He took a deep breath. She leaned her forehead against his for a moment. Then she sat back on her ankles and watched him.
"I have never felt the way I feel about you. I can't wait to tell you the stupidest shit. If someone tells me a joke, I think about you laughing at it. I call and text you like a kid in high school. My palms sweat and I get all nervous when I know I'm going to see you. When you tell me I deserve better, I want to scream and tell you how crazy that is. I've never thought one negative thing about you. I couldn't imagine why you thought those things about yourself. Then I heard that fucker say that stuff to you and realized where you got them from. I've never wanted to physically hurt someone as bad as I did him. He's going to be sorry for what he did today."
Cliff reached forward and took her hands in his.
"I'm going to protect you. Nobody will ever hurt you again. I promise that nobody will ever speak to you like that. As long as I live, I will make sure of that. I could have lost you today. That made me realize so many things. I've already told you that I'm not perfect. I will make mistakes and piss you off from time to time. I can promise you that I'll do everything I can to show you how much I care about you. I will cherish you and treat you the way you deserve to be treated. I will never bring you down. I will always bring you up. I promise to keep you safe and do everything in my power to make you happy. I never want you to be someone you're not. I don't care if we go out dressed to kill or if we stay home in sweats and t-shirts. Nobody will ever hurt you again. Do you hear me?"
Rachel looked down, and he took her chin in his hand and lifted it until she looking at him again.
"I need you to know you are worthy of love. You deserve the best of everything. I will never hear you say that I deserve better than you. There is no better than you. You need to know that. I will tell you every single day until you do. I don't give a shit about having money. It means nothing to me. I would give it all up in a second to know your safe and happy."
He wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"I need you to quit running. Every time something happens you try to run from me. It needs to stop. It's my job to protect you. If you're constantly running, you make that so much harder. Please don't let him or anyone else ruin your chance at happiness. He can only control your life if you give him that power. He's nobody. You are a teacher who loves every single child. That's where you belong. Stop talking down about what you love. I'm not a lawyer because of the money. I do it because I love doing it. I'm passionate about my company. You're passionate about your classroom. What you do is much more important than what I do. I'm not letting you run from us, so you might as well stop trying. I would much rather hold you in my arms than chase after you. Not one more negative word about you or what you deserve. I will bend you over my knee if you say it again. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You are beautiful, caring, sweet, loving, and absolutely perfect, and you are mine. Do you hear me?"
Rachel couldn't believe the things he was saying. Did he really feel that way about her? Could she really give him her heart and trust him?
"Stop thinking about it," he said. "I realized tonight that I need to stop fighting myself. I need to be honest. If I don't, life could pass me while I'm busy telling myself happiness isn't possible. I'm not fighting it anymore. When I saw what I did tonight, I realized that you were the only woman for me. I realized that if you walked out of my life, I wouldn't be happy. The thought of not talking to you or seeing you breaks my heart. I'm putting it all out there. I'm giving you my heart. Please don't destroy it. You are the only one that has the ability to be the end of me. I love you, Rachel."
She didn't realize that she had been holding her breath until it all released at once. Did he really say what she thought he did? Her eyes were wide when she got up on her knees and looked directly into his eyes.
"I do," he said. "I'm in love with you, baby."
She took his face in her hands and brought their lips together with so much feeling. He loved her. Was it true? He grabbed her hair in his hand and his tongue demanded entrance into her mouth. Her lips parted, and their tongues fought each other for control. She couldn't get close enough to him. Her hands were buried in his hair as she tugged it. She felt their lips pressing together and knew they would be sore. He pulled on her hair to expose her neck. When his lips left hers, she was panting and gasping for air. His lips kissed along her neck to her ear. He reached down, grabbed the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing and pulled it quickly over her head. She felt the need for him so badly. Every nerve in her body was firing off as his fingers moved across her body. She had never felt so much heat in her life. It was like they couldn't control their bodies. He pulled her earlobe through his teeth.
"I need you right now more than I need to breathe," he whispered.
Rachel moaned at his words. She reached up, grabbed his sweats and boxers, and pulled. He moved his hips so she could get them down his legs and off his feet. Her tongue licked across her lips at the sight of his hard length in front of her. He put his hand under her chin and lifted.
"Inside," he said. "I need to be inside of you."
She got to her feet. Her naked body was in front of him.
"Fuck," he whispered. "You are so damn beautiful."
She put one leg on each side of his as he sat on the couch. He grabbed her face and crashed their lips together again. She moved forward and was up on her knees. Without wasting a single second, she grabbed his hard shaft and placed him at her entrance. He had his hands on the side of her face with his head tilted up as he kissed her with such passion. She held his face in her hands. Without warning, Rachel moved over his cock until he was filling her completely. He growled into her mouth, which encouraged her to continue. Her hands went to his shoulders, as she lifted off of him until he was just at her entrance. When she dropped down over him, he gasped. She moved up again, and when she let herself down again, his hips met hers with a thrust of his own. She cried out his name. He took her bottom lip between his teeth and pulled. Rachel began moving up and down, as he held her hips and met her thrusts with his until they were moving in perfect rhythm together. Her head went back and her eyes closed. He leaned forward and took her nipple into his mouth. When he sucked hard and grazed it with his teeth, her hands flew to his hair. She gripped two handfuls tight and pulled him against her.
