by Thea Dawson
He revved her up and then moved on, leaving her biting her lips and mumbling ridiculous curses. He stopped at her stomach, kissing it gently. Her skin was smooth and sensitive, and her soft flesh trembled under his touch, turning him on further.
And finally, those magnificent breasts—He wasted no time liberating them from her bra, then slowed down again to worship them properly, kissing the gentle swell, toying with her nipples before covering them with his mouth, enjoying the way they swelled and tightened under his tongue.
By this time, her breath was coming in shallow gasps. “Will you take off those pants, and let’s please get on with the ravishing!” she demanded.
“One ravishing, coming up,” he promised.
He wasted no time in shimmying out of his jeans and groping for a condom in the drawer of the bedside table. When he turned back to her, she’d slipped out of her panties and was grinning at him, her pretty face alight with lust and excitement.
She pulled him on top of her, barely giving him time to sheath himself, then angled herself to meet his thrusting cock, and he sank into her with a sigh of deep satisfaction.
She was as playful and responsive in bed as she was everywhere else, teasing, giggling, whispering affectionate nonsense in his ear. For a time, she wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him into her, then she pushed him onto his back to ride him, her auburn curls spread around her shoulders and her gorgeous breasts available to his eager hands.
She came with her head tilted back, gasping and laughing and tightening around him until he couldn’t take it anymore. He flipped her back onto the bed and plunged into her until his own orgasm carried him away, and he lost himself in her warm, soft sweetness.
She was in no hurry to leave, and he was in no hurry to let her. They spent the next hour wrapped around each other, talking and laughing until they finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.
13
“How’re things going with Sexy Grouchy Lawyer Boss?” asked Holly.
Rachel didn’t bother answering; if her cheeks were as flushed as they felt, she wouldn’t need to.
“That good, huh?” Holly grinned.
It was Monday. Bryce had taken a client to lunch, and Rachel had quickly called Savannah and Holly for some midday girl-time at the café.
Savannah’s eyes gleamed as she leaned across the table. “Oh, my God, are you and Bryce Davidson doing the deed?” she whispered.
“You would think that someone who dresses in black leather could say sex,” Rachel pointed out.
Twin spots of pink appeared on Savannah’s cheeks, but she persisted. “You’re deflecting. Is he as good as he looks, or is he one of those guys who’s all packaging and no package?”
This time, Holly blushed. Rachel almost choked on a mouthful of hot chocolate, trying to hold back a laugh.
“He’s packaging and package together,” she assured Savannah. “And yes, we ‘did the deed’ over the weekend.”
Holly squealed. “And it was amazing?”
“It was pretty amazing,” Rachel admitted. “If he’s typical, I’m only going to date thirty-one-year-old lawyers for the rest of my life.”
Holly pouted. “Poor Bryce! You don’t see a future with him?”
“As long as he’s a thirty-one-year-old lawyer, I do. Once he turns thirty-two, all bets are off.”
Holly gave her a sly grin. “I don’t know … he looks like the settling down type. Watch your back, or he’ll have a ring on your finger before you know it.”
Rachel didn’t miss the smug glance Holly gave her own ring. “He’s a nice guy, but I’m not exactly looking to settle down. Right now, we’re just having fun.” She kept her tone light. Her fizzy little crush was rapidly deepening into something more serious, but she wasn’t ready to admit it out loud.
Savannah pulled a mock-tragic expression. “You are going to break this poor guy’s heart.”
“Geez, you don’t even like him. Anyway, don’t buy your bridesmaids dresses yet. I haven’t even known him a month. It’s way too soon to think about settling down.”
Savannah shook her head in scandalized delight. “You and Bryce Davidson. Would not have seen this one coming. Y’all are so different from each other.”
Rachel couldn’t suppress a grin. “I know. It’s crazy, right? He seems so serious on the outside, but he’s got this sweet, sexy side to him, and I feel like he just needs more fun in his life.”
