Breathing His Air (34 page)

The reason for his hurry to go home was evident in the way he bossed her around, and his gaze grew in intensity. She melted. Tomorrow she could go back to normal. Right now, she had to go home with her man.

Chapter Forty-One

One year later.

Rain kissed Tori below her ear, down the line of her neck, and back up to her mouth. He smiled at the way her leg curled around his hip. She’d called him out, believing he was too tired to have sex, and he was damned if he’d let the opportunity get by.

“Honey,” she begged in the soft voice that made his toes curl, and he had the urge to lock her in the bedroom until he got his fill.

He slipped his hands over her curves, sliding along her sides and cupping the plump swell of her breast. “Does this look like I’ve had enough?”

Then she kissed him and tangled her tongue with his. He rolled over on his back, taking her with him. His mouth went away, and he cupped her ass, gazing up at the perfect woman.

She snickered. He grinned. She was so whacked.

“Never. Absolutely never, will I ever get tired of you or your body,” he said.

Her blue eyes grew smoky, and his breath lodged in his chest. She grew more beautiful every day.

He slipped his hand between her body and his, found her heat, and slowly rubbed her. She planted her hands on his chest, letting her head fall back, giving him a view of her that he dreamt about every time he closed his eyes.

Sexier than anyone had a right to be, no matter if she was in their kitchen cooking him dinner with one of her frilly aprons on or if she was covered in mud from riding one of the many trails around the property on the Pinkster. She simply fascinated him. Not that she’d sat her butt on the bike lately.

There would be a time when she’d be allowed to ride again, but not yet. There were more important things to do.

She squirmed on top of him. The arches of his feet constricted. With his free hand, he guided her to his erection, sucking air when she took every inch.

“Sweet, babe.” Electricity shot straight down his legs.

She rocked back and forth. “Wonderful.”

He raised his head, watching where their bodies connected. He used the pad of his thumb to stroke her nub. “Yeah.”

She bit her lip and her nails dug into his skin. He lifted his hips, giving her more as she continued to caress him. His stomach took a swift dip, and an urgent need to bring her to peak hit him.

“Rain?” She panted.

“I got you.” He continued touching her, bringing her higher.

And, he knew she liked what he was doing. Her movements became frantic, and she closed her eyes. The little line between her brows grew deeper.

“Eyes.” His breath was ragged, slipping with his control. “Look at my eyes.”

Together, locked as one, taking and giving of each other, she came. Which sent him over the top. He grabbed her hips, holding her in place as tremors racked his limbs and he spent himself in her.

They collected their breaths, and then he helped her off him. She walked to the bathroom naked, and he let his head drop to the mattress. He felt the smile on his lips throughout his whole body.

He heard the shower start, and he must’ve dozed, because the next thing he knew she was kissing him awake. He slipped his hand around her neck. “Sorry. Must’ve drifted off.”

“You needed your rest. The long hours you’ve been working have caught up.” She kissed him. “Why don’t you shower? I’m going to go start the grill on the deck. I’m sure you’re starving. Burgers sound good?”

“Yeah.” He watched her walk out of the room in a pair of yoga pants and a zippered top that hugged her curves, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Six months pregnant, her belly rounded with his baby, she looked fucking gorgeous. He thought he’d received everything in life he could ask for, but when she’d greeted him after work with the softest expression on her face and tears threatening to break, he’d thought the worst.

Instead, he’d heard his third-favorite set of words to come out of her mouth —
We’re pregnant.
He walked into the bathroom and turned on the water, waited a few seconds for the shower to heat, then stepped under the spray
. I’m pregnant
only slightly outdone by his second favorite words,
I do,
and his number one favorite words,
I love you
. He never tired of hearing her whisper those words.

At one time, he thought he’d lose her. Thanks to Sanchez, they’d found her in time and she’d recovered fine. Better than fine.

She’d grown and come to terms with the life she’d lived. He’d sworn she’d never want for anything.

A week ago, they’d received an anonymous postcard at Cactus Cove from Palm Springs, California. She’d ran into his office, slammed the door, and held the piece of mail out in front of her as if she were presenting him with a winning lottery ticket. Damn close.

