him manually cranking back the time machine and reprocessing
everything she’d said since she’d left the bathroom. Leaning in, he fisted her tawny hair, and kissed her tenderly. When he pulled away, he looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. Of course you’ll stay
with me.”
“What’s going on in that head of yours, baby?” She placed
her hands on both sides of his scruffy, centerfold-worthy face.
The apples of his cheeks were still red from his angry outburst.
and she felt her eyes scouring his face for hints about his unusual behavior.
“I’ve just been really stressed lately, love.” He sighed and
brushed one of her fiery tendrils off of her cheek. “I need a vacation.”
She pulled his mouth to hers, and after several wet, explora-
tive kisses she pulled away. “I thought we were supposed to be
on one of those.”
“Indeed we are.” He tossed his keys to her apartments onto
the bedside table and pushed aside her spaghetti strap aside, nipping at her shoulder. She squealed and squirmed happily beneath
him. His sapphire eyes darter over her face, and his expression
turned somber again. Stephanie stared unflinching back up at
him, lovingly tracing her thumb across his lips. It would be a
new adventure, living close enough to date him for real. She
wondered if they’d last a month once he got to know her and
witnessed all her quirks and idiosyncrasies. He turned his face, kissed her thumb, and then pulled it into his mouth sucking on it.
She purred when she felt his growing hardness pressing against
her thigh.
“So just how much did you miss me?” Stephanie whispered.
He was grinding against her and she found it distracting as hell.
He abruptly pulled away. and she started to object, but she re-
leased a contented sigh as he descended her body, skillfully pull-18
RAGE
ing off her panties with his teeth. When his mouth returned to
hers, he wore a fiendish grin. A desperate moan escaped her as
he gently tugged at her lip with his teeth.
“Oh, about nine inches.” He growled, pushing one of his
muscular thighs between hers. She gasped and clawed his ass
with both hands as he roughly entered her.
19
CHAPTER TWO
“Aren’t you going to eat that?” Phillip nodded to Steph’s
peanut butter crescent. He’d been watching her disapprovingly
all through breakfast as she pushed fruit around on her plate. To pacify him, she’d forced herself to eat more fruit than she’d intended to. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. He
snatched the crescent off her plate and ripped into it with his
teeth. My caveman.
“I’ll take more coffee, though. With cream.”
He picked up the French press and warmed up her cup with
a wry smile. “You’re quite a fan of the cream.”
“Charming.” Steph quipped as she dumped an indecent
amount of half and half into her coffee. She would never be a tea drinker, and silently thanked God that Phillip was a coffee afi-cionado. “So when we’re back from your grandparents’, will you
show me around the grounds?”
“With pleasure. I’ve always wanted to do it in the great out-
doors.” Phillip mused. She giggled and rolled her eyes.
“Mr. One Track Mind…” She leaned across the table and
gave him a lingering kiss. When she pulled away, she lowered
her eyes in a bashful manner. “Are you sure this outfit is okay
for meeting your parents?”
He looked her over in her sleeveless navy dress with a
blinding smile. “That dress, love? Is anything but okay.”
20
RAGE
His announcement late last night that his parents would be
at the estate had caused her to toss and turn so much that she’d barely slept. Now her stomach felt like it was tied in double
knots, making it nearly impossible to keep down her food. The
latter would normally have been a good thing—diet and all—but
the thought of Phillip’s parents hating her filled her with dread.
She knew she was not a people person, and the impending doom
of this afternoon’s tea hung heavy over her like a midnight black veil.
Her sense of foreboding steadily increased as they pulled in-
to the stately drive of his grandparent’s picturesque estate. She took in the immaculately groomed grounds in the sunshine and
knew she should have been overjoyed to be back. His grandpar-
ents’ home was as impressive the second time around, and in
anticipation of its splendor. she’d had her camera out before it had even come into view. Sophia and Paul had been the most
welcoming people she’d ever met, so she felt slightly puzzled
over her leeriness. Still, Stephanie was no fool—she knew her
gut instincts were not to be brushed aside or blown off. She
glanced at Phillip who chewed on a toothpick nervously and
seemed to be wearing his pre-show game face. She wondered if
he was as nervous about having her meet his parents as she was
to about meeting them. A pain gripped her mid-section, and she
inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. It
passed quickly, and she noticed she’d dug her nails into her
palms. She fanned herself with her hand and took a long swig of
coffee from her travel mug and hoped it would counterbalance
what was she prayed was jetlag.
Phillip parked in the exact same spot he’d parked on their
first visit. He hopped out and rushed around to her side of the
car. She couldn’t help but drool over how handsome he looked in
khakis and a camel colored summer jacket. He opened her door
and waved his hand theatrically.
“My lady.” He tossed the toothpick aside and offered his
21
TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
hand to her.
She took it and allowed him to pull her from the sports car.
Her wry smile was uncontainable. “My liege.”
He slammed her door then aggressively pressed his tower-
ing frame against her, pinning her to the car with his body. Steph had always loved the way he manhandled her, but this time she
winced at the pressure of him against her midsection. His face
fell, but she covered with a small smile and pushed him back
away from her.
“Your parents might be looking out the window.” She
murmured.
His eyebrow twitched, and his sly smile made her moist in
unmentionable places. He leaned in, and his kiss was thankfully
light and gentle. When he whispered in her ear, his breath sent a shiver throughout every inch
