“Aww.” She stood and wrapped her arms around him, careful not to touch his white T-shirt with her dirty gardening gloves. “Reed.” She studied the bright white blooms with their bold yellow centers. “Thank you.”
He would have to remember to bring her flowers regularly. There was nothing better than watching Bella’s eyes go soft. “I wasn’t sure what you liked.”
“This. Anything.” She pulled off her gloves and kissed him. “I need to get a vase.” She walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard below the sink, selecting a simple clear globe from her half-dozen options.
He studied her firm legs and excellent ass as she straightened again and filled the glass halfway with water, ready to take from her what he hadn’t dared.
“I can’t believe you brought me flowers.”
He plunked the stems in the bowl—flimsy plastic covering and all—and took the vase from her hands, setting it on the counter.
“Wait.”
He shook his head. “We can deal with these later. They’re not going anywhere.” He pulled her against him and kissed her, instantly teasing her tongue with his. “I need to taste you.” He nipped her bottom lip and dove deep again.
She made a sound in her throat as she stood on her tiptoes and hooked her arms around the back of his neck.
He savored her flavor—the way she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Scooping her up, he walked through the living room and brought her upstairs. “We have something we need to do.”
“Take a nap?” she asked playfully.
“We’ll probably need one afterward.”
She smiled, wiggling her eyebrows. “I like the way you think.”
“I thought you might.” He moved through the master suite and laid her down in the center of the bed, kissing her some more, certain he would be happy never to stop.
She tilted her chin, giving him better access to her neck as his mouth moved along her jaw. “Good day at the gym?”
He lifted her shirt over her head and went after the front clasp on her bra. “The best.”
Her hands wandered over his back. “I guess so.”
He palmed her breasts, clenching his jaw when she whimpered and arched. “I need to be with you.”
She yanked off his shirt and went after the snap on his pants. “Great idea.”
“It’s been awhile.” He unfastened the button on her shorts and tugged at her panties, sliding them off her legs.
“Over a week.”
“Too long.” He looked his fill at the naked woman who drove him absolutely insane just from wanting. “Christ, you’re stunning.”
“Thanks.” She fought his jeans and boxers over his hips and off. “Mmm. Come on in, big boy.”
“I plan to.” He teased her nipples with his lips and tongue and trailed openmouthed kisses down her stomach, nibbling at her hips and thighs before settling between her legs. “In just a minute.”
Her chest rose and fell with her unsteady breathing as she sat up on her elbows and held his gaze. “What are you thinking about doing down there?”
He traced soft skin. “I was thinking about making you come a couple of times—and making myself crazy in the process.” He dipped two fingers inside.
She closed her eyes and moaned.
He swept his fingers in her wet warmth, finding the spot that always got her off. “If you’re okay with that.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, her stomach shuddering. “More than.”
He went to work, adding his mouth, lapping, suckling, watching her build, his eyes locking on hers.
“Oh, God,” she whispered as her brow furrowed slightly and her mouth opened with her panting breaths. “Reed.” She bit her bottom lip and moaned, rocking her hips with the back-and-forth rhythm of his tongue. “Reed.” Her fingers found their way into his hair, clutching as she teetered on the edge. He increased his pressure, moved faster, feeling her throbbing against him as her eyes went blind and her head fell back on the pillow with her long, loud cry.
He wanted her to go again, to bring her as much pleasure as she brought him simply from watching her climax. He played her some more as she thrashed and bucked, calling out to him mindlessly as she tensed and gasped, falling on a stunned scream.
“God, I need you. I need you.” She reached down for him. “I can’t take it anymore.”
Neither could he. He crawled back up the length of her body, kissing her belly and breasts, then shoved her knees to her shoulders, driving himself inside. He groaned as she whimpered and gripped his wrists. She was wetter, tighter. “You feel so good.” He thrust hard, flesh slapping against flesh, taking the edge off, but this wasn’t how he wanted to finish. He let her legs go and settled himself on top of her. “Like this.”
She nodded, her cheeks pink, her eyes darker and dazed.
“I want to be with you like this, Bella,” he panted out, slowing his pace to lazy thrusts. They moved together, clasping hands, kissing tenderly, while he waited for her to climb again. Minutes passed, but there was no hurry. There was only Bella. Eventually she tensed, and he let himself fall with her, swallowing her cries as he emptied himself into her.
“Wow.” Her breath rushed in and out next to his ear. “I think you should go to the gym every Saturday afternoon if you’re going to come home like this.”
He grinned, brushing damp locks away from her forehead, ignoring the fact that he’d lied about today’s destination. “I thought about you the whole drive home.”
She kissed him as she stroked her fingers along his spine. “I think about you all the time.”
He smiled again, staring down at the most important person in his life. “That’s a pretty good thing, because I’ve never felt about anyone the way I do you.” And it felt so damn good to be able to say so, finally to be able to let his guard down and give her all of the pieces.
Her eyes grew misty as she blinked up at him. “You’re on quite a roll.”
