Page 36 of Players Like Us
“Not the first time it’s happened to me and most of it’s been my own doing. But you? I had to wait until Meredith was okay with it and then…”
“And then?”
His gaze settled on her lips, shifted to her chin. “And then I’d see if you were still interested. In me. Not my other skills.”
Of course he meant sex. How could he think anything else after how she’d treated him all those years ago? Rachel touched his arm, said in a soft voice, “She knows something’s going on and I’m pretty sure she’s okay with it.”
“Then maybe she should talk to your brother, because he’s definitely not okay with that possibility.”
“Are you using Daniel as an excuse?”
The dark expression said he didn’t like that question. “An excuse for what?”
She touched the black-and-blue area of his jaw, leaned forward, and placed a soft kiss on the swollen area. “To be near me… To be with me…”
His gaze shifted to liquid silver, hot, consuming. “I’m not afraid. I’ve never been afraid in my life.”
“Okay then.” The man was definitely afraid. “Mind if I just sit here with you?”
He eyed her as though it were a trick question. “Sure.” Neal eased onto his back, closed his eyes. Rachel did the same, close enough to touch him, but not touching. The softest breeze blew over them, birds chirped, the warm sun heated her skin. Peace. Calm. Heaven. Her breathing slowed, her body grew languid as thoughts of the man next to her drifted through her brain. Neal Alexander was an intriguing, complicated, unique puzzle, one she still couldn’t understand.
Several minutes passed as she grew more relaxed, lulled by nature and the even breathing of the man next to her. After, she would remember the moment when he clasped her hand and intertwined it with his. Her senses came alive, heightened by the feel of his long fingers joined with hers. She opened her eyes and caught him on his side, staring at her, gaze intense. Rachel leaned toward him, brushed a dark wave from his forehead.
A smile inched over his lips as he leaned toward her, knuckles brushing against her cheek. “I want to kiss you...taste you...learn every inch of you...”
“And I want to do the same.” She was the one who unbuttoned his shirt, pushed the fabric aside before he’d undone her first button. She was the one who planted tiny, wet kisses on his collar bone, let out soft sighs and moans as she ran her hands along his bare chest while he devoured her mouth. That kiss! Oh, but she wanted more. She wanted his hands on her, his tongue, his whole body... She was the one who pulled him to her, on top of her, mouths open, bodies pressed together, anything to get closer.
Neal broke the kiss, his breathing ragged, eyes bright. “Do you want to go somewhere more private? Somewhere more...”
Rachel answered his question with another kiss, this one hotter, more desperate. Raw. Open. Filled with such need. Oh, but she wanted him and it didn’t matter where they were or that too many unanswered questions still stretched between them. Nothing mattered but this. Their clothes disappeared one delicious stroke at a time until they were naked and he’d satisfied his promise to learn every inch of her. Oh, but those hands...that tongue...so luscious. And then he entered her and her world spun apart, obliterating everything but pleasure and white-hot heat. Rachel clung to him as they moved together, greedy, needful, all-consuming. The intensity continued until she burst into a million pieces of the purest pleasure she’d ever known. Seconds later, Neal pulled her to him, eyes glittering as he groaned and reached his climax.
There were no words after that. How could there be when the unspoken had been so much more powerful than a simple and inadequate string of words? He made her feel… He made her feel… He made her feel.
She drifted to sleep tucked against him, his scent covering her, his strong arms keeping her close. When she woke, her head was on his chest, her leg flung over his hip, her hand clutching his waist. He’d draped his shirt around her shoulders to form a loose blanket. “Neal?”
“Have a nice sleep?” He stroked her back, rested a hand on her thigh.
“Best I’ve had in forever.”
Pause and then “Are you still talking about sleep? Because if you’re not, then fair warning, we were not in a bed, or even a couch. The ground isn’t as comfortable and tends to limit mobility.” Big sigh. “I definitely wish we were in my bed right now.”
She didn’t miss the humor or the intimacy in his words. “Maybe next time.” She snuggled closer, breathed in his scent. What if he weren’t interested in the next time? What if he didn’t want the complications that would arise from being involved with her? What if—
“Definitely.” His fingers trailed along her spine, sent shivers through her. “Cold?” He tucked his shirt closer to her body.
“No, I’m good.” She’d never made love outdoors like this, on the grass, beneath the sky, a gentle breeze blowing over them, the sun shifting. There was something about it that increased the intimacy of the experience, made her feel closer, made everything more intense. Or was it simply because she was with this man? Next time, they’d make love in bed and she’d see if it were as intense as this time. But even as she catalogued her plan, deep down, she knew the answer—the location wouldn’t matter. It was Neal who mattered.
“So… This could get tricky…”
Rachel played with the springy hairs of his chest. “Complