His To Keep

by Stephanie Julian

  “Actually, Mom, I have plans for tonight.”

  Beatrice paused and the guilt practically oozed over the phone line. “Well, I can certainly understand not wanting to break a commitment. If it’s a date, why don’t you ask the man to meet you at the house, so at least you could put in an appearance?”

  Annie’s shoulders got heavier with each word. There was absolutely no way out, short of flat-out lying. With a muffled sigh, she resigned herself to an ibuprofen-laden night.

  “I’m sure I could stop for a while, Mom, if you don’t mind an extra guest. Around seven okay?”

  “That’s fine.” Beatrice paused and Annie was sure something else was forthcoming. So she was pleasantly shocked when her mother said, “Thank you, dear. I’ll see you tonight.”

  Annie hung up the phone with a weight on her heart. Did it really take so little to make her mother happy?

  With a sigh, Annie crossed her arms on her desk and rested her forehead on them. Her entire world seemed to be shifting on its foundations and she didn’t know where it was safe to stand at the moment.

  She would have to take Nic to her mother’s. She didn’t think he’d let her go alone. And, quite honestly, she didn’t want to go without him. After last night…

  After last night, she wanted to spend every waking moment with him.

  But if she subjected him to her mother for more than a few minutes, Nic might want to strangle her later. A few hours in her mother’s company and Annie wanted to strangle herself.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t love her mom. She did. It’s just that Beatrice Reed was…difficult. Cold and judgmental yet clingy and needy. A combination to try a saint’s patience.

  And Annie was no saint.

  She’d have to tell Nic and there was no anticipating what his response would be. She had no doubt he could handle her mother but she didn’t want him to have to.

  First things first, though. She needed to finish this paperwork or she would have more of a problem with the city council than she already did. They wanted to revoke the license for the shelter. Well, not the whole council, just a few vocal members.

  They were concerned that the teens were a safety risk to the neighborhood. Unfortunately, they had the clout to be dangerous.

  But there was no way she would let them shut the shelter down. She’d worked too hard over the past two years to make this the haven it had become. The haven her grandmother had meant it to be.

  With a sigh, she immersed herself in legalese that might have swamped another person and searched for a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

  *

  An hour later, Annie was swearing at the papers on her desk when Nic materialized in the doorway of her office.

  And took her breath away.

  He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. He’d released his hair from the tail and it now brushed along his broad shoulders.

  Such a beautiful man. Not pretty, but so damn masculine and handsome he took her breath away.

  She smiled because she couldn’t help herself and when he actually smiled back, she swore her thighs quivered.

  “Perfect timing,” she said. “I need you.”

  His eyebrows curved up and his grin turned sexy as all hell. “Oh yeah?”

  The tone of his voice was clearly amused and she blushed like a teenager at his sexy smile.

  “I need an expert for this damn form and you’re just the man.”

  He walked into the room and stopped next to her chair, letting his hand fall on her shoulder while he leaned over. “What do you need?”

  She swallowed hard, positive he could hear her and watched his gaze drop to her mouth as she licked suddenly dry lips. She had to work hard not to rub against him like a cat and belie her reputation as an ice princess.

  Instead, he put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed then let his hand rest there.

  She turned her head and found her lips only inches from his.

  “I think you know damn well what I need, but right now, this red tape is getting the best of me.”

  He didn’t move away, just shook his head. “Sometimes, Annie, I don’t have a clue.”

  Her eyes widened at his exasperated tone and she opened her mouth to respond but he pressed a quick kiss to her lips, effectively silencing her.

  Blinking up at him as he drew back, she couldn’t think of one thing to say as he took the form from her.

  “This shouldn’t be too tough.” He scanned the form, using one hand to shove his hair out of his eyes. “Bureaucracy’s a bitch.”

  Okay, girl. Snap out of it. “I know. Manayunk council gave me a tough time when we first opened, although there wasn’t much they could complain about. The zoning was in my favor and the funding was more than adequate for twenty years.”

