A Dangerous Obsession

Chapter 5 - Naughty Boy

"Oh. My. God," I squeaked in terror. 

A picture of a handsome, extremely masculine man blasted my eyes. He had distinct tattoos running down both arms and across his shoulders. No matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn't rip my gaze away from him. He wore an incredibly revealing strapped G-string sort of adult Santa outfit, accompanied with a red Santa's hat with the caption 'My early gift to you.' 

I had to blink abruptly, questioning the gravity of what I'm seeing. Noah Watson, my husband's older brother, practically naked. If it weren't for the Santa's pouch I would have seen everything. 

"Why would he send me that?" I yelped frustratedly, hyperventilating.

"Baby?" Chris' voice boomed from the hallway, catching my breath inside my throat.

"Oh my, God. Why is he home early?" I shrieked as my eyes instinctively darted to the opened image blinding me.

"Have you seen my documents for the Dolan case?" He shouted across the hallway, his footsteps nearing our bedroom. "I think I forgot it at my desk."

I instantly noticed the documents resting under my arm. Panic arose in swift waves as I scattered to retrieve the mouse and close the image before Chris saw it. Who knows what disaster this quandary would cause? He may assume that I am cheating on him with his convict brother. 

"Come on, come on," I repetitively chanted to myself, hands trembling, as I struggled to click the 'X' icon. My heart felt as if it were about to jump out of my chest and do a runner.

"Nat? I'm coming in!" My breathing became rapid, vision blurred, clammy palms. 

I'm going to be sick.

"Baby, what are you doing in here? You didn't answer when I called out to you."

"I... Was..." I tried responding, but my breath was too shaky to form a sentence.

"What the hell is that?" He said appalled, his eyes peering at the exposed screen.

I inhaled deeply, composing myself, then answered. "What? Aren't they cute?" I had briskly closed the image tab and pulled up images of adorable puppies. At the beginning of our marriage, I attempted to persuade Chris into adopting a puppy, but at no avail. The reason being...

"You know dogs freak me out, Nat." He sighed, relaxing his jaw on my head. "If you want something to take care of." He paused for a moment, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Why don't we have a baby?" His honey coated words jabbed an ache inside my heart.

The sincerity in his voice indicated that it was a sensitive topic and I should thread carefully with my next words. "I can barely look after myself, let alone a child. I'm just not ready for motherhood yet."

"I know, you'll be an amazing mother one day." He gently enfolded me in his arms and nuzzled his face into my neck, breathing in slowly. "We're still young so I'll wait until you're ready," he murmured distantly. "Not to mention, the baby-making process sounds pretty good."

I giggled at his slick remark, his lips pressed against my temple. "Okay, I'll take you up on that."

"Do you mind if I use the computer quick? I need to print out some additional documents for the hearing today."

"That's all good, I'll get out of your way." I refinedly rose from my seat and kissed his lips before leaving.

– – – CHRIS – – –

Her soft lips brushed on mine, a flashback of this morning's kiss came to mind. When our tongues had collided, I tasted the sweetness of her coffee and she tasted the bitterness of mine. It took all the strength I could muster to discard that thought and focus on work. The Dolan case files were where I had left them, so I only needed to print out the Defence witness list and the documentary evidence. Thankfully, the computer was already switched on. I promptly sign into my Mail and scrolled through the inbox.