Текст книги "All of Me"

Автор книги: Kelly Moran

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

chapter

twenty-two

They toasted a couple of bagels for breakfast and ate them with orange juice before making the short trek across the grounds to Alec’s guesthouse. Faith knew he was anxious to get going on the book, so she wasted no time getting ready. Before leaving, she’d gotten an idea in her head to make writing fun for him, but now she didn’t think she could go through with it. She still wasn’t sure why he’d wanted her to come.

They stepped out of the drenching humidity and into the cool interior of his house. She barely got to look at the place because he was on the move. He tugged her by the hand into his bedroom and booted up the laptop sitting on the small desk by the window.

“What’s this idea of yours?”

She set her purse and book down on the bed. Her stomach rioted. “Um, well I thought . . .”

He stepped into her space and ran his hands down her arms. “Don’t clam up now.” He kissed her forehead.

She breathed in his now-familiar scent of soap and sandalwood as her breasts grew heavy with desire. She could do this. It was time to start going after what she wanted.

Blowing out a careful breath, she took a step back. “I thought for every page you typed I could remove an article of clothing.”

His jaw dropped and his eyebrows shot up. Throwing his head back, he barked out a laugh. “Oh, Faith. I love how your mind works.” He closed the distance and kissed her soundly on the mouth. “Let’s hope I get a lot done. That’s quite the incentive. And distraction.”

Her nerves leveled out and her pulse calmed. “Get to work.” She tried for a teasing note, but her voice just came out sounding breathy.

He groaned and made his way to the desk while she sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard. She waited until he had the document open and started typing before she opened her book to settle in and read.

“Page,” he said a while later and turned to wink at her.

She slid off one flip-flop and dropped it on the floor.

“Oh, come on! Shoes don’t count.”

Heat warmed her cheeks as she laughed. He had a knack for making her let go and feel good. It seemed like so long since she had laughed. “Shoes are an article of clothing.”

He huffed and turned back to his laptop. The keys clicked away.

She returned to her book until it was time to remove the other shoe. The cardigan she wore over her dress was next. To tease him, she took the band out of her hair and released her ponytail with his next page, earning a scowl.

After that, though, he really must’ve gotten in the zone, because he didn’t call out “page” again and didn’t turn around to see if she was naked. She stopped taking clothes off to let him work. He needed a good solid day of writing and she was pleased he was so focused. It had been hard on him not being able to work in a steady rhythm, to have his ability blocked. She was glad he was finding himself again and that she could help.

Around lunchtime, she tiptoed into the kitchen to see what he had in the fridge. She found a couple of leftover grilled chicken breasts and whipped up a chicken salad. After toasting some bread and adding lettuce and tomato, she dug in the cabinets to find chips to go with the sandwich. Apparently, Alec had an addiction to sugar and salt—a box of packaged chocolate cupcakes sat on the shelf, the kind that had a shelf life long enough to survive the apocalypse. For a moment, all she could do was stare. It was like an omen of sorts. With a shaking hand, she brought the box down as memories slammed into her.

The day before Hope’s kidney transplant, her sister had somehow smuggled a box of cupcakes like these into the hospital. She’d covertly snuck down the hall, stuck a penlight into the top of a cupcake, and whispered, “Happy birthday, little sister.”

Faith had been feeling pretty down until that moment. They hadn’t been allowed to share a room, and Faith had been nervous about her own surgery to remove the kidney Hope needed. Her parents had been darting between their rooms, but she’d encouraged them to stick by Hope’s side, because Hope was the sick one. The nurses were nice enough in their prepping, but it sure wasn’t the way Faith had wanted to spend her birthday—alone with tubes and wires.

Hot tears filled her eyes.

This birthday wasn’t such a bad one, compared to the others. Maybe twenty-eight was her magic number. She’d gotten to make love to Alec first thing in the morning, and she could do worse than spending half the day in bed reading. But still . . . her parents hadn’t called. She thought for sure they’d call today, on their own. Until now, they’d returned her phone calls, but she’d been the one to initiate contact.

The sound of steadily clicking computer keys drifted down the hall. Alec was lost in his book, as he should be, so she’d leave him to it. She took the sandwich, wrapped it up, and set it in the fridge. Tiptoeing into the bedroom, she grabbed her purse and turned to leave when a thought occurred to her.

Alec was typing like mad, not even aware she was there.

She slipped out of her dress and set it on the bed, then grabbed one of Alec’s shirts from a corner chair he’d thrown aside. She put one flip-flop in the hall and the other in the kitchen. Finally, she put her panties by the back door. Maybe if Alec finished early enough, he’d follow her silly bread crumbs and they could make love tonight.

