Her Gentle Giant, Part 2: Remember to Dance (6 page)

Rachel nodded and found her voice. “I’m all right, Eli.”

Eli looked closely at her as if assessing her for injuries. He looked up at Ethan, who stood behind her and, after a moment, nodded. She had not looked back at Ethan, so she didn’t know what communication had passed between them.

“Come on, Rachel. Eli will be back in a few minutes. I want you to sit with us until he does. Are you sure you’re okay?” Ethan asked as he escorted her away from the men but not before she heard a meaty thud and a groan.

“I’m a little shaky, but otherwise I’m fine. Wow, that was close, I think.”

“I saw it happen. You have no idea how close you came to getting clocked by that dumbass drunk’s fist. It’s a good thing I saw you standing in the doorway and pulled you out. Otherwise, we might still be picking you up.”

“Thank you, Ethan, for looking out for me,” she said as he led her to his table.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. This is Joseph Hazelle. Joseph, this is a close friend of ours, Rachel Lopez. Rachel is newly engaged to Eli Wolf, whom you met earlier.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rachel. I’m sorry that unpleasantness precipitated our meeting but glad to meet you all the same,” Joseph said as he shook her hand. His hands were firm and strong. Not as rough as Eli’s but not soft by any means, either.

“The feeling is mutual, Mr. Hazelle, believe me. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Rachel attributed her bravado to the adrenaline rush and nerves because she was now completely at ease speaking with Mr. Hazelle, where before she had felt only intimidated by him. She smiled and thanked Ethan when he quickly returned with a Coke from the bar for her. She sat in the chair Ethan offered her and sipped her drink, gazing over to the hallway Eli had disappeared down a few moments before.

“Eli will be back in a minute, I’m sure. It was bad enough that bozo started a fight and needed to be removed, but he nearly injured you on top of that. I’m sure Eli is having a talk with him about that right now.”

“A talk?” She grinned. “Kind of like that talk you all had with Jim and Roy? Your fists and their faces?”

Ethan nodded seriously and replied, “If it had been Grace standing there, I know what I’d be doing right now. I imagine he’s doing the same. That guy came in here looking for trouble, picked a fight and he’s earned whatever he’s getting.”

Joseph nodded in agreement.

“What caused the fight in the first place?”

“What’s behind most of the fights that happen here?” Ethan asked, discreetly gesturing at a rather dejected looking woman as she gathered her coat and purse and was led from the club by a tall, handsome cowboy.

“A woman?”

“There are few other things worth fighting over,” Joseph said quietly. Rachel wasn’t quite sure what to make of his statement.

 Speaking to Joseph, Ethan said, “Grace and Rachel are close friends. They’ve been busy planning Rachel’s wedding, which is next month.”

“That’s good. Eli sounds like a happy man,” Joseph replied.

They conversed for a few minutes, and during that time, neither Joseph nor Ethan mentioned Joseph’s line of work, and Rachel didn’t, either

 “I got a text from Jack earlier that Grace tried on her dress and modeled it for him and Adam,” Ethan said with a grin. “From the sound of things, you all must have had a good time this afternoon.”

Rachel laughed. “We did. Your wife loves to shop.”

Eli and the others returned from the hallway, looking cool and unruffled. At least that’s how it appeared until she saw the feral gleam in Eli’s eyes. Before she could rise from her chair, he was beside her.

“Are you all right?” His eyes were fierce as he gently checked every inch of her face, making sure for himself.

“Yes. Ethan got me out of the way in time. Let me see your hands.” She turned them palm down so she could see his knuckles, which were red and a bit swollen. “Thank you, Eli. Sorry my reflexes weren’t better. Then I wouldn’t have been anywhere near him. I was a little awestruck, watching you.”

He enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Were ya?”

She nodded. “You’re very powerful. Very good at your job. Scary good.” She snuggled up to him. Mike and Rogelio had already returned to the front.

“Did I scare you?”

She leaned into him and whispered softly, “You turn me on when you’re like that.”

He grinned knowingly but tried to control his expression.

Turning to his boss, who was already caught up in conversation with Joseph again, he said, “Unless you need anything else, Ethan, we’ll head back up to the front.”

“Will one of you check the parking lot? I want to make sure Heather and Sam were able to leave without being harassed. Jeremy was here with several guys, not just the two who got kicked out with him.”

“Sure thing. Thanks for watching out for Rachel for me.”

“It was our pleasure. I’m just glad she didn’t get hurt.” Ethan hugged Rachel back as she reached for him. “We’ve got to watch out for our girls, right?”

“You do a fine job, too,” Rachel replied as Eli tucked her against him and they started to make their way back to the front. She turned back for a moment, “It was nice to meet you, Joseph.”

“Likewise, Rachel. Likewise,” Joseph said with a smile and a nod.

* * * *

Rachel watched with enjoyment as Eli lifted baby Matthew into his embrace for one last kiss on the cheek. Matthew squealed and grinned, showing his toothless gums. “Later, little buddy. Be good for Mommy.” He nuzzled the thick black hair on top of Matthew’s head and kissed his crown.