“Well, if anyone can bring fun into his life, it’s you.’ Savannah turned to Holly. “How about Steve? What’s he like in bed?”
Holly’s face flushed. Rachel flashed a glare at Savannah, but Sav just smiled innocently.
“He’s fine,” Holly replied. “I mean, he’s great. We’re very compatible.”
Savannah’s eye caught Rachel’s for a split second, and Rachel had to admit that “compatible” didn’t sound all that exciting.
“Well, you girls are very lucky to have these wonderful men in your lives,” Savannah said. “I’ll be spending the holidays in Oregon with my mom. We’re going to go skiing on Mt. Hood. She’s never been before.”
“Aw, that is so sweet!” Rachel replied, glad that they’d moved on from Holly’s sex life, and hers. “Give your mom a hug from me. I hope you guys have fun. What about you, Holly?”
“Flying out to LA. Sophie likes her holidays warm and sunny.”
“What about Steve?”
A shadow crossed Holly’s face, but she smiled quickly. “He’s really busy at work. He can’t really leave town at the moment. He’ll be spending Christmas day with his family in New Haven. Did I tell you his dad’s a professor at Yale?”
Rachel didn’t miss the look of disdain that crossed Savannah’s face. “No, but it’s nice his family’s so close.”
Holly nodded, then glanced at her watch. “I’m going to have to run. I’ve got a meeting in the city at two, and I need to catch a train.
Rachel and Savannah stood up for hugs. Holly bundled herself into her coat. “If I don’t see you two, have a wonderful holiday, okay?” Smiling brightly, she turned and left.
Rachel and Savannah sank back into their seats. Savannah looked grim. “Spending time with his family, my ass,” she growled. “Dollars to donuts that asshole won’t be sleeping alone when she’s in LA. And don’t try to defend him.”
“I won’t.”
Savannah gave her a sharp look. “What is it?”
Rachel filled her in on what Aaron had told her. To her surprise, Savannah didn’t gloat. Instead, she looked genuinely regretful to hear that her opinion had support.
“I’m glad you’re back, Rache,” she said after taking a morose sip of her coffee. “Sooner or later, this shit is going to go south in a big way, and I don’t want to have to pick up the pieces by myself.”
“Do you have plans for Christmas?”
It was just a few days away now. Rachel looked up at Bryce from her desk and shook her head. “Nah, I’m off the hook after Hanukkah. I usually just hang out with my family.”
“How about making a regular day of it? Come into the office and work eight straight hours.”
Her jaw dropped. “You have got to be kidding.”
He sat down on her desk and folded his arms. “Gotcha!” His face broke into a grin. She smirked at him. He really was loosening up.
“Of course I’m kidding,” he told her. “Why don’t you spend it with me and Nora?”
She gave a playful sigh. “Geez, for a minute there, I thought you were going to get all Ebenezer Scrooge on me. But yes, I’d love to spend Christmas with you and Nora. I even have the perfect present for you.”
He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Does it involve you taking off your clothes?”
She laughed. “No. It’s an actual present.”
“Damn. It’s been too long. Can I at least steal a kiss?” He leaned over and put his hands on the arms of her chair, trapping her between them.
She lifted a disapproving eyebrow. “Ah
em. No hanky-panky on the job, remember?”
“I’m a big believer in making exceptions when necessary. One kiss?”
She bit her lip, thinking, then leaned forward. “Just one.”
Their lips met, and she instantly regretted letting it get this far because now she’d spend the rest of the day wanting more. Maybe they could knock off a little early and go fool around in his car. The weekend wasn’t going to come fast enough.
She pulled away. He groaned, but she shook a finger in his face. “Listen, you’ve got Mr. and Mrs. Mortenson coming in ten minutes to talk about that property transfer. You don’t want them to find you with lipstick all over your collar, do you?”
“Fine.” He pulled away. “But if we can get Nora down for a nap, you’re making it up to me on Christmas.”
