Much to her dismay, Dakota had other things in mind. He rubbed his fingers through the thick, silky hair at the nape of her neck and tilted her head back, looking into her eyes.
“As much as I want to take you to bed right now, I think the least I can do is feed you first since we’ve not eaten since this morning. I think you’re going to need the energy.”
***
Dakota ran his fingers through her raven tresses once more, and kissed her forehead before heading to the refrigerator.
“I haven’t been grocery shopping in a while, but I do have the makings for one helluva sub sandwich.”
He set everything on the center island before washing his hands and getting down two plates from the cabinet.
“Sounds good to me. Got a couple of beers to go with it?” Angel gave him that sexy smile that made him feel like ‘the man’ and sent his heart into overdrive. “Corona’s chilling in the bottom drawer. After today, I could use a couple tall, cold ones.”
When he nodded towards the fridge, watching her ease from her barstool to go retrieve them, he didn’t even feel guilty for staring at her behind although it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do when he had a knife in one hand and a tomato in the other.
“I feel ya. It was an amazing day right? Both scary and beautiful.” She twisted the caps off and set one beside him, stopping to kiss the corner of his mouth. The action nearly made him lose a finger, but the comfortable way she did it without thinking, kicked his heart and his groin into gear—again.
A long drink was what he needed to clear the tightness in his throat. The icy cold Corona did the trick when he drained half of it while Angel washed her hands, then climbed back onto the barstool in front of him and started peeling off leaves of lettuce.
“It was pretty eye-opening seeing the case of nerves Rage had. But he was a trooper; he didn’t pass out like I thought he might. And Nahni, she was just…wow. To give birth, start to finish in four hours is amazing. They’ll be great parents. They have a lot of love to give and little Elena already has them wrapped around her finger.”
“Oh yeah, Rage was a big ole teddy bear. Tough guy got all teary eyed and mushy. I can’t wait to give him a hard time about it either.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief and delight.
“Just remember, one of these days that’s going to be you having our babies and getting all emotional and he’ll get you back if you give him a hard time now.” He didn’t mean for it to come out that way. Or maybe he did. But the look of panic and the bright flush in her cheeks told him one of two things. She didn’t want kids, or she didn’t want them with him.
He hated the uncomfortable silence that followed. All he could do was keep slicing the bell pepper in thin strips and laying them over the lettuce and tomato, hoping she would break the silence. His hope for that wasn’t fulfilled. Picking up thin slices of smoked turkey and arranging them on the vegetables while she followed him with slices of smoked cheddar shouldn’t have been such a strained situation. But after he had opened his mouth and said too much, it seemed he had ruined the previously playful mood.
“Look, Angel…I’m sorry if,” he started to say but found himself promptly cut off by her.
“Would you really want to have kids with me? Even though, I may never fully recover or be able to run again or walk completely steady?” Her eyes were lowered, studying the sandwich as if it were the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen, while biting her bottom lip with her pearly white teeth.
Never in his life had he wanted to kiss someone as bad as he did right then. At the same time he had the urge to paddle her rear for thinking herself as anything less than perfect. Still, he felt he should proceed with caution. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing or come off sounding like he was scolding her.
“Why the hell wouldn’t I want to have kids with you? Are you kidding me? Between my tall, dark and athletic build and your stunning beauty, we’d produce the most perfect kids ever!” When she snorted out a laugh he figured he was on the right track and kept going.
“Hey, don’t laugh at me woman. It’s true. I mean look at me,” he stepped back and spread his arms wide, shaking his hips side to side, turning around and popping his bottom with his hands on his knee’s like he was king of the booty dance.
“And we both know you got that whole sexy Latin flare with that danger streak for racing. Oh yeah, we’ll make gorgeous, talented babies. We’ll be the envy of everyone. And they’ll be smart as hell too. Seriously, we can’t go wrong.”
She was in an all-out giggle now. It encouraged him to continue.
“By the time the first one is toddling around we’ll have you in ship shape, ready to jog after them. I’ll be right behind you all the way. And you know what? Who cares if you were a little unsteady on your feet at times? I can tell you one thing about toddlers. They fall down all the damn time. So if you do too, it’s only going to make them feel more comfortable about doing it themselves, because they will see momma getting back up and trying again, every single time.”
The laughter waned and she looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes shiny with unshed tears. “Oh, Dakota…”
He wiped his hands off on a dish towel and came around to her side of the island and slipped his arms around her. “In fact, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn’t ever want anyone else to be my wife and the mother of my children. You are the only woman I have ever wanted that with.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m overwhelmed. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, baby. You don’t have to say anything else. Just remember what I’ve said and never, ever doubt my intentions with you. You are my woman. You’re stuck with me, bad booty shaking and all.”
That got her laughing again. He couldn’t think of anything in his life that was more beautiful than the sound of her laughing. With a gentle touch, he wiped the tears from her cheeks and tenderly kissed her until they were both breathing heavily again, clinging to one another. At least they were until his stomach let out a roaring growl that made them both start laughing.
