Romancing My Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens) Contemporary Romance (9 page)

“Okay, ready to test me?” She leaned forward and touched his shoulder.

“Already?” He glanced at the clock and was surprised that more than an hour had passed.

She handed him the menu and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Go ahead. Ask me anything.”

“Okay. Let’s see.” He scanned the menu, which wasn’t the menu that was given to customers. It was a menu that included a brief description of major ingredients for each dish, along with information about how they were prepared. There was no way she’d memorized it that quickly. There must have been fifty or more items on the menu.

“Come on,” she urged. “Just pick one. I don’t think I’ll remember them all, but I’m close.”

“Okay, the first one. Chicken cordon bleu.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s so easy.” She rattled off the meal description and preparation perfectly.

“Nice.”

She threw her arms up into the air. “Score! Ha-ha! Told you!”

Her excitement was infectious. “Pasta primavera.”

She rolled her eyes and once again aced it. She knew every step of every dish he named.

“Are you a closet cook?” Pierce asked.

“No. I just organized it in my head. You know, poultry, red meat, fish; then I knock down to spices, sauces, creams. It’s just like organizing a pantry, but it’s in my brain.”

He slid his finger down the column of her neck and along the ridge of her shoulder, touching the places that begged to be kissed. “I like that beautiful brain of yours.”

Their eyes caught, and he gently moved her legs across his lap, buried his hand beneath her hair, and brought his lips to hers. He kissed her slowly, deeply, savoring every second, every delicious stroke of her tongue. She touched his cheek, and he swallowed a groan at the simple touch.

“Wow.” It came out like a breeze. “All I needed was a smart brain and it earned me a kiss like that? You should see what I can do with spreadsheets.”

“Oh, baby, talk dirty to me.”

 He took her in another kiss, disappearing into the scent of her, her sweet, delicious tenderness. She ran her fingers through his hair, kissing him hard and ravenous, then soft and subtle, notching up the heat stroke by mind-numbing stroke. When she slid onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, all those confusing signals she’d been sending him for the past twenty-four hours became clearer. He let her control the kiss so as not to misconstrue her intentions. She ran her tongue along his lower lip, then lingered on the curve of his upper lip, drawing his eyes open. Her eyes were dark, seductive, teasing, and controlling all at once, as she trapped his lower lip between her teeth and drew back, then ran her finger over the slickness she’d left behind.

Holy. Hell
.

“Rebecca.” Sweet Jesus, she
was
as controlling as him. He arched his hips against her bottom. “Feel what you’re doing to me?”

She lowered her cheek to his and whispered, “Oh, yes, I feel it.”

He gripped her impossibly small waist as she licked his earlobe, then took it between her teeth. He groaned, despite himself, and forced himself to make sure she wasn’t just playing with him. This didn’t feel like playing.

He cupped her face and looked deeply into her eyes. “Talk to me, Bec.” He’d already claimed the nickname as his own. “I want nothing more than to flip you onto your back and make love to you until everything you’ve memorized is forgotten, replaced with thoughts of us and memories of earth-shaking orgasms that leave you craving me every second of the day.”

Every breath pulsed with anticipation as contemplation skirted across her face.

“Oh God, yes,” she said quickly.

He wrapped one powerful arm around her, and in the next breath she was beneath him, the soft cushions of her breasts pressing against his chest, her hips writhing against his, as he claimed his control with another deep kiss. Soulful sounds of surrender seeped from her lungs into his.

Pierce’s teeth grazed her lips. “I could kiss you all night long.”

Rebecca pulled his mouth back to hers, and Pierce felt the two of them spiraling together as they groped and pawed for more. He kissed her graceful neck, her shoulders, and ran his hands up her ribs. One gentle tug of her strapless dress freed her breasts. Two perfect mounds that he had to have.

“Sweet Jesus, Bec. You’re too magnificent for words. Beautiful is too small a word; lovely is too soft. You’re…” He raked his tongue over her nipple, feeling her body shudder beneath him. “Sinfully exquisite.”

He filled his palm with one breast, brushing his thumb over her nipple again and again as he licked and sucked and took his fill of the other. Rebecca’s breaths came fast and hitched as she fumbled with his shirt buttons. Pierce made quick work of divesting himself of his shirt, then drew her dress over her head and tossed it aside. She lay beneath him in a lacy white thong he wanted to tear off with his teeth, her body was more glorious than he could have imagined. She traced the dragon tattoo that snaked over his shoulder and around the top of his biceps and reached for him.  He took hold of her rounded hip.

