Her Gentle Giant: No Regrets (5 page)

Rachel groaned in frustration at being interrupted. His head fell, and he let out a gusty sigh. He pulled away from her without ever entering and said apologetically, “That’s Mike’s ring. I’d better get it.”

“The battery on my phone is dead. My parents may have called him when they couldn’t get through on mine,” she replied with a deep sigh. He was right. Rachel didn’t want Mike or her parents to worry because they’d decided not to answer the phone so they could continue with their lovemaking. It would have been sweet, but even sweet lovemaking under duress was not what she wanted for their first time.

“Yeah.” He returned to the bedroom with his phone to his ear and climbed onto the bed. “She’s fine. No, she’s awake. Here, I’ll let you tell her. It’s Mike.” He handed her his cell phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Rachel. Your mom and dad called me. They got your message and tried your phone and got voice-mail. I told them you said the battery on your phone was running low.”

“Were they upset, Mike?’

“A little maybe, but I think they’re mostly worried about you. They’ll wait to hear from you in the morning, which technically it is now. They want to know if you need them to come back early. I told them I’d let you know. You’ll need to tell them where you’re at when you talk to them, okay?” The unspoken message in his words rang loud and clear. It was up to her to tell her parents she was staying with Eli.

“Of course. Did they expect me to move back home?”

“Didn’t say one way or another, but I think they trust you to make good choices. Don’t worry. They just want to make sure you’re all right. Are you and Eli okay?” he asked gently, not prying.

,

41

“Yes, Mike. We’re fine.” She looked up into Eli’s eyes. He leaned forward, and his lips descended along her jawline.

“Then I’ll let you go. I didn’t give them Eli’s number so call them by mid-morning or they’ll begin to worry,” Mike said then wished her sweet dreams and ended the call. She handed Eli the phone, and he placed it on the bedside table and lay back on his side.

Propping his head on his palm, he gently slid his warm hand over the lower swell of her breast, drawing a shaky sigh from her. She put her forearm under her head and raised the other one to draw her fingers over his warm lips. He kissed her fingers, pressing them to his mouth with his hand.

The mood had shifted even though they were both back in the bed, still naked. It almost felt like her dad was looking over her shoulder. Eli looked at her with understanding in his eyes.

“Rachel, I’ve kept you awake when you should be resting. It will be morning soon, and you need to sleep some more. Would you like to wait?

We can make love later if you want to, but I feel kind of selfish for wanting you, knowing your parents are worried about you and waiting for you to call them.” He covered her with the sheet.

Rachel looked up at him and was surprised once again by his thoughtfulness. There was no way in hell she would have turned him down if he’d wanted to pick up where they left off before the phone rang. He’d noticed the shift in her mood and had acted accordingly, not forcing her to tell him no. There was nothing quite like parental worry and the guilt that followed for dampening the ardor. She admired and respected him for putting her needs and her parents’ needs before his own, knowing he had to be in real need of a release.

“What about you, Eli? I wanted you to feel good, too,” she said softly.

“We can make love later, after you’ve had a chance to call your parents and ease their concerns. Will you tell them you’re staying with me? Tell them I’ll keep you safe?” he said. “You could call them now while I take a shower if you want to. That way you’ll have some privacy.”

“Are you taking a cold shower?” she asked sympathetically.

“Maybe.” He grinned ruefully and handed her the phone. “I doubt that they will mind if you call. It’s already six. The sun will be rising soon. Then we can decide what to do today.”

42

“Wouldn’t you normally sleep in today since you have to work tonight?” She mentally tallied the amount of sleep he lost that night.

“Yes, I would. But if I have you near me, I don’t want to sleep. I want to spend the time with you. If you want a nap later today, we can take one, but I’ll be fine for tonight. I don’t go in until seven on Friday evenings.”

“A nap later would probably feel good. Right now I’m wide awake.

But, Eli?”

“What is it, baby?”

“Later could we make love?”

“Sure, angel. Maybe we’ll have a chance to stop somewhere and pick up a bottle of lubricant. I don’t want to take a chance on hurting you.”

“I need to call my pharmacy, anyway, because my birth control pills were in my medicine cabinet in the apartment. I’ll need to replace them as soon as possible this morning.”

“All right. Why don’t you call and leave a message and that can be our first stop. I’m gonna to take my shower, and then I’ll make you some breakfast.” He dropped a tender kiss on her lips as he climbed naked from the bed. She ogled his ass as he got up, and he chuckled when he caught her at it. It was so hard she bet she could bounce a quarter off it, and some primitive part of her wanted to take a bite of it. Her cheeks felt like they were flaming as she picked up his phone and dialed her dad’s cell phone number.

