by Lea Hart
“Are you mad because I talked about my past?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
Rachel stared down at her shoes, twisted her hands together, and tried to get her happy mood back. It wasn’t working. She’d felt insecure when he started talking about all of the women that he’d slept with. He was an attractive man, and there was no way that he was going to remain interested in her for any length of time. Big alpha, sexy men never went for the smart girl. It never worked out that way. “I can go on my own.”
“No, I want to go. I’m going to be the only person who sees them, so I should get a vote.” He was trying to provoke her so she would get out of her funk. He’d realized when he started talking about his history that it was a mistake. He wasn’t going to let her close down. He took her hand and led her into the store and glanced around. “Where do they keep the bras and panties?”
She pulled his arm and led him over to the escalators. “Don’t say it so loudly. Not everyone on the first floor needs to know where we are going.”
He noticed that no one was paying any attention to them. “No one cares where we’re going. I think I should get to pick out most of what you’re wearing, since I’m the one who is going to be enjoying the view. It’s only fair.”
“There is no fair here. I’m picking everything out, and you’re going to sit in the chair with a smile on your face and a quiet mouth.”
“Let me pick out a couple of things. Please.”
She shrugged as they walked toward the department. “You can pick out two things and that’s it.”
“I want more than that. How about I pick out five things?”
“Fine.”
Before they crossed the carpet into the promised land of lace and silk, he turned toward her and placed his hands on her face and lowered his head. “You’re the only person for me, and that’s going to be true for the rest of our lives.” He let his mouth run across her lips and pulled on her bottom lip with his teeth. He felt her lean into him, and then he gently released her mouth. “Let’s go buy some pretty things for you, honey.”
He followed her into the sea of racks filled with lacy underthings and thought this might be heaven. Rachel was showing a focus that was usually reserved for invasions of small countries as she clicked through the racks. She started handing him small hangers with tiny scraps of lace attached to them. Soon, she moved on to the rack with bras and repeated the same exercise. She was efficient. He would give her that. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and didn’t waste time. A saleswoman came up to them and greeted them.
“Sir, can I take those to a dressing room?” He stared at the saleswoman dumbfounded, because all he could see was Rachel wearing these little bits of fabric and his inability to control himself.
Rachel sensed what was going on, so she decided to save him before his brain exploded. “I don’t need to try them on. I’ll take them, but I’m still looking.” The woman smiled warmly and walked away.
Chris let out a big breath of air as she left. “I didn’t handle that well, did I?”
“I think you did as well as expected.”
“My brain had no blood left. I thought she was telling us that we could go into the dressing room together.”
“That doesn’t happen, honey.”
“I know that. I just lost it for a moment. I’m better now.”
“Are you sure?”
“This is good as it’s going to get, given the circumstances.” He looked out over the racks and took a couple of deep breaths. “You know that I made it through the most difficult military training program there is?”
“Yes, I do.”
“This might be harder.”
“Why don’t you go and sit in the café and wait for me.”
“I never rang the bell when I was in BUDS/S. I’m not going to do it now.”
“Why don’t you pick out your five things and then we can leave?”
“We’re going to take all the time we need and give this exercise all the attention it deserves. We are not rushing.”
She patted his huge arm and smiled. “Okay, honey. I admire your dedication to the task.” She watched him nod as he stood up tall, squared his shoulders, and gazed over the racks. He was a man who was going to face this head-on. Good for him. “What catches your eye?”
He smiled. “You catch my eye. You have for the last year. You catch my attention completely.” He liked her blush and took her hand and walked toward another rack. He fingered the silk and wondered what it was called. “This is pretty, but it might take me a long time to get you out of it. Do they have anything less complicated?”
She held in her laugh and glanced toward the silk slips. “Let’s see what’s over there.”
Chris studied the pretty silk slips and thought about Rachel in them and felt an instant reaction in his jeans. He cleared his throat and looked around. “I think we should get some of these. This would take me less than a second to get off you.” He took one off the rack and held it up to her and smiled. “Perfect.”
“We can get a couple of these, and then I’m done for now.”
“We don’t have to rush. Let’s get everything that you need.”
“I’m not replacing everything today. I just need to have enough to make it through the week. I’ll come back later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. We still have to go to the market before everyone comes over.”
“Why did we invite all of those people over? I don’t want to spend time with anyone but you.”
“We invited them because they cleaned up my condo. You thought this was a great idea earlier.”
“That’s before we came here.”
She pulled his arm so he bent down and she could whisper in his ear. “We can have a quickie before everyone comes over. How does that sound?”
He whispered in return, “I’ll take what I can get.”
“Excellent answer, Mr. Ellis.”
“Thank you, Ms. Miller.”
***
Rachel started setting up the table for the buffet. She was leaning over when she heard Chris whistle. She stood up and turned around to see his smiling face. His strong features were softened by the rare smile that crossed his lips. “You like how the table is set?”
