Redeeming Justice (31 page)

Grabbing her by the nape of her neck, he marched her into his wardrobe and yanked
a button down shirt off a hanger, covering her quickly while muttering all the while
about her being the death of him. She liked it when he got all caveman like.

“My turn,” she said winking at him. Looking around at his clothes she settled on a
pair of jeans and a dark V-neck t-shirt then asked with her eyes where his underwear
was. Pointing to one of the built-in drawers, she pulled it open and took her damn
good time rifling through his briefs until she found a pair she liked.

Knowing his scars sometimes made clothes uncomfortable, he preferred form fitting
and extremely skimpy cotton briefs that showcased his powerful masculinity the way
a skin-tight Speedo would. Which was fine by her.

Kneeling at his feet with a totally innocent expression, she helped him step into
the underwear, then as slowly as humanly possible shimmied them up his legs, palming
his impressive bulge once it was covered. Planting a swift kiss on his cotton covered
manhood, she reached for his jeans while he watched her every move with a hooded expression.

Getting his jeans on was almost as much fun as the briefs. Pulling the zipper up proved
a bit of a challenge though. All women had to worry about was damp panties when they
got aroused. It was a completely different story for guys. Figuring slow and steady
was the best way to proceed; she finally pulled the tab over the last of the zipper’s
teeth and yanked on the waistband so she could press the button through its hole.

Standing before him, Meghan bit the inside of her mouth to keep from smiling at the
hot leer plastered on his face. When she reached for the t-shirt she accidentally
nudged the prominent bulge under his zipper, muttered a completely shameless, “Ooopsie,”
followed by a very intentional sweep of her hand across his tight ass.

“Oh, you are
so
getting spanked woman,” he groaned.

This time she didn’t even try to hide the smile. She bunched up the t-shirt just like
she would when dressing one of her young nieces or nephews and held it up for him
to slide his arms into. From there it was a swift tug over his head and then he was
covered.
Dammit.

His hair was a mess from the shower, not that it ever really looked all the groomed
and she ran her fingers rather possessively through the unruly mop, forcing it into
some semblance of order.

“Tell me something Meghan.”

She looked at him with an amused expression and said, “What?”

“If I were to put my hand between your legs right now, would you be wet?”

“Seriously?” she barked. “
Seriously
? You want to know if I’m
wet
? Are you standing anywhere near me, baby? Cause that’s where the answer lies. All
you have to do is walk in the room and yes. Wet would be a good description.”

She enjoyed the lascivious grin and the way he leaned into her and breathed deep.
It made her shudder with awareness. She knew, even after the shower, he could pick
up his scent clinging to her skin. It was part of her now. Much to her chagrin, she
felt a trickle of arousal roll down her thigh. He asked if she was wet. Who the hell
was he kidding? Being so close to his powerful masculinity gave new meaning to the
expression
wet and willing
.

She blushed the same color as her hair, making him laugh. “That bad, huh? Pretending
again to consult his invisible watch, he teased her. “Hold that thought beautiful.”

Swatting her playfully on the butt he said, “C’mon. Let’s get you some real clothes
before I forget to be nice.”

Meghan threw back her head and laughed. Nice? This was nice? Damn. She was in serious
trouble if he ever decided to screw being nice.

The house was quiet and deserted when they finally made their way downstairs, something
Alex was extremely grateful for. Ordinarily he enjoyed being surrounded by Family
Justice but right now he was completely in the moment with his beautiful lover and
wasn’t in the mood to share or make nice.

He also noticed that Zeus was nowhere to be found, supposing that she was down in
the kennel with Brody or had made herself at home with Drae or Cam. All sure fire
signals that everyone knew what had been going on in the master suite.

Carmen, true to form had left an elaborate note detailing every single burp and fart
that occurred once Meghan had gone to his room along with instructions for heating
up the meal Ria left for them.

None of that really mattered though. Walking down the stairs together, hand-in-hand,
Alex was filled with a calm he’d never sought and frankly, didn’t know was possible.
She did that for him. What was that saying about music soothing the savage beast?
Yeah, well whatever it was, Meghan was his music.

“Oh Alex, I forgot!” she cried, grabbing something off the counter. “The parasol –
I love it
,” she gushed. “See how pretty it is?” she asked as she pushed it open and twirled
the pretty lace umbrella.

He smiled at her enthusiasm. Watching her dance around with the gift he’d spent hours
searching for on the internet was a delight. It made him feel like a prince that he’d
picked the right one. All he’d done was look for the prettiest and most feminine one
he could find – something that matched the woman it was intended for.

It suddenly occurred to him that the girly parasol represented a first for him. He’d
never bothered with gifts for anyone he’d been involved with before.
Fuck.
Not even his college girlfriend had gotten more than a half-assed Hallmark card out
of him. Yet here it was, day three of knowing this particular woman, and he was falling
all over himself with gestures. Wait till she got a load of the cowboy hat and boots
he’d ordered for her.

“Hey. I have an idea. How about tomorrow we take the agency plane and go check out
the Grand Canyon?” Alex wasn’t sure where that impetuous thought came from and didn’t
care. She wanted to see the big ol’ hole in the ground so he intended to make sure
she did. “Wasn’t that on your bucket list of things to do?”

She giggled and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her voluptuous body against
his.