“Just call me Bob Cratchit.” She laughed at the face he pulled. “Okay, go get ready for the Mortensons.”
Half an hour later, he was behind closed doors with the Mortensons, and she had almost finished the last of the filing that had piled up since Mrs. Willoughby’s departure.
She hummed happily to herself as she worked. She had a comfy little job with an uber-sexy built-in boss-slash-boyfriend, and yes, she realized the whole thing was probably a disaster in the making, but she didn’t care, because being with Bryce made her even giddier than usual.
The phone rang, and she grabbed for it without thinking.
“Happy holidays!” she singsonged before remembering she was supposed to answer, “Bryce Davidson’s law office.” She probably sounded like the office Christmas party was underway.
“Hello?” The quavery voice sounded like an elderly woman.
Rachel cleared her throat and made a stab at sounding more professional. “Yes, hello, how can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Mr. Bryce Davidson.”
“He can’t come to the phone at the moment, but I’d be happy to give him a message.”
“Oh, if you would. My name is Vera Sullivan. I’m his little girl’s grandmother, and I have a favor to ask him.”
“You did what?”
The Mortensons had gone, and Bryce and Rachel stood on either side of his desk, staring at each other. The playful look on Bryce’s face from earlier had vanished, replaced with a cross between horror and outrage.
Rachel twisted her hands together. “Well, you don’t have any real plans for Christmas, and it would mean so much to them. Seriously, Bryce, if you could have talked to her—”
“Rachel!” He ran his hand through his hair. “I cannot believe you’d commit me to something like that without even talking to me first! I don’t even know these people, and once Nora’s adopted, I’ll never have any reason to be in contact with them again.”
Rachel’s stomach sank. She’d managed to forget that Nora would be leaving permanently after Christmas.
Bryce paced beside his desk. “This whole stupid situation is too damned complicated as it is. We all need a clean break from her. You, me, and them. Dragging this out doesn’t help anyone.”
“But … Vera sounded so sweet. She and her husband are both in their seventies, and they’ve already lost their daughter. Bryce …” She put her hands on the desk and leaned forward, her eyes pleading. “It’s just for the day, and it would mean so much to them. Come on, it’s Christmas!”
“For God’s sake, you’re Jewish!” he grumbled. “You don’t even celebrate Christmas.”
“But they do. Please? It’s just for lunch.”
“Just lunch.” He snorted. “Do you have any idea how awkward this is?”
“Uh … no?”
His expression was incredulous. “Rachel, I had an affair with their daughter that lasted three days, then I forgot about her until a year later when I found out she was dead.” He flopped into his chair, running a hand through his hair. “What the hell am I going to say to them?”
“Is that why you don’t want to go?” she said quietly. “Because you feel guilty?”
He toyed with a fountain pen and didn’t look her in the face. “There are boundaries, Rachel,” he muttered. “Or there should be. You’ve crossed one too many.”
Something in the tone of his voice made her gut clench. Maybe this time she really had gone too far. “I’m sor—“
“You know what.” Bryce didn’t meet her eyes. “Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off. I need some time to—” He threw his hands into the air in a gesture of futility. “I just need some time.”
She opened her mouth then shut it again when she couldn’t think of anything to say. Instead, she picked up her coat and her purse and crept out of the office.
When she got home that afternoon, both her parents were in the living room.
Her mother looked up, surprised. “You’re home early.”
Still in her coat, Rachel shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She’d been looking forward to a hot bath and a good cry and she didn’t necessarily want to share the details of her crappy afternoon with her parents.
“So are you,” she pointed out.
“My last client cancelled and your dad’s shift ended at lunchtime.” Her mother turned to look at her husband. “I wish you’d start keeping more regular hours. You shouldn’t still be pulling all nighters at your age.”
Rachel’s father chuckled. “Babies come on their own schedule. Someone’s got to be on hand to catch ’em.”
