Part 1: No Regrets(Divine Creek Ranch 2)(100)

“I heard.”

“You heard what?”

“I heard you…and her,” she gasped, her voice vibrating with anguish.

“Who? I just got home. I came straight in here to check on you. Angel, tell me what’s wrong.”

Fresh tears overflowed her tumultuous, dark eyes, and she trembled as she repeated, “I heard you…and her. It’s no use, Eli. I know.” Her voice had all but deserted her. She hung her head and sobbed breathily.

“Baby, I’m confused, I—” he began, then paused and looked at the wall that adjoined his bedroom.

He let out a long groan because now they could both hear it. The unmistakable sound of a squeaking bed frame and a soft moan. He cringed as understanding dawned on him even as the bewilderment deepened in her



228

Heather Rainier

eyes. She looked mystified as he shook his head and held up a finger, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.

She looked on in bemusement as, through the wall, a cell phone rang.

The squeaking persisted for a moment before finally ceasing while Eli waited for an answer. He put his palm to his forehead as the easily identifiable voice answered the phone.

“Yeah, man.”

Eli suppressed a chuckle, thinking Mike sounded a little pissed.

“Hey, Mike. It’s Eli. I’m just checking in.”

Rachel put her hands to her red-hot face, and he watched as realization dawned on her who it was she’d heard having hot sex next door. He could not imagine how it must have felt to think it was him she was listening to.

“I’m going to be home in a few minutes and wanted to make sure the coast was clear.”

Mike’s voice was gravelly with frustration. “Oh, yeah. Um…we just got here a few minutes ago. How long do you think?”

“Maybe thirty or forty-five minutes.”

“Oh, that would be great.”

“Hey, Rachel’s coming home with me.”

“Oh, yeah? That’s good news. We’ll stop over there and bring you the key. We would have been long gone, man, but Rosa got called in to work this morning.”

“That’s fine, Mike. Don’t worry about it, man. I’m sorry you were delayed. See you, man.” Eli finished the call and slid the phone back into his pocket and held his arms out to her.

Holding her abdomen, she slipped from her perch on the bed, and he pulled her gently into his lap. As the squeaking of the bed next door resumed, he lifted her and carried her into the living room, pulling the bedroom door closed softly, and then sat down with her on the loveseat.

“I thought…” She laid her head weakly on his chest.

“I know,” he replied softly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

“Don’t be sorry. I should have explained before now. You know how tiny Mike and Rosa’s house is, right? They’ve got five kids and her mother living with them, complaining about every little thing. Mike was starting to



Her Gentle Giant, Part 1: No Regrets

229

look a little desperate, so I offered my place to them to…take the edge off, you know? They had no idea you were over here.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. Then she sat up and turned to him and said, “Oh, crap! Kelly heard us when we made love while she was here, didn’t she? Oh, no!” She hid her red-hot face as Eli chuckled.

“Yep, but she handled it with her usual good humor. She teased me quite a bit when you weren’t within earshot, so don’t feel too bad for her.

Let me get you something to drink. You’re hoarse.”

“Thank you,” she whispered as she climbed from his lap and curled up, still looking tense. He brought her a glass of water, which she drained and set on the coffee table.

“Come here, angel.” She resumed her perch in his lap, and he caressed her shoulders. “You’re wound too tight. Lie back against me and let me hold you. Relax, I’ve got you,” he said as she laid her head against his chest. He pressed his lips to her hair and breathed in her clean womanly scent and the fragrance of her shampoo.

“I felt so weak earlier when they first got started. I couldn’t even stand up to walk away from the bedroom so I wouldn’t hear it anymore. Then, you came in looking so worried and concerned I thought I was losing my mind.”

She shuddered against him, and he gently wrapped his arms around her and held her snugly. “I’m not going to be able to look Mike or Rosa in the eye for a while.”

Eli chuckled while he rubbed his palm up and down her back

soothingly. “Angel, now is not the most romantic time to tell you this because I can still hear them on the other side, but let me tell you anyway.

This love I have for you is it for me. There could never be anyone else that holds a candle to you. I felt so powerless when I thought of you hurt on the side of the road, maybe even dying, and I couldn’t get to you. I saw you when they unloaded you from the ambulance, baby, and I thought for sure I’d lost you. You were bathed in blood. I had to be held back.”