She stared at the box of cupcakes on the counter and, with a heavy sigh, snatched one to eat later and put the box away. Alec wouldn’t mind, and if he did, she’d bake him something to replace it. It wasn’t a birthday cake, but it was something. Something was better than nothing.

Wearing only his T-shirt, she stepped outside into the heat and quietly shut the door. If she passed anyone on the beach dressed like this, they’d just think it was a swim cover-up. She was drowning in the shirt and it fell well past her knees. Still, she was relieved to make it to her guesthouse with no interruptions.

But what to do with the rest of her day? She could go out and do some shopping, but there wasn’t anything she needed and she wanted to be here in case Alec took a break and did follow her not-so-subtle hints.

She looked out the window at the ocean and made her decision. She wished Hope was here. They’d bake a cake and sing out of key and have a ball hanging out on the beach. Hope may not be here, but Faith could still hit the beach and pretend her sister was sitting in the sand beside her.

She set the cupcake on the counter and dug around in the kitchen drawers until she found what she was looking for. Placing a small candle in the center of the cupcake, she nodded and went in search of her swimming suit.

*   *   *

Alec’s gaze darted over the screen, line by line. Faster than his brain could catch up, he proofed the chapters he’d written. He’d gotten all the way past the black moment where everything went to hell, and now all he had to do was set up the second book and wrap up this one. Faith had been right. What this had lacked was . . .

Faith. Shit.

He whipped around in his chair, but she wasn’t there. The little green sundress she’d been wearing, however, was draped across the foot of the bed.

Grinning, he rose and stretched, remembering her little game. He’d been so wrapped up in the story, the characters shouting in his head, that he’d lost track of time.

Speaking of . . . he looked at the clock and cursed. It was already late afternoon. How had he gotten that distracted? Not that it was the first time. Hell, sometimes he went days on autopilot. But he’d never had a willing woman behind him while he typed. A willing Faith, to be specific. Amazing he’d written anything.

He strode into the hall and nearly tripped over her flip-flop. “Faith?”

The house was eerily quiet. When there was no sign of her in the living room or kitchen, he figured she was out on the beach. He opened the fridge to grab a beer and found a ready-made sandwich for him. In the same instant, he realized if her dress was on the bed, she would be naked on the beach.

Kicking the fridge closed, he turned and stumbled over her other flip-flop. And that’s when he found her black underwear, right by the back door.

He laughed and pocketed the panties. She was turning into a little minx.

Except she wasn’t the kind of woman to go gallivanting around without clothes, and after stepping out onto the back deck, he didn’t see her anywhere. She had to have gone home, judging by the clues she’d left behind.

The image of her naked form filled his head, of her lying under him, her pale skin flushed with desire and her pretty mouth parted. Her amber eyes turning golden and her small, perfect breasts rising and falling with her gasps. The way she responded so openly to every touch, the sounds she made when she came . . .

Fuck. He was hard. And halfway down the beach before he even knew what hit him.

He found her on an Adirondack chair on her back deck, wearing a plain yellow bikini and the start of a sunburn. She was completely zonked out. A book was facedown on her stomach, her sunglasses shoved up on her head and tangled in her brown waves. The humidity had dampened her hairline so that the dewy tendrils curled madly. Dark lashes fanned her cheeks, her breasts rising and falling in an even rhythm.

His gaze traveled down to the waistline of her suit and encountered the scar he assumed was surgical. The kidney she gave her sister. He’d noticed it while making love, but in the light of day it was more pronounced. A constant reminder of her loss.

He sighed, wondering how she’d made it through the pain of her sister’s death when she’d had no other outlet or support. That took guts and strength, more than any one person should have. But she did. In spades. Had it been him losing Jake, Alec didn’t think he’d have survived.

She was so damn lovely it hurt. A physical, bone-deep ache that he’d never experienced and was positive he didn’t want. The urge to protect her, to slay her demons, and hold her tight was so powerful that all he could do was shake his head. Because he’d never been able to protect or hold on to anything. But Faith made him want to try.

Smiling, because she could easily bring one to his face, he gently took the book and set it aside. Then he opened the patio umbrella to protect her from the late-day sun. With her fair skin, she’d probably turn lobster in another hour. He decided to let her sleep and went into the house to see if he could scrounge up something to throw on the grill for dinner. If not, he’d order in, because he was keeping Faith all to himself tonight.

He was surprised to find a couple of steaks in the freezer, as he’d only seen her eat chicken, so he turned to put them in the sink to thaw. And stopped.

