Natalie had lost all sense of reason, clinging desperately to Justin. His familiar scent and reassuring touch stripped away any remaining restraint in her.
He wasn’t a stranger—he was someone she trusted, someone she felt safe with. Safe enough to surrender, letting her body take control over her clouded mind.
The drugs coursing through her system overwhelmed her completely.
"Natalie?" Justin called again, trying to peel her away, but her grip only tightened. She pressed against him, following the pull of her desire with reckless abandon.
Seeing her lost to reason, Justin scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
While Natalie didn’t stop—her lips and teeth worked along the skin of his neck, sucking, nibbling, and even biting hard enough to leave marks.
Justin gritted his teeth, doing his best to remain rational despite the fire her touch ignited in him. He had imagined moments like this countless times, craving her closeness—but not like this. Not when she wasn’t herself.
He put her on the bed and freed himself from her hold.
Her hands reached for him again but he caught her wrists in a firm but gentle grip, and he sat next to her on the edge of the bed. "You’re not in your right mind, Natalie. The doctor will be here soon."
Holding her hands securely in one of his, Justin used his free hand to pull out his phone and make a call.
Natalie panted heavily, watching him like a delicious meal for her hungry self. She gathered all her strength, freed her hands from his hold and sat up, only to straddle the man on call.
"Natalie!" Justin hissed, feeling her teeth sink into his neck again. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, and her hands found their way back around his shoulders. She began moving against him in ways that sent his heart racing—and not in a good way.
Justin clenched his jaw, struggling to hold on to his sanity.
The call connected. "Where the hell is the doctor?" Justin barked into the phone, his voice edged with frustration as he fought to keep himself in control.
The way Natalie was testing his patience, Justin knew he was dangerously close to losing control.
"It’ll take another ten to fifteen minutes due to traffic," the voice on the other end of the call informed him.
"I don’t care how you do it, whether you fly or dug hole in the ground—be here in five minutes," Justin snapped, his tone ice-cold.
"Mr. Harper, we’re trying our best, but it’s going to take that much time," the person replied apologetically.
Justin gritted his teeth in frustration. "Then tell me what I can do to keep her stable until you arrive. She’s completely lost her mind."
"I want you..." she panted breathlessly, her voice thick with desire. ".. Do something..."
Her seductive plea was loud enough to be heard through the phone.
"Mr. Harper... if I may ask, what is your relationship with the woman?" the person on the other end hesitated.
Justin felt Natalie lean toward him, aiming for his lips. He swiftly turned his face away, still focused on the conversation. To him, she was like a mischievous child, testing his limits in the worst way possible.
"She’s my woman," Justin growled, as if the answer should have been obvious. "What woman could dare climb on me like this if she wasn’t mine?"
His voice dripped with annoyance, as though the question itself was absurd. If it were any other woman, he would’t be taking care of her personally, let alone allowing her touch him in the way Natalie was.
On the other hand, frustrated by his refusal to kiss her, Natalie frowned and bit his earlobe hard, drawing a sharp inhale from him.
A pained groan nearly escaped his lips, but he suppressed it, clenching his jaw. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath and talked on the call again. "Answer my question, or are you trying to die by testing my patience?"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the call, though the person could not see, the sounds on the all had let him know what was going on.
"Mr. Harper... If she’s your woman, why not give her what she wants until we arrive? It might help her."
Justin’s frustration boiled over. "Do you think I don’t know that?" he snapped, barely restraining himself. "If that’s what I wanted to do, would I have asked for a doctor?"
The person on the other end remained calm. "Mr. Harper, we’re unsure what kind of drug she’s been given or how severe the effects are. Please just keep her safe until we get there."
Justin ended the call, his own breath growing shallow as he gripped Natalie’s waist to steady her. "Stop moving. You’re asking for trouble, Natalie Ford."
Her heavy-lidded eyes fluttered open, meeting his gaze with a dazed, hazy look. Through the fog clouding her mind, she took in Justin’s sharp features and the rise and fall of his chest. The heat radiating from his body wasn’t just comforting—it was maddeningly intoxicating.
Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him instinctively.
Justin’s entire body tensed, his muscles locking up as he fought to resist her. But Natalie was relentless, her hands clinging tightly around his neck, refusing to let go.
Her kiss was clumsy, uncoordinated—driven purely by the drug-induced need that had taken over her mind and body. Before he could pull away, she tightened her grip, trying to deepen the kiss, her tongue insistently seeking entry into his mouth.
Justin’s heart raced as he struggled to stay rational. Their first kiss, he had not expected to be this way and in such a situation.
Though the every fiber of his being fought against the pull, he managed to pull his face back, breaking the kiss. "Natalie," he said sternly, "you need to come to your senses."
Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her flushed cheeks. She felt as though her very soul had been denied. "I feel horrible..." she whispered, her voice trembling with anguish.
Justin’s expression softened at the sight of her tears. "The doctor will be here soon," he murmured, his voice gentle, as if coaxing a child.
Taking advantage of the moment, he pried her arms from around his neck and laid her carefully back on the bed. Just as he was about to pull away, she grasped his hand with surprising strength.
"I feel like I’m dying..." she whimpered, fresh tears streaming down her face. Her broken voice exposed just how much she was suffering. "..Help me... please."
"Do you know who I am?" he asked, thinking she must have mistaken him for the man she had loved for so many years and must have spent many of such nights with him. "I am not Ivan Brown."
The mention of Ivan didn’t bother her as if she didn’t know that name at all and said again. "Justin, help me...please..."