“I like the woman who is standing in front of the table. You’re wearing those sexy pants, and it makes me want to drag you back to the bedroom and forget that we have company coming over.” Grabbing her around the waist, he lifted her up so they were eye to eye. “Thank you.”
His lips fell to hers, and the kiss he gave her was slow and warm. He seemed to linger and deepened the kiss as a small moan escaped her throat. Heat ran down her body and pooled in her lovely lavender lace undies. How could she react to him this way when they had just been intimate?
Growling, he released her and let her slide down his body. One kiss and he was ready to go again. He blamed it on the pants. No, he blamed the woman wearing those naughty pants. He’d never been this out of control in his life. Maybe they should take a month off and go someplace and just spend the whole time wrapped up in each other’s bodies. That might set them right for a while.
“Honey, maybe you could put on something else. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to make it through the evening with you in those pants with the guys over.”
Giving him a narrow-eyed look, she responded, “Mr. Ellis, I find it hard to believe. People at work call you Iceman, and I’ve always noticed your controlled nature. I think you want me to change because you’re worried about the guys.”
“I’m not worried about the guys. They are my brothers, and they would never act inappropriately. And if they did, I would kill them. I’m worried about me. Remember when you said the donuts were a gateway drug?”
“Yes.”
“Honey, you seem to be mine. I know it seems like I should be sated and relaxed because we’ve been at each other so much in the last twenty-four hours. But…it’s on
ly making me want you more. I feel a little crazy right now.”
She ran her hand down his face. “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll tell you what. I will change into jeans and put my glasses on. Do you think that might help?”
“It’s worth a shot. But I have a feeling I’m done for and this is just the way it is.”
“It’s not the worst thing in the world.”
“As long as we’re together, I should be fine.”
“Okay.”
They heard the doorbell ring, and Chris turned and stared at the door. “They’re here. You don’t have to change. I’m a strong man, and I’m going to prove it you and myself.” He let out a big breath and went to answer the door. “Hi, guys.”
Rachel waved to the guys and heard the timer go off for the oven. “Help yourself to snacks. I’m going to finish in the kitchen.”
Derick and David stood next to Chris, looked into the kitchen, and watched Rachel bend over to pull something out of the oven. David was the first to speak. “Football at your house just got a whole lot better.”
Chris punched him in the arm, and David responded with a laugh. “I’ll be here every Sunday. You don’t even have to remind me. I’ll just show up.”
“You are not invited every weekend.” The bell rang. Sean opened the door slowly and walked in. “Was I supposed to wait for you to answer that?”
“No, it’s fine. But going forward, you have to wait for me to answer it. Rachel is living here, and I don’t want any surprises.”
Sean shook his hand as he joined the group. “Forever?”
“If I can talk her into it. Just don’t say anything, because I don’t want to freak her out.” He closed his mouth as she joined the group. He liked how she slipped her arm around his waist as she stood with the group. He also liked the smile she gave him as their eyes locked for a second.
Rachel glanced away and smiled at the group of guys gathered. “I can’t thank you guys enough for cleaning out my condo yesterday. I wasn’t looking forward to facing the destruction.”
Derick was the first to respond. “You don’t have to thank us. I’m a little pissed off that you never asked us for help. Any man in the office would have happily taken this on. I know Chris has it under control now, but if you need anything else…you come and ask. Understood?”
She smiled at him. “Understood. Message received.”
He smiled back at her and nodded. “Gracie sends her regrets. She starts a big trial tomorrow, and she’s finishing up her opening arguments. She said she would see you at book club this week.”
“I thought the murder trial didn’t start until next week.”
“No, it’s tomorrow. She’s ready to make sure the family receives justice.”
“I’ll text her tomorrow and wish her luck, not that she needs it. Is Chloe sitting second chair with her?”
“No, she’s on another case involving some organized crime bosses. It’s pretty intense, and the trial is taking longer than expected.”
“Is she still looking for a house?”
“I think she might be.”
“I noticed that the one next door has a sign on it. Mention it to Chloe. It might be something that she’s interested in.”
“That’s a great idea,” Derick responded.
“Is anyone hungry yet? I have everything ready, so help yourselves,” Rachel said.
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Sean said. “I thought Laird was coming?”
“He’s not going to make it. He went to pick up Lexi, and Bella’s sick, so he’s going to stay with her,” Chris answered.
“This is the woman that he’s crazy for…right?” David asked.
“Yes. I think he’s pretty happy right about now. I imagine he’s putting on his cape and turning into a hero as we speak,” Sean said.
***
Everyone sat on the couch and watched the game. “So this is your brother’s team? What are they called again?” Rachel asked.
“They are called the Sharks, and Jack is their defensive end. He’s been with them for three years and has another two on his current contract.”
Rachel held her iPad in her lap and got busy googling Jack Ellis. Once his picture came up, she studied him. “You don’t look alike. Do you favor your mom or your dad?”