On her counter was a cupcake. With a birthday candle in it.

Faith didn’t eat sweets, so he couldn’t figure out if it was her birthday and she set it there for show or if it was her sister’s birthday and it was a sentimental thing.

Either way, he was the biggest shithead on earth. She’d been upset earlier, even through her attempt at bravery, and what did he do? He goddamn glued himself to the laptop. Ignored her like she was nothing, like her parents had done . . .

Christ. He hoped they’d called.

He pulled out his phone and found Mia in his contacts. “Do you have an employee record on Faith? A tax document? Anything with her date of birth?”

“Uh . . . She worked with Ginny at St. Ambrose, so I didn’t do an application. I do have a . . . hold on.” Papers shuffled in the background. “Wait. Why?”

“I think it might be her birthday. She didn’t say anything to me, but . . .” He looked at the cupcake. An inadequate celebration to say the least. One that made his chest grow heavy and clench like a vise.

“Here. Social security number, blah, blah, blah. Yes! It is today. She’s twenty-eight.” More papers shuffled. “Why wouldn’t she tell us? We could’ve had a cake while everyone was here for the fireworks last night and celebrated.” She sighed. “Now I feel bad.”

Mia couldn’t feel half as bad as he did. Or Faith. To go the whole day without any well wishes, not a one . . .

“I’m calling Lacey,” Mia insisted. “She can go to that bakery that’s doing the wedding cake and pick up a dessert or something. I’ll head into town with Ginny and get some chicken and corn for Cole to grill. Can you keep Faith busy for a couple hours? It’ll be late for a barbeque, but it’s better than nothing.”

Yes, it was better than nothing. And he knew just the thing to keep her occupied. He disconnected with Mia and tossed the cupcake in the garbage.

chapter

twenty-three

A featherlight touch tickled Faith’s arm, pulling her from sleep. Her skin was heated and she realized it was from the sun when she breathed in the scent of salt water. The steady thrum of the ocean roared in the background. Opening her eyes, she squinted to look up at Alec’s face as he sat on the edge of her chair, hip to hip.

“Hi.” She glanced around. Stretched. “I fell asleep.”

“Sounds like a nice way to spend the day, sleeping in the sun after a good book.”

She struggled to sit, bringing them closer. “How’s your manuscript? You were really going to town.”

He brushed a kiss over her lips, stirring her pulse. “It’s nearly done, thanks to you. And an even better story because of your insight.”

Warmth flooded her chest. “I’m glad.”

His smile fell a fraction. “I’m sorry I got so wrapped up.” He lifted her black panties, dangling from one finger. “I got your note. I’m about to make up for lost time.”

Before she could retort, he swooped her up in his arms and brought her inside. A rush of cool air hit her sun-kissed skin and she shivered.

As he carried her down the hall, his gaze raked over her body. “You’ve got the start of a sunburn, but I think I woke you in time.”

“I’m glad you did. Where are you taking me?”

Instead of going to the bedroom like she expected, he walked into the bathroom and set her on her feet. He turned on the water in the tub and grabbed a bottle of her body wash. Inhaling, he groaned and then checked the water temperature.

“Take a bath to wash the sunscreen off, and then I’ll rub some lotion . . . right here.” He kissed her shoulder and slid the strap of her bathing suit down her arm. “And here.” He kissed the other shoulder and removed her top with one slick flip of his wrist. He strode around to her back, trailing a finger down her spine. “And here.” He kissed the small of her back and crouched to slide her bikini bottoms down her legs. “Here, too,” he whispered, kissing her calves.

Air seeped from her lungs. Her heart pounded in anticipation. A sharp tremble tore through her core as the apex between her thighs throbbed. Yet she couldn’t move, no matter how much she wanted him. His touch was gentle, kind, where before it had always been needy and urgent. She didn’t know what to do with this side of him.

He rose and faced her. With slow, seductive movements, he tugged his shirt off and his shorts down, all the while maintaining her gaze. Heat and desire shone in his eyes, but there was something else there. Something tender she hadn’t seen before.

Her breath caught. “Alec?”

Naked, he stepped to her and held her hips. “Faith.” His voice was raw, a coarse groan of restraint. He nuzzled her neck, kissed her ear. “I want you.”

She whimpered and grabbed his solid arms. “Yes. I want you, too.”

“Get in the tub.”

She didn’t want to step out of his arms and break the connection, but she did as he asked and climbed in. He followed and sat behind her, his strong thighs on either side of hers and his erection pressing into her lower back. The warm water, scented with vanilla, slid over her skin, creating a delicious friction between them.

