Her Perfect Match (Liaison #1) (9 page)

“Sleep for a while and then I’ll feed you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He froze.
 
“For what?”

“For making it perfect,” she mumbled as her breathing deepened.
 
Soon, her body relaxed against him and she slept.

He brushed a strand of hair from her face, careful not to wake her up.
 
He knew that it was perfect because of her, not him.
 
He brought her home for selfish reasons, and her words had caused guilt to crush his chest until it was hard for him to breathe.
 
He knew that their relationship would change, and he wanted it to, but he should have told her the truth.
 
The truth that he couldn’t live without her in his life, in his bed, arguing with him and loving him in a way that was as natural to her as breathing.

Sleeping next to her was better than he’d ever imagined, but making love to her, holding her in his arms as she slept—that was what he wanted for his future.
 
He’d never depended on a woman for his happiness, but that was because he was too blind to see her for who she was.
 
He was given a second chance when she came back into his life, and he wasn’t going to do anything to screw that up.

As long as he had time with her, he would tell her how he felt about her.
 
But until he was ready, he would have to continue to show her how much she meant to him.

Chapter Ten

Rebecca blinked awake and for a moment, had forgotten where she was.
 
Her eyes dropped down to the arm draped over her waist, and it all came back to her in a rush.
 
She had spent the weekend at Gabriel’s, in his bed.
 

Heat washed over her as she remembered every moment of her time with him, from his kisses to the feeling of him inside of her, and soon her core throbbed and her breaths came out in pants.
 
She pressed her legs together, and she moaned aloud as muscles she had overworked the day before protested at her movements.
 

In order to distract herself from where her thoughts had wandered, her hand moved to touch her still swollen lips.
 
Her fingers then traveled down to her neck and she drew in a sharp breath when she touched the sensitive area he had made with his lips.
 
She remembered the moment he had marked her and the ache in her body intensified.
 

Every movement in her stilled as his arm tightened, bringing her even closer to his hard muscled body.
 
She felt his warmth against her back and in the comfortable cocoon of his arms, she felt as though she was home.
 

Her heart stuttered in her chest when reality crashed back down.
 
This was temporary.
 

She loved every moment of her time with him, and wanted more, but she refused to demand anything from him.
 
It wasn’t as though he promised more than a night or two in his bed, but she found herself yearning for more, which she knew was impossible.
 
She was a realist; he wasn’t a man who settled down with one woman, no matter how compatible they were in bed.
 
She swallowed a lump in her throat, and tamped down her desire to think about a future with him.

Yesterday had been a perfect day that had started with being able to touch him.
 
Making love to him had been a bonus, but she could spend hours looking at his naked body with complete and utter satisfaction.
 
She shivered as she replayed every moment of their time together; they’d made love twice more after they’d woken from their nap and each touch, kiss, and caress was more perfect than the last.
 
They weren’t eager to leave his protective world, so he’d had groceries delivered so they could spend the rest of the weekend together without interruption.

He’d cooked for her, and when she went to sit across from him as they ate, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.
 
They took turns feeding each other, until other desires took over.
 

In the past, she’d enjoyed sex, but with Gabriel, desire flared with an intensity that she couldn’t control.
 
He didn’t even have to touch her with intent, and she was begging him to take her.

Her thoughts headed in dangerous directions, so when his arm loosened and his breathing deepened, she slid to the edge of the king-sized bed and stood.
 
She found her clothes strewn around the bedroom, but they were too crumpled to put back on.
 
She rummaged for some panties and when she stepped back from her bag, her eyes landed on the white tee that he’d worn yesterday under his sweater.
 
She held it to her face and took a deep breath; it smelled like his masculine soap and a scent she would forever correlate with him.
 
She shivered as she slipped the tee over her head.

Her eyes went back to rest on his sleeping form and she smiled when she noticed that he’d stretched out onto his stomach, his hands shoved underneath his pillow.
 
Her gaze traveled over the wide expanse of his back and down to his right leg that had been uncovered, but froze as he groaned and turned his head in her direction.
 
She held her breath for a moment, but he slept on, and she continued her perusal of his hard body until other needs presented themselves.
 
With one last look, she headed to the bathroom.

She looked at her wild hair and her kiss-swollen lips and smiled at herself.
 
She liked the wild abandon they’d had with each other, and as much as she wanted to slip back into bed and kiss him awake, she knew he needed sleep.
 

They had lain awake the night before and talked into the early morning about whatever came to mind.
 
She didn’t want to talk about their future, because she didn’t want to put hope into an impossible fantasy.
 
It would break her heart if she was right and it went no further than the weekend.
 
So she avoided the subject, but she couldn’t skirt the question about why they hadn’t gotten together earlier.

“Because you thought of me as your friend’s little sister.”

“No, it was because you never stuck around any time I was in the vicinity.
 
I thought for a long time that you didn’t like me, so I never pursued it.”

She pushed against his chest as she lifted her head.
 
She was surprised that he was telling her the truth; he had thought that she wasn’t attracted to him.

“I was hiding so you couldn’t see how much I wanted you.
 
And you had a date with a new girl every week, so I thought better of showing you that I liked you.”
 

She ran her hand over his hard chest before her mouth followed.
 
She smiled as a low growl rumbled through him into her, further ramping up her desire for him.
 