The way Eli was with Matthew made Rachel yearn to have kids with him. She wanted a few years to play with Eli, like she’d said before, but she looked forward to watching him with his own children. He was confident as he handled the baby and so openly affectionate. He was not the kind of man to maintain a tough guy image. On the contrary, he acted like a clown and talked baby talk with Matthew, which Kelly hated. She’d gotten on him several times about it.

The last time had been the evening before while she’d been packing.

“If you don’t stop that, he’s going to develop improper speech habits,” Kelly had fussed at him.

“He’s two and a half months old,” Eli had said, defending himself.

“Yes, but if you’re in the habit of baby talking with him, you’ll still be doing it when he’s a year old. When his kindergarten teacher contacts me and wants to talk about speech therapy, I’m going to call
you
first.” She’d poked him with a little manicured index finger. Rachel thought watching the little pixie fuss at her big brother had been like watching a tiny kitten taunt a big, lovable mastiff.

“Come on, it’s not that big a deal—”

“Stop it. Or I bring Rachel your baby pictures, including the nekkid ones the next time I come visit.” She’d put her hands on her hips, and an evil grin had spread on her face. Rachel had a feeling Kelly was going to bring them
anyway
.

Eli looked genuinely horrified, quickly changed his tune, and had started backtracking. “
Never mind.
I won’t do it anymore.”

“What a minute, there are nekkid baby pictures of Eli?” Rachel had asked with a snicker. Her imagination had gone wild, trying to picture this big, formidable, sexy man as a little baby or toddler.

“It’ll never happen again!” Eli had yelled in mock horror. “I promise!” He’d threw his hands up in surrender.

“I may carry them with me for insurance. Especially the one with the water hose,” Kelly said then had laughed with an unladylike snort. “Rachel, you’d be amazed by how big those old-fashioned diapers would swell up with water before they finally
exploded
,” she’d hinted with an evil gleam in her eyes.

“Sis, don’t you dare!”

Wow, Rachel had thought, it must have been a really embarrassing picture.

Rachel had consoled Eli. “Oh, come on, Eli. Mom showed you mine, and you’ll recall there were several nekkid baby pictures.” She’d rubbed his chest and winked at Kelly. She had every intention of seeing
all
his baby pictures.

“Yeah, but you were a pretty little baby girl. And your mom promised no other boyfriends ever saw those pictures,” Eli had reminded her.

Kelly had snorted. “Eli, you were as cute as you could be with that water hose stuck in your diaper. You looked like you were
really
enjoying it.”

 He’d glowered at his little sister. “It was hot! Come on.”

“Aw! You thought I was a pretty little baby girl?” Rachel had cooed, pretending to disregard their argument.

Grinning at her, Eli had ignored Kelly like a bothersome gnat. “Angel, you were gorgeous! With your pretty
widdle
bwoo
eyes and your cute
widdle
dimpled
heinie
,” he’d replied as he nuzzled her neck then he’d whispered softly, “Luscious.”

In disgust, Kelly had said, “Oh, you two make me wanna
gag
!”

“It’s got more dimples now!” Rachel had giggled as he’d palmed her ass.

She’d hoped Kelly couldn’t hear his reply. “I’d like to nibble your luscious ass right now.”

She’d whispered back, “You only want to nibble it?”

The devilish look in Eli’s eyes had led her to believe what other things he’d like to do to her ass.

 Kelly had made a gagging sound and gestured like she was sticking her fingers down her throat before she’d turned to Matthew in his bouncy seat. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Mommy won’t let Uncle Eli teach you any bad habits.” Matthew had passed gas and blown a spit bubble. She’d frowned and said, “Too late.”

All three of them burst out laughing at Matthew’s well-timed humor.

“Remember, I have those pictures,
you
,” she said, jabbing her finger at him in mock-threat, and then she winked at Rachel.

Yep, she’s still bringing the pictures.

Kelly hugged them both hard and got on the road, anxious to get the three-hour drive over with.

At the Toyota dealership in Morehead, Rachel found a jet-black four-door Tundra that she fell in love with. It had leather seats, dark tinted windows, and a decent stereo. She negotiated with the salesman and got a great deal. Rachel wasn’t jazzed about taking on a new car payment, but she’d had great luck with her last Toyota and knew this vehicle would be around for a while. Plus, it had four doors, so it would be great for when they had kids and car seats to deal with.

They decided before they got out of Eli’s vehicle that if she found a truck she loved, she’d negotiate the best deal she could and then tell the salesman she wanted to take two days to cool off and make sure it was the right choice. The salesman didn’t greet this announcement with enthusiasm, as predicted, and threw in an upgraded MP3 compatible stereo, premium floor mats, heavy-duty bed liner, and a maintenance package if they did the paperwork today.