“I’m thinking it’s time to eat, big guy.” Angel patted his tummy playfully.
“I’m down with that. How about we take our sandwiches and beer into the den and watch some TV while we eat?”
Chapter 21
After dinner and cleaning up, Dakota was in his master bathroom sitting on the edge of the garden tub, running a bubble bath for Angel. It wasn’t because he had to or because she couldn’t do it herself. It was because he wanted to do nice things like this for her. Women like her were something to cherish and spoil. She deserved to be appreciated. He poured a generous amount of her citrus soap under the rushing flow of steaming water. Just the smell of it made him thick with desire, let alone picturing her here—in his tub. Bare as the day she was born. That was an image that would stick with him for life. There was something primal about having his woman here in his home. It was where she belonged. He had known it for a long time. Now he needed to convince her that this was where she was meant to be. The way things were going, he had a feeling she wouldn’t need much convincing.
Angel cleared her throat, pulling him from his thoughts and giving him a surge of heat when he turned to see her leaning against the door-frame wearing only a black silky robe that had a pink floral pattern that stopped at mid-thigh. Her hair was in a loose knot at the top of her head leaving the slim column of her neck bare. He desperately wanted to kiss her there.
He watched her looking around the room, a soft smile on her lips when she saw the vanilla cream candles he had lit on the counter and the far edge of the tub. He turned the water off and stood up, walking towards her as she came to him. When she draped her arms around his neck and kissed him he couldn’t keep the low groan from rumbling against her lips. The little minx giggled and raked her teeth over his bottom lip before she pulled away. By the time she reached the tub, he turned around to see her drop her robe and
sit her beautiful, very bare rear end on the edge of the tub. When she slipped into the frothy water she closed her eyes, bit her lip and moaned. His growing arousal kicked behind his zipper as if it were begging to be set free. His eyes blurred and fists clenched and he wondered if she knew how he was barely clinging to sanity at this point. The urge to strip and sit her on his lap was nearly unbearable. A deep breath and a head shake later he turned to leave the room. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. But he wasn’t going to push or rush her, right? Give her time, spoil her, show her how much he cared about her, not just the sex. At least that was the pep talk he was giving his murky mass of brain that was focused on his raging hard-on instead of wooing his woman.
“How about you go pick out a bottle of that fancy wine you have in there and come back and join me?” Her voice sounded like pure sex licking down his body and damned if his shaft didn’t just do a drop-kick against his zipper again.
He cleared his throat and ran his hand over his closely trimmed hair, “Red or white?”
That sounded cool, calm and collected, right? Not like the raging, hormonal reply of ‘Fuck the wine, I want to bang you against the wall until you’re screaming’ kinda response he wanted to give her.
“Mmm, red…yeah, definitely red,” she practically purred out. Her eyes were still closed and the tips of her breasts peeked out from the bubbles, taunting him.
Dakota gripped the door-frame so hard the wood creaked in response.
Turning on his heel he beat a path to the kitchen’s walk-in pantry that housed his Vinotemp Wine Cooler that was home to over a hundred bottles of his favorite wines. He selected one that reminded him of Angel, a Scott Paul 2008 Audrey Pinot Noir, named after the graceful and elegant Audrey Hepburn, which was a silky blend of both cherries and raspberries.
Once it was opened and he had glasses in hand, he rejoined her in the master bath, pouring her wine bath-side and kissing her full on the lips before handing over the glass. Leaving his wine untouched, sitting on the edge of the tub, Dakota peeled off his socks and tossed them in the hamper. Next he turned out the light, leaving the room in a soft candle-lit glow. He felt her eyes on him when he pulled his shirt over his head. The primal side of him wanted to flex for her, pound on his chest and other ridiculous notions. Instead, he let his jeans pool at his feet and walked towards her naked as the day he was born. His muscles tightened when she gave him a sultry smile and scooted towards the middle of the tub, leaving room for him to settle behind her. She didn’t seem to mind that his arousal was evident and very happy to be throbbing against her backside in the heated water that left her already soft skin feel like the purest of silk against him.
She fit against him perfectly when she lay back on his chest. The languid touch of her hand sliding down his thigh where it pressed against her hip was a soothing, albeit an arousing gesture as well. He nudged his nose in her hair, breathing in her natural fragrance as he placed a loving kiss on her head. She gave a content hum of pleasure and tilted her head to the side, offering him the slim column of her neck.
He wasn’t one to pass up on so delicate of a gift.
Tracing his tongue over the shell of her ear and giving a soft biting tug to her earlobe, were just the beginnings of the torturous strokes his tongue would be taking of her flesh tonight. The audible hitch in her breath encouraged him to further his explorations with biting kisses that led down her neck to the sweet spot that always made her squirm. Right where the base of her neck and shoulder met, he licked with the hot, rough pad of his tongue, sucking the flesh there until her knee bent up and her breasts peeked through the bubbles when she arched her back gracefully. That was when he let his teeth do what they’d wanted to do all day long. He bit down, raking over the tender spot, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut with searing heat, when her nails bit sharply into his thigh and she said his name upon a whimper. With a clanging noise, she set her glass on the edge of the tub.
