She smiled at him, a siren’s smile, luring him to his willing doom. “I know.”
“Fuck.” Finesse escaped him. Rabb tugged down the sleeves, giving a sigh of relief when the top half of the dress fell to her waist. He cupped her breasts. Her soft pink nipples tightened into hard nubs beneath his gaze. He stroked his thumb over one and then the other, loving the way her breath caught in her throat.
“Stand up so we can get this off you.” His voice was gruff, but there was no help for it. He was so close to coming it wouldn’t take more than a breath to send him over the edge.
He helped Eliza stand in front of him. She gave her hips a little shake and the dress slid down her legs. The fabric pooled at her feet.
“God almighty.” He was spellbound by the erotic picture she made standing in front of him wearing only her panties and thigh-high stockings. The scrap of lacy, white fabric covering her mound was miniscule. Rabb wasn’t even sure they even qualified as underwear. He’d have to remember to thank his future sister-in-law for gifting them to Eliza.
The fading scars on her stomach were an abomination on her otherwise flawless skin. Rabb leaned forward and brushed his lips over each one, wishing he could rewind the past and make it so they’d never happened. But since that was impossible, all he could do right now was show her how beautiful and sexy she was to him. Eliza brushed her hand over his hair but said nothing.
He sat back. “Turn around.” His voice was hoarse and deep. Eliza stepped out of the knot of fabric at her feet and pushed it aside. Then she turned slowly. Her spine was delicate, her waist small. Her hips flared out, giving her a womanly shape even though she was still a bit too thin from her ordeal of living on the streets. But she was looking better each day. Healthier. More lush.
And her ass was spectacular, full and firm. The fabric of her panties didn’t stretch to cover the mounds. Rabb reached out and covered her behind, letting his palms slide beneath her panties.
Her breath hitched and she stopped moving. “I love your ass.” He hooked his fingers into the waistband and slowly lowered the fabric. It was like unwrapping a present. The best one ever. When he had her panties down to her ankles, he made her step out of them.
She shuddered, but didn’t turn to face him.
Rabb stroked the firm globes and then stroked his thumbs through the crease. Eliza moaned, her entire body trembling.
He reached around her and dragged the coffee table over so it was perpendicular to them. “Kneel on the table.”
Eliza lowered herself, gripped the edges of the table and crawled on top of it.
“Lower your head and raise your ass.” She hesitated, but only for a split second before complying. Her pussy was wet and flushed with arousal. “I love how wet you are.” He stroked two fingers over her labia before sliding them inside.
She gasped and pushed back against his hand.
“You want me to fuck you, don’t you?” He withdrew his fingers almost all the way before forging back into her tight sheath once again.
“Yes.”
Rabb fell to his knees behind her and blew on her heated flesh. Eliza shivered and moaned. With a low growl, he moved closer.
Eliza’s head was spinning. When they’d walked through the door she’d have sworn that the only thing on her mind was a nap. Dinner had been delicious and she’d eaten so much she felt stuffed and lethargic.
That had changed in a heartbeat when Rabb touched her.
The smooth wood of the coffee table was cool against her forearms where she supported herself. Her naked butt was in the air, and she knew Rabb was looking at her. There was no hiding her arousal.
Then she felt his breath on her pussy. She almost came then and there, but he pulled back at the last second. She bit her lip to keep from begging. She didn’t want to come yet, didn’t want this moment to end.
Her fingers curled inward, but there was nothing for her to hold on to. She felt hot and cold at the same time, tortured on the rack of anticipation. “Rabb.” His name was no more than a breathy sigh that turned to a long moan when he lapped her slick folds.
She lowered her forehead to the table and gasped for air. Rabb tongued her clit before tugging gently on it with his lips. His fingers pushed in and out of her pussy. Cream slid down her inner thighs.
Oh God, she was so close. When Rabb suddenly pulled back, she cried out.
“Condom,” he gritted out.
Her legs and arms quivered while she waited. It seemed interminable, but was only a few seconds. She expected him to stand and slide into her. Instead, she felt herself being lifted and pulled back against him.
Rabb sat and she caught herself from tipping forward by resting her hands on his knees. She was facing away from him with a clear view of the Christmas tree. “Up you go.” He gripped her waist and steadied her as she rose.
The broad head of his cock nudged her opening. She gave a sigh of relief and lowered herself even as he pulled her down. They both moaned as he sank deep. He wrapped his arms around her and cupped her breasts. Then he widened his legs, pushing hers apart as well, and simply sat there.
His cock felt hot inside her. It pulsed and rippled, stretching her sheath to the max. She needed him to move, to touch her clit, to play with her nipples. Something. Instead, he simply cupped her breasts and kept himself still.
The tension in the room grew and thickened. Every cell of her body was focused between her thighs. It got more difficult to breathe with each passing second. “Rabb.”
“Hmm.” She felt his lips brush against her spine and shuddered.
“Touch me.” She tried to move, but he released his hold on her breasts and banded his arms around her torso, keeping her still.
“But this is so much more fun.” She could hear the teasing note in his voice. The man was diabolical.