Her parents were on their annual camping trip in Big Bend National Park. They always went by themselves, packing only the basics.

“Dad? Hi, it’s me.”

“Hi, princess. Are you all right? Mike told us what happened to your apartment.”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“He told me everything he knew. It’s hard for this dad to not be there when you need me. Do you have your emergency fund built up?”

“You taught me well, Dad. One thousand dollars plus about four months’ worth of expenses in the bank, easy to get to. I’ll file my renter’s insurance claim later today.”

“Good. Do you need to come home until you can find another place to live?”

,

43

“No, I already have my eye on a place. It’s quieter and in a safer neighborhood.”

“Where are you staying until you can find out if it’s available?”

“With Eli Wolf. He lives in a duplex, and the other half is vacant. I’m going to talk to the landlord today to see about getting into it.” She listened to the long pause on the line as her father decided what to say next.

“Are you thinking about moving in with him?”

“No, Dad. Eli brought me home with him because it was the logical choice at the time. It was three in the morning when Mike called him, and he was there in less than five minutes. He had room for my stuff, and he knew he had a vacancy next door. It made sense to stay with him. He has been very thoughtful and considerate.”

“We raised you right, princess. I trust you to do what’s best for you, but I’m curious.”

“About what?”

“Do you have feelings for Mr. Wolf?”

“Yes, Dad, I do. I have for a while now. He’s a good man.”

“I know. It’s just hard seeing you as a grownup, making your own choices. I want to hold on to my baby girl. Be careful and take things slow.”

“I promise. Dad? I’m always going to be your little girl.”

“I know, princess, and I love you. Do you need for us to come home?”

“No. I think everything is going to be all right.”

“All right, then we should be home on Wednesday night. Were you able to get much out of your apartment before you left?”

“I threw a bunch of things in garbage bags, plus my box of important papers. But, Dad, my hope chest and Grandma’s tablecloth were in my bedroom.”

“Will they let you go back to salvage?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have Eli check with the fire department. They’re probably investigating the fire right now, but they may let you go in unless the structure is unstable. I’ll look into it, too, when we get back.”

“All right. I love you, Dad. Can I talk to Mom?”

“Love you, too. Here she is.”

Her mom’s dulcet voice came on the line. “Hi, baby. You okay?”

“I’m okay. I haven’t slept much, but otherwise I’m fine.”

44

“So…you’re staying with Eli Wolf?” Rachel smiled at the happy curiosity in her mother’s tone.

“Yes, Mom. Temporarily. He said not to worry. He’d watch out for me and keep me safe.”

“You have feelings for him, don’t you?”

“Yes, Mom, I do. I fought them for a while because of his line of work.

But he’s kind to me and thoughtful. He was there for me last night when everything went up in flames, and he slept on the couch last night and let me have his bed. He says I’m perfect, Mom. How can I fight that?” she asked as she fought the lump in her throat.

Her mom’s voice cut to a conspiratorial whisper. “I say why try? It sounds to me like he may be in love with you.
You
sound like you’re in love.

Don’t tell your father I told you, but he said he approved of Eli. He thinks he needs a haircut, but otherwise he seems to have a made a good impression on your father. Long hair, huh?”

“Trust me, Mom, his hair is perfect the way it is. Thank you for telling me that. It’ll be our little secret. The other half of his duplex is open, and I’m going to see about leasing it today.”

“That’s good. You know you’ll be safe with him nearby. If you need any furniture once you get settled, you can always come see what’s in the storage barn.”

After she ended the call, she placed a refill order on her pharmacy’s automated refill line. She’d just finished when Eli came out of the bathroom with a bath towel wrapped around his hips. The towel didn’t leave any doubt as to whether or not the shower had alleviated his arousal. It hadn’t.

“Sorry, baby. I forgot to take clothes in the bathroom with me.”

“And you’re used to walkin’ around nekkid, aren’t you?” She giggled.

He peered out of the closet at her, wry humor on his face and in his voice as he replied, “As a matter of fact, yes, I do walk around naked after a shower. Though I’m not usually in the condition I currently am when I do.”

“Which would be?” she asked, giggling some more.

Emerging from the closet with a fresh pair of jeans on, he answered,

“Hard, achy, and a little needy.” He sat on the edge of the bed, putting a pair of socks on and then his boots.

“I have a game plan,” she said as she propped herself up with pillows.

“Whatever it is, I’m at your disposal.”

,

45

“I’ll get ready, and we can eat an early breakfast. I need to call Mr.