“I love being with you.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m so glad Lucy walked through my front door all those weeks ago.”
“Reed,” she whispered, nuzzling his cheek with hers.
“I want to cook you dinner.” He wanted to be all the things he’d been too afraid to be when he didn’t know who she was.
“Really?”
He nodded.
“What are you going to feed me?”
“Fish. It’s a New England recipe and one of the only things I know how to make well.”
She grinned. “You know how to make raviolis and steak and crème brûlée.”
“This dish is even better.” He winked and kissed her again. “I have to go to the store and pick up a few things.”
“I’ll come with you if you want, but I might have to sit in the cart. My legs are still trembling.”
He chuckled, settling his face in the crook of her neck as she wrapped him up in a hug.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bella finished the last bite of her cracker-crumb-topped cod and set down her fork with a smile. “That, Mr. McKinley, was amazing.”
He smiled back, sipping the white wine they’d picked up to go along with the roasted broccoli and fish. “Joey’s mom would make this for us when she invited us over every couple of months. She’s from Maine, so this is pretty traditional New England fare.”
“You’ll have to let Joey’s mother know your West Coast girlfriend approves.”
He took her hand, playing with her fingers as he held her gaze. “I’ll do that.”
She covered his hand with her free one, sandwiching his between hers. “Thank you for dinner.”
“You’re welcome.”
She looked to the daisies she’d finally taken out of the plastic wrapper and arranged when they came back from the market. “And the flowers add a nice touch of spring to the room.”
“As soon as I saw them, I had to get them. They made me think of you.”
Would she ever get used to this sweet man? Tonight, he was different so
mehow. More in tune, maybe? More present? She couldn’t quite put her finger on exactly what it was, but she would happily take it.
“You’re probably more suited for roses or those calla lily things,” he continued. “They’re fancier—kind of like you, but the daisies seemed warm and friendly, which is also like you.”
Her heart stuttered in her chest. How had she lucked out to find herself a man who put that much thought into which flowers suited her best? “I think I like being friendly more than I like being fancy.”
“I’d say you’re a good combination of both.”
She stood, walked over to his chair, and settled herself in his lap, staring into his eyes as she hooked her arms around the back of his shoulders. “You better be careful, Reed. If you keep this up, you’re going to make me fall in love with you.”
He returned her embrace, locking his hands at her waist. “Oh, yeah?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She snuggled closer. “Is that going to be a problem?”
He shook his head. “Not for me.”
“That’s good to know.” He’d stolen her heart long ago, but there was no rush in sharing the news. Things were good between them—perfect. She kissed him and sighed, her bubble of contentment bursting when she looked around at the small mess they’d made with their dinner preparations.
“What?”
“I have some cleaning up to do. On the porch too.” She stood from his lap and walked to the French doors, staring out at the dirt crumbles and freshly potted plants still needing water. “I should probably start out there.”
Reed walked up behind her and settled his hands on her hips. “I distracted you.”
“You did.” She grinned as she lifted her head to look at him. “But in the most amazing way.”
He grinned back, playing with her hair. “I’m thinking it was a good plan.”
She laughed. “The best.”
He smiled again, glancing out the panes of glass. “It looks like you planted basil. I don’t know much about the rest.”
“Come on out with me.” She took his hand, and they stepped outside with Lucy following behind. “This plant here that kind of looks like a pine tree is rosemary.” She broke off a tiny twig and held it up to his nose. “It smells really good.”
He sniffed. “It does.”
“It’ll taste great with pork or chicken—all kinds of stuff, really. This one’s thyme.” She pointed. “And I’m trying my hand at some lavender.” She touched her finger to one of the pretty purple flowers.
“Do you eat it?”
“You can, but you can also use it for aromatherapy and to make scrubs and salves. Julie does a lot of stuff with that. She’s going to teach me how to make some of her more popular products. She doesn’t carry them anymore since she’s so busy with her yoga classes. I might make up a few batches and we’ll sell them under her license.”
“You two could make a killing together.”
“Life isn’t all about money. We both love what we do.”
“That’s pretty important.”
“It’s vital. Do you love what you do?”
He shrugged. “I’m starting to. For the first time in a long time, I feel like my life is settling into place—every part of it.”
Her stomach fluttered, catching his meaning clearly enough. “Balance is key.”
“You might have something there.”
She laughed. “I definitely do.”
He glanced around at the garden trowel, gloves, and general mess she’d made. “What can I do to help out here?”
“You could sweep up this extra soil.”
“Done.”
They tidied up and watered the herbs she was growing in stylish yet practical buckets. “I haven’t done anything like this in so long.”
He pushed the last of the excess dirt to the grass with the broom. “Since your mom?”
“Since my mom and dad. We had a big garden—all kinds of fruits and veggies.” She blinked as a memory she’d completely forgotten about rushed back to her. “We had raspberry bushes. I would help Mom make jam and we would give it out for the holidays. I want that back—the little pieces that meant so much. I can recreate them for myself.”