“This is torture.” She squirmed and was gratified when he moaned. He wasn’t as unaffected as he liked to pretend. She wished she could see his face. Somehow facing away from him, being stretched by his cock and held in his arms, made her feel more vulnerable.
“We don’t want that, do we?” He slid one hand lower, poised over her mound. Finally she’d had enough. She grabbed his hand, thrust it between her legs and rubbed his fingers over her clit.
Eliza’s head fell back and she released a deep moan. Her lower body jerked as her pussy clamped down around his cock, squeezing and caressing it. He swore and she knew he was coming, felt his shaft swelling inside her.
Rabb groaned and pushed his hips upward, grinding deeper. Her orgasm rippled out to her whole body and then seemed to plunge inward again. Spasms of pleasure shook her. She didn’t realize she was crying until a fat tear plopped on her arm.
“Hey.” Rabb quickly withdrew and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve got you. Everything is okay.” He peppered her face with kisses and lapped at another tear.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “There’s nothing wrong with you. That was…” He shook his head. “I’m not quite sure how to put it. Intense doesn’t quite do it justice.”
The fact he not only understood, but felt it too, settled her. It was only then she realized Rabb was still completely dressed. Except for where his zipper was open, he didn’t even have a hair out of place while she felt totally debauched. And very naked.
She tugged at the throw that lay over the back of the sofa and spread it over her. “Cold?” he asked.
“Feeling a little underdressed,” she retorted.
Rabb laughed and slid out from beneath her. “I’ve got to get rid of the condom.” He walked down the short hallway and into the bedroom. Moments later she could hear water running.
Eliza curled up beneath the warm blanket. She closed her eyes and savored the sensations coursing through her. Another spasm hit her and she shivered.
She felt Rabb rather than heard him. When she opened her eyes, he was standing there with his thick terry-
cloth robe in his hands. As much as she’d rather not move, she knew his robe would be cozy and warm.
She tossed back the covering and surged upward, quickly pulling on the garment. It wrapped around her like a cocoon, swaddling her from neck to ankles. Sighing, she settled back into the corner of the sofa, using the arm to support her.
Rabb sat beside her and pulled her feet into his lap. “We need to talk.”
She tensed. She’d been waiting for him to mention Jason since yesterday morning. “About what?”
He raked his fingers through his hair before tilting his head back to rest against the sofa. “I don’t want you to get mad or be scared.”
“I can’t promise you anything, Rabb. Not until I know what it is.” She really hoped he was going to be honest with her about what happened. It unsettled her to think he might keep something like this from her.
“Okay.” He raised his head and swiveled, bringing his bent leg up onto the sofa so he was facing her. “I would have told you sooner, but I wanted you to enjoy Christmas.”
Everything inside her settled. Of course, that’s why he hadn’t told her. It was just like Rabb to keep his worries from her so she could enjoy the day. There was no real threat because he was with her every second and they hadn’t ventured outside the door except to go down one floor to his parent’s place.
He took a deep breath and wrapped his hands around hers. “Jason came to see me yesterday morning.”
If he was going to be honest, then so was she. “I know.” Rabb had opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and studied her as if she were speaking a foreign language. “I was in the hallway and heard his voice.”
Rabb frowned. He looked formidable with his brows pulled down and lips drawn in a straight, disapproving line. “Why didn’t you say something?” he demanded.
“Why didn’t you?”
Rabb looked as if he wanted to yell but didn’t. “Because I didn’t want to worry you. Not until I had to.”
She shrugged. “Me too.”
“How much did you hear?” He rubbed his fingers over the back of her hand. He looked so handsome with his hair slightly tousled and his eyes catching the glint of the Christmas lights.
“Most of it, I think. He accused me of stalking him, of being crazy. The whole thing about me hurting myself is new.”
“Fuck. You heard almost everything.” He released her hand and rubbed his fingers over his jaw. “You should have said something.”
She pointed her finger at him. “No, you should have said something.”
“Okay. It’s pointless to argue, but we need to decide how we’re going to handle things from here on. He doesn’t know for sure that you work for me, but it’s best to act like he believes it.”
“He won’t give up.” She shivered, feeling colder all of a sudden. The heat from their lovemaking leached from her body with each passing minute. “I called Detective Zurkowski.”
Rabb’s eyebrows rose. “You did?”
She nodded. “I figured it was the right thing to do. He told me to stay out of sight, keep my eyes open and call him if Jason showed up again.”
“I taped the entire conversation and pulled the security recording from when he was here. I’m documenting everything. If that bastard tries anything, he’s not going to slither out of it this time.”
“Thank you for believing me.” That was one of the reasons she couldn’t be mad with Rabb for keeping this from her until now.
He frowned. “Of course I believe you.”
“No, there is no ‘of course’ about it. You believed Jason the last time he told you something about me. He’s very persuasive.” And very dangerous. She tugged the robe more snugly around her as if it were some kind of magical protection against him.
Rabb’s entire face tightened. “I’ll always be sorry for that. Always have regrets.”
She reached out and touched his arm. “No regrets. I should have found you and demanded an explanation.”