  He sat on the edge of her desk, making her extremely aware of his size. Another thing she loved. “Seems like you had it all figured out.”

  Since that sounded like a compliment, she took it as one. “Thank you. But I did have a lot of help from my grandmother.”

  Nic straightened and walked over to sit on the couch. “Why a shelter?”

  That was harder to explain, so she gave the only answer she had. “Because we could.”

  Nic nodded then let his gaze drop to the form. “I’ll take care of this for you, if you want.”

  Annie gave a relieved sigh. “Thank you. I really do appreciate it. And…there’s something else I need to tell you.”

  His gaze shot back to hers and he lifted his eyebrows.

  “My mother would like me to stop by tonight. Her cousin is visiting from England and Mom requested I make an appearance.” At his blank expression, she rushed on. “I’ll understand completely if you don’t want to go. I know dinner at my mother’s probably doesn’t sound like—”

  “No problem.”

  “—the best time, so…” She paused and took a breath. “Really? You’re sure you don’t mind?”

  He shook his head. “Do I need a suit and tie or will be dress slacks be okay?”

  Annie caught her breath. She couldn’t believe he’d said yes with no hesitation. The man was full of surprises. “No. I think slacks and a shirt will be fine. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  His chin lifted just a fraction. “Trying to talk me out of it?”

  Was she? Maybe, but only because she didn’t want to subject him to her mother’s scrutiny. Beatrice wasn’t anything like Grace. “No. I—”

  “Does this include dinner or can we do that on our own afterward?”

  Annie felt like she’d fallen down the rabbit hole. Her mother was being considerate and Nic wanted to take her to dinner. And last night he’d kissed her senseless. Tonight maybe she could convince him to do more than kiss.

  “I think we can do dinner on our own. If that’s what you want.”

  He nodded, his expression showing nothing but his gaze becoming molten. “It’s not all I want, but it’ll do for now. We’ll have to stop by my apartment so I can get some clothes.”

  Clothes. No, that perfect body of his needed no clothes, but her mother would probably be shocked if he showed up naked. Oh, my. Nic with no clothes would incite a riot on the streets. Annie forced that thought away. “Let me clean up here and then we can go.”

  He nodded again and held up her form. “I’ll finish this for you.”

  Grabbing a pen from her desk, he settled onto the couch to work. It took a real effort on her part to concentrate on the paperwork with him so close. Of course, he didn’t seem at all affected as he focused on the form. When he finally got up and said he was going downstairs to check out the security system, she released a ragged breath and sent up a silent prayer for strength.

  *

  Annie noticed that Nic spent most of the rest of the day out of sight.

  He’d said he needed to check a few things for the form, but she was pretty sure he was making sure the security system was up to his standards.

&nb
sp; She’d made sure to introduce him to all twenty girls in residence and most had taken to him better than she’d expected. Some wouldn’t have anything to do with him and those he carefully avoided. Others were understandably drawn to him. He exuded strength and safety.

  Nic seemed to find enough to keep him busy, and since Annie usually spent most of her Saturdays here, they didn’t leave until close to five.

  The ride back to the office to get Nic’s clothes was quiet and luckily no one was in the office as he guided her up the back stairs to his third-floor apartment.

  “Give me a few minutes to get some clothes and I’ll be right out.”

  He left her in the front room, a combination living and dining room. Fully furnished and meticulously organized. Several photos of his family sat on the bookshelves that were also packed with mysteries and thrillers. She hadn’t realized he was such a big reader.

  Wandering through the room, taking in all the little bits of him she could find, she heard him banging around in the back and followed the sound.

  There were three rooms down a short hallway, one off to either side and one at the end. She could make out a sink and mirror at the end and the door on the right opened onto a study. The door on the left had to be Nic’s room.