Gran and tell him what happened and take the day off. Then I need to run to the Wal-Mart on the Interstate. I need to get some clothing and other stuff.

We can come back to the pharmacy for my pills and the lubricant. We’ll call your landlord while we’re on the road, and Dad asked if you would call the fire department about the possibility of checking for things that might be salvageable. Once we’ve done all of that we’d have the day to ourselves.

Then
maybe I could tend to your
neediness
.” She said the last part to him softly as she sat up in his bed and tucked the top sheet under her arms.

He smiled cautiously at her. “You know, there’s no hurry about you moving, Rachel. I’d let you stay here as long as you wanted.” He leveled his gray gaze at her. “Even let you stay permanently.” She crawled to him, bringing the sheet with her, and put her arms around his shoulders.

“That’s very sweet of you, Eli, but I won’t live with a man I’m not married to. I don’t want a live-in arrangement. What you and I have is so new. I wouldn’t want to rush into something like that, although under the circumstances, it is very tempting. My parents would take a dim view of it, and I don’t want to damage the good impression you’ve made on my dad.”

His eyebrows arched in surprise. “I made a good impression on your dad?”

“You sure did, but he thinks you need a haircut,” she said and chuckled.

He turned a mischievous grin on her. “What do you think?”

“I think your hair is perfect the way it is. I love it.” She nuzzled her nose in the damp strands.

He pulled her into his lap with the sheet all twisted around her. “You knew I would offer to let you move in, right?”

“Yeah, I figured you would. You knew I would have to turn you down, right?”

“Yeah, I did. So we’re okay?”

“Yes, and later we’ll have the afternoon to spend doing whatever you’d like.”

“I think we both know what that would be.” He smirked as he caressed her fingers on his chest.

“I think we’d both
agree
what that would be.”

46

After breakfast, the first item on Rachel’s agenda was calling her boss.

Mr. Grogan was surprised and very sympathetic, offering her whatever time off she needed. She told him she would see him bright and early Monday morning. At the store, she found what she’d need to tide her over for a while as far as clothing and toiletries were concerned.

Eli called his landlord and arranged to meet with him at the duplex right after lunch and talked to the fire chief while she ran into the pharmacy and picked up her birth control pills and the lubricant. The fire chief told him the structure remained intact in the rear portion of the building. Only the front of the structure around the porch had collapsed, so they could probably get in through the rear door to check for any salvageable belongings once the investigation was over with.

The fire chief said the preliminary investigation indicated that faulty wiring was the cause of the fire, and asked Eli to wait until they were completely finished before attempting to get into her apartment. The chief also recommended that Eli not go alone or allow her to go in alone. Eli called Mike and Rogelio, who were more than willing to come help the next day.

They stopped for a quick early lunch and got back to his place shortly before his landlord arrived. Charlie greeted her and gave her an application to fill out, which she did after she did a walk-through of the duplex. She could envision the space, a mirror image of Eli’s, with a minimum of clutter, potted plants and a new aquarium. She needed to find a bed and a couch and other smaller pieces. The closet had a large built-in dresser so she’d need a mirror for her bedroom, but that was it. The price was right, and they shook hands on it. He told her he needed to run a background check on her, which was a formality, and he’d be in touch with her that evening to get the keys to her. After he left, she turned to Eli, and his eyes twinkled playfully as she
,

47

wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to lift her off her feet and hug her.

“Hello, neighbor,” he said huskily before he kissed her deeply. She melted in his arms, and her lips fell open under his onslaught. His warm tongue stroked hers as they stood on her soon-to-be front porch. They were interrupted by the sound of a truck door slamming and a wolf whistle.

“Hey, you two, get a room!” Jack Warner called out as he came around the front of his SUV to open his wife’s door for her. Eli released Rachel with a sigh and a little whimper. She giggled up at him but hoped this didn’t mean that their time alone together was about to evaporate before her eyes.

Rachel stepped off the porch to go and greet them. She hugged Grace Warner, who looked completely radiant as usual.

Grace looked into her eyes with concern. “Rachel, I heard what happened last night. I’m so sorry! I’m glad you’re all right. I brought you some stuff. Hey, Eli,” she tugged on Rachel’s arm and pulled her toward the SUV, “Rachel and I need some girl talk for a minute. I’ll be right back, honey. Come here, Rachel. Let me show you what I brought you!”

Grace pulled her around to the rear doors of the SUV, which was full of shopping bags. Had Grace gone to the mall in Morehead to shop? Grace turned to her conspiratorially. “I never saw two people more meant to be together than the two of you. That lip-lock he had you in was very impressive!” she whispered. “Did you spend the night here last night at his place?” Grace’s enthusiasm was undeniable.

