Found by Love (Falling for Him Book 8)

by Jessica Gray

  When he didn’t immediately answer, she knocked louder and called his name several times. Nothing. Was he hiding from her? Lee peeked in the living room window and saw him sprawled across the couch, empty beer cans littering the floor around him. That sleazy…had ditched work so he could drink. Not on her watch!

  She resumed her pounding on the door and yelling his name. As she pounded on the door, she hoped his head hurt like hell when he got up. It would serve him right.

  ***

  Rocco felt like someone was using a jackhammer inside his head. There was this persistent pounding noise and a shrill voice screaming his name, demanding he open the door. What door? Groaning loudly, he attempted to roll over, only to fall off the couch and land on the living room floor with a smack. What the hell?

  He picked himself up, held a hand to his throbbing head, and looked around for the source of the dreadful noise until it dawned on him that someone was pounding on the front door. He stumbled across the room and threw the door open. Now the noise would have to stop.

  No such luck; a high-pitched voice tortured his hurting head while he squinted his eyes to keep the bright sunlight away. “It’s about time,” the voice said and he was able to ascertain that it belonged to Lee. A very upset Lee.

  She pushed past him and stormed into the living room. Rocco turned, one hand supporting him by hanging onto the front door. By the time he took the first step toward her, she’d already stopped in the middle of the room, scrutinizing the beer cans lying on the floor, and then put her hands on her hips and stared him down.

  “Is this what you were doing yesterday when you weren’t at work?” she asked, her tone tremulous, as if she had a hard time controlling herself. “I put your power tools under the eave last night. You didn’t even come back and do that!”

  Rocco hated everything about the situation. His throbbing head, the feeling in his mouth like someone had stuffed it full of cotton, and his bladder about ready to explode. But most of all he hated hearing her accusations. Because she was right.

  After giving her a nasty look, he turned and headed for the restroom without a word of explanation. Lee, though, trod on his heels and continued to berate him with comments all the way down the hall. When she followed him into the bathroom, he wondered if she was even aware of the room she was in.

  He couldn’t hide a grin as he gestured to the toilet and prepared to drop his pants, “Thinking of helping?” He didn’t really care if he embarrassed her or not; nature was calling and he was determined to answer that call. If she wanted to stay around and watch, that was on her.

  Lee blushed furiously and backed quickly out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. He heard her steps returning to the living room, where she apparently started to pick up empty beer cans and throw them into the trash.

  Rocco took care of business and then leaned on the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. The night had definitely taken its toll. He brushed his teeth and freshened up his face, before he felt steeled to face the fury in his living room. He definitely needed coffee and a shower if he was going to survive the day.

  If he’d hoped Lee had left, he was disappointed. She was still sitting on his couch trying to kill him with her stare. The best defense is offense, he thought, and said, “You can leave now. You’ve accomplished your purpose in getting me up.”

  “I’m not leaving. Not by a long shot. Why did you disappear without a word yesterday?”

  Rocco wanted his coffee and a shower. “I don’t owe you an explanation. Last time I checked, I didn’t work for you.”

  He saw the hurt enter her eyes and wished he could take back his comment. But as soon as it had come, the hurt had disappeared ant her eyes hardened. Ahh, the princess is ready to fight.

  “I beg to differ. Since I am the one being inconvenienced by your presence at the cabin, you do need to check with me about your work schedule. I’m sure my uncle would appreciate knowing that his employee is actually doing the job he’s being paid for,” she said with a cool voice that betrayed her apparent rage.

  Rocco had enough of her accusations and simply shook his head, poured himself a cup of coffee, and headed back toward the relative safety of his bathroom. But once again Lee got up and followed him back down the hallway. “Rocco, don’t you dare walk away from me! Why did you rush off yesterday? And why weren’t you there this morning, besides the obvious?”

  He had heard enough. Telling her the truth was out of the question. She’d laugh at his confession that he’d run away because he already missed her, even before she was gone. No, he had to get rid of her, before something happened, something he might regret later. But Lee wasn’t showing any signs of leaving. He took a step toward her, pointed down the hallway and said, “Get out. Now. Don’t say another word, just get out of here, and leave me alone.”

  Lee took a small step backward, but held her ground and sent him a furious scowl. “I will not. I demand an explanation for your behavior.”

  Why did women always want to talk about everything? Wasn’t it clear he wanted her gone? Rocco advanced on her, until she finally started backing up. His control was tenuous at best and he vacillated between wanting to kiss her senseless or bodily remove her from his house. The look of uncertainty on her face helped, and he thrust his finger at her to keep her moving. “Lady, I don’t owe you anything. Now get out of my house and leave me alone.”

  He saw how much effort it took Lee to control her facial expression and her obvious need to scream at him. It actually aroused him. A woman who wasn’t intimidated easily and called him out on his bullshit. When was the last time this had happened?

  She squared her shoulders and glared daggers at him, ready to attack. “I’m not leaving until I get an answer.”

