My right cheek rested over his heart, and the beat soothed me, making me sleepy. I whimpered involuntarily as he removed his hand from between my legs. My eyes had fallen closed, and I peeled them open when I felt his arm moving upward. He showed me his hand, shiny from being coated in my arousal. My cheeks heated and I wondered if he was showing me how wet I’d been because it grossed him out.
“Rachel, look at me,” he commanded suddenly. I hesitated, so he fisted his other hand in my hair and used it to pull my head back so I was staring at his face. I wanted to hide behind closed eyelids, but I was shocked at the look in his eyes. They were filled with ravenous hunger and were so dark they were almost black. Mesmerized, I watched as he brought his fingers to his mouth and closed his eyes, moaning as he licked them clean. “That is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” His lids lifted as he locked his gaze with mine. “I might have to have my tongue in your delicious pussy before I get my dick in there.” My mouth opened in shock. He wants to put his tongue where??? Good grief, these panties were most definitely ruined. “I suggest you close your mouth before I fill it with something, baby,” he muttered. “I’m hanging on by a thread right now.”
My face was burning and probably looked like I had a third-degree sunburn, but I forced myself to push beyond my embarrassment to ask, “Why—um—why stop?” I was hoping we might get to some of the stuff I’d read about.
Liam’s expression turned tender, and he used both hands to cup my face. “Because you aren’t a quick fuck, Rachel. Your first time, our first time together isn’t going to be rushed, or on the top of a fucking desk”—he grinned—“you are loud, baby.” I flushed even more and was sure I was about to spontaneously combust. Liam brushed the pads of his thumbs over my cheeks and kissed my nose. “That is not something to be embarrassed about, baby. It’s hot as hell, and when I finally take you, I want to be somewhere where I can enjoy every sound you make.” It hadn’t escaped my notice that we were suddenly talking about when instead of if. In the back of my mind was the knowledge that I should be putting up an argument but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember why. At this moment though, I didn’t give a hoot.
I was practically a puddle of goo and didn’t bother to protest when Liam scooped me up and set me on my bed. He leaned in and kissed my forehead, and I made a disappointed noise when he stood up without touching our lips. He smiled and winked like he knew exactly what I was thinking, and I frowned because even in my blissed-out state, I was annoyed by the size of his ego. He crouched down in front of me and took my hands. “If I kiss you right now, I won’t be able to stop,” he explained. I melted at his sweetness and forgot all about his overconfidence and the way he seemed to read me like a book. “As much as I don’t want to,” he sighed. “I’m going to go and let you get some sleep. Your last class ends at three?” he queried. I nodded. “I’ll be here to pick you up at five.”
“For what?” I took one of my hands from his and nervously tucked some hair behind my ear. I knew what I wanted him to say, but I didn’t want to assume.
“I’m taking you on a date.” He bobbed his head for emphasis on the word date. It was really cute.
“Okay,” I agreed with a soft smile. He stood and kissed my forehead once again before striding to the door and unlocking it. With his hand on the doorknob, he paused and looked back at me over his shoulder. “Pack an overnight bag, baby.”
I raised a single brow and gave him an arch look. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” I snipped. He let go of the handle and rotated to face me fully.
“Sure that you are going to spend the night? Absolutely. But, if you are asking if I’m expecting sex, the answer is no. Even if all we do is sleep, I want you cuddled up in my arms.” He walked back over to me and brushed my hair back over my shoulder before drawing his index finger down the side of my face. “You are mine, Rachel. That isn’t up for discussion. But, we’ll take it at your pace. Nothing will happen until you are ready.”
I didn’t know what to say. There was absolute honesty in his feature, and I didn’t have a single doubt that he meant what he said. I could only nod as I felt a bright smile stretch across my face. He took a deep breath like was preparing for something, then bent over and briefly touched his lips to mine. Then he rushed out of the room like his tail was on fire. I laughed and fell back onto my bed. I replayed the last hour in my head and thought over the pros and cons of starting something up with Liam. Flipping over onto my stomach, I buried my face in my pillow and groaned. What happened to being honest with yourself, Rachel? We’d already started something, and I knew in my soul the there was no turning back.
