Chapter Eleven #3
“Greedy. I like that.” Seconds later, he joined her under the covers.
His lips found hers again and they kissed deeply as his fingers slid between her legs.
She bucked as one finger entered and then two.
Her back arched and her head pressed into the pillow as he murmured encouragement. “There you go.”
Her legs shook as she came, but he wasn’t done, and lifting his lips from hers, he slid down to place his mouth where his fingers were.
She turned into putty in his hands. When he finally protected them, she was wet, slick and ready.
He held her gaze as he entered her, the moment as fragile as it was desperate for satiation.
They couldn’t go back. She nodded, and then he was inside and moving.
She clung to him, for it hadn’t been like this before.
Never had she been in sync with someone as she was with Oakley in this moment.
She could hear the thumping of his heart, feel the blood in her veins with each stroke.
She could see the tension on his face, the way he held himself taut with determination to give her more pleasure than he’d take for himself.
“It’s okay. Let go,” she urged, and when he did, their bodies took over and took them to a place beyond where Rachel had ever orgasmed before.
He held her tight afterward before he shifted and brushed the hair from her face. ‘I’ll be right back,” he said.
And he was, before the shyness could come. He drew her into his arms. “You are a temptress, Rachel. The most beautiful temptress who’s got me under her spell. I want you to know this is more than us slaking some of our base desires.”
“We can’t pretend this never happened,” she said.
“No, we can’t. If we’re going to continue to do this, then we do it right or we don’t do it at all. And right now, with everything going on, I’m worried I’m going to destroy us.”
“Because you were hurt by your ex?” she asked softly.
“Yes. And because I don’t want to lose you, and that’s what happens when I get into serious relationships. And it has nothing to do with my dad, either. I don’t care what he says. It’s about what I feel.”
“And what you feel is complicated,” Rachel finished for him.
“Yes.” Oakley was at least honest about that, which allowed her to respect him despite the hurt it caused.
She’d made love to him, not just had sex.
But perhaps the bright side was that the hurt would be far less now than if she kissed him again and they ended up making love again.
“You’re my admin. What if we don’t work out?
Both of us don’t have exceptional track records. ”
“No, we don’t.” Sadness consumed her. The one relationship that might be perfect was the one that held the power to hurt the most. Finding out Oakley had feelings but didn’t want to act on them was truly bittersweet.
She’d broken the promise to Jenny that she wouldn’t fall for him, or try to be the next Mrs. Fortune.
The sobering truth was his father would never accept her. It was foolish to dream big.
“How about we just focus on being boss and admin,” she suggested. “We say this was a one and done. Nothing more. Shall I meet you downstairs tomorrow? Brunch at ten?” she asked, making her tone more nonchalant than she felt.
“Rachel, don’t,” he pleaded. “Don’t make this situation between us harder than it already is.”
“I’m attempting to keep things professional because you’re right.
While I like you and you like me, it would be a mistake to do this again.
I let myself get carried away, maybe because Olivia kept putting ideas into my head.
Although, I can’t blame her. She encouraged me to act on my feelings.
I mean, it’s obvious how happy she and Clark are. I want that.”
“So do I,” Oakley said. He touched her arm lightly.
She shrugged his hand off and slid out of bed. “But it’s complicated since I need this job and you need a good admin. Let’s let work be our priority. I’m going to use the bathroom. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She made no attempt to cover up and she kept her head high as she entered her bathroom and shut the door.
Oakley was gone and the connecting door closed when she returned.
She shook her head to stop the tears. She would not cry.
She would not think about how she’d once again slept with someone she worked with, or how this time meant so much more than when she was with Mitch.
She hung the magical dress carefully and put on her pajamas. Tonight had been perfect, until it wasn’t, and the letdown was immense. It should be so simple to have everything, have that cake and the icing, too.
As she removed her makeup, Cinderella turned back into ordinary old Rachel, mom and admin.
Her priority had to be her daughter, and to support her daughter, she needed this job. Making love to Oakley, no matter how wonderful or passionate, had been a mistake.
