her father, concern for Emma’s health, or some other worry?
    A feeling of vulnerability came over her. Unable to form a clear idea of what the problem might be, she feared words spoken in her sleep would reveal her inner feelings before she was prepared to deal with them.
    “What, baby? You look lost in thought over there.”
    She saw Tanner frown, but didn’t want him prying just then. “Nothing. Just hope I don’t say anything embarrassing in my sleep.” She tried to make it a joke, but it didn’t come out that way.
    “I wouldn’t worry about it. There’s nothing you wouldn’t tell me anyway, right?”
    Tanner said it so casually, and she’d like to think that was true. Could it be that even as well as they knew each other, they didn’t know everything? Was there something she couldn’t easily admit, and hadn’t told him? Natalie knew it was true, though she’d hardly faced it herself, much less offered her secret thoughts to Tanner.
3 – Deep Arousal
    Natalie avoided revealing her thoughts to Tanner. He didn’t press for details, unaware there was anything to know. The next morning, still blanketed in the darkness of the bedroom, he’d pulled her against him, his touch waking her up.
    Sweet and loving in the warmth of their bed, Tanner gently stroked her shoulder and down her back. He kissed her neck and buried his face in her hair. With her back pressed against his chest, she nuzzled into him, feeling his arousal against her skin.
    The feel of his hand massaging her ass turned her on, and Natalie reached back to touch his cheek. He kissed her arm and reached under her short nightgown to fondle her breasts. Still half asleep, she purred with pleasure. Tanner’s fingers moved between her legs from behind, slipping through her wetness.
    Lightly tapping her clit, Tanner stimulated her. His fingers dipped into her wet opening, and the position of him behind her, reaching between her legs, made it very erotic. Natalie moaned softly and pushed into him to feel the heat of his erection.
    Tanner breathed heavily against her