* * *
“Wow. That dude is intense,” Rosa gaped after I finished retelling the events of my time with Liam. We had met up at the student center for dinner, and the moment she sat down, the story had spilled out.
“Tell me about it,” I agreed. I folded my arms on the table and dropped my head onto them. “What should I do?”
“Seriously, Rach?” My head popped up at the thoroughly exasperated tone in her voice. Her face was incredulous, and she was staring at me like I’d grown two heads.
“What?”
“Look, I love you, and most of the time, I try to respect your squeaky clean language. But girl, this time, you need to hear it how it is.” She leaned across the table, getting right in my face. “You need to get the fuck over yourself.” I gawked at her harsh assessment for a moment. I would have been offended if I didn’t know her so well. Rosa loved me like a sister and always had my back, which meant if she said what I needed to hear whether I wanted her to or not. “Stop second-guessing yourself. Trust that good things can happen to you and let yourself be open with someone.”
“I am open with people,” I muttered mulishly.
She shot me a dirty look and snapped, “Someone other than me.” Then she sniffed haughtily and sat back in her chair. “Like I told you before, I love you, but this sexy bitch”—she pointed to herself with her thumb—“is going to find herself a hot as hell man who will spoil her rotten outside the bedroom and own her body in the bedroom.”
I stifled a laugh and rolled my eyes. “You’ve been reading too many romance novels.”
“And you haven’t been reading enough,” she chastised with a shrug.
“I’m scared,” I confessed while I played with the end of my long ponytail.
“I get that,” Rosa said gently. “But what if you let this pass you by and miss the opportunity to be swept off your feet by the one man who was meant for you? What exactly are you scared of?”
I blew out a breath as I tried to put it into words. “He’s like lightning. Electric. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. But, if I get too close, I’ll get burned.”
Rosa reached across the table and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Or maybe, he’s the rainbow after the storm.”
8
Liam
As hard as I tried to focus on anything else, I couldn’t stop myself from continually replaying the sight of Rachel coming undone in my arms. It had me on edge all day and made my pants uncomfortably tight. Thankfully, I didn’t have classes today. I spent it in my art studio, and while I should have been working on mockups for the mural, every time I disappeared into the drawing, I’d come out of it to find it was yet another likeness of Rachel.
As cliche as it was, I didn’t think I’d be able to focus on anything else until I’d painted her. I’d start with something casual, to get her comfortable. Then something a little more provocative, and eventually, I was determined to convince her to pose nude. Only for me, of course. That gorgeous body was for my eyes only, and I knew the perfect place to display it.
Years ago, after my career took off, a crazy fan had broken into my studio and destroyed almost everything in it. Some of those pieces had been priceless to me, things I’d created only for myself because my soul had demanded it. Ever since then, I had a public studio at the school and a smaller one built over the garage at my house.
I didn’t want it inside in case another crazy broke in some day. However, unbeknownst to anyone, even my closest friends, I had a private space built over the barn at the back of my property. If people ever went inside, they would find yard tools, construction tools, a couple of four wheelers, and a boat. What they didn’t see was the false wall in the back that hid a narrow staircase which led up to my secret studio. The walls were soundproofed and reinforced with material that kept out fire, and the glass skylights (so that no one saw windows from the outside) kept parts of the room awash with sunlight some days and gave me a front row seat to the beauty of rain and lightning on others.
I thought about the back wall that was currently bare and pictured it covered in brush strokes, some colors stark and others blending together. Pale peach, blush pink, the clearest of blues, dark brown that looks black unless you stand close enough to see the rich tones. Some colors were still unknown. Would I use a dusky rose? Coral? Cinnamon? If I had my way, I’d be intimately familiar with the right shade very soon.
