Entangled (13 page)

As far as I was concerned, there was no time like the present.

I stopped at the house to drop off all my belongings before I turned my car toward San Diego.
I left a note for Millicent, saying I was staying in town for the night for a little “me” time. It was the best I could do to keep her abreast of my whereabouts, so she didn’t worry, without exposing my undercover love affair with her son-in-law. It just made sense to tell a little white lie instead. Bringing people into our budding relationship would put too many expectations on it, when we ourselves were approaching these new changes with such caution.

But I didn’t want to wait another day. Now that I could see the two lives, one with Drew and one with Alex, in such clear juxtaposition, there was no further question which one would make me the happiest. By my estimation, that happiness was long overdue.
I didn’t bother with Comic Con, instead I headed straight for the hotel next to the convention center where I knew Alex was staying. Getting my own room would have been impossible and pointless, so I cozied up to the concierge and managed to convince him that I was Alex’s assistant and I needed access to his room. Knowing Alex’s hotel alias helped, but it took my pal Ben Franklin and few of his identical brothers to get the job done. I victoriously pocketed the spare hotel key before I spent the rest of my evening treating myself to some shopping and some fine dining. I slipped into his hotel room at a little past eight o’clock, which gave me time to soak in a fragrant bubble bath and change into the white silk nightgown I had purchased just for the occasion.

I was lying on the bed a couple of hours later when I heard the key unlock the door. Alex entered, thankfully alone, laden down with a bunch of bags from the convention. He was surprised to see the candlelit environment, and even more stunned to find me on the bed.

“What… how’d…?”

I laughed. “Rule #3: never underestimate me.”

He was shocked into silence as I slid from the bed and approached him on bare feet. His eyes never left mine as I took each bag from his hand and deposited them on the floor. Wordlessly I unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it from his strong, bared shoulders. I wound my arms around his neck as my lips sought his. I deepened the kiss immediately, and he groaned as his arms locked around my waist. I grabbed fistfuls of hair as I kissed him hard. I needed him so badly I felt that I would die if we spent even one more minute apart.

I was met longing for longing as he lifted me up into his arms and carried me to the bed
, where we fell together. I covered his torso with tiny hot kisses as I pressed him back onto the pillows. He gasped as I did everything I told him I wanted to do only the night before. My tongue traced the line down to his jeans, which I unfastened with due haste to shrug them out of the way once and for all. He sprang free, hard and throbbing, and I groaned as I wrapped my hand around him for the first time.

Every inch of me cried out to feel him inside, but I took my time and teased him until he was impossibly hard. My lips circled that angry purple head and he grasped my hair in one hand with a low groan. I slid him down into my throat, my tongue teasing him mercilessly until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He pushed me onto my back and captured my lips for a commanding, possessive kiss that took my breath away.

He tore away the nightgown until I was bared underneath him. He drank it all in. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, and I knew he meant it. I pulled him down on top of me to kiss him with all the love in my heart. He used his knee to part my legs, which locked around his to draw him even closer. I could feel him strain against me.

“
I’ve waited my whole life for you. Make me your woman, Alex,” I begged.

“Oh, Rachel,” he sighed as he kissed me long and hard. He parted me open and slid slowly inside until I had to break the kiss to cry out. Our eyes locked as he began to move inside of me. I rose to meet each thrust, urging him to finally let go. I was rewarded with each gasp and sigh, every moan and whisper. My fingers trailed down his back to cup each hip, my nails digging in with each powerful stroke. “My Rachel,” he repeated over and over, as if he couldn’t quite believe it was true.

“Yours alone,” I reassured. He gripped me tightly as he moved faster, thrust deeper, losing himself to the moment. It was enough to send me over the edge. I didn’t withhold my cries as I shuddered underneath him in a powerful climax that gripped him even tighter within me.

He cried out as he thrust himself in one last time, and I felt his entire body quiver. He was breathless as he collapsed on top of me, and I wrapped myself entirely around him to hold him tight.
After he caught his breath, he sent me a happy, sated grin. “If that was a dream, don’t wake me up.”

“Ditto,” I said as I ran my fingers through his long, tussled hair.

“How did you even get in the room?”

“Bribery,” I grinned.

He laughed. “You’ve been around us Fullertons too long, sweet Rachel.”

I squeezed myself around him. “Is that a complaint?” I asked.

“No,” he said softly as the tip of his forefinger traced my chin. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to any of us.”

My eyes met his. “You’re the best thing that has happened to me, Alex.”

His head bent for another kiss. “I love you,” he whispered against my lips.

I squeezed him tighter. “Show me,” I whispered.

He kissed his way down my body to do just that. By the time we drifted to sleep, I felt more branded, cherished, treasured…loved… than I had ever felt in my life.

For the first time in my life, I
knew I was home.