  Rocco saw the look of resolve cross her face and realized things were about to get interesting. She irritated the hell out of him, and at the same time, he wanted to throw her down on the couch and get busy. She was a sight to behold when she was angry. He was turned on, hung over, and clearly not thinking straight. Advancing on her again, he grinned when she held her ground and didn’t back up. So, she thought she could fight him and win, huh? Well, he’d call her bluff and see how she reacted.

  His next step brought him into direct contact with her front side. He reached around her with both arms, grasped her shoulders, and turned her around so that she was facing the front door and her backside was plastered to his front. “The door is that way,” he growled as he attempted to walk her towards it.

  Lee’s entire body stiffened as he made contact with her. And his own body betrayed him, because he was aroused beyond imagination when she pressed her backside against him. Warm and soft. Trembling under his touch. Holy Lord, he had to remind himself she was angry with him and resisted the urge to rub the evidence of his desire against her back.

  They’d been dancing around their desire for each other for days, and his touching her had been like pouring gas on a smoldering fire. Any resistance was futile. He’d lost the battle to contain his feelings long before he heard her moan. That sound reached all the way down into his soul and the desire to hear more of the same was stronger than he could resist. He’d known better than to touch her. Now that he had, there was no chance he’d be able to let her go. Without her help they’d be ravishing one another within the next minutes.

  In a last attempt to get things back on track, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his erection against her back and dropping his head to nuzzle behind her ear. “Lee, please, you need to leave before things get out of hand.”

  But of course she wouldn’t listen to him. Had he actually expected her to? No, to the contrary, she reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck. He felt her weight in his arms and found the sweet spot at the juncture where her neck met her shoulder and started to suck and bite on it.

  “Aren’t things already out of hand?” she murmured faintly and leaned her head back against his shoulder, moaning and writhing as he gently bit
down on her soft skin.

  Rocco caught her as her knees gave out, and carried her the short distance to the couch, where he sat down, pulling her with him. He turned her to straddle his lap and then kissed and licked his way around her neck and all the way down to the pulse point at the base.

  His hands made short work of the buttons on her shirt, and he ran his hands along the bare flesh of her stomach. Lee shivered under his touch and sexy little moans escaped her throat. Rocco skimmed his fingertips against her sides and then around to the front of her. Brushing the backs of his fingers over her chest, he felt her nipples harden and groaned as she pushed her chest into his hands, wanting a firmer touch.

  All reason was thrown overboard and only their mutual passion existed. He opened her front bra clasp and shoved the cups aside, revealing her gorgeous breasts to his gaze. They were perfect. Plump and round, just big enough to fill his palms. He allowed his hands to lightly trace over her skin until they cupped her bare breasts. It was even better than he had imagined and he couldn’t believe how wonderful she felt in his open palms.

  It took all of his self-control to slow down for a moment and just look at her. “You are so beautiful. Are you sure you want this?”

  ***

  There was nothing she’d ever wanted more in her life. Lee’s breathing had sped up to the point she was almost panting. Unable to speak, she nodded her head, and let her gaze wander to where his hands were palming her flesh. His touch was so soft and gentle, yet firm and arousing, that she wanted to scream with pleasure. Instead she reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling his mouth over her taut and aching nipples.

  Rocco didn’t need another invitation and worshipped her breasts with his mouth, teasing and torturing them in the most delicious way, while his hands wandered up and down her back. Lee couldn’t believe how turned on she was.

  She’d fantasized about him almost nonstop for the last week, but her wet dreams didn’t compare to reality. Feeling his strong muscles under her hands and his talented mouth on her skin transformed her brain to mush, and the only surviving thought was that she needed to feel more of him. All of him.

  Lee held his head to her chest as he kissed his way down her torso. After one week of resisting their attraction, a sense of urgency overtook them both as they pushed and pulled at each other’s clothing. Rocco removed Lee’s shirt and bra, leaving her in nothing but the skirt she had donned that morning.

  She reached for his waist, grabbing his t-shirt on both sides and pushed it up. Rocco seemed to be as impatient as she was to get her hands on him, because he stopped trailing kisses down her stomach for a moment and helped pull his shirt over his head.

  Immediately, his hands found her breasts again as did his mouth. Lee reveled in the feeling of his muscled chest and shoulders, running her hands up and down his exposed flesh, skin against skin. While Rocco continued to roll her nipples in his mouth, Lee’s need for more grew and she let her hands travel south. When they encountered his pants she dipped her fingertips just below the waistband and hesitantly played there for several minutes.

  Rocco, though, wasn’t as shy. He looked into her eyes and groaned, “I need to have you now, darling.” Then he deftly undid the zipper in the back of her skirt and pushed the fabric down, cupping her ass in his big hands. Lee shifted on his lap to get better contact with his pulsing erection.

  He groaned again and tipped her sideways on the couch, expertly divesting her of her remaining clothing, and then stood up and removed his pants. Lee’s eyes opened wide when she saw him in all his naked glory. Rocco didn’t move; no, he stood there as if carved from stone and his eyes traveled her length as she lay on the couch.

  Lee felt exposed, but also cherished. The desire in his eyes sent shivers of excitement across her skin. She wanted him so badly. When she reached for him, he couldn’t resist her silent plea and joined her again, aligning his body over hers.