The sound of a chime broke up my daydream, and I put down the pencil I hadn’t been using to pick up my phone.
Rachel: What is the dress code for tonight?
Me: If I said naked, would you dress appropriately?
Rachel: Asks the man who won’t let me take my clothes off in front of other people…
I burst out laughing when I read her response. I smiled widely as my fingers tapped out another message.
Me: Touché, baby. I should have phrased it differently. For dinner, wear a dress, and for after dinner, there is a firm no shoes, no shirt, no clothes at all = excellent service policy.
Rachel: How about just no shoes?
Me: If we are negotiating, how about no shoes, no underwear?
Three dots appeared, then went away, then showed up again before the green bubble popped up with her reply.
Rachel: I’ll think about it.
Memories of my fingers in her panties invaded my mind.
Me: So will I.
At five on the dot, I knocked on her door and fell back a step when it flew open, and a tall, beautiful woman with tan skin and thick, black, wavy hair took up all the space in the doorway. She beamed at me, her full lips curved in a genuinely happy smile. While she wasn’t nearly as gorgeous as my Rachel, I liked her immediately. She stuck out her hand, and I shook it, returning her smile. “I’m Rosa Sanchez, Rachel’s best friend and sister, for all intents and purposes.”
Ahhhh. Everything made more sense now. If Rosa and Rachel were like sisters, Rosa’s dad must think of Rachel as a daughter, which is why he’d kill Mike for letting her strip. I didn’t know what the circumstances were surrounding Rachel’s own family, but I liked knowing she had a surrogate one that obviously cared about her.
“Well, best friend-slash-sister, I’d like to take Rachel on a date. Do I meet with your approval?”
Rosa laughed and stepped aside, waving me into the room. “If your intention is to sweep her off her feet, spoil her, and love her forever, then I absolutely approve.” She winked at me, but there was something in her eyes that compelled me to blurt out the truth.
“Those are my exact intentions, Rosa.”
If it was possible, her smile seemed to get even bigger. “Then I’m firmly in your corner and will help in any way that I can.”
Just then, Rachel came flying through the door, running straight into my back. I whipped around in time to catch her before she landed on her pretty little ass. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her soundly. “If you want to be pressed up against me, all you have to do it ask, baby,” I teased. “You don’t have to keep running into me.”
Rachel stared at me for a minute, and I laughed when I realized she was still in a fog from our kiss. She shook her head and blinked a couple of times, then smiled sheepishly. “You go for the damsel in distress type, huh?”
I rubbed my nose against hers and whispered, “I go for the boom.” She looked me with wide eyes, and I squeezed her once more before letting her go. “I’ll explain it to you when the time is right.” I was surprised when she didn’t try to get anything more out of me, but I was grateful. I didn’t think she was ready for that yet. I spied her bag at the foot of her bed and reached over to grab it. When I stood back up, Rachel’s eyes were still like saucers, but she was staring in Rosa’s direction.
“You kids have fun!” Rosa clapped, and when I glanced over, she was clasping her hands in front of her heart and looking like a proud parent. I wanted to laugh at first, but then I realized that her emotion was tied to a protective instinct. I’d gotten glimpses of the bold, risk-taking Rachel. But, I knew she was overshadowed by the Rachel who was responsible and safe, sticking to that she knew and was scared to rock the boat for fear that it would overturn and ruin everything around her. It was clear to me that Rosa wanted Rachel to be happy and knew that pushing her out of her comfort zone was the only way to help her find it. I had no doubt that Rosa had been instrumental in Rachel keeping her date with me.
I put my hand on the small of Rachel’s back and guided her to the door but stopped before I crossed the threshold and looked at Rosa. “I promise to take care of her.”
She canted her head to the side and studied me with a thoughtful expression. “If she’s your boom, then I believe you will.” My eyebrows shot to my hairline at her comment. She just smiled conspiratorially, then laughed. “We know the Maysons very well, Liam.”