I awoke to hot kisses against my cool, bared skin. My body came alive under Alex’s inquisitive mouth as he leisurely explored me. A room service cart was positioned next to the bed, where a breakfast for two waited. I reached for him but he shook his head. “Nuh uh,” he murmured with a smile. “You’re dreaming.”

I giggled as I lay back against the fluffy pillows. I watched as he grabbed a glass container of honey with a mischievous grin. “What are you doing?”

“Shh,” he said. “You can’t talk. You can’t move. All you can do is feel.”

He took the little wooden dipper oozing with thick, amber liquid and
drizzled it over one breast. With an evil little look in his eye he put the jar back on the cart and then let his tongue capture the line of honey all the way to my nipple, until he sucked it deep into his mouth. I gasped, grasping the sheets in my hands by the handful. He ran tiny hot circles around the hardened peak until I was crazed, then he repeated the process on my other breast.

“Alex,” I whimpered but he used one finger to cover my lips.

“Shh,” he repeated, before he trailed his fingertip all the way down my body and slipping in between my legs. Like a bolt of lightning pleasure shot to my very core as his finger moved against me, fast as light. I squirmed and thrashed until he penetrated me with two strong fingers that knew exactly where to touch. I shook against him but he changed nothing as he guided me through the first multiple orgasm of my life.

I was still
spasming as he crawled up my body, my knees over his shoulders, and fit right inside me in one fluid motion. My head arched back as I cried out. He captured my lips in a possessive kiss as he moved within me, strong, confident strokes that made my eyes roll back in my head. I climaxed again, stronger and longer than before. “What are you doing to me?” I panted.

“Loving you,” he whispered as he lost himself to his passion. He came hard with a grunt, before he collapsed to my side. He couldn’t speak for long minutes himself. Finally he turned to me with a satisfied smirk. “Good morning.”

“Indeed!” I giggled as I cuddled up into the crook of his arm. “God, I really must be dreaming.”

His hand caressed my back. “It’s only the beginning of the love I want to show you, Rachel,” he said softly.

I wrapped my arm around his waist as I reached over to kiss him. I listened to his heart thunder under my ear, until it finally slowed to a strong, steady beat. We lay there quietly until the alarm went off beside the bed.

“Real world calls,” he said as he reached around me to turn it off. He lay across my body, staring into my eyes. “I wish I could stay here with you.”

“Me, too,” I said as I brushed his hair out of his eyes. He kissed me softly and I wrapped my arm around his neck. He dragged his lips away reluctantly.

“I’m going to count every hour until I get home tonight.”

“And every minute until Max goes to bed,” I reminded.

His eyes met mine. “Are you OK with that?”

I nodded. “It’s smart. No need to involve the kids just yet. Besides,” I said with a grin. “After waiting this long, I kind of want you to myself for a while.”

He smiled back at me. “You’re an amazing woman, Rachel Dennehy.”

“And you are my hero,” I said as I caressed his face.

“God knows you make me feel like one,” he said before he crushed his mouth onto mine for another kiss.
I felt his body reach for me and I couldn’t resist how hard and beautiful he was. He felt like heaven at the tips of my fingers, in the palm of my hand. He gasped softly as I teased him. Our eyes met as I intimately caressed him. I watched desire cross his face as I toyed with his body. He pulled me close for another kiss, positioning my body above his own. Before we could proceed, the alarm, now in snooze mode, went off again. He groaned as he turned it off. “It’s not fair to do real world things when I have a goddess in my bed,” he said with that smirk I had grown to love.

I leaned down. “Just think about tonight,” I promised before planting another hungry kiss on his mouth. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight.

I joined him in the shower, and within an hour he was heading back out of the door. I finished our room service breakfast before I cleaned up a bit and headed back for Los Angeles.

I was back at the ranch by noon. I bought a gift for Max and flowers for Millicent, to make
up for my absence overnight. Max had plenty of questions, but Millicent gently corrected him that it was impolite to pry, and that I had a right to my own private life. I ended up placating him with some of Cleo’s cookies, which seemed to do the trick.

We spent time in the garden
, and I picked fresh flowers to brighten the house for Alex’s return. I was counting every minute to see him again, and time was dragging along painfully slow. Every time I thought about our night together, my body flushed with a dozen different emotions at once. I was flushed with the satisfaction I had found in his arms, and flushed even hotter with the anticipation of what was to come. I was sure that Millicent could read it all over my face, though she would never have broached such a delicate topic directly. Instead she amped up the excitement for Max as we prepared a special meal for Alex’s homecoming. We prepared his favorite dish, eggplant parmesan, with a fresh salad and homemade garlic bread. I finished off the meal with rice pudding complete with rum raisins to add on top. It was a sensual dish I couldn’t wait to share with my new lover.

