Falling for Rachel
Page 18
She thought it over. “Fair enough. But I think—”
He pulled her into his arms. “Stop thinking.”
It did the trick, all right. The moment she found herself pressed hard against him, her mind clicked off. She could still hear the music, the low, seductive alto sax, the pulse of the bass, the slow rhythms of the piano notes, but rational thought vanished.
They weren’t dancing. Rachel was certain no one would call this locked-hard, swaying embrace a dance. But it would be foolish to try to pull away when there was so little room. Breathing wasn’t all that important, after all. Not when you could feel your own heart slamming against your ribs.
She hadn’t intended to wind her arms quite so firmly around his neck, but now that they were there, there seemed little point in moving them. Besides, if she skimmed her fingers up just a bit, they could trail through his hair so that she could discover how fascinating that silky contrast was compared to the rock-hard body molded to hers.
“You fit.” He bent his head so that his mouth was against her ear. “I was a little too wound up to be sure the other night. But I thought you would.”
The subtle movements of his lips against her skin had her shivering before she could prevent it. “What?”
“Fit,” he said again, letting his hands follow those curvy lines down to her hips and back again.
“That’s only because I’m standing on my toes.”
“Honey, height doesn’t have a thing to do with it.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair, filling himself with the scent, the texture. “You feel right, you smell right, you taste right.”
Shaken, she turned her head before his mouth could finish its journey down the side of her face. “I could have you arrested for trying to seduce me in a public place.”
“That’s all right. I know a good lawyer.” He trailed his fingers under the back of her soft wool sweater to the heated skin beneath.
Her breath caught, then released unsteadily. “They’ll have us both arrested.”
“I’ll post bail.” There was nothing but Rachel under the sweater, he was sure of it. His mouth went dry as dust. “I want you alone.” Biting off a groan, he dipped his head to press his lips to her neck. “Do you know what I’d do to you right now if I had you alone?”
She shook her swimming head. “We should sit down. We shouldn’t do this.”
“I want to touch you, every inch of you. And taste you. I want to make you crazy.”
He already was. If she didn’t manage to slow things down, her overcharged system was likely to explode. “Two steps back,” she said on a long breath, and took just that. His hands remained at her waist, but at least she could breathe again. At least she managed two gulps of air before she looked into his eyes and the breath backed up in her lungs again. “Too much, too fast, Muldoon. I’m not a spontaneous type of person.”
What she was was a volcano ready to erupt. He was damn sure going to be there when the ground started to shake. But he didn’t intend to scare her off, either. “Hey, you want time. I can give you an hour. Two, if you really want me to suffer.”
She shook her head, edging back to the table. “Let’s just say I’ll let you know if and when I’m ready to take this any further.”
“She wants me to suffer,” Zack said under his breath. When she didn’t sit, he reached for his wallet. “I take it we’re leaving.”
“An early evening,” she reminded him. And she wanted badly to get outside, where the air could cool her blood.
“A deal’s a deal.” He tossed bills onto the table. “Why don’t we walk back? A little exercise might help us both sleep tonight.”
A twenty-block hike, Rachel mused. It couldn’t hurt.
“Cold?” he asked a short time later.
“No. It’s nice.” But he slipped an arm around her shoulders anyway. “I don’t often get a chance to just walk. Mostly it’s a dash from my place to the office, from the office to the courthouse.”
“What do you do when you’re not dashing?”
“Oh, I go to the movies, window-shop, visit the family. In fact, I was thinking it might be good for Nick to go with me one Sunday. Have some of Mama’s home cooking, listen to one of Papa’s stories, see how my brothers harass me.”
“Just Nick?”
She slanted him a look. “I suppose we could make room for Nick’s brother.”
“It’s been a long time since I—since either of us had a family meal. How about the cop? I can’t see him piping us aboard.”
“I’ll handle Alex.” Now that she’d suggested it, her mind began to turn quickly. “You know, Natasha and her family are due to visit in a couple of weeks. Things will be crowded and crazy. It might be the perfect opportunity to toss Nick into your not-so-average-family type of situation. I’ll see what I can work out.”
“I know I thanked you before, but I don’t think I know how to tell you how much I appreciate what you’re doing for him.”
“The court—”
“That’s bilge, Rachel.” They reached the steps of her building, and he turned her to face him. “You’re not just filing weekly reports or representing a client. You put yourself out for Nick right from the start.”
“Okay, so I’ve got a weak spot for bad boys. Don’t let it get around.”
“No, what you’ve got is class, and a good heart.” He liked the way she looked in the shadowy light, the vitality that pulsed from her like breath, the snap of energy and embarrassment in her eyes. “It’s a tough combination to beat.”
She shrugged under his hands. “Now you’re going to make me blush, Muldoon, so let’s not get sloppy. If things work out the way we want, you can buy me more flowers at the end of the two months. We’ll call it square.” He let her back up one step, but then held her firm. She was uneasy, but she wasn’t surprised. “Listen, it’s been nice, but…”
“I don’t figure you’re going to ask me in.”
“No,” she said definitely, remembering how her body had reacted to him in a crowded club. “I’m not.”
“So I’ll just have to take care of this out here.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Stop thinking.”
It did the trick, all right. The moment she found herself pressed hard against him, her mind clicked off. She could still hear the music, the low, seductive alto sax, the pulse of the bass, the slow rhythms of the piano notes, but rational thought vanished.
They weren’t dancing. Rachel was certain no one would call this locked-hard, swaying embrace a dance. But it would be foolish to try to pull away when there was so little room. Breathing wasn’t all that important, after all. Not when you could feel your own heart slamming against your ribs.
She hadn’t intended to wind her arms quite so firmly around his neck, but now that they were there, there seemed little point in moving them. Besides, if she skimmed her fingers up just a bit, they could trail through his hair so that she could discover how fascinating that silky contrast was compared to the rock-hard body molded to hers.
“You fit.” He bent his head so that his mouth was against her ear. “I was a little too wound up to be sure the other night. But I thought you would.”
The subtle movements of his lips against her skin had her shivering before she could prevent it. “What?”
“Fit,” he said again, letting his hands follow those curvy lines down to her hips and back again.
“That’s only because I’m standing on my toes.”
“Honey, height doesn’t have a thing to do with it.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair, filling himself with the scent, the texture. “You feel right, you smell right, you taste right.”
Shaken, she turned her head before his mouth could finish its journey down the side of her face. “I could have you arrested for trying to seduce me in a public place.”
“That’s all right. I know a good lawyer.” He trailed his fingers under the back of her soft wool sweater to the heated skin beneath.
Her breath caught, then released unsteadily. “They’ll have us both arrested.”
“I’ll post bail.” There was nothing but Rachel under the sweater, he was sure of it. His mouth went dry as dust. “I want you alone.” Biting off a groan, he dipped his head to press his lips to her neck. “Do you know what I’d do to you right now if I had you alone?”
She shook her swimming head. “We should sit down. We shouldn’t do this.”
“I want to touch you, every inch of you. And taste you. I want to make you crazy.”
He already was. If she didn’t manage to slow things down, her overcharged system was likely to explode. “Two steps back,” she said on a long breath, and took just that. His hands remained at her waist, but at least she could breathe again. At least she managed two gulps of air before she looked into his eyes and the breath backed up in her lungs again. “Too much, too fast, Muldoon. I’m not a spontaneous type of person.”
What she was was a volcano ready to erupt. He was damn sure going to be there when the ground started to shake. But he didn’t intend to scare her off, either. “Hey, you want time. I can give you an hour. Two, if you really want me to suffer.”
She shook her head, edging back to the table. “Let’s just say I’ll let you know if and when I’m ready to take this any further.”
“She wants me to suffer,” Zack said under his breath. When she didn’t sit, he reached for his wallet. “I take it we’re leaving.”
“An early evening,” she reminded him. And she wanted badly to get outside, where the air could cool her blood.
“A deal’s a deal.” He tossed bills onto the table. “Why don’t we walk back? A little exercise might help us both sleep tonight.”
A twenty-block hike, Rachel mused. It couldn’t hurt.
“Cold?” he asked a short time later.
“No. It’s nice.” But he slipped an arm around her shoulders anyway. “I don’t often get a chance to just walk. Mostly it’s a dash from my place to the office, from the office to the courthouse.”
“What do you do when you’re not dashing?”
“Oh, I go to the movies, window-shop, visit the family. In fact, I was thinking it might be good for Nick to go with me one Sunday. Have some of Mama’s home cooking, listen to one of Papa’s stories, see how my brothers harass me.”
“Just Nick?”
She slanted him a look. “I suppose we could make room for Nick’s brother.”
“It’s been a long time since I—since either of us had a family meal. How about the cop? I can’t see him piping us aboard.”
“I’ll handle Alex.” Now that she’d suggested it, her mind began to turn quickly. “You know, Natasha and her family are due to visit in a couple of weeks. Things will be crowded and crazy. It might be the perfect opportunity to toss Nick into your not-so-average-family type of situation. I’ll see what I can work out.”
“I know I thanked you before, but I don’t think I know how to tell you how much I appreciate what you’re doing for him.”
“The court—”
“That’s bilge, Rachel.” They reached the steps of her building, and he turned her to face him. “You’re not just filing weekly reports or representing a client. You put yourself out for Nick right from the start.”
“Okay, so I’ve got a weak spot for bad boys. Don’t let it get around.”
“No, what you’ve got is class, and a good heart.” He liked the way she looked in the shadowy light, the vitality that pulsed from her like breath, the snap of energy and embarrassment in her eyes. “It’s a tough combination to beat.”
She shrugged under his hands. “Now you’re going to make me blush, Muldoon, so let’s not get sloppy. If things work out the way we want, you can buy me more flowers at the end of the two months. We’ll call it square.” He let her back up one step, but then held her firm. She was uneasy, but she wasn’t surprised. “Listen, it’s been nice, but…”
“I don’t figure you’re going to ask me in.”
“No,” she said definitely, remembering how her body had reacted to him in a crowded club. “I’m not.”
“So I’ll just have to take care of this out here.”