I honestly wasn’t sure what to say, my mind was stuck on Rachel’s response to my comment about the boom. Apparently, she was well aware of what I’d meant. And she’d seemed shell-shocked. Shit. I shouldn’t have said anything, even hinted. She was probably incredibly freaked out now. I was going to have to do major damage control.
“Oh, and by the way,” Rosa added, grabbing my attention. “You should know that my Dad works with James Mayson. The Sheriff? So, if you hurt her, I know exactly how to bury your body and get away with it.”
I grinned. “I’m happy Rachel has someone like you in her corner.”
Rachel popped her head back in and scowled at us. “I’m right here, you know.”
Rosa waved jauntily, and I wrapped my arm around Rachel’s waist, holding her close as we made our way out of the building.
We walked to my newer, blue Jeep and I clicked the remote entry before opening the passenger door. I held out my hand, and she took it, giving me an odd look as she climbed into her seat. “What?” I chuckled casually, amused at her expression.
She shrugged, and twin spots of color bloomed on her cheeks. “I guess I expected you to drive something more ‘hipster” or “starving artist,” she admitted, using air quotes and giving me a small, sheepish smile.
Laughter bubbled up, and I shook my head as I leaned in to buckle her seat belt. I waited until I’d shut her door and gone around the car to get into the driver’s seat before answering. “I suppose driving a Wrangler instead of Wagoneer does tarnish my image,” I teased as I buckled up and started the vehicle. “I guess I’m more concerned with having a car that works and hauls all of my supplies, instead of a heap of junk that matches my paint-splattered T-shirts and beanie caps.”
Rachel fell into a fit of giggles, and the sound was infectious, causing me to laugh along with her. She shook her head and placed her hands in her lap, but I reached over and laced the fingers on one hand together, and perched them on my thigh. I couldn’t see her reaction with my eyes on the road, but she didn’t even attempt to pull away.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, I glanced over at her and admired the vision sitting beside me. “You look beautiful, by the way,” I complimented as my attention turned back to driving. She’d done as I asked and was wearing a long-sleeved, dark-pinkish tunic dress, with a scoop neck that showed just a hint of cleavage. Her shapely legs were encased in knee-high brown boots that sported a sexy heel, and her lustrous hair tumbled carelessly down her back.
“Thanks.” Her tone was bright and happy, tell
ing me she’d appreciated my appraisal. “You’re not so bad yourself.” I’d traded out my usual jeans and T-shirt or Henley, for a pair of casual, dark brown Chinos, a plaid sport shirt, and desert boots.
“I’m glad you approve,” I told her sincerely, giving her hand a small squeeze. “I didn’t think you’d want to go to a La Trattoria with a bum covered in paint and varnish.” My humor was rewarded with another peal of laughter that warmed me like a summer’s day. I was addicted to it, and I promised myself that I’d hear that sound every day for the rest of my life.
“La Trattoria,” Rachel asked, her voice ringing with excitement. “I used to love going there with Rosa’s family. I haven’t been in years though.”
I seized the opening she’d given me and cautiously probed for information about her past. “You never went with your parents or siblings?” My question was met with silence, but I felt the subtle tightening in her grip, and when I glanced over, I saw her shoulders stiff with tension as she stared out the window.
I was quiet as I contemplated what to do next. I was about the change the subject when she breached the quiet. “I’m an only child. And no, my parents couldn’t afford places like La Trattoria, nor would they spend any money they had on good food when they could waste it on booze or drugs,” she informed me bitterly.
“Well then, I’m glad you only have happy memories of this restaurant.” I brought her hand up to my mouth and brushed my lips along her knuckles. She inhaled sharply, and I stifled a smile at the sign that she was just as affected by me as I was by her. “Let’s make another one—or better yet, the best one, tonight,” I suggested as I pulled into the parking lot outside the little Italian restaurant.
Until the Lightning Strikes: Happily Ever Alpha World Page 5
