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“That you were scared and didn’t want to be hurt. Everybody’s
different. Adam Davis told me at the wedding that he fell in love with Grace the very moment he laid eyes on her. I fell in love with you by degrees, and maybe you might have, too, if you hadn’t been fighting it so hard, you know?”
She smiled at him and nodded. She knew he was right. “One fact
remains the same.”
“What?”
“I do love you.” She turned to him and parted her lips as she kissed him. “Are you sure you can handle me?”
“You mean your jealous nature?”
“Yes, we should probably talk about that at some point rather than waiting for it to rear its ugly head. Given the change in our status, how would you handle a woman who threw herself at you?”
“I wouldn’t wait for them to do that. Ethan has invited you to sit up front with us any night you come in while I work. They would all see that you were my girlfriend, and that would stop the more decent ones. I want people to see you at my side. You could even kiss me if you wanted,” he said with a little bit of a grin. “We could also dance during breaks. That’s something I’ve never done before because I didn’t want to encourage them, but I’d dance with you as often as I could. Let’s focus on us and deal with those situations as they arise.”
“When did Ethan tell you I could sit up front with you? How does he know about us?” It had been less than twenty-four hours.
“He asked me one night why you hadn’t given into my charm yet. I told him about it. It was his suggestion that you sat with me to send a message to them.”
“Oh. I hope I’m worth the trouble.” She let out a big yawn.
“Come on, angel. Let’s put you in bed,” Eli said as he yawned also.
“We need a nap.” He stood with her still in his arms, and she let out a startled squeal and held on.
“What about…”
“Making love? You’re too worried about being jealous. We’re both preoccupied, and the mood isn’t right. It’s one o’clock right now. Let’s wait and see how you feel after a nap. When I make love to you, it’s going to be worth the wait.” He carried her into his bedroom.
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Heather Rainier
Nap my ass! What? Am I two years old? Naughty Rachel tapped her shoulder, ready with a plan.
She smiled innocently at him and asked, “Would you mind if I slipped out of my jeans? I’ll be more comfortable that way.” Rachel pictured Eli weighing his options. In one hand, he had his conviction that she needed a nap and maybe he did, too. In the other hand, he had a half-naked woman about to climb in his bed and snuggle with him. She felt safe in predicting the outcome. Pretty smug, actually.
He set her on her feet. “I want you to be comfortable here, Rachel. No pressure, whatever helps you relax.” He removed a large woven throw blanket from the closet, big enough for both of them to cuddle together under. Dang, he seemed okay with that.
After she removed her jeans, she climbed onto the bedspread,
wondering if maybe she should be a good girl. Naughty Rachel rolled her eyes. He spread the blanket over her and climbed in under it with her. She yawned, which caused him to yawn again, and they both laughed. He turned toward her on his side, and she snuggled up close to him, resting her head on his biceps as he pulled her close in his arms.
He chuckled deeply and murmured knowingly, “I see the sparkle in your pretty blue eyes, Rachel Lopez.”
Shit. She pressed her lips together and tried to not giggle, failing miserably as soft laughter escaped her. Dang, his bed is comfy. “I can’t help it. I’m impatient.”
“Me, too. But what you need right now is—”
“—I get it,” she pouted. “No nap, no cock.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but yeah.”
“That’s some impressive self-discipline you got there, Mr. Wolf.” She yawned and allowed him to tuck her against his chest. He smelled so good.
“Well, thank you, angel. But I can see that you’re running on nerves and adrenaline right now. If you’d lie quietly for a minute, you’ll see that I’m right.”
“And when I’m still awake in ten minutes?”
“If you’re awake in ten minutes, I’ll make love to you until you lose track of how many times you come,” he murmured in a sexy voice. “But you have to rest quietly for ten minutes first.”
She yawned and heard him chuckle quietly to himself.
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“Deal,” she said smugly. She was totally getting laid. All she had to do was lay on his comfortable bed snuggled to him for ten minutes. What a hardship.