What Happened After Vegas? (Unexpected Love #2) (2 page)

Rachel:
I would have never guessed after spending the evening with you that
you owned a law firm. It's still unbelievable to me. Thank you for
the dinner, the concert, and playing slots with me. I played some
before I left, but it wasn't the same without you. Have a great day
at work.

Cliff:
I'll try. It's going to be an interesting morning.

Rachel:
I'm sorry I told you about Jake. I didn't know you were his boss. I
hope it won't cause you any trouble.

Cliff:
It's not your fault. I'll be there while he cleans out his office
along with a few of my security team. I have to reassign his cases.
I'm not looking forward to the meeting with my sister. You didn't
make their choices for them. Get some rest. I'll text you later.

Rachel
slept for most of the day. She woke up feeling refreshed and excited
about her new single life. After she jumped in the shower, she got
dressed and pulled on some running shoes. She was ready to enjoy a
long run alone.

When
she got home, she grabbed a water and dried her face on a towel. When
her phone rang, she was happy to see Cliff's number.

"Hello,"
she answered.

"Hey
there, sunshine," he said. "How was your sleep?"

"Great,"
she answered. "I've already been out for a run. Did your day go
okay?"

They
talked about Jake and how confused he was about getting fired. His
cases were shifted around to other lawyers. Cliff said his sister was
very surprised to find out Cliff knew about her and Jake. She wasn't
the least bit surprised that she was also let go. They went on to
talk about normal everyday things. Rachel heated up a frozen dinner
while they continued talking. Before she knew it, two hours had gone
by.

"I'm
so sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to keep you on the
phone that long. You must be tired. I bet you have a ton of stuff to
do."

"I
ate dinner while we talked. It's no big deal. I like talking to you,"
he said. "I'm picking you up at six on Friday. Is that okay?"

Rachel
thought for a moment. She couldn't say no to him after missing him
already.

"That
sounds good," she said.

"Dress
casual," he said. "I just want to do something low key and
normal. If you want to go someplace nice, we can."

"No,"
she said. "Something comfortable is fine with me. I don't want
to do anything fancy. I just want to be somewhere quiet where I can
get to know you better."

They
hung up and she went on about normal life. The two of them text and
talked on and off all week.

Rachel
was looking forward to Friday night so she could see him. It seemed
as if time was crawling by. She couldn't remember ever feeling so
excited as she waited for their date. Her apartment was spotless and
she had even started doing some crafts, hoping to pass time quickly.

Rachel
had on jeans and a light sweater, as she waited for him to show up at
her door. The butterflies in her stomach made her feel like she was
back in high school. She couldn't wait to see the smiling face of the
man that had her feeling things she hadn't felt in years. No man had
ever made her feel as special as he did. She thought back to the
surprise she felt when he paid for upgraded tickets for her and her
friends. It wasn't about the money for her. It was the fact that he
thought about her and did something sweet to show it.

She
jumped when she heard the knock on the front door. A tiny squeal came
out as she stood up from the couch to answer it. Rachel ran her hands
down her sweater and patted her hair before swinging the door open.
The feelings that ran through her body when she saw Cliff standing
before her with a huge smile on his face had her feeling flush. She
stood silent for a moment before snapping back to reality and moving
aside for him to enter. He walked to her, took her face in his hands,
and pulled her lips to his. When he kissed her, she felt like
fireworks were exploding around them as heat filled her body. His
kiss was soft and sweet, and she didn't want it to end. When he
pulled back from her, she let out a light sigh. He offered her the
small bouquet of flowers he had been holding, and she hurried to put
them in water. Rachel knew they needed to leave before she made
herself look a little to easy. The effect he had on her was something
she couldn't control.

"I
hope you don't mind a comfortable evening. I've been in meetings all
week. The thought of jeans and a t-shirt sounded pretty good. You
look amazing. I'm so happy to see you," he said.

"Jeans
and a t-shirt look pretty great on you," she said with a smile.

There
was a joking sound to her tone, but she meant what she said. He
looked damn good in a suit, but there was no denying how hot he
looked in jeans. The way his t-shirt clung to his body was so sexy.
He looked so cute and huggable. She couldn't wait to wrap herself in
his strong, warm arms.

Rachel
hadn't noticed that she quit speaking when he pulled her back to
reality.

"What
are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Where
are we going to dinner?" she asked with a smile.

"Anywhere
you want," he answered.

They
ended up at a small family restaurant that wasn't too far from her
apartment. She walked to a corner booth, and he sat down across from
her.

"I
know this place isn't very fancy, but their food is really good,"
she said.

They
placed their order and fell straight into comfortable conversation.
She liked that they could talk about anything and never have awkward
silence. Rachel told him about the crafts she had started. Summer
vacation had just begun, and she was looking forward to relaxing
until school started up again. They talked about her students and how
much fun teaching was. She taught first grade and loved every minute
of it.

"So
you're off the entire summer?" he asked.

She
nodded with a smile she knew spread across her entire face.

