she was. She had no idea how to hold back and even if she did, he doubted she’d ever even try. It made his heart ache, physically ache.
“Does this feel good?” she whispered.
He was completely hard again and knew she could see that he was. “Yes.”
“You make me feel good, too, Reilly, just by being here. You can make me feel good by just looking at me.”
He had no idea what to say to that, but she didn’t seem to need a response. Slowly, her fingers stroked him and he let her. Her touch felt so good, so beyond what he’d expected or even wanted.
“Reilly?” She was breathless now and when he lifted his head, he saw her looking at his body and its reaction to her.
“Again?” she whispered hopefully.
“Again,” he agreed and took her in his arms. “But next time, we make it to a damn bed.” He started kissing her, letting himself get lost in the feel of her, the taste of her, but even that wasn’t enough to obliterate the fact that this had not been some normal casual-sex thing.
Still wasn’t. It was more, far more and damned if he could even begin to explain why.
So he didn’t even try; instead, he bent to the task at hand, and took them both to heights of pleasure he’d never known before her.
17
EDDIE LAY IN HIS BED as the sun rose and held the love of his life.
Cheri stirred and opened her eyes. “Hmm,” she said, and sat up. Fluffing her pillow behind her, she sighed. “I know that look. You’re thinking too much. Regrets already?”
“Are you kidding?” He nearly laughed, but this wasn’t a laughing matter. “I’ve never been happier.”
“Me, either,” she said, smiling. “Sorry it took me so long to come to my senses.”
“That’s okay. What’s thirty-odd years between soul mates? I love you, Cheri.”
“Oh, Eddie. I love you, too. So much.” She stroked his jaw. “So, if we’re okay…”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m more than okay.”
Cheri laughed and said, “All I’m asking is, what’s the frown about?”
“Reilly.”
“Ah.” She let out a long breath as she continued to stroke him. “You’re going to meddle, aren’t you?”
“Of course I’m going to meddle. It’s what I do best.”
“Eddie-”
“No. I’ve got a good plan this time. Listen,” he said. And he leaned in close, tugging the sheet free of her gloriously nude body as he did, whispering his plans as he made love to her again.
“What do you think?” he asked her when they could talk.
Glowing, Cheri sighed. “You know what? Color me crazy, but I think it just might work…”
WHEN TESSA WOKE UP, she was alone. That is, she was alone until her sister flipped on her bedroom light after she let herself in and, as she tended to do several times a week, went straight for Tessa’s closet. “Do you still have my denim skirt?” Oblivious, Carolyn flipped through the hangers, then whirled around to dig her way through the clothes heaped on the chair next to the dresser. “I wish you’d return the stuff you take-Damn it, here it is. Is it even clean?” she asked, lifting the skirt. She shook it out, then lifted it up again.
She finally seemed to notice Tessa lying silently in her bed. “What’s the matter?” she demanded.
What was the matter? Tessa took stock of her situation. Her entire body was warm and replete and deliciously sated. Not bad. The only thing missing was the fact that Reilly had clearly let himself out, probably shortly after their last tryst in the shower, sometime near dawn.
“Tessa,” her sister said and stood by the bed now, her hands on her hips. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Still sleepy, I guess.” Tessa started to get out of the bed, but remembered she was quite naked.
Carolyn narrowed her eyes. “You’re going to be late for work, aren’t you?”
Somehow she didn’t think Reilly would mind. Unable to get up until Carolyn left, she held the sheet up to her chin. “I think I’ll just snooze another few minutes,” she said.
Carolyn sighed. “Suit yourself. But I left you breakfast in the kitchen.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s just yogurt and a bagel. Figured I’d save your cholesterol intake today, so you can skip the doughnut shop. Come on, come eat with me-” She tugged the sheet free of her sister’s grasp and gaped. “Since when did you start sleeping in your birthday suit?”
Tessa scooped the blanket back up to her chin. “It was hot last night.”
“It was sixty degrees.”
“Well, it was hot in here.”
“Uh-huh. And I suppose you bit yourself on your shoulder.”
Tessa felt herself blush.
“Oh my God,” Carolyn gasped, her mouth falling open. “You slept with him, didn’t you? I hope to hell you used a condom.”
“I’m not stupid.” Tessa bit her lip. There had been no sleeping involved, not even a bed. Nope, they’d used the couch, the floor, her table… “But it was really nice. You know, in case you were wondering.”
Her sister sighed and sank to the bed. She skimmed a strand of hair out of Tessa’s face. “You really like him.”
“Yes.”
“I want to meet him.”
“I don’t think it’ll be happening again, Carolyn.”
“Why?” Carolyn snapped. Her expression went fierce. “He doesn’t like you?”
“He isn’t much on commitment.”
“Of course not. He’s got a penis, doesn’t he? Oh, sweetie.” She leaned in and hugged Tessa. “Just don’t let him break your heart.” She pulled back and smiled grimly. “Because if he does, I’ll break him.”
Tessa laughed and said, “He’s an ex-CIA operative. He probably knows twelve-billion different ways to kill a person.”
“I don’t need twelve-billion, not if he hurts you,” she asserted. Carolyn stood and made her way to the bedroom door. “Feel free to tell him that. And what I can’t accomplish, you know damn well Rafe will.”
Tessa listened to the front door shut and had to shake her head. Love was an awfully strange creature. Carolyn loved Tessa, so she bossed her around and threatened people she didn’t even know. Eddie loved Reilly so he interfered in his life. Cheri loved Reilly so she worked for him even though she’d rather work for Eddie. Sacrifices. All in the name of a four-letter word.
Love.
If she’d truly done as she was beginning to suspect, if she’d truly started to fall for Reilly…then what sacrifices would
And would she be happy with those sacrifices, especially if she was the only one to make them?
With her sister gone, she got out of bed and showered. She was sore in places she hadn’t imagined and besides the mark on her shoulder, there was an interesting one she didn’t remember getting on the inside of her thigh.
For some idiotic reason, it made her grin.
When she got into work, Cheri was behind the front desk taking a phone message. When she hung up, she looked Tessa over until she wanted to squirm. “You okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Tessa asked.
“Well, my son came in here in a decent mood. You have anything to do with that?”
Tessa bit her lower lip. “Maybe,” she admitted.