“So we’ll make sure you get them back. This is a good first step. This year, you’re trying your hand at herbs. Maybe next year you can add on.”
She shook her head. “I want a house before I start my garden. Something small and homey with two or three bedrooms and enough space for a few garden beds out back.”
“It’s pretty expensive around here.”
“That’s why I’m saving.” She shrugged. “For someday, but this is fine for now. I’m content with my herbs and Lucy and this cute little place. You’re not too bad either.”
He grinned. “Should we go clean up the kitchen?”
“Yes.” They went back inside. “Then I think we should shower up and finish the second season of The Office.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s get to these dishes.”
She grabbed the dish soap and squirted some into the hot stream of water as he gathered the dirty baking sheets. She’d missed this over the last week and a half—their easy teamwork. They’d had some rough days, but tonight the future looked bright again. She planned to treasure every moment of this amazing new life she and Reed were building together.
~~~~
Reed stepped out of the shower while Bella finished rinsing the conditioner from her hair and hurried toward his phone on the counter as it went into its third ring. Typically, he would have let it go to voicemail, but not now, not with everything that was going on. “Hello?”
“They took out Dino Asante,” Joey boomed in his ear.
“What?” He grabbed a towel off the bar and wrapped it around his waist in a half-assed manner as he closed the bathroom door behind him and stepped into the bedroom. “Are you serious?”
“Does it sound like I’m kidding?”
He shook his head in disbelief. “This is crazy. What the fuck is going on out there?”
“Beats the hell out of me.”
“Dino.” He sat on the edge of the bed, trying to wrap his mind around the idea of Alfeo ordering a hit on his father’s longtime consigliere and the man who’d raised his son for him while he’d been locked away. “He ran the organization until Matty was old enough to take over. He’s Alfeo’s closest friend.”
“Apparently there’s no longer any loyalty in the family.”
He rubbed the towel through his hair and wiped at the drops running down his face. “I just—I don’t even know what to say.”
“One by one, they’re taking them down. Alfeo’s not fucking around. He wants a clean slate when he gets out of prison.”
“But Dino’s been with him all along.”
“Takin’ them all down,” Joey repeated.
He moved the towel over his chest and abs. “How’d they do him?”
“Bullet behind the ear as he reached down to open his driver’s side door.”
“Jesus. No one’s safe.”
“That’s the message they’re sending loud and clear.”
He sighed, scrubbing his hand over his jaw. “Bella will probably get a call from Luisa.”
“Let’s hope she doesn’t think about coming out for the funeral. Things aren’t good around here.”
He sat up straighter, his muscles clenching, barely able to tolerate the thought of Bella back in Bensonhurst, especially now that he knew exactly what the stakes were. “I’ll find a way to make sure she doesn’t.”
“You hear from Vinny yet?”
“No. Not yet.” He glanced at the bedside clock as the shower shut off in the next room. It had been four hours since he left Vinny to stew over his choices. “Once this hits the headlines, he’ll have another reason to pick up the phone.”
“The media’s already got their teeth in this one. It’s making the news all over the city. I’m watching it right now.” Joey exhaled a long breath. “I have to admit, I
don’t mind being out of the game. I like going home to my girl every night and not looking over my shoulder the way we used to. Cause that’s what we’d be doing right now if we were still mixed up in this.”
They were still mixed up in this, but it was different—better, safer. “It works for me too.”
Bella smiled at him as she opened the door and stepped into the room, wrapped in a towel.
He winked at her. “I’m going to let you go.”
“Let me know when Vinny bites.”
“If he does, you’ll be the first.”
“He’ll bite. They blew Dino away. Everyone’s running scared. Something tells me Vinny’s looking over his shoulder.”
“I have to imagine you’re right. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.” He hung up and set his phone on the bed. “Sorry I had to cut our shower short.”
“That’s okay.” She slid another one of her silky nighties over her sinful body, and pulled on sexy panties. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah.” He stood, wanting to hug her, to tell her that her friend’s father was dead, but he sent her a reassuring smile instead. “Joe was just checking in.”
“I think your buddy misses you.”
“Probably—” His phone rang again.
“Aren’t you popular tonight.”
“Lucky me,” he said as he studied the number he didn’t recognize.
She walked over to him and gained her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll get The Office ready for us.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be right there.”
“Okay.” She left the room with Lucy following behind.
He waited for Bella’s feet to hit the stairs before bringing the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Come with Bella tomorrow when she picks me up,” Vinny snapped. “We’re going to talk.” The line went dead.
He frowned, sighing as he looked at the screen, then put a call through to Joey.
“Yeah, boss.”
“I’m meeting him tomorrow.”
“Well, how about that?”
“I’ll talk to you later. Bella’s waiting for me.”
“Bye.”
He put on a pair of boxers and went downstairs as Bella poured them glasses of lemon water then put some strawberries and grapes in a bowl.
Deceiving Bella: Book Eleven In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series Page 31