He reached for her body wash and lathered a small amount between his hands. Starting with her neck, he made his way down her shoulders and back before sliding around to her front. Every stroke was heaven and torment, all rolled into one bundle. His slick, soapy hands found her breasts and squeezed.

Her head fell back on his shoulder. She arched, seeking more.

“God, those noises, Faith. You like this?”

“Yes.” Her eyes fell closed, lost in his touch.

One hand kneaded her breast, circling her nipple, while the other trailed lower beneath the water. Over her stomach and right to where she throbbed for him. Only him.

His lips hovered by the curve of her ear. “I like touching you. Watching you is the most mesmerizing thing I’ve ever seen. You let go of your reservations and just feel. Me. You feel me.”

Each word sent her higher, closer and closer to completion, until she came apart blindly. Before her tremors subsided, he lifted her by the hips and brought her down over his shaft.

He stilled. Rubbed a slow hand up and down her back when she wanted to move. “No condom, Faith. Be careful how close you tease my restraint.

She loved how he filled her. Loved how there was no barrier between them. But the consequences of going unprotected were too great. She rose off of him, already missing him inside her body, and turned to bring them chest to chest. Splaying her hands on his shoulders, she ran them over the ridges of beautiful muscle—down, down—until she could wrap her fingers around him.

He sucked in a breath and grabbed her wrists. “This is about you, not me.”

That gave her pause. Nothing had ever been just about her before. Unsure of what to say, how to feel, she cleared her throat. “Then let me touch you.”

He started to shake his head, but stopped. Looked in her eyes. The gray blue of his irises turned stormy, his eyes fixed and dilated on hers.

Keeping one hand around his shaft, she brought the other up to brush his lips with her fingers. His lips parted to take a finger into his mouth, and as he did, she stroked with her other hand. He bit her finger, not hard, but then released it right away, as if worried he might hurt her. Empowered, she stroked again.

“Mother of God.” His head hit the back of the tub.

She watched him closely as he came moments later, fascinated by the way his jaw clenched and his breath held and his body tensed in a pleasure-pain combination. And all because of her touch. That someone like her could satisfy a man like him had hope rising in her chest, pride swelling in her throat.

Still breathing erratically, he cupped the back of her head and drew her mouth to his, kissing her in a hot exploration that seemed like way more than a simple thank-you by the time he was finished.

Afterward, he dried her body, the soft terry-cloth towel lingering over each part of her like a caress, and then applied lotion to her skin. Slow, deliberate strokes of his hands made her heart race with the tenderness he exhibited. And when he was through, she didn’t have any air left in her lungs.

*   *   *

Because Alec had no idea if anyone else had thought to get Faith a gift while scrambling to pull off this last-minute birthday dinner, he drove her into the touristy area of the strip and parked outside a store.

“I thought we were going to dinner?” Her wary gaze traveled over the building in front of them. A jewelry store.

“We are. After.” He opened his door. “Come on.”

She strode around the car and met him at the store entrance, still looking adorably confused. He took her hand and tugged her inside, wondering just what the hell he was doing. This kind of gift said you cared about someone deeply, and though he did care about Faith way more than was wise, he couldn’t help but think this would be impossible to walk away from. In the end, there was no other choice but to leave. He’d made his mistakes, and he had to live with them.

Yet even with all the doubt ramming his temples, the thought of what Faith might be doing today had he not figured out it was her birthday knotted his gut and tightened his throat.

“Pick out anything you want.” He gestured at the glass display cases lining the walls.

“What?” Her wide, panicked gaze met his.

“Pick out—”

“No, I heard you.” She waved a flustered hand. “Alec, no. I can’t.”

He stepped behind her and held her waist to lean down and speak into her ear. “Yes, you can. You just walk over to one of the cases and pick out whatever piece of jewelry catches your eye.”

She trembled beneath his hands. “Alec . . .”

“Had I known sooner, I would’ve picked something out myself. Happy birthday, Faith.”

“Can I help you folks?” A salesperson walked up to them, her perfume as heavy as her makeup.

“Give us a second,” he said, training his gaze back on Faith.

Not one word fell from Faith’s lips, but the tension in her body spoke volumes. He could’ve plucked her like a guitar string. “Any day now. We have dinner plans.”

She shook her head violently.

Frustrated, he stepped around to face her and found tears. A lot of them. Too many for her to will away like she’d done before.

“Faith. Please? I want to. It’s your birthday and I want to give you a gift.” He cupped her cheeks and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

Earlier, he’d had the odd thought that he’d slay a demon for her. He’d been wrong. He’d slay them all. Because the sight of her like this was killing him.