“I don’t care about those things. We’ll upgrade the sound system with a stereo of my choosing, not whatever you have in inventory. The floor mats that are in it will last forever. I don’t need ones that have the company logo on them, which is the only real difference. The heavy-duty bed liner is fine, but the maintenance package is really nothing but oil changes, which I can do myself,” she said with a bit of a scoff. She smiled at the salesman, who was anxious that they not leave without a truck, and said, “Knock another fifteen hundred off the price you’ve already quoted to us and we’ll sit down and fill out the paperwork right now.”

The salesman excused himself to speak with his “supervisor,” who Rachel knew was just another salesman in a different office. As they walked around the car, Eli surreptitiously caressed Rachel’s ass. “You drive a
hard
bargain, Miss Lopez.”

“I’m good at negotiating, Mr. Wolf. There’s nothing I love more than
driving
a
hard
bargain,” she said seductively.

Eli groaned softly and leaned over to her as she climbed in the driver’s seat. She glanced at the salesman through the glass window in his office.

“What if he offers a thousand off?”

“I’ll ask for twelve hundred and settle for eleven hundred if he makes the offer and doesn’t waste any more of our time. It’ll be suppertime by the time we get back to Divine, and I’ll be hungry. Heaven forbid I should get cranky,” she said.

The negotiations went as predicted. Eleven hundred
with
the stereo upgrade and bed liner. Rachel smiled when the salesman offered to deliver the vehicle since she was not cleared to drive yet. They were home with plenty of time to go by the store, get shrimp to put on the grill, and a buy bottle of wine to celebrate.

Crankiness averted.

Chapter Thirty-four

The following weekend, Eli’s suspicions were realized when he drove Rachel to Grace’s house and found Kelly there already. She made no secret of the big box on the dining room table, which he knew contained baby pictures. His mom and dad had taken lots of baby pictures. Lots and lots.

Hell, if it made Rachel happy, Kelly could show them every single one, even the really embarrassing ones. Renata and Grace’s friend, and former co-worker, Teresa was also there. Eli pulled Rachel into the kitchen so he could talk with her in private.

He slipped his big hands over her hips and groaned softly as she pressed her soft breasts against his chest. “I slipped a little something for you in your makeup case and in your luggage.”

“You did? A surprise for me? Will I like it?”

“I already know you like it,” he hinted then grinned at her curious expression.

“I know you’ll probably stay up late, but text me after you find them tonight.”

“I have to wait?”

“Until bedtime. Text me when you go to bed.”

“What if it’s super late?”

“Angel, I only sleep well with you. I’ll probably still be awake. Text me, and I’ll call you back. Where are you sleeping?” Eli asked, looking around.

“I’m in Ethan’s bedroom.”

“Good, any roommates?”

“No. Everyone got their own room. We’ll probably be down here in the living room most of the evening.”

“Good, so when you go to bed you’ll have some privacy.”

“I should, yeah. Eli, are we going to have
phone sex
?” Rachel whispered, blushing a pretty rose color.

“You’ll see,” he said mischievously.

Everyone was talking in the living room and going in and out of the front door, loading up.

Ethan came in the kitchen. “Hey, Eli, can you help me for a second?”

Eli nodded then smiled down at her. “Be right back, angel. I’m not leaving until I get my good-bye kiss.” He left her with Grace as she came in the kitchen.

Eli followed Ethan up the stairs to Grace’s opulent master bedroom suite. Jack and Adam were downstairs helping load the two SUVs they were taking with them. Eli could tell how much Grace’s men cared about her and how much they enjoyed spoiling her as he looked around at the beautifully furnished and decorated room.

“While they’re all occupied, I wanted to show you something we did for Grace as a wedding present. Grace’s sister arranged for these to be done. I thought I’d suggest you doing something similar that fits your relationship and your personality, for Rachel. Grace was floored when she saw these the first time. She really loves them. She told me if the house ever catches fire, she’s grabbing us, these three portraits, and her laptop before she heads out the door.” Ethan led him to each one and showed him the three outdoor portraits they had made for Grace as a wedding gift.

“Charity arranged this?”

“Yeah, she was a pivotal force in our relationship with Grace,” Ethan said cryptically.

“I’ll have to call her. These are awesome, man. I’ll bet Grace loves them,” Eli said. Looking around, he added, “Your house is nice.”

“That’s Grace. We did some major remodeling, but Grace has a touch that makes everything around her better,” Ethan said then slowed on the stairs and turned to him. “It was just a house and then she came.”

“I know what you mean, Ethan,” Eli said, nodding. “Where would we be?”

“Cold and lonely, man. Cold and lonely,” Ethan replied knowingly. “Thought I would share those with you. Food for thought. It would make a nice surprise for her.”

“I’ll call Charity. It’s a great idea, and I know Rachel would love it.”

“Charity would probably help you get it arranged since you’ve known each other a while. She’s a hoot.”

They returned to the hubbub downstairs. A few minutes later, all the men loaded up into Peter and Ethan’s SUVs and left the girls to their fun.