“Uh-huh!”

“Is he a good kisser?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Did you fool around last night?”

“A little.”

“A little?” Grace snorted a little in disgust. “Did you get laid or not?”

Rachel laughed out loud. “You sound more like Charity every time I see you, Grace. We fooled around, but we haven’t made love…
yet
.”

“Yet?”

“We were headed that direction when you pulled up.”

Grace’s eyes opened wide, and she grimaced then turned to grab shopping bags. “Crap! Sorry. Let’s get this stuff unloaded, and we’ll get out of your hair. Why were you on the other porch?”

48

“Because I’m renting out the other half of the duplex. Eli and I will be neighbors.”

“For
now
,” Grace said with a smirk. “You were meant to be together.”

“I’m not moving in with a man I’m not married to. Uh, no offense, Grace,” she added, hoping she had not offended her friend who, for a short time, had lived with her three husbands prior to marrying them.

“Oh, none taken. They knew I wouldn’t settle for a live-in arrangement, either. The damage to my house moved me in a little faster than we anticipated, but it never occurred to me to go anywhere else but to them.”

“I felt the same way, Grace. Last night when he told me about the duplex and offered me a place to stay, I knew I needed to go with him. I’ve been fighting the attraction I feel for him since I first met him. I’m not gonna do that anymore.”

“I can’t believe it took so long for the two of you to get together.”

“You know why I couldn’t go out with him.”

“Why the hell not? I mean, look at him!”

“Yes, I know, but I’ve also seen the way women throw themselves at him in the club. Grace, I’m the jealous type, and I don’t think I’d react well to them doing that if we were together. I was afraid I’d only cause him trouble at work. I know Ethan and Ben’s policy about no domestic strife in the bar.”

Grace grew thoughtful. “Rachel, they mean no fighting between couples if one is employed there. As in, don’t go in there and squabble with
him.

Ethan would understand if you had to ask someone to keep her hands off Eli. You remember that crap with Patricia the night I met you? That happened because she wouldn’t keep her grubby hands off of Ethan. Ethan had no problem with it because I was a lady when I did it. That’s all he asks, Rachel. No hair pulling or cat fights.” Grace peeked through the inner window of the SUV to see where the men stood a short distance away, talking, before she continued.

“
Look
at him, Rachel. He’s so purty I don’t see how you could stand it the last two months. Believe me. I know adoration when I see it. He adores you. I think Eli would also set any women straight who laid their hands on him if he
knew
he was yours. It’s obvious from the way his eyes follow you he
wants
to be yours. He wouldn’t tolerate someone upsetting you anymore than my men would. You need to give him a chance.”

,

49

Rachel ogled Eli through the window and prayed that Grace was right.

“I hope it works out the way you say. We’re going to spend some time alone this afternoon.”

“Mmm, ‘time alone.’ Two of my favorite words.” Grace sighed as she lifted another bag from the back of the vehicle. “Let’s get these things inside, and we’ll leave you alone. You can call me later with all the details, though, okay?”

Rachel chuckled and shook her head as she lifted bags out. “You sound more like your sister every day.”

“Thank you, Rachel. That’s sweet of you.”

“Speaking of details, I haven’t heard all about the honeymoon and Grand Cayman Island.”

“We’ll get together sometime soon and talk about everything, but this is the short version. We went snorkeling, got laid, went swimming with dolphins, had a foursome, went shopping, got laid some more, visited Hell—which is a real location on the island—had another foursome, which was heavenly, by the way, went dancing, gave great head, and got laid.

There. That’s what I did on my honeymoon.” She burst out laughing at the dazed look on Rachel’s face.

“You really do that, Grace? Have foursomes? Like…” If ever there was going to be an opportunity to assuage her curiosity, this was it.

“All three at the same time?” Grace whispered breathlessly, giggling.

“Oh, hell yes! I absolutely
live
in heaven. Can you imagine,” she spoke softly, looking around to see if the men were listening, “having three handsome, thoughtful men tend to your needs? All loving you and paying attention to you at the same time, murmuring sweet words in your ear, and kissing you all over, making love to you? When someone loves you like that, you’ll do anything you can to make them feel loved in return, and that’s the truth, Rachel.”

“Some time, if you wouldn’t think it’s too weird, I’d like to get some pointers from you, since you’re the
voice of experience.
” Rachel’s cheeks went red-hot as she glanced over at Eli.

“I’ll help however I can. Ask me
anything
,” Grace replied with a twinkle in her eyes.