“I favor our mom, and he favors our dad. Everyone tells us that we speak the same and have the same sense of humor.” He turned back to the TV as the game was about to start.
Rachel continued studying the pictures and noticed they were mostly of him playing or doing philanthropic work. It was good to know that he didn’t have pictures posted with bimbos. She read a couple of articles, and he seemed like a good guy. Chris was the best man she’d ever met, so it made sense that his brother was like him.
She studied the opening play and tried to follow what was going on but couldn’t. It seemed like Chris was paying attention to the game, so she decided to leave him be. Every time a player’s name was announced, she researched the player. She figured that she was going to be watching a lot of games, and the only way it was going to be interesting was if she knew the players. She liked all the backstory and pictures of the families. She had just pulled up a picture of the quarterback and was studying it when Chris glanced over.
“What are you doing, honey?”
“I’m looking up the players when they say their names. I like to know what’s going on with their lives.”
“You’re getting your information from People magazine?”
“Of course. Where should I be looking?”
“Sports Illustrated.”
“I tried that, but it was boring. All it had was facts. I want the story.”
He kissed her head. “That makes sense.”
She crawled out of his embrace and stood facing him. “Don’t mock me. I’m trying to become interested in your brother’s team.”
He sat up and grabbed her hand. “Sorry, honey. No mocking.”
“Who wants brownies?” All of the men and turned and smiled at her and raised their hands. “Ice cream?” All the men continued to smile and raised their other hands. “Brownies a la mode coming your way.”
She walked back into the kitchen and all their eyes followed her. “Football is definitely better at your house,” David said.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Monday Morning
The alarm went off, and Rachel found herself unable to move. Chris was wrapped around her like a vine. A vine with massive strength. The music floated around them as they lay together and woke up gradually. She felt Chris loosen his grip, and she was finally able to move. Rolling over, she sat up and smiled. “I’m going to get in the shower first, because it takes me longer.”
“We have time. Come back to bed. We haven’t said good morning yet.” He rolled over and kissed her hand and pulled her on top of him. He gazed into her beautiful lavender eyes and couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Rachel Miller was lying on top of him naked on a Monday morning and smiling at him. If this didn’t define happiness, he didn’t know what would. Running his hand down her soft cheek, he let his thumb rub over her lips and moved his hips into her. “Good morning.” He rocked his hips until he was halfway in. Their size difference was working in his favor because it didn’t take much for him to be in place. “Happy Monday.”
Rolling, her hips in response, she moaned in his ear. “We’re going to be late. There isn’t time.”
“There’s always time. I also set the alarm for a half hour earlier. We have thirty minutes to set the right tone for our day.” Circling her in his arms, he flipped her over and braced himself above her. “If we start our day like this, then it won’t matter what happens for the rest of it.” He held her face as he pushed himself into her sweet, tight heat and lost his breath as the overwhelming surge of pleasure hit him. Being buried in Rachel was the best thing about surviving all those years in combat. This was his answer to everything.
Her legs went around him as he began moving gently and d
eeply. The extra thirty minutes that Chris had given them was going to mean that they had a good day indeed. “I like your ability to plan ahead…oh God, don’t stop.”
He slowed his thrusts slightly. “Honey…you mean this?”
“Yes…” She squeezed his shoulder and tightened her legs around him. “Please…Chris.”
“Since you asked nicely, then I guess I won’t stop.” He dropped his head and began moving heavily into her. Speaking into her ear quietly, he asked, “Is this what you want, honey?”
“More…” Her body went still as her orgasm started and then fell over her like a crashing wave. She felt him let go, and he ground into her and exploded with sharp thrusts. She said into his ear, “Happy Monday.” Laughter filled the room as he continued to thrust slowly against her as the last of the pleasure left his body.
***
Chris watched Rachel pull her dress over her head and noticed she wore one of the underwear sets that they’d bought yesterday. Before the dress fell down across her body, he committed to memory what she had on and knew he was going to replay it a thousand times during the day. She wiggled her hips as she straightened it, and he flashed back to how she’d wiggled them earlier and the effect that it had had on him. She smiled as she walked past him into the bathroom. Wait a minute…that was all she was going to wear. There had to be more. All she had on was a small scrap of silk covering her. He followed her in and studied her as she applied lip gloss. “Isn’t there something else you wear under your dress?”
She turned and gave him a quizzical look. “No, this is it.”
“You mean that you’ve been walking around like that for the last year? Just the dress and the little scrap of lace. That’s it?”
“Yes. Your eyes are going to bug out of your head.”
“I could just come over to your desk and run my hand up your leg and be in the promised land in less than five seconds. I could take you on your desk and not even have to undress you. I could kneel in front of you and have access in record time. These are all things that could happen on any given day at work?”
“Only if I was wearing a dress. You might have to put out some effort if I was wearing pants. Which I do a lot during the winter.”