Rachel promptly burst into tears.
Immediately, her parents jumped up and guided her to the couch.
Her mother sank down beside her. “Did something happen at work?”
Her dad handed her a box of tissues and sat on a footstool beside the couch, concern on his face.
Rachel shrugged helplessly, trying to figure out how to explain the fight that she and Bryce had had that afternoon. But for it to make sense, she’d have to tell the whole story about Nora, and the Sullivans, and the fact that Bryce hardly had any family, and about why it all affected her so much. In the end, the words that came out of her mouth surprised her as much as they surprised her parents.
“When I was in college, I met my birth mother.”
Their expressions didn’t change, but she felt them both stiffen next to her, bracing for whatever she said next.
“I’m sorry,” Rachel sniffled. “I swear it wasn’t because I ever wanted anyone else but you guys to be my parents. I just wanted to know more about where I came from and why she gave me up.”
“Oh, honey.” Her mother pulled her into a hug. “We understand. You could have told us.”
“I know, but I was afraid it might hurt your feelings.”
“How did it go? Meeting her?” her mother asked.
She described her meeting with Jessie. “I liked her,” she said as she finished. “We’re still in touch. I hope that’s okay.”
Her mother brushed one of Rachel’s curls away from her face. “Of course it’s okay, sweetheart. Maybe one of these days we could all meet her. I’d like to thank her for letting us have you. You’ve been such an incredible gift to us.”
Rachel burst into a fresh round of tears, but these were happier ones, mingled with relief at having finally told her parents about Jessie.
When she’d regained control of her voice again, she continued. “I don’t know if it’s because I was adopted or if it’s just me, but I’ve been trying to figure out where I belong for years now. I’m sorry. I know you want me to figure things out, but I think I still need more time. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life.”
Her father shrugged. “Hey, maybe you never will.”
Rachel looked at him, a little hurt. “You think I’ll never be successful like Deb and Aaron?”
“I don’t think you need to be like Deb and Aaron. You just need to be like you. Some of us find one thing we love and we’re happy to spend our lives doing it. Some of us are happier if we can try something new every couple of years. You’re an explorer, Rachel. It’s one of my favorite things
about you.” He glanced at Rachel’s mother. “ You’re a bright kid. You’ll land on your feet. Maybe we’re putting too much pressure on you to figure out exactly what you want to do.” He took her hand in his. “But as for where you belong, you belong with us and Deb and Aaron and Nan. There’s never been any question about that.”
Rachel squeezed her father’s hand. With her free hand, she grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. She still had to face Bryce again and deal with the mess she’d made there. For now, though, it was enough to know that her parents had her back, no matter what.
She gave them a watery smile. “You guys really are the best.”
Nora slept all night.
Bryce didn’t sleep a wink.
Instead, he tossed and turned in his bed, missing the feeling of Rachel beside him. The knowledge that he’d have to face up to Nora’s grandparents in person in a few days sat like a stone in his gut, but it paled next to the knowledge that he’d all but kicked Rachel out of his office.
And possibly his life.
She’d crossed a line, he tried to remind himself … But then, when had she not crossed a line? That was what she did, crossing lines and tripping over boundaries and crashing into his well-ordered life, making a mess of everything he’d worked so hard for.
But that wasn’t really fair, because his life might be well-ordered, but it was also boring and even a bit lonely. It might be messier with Rachel in it, but it was also more interesting … and more fun.
He rolled over and punched his pillow again.
He got to the office early the next day, fidgeting and pacing while he waited for Rachel to show up.
What if she didn’t show?
He’d track her down, he decided. He had her phone number, and he knew where she lived. If it came down to it, he knew how to get touch with Deb and Savannah. He had a sneaking suspicion that Deb liked him, though he wasn’t so sure about Savannah.
Anyway, without going full-on stalker, he’d find a way to talk to Rachel again so they could move past this. All couples had fights. They were no exception.