“I just want to feel you, to look at you.”
To pay homage to your incredible body
.

“Three years is a long time,” she whispered. “I feel like I can’t breathe I’m so nervous.”

Her honesty touched him, and he gave it right back to her. “I’m nervous, too. We don’t have to go all the way.” What was he saying? He was not the type of man who delayed gratification, but for Rebecca, he would. Hell, he was hard as a rock, ready to take her to places she’d never experienced before, but one look in her trusting eyes and he was struck right in the center of his chest.
Trust
. That’s what had been missing before.

She didn’t respond when he said they didn’t have to go all the way, and she clung to his bare back like she was afraid he might disappear.

“Do you trust me, Rebecca?” He slid his hand down her thigh, stifling the desire to follow it with his mouth.

“I don’t trust easily, but I do trust you.”

Everything he’d been feeling came rushing forward with her admission. He kissed her again as she clung to him, her hands traveling up and down the muscles of his back, drawing out his need for her with every arch of her hips. He repressed the urge to move faster and kissed the corner of her lips.

“I love your lips.” He kissed the ridge of her jaw. “And your neck.” He kissed his way down between her full, mountainous breasts, pushed them together, and took both nipples into his mouth.

“Pierce, oh God, that feels good.”

He laved them with his tongue, moving lower, gripping her rib cage and holding her tight. He wanted her to feel safe, in control. For her, he’d give her the control she so desperately needed.

“Tell me what you want, Becca. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

“Kiss me,” she said in one long breath.

As he lowered his lips to hers, she whispered, “Not my lips.”

Holy fuck, there was no misconstruing that command. Pierce felt her breathing quicken as he kissed each of her ribs, caressing her hips as he moved lower, kissing, licking, tasting his way to those beautiful full curves. He ran his finger beneath the lacy thread of her thong and drew it down to her thigh on one side, then licked a path from the crease of her thigh back up that luscious hip.

“More,” she pleaded.

He moved the other side of her thong down, revealing a soft tuft of curls. He forced himself to go slowly, licking the same path up the other crease of her hip, then kissed his way down to her thighs.

“Rebecca,” he whispered. This was no endgame. This was totally new to him, totally different. His touch was softer, his words were honest, and everything he did was pulled directly from his heart.

“Touch me,” she directed. “Pierce, I trust you. Touch me.”

He drew off her panties and tossed them to the floor, leaving her naked, vulnerable, open. So very open. And he knew how hard that must be for her, so he loved her with the care that she deserved. He kissed around her damp curls, leaving her most intimate areas untouched. He licked the crease beside her sex, up one side, down the other, then took that sensitive skin in his teeth, drawing a gasp of need from Rebecca. She fisted her hands in his hair, causing him to throb with need.

She pushed his shoulders, urging him for more.

With a feathery touch, he dipped a fingertip into her wetness and felt her shudder beneath him again. He stroked her lightly as she rocked her hips.

“Please, Pierce,” she begged.

He placed his thumbs on either side of her sex, holding her tight with his large hands as she trembled, wanting, arching for more. Her scent was intoxicating. He stroked her with his thumbs, painfully slowly, until she was drenched and eager, and then he dragged his tongue along her overly sensitive folds. She tasted so goddamn sweet, he had to go back for more.

“Oh…God.”

She writhed against his mouth, spreading her legs further, opening up to him as he slid his fingers into her velvety center and drawing his tongue to the bundle of nerves that was swollen with need. He stroked and licked, sucked and nipped, as she gasped one breath after another.

“Oh God…Oh…God.” She panted. “It’s been…so long. I must have been—
Oh God
—waiting for you. You’re so worth the wait.”

She flexed her thighs, and he knew she was on the edge. He quickened his pace, driving his fingers deeper, flicking her clit with his tongue until her whole body tensed. She bucked against him, squeezing his fingers tight, in pulse after magnificent pulse. She clawed at his shoulders, and when he lifted his head, she pushed it back for more. Damn, she was amazing, and Pierce was more than happy to comply. He took her right back up to the edge and quickly learned the secrets of bringing her the ecstasy she craved. Her entire body shuddered and shook with one intense orgasm after another, and as the last of them released her from its grasp, she reached for him with a trembling arm, breathing heavily, eyes closed, and a gratified smile on her lips.