* * *
Making love to Rachel still bothered Oakley days later. He had no excuse for losing control the way he had. He’d wanted her, and he’d let himself take what he wanted.
The thing was, he didn’t know what he wanted beyond what they’d done. She deserved a man who would take her on dates and shower her with gifts and affection. Although, in a sense, the weekend had felt like a date, and he had previously showered her with gifts. He remained as confused as ever.
While the office wasn’t tense, the dynamic had changed. He missed the friendly smiles she’d once directed his way. He wanted to hear her light laughter in response to something that he said.
Even Cheyenne noticed his discontent. When she arrived to the office for their visit with Kate Fortune, the moment they’d left she’d told him he was a big grump and he needed to snap out of whatever it was.
By blaming it on missing Mewington, Oakley had managed to brush off her concerns as they climbed into the car.
After all, all the siblings were worried about their dad’s cat.
Oakley had seen pictures of Kate, but they’d never met. Last July, Clemons had crashed Kate’s hundredth birthday party. It had been quite the scene when their father had announced he was the secret half brother of the late Archibald Fortune.
From doing his research, Oakley knew some of her backstory, which he told Cheyenne as they drove to a newer, gated lake community on the outskirts of town.
“She survived a plane crash,” he said as they wound through the subdivision of half-acre homesites. “She pretended she was dead to expose the person who was trying to kill her and sabotage her company, Fortune Cosmetics.”
“I’ve heard rave reviews of the Fortune Youth Serum,” Cheyenne replied.
“Our mom always wanted to try it. In every picture I’ve seen lately, Kate doesn’t look one hundred.
It’s probably digital altering. No one can look that good at her age,” Cheyenne added as they reached a large, single-story house. “Oh, this is pretty!”
“It is,” Oakley said. It was the kind of place he’d like to own, an abode large enough to raise a family yet still feel homey.
While a newer build, the house incorporated native limestone wainscoting and had multiple gabled sections of varying heights.
The central wing featured a large peak with exposed wooden beams, and a covered porch spanned most of the front.
He parked on an aggregate driveway. The yard was well tended and landscaped.
To their surprise, Kate opened her own door and proved that everything he’d heard about her independence was true.
A walking advertisement for her product, she looked decades younger despite using a pearl-studded cane.
“Come in, come in,” she snapped as she stepped backward.
“You’re letting the air conditioning out.
Resources aren’t finite and I’ve always been a good steward of them. ”
“Yes, ma’am.” Oakley entered the fourteen-foot-high foyer. A mahogany center table contained a bouquet of fresh roses. “Thank you for meeting with us.”
Instead of taking them to the great room with its phenomenal view of the lake, Kate led them into the formal living room.
She sat in a tall, throne-like wingback armchair fitting for the closest thing Texas had to royalty.
She gestured, and Oakley and Cheyenne sat on the sofa.
“My assistant will bring in a tea service. I’ve been curious since you contacted me. Tell me more about this Johnny Doe.”
“He’s an amnesiac Oakley found along the Emerald Ridge River promenade. He’s still in the hospital.” Cheyenne gave Kate the most recent information. “He’s in stable condition and soon to begin the rehabilitation phase where they’ll work with him on memory retraining exercises.”
“Who knew a bump on the noggin could do so much damage,” Kate mused. Her assistant came in carrying a tray with a large teapot and three cups. After pouring, the assistant distributed the cups and left.
Kate lifted her cup, and Oakley followed suit, finding she’d served a lemon and ginger blend.
The tea was the perfect temperature, and drinking it reminded him of the time at the hotel with Rachel.
Melancholy must have shown on his face, for Kate said, “Penny for your thoughts.” Her mind and powers of observation remained razor-sharp.
Oakley used the point of their visit to get his mind off Rachel. “I was wondering if you knew anything about our father’s past that might help us identify Johnny Doe. He had a picture on him, but we don’t know who the baby in the photo is, or why he knew my dad’s name.”
“I brought a copy.” Cheyenne took a sheet of paper from her purse and handed it to Kate, who studied the picture carefully before passing it back.
“I wish I could help you, but I don’t recognize that baby,” Kate said.