"Fuck, Cliff," she cried out. "Oh fuck!"
He held her hips tight as he slammed into her.
"Mine," he said deep and stern. "You.Are.Mine."
Rachel cried out again as he pumped into her deep and fast.
"Say it," he said. "Tell me."
"Yours," she said. "I am yours, Cliff. I love you."
She heard a growl vibrate deep in his chest. Before she knew it, he had her on her back on the couch and was hovering over her. He looked down at her with wide eyes. She grabbed the back of his head and looked into his eyes.
"I love you, Cliff," she said before claiming his mouth.
"Hold on tight," he said, before grabbing her hips tight and slamming into her hard.
"Cliff," she cried out. "Please.Don't.Stop."
She continued kissing him. With each pump into her, she could feel her back move up the couch. He held her tight and thrust into her hard and deeper than ever. Sex with him was amazing, but there was something different in that moment. They were one in every way they could be.
"Oh," she cried. "Oh, fuck. I'm."
She held him tight as he thrust into her hard. Her pussy pulsed around him, as she exploded into the most intense orgasm of her life. Her eyes closed as she called out his name. He held her tight as he followed with his own release. She could feel him fill her completely. They were both breathing so hard. He let his body down over hers. Their hearts were beating hard together. Slowly, their breathing returned to normal. She felt a loss when he pulled out of her. Her eyes widened as she looked at his bare cock. It surprised her that he didn't seem fazed by it at all. She made a mental note to always ma
ke sure they used condoms from then on.
Cliff stood up, grabbed their clothes, took her hand, and lead her to his bedroom. He pulled back the sheets. She climbed in, and he got in behind her. She was already feeling tired. It had been a long day for both of them.
"This bed feels even better than the one you had in Vegas."
They both laughed as he wrapped his arms around her. He was on his back, and she had her arm over him with her head on his chest. Her fingers traced his muscles.
"I feel so safe when we're together. You make me feel so cared for. Thank you so much for being there for me today. You'll never know how much that means to me. I will never do anything to hurt you, Cliff. I will take good care of your heart. Please take care of mine."
"I will, baby. I will."
Chapter 12
Two Months Later
Rachel and Cliff were so busy that summer was over before they knew it. They had taken care of everything with Jake. She had a restraining order in place and hadn't heard from him. Jen and Tina met her for lunch a few times. She knew they were checking up on her, and it felt good to know they cared.
She went back and forth between her place and Cliff's. He wasn't comfortable with her being alone in her apartment while she slept, so she didn't argue when he showed up each night to stay with her. One thing she was learning was that he needed to know she was safe at all times. It helped that she felt so much better sleeping in his arms. Waking up to his mouth pleasuring her was just an added bonus.
They had gotten into a comfortable flow together. She would surprise him a couple of times a week at the office with lunch. His staff had gotten to know her a bit at the golf outing. She was happy she ended up agreeing to be on his team. They lost of course, but neither of them cared. She would talk here and there with Carol on the days she took him lunch. It made it a little easier to deal with the thought of him having a secretary. Carol was happily married to a wonderful man. Cliff did everything he could to show Rachel how much he appreciated their lunch dates. He never hid her around his staff and took her with him when he went out of town. She felt proud to be his and made sure he knew.
Rachel was getting ready to go back to her classroom. She thought about how much she was going to miss being able to surprise Cliff during the day. Her mind was more at ease about his work and his secretary. She couldn't remember a time she was ever as happy as she was then. He helped her take all of her school stuff back to school and made a comment about how empty her apartment looked without all the boxes. She laughed as she looked around. It really had taken up most of her space. He walked up behind her and wrapped her in his arms.
"I have an idea," he said.
"Oh yeah," she said in a flirty tone.
"Not that," he laughed. "Well, that right after I tell you my idea."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Since we moved out all of those boxes," he began.
"Yes," she said.
"Why don't we just keep moving more boxes?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Why don't we pack up the rest of this apartment and move the boxes over to the house," he said.
Rachel spun around in his arms to face him. Her eyes were wide with surprise.
"That wouldn't be good," she joked. "Then how would I get dressed each day?"
Cliff's eyebrows arched and he smiled.
"Now I have a dilemma. The thought of you being naked here all the time doesn't sound so bad but only if I'm here with you. No. I still like my other option better. I'll just hide your clothes when I want you naked. I want you to move in with me, Rachel."
"I'm not sure about that, Cliff. That's a huge step."
"When's the last time you slept without me at night?" he asked.
"I haven't since that night with Jake," she answered.