  His weight pressed her down onto the couch and she held him even closer as he began to kiss his way down her body again. Lee writhed, moaned, and grabbed his arms, forcing him to completely cover her body with his. Wrapping one leg around his hip, she brought him into direct contact with her core and urged him to make them one.

  Rocco was more than happy to accommodate her request and spent the next several minutes making sure she was ready for him, before he looked around for his wallet and grabbed a condom from it. After ensuring their protection, he covered her body with his once again and slowly pushed inside.

  “Ahhh,” she moaned.

  He stopped for a moment and asked, “Am I hurting you, darling?”

  “No, it feels so good. I need more.”

  With a chuckle he thrust again, harder this time, until he was buried inside her to the hilt.

  “Oh God, that’s so good.” She moaned her approval. Lifting her head up, she closed her lips over his as he began to move. Their joining was rushed, hurried, and fantastic. Slow and gentle had to wait for another time; now she needed to release the pent-up emotions from the past several weeks.

  As Lee’s movements grew more frantic, Rocco too increased his tempo and soon they were both tumbling over the edge. She gasped as Rocco pushed himself into her one last time and then held her tight. She could feel their bodies shaking but wasn’t sure if it was from her reaction, or Rocco’s. Sighing, she decided it didn’t really matter, and hugged him closer for a long moment.

  After their breathing had returned to normal, Rocco rolled to his side and dealt with the condom, dropping it in the trashcan next to the couch. Lee tried to fathom what had just happened. She had never been one for hard and fast sex, but if this were what it was like, she’d need to rethink her stance on it. She had known he would be hot, but had never imagined he’d be burning her up inside and out.

  Rocco looked at her and kissed her nose. “I’m sorry, I wanted this to be slow and gently, but I got carried away.”

  Lee locked eyes with him, and for the first time he didn’t close down on her, but revealed the soft and caring man he was beneath the hard shell. “Don’t be sorry, it was awesome.” Then she pouted and said, “Though, after giving it second thoughts, I’m sure you could do even better if you tried again.”

  He chuckled and looked down to his best friend, who was, surprisingly, ready to go again. “Your wish is my command.” Then he smoothed her hair off her forehead and added, “That was even better than I had imagined.”

  Lee blushed and felt her own desire rising again.

  “How about we take this into the bedroom? I want to see and taste the rest of you, and frankly this couch is not real comfortable.” Rocco didn’t even wait for her response before he scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the hallway and into the bedroom.

  C hapter 13

  Rocco devoured Lee with his eyes as she climbed out of her car. After spending several hours discovering one another, they had thrown together a quick lunch and agreed to meet back at the cabin. As he walked up the steps behind her, he couldn’t help but admire the way her ass filled out her shorts.

  Lost in admiration, he didn’t notice that Lee stopped short as she reached the landing. He crashed into her and had to grab around her waist to prevent himself from falling back down the stairs. Looking over her shoulder, he noticed Charlie Taylor sitting at the deck table watching them with curiosity.

  She quickly escaped his embrace and rushed towards her uncle, her face flushed. After giving her uncle a quick greeting, Lee escaped into the cabin and left the two men alone.

  Rocco was confused and Charlie amused.

  Before Rocco could say a word, the older man nodded toward the cabin and said with a grin, “You two still fighting?”

  “Not really. We bumped into each other in town this morning.” I thrust into her would better explain it. “If you have some time, I can show you a few ideas for the patio.”

  Charlie nodded. “Sure. Let’s see them.”

  Rocco sat down at the deck table and g
rabbed paper and pen from his backpack. Then he sketched his new ideas for the patio onto the paper and showed them to Charlie.

  “Wow. I like that. It gives a feeling of infinity, yet coziness to the patio. Do you think you can get this implemented before winter?”

  “Well, I guess I could.” Rocco hadn’t expected Charlie to contract with him for the changes without further discussions. “I’d have to start right away and postpone the interior adjustments.”

  “Okay then. Send me a cost estimate via email and I’ll let you know my final decision.”

  “Sure – will do.”

  Charlie glanced at his watch. “I have to get going. Can you please say goodbye to Lee for me? I’ll probably stop by again later this week.”

  Rocco agreed to do that and went in search of Lee. He hadn’t seen her come out of the bedroom, and headed in that direction. The bedroom door was left ajar, but despite what had happened earlier this morning, it didn’t feel right to just enter the room. He hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do. Just as he was getting ready to knock and announce his presence, he overheard her on the phone.

  “That would be fine, Trevor. Go ahead and have my secretary send the files over to me, and I’ll take a look at them this evening and try to come up to speed on things.”

  Rocco listened as she paused to hear whatever was being said on the other end of the line. His heart dropped at her next words. “Sure, Thursday is fine. I’ll be by my usual time. Thanks again.”

  Then she hung up the phone and he slowly pushed the door open.

  “You’re going back to work this week?” Rocco knew he sounded hurt, but what did she expect? They had just spent the better part of the day in bed together and now she was cutting and running.