  Heart pounding, she pushed open the door. This room was definitely not as tidy. A large bed flush against the back wall dominated the room, faced by two matching chests of drawers. The walls were a soothing shade of cream, the curtains chocolate brown and thick. There were a few pieces of clothes tossed on the bed, a few on the floor by the door to what looked like a walk-in closet. Which is where Nic must be, she decided.

  Sure enough, as if he’d sensed her presence, he walked out of the closet, bare-chested and wearing a pair of black slacks and an unbuttoned white shirt.

  She wanted to walk over and lick the warm flesh revealed by his shirt.

  And why shouldn’t she? If she wanted a real relationship with this man, she was going to have to learn to start taking what she wanted as well as giving.

  Closing the door behind her, she toed off her sneakers and started to unbutton her shirt.

  “Annie.” He said nothing else, just her name in a steady tone but his hands had curled into fists at his sides.

  He didn’t say anything else as she let her shirt gape open and reveal the beautiful lingerie she collected like he collected books.

  Today’s set consisted of a pale pink, sheer lace and silk demi-bra and matching panties. The lace covered but didn’t conceal and her nipples hardened into aching points as his gaze sank to take in the sight. She dropped her shirt to the floor as his gaze flashed back to hers.

  When her hands dropped to the waistband of her jeans, his gaze stayed on hers. The denim clung tight to her thighs, so it took a little wiggling to get them off her hips without taking along the string bikinis that matched the bra. Now Nic let his gaze roam her body, still not touching, not moving closer. Still, she swore she felt the desire radiating from him from across the room.

  By the time she got the jeans far enough down her legs to step out of them, Nic had taken a few steps forward, though still not within touching distance.

  And she wanted to touch him. So badly she could barely breathe through the tightness of her lungs.

  Stepping forward until she could reach him, she didn’t press against him, as she so wanted to do. Instead, she reached for his shirt.

  Slowly, she pushed her hands under the material, soaking in the feel of his warm skin before she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. He helped then, rolling his shoulders so the shirt fell to the floor.

  Nic had the most gorgeous chest she’d ever seen on a man, broad and firm, covered by a light mat of black, curling hair. She let her fingers brush the soft fuzz, found the erect nipples and squeezed.

  He groaned low in his chest but didn’t move, except to close his eyes. His breathing sounded almost tortured now. Good. She wanted him off kilter. She wanted to push him so far he wouldn’t be able to stop because she was tired of waiting.

  Slowly, she moved closer, until all she had to do was bend the slightest bit to align her mouth with his nipples. She flicked one with her tongue and felt him shudder. She licked the other and finally, finally, he moved.

  His hands made a controlled glide from her wrists to her shoulders to her head, where he threaded his fingers through her hair to hold her in place. Not that she had any intention of stopping.

  Keeping her mouth on his chest, she dropped her hands to his pants and gripped the zipper tab, thankful he wasn’t wearing a belt as her hands trembled against washboard abs.

  She didn’t allow herself to look into his eyes as she drew down his zipper, his erection straining against the material. Instead, she watched her hands. Pushing the pants over his hips, she bent to press a kiss just in the center of his chest and felt his fingers tighten almost painfully in her hair.

  Resting her hands on his hips, she slid her fingers into the waistband of his tented boxer briefs, intending to push them down those strong legs. Instead, he gave her hair a gentle tug to make her look up at him.

  “We don’t have time for this, Annie. Not to do it right. And if you put your mouth on me, we’re not going to make it to your mother’s at all.” His voice rasped over her nerves like sandpaper, causing shivers of reaction throughout her body, but mostly in her core, where she was burning.

  Forcing her legs to straighten, she stood on her toes until she could reach his lips. “We have more than enough time and I’m sick of waiting.”

  Chapter Nine

  Nic had the fleeting thought that he should stop this before it got out of hand.

  Until she kissed him and he lost the ability for rational thought.

  She kissed him and the massive amount of energy he’d been expending on resisting the urge to tumble her onto his bed blew apart.