She blew out a watery breath and met his gaze. “How . . .” She cleared her throat. “How did you know it was my birthday?”

“I’m an author. Research comes with the territory.”

She nodded. “Thank you, but this is a bit much.”

“Then pick out something small if it makes you feel better.” He studied her face for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?”

She stared over his shoulder and shrugged. “I don’t know. It seemed presumptuous.”

He shook his head and laughed. Presumptuous? Faith? “Pick something out.” He kissed her forehead and stepped away to address the waiting salesperson. “Whatever she wants.”

The woman’s eyes widened with glee. “Of course.”

Alec backed off and stood by the register to give her some room. Faith hesitantly stepped to the counter with the rings, but quickly moved on. He bit back a grin and pretended to check his texts. Faith moved past the necklaces and earrings before stopping near him at the bracelets, the salesperson chatting her up the entire time.

“I used to have one like that, when I was a little girl.” She pointed to the top row, where a few charm bracelets were displayed on white felt.

He turned and leaned a hip on the case. “You like those?” He never would’ve guessed that, but then again, it suited her. He ignored the bigger, gaudy ones. “Can she see the one on the left?”

“Of course.”

The saleswoman unlocked the case and set the bracelet on the counter, disappointment twisting her mouth. Obviously she’d been hoping a woman allowed to pick anything she wanted would go with a pricier bauble. She didn’t know Faith like he did.

“We have an assortment of charms to go with it. Here’s the book. Just find what you like and I can add them right away. They have tiny clips to add new charms and rearrange however you want.”

Faith tentatively touched the bracelet with her fingertips. “It looks a lot like the one I used to have. Hope had given it to me. I lost it at the hospital during one of her treatments.”

Well, that settled that. Alec leaned in close to Faith’s ear. “Go wait in the car. I’d like at least part of this to be a surprise. I’ll be out soon.”

Her round gaze met his. Through her amber eyes, gratitude and awe radiated. Wonder. To Alec, it seemed like she was accumulating one of her moments, storing it away in her memory to pull out at a later date. She must’ve seen something when she looked at him, because her gaze softened and a trace of a smile worked her lips.

The air all but crackled between them. For the first time in years, an unnamable emotion rose up to choke him, more powerful than anything he’d ever experienced. Blinding, deafening, and not altogether unpleasant. Like a fissure sealing.

She stepped closer and he had to force himself to exhale. “Thank you.”

Because his throat wouldn’t work, he nodded.

When Faith was out of sight in the car, he turned to the book of charms and ignored the saleswoman’s curious stare. He scanned the pages, waiting for something to jump out at him. He found a seashell and pointed to indicate he wanted that one. The ocean meant a lot to her. He’d found her walking the surf, lost in thought countless times.

“I’ll get to work on this one, and you can let me know if you find more you like.”

Alec nodded, grateful for the minute alone.

The attendant returned just as he’d finished his selection. He pointed to an “H” to represent her sister’s name, and a little infinity symbol that had “friends” engraved on it, to represent Mia and Lacey, figuring those would mean a lot to her.

There was one last charm he was debating. “I’ll take that one, but don’t add it to the bracelet. I’ll take it in a separate bag.”

While the saleswoman clipped the charms and prepared the box, he texted Mia that they’d be there in under thirty minutes.

Package in hand, and the other charm burning a hole in his pocket, he stepped out into the fading light of day with his heart pounding. He was barely in the car when Faith pounced. She grabbed his arm and climbed halfway across the console.

“That was the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” The gratitude in her eyes burned intense, surprising the hell out of him.

“I’m a nice guy.” Or at least he was when he was around her—she’d managed to bring out that hidden quality, one he didn’t know he possessed. She did all sorts of things to him. It had been years since someone looked at him like she did.

She grinned, a full watt brighter than he’d seen to date. “Thank you.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but her mouth crashed over his. He cupped her jaw and kissed back, letting their tongues mesh and the heat to nearly engulf the car before pulling away.

“I really like that particular form of thank-you. We’ll have to get more into detail after dinner.”

She brushed her fingers over her swollen lips. “Dinner is overrated.”

Tempting. The only thing he was hungry for was her. Normally, he’d agree and skip it, but their friends were waiting. Not that she knew that. “I promise you, after dinner, I’ll let you thank me however you want. All night.”

To keep her busy in the meantime, he passed her the jewelry box. He started the car and made his way down the strip. After a moment, he cranked the air to cool things down. It didn’t help much.

And when she tore her way through the wrapping, her gasp of delight was the sweetest thing he’d ever heard.