TWENTY-FIVE
SHE HAD NO memory of him coming to bed, a testament to the stress of the previous day, and his consideration. She’d been out like a light. But as daytime beckoned, she couldn’t remember ever waking with such peace and contentment. She drew in breath and her eyelids opened. The reason for her morning glow was right there at her side, lying next to her, head propped on a fist, smiling down at her.
“Good morning,” he said, exuding the same satisfaction that filled her.
“Good morning, how long have you been lying there like that?”
Not that she minded, unless she was drooling. Her fingertips met her lips, just to check.
His smile grew. “You don’t drool. Though you’d be no less adorable if you did.”
Ah, the charmer at work. Waking up with him wasn’t such a bad deal.
She wriggled closer. “I like this.”
“I like this too. Could get used to this. Are we hanging with the family today?”
“Do you have other ideas?”
“Plenty. I figured you’d want to stick with PG-13, rather than…”
Hanging with the rest of the family may be the best way to ensure that. If they spent too much time alone… Yes, better to keep things family oriented.
“Have you heard from the boys today?” The Claymores were just as important as the Pivens. “How is Abel doing?”
“No hope on the R-rated, huh? You’re all about the family. They’ll survive. I preferred watching you sleep to checking in with them, and I didn’t want to disturb you. Abel’s tough, he can handle things.”
Her palm found his cheek. “I don’t want them to think I stole you away. I understand the four of you are a package deal. I love your family, I would never—”
“If you haven’t figured it out by now, they adore you. Guarantee they’re missing you more than me.”
What a contrast, how she felt spending time with her family versus spending time with his. She wanted more. Normality, day to day, everything in their lives intertwined, was that too much to ask?
Would they ever wake up in his apartment? Go downstairs to have breakfast with the twins and Abel, without the weight of Squires hanging over them? She didn’t hate the agency; it brought them together. She did hate thinking about him with someone else even for a second.
Beyond that, she hated to think of him struggling. The pressure that he was under was immense. All expectation weighed on his shoulders; he had a family to support. If he couldn’t bring in the dough, God only knew what would happen to them. And his mom, what would happen to her? Was that something that played on his mind?
“What were you thinking for today? I don’t know if there’s an itinerary, or if anyone has plans. I haven’t heard about anything being booked at all. That doesn’t mean there’s no agenda. If there’s something specific you would like to do or see…”
“Plenty I’d like to see.”
Easing the covers down her body, he left them at her hips to slide his flat hand back up, under her top this time. It caught on his wrist exposing her skin as it ascended. She caught it in her cleavage, just before his view got good.
“What time is it?”
“You just said there was nothing planned. We have nowhere to be. Right now I like it right here. I’m in no hurry. Let’s just take it slow…” Still beneath the fabric, his palm skimmed over her nipple before his fingers curled in a delicious fondle. Though her grip tightened, she didn’t exactly move to stop him. “You don’t want to play?”
Oh, she did. He had no idea just how much she wanted to let go and give him free rein. He may think he wanted it, but he had no idea. Compared to her, no one on earth understood the meaning of desire. Being in bed with him was a fantasy come to life. With so few clothes between them, it would be easy to surrender to their attraction and let biology lead the way. The same thoughts that danced in her mind, danced in his, she read them in his eyes. They had to get out of bed, away from their cozy intimacy, or they would break the rules on the very first day.
“We can play in the shower, if you want… Hound.” Oh, God, where had that come from? Bad idea? Not according to the spark of blazing desire that seemed to flame around his pupils. “Unless you think we can’t control ourselves.”
She wasn’t sure she had faith in herself, let alone him. Was the shower really a better option? It was, of course it was. Doing it in the shower required effort, and a plan. Surely one of them would speak up for their rules before it got that far.
“If controlling myself means getting you naked…”
When he put it like that…
Throwing back the covers, he leaped out of bed, driving a rapturous laugh from her lungs when he scooped her up to toss her over his shoulder. Nothing wrong with his exuberance or his stamina. He was on a mission and wasn’t leaving her behind.
Fine by her. The bathroom at least had a locking door, which should prevent potentially embarrassing interruptions. There may be a lot of couples in the building, sure, but she had no idea how her aunt and uncle felt about the younger generation getting intimate while in such close quarters. Wasn’t a topic one could just casually bring up while passing the peas at dinner. She hadn’t heard anyone else having fun the previous night, then again, she’d been dead to the world.
Baer set her on the vanity and went to turn on the water.
Tempting though it was… “I don’t think my aunt will let us stay in here all day. Someone will come looking for us eventually.”
“Yeah, I figured,” he said, returning to peel off her top. “Maybe if we ignore the door and stay real quiet, they’ll give up and go away.”
Unlikely. And if she let him follow through with what was on both of their minds, staying quiet would require Herculean effort.
This time, she didn’t hinder the nudity and planted both hands behind her to lift her hips when he slid off her shorts.
“Quiet wouldn’t be a bad plan, we shouldn’t be loud…” He scooped his hands beneath her jaw to tilt her head back and kiss her. “Was anyone else loud last night?”
“Didn’t hear anyone.” Did that mean Donoghue and Nickson were good discreet lovers, sucked in bed, or were thwarted by Kelly and Holly given their parents were in the next room? “I don’t care about them.”
Tilting her head the other way, he angled his kiss to push deeper, though still kept his tongue from her mouth. Why was he—no, ignore the frustration. This wasn’t a bad thing, it was a good thing. Restraint. Wasn’t that what she asked him to exercise? If he aroused her too much…
“No sex, remember,” she panted, clinging onto her last vestiges of composure.
“You meant the full penetrative kind though.”
“Did I?” she teased, helping him lose the boxers. “We have to be good.”
This wasn’t a moment for “What would Roxie do…?” Because her friend, right then, with a guy she was crazy for…
The money. She had to remember the money going to Squires. While Baer was being paid, the full penetrative kind was definitely off the table.
Just like her.
He picked her up, both hands gripping her ass, and slid back the glass to take her under the hot spray. Oh, it was good to be in his arms, her own looped around his neck, levering her up until she finally got to taste his tongue.
Other parts of him wanted a taste too, wanted to slip over her threshold, and she wasn’t immune to the temptation. It would be so good… Why couldn’t they…? Oh, her and her rules. Yes, they were good rules. Rules that wouldn’t muddy the waters of the true them…
“Is this crazy?” she whispered, arching her body into his descending mouth that tantalized her throat.
“I’m taking advantage before you get smart and kick me to the curb. Gotta build those memory banks.”
“Crazy…” she said, writhing against him. “To think we’d ever resist…”
Inviting him into the shower was a hell of a test right up front. Naked, her body was ready, hot, wet, desperate… very accessible to his. And this guy knew sex. Was she an idiot? If anyone could do shower sex without a designated plan, it was a guy in his line of work.
She didn’t bring protection. Packing it would’ve been tempting fate, admitting her weakness, admitting just how much she wanted to—maybe he brought condoms. Always prepared, right? Work product. It was a professional necessity. Bringing them might look presumptuous, would he think that? Could be a work policy to bring them no matter what, Conrad didn’t know her rules. The boss might’ve forced Baer to take them. Except Baer could’ve worried about giving her the wrong idea. Like that he could tempt her into abandoning her rules. Wrong idea? Uh, given where she was, and what they were doing, that should be the right idea. The very right and incredibly amazing—
“Baer!”
Her eyes opened as his mouth left its post. So much for no interruptions; that voice was close. Close like right on the other side of the bathroom door perhaps. Did they lock the door? Having a lock made no difference to interlopers if they hadn’t used it. She’d been otherwise indisposed, and Baer had other things in his hands when they entered.
“Who is that?” she whispered, which was stupid because no one would hear her over the shower spray.
“Don,” Baer grumbled and put her on her feet. “Goddamnit.”
They could ignore it, ignore him, like Baer suggested… Except they should probably be giving Donaghue a reward, he might have saved them from what they’d almost given into.
Though it was a little unsettling that…
“Did he just walk in our room uninvited?”
What if they’d followed through in bed? They’d have been… busy.
Baer left the shower and wrapped a towel around his hips. “Yeah, but don’t worry, he won’t be doing it again.”
They better not start a fight. Her uncle wouldn’t tolerate brawling in the bedrooms. But what could he really do if these tall, broad, muscular men, decided to knock lumps out of each other? What a ridiculous thought, Baer wasn’t like that. He wouldn’t get physical; he wouldn’t do that. Not unless Donoghue provoked him. And without knowing what their unexpected visitor wanted, how could she predict Baer’s mood and actions?
She couldn’t leave them out there, something might have happened. They might need her. This was her family, she should be involved if something was going on. And if Donoghue had decided to split, she definitely needed to know that… and get hold of Holly fast.