"So what's the big deal. This way we can stay in one place and don't have to go back and forth each night. If you wanted, I could move in here. I'm just not sure how Rose would manage without me around making a mess. I want to live with you. Should we do it here or at the house?"
"Very funny, Cliff," she said. "I'm being serious. Where are you going to go if you need a break for me?"
"If I need a break that bad, I'll go to work," he joked.
She shook her head and pulled back from him, but he pulled her closer.
"Do you think you'll need a break from me?" he asked.
"No," she said. "It's just, this is the place I got after I moved out. What if I move in and you decide it's not what you want? Then I have to try and find another place. That's your house not mine."
"You're not doing this. It's been two amazing months since we started sleeping next to each other each night. I won't decide it's not what I want. I'm only away from you while I work, and that's too much. I miss you all day long. It's our house. Do you want to move into a new house together?"
"No," she said. "I really like your house. I love the landscaping. I like that you're there."
"If something happens between us, you can have the house," he said.
"Again with the humor, sir," she said.
"Oh, call me that again," he said.
"Sir," she said seductively.
"Remember that for later," he joked. "I don't care if we live here, at the house, or at a new house as long as I live with you. You know I don't care about the money. It means nothing to me. What matters to me is that I fall asleep next to you and wake up with my legs twisted all up in yours. You keep me warm at night. I can't sleep without you. Take the leap with me, baby."
"Okay," she said. "Can I do all the landscaping next year?"
"Seriously?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "I really like it. Well, maybe you could have them cut the lawn, but I want the flowers."
"Okay," he said. "You can have the flowers. If you want the lawn that badly, I can get you a riding mower. You'd look so sexy on your John Deere."
She grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips to hers.
"I love you, cliff. What did I ever do without you?"
"You were bored out of your mind," he answered.
Chapter 13
Rachel was moved in the next day. Cliff canceled his meetings, hired a company, and worked hard to get her moved in before her first day of classes. She had a couple of days to get everything unpacked and put away. When he walked in from work a few days later, he found her soaking in the tub in his master bathroom. She laughed when she opened her eyes to find him standing above her.
"I'm just resting in my new tub," she said with a smile.
"I'm happy to see that you're enjoying yourself," he said.
By the time Rachel went back to school she had everything situated. She enjoyed not having to go back and forth between the two places. Things were calm and relaxed. She waited for him to get home each day. They had dinner and spent the evenings together. She was interested to see how everything would be once she was working as well.
Cliff surprised her with flowers for her and donuts for her class on her first day back to work. The group of students she had were polite and well-behaved. She knew it was going to be a great year. It felt so good to be with a man that was so supportive of her job and didn't act like his was the only one that mattered.
Rachel grabbed her phone when she went to the teacher's lounge for lunch. She wanted to send Cliff a thank you text. The flowers made her day, and she had never seen such an excited group of kids eating donuts. When she turned the screen on, it showed a text. She figured it was him asking about her morning. When she clicked the button for her messages, she felt sick to her stomach.
Jake: Please forgive me for being such an ass. I love you. I want to have a family with you. I want you back.
Rachel felt her hands shake as she opened a text to Cliff.
Rachel: Thank you so much for the flowers. They are so pretty. My class thanks you so much for the donuts. They think you're the best boyfriend ever and want me to keep you around all year. Are you busy? Can
I call you? I only have fifteen minutes. If you're busy, I'll just talk to you when we get home. Did I say home? That feels so strange.
Cliff: I'm glad you liked them. I'm also glad the kids think I should be kept around. It's alway good to have their vote. I hope you are having an awesome first day and that they are good to you. I miss you so much. I'm going to miss my surprise lunches. Of course you can call me. I'm at my desk eating a sandwich without your company. I'm glad you said home. It's our home. I can't wait to get home to see you.
Rachel read his text message and dialed his number.
"Hey, babe," he said. "How are the kids?"
"Their good," she answered. "How's your day going?"
Cliff was quiet for a second before answering.
"Rachel," he said. "What's wrong?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I can hear in your voice that somethings going on. What is it?" he asked.
"I just wanted to talk to you. I miss you. The kids are really polite. They are a great group."
"You're worried about something, babe," he said. "What is it?"
She stayed silent for a minute trying to decide if she should tell him or just let it go. He had already had to get involved enough when it came to Jake. She didn't want to upset his day. The only reason she wanted to call was to hear his voice. It made her feel safer when she was worried about something.
"I can leave work and come to the school if you need me to," he said.
"No," she snapped. "Don't do that. I just needed to hear your voice."
"What happened?" he asked again. "I need you to tell me so I can stop freaking out over here."
"I don't want to mess up your day. I'll tell you, but I don't want you to do anything. I can handle it. I just want to be honest with you, and if I don't tell you, I'll feel like I'm doing something wrong. I got a text a couple of hours ago but I just read it at lunch."
"From who," he interrupted.
She took a deep breath, and before she could answer he spoke.
"What did it say?"
What Happened After Vegas? (Unexpected Love #2) Page 8