“You have a plane? Why am I not surprised?”

It felt fantastic to stand there with his arms wrapped around her as she beamed at
him with those bewitching green eyes.

“We can even make it a family affair if you’d like. I’m sure Tori and Lacey would
get a kick out it too. Actually, fuck just flying over it in the plane. I have a buddy
who can hook us up with a first class tour. Whatever you want, sweetheart. Loads of
photo ops. The whole enchilada.”

She said something that sounded like, “I’d love that,” but the actual words got eaten
up in a blazing kiss that went on and on and oh yeah, on some more. He didn’t make
any attempt to stop until the sound of her stomach growling made its way into his
brain.

“Oh God!” she laughed. “That wasn’t very sexy, was it? Maybe you’d better feed me
if you want me to keep my strength up.”

He didn’t miss the innuendo in her words.

“Aren’t you all demanding?” he teased. “Wait. Let me rephrase that.” He cleared his
throat like he was about to recite Shakespeare. “Aren’t you all fucking demanding?
There,” he teased. “Got one well-placed fuck in that sentence for good measure.”

“Well, one good fuck deserves another, don’t you think?”

She was priceless. “Grab some plates while I heat up our dinner. You can sit on my
lap while I feed your naughty mouth, and we can discuss your terms of surrender for
later.”

“Surrender? What exactly does that mean?” she asked.

He grinned and wagged his eyebrows. “I’m saving the best for last.”

Their tour of the rugged beauty of the Arizona desert and the western rim of the Grand
Canyon had been everything Meghan hoped it would be. In the end it had been just her
and Alex since Lacey didn’t want to fly and Tori had stayed behind in pregnant solidarity.

They’d flown to the canyon then boarded a private helicopter for a personal tour from
a friend of Alex’s who was an incredible tour guide. He told them when to get the
camera ready and narrated an endless stream of consciousness about the canyon that
delighted her field trip mentality. She had no idea how many movies had been filmed
there, from
Thelma & Louise
to the Griswald’s on vacation. It was just the most fantastic day.

And the best part? Alex had possession of her hand whenever she wasn’t snapping pictures.
He just held on and wouldn’t let go. It was so ridiculously sweet that her insides
melted each time their palms made contact.

Things only went from awesome to off the charts amazing after that. Dismissing each
of her arguments and refusing to take no for answer, Alex had moved her lock, stock,
and barrel into the master suite from that night forward. No one questioned the new
sleeping arrangement any more than they did their emerging relationship. If anything,
Meghan felt a quiet delight coming at them in waves each time they appeared together.

To her complete shock he practically walked away from any agency responsibilities
in order to focus entirely on her. She’d even overheard him several times saying
let Tori handle it
when some work related issue of crisis came up. In every way that mattered, she had
his undivided attention.

And so it went for the next few weeks. They laughed like children, got into all sorts
of mischief, rode together, took day trips, explored the natural wonders in that part
of the world, even played board games at night when the house was quiet and they were
all alone. It was in a word – heaven.

Every couple of days she would indulge him with one of her special body massages,
which inevitably gave way to other, more erotic diversions. Spending each night in
his big bed had been quite a revelation too. She found the sleeping arrangements incredibly
intimate, even without the mind-blowing sex.

They made love non-stop; upon awakening every morning, throughout the day - sometimes
in the strangest spots - and late into the night. Alex was inexhaustible on that score.
Losing their clothes with alarming speed whenever the fancy struck had been an eye-opening
experience for her. He’d taken her on the wide stairway, up against almost every wall
in the house, on the dining room table, and several times in the pool cabana. It made
her blush just thinking about it.

And it wasn’t always him. They were equal partners in expressing their passions. She
had instigated more than a few randy encounters, especially enjoying one particularly
memorable naked romp on a blanket in the desert at sunset. She’d gotten on all fours
and begged him to take her out in the open with the glory of nature as a witness,
and he’d eagerly complied. She’d never forget Alex pulling on her head with an immense
fistful of her hair as he fucked her hard while she cried out her pleasure.

He’d treated her like a rare and delicate flower, when her monthly cycle came, seeing
to her every comfort and need. Were all men so solicitous of their lovers during those
out-of-body times? She didn’t know but secretly hoped his caring was the exception
rather than the rule. He’d given her his own version of a massage, even rubbing her
feet when her discomfort had been palpable. What man did that?

When the annual cowboy festival took place he’d surprised her with a gorgeous pair
of hand tooled boots and a western hat that made her jump into his arms with unabashed
delight. Everyone got in on the fun as the entire Family Justice enjoyed the parades,
rodeos, cook-offs, and general cowboy fun that Meghan had so looked forward to.

That was another of those occasions when their love play had tripped into legendary
territory. Showing his romantic side, Alex booked them for several nights in a stunning
private cottage at the L’Auberge in Sedona. They’d indulged every sense with gourmet
meals served creek side, cuddling next to a wood burning fireplace, and enjoyed an
outdoor couple’s massage with only the sound of their contented sighs and the quiet
waters of the creek. It had been like a honeymoon in a way – just the two of them.
Out of place and time, wrapped in each other, exploring what was happening between
them. When it was over and time to step back into daily life, they returned to the
Villa and the warm embrace of the people and familiar routines found there.