  As carefully as he could, he eased his hands from her hair, grabbed her under her arms and lifted until her mouth was aligned with his. Then he crushed his mouth to hers and released all the pent-up need inside him.

  He swept his tongue into her mouth, tasting heat and passion. Anchoring her to him with one arm around her waist, he ran his free hand down her back, coaxing her legs to wrap around his waist. Pressing her wet center against his throbbing cock, he fought the urge to grind himself against her, to rip away her panties and thrust into her.

  She didn’t make it easy. Her hands stroked wherever she could reach, making his skin sensitive to her touch while her kiss made his head feel like it was about to explode.

  Where the hell had she learned to kiss like this?

  Didn’t matter. She was kissing him now, with total devotion. She didn’t seem to want to stop and it just might kill him if she did.

  Instead, he took the few steps back to the bed and sat down, forcing Annie to move her legs until she was kneeling on the bed and their bodies were even more perfectly aligned.

  After another soul–deep kiss, he pulled back to look at her face. She opened glazed eyes to stare at him, and he saw the fear of rejection flare in their depths.

  “Nic—”

  “Shh.” He drew a finger along her lips. “Slow down. It’s not perfect timing, but we’ll make it work.”

  She smiled then, sweetly with just a hint of sin. “You’re damn right we will. Lay down.”

  The tone of her voice yanked at his libido, made his breath catch in his throat. He felt like a teenager with the girl who would be his first. That rush of pleasure was accompanied by the sudden, agonizing fear that he’d screw this up.

  Annie must have seen that in his eyes, because she caught him off guard by pushing him flat on the bed and planting her hands on his chest, looking for all the world like a conquering Amazon, green eyes slumberous, blond hair falling against pale skin. Just the sight of that sheer lace bra and panties made him nearly swallow his tongue.

  “Stop thinking, Dominic.” Her fingernails scraped against his skin, circling his nipples and
tracing the outline of his ribs. “I think we’ve both been doing way too much of it.”

  Words leaped to his tongue but he bit them back. She was right. “Then shut up and kiss me,” he growled.

  Her smile became a grin he knew well. “When I’m damn well good and ready.”

  She leaned down and he took a deep breath in preparation for her lips against his. But the air caught in his throat when she pressed her lips to the pulse at the base of his neck. That delicate touch made his skin tighten in reaction, while the motion forced her legs apart until he could feel the wet silk of her underwear pressed against the tip of his erection.

  He clutched at her hips, caught between not wanting to rush and easing the fierce ache in his groin. Forcing himself to slow down, he dragged his hands up her body until they brushed against her bra.

  “You look good in this.” He pulled the stretchy lace down until her nipples were exposed, her breast still cupped by the bra. “Don’t take it off.”

  Her lids flickered and her fingernails dug into his skin as her thighs tightened around his waist. Her expression showed fierce arousal and just a tiny bit of shock, and the fact of her age slapped at him. She was no longer young, but she was younger than him. By her own admission, she’d never had a serious relationship. He didn’t think she was a virgin. Still, from the look on her face, she wasn’t used to this kind of talk.

  Hell, maybe he’d scared her. Now that he’d committed to this, to her, he couldn’t help but worry he’d scared her, turned her off.

  “Annie—”

  “I love the way you’re looking at me right now.” Her husky voice ripped through his fears, arrowed straight to his heart. “I’ve waited years for you to look at me like this.”

  Her words tore away his last restraints. He reared up, crushing her against him, devouring her beautiful mouth as he funneled every roiling emotion running through his body into that kiss. She responded by twining her fingers into his hair and pulling him closer.

  With a growl, he twisted until she was on the bed beneath him, her legs wrapped around his waist. He thrust against her, the barrier of her panties and his boxers an annoyance. It was his turn to sit back on his haunches and gaze down at her. The pink lace against her pale skin made him want to growl. As if she’d read his mind, her gaze dropped and he burned for her to touch him.