Her luscious bottom backed up and rubbed against his arousal once he let go of her soft skin. It sent him into momentary blindness when she took control by lifting her hips and sitting right back down on his pulsing need. The back of his head whacked the wall, not that he felt it, as she fit to him like a wet, satiny fist. It had been so long since they had made love he was seriously teetering on the edge of spilling into her. No way was he going to let that happen. He had to regain control or else he’d embarrass himself.
The thick fingers of his left hand smoothed up her back to fist into her hair at the nape of her neck. Dakota gripped it tight enough to halt her movements without hurting her. Pulling her head back, he kissed her deeply, his tongue slipping between her lips and stroking against her tongue. In and out, in and out, just as his shaft moved inside of her. When she reached back to rub her fingers over the back of his head as he kissed her, he slid his right hand between her thighs and cupped her where they were joined.
She was wet, hot and open for him.
It was so erotic, caressing her swollen sex while he thrust slowly in and out of her.
She cried out against his mouth, jerking her hips against his hand. Her body was arched back beautifully like a hand-carved instrument of pleasure. She was the violin and his hand was the bow that coaxed exquisite music from her. Together, they were a symphony of love, lust and passion.
Hips met at a more frantic pace and teeth tugged lips until they crested together, sending a wave of water sloshing out onto the bathroom floor.
Amidst soft laughter and whispered words of love they took turns bathing each other, stealing kisses until the water started to chill.
Dakota took great care lifting her from the tub and wrapping her in a thick terry cloth towel before carrying her into his bedroom and sitting her on the edge of the bed, keeping her distracted with kisses the entire way.
“I could have gotten in here by myself you know,” she said as she rubbed a towel through her hair when he was walking back into the bathroom still wet and naked.
“I know you could, baby. The floor is wet and I didn’t want you to fall. Besides, I wanted to hold you.” He tucked a towel around his hips and used another to clean up the mess they had made. He blew out the candles and flipped off the light, rejoining her in his bedroom as she combed the tangles from her hair.
She was a vision, sitting on the rich chocolate colored comforter with her legs crossed Indian style and the towel clinging loosely around her chest. Her long, thick hair hung over her delicate shoulder like a waterfall of raven silk he itched to run his fingers through.
Angel shifted under his gaze, smiling up at him when he came to stop in front of her. “Why are you staring at me?” she said in a whisper.
He sat next to her and took the comb from her hand and resumed the long strokes through the silky mass, touching her almost reverently. “You take my breath away. I still can’t believe that you chose me.”
A blush crept up her cheeks and she lowered her lashes, “Sometimes you say such sweet things I don’t even know how to respond.”
“You don’t have to respond. It’s important for to me to tell you how I feel. I never want you to doubt how important you are to me.”
She nodded her head, “I know, and I appreciate you. I love you, Dakota.”
“I love you too, Angel.”
After that, no words were needed. He took his time combing the tangles from her hair until it was falling through his fingers like the finest of silks. Still, he continued until her hair was nearly dry and her eyes were droopy as if she were having a hard time staying awake. Dakota pulled the comforter back, slipped the towel from her warm body and tucked her in bed, turning off her bedside light before climbing in on his side and fitting his body against hers. He smiled when she turned in his arms and nuzzled her face against his chest with a content sigh. The soft weight of her arm around his waist and the comfort of her against him was all he needed to pull him into one of the deepest, most restful sleeps he’d ever had.
***
The scent of bacon frying teased her awake, causing her stomach to rumble. Angel turned over onto her back and raised her arms above her head, stretching until the rest of her body joined the world of the living. Oh yes, definitely in the world of the living since she was sore in all the right places and had a big smile on her face even though the clock showed it was barely seven in the morning. And apparently, the love of her life was preparing her breakfast that consisted of bacon, and if her nose was telling her right, blueberry pancakes. Next time she saw his mom, she was going to have to thank her for raising him to be such an amazing man.
She rolled out of bed and saw that Dakota had thoughtfully brought her chair into the bedroom along with her robe that she had left in the bathroom the night before. Angel pulled her hair up in a loose knot, donned her robe and after cleaning up in the bathroom and brushing her teeth, she joined him in the kitchen, walking behind her chair, pushing it like a walker instead of riding in it. Dakota was standing at the stove pulling the last of the bacon from the frying pan.
“Do you always brave the unknown by frying bacon shirtless? Because that is either incredibly brave or just plain dumb.”
He chuckled and brought two plates piled high to the table. “I prefer to think it’s brave even though my stomach agrees with you on the dumb comment.”
Her hands tugged at his hips and she planted a kiss to his abs. “All better now?”
“Mmm, yes…I mean no. I think you should keep kissing. Maybe go a little lower.” His laughter was wicked and playful.
Reflecting On Wishes (The Wishes Series) Page 18