One side of the postcard had a picture of a palm tree next to a ritzy hotel. On the back, written in ink, it read, “I hope he’s taking care of you, amiga. Be happy.”

Sanchez had let them both know he was okay in the best way possible.

Relieved to hear from the man who used to cause him so many problems, he and Tori celebrated later that night. Whether they ever met again or not, he considered Sanchez a brother for life.

He sure hoped Sanchez rode across their path one day. Their debt wasn’t even. Rain still owed him for saving Tori’s life, and having his back.

Ethan recovered, and got life in prison without parole for the kidnapping and attempt to murder Tori. Whatever Sanchez had done behind the scenes, the Federal court also got Tori’s brother on overseas drug distribution, and tied him in as an accomplice to three murders. Tori, who swore she didn’t lose sleep over the news, proved to Rain how much she’d moved away from her past by taking the news and not giving it another thought.

Toweled off, he pulled on a pair of jeans and a black shirt and walked barefooted down the stairs. Taking his time, he looked at the multitude of pictures Tori had taken in the last year documenting their life.

There was one of him standing beside her at their wedding inside the bar. His riders had jumped into duty when Tori asked for help, and cleared out the inside of Cactus Cove, transforming the place into the fantasy wedding for her. She stood in her white wedding gown, turned toward him, her hand on his stomach. He sighed happily.

The other pictures caught the people in their life. Group pictures of the first riders and the second riders in the Bantorus club. The waitresses when they all danced at Tori’s bachelorette party. He chuckled. They’d helped her home after she let loose with a bottle of tequila.

After they’d brought her home safely, she clumsily danced a strip tease in the middle of the bed, making him laugh so hard his stomach ached the next day.
Such a goof.

“Honey?” Tori called from downstairs.

He jogged down the rest of the steps. “Yeah?”

She smiled and pointed to the plate. “Burger’s done.”

He sat with her at the table off the kitchen. Another purchase she’d sworn a real family had to have if they were going to have a proper place to sit and eat. The day they’d bought the table, she’d worried him.

Every table that caught her eye, she’d sit down on the floor and peer up at the bottom, shake her head, and move on to the next one. When she’d reached the eight-person, wood table, she’d sat on the floor, nodded, and deemed it perfect.

Later, she’d confessed that she never wanted a table in the house that had expandable metal sliders underneath. He’d held her for the longest time afterward, not understanding the fear he’d seen in her eyes and hoping it’d never return.

“How do you like the name Gage?” She picked at a piece of cheese hanging out of her hamburger bun.

“It’s fine.”

She snorted. “You say that with every name I pick. In three months, this boy’s going to come out expecting to have a name.”

He wiped his mouth off on the napkin. “It’s a girl.”

“Honey, it’s a boy.”

“You can go on believing that … ” He grinned.

He’d be happy with a boy, but he was sure it was a girl. A daughter who’d grow up to be as wonderful as her mom. A mix of classy, beautiful looks, and goofier than hell. She’d be nothing less with a mom like hers.

“I love you, babe.”

She turned to him; her eyes softened, her lips softened even more, and in the slightest whisper, she said, “I love you too, honey.”

A Sneak Peek from Crimson Romance
(From
Urgent: One Nanny Required
by Olivia Logan)

She wasn’t sure if it was the unexpected “Excuse me” from the other side of the door or the worn surface of the “Welcome to Belle’s Sweets” mat that made her slip, but within seconds Rania George went one way as the mat went the other and she fell with a hard thud on her butt. Dazed, she found herself looking up into a pair of worried brown eyes. If the boy thought it odd she was now on the floor with her legs askew, he was too polite to mention it.

“Are you closed?” His voice was barely audible over the icy British February wind.

Pushing herself up, she pointed to the faded “Closed” sign at the front, “I’m afraid we shut early today.” The oddest feeling of déjà vu settled over her as she saw his shoulders slump and the ash blond hair fall forward as he nodded slowly before turning to walk away. A small winged eagle badge on the oversized black blazer came into view. She recognized him. He was the same kid who hovered outside the shop window every day after school with a harassed woman in tow. She swung the door wide as the rusty bolt gave way without a fuss. He paused, turning around, eyes downcast.

“Hey. Aren’t you a bit young to be out when it’s this late? And where is the lady that is normally with you?” she asked, her eyes combing up and down the street.

“She is my babysitter. And I don’t like that one,” came the sorrowful reply, lower lip coming forward and beginning to tremble. “Besides, I’m old enough. I’m eight.”

Her stomach flip-flopped at the words “that one.” Memories she had thought long buried came back in waves. Images of countless babysitters for those times her mother went out chasing her dream flashed before her. Angry tears burned behind her eyes and she blinked them away rapidly. “You shouldn’t be out on your own when it is so dark. Come in and we’ll give your house a call to let them know where you are,” she said, moving aside as he practically ran in, wandering from sweet jar to sweet jar, eyes agog at the variety.

Bolting the door, she gently moved him aside as she squeezed through the narrow aisle.

“Right, little man, what’s your home number?” She picked up the banana handset ready to give whoever answered a piece of her mind on child safety.

He shrugged as he stared at a large jar of fizzy cola bottles. “Can’t remember. But my dad said I can get my own phone when I’m ten.” Rania rolled her eyes heavenward. This seriously couldn’t be happening. “Well, how about … ”

She jumped as a sharp bang on the glass brought her planning to an end as a dark shadow loomed large and ominous outside; the shop’s dim light ineffective against the wintery darkness.

“Hello. Can I help you?” she called out, simultaneously replacing the receiver while handing a paper bag to the boy whose small hands had started to make their way into an open box of chewy caramels.

“I believe you have my son,” growled an angry masculine voice from the other side.

“Dad!” came the high-pitched exclamation, a paper bag hitting the floor as the boy rushed toward the door.

“Hang on a sec, kid.” She reached past him to pop the lock, sidestepping quickly as a tall, blond man strode through, tie askew, top button undone. The fading smell of his aftershave engulfed her senses as he moved past.

“Theo! Thank God! There you are!” he exclaimed, swooping his son up into a bear hug and whirling him around. Interestingly, despite the February chill he wasn’t wearing a jacket, giving Rania a full view of muscular forearms under the rolled up gray shirt.

“I’ve been worried sick about you! What were you thinking, running away from Lena again?”

“I wanted to go the sweet shop. This is Belle. It’s her sweet shop,” came the grinning unrepentant reply accompanied by a small grubby finger being pointed in her direction.

The initial feeling of annoyance at being ignored when he first arrived gave way to slight panic as ice blue eyes glued her to the spot. Nope, not just ice blue. They were glacial blue. A striking addition to the chiseled jaw and straight Roman nose.

“How did you know where I was?” asked the young Houdini, smile still firmly in place.

“Newton’s not the biggest village and Lena told me you liked coming here every day after school. Where else would I look?” The patient response was a clear sign this wasn’t the first time this had happened. “Why don’t you go and have a look around the shop. I would like to talk to Belle for a minute,” he said, gently setting his son down and ruffling the floppy hair.

“Theo, there is another paper bag on the counter. You can help yourself to some sweets. That is, if your dad doesn’t mind?” she called after him.

Solemn brown eyes looked up into blue ones and Rania could swear the kid could have given Bambi a run for his money when it came to the eye thing. Within seconds, a slow smile broke out on Theo Senior’s face, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle and the glacial blue to melt to the color of a stream on a summer’s day.

Damn he was handsome
, Rania thought, while she tried to focus more on the fact that he was probably going to cross-examine her on how his son came to be in her shop at this time of night.

Watching the blond hair scamper away, she turned slowly, disconcerted to find that at only five feet three she came up to the middle of his chest. Having to look up at people was nothing new, but talking to one that resembled an Adonis was a first.

“Ms. Belle … … ” the smooth voice began, goose bumps already beginning to shimmer their way up and down her arms.