He covered her hand with his. “No, that’s all on me. I was a stubborn fool. But not anymore. If he tries to take you from me this time, he’s asking for trouble. If he’s smart he’ll walk away and leave you alone.” He paused. “I called Archer again. He’s going to dig into Jason’s past but doesn’t think he’ll be able to talk to many people until after the holidays.”
Rabb leaned over and grabbed the television remote off the end table. “Now enough about him.” He turned on the power and flicked through the stations until he found a holiday movie. “How about we snuggle up and watch a movie.”
He patted his lap and she scooted forward. She liked being so close to him. He smelled masculine and woodsy, a combination of his soap and his natural scent. She felt secure when he was around. That was his greatest gift to her. It was allowing her to heal so she could stand on her own two feet again.
Because as much as she’d like to think otherwise, she knew Jason wasn’t done.
Chapter Eleven
Eliza waved at Denver as he left for the night. The New Year had started out good for the club. They’d all been flat-out busy New Year’s Eve, but today was quieter. Eliza figured everyone was hung over after all the celebrating last night. People were probably home watching football and resting up for work tomorrow morning.
She looked around the kitchen. Everything gleamed. Every surface was wiped down. Denver ran a tight kitchen, a tidy one. The only thing left on was the coffeepot.
What the hell. She wasn’t going to go to bed for hours yet, not until Rabb was finished work. She checked her watch, figuring she had three or four hours before he even thought about calling it a night. It might be slow in the club, but Nevar had taken the night off to spend with Allison, and Rabb wouldn’t leave until everything shut down.
She grabbed a mug and filled it with the last of the coffee. It didn’t take her long to wash the carafe and reset the pot, ready for Denver to turn on when he arrived tomorrow.
Eliza pulled up a stool and sat at the counter. The music from the bar wafted into the room, but otherwise it was quiet. It was rare for her to get a moment alone these days. Rabb kept a tight watch on her since Jason had shown up. But there’d been no sign of him since before Christmas. She prayed he’d given up even though she knew he wouldn’t.
He was too obsessed with her to do that. And she couldn’t even figure out why. She was okay looking, but certainly not fashion-model material. She hadn’t flirted with him when she’d worked at Bruno’s. Truthfully, she’d barely noticed him until he’d started making a nuisance of himself. She’d been too caught up with Rabb to notice any other man.
Rabb—he certainly occupied all her thoughts. She wrapped her hands around the mug, raised it and took a sip, letting the potent dark liquid slid down her throat and warm her belly.
Their lives had become entwined. They worked together, lived together and played together. They’d spent quiet evenings at home reading or watching television. They’d had dinner with his family often.
Eliza loved Rabb’s family. His parents were eccentric, the type of people who saw the opportunity for fun in every situation. She admired them greatly. Nevar intimidated her at times, even though she knew he didn’t mean to. Like Rabb, he had a commanding presence. Allison was kind and they’d had coffee together several times while the men had worked late at the club.
His family had quickly become hers.
And the nights, the nights were something special. They made love often. Sometimes slow and sweet, other times hard and fast. Her skin warmed and her nipples tightened. Rabb made no secret of how much he wanted her.
With each day that passed, she grew stronger in body and spirit. She felt better than she had in a long, long time. It felt good to be earning money and pulling her own weight. Her one concern with Rabb was he wouldn’t let her pay for anything, not rent or groceries. That would have to change. No way she was living off him. It made their relationship too unbalanced.
Her stomach jumped and she shoved aside her c
offee. Her life would be darn near perfect right now if it weren’t for the threat of Jason lurking over her.
She rubbed her damp palms over her jean-clad thighs. It always came back to Jason. Maybe she should call Detective Zurkowski again. But she had nothing new to report and surely he would have called her if he’d discovered something new.
Then there was Rabb’s friend—Jaime Archer, the private detective. Rabb hadn’t heard from him in a few days. But with the holidays, many businesses had ground to a halt and a lot of people were out of town. And she knew Jason well enough to know he would be out socializing and partying, being seen with the right people in the right places. Image was very important to him.
Which was another reason his fascination with her was puzzling. She didn’t work in a field that would help him advance, nor did she have any powerful relatives. All she’d ever wanted was to open a small café of her own. Not a big dream in the scheme of things, but it was hers.
The sound of female laughter just outside the kitchen made her smile. She could easily imagine the group of women heading to the powder room together. It made her a little sad. She hadn’t had a close female friend since high school. She and Betsy had been close until Betsy’s parents had moved halfway through their final year. They’d sent a few letters, called a few times, but eventually they’d lost track of one another.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” she muttered. Taking care of her sick grandmother while she’d been in college had cut down on her socializing. Between school and work there simply hadn’t been time for her to cultivate friendships.
But everything was different now. She and Allison had made a connection. After all, they had one big thing in common—they were both in love with a Hatter brother.
Eliza slid off her stool and pushed it back in place. She suddenly needed to see Rabb. She dumped her remaining coffee down the drain, rinsed the mug and left it in the sink.
Then she noticed the two bags of garbage by the back door. Denver had forgotten. He usually took them on his way out. She could leave them there overnight, but the industrial garbage bin was just outside, only a few steps from the door.
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