"I
am," she said. "By the time it's over, I'll be missing
those little faces and be ready to go back."

He
talked about his week at work and the different meetings he had. She
wasn't a fan of lawyers but knew that they weren't all the same. Jake
didn't talk much about what he did. She found herself asking Cliff
question after question. He was so easy to talk to, and he was open
and willing to answer every one of them. That was another thing she
liked about him. He explained things to her and didn't make her feel
like she was less than him or like she wouldn't understand his world.
The more he explained things, the more interested she became.

Before
she knew it, they were finished eating. There was still so much she
wanted to know about him and his life.

"Would
you like to go to a movie or dancing?" he asked.

"Not
really," she said. "I would rather go someplace and talk.
If you want to go out, we can. What do you want to do? You're the one
that's been working hard all week."

He
smiled and shook his head.

"You're
so different. I really like that about you," he said, as held
the car door open for her to get in and closed it behind her.

She
looked over and waited until his door was closed as well.

"What
do you mean?" she asked.

"It's
nice to be around someone that treats me like an equal and doesn't
have crazy expectations of me. You were fine with going out to a
small, relaxed restaurant tonight. I can't explain it. You just asked
what I wanted to do and took my feelings into consideration. You said
I was the one working hard all week. You have no idea how good that
feels to hear. Thank you for that."

"Are
you saying the women you normally spend time with want the whole
fancy date thing every night? Do they want you to shower them with
gifts and treat them like a princess?" she asked in a silly,
stuck up tone.

Cliff
laughed at her choice of words.

"That
would get old real fast," she said. "I don't mind a nice
dinner or dancing every now and then, but that's not who I am. I just
as much enjoy a night with takeout in front of the television, in
sweats, with my hair in a ponytail. For me, it's more about quality
time together. The thought of snuggling up on the couch in front of a
good movie or game of cards beats out any fancy event."

"That
sounds amazing," he said. "We should do that next time."

"Next
time?" she asked. "You said one date was all you wanted."

"You
know that's not what I meant," he said, as he pulled into a spot
at her apartment complex and shut his car off.

His
eyes connected with hers, and she felt a familiar feeling shoot
straight to her core. It was the same as when they were together in
Vegas. The way he looked at her made her feel sexy and wanted. It
felt so damn good. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and
thought about kissing him. His eyes had an intimidating and stern
look to them. She could see how he could use them in court. They had
her squirming in her seat, but in a good way. Without a word, he got
out of the car, rounded to her side, opened her door, and reached for
her hand. She got out and could feel the intense emotions in the air
between them. He closed the door behind her and walked her to her
apartment.

She
unlocked the door and opened it nervously.

"My
apartment is very small," she began to babble. "I don't
plan to stay here forever. It was the best I could afford when I
moved out on my own. It's not that I couldn't have had more. I just
didn't want to deal with fighting him. I'm just getting on my feet
again. I know it would probably all fit in your bathroom, but."

Before
she could go any deeper into how she felt about what she had, he
pulled her into his arms, closed the door behind them, and crashed
his mouth down on hers. It wasn't like the soft, romantic kiss they
had shared when he first arrived. It was the complete opposite. There
was so much emotion and feeling. It was filled with unsaid words.
When he released her, she gasped to catch her breath.

"I
don't care how small or big your apartment is. Please, do not ever
feel like that with me. None of that means anything. I'm just happy
to be spending time with you."

"I
just don't want you to feel like," she began.

"Stop,"
he said sternly. "Don't say another word. I've waited all week
to see you. I don't know what it is about you. We only went out once,
but I feel like I've known you for years. I don't give a shit what
you have or where you live."

"Please
know that I do not sleep with men on the first date. I've been
worried about that. I don't want you to think that about me. I can't
figure out exactly what it was about you that had me behaving like
that, Cliff. It scares the shit out of me."

His
hand was on the back of her head, and his mouth was on hers again.
She ran her fingers up his back and into his hair. Her lips parted as
his mouth took hers. Their tongues fought for control before dancing
together in perfect harmony. His body was against hers as he walked
her back and held her against the door. When his knee went between
her legs and rubbed against her, she couldn't hold back the moan that
escaped her. It was honestly the sexiest moment she had ever
experienced. Cliff broke their connection long enough to grab the
bottom of her sweater and pull it over her head.

"I've
been waiting all week to see you," she whispered.

He
didn't let her finish before his lips were on hers again. She
whimpered as he pulled her bottom lip between his teeth. Cliff looked
into her eyes, wrapped his hand in her hair, and pulled back to open
her neck to him. Her eyes widened at the boldness of his moves. It
was a side of him she hadn't seen the weekend before. He placed small
kisses down her neck, as he removed her bra and dropped it at her
feet. His mouth continued traveling downward until he was at her
naked breasts. As his tongue licked across her nipple, she felt it
harden. He sucked and pulled her nipple into his mouth before
releasing it with a pop. He then traveled to the other side to show
it the same attention. She felt alive and knew she was wet for him.