When he walked through the door a little past eight o’clock, I had to fight the impulse to throw myself into his arms. I got a hug, of course, and a kiss on the cheek, but it was Max who was swooped up into Alex’s power
ful arms for a shower of kisses. “Did you miss me, Dad? Did you miss me?”

“Every day,” he said with that lopsided grin I had grown to love. “Did you miss me?”

“Every day!” Max answered with that sunny smile of his. “What’d you bring me?” he said with a giggle.

“Max
imus,” Millicent scowled.

Alex laughed. “It’s OK, Millicent. I actually have a trunk full of stuff. Rachel can help me bring it in,” he said as he gave me a wink.

Millicent clearly understood what he meant, and pulled Max into the kitchen to finish dinner. I followed Alex out to the garage. We were barely through the door when he pulled me into his arms and pushed me up against the door for a passionate kiss. I wound my arms around his neck with a long satisfied moan. We were both breathless when he pulled away. “I have been waiting to do that all day,” he whispered as he rested his forehead against mine.

“
I take it you missed me.” He answered my question with another scorching kiss that made me come alive, head to toe. The corner of my mouth turned upward in a teasing grin as I rubbed against him. “So what did you bring me?”

He growled as he cupped my hips in his hand, rubbing me against his hard body.
“Something I can’t wait for you to unwrap.”

I giggled. “Me, either.”

“If I didn’t think Hurricane Max wouldn’t barrel through here demanding his presents, I’d make love to you right now.”’

I traced his lower lip with the tip of my index finger. “The perils of parenthood,” I sighed. “But I think Millicent
can keep him properly occupied. I’m pretty sure she has figured it out.”

“Did she say something?”

I shook my head. “But she’s a smart lady.”

“Indeed,” he agreed.
“She told me to romance you months ago.” He captured my lips for yet another hot kiss. “I want you so much,” he whispered into my mouth.

Our heated kiss was quickly interrupted by the small knock of an impatient four-year-old. We chuckled before we ended our brief encounter with a chaste peck on the lips. He walked toward the car and I opened the door for Max.

“What’s taking you guys so long?” he wanted to know. Millicent was fast on his heels, chastising him for being so impatient.

“Let your Daddy settle in before you pounce,” she said, and I had to hide my smile that the advice could apply to both Max and me. I grabbed Max’s hand and led him to the car, where Alex proceeded to ply us with armfuls of goodies from the Con.

As we sat at the table for dinner, Millicent handed Alex a manila folder that had been delivered. He had a smile on his face as he looked up. “It’s from Shannon. She sent us group tickets to a taping of
Fierce
.”

Max
nearly jumped up in his chair. “Can we go, Daddy?”

“Of course,” Alex smiled as he indulged his son. How my heart warmed when I saw them interact. It was everything I had wanted Zach to do with Jason, but never did. I made him some tea as Millicent dished out the dessert, and after that we retired to the family room to watch some of the DVDs he brought home.

By ten, Millicent practically had to drag Max from the TV and scores of comic books scattered over the ottoman. Alex fetched a bottle of wine while I straightened the mess. As I picked up each book, it reminded me of Drew’s sad little box in the garage. “I didn’t know you were into comic books, too,” I mentioned offhand.

Alex shrugged as he poured the glasses. “Monkey see, monkey do. Drew loved them so much when we were kids, and I thought it would impress him so much if I learned something about them.” He walked around to the sectional to have a seat beside me. “After he abandoned them, it was sort of my last connection to the brother I missed.”

I nodded. How sad I felt for those two lost little boys. We both leaned back against the back of the couch. I smoothed his hair as I listened.

“Maybe in some strange way, I was trying to live the life he couldn’t. The old man had such expectations on him, and there was hell to pay if they weren’t met. Every time I read about the beleaguered hero besting the villain and saving the day, I always pictured Drew in that cape.”

I took his glass from his hand and placed both on the tray, before taking Alex into my arms to hold him close. When his eyes met mine, I placed a loving, gentle kiss upon his lips. That was all the permission he needed. He leaned me back into the sofa and we allowed our passion to take rein. We kissed long and slow, savoring each other as our hands danced over clothes to tantalize and titillate. His kisses grew more urgent as I felt his body stir against mine. I moaned in response. “Take me upstairs,” I whispered against his skin.

He shuddered before he pulled himself into a standing position. Before I could rise, he lifted me easily into his arms. I gasped out loud and his eyes consumed me in a way that set my senses aflame.

Easily he carried me up the stairs and to his rustic bedroom with a king-sized knotted pine bed and hunter green comforter set that cradled me like a cloud. I pushed him onto his back, determined to make up for the excruciating day apart. Our cries of pleasure were tempered with a sleeping child just a room away; and I had to muffle my scream when he entered me for the first time.

Hours later I
lay secure in his arms, his strong chest against my back and his breath in my hair.  “Welcome home, Rachel,” he said in a soft voice as he cuddled me tighter. I kissed his fingertips as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.