“Lie with me.” She rolled onto her side, and he moved into the space behind her and spooned his body around hers.

Rebecca snuggled in against him, her bare back against his chest. A contented sigh slipped from her lips. Pierce closed his eyes, listening to the cadence of her breathing as she eased into sleep. He wasn’t thinking about his ache to be inside her, or the fact that he was still hard. It was the feelings she stirred within him that had him moving carefully, so as not to wake her as he covered her with the throw blanket from the back of the couch. He closed his eyes, and for the first time in ages, he fell asleep beside a woman whom he wanted to wake up next to.

REBECCA WAS DRIFTING in the clouds. Everything felt sumptuous and sensual. The air smelled warm and familiar, and as she lay in the hazy state of not quite awake and not quite asleep, the discomfort she’d felt the last few mornings when she’d awoken in her car was missing. She reached for her blanket, unwilling to open her eyes and face the reality of the cold parking garage.

Coffee
.

She smelled
coffee
, not grease and gasoline and cool concrete.

She rubbed her fingers along the silky material of the blanket that wasn’t her cotton comforter.

Oh. Shit
.

She clenched her eyes shut as the night came back in full color—and sound.
Oh God! Sound!
She reached beneath the blanket.
Naked. Oh. My. God
.

She had to open her eyes. She did. She knew she did, but just for a minute she wanted to remember what it felt like to be in Pierce’s arms, on his lap, to have his—
Oh God
—mouth, fingers, tongue, inside her.  Something deep inside her tightened and heated, pleading for more of him. She felt herself smile, then remembered she was naked and on his couch. She opened one eye and surveyed the living room. She sensed him before her eyes met his. How could she not have felt him?

Pierce sat at the end of the couch, his legs tucked behind her, with a thick file on his lap and a pen in his hand.

“Morning, beautiful.” He was wearing the same dress pants from last night, shirtless, with all those planes of glorious muscle making her want him all over again.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She sat up and drew the blanket around her.

“Why are you sorry? I loved waking up with you in my arms.”

She clutched the blanket against her. “I’m naked as a jaybird and you’re…”

He looked down at his trousers. “Not?”

“Not.”

“Well, I can always fix that.” He wiggled his eyebrows and flashed an easy, sexy grin.

She splayed her hand over her face. “I left you high and dry.” She peeked at him through her fingers. “That was rude. I’m so sorry.”

“No, you’re not.” He set his file down and scooped her into his lap.

“Hey.” She pushed away halfheartedly. The truth was, she remembered every single touch, every kiss, every blessed orgasm, and he was right; she craved more.

“You weren’t kidding about control, little missy.”

She didn’t say a word. What could she say?
Yeah, I like to be in control? I know, and guys usually hate it? Thanks for playing along?

He pressed his lips to hers. “It’s okay. I liked it.”

His breath was minty fresh, and she realized hers must be horrible morning-after breath. She clamped her mouth shut.

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I wouldn’t kiss you if I minded morning breath.”

He sealed his lips to her again, and her mind drifted again into some faraway place that felt wonderful and safe. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and oh yeah, this was what she remembered. Kissing Pierce was like being consumed by tenderness in one breath, and in the next, being taken and ravished. She felt the blanket fall from her shoulders, felt her nipples harden as they grazed his chest.

No, no, no
. She had to gain control. Oh, but he felt so good. Just one hug; that’s all she wanted. She deepened the kiss and pressed her chest to his. The skin-to-skin contact excited her even more. When their lips finally parted, her eyes were at half-mast, her breathing shallow, and her mind—forget her mind. It was lost.

Pierce gently gathered the blanket around her and handed her the edges.

“Come on, before I end up buried deep inside you and we spend the whole day in bed.”

Holy smokes. Yes. Please
.

No!
She had things to do, didn’t she? Study the menu? Look for a place to live? Go to the gym. Shower, for God’s sake. She must stink. Although the way Pierce was nuzzling against her neck told her that she must not smell too bad.

“Shower?” he asked.

Shower?
She shook away her jumbled thoughts and realized he was asking her if she wanted to take a shower. With him or alone? With him.
God, yes, with you, please.
What was happening to her? She’d never showered with a man before, and she was ready to jump in with Mr. Sweet ’n’ Sexy.

“Oh, um. If you take me back to my car, I can shower at the gy—” She caught herself, and realized the gym was a reasonable answer. “I usually go to the gym in the mornings, so I can just wash up and then shower after I’m done there.”

“You go to the gym in the morning? Great. I have a full gym downstairs.”

Of course you do
. “I usually go for a run while I’m there.”

“Perfect.” He kissed her chin. “I run, too. Let’s go for a run together, then work out, shower, and spend the day getting to know each other better. Unless you have other plans.”

“I would love that, but my gym bag is in my car back at the hotel.”

He helped her to the floor, then secured the blanket around her again and picked up her folded dress, panties, and bra from the coffee table. How had she missed those?
Folded?

“Let’s wash up, eat some breakfast, and then we’ll get your bag. We can go by your place and pick up clothes if you want. Then we can come back here and work out.” He took her hand and led her down a hallway.

My place?
She could see his reaction.
Welcome to my car. I have two bedrooms, the front and the rear. Shoot me now. Please
.

“I don’t know. I have to get that check to the bank.” She thought about the things she needed to do. Definitely study the menu, but while she needed to find a place to live, she should at least wait until she started work to ensure she’d really have a paycheck coming in. She didn’t want to jinx anything at this point.  Absolutely nothing sounded better than spending the day with Pierce, but she wasn’t used to spending so much time with anyone other than her mother, much less a man. A man whom she was quickly coming to like way too much too fast.

He folded her in his arms and touched his forehead to hers. Oh no, she really loved that. A lot. When he closed his eyes, her resolve softened. He was so tender and was such a good listener—and lover. Oh yes, an amazing lover. When he opened his eyes, they were serious again.

“Rebecca, did I totally misread you? Was last night supposed to be a one-night stand?” He drew back from her.

She clung to his waist, holding his body close to hers. She opened her mouth, but words didn’t come. She swallowed, trying to figure out how to say what she needed to—
wanted
to. They’d been so open with each other last night, and it had felt natural
.
He was looking at her with his caring, dark eyes, filled with desire, and something warmer, deeper. Something so real and big it made her entire body fill with a sense of him.

“No, it wasn’t supposed to be a one-night stand. Maybe it was supposed to be just a date, but…” She didn’t understand why she felt the need to share what she felt after hiding behind thick, impenetrable walls for so many years. How had he torn them down without even trying? “But it felt like a lot more than a date. God, Pierce, I fell asleep in your arms. Naked. I don’t
do
that.”

“And?”

He was giving control over to her again, just as he had last night. How did he know what she needed? How did he know what fed her trust?

“And I liked it. A lot. But it’s also scary for me. I’m not a wake-up-naked kind of girl.” She turned away. “Especially in a house like this, with a guy like you.” Then she remembered. She turned back and looked him in the eye. “You’re a player, Pierce. You told me so, and I don’t mean that judgmentally. I was kind of the same way a few years ago, but I’m just finding my footing again, and I can’t afford to open my heart for a guy who’s going to hurt me.” A shiver of worry snaked up her spine right before her mother’s words snuck in—
You matter,
mi dulce niña—
easing her worries and giving her the approval she didn’t realize she needed.

His brow furrowed, and he reached for her again. His eyes softened, reeling her right in. She actually felt her body melting to his touch, to all of him. She wasn’t a melter, and she was powerless to fight the feeling that she was exactly where she belonged. And it scared her a little more.

“You’re right. I’ve always been
that
guy.” He kissed her forehead and this time she closed her eyes. If this was goodbye, she wanted to memorize the feel of his lips before she went back to her lonely, Pierceless car.

“I can’t explain it, and as I said last night. I want to date you, Becca. I want to see where we go.”

“But—”

“Please let me finish.” His voice was a gentle caress, soothing her worries. “I can’t make promises or declare my love for you, but I’m a man of my word. If I tell you that I want to date you, I’m not going to date other women, and, Rebecca, let me be very clear. I
want
to date you. I want to see where whatever this is between us takes us.”

OhGodohGod.

“I don’t want to scare you off, but I have to tell you that when you fell asleep in my arms, it was the first time I’d wanted to fall asleep with a woman in years, and when I woke up with you cuddled against me, I didn’t want to move.” He searched her eyes, and he must have read her mind, because what he said next softened the lingering sharpness of her worries.

“I don’t want to save you, Rebecca. But I get the feeling that we were supposed to come together, and I think maybe you were supposed to save me.”