She grew bold, and flicked her tongue over his nipple before she drew it into her mouth, sucking hard.

Words had been forgotten as they proceeded to touch, suck, lick, and make love until they were both spent and their breathing came in deep gasps.
 
She had never laughed or enjoyed just being with a man more than the hours she spent with him.
 
She pushed away any thoughts of their time ending, determined to be happy with him during the time they had left.

After tying her hair in a loose bun, she strolled into the kitchen and went to the sleek white cabinet where he kept the coffee filters and coffee.
 
The smell of the coffee alone had her senses waking up, but it wasn’t until he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into his chest that she felt her body wake and her mind shaking off the last remnants of sleep.

“Good morning,” she chirped.
 

His arms tightened around her but otherwise, he gave no indication that he’d heard her.
 
She turned around, and frowned as she felt more than witnessed the anger radiating off him in waves.

“What’s wrong?” she choked out.
 
Her hand moved to cup her throat, and she wondered whether she had overstayed her welcome.

“I woke up and you weren’t next to me.”
 
His words were clipped.

She had no idea why that would make him angry, but at the tilt of her head as she studied him, he released her and walked a few yards away.
 
He paced, and despite his anger, her eyes perused his naked chest and unbuttoned jeans that he must have thrown on before he joined her, unable to prevent the flare of heat that licked her body at the sight of him.
 

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and her brows drew down as she wondered at the cause of his anger.
 
She was still in his apartment; he must have noticed that her clothes were scattered all over the floor, so she didn’t understand his reaction.

“I’ve been awake for a while, and I didn’t want to disturb you since you haven’t slept much this weekend.”

His face relaxed but he looked at her with concern.
 
“You didn’t sleep well?”

“No, I slept better than I have in a long time, but…” She blushed as she thought about what she wanted to do to him.

“But?”

“I wanted you again, but you needed sleep.
 
So instead of being selfish, I made myself get out of bed.”

She winced at the loudness of her voice.
 
She looked down at her feet and closed her eyes as embarrassment washed over her.
 
She hadn’t meant to yell at him, just as she hadn’t wanted to tell him how much her body craved his; instead, she wanted to spend the day in his arms before the reality of life impeded on their insular world where just the two of them existed.

“You’re so beautiful, sweetheart, and let’s be very clear.
 
I want you, too.
 
More every minute.”

She could feel him move closer, and sucked in a breath when he pressed against her, the evidence of his desire against her stomach.

“Look at me,” he demanded in a low voice.

She lifted her gaze up to his and in an instant, her embarrassment fled.

“If you want me, then you have me.
 
I don’t need sleep, but I do need you.”

She had the feeling that he was trying to tell her more than what his words had conveyed, but with him pressed so close and his eyes shining with desire, she pushed it to the back of her mind, determined to figure out the meaning behind his words later.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and when she pressed her mouth to his, he surprised her by lifting her onto the counter.
 
He took advantage when she opened her legs and stepped between her thighs, his hands still cupped under her bottom.
 

He leaned in and nibbled on her lips until she tilted her head and deepened the kiss.
 
Kissing had never been sensual for her, but that all changed whenever her mouth touched his.
 
Shifting her body closer to his, she shivered as his kiss sent bolts of electricity racing through her body.

“Please, I need you.”
 
Her voice sounded foreign to her.

“I need you, too,” he growled.

As his eyes met hers, he gripped her tiny panties in his fist, and with a forceful tug, ripped them off her body.
 
The sound and the feral look in his eyes caused her core to clench, and she leaned back against the cabinets and moaned.
 
She heard his jeans hit the floor a split second before he thrust deep inside her.

“So…good…”

She opened her eyes and their gazes locked.
 
“Yes,” she hissed.

Her inner muscles squeezed as he pulsed deep inside her, and a shiver of an orgasm shook her from the intensity of his gaze on her and the strength of his body driving into her.
 

For a long while, he held himself deep inside her and despite her lectures to herself about not rushing him, she wanted to know all of his secrets and whether he felt the same way about her.

All thoughts scattered as he pulled out, almost all the way, and plunged back deep inside.
 
He wrapped one arm around her back and another around her shoulders, as he continued his long, deep thrusts, never taking his gaze from hers.
 
She didn’t know what he glimpsed in her eyes, but he was as mesmerized as she was.

She reached out and caressed his chest, feeling the soft skin over hard muscle, and felt more than heard the deep rumble that built in his chest.
 
She leaned toward him and pressed kisses against his neck, before she moved down and flicked his nipple with her tongue.
 
With her movement, he lost all control.
 

He pulled her off the counter and moved her to the wall.
 
He drove deep inside of her and captured her scream of pleasure in his mouth.
 
He pinned her down with his chest, and he continued his hard thrusts until her body tightened and she screamed out her most powerful orgasm yet.
 

His name became a chant on her lips as her body continued with a deep wave of pleasure that washed against her, again and again.
 
It became even more intense as he drove into her one final time, and with a shout that had her core clench, he poured himself into her.

His arms wrapped her close, and while still inside her, he carried her to the bedroom.
 
He laid her down before his hand spanned her stomach, and he pulled out of her with cautious attention at the residual pleasure from his actions.
 
She bit her lip to prevent the moan from escaping and closed her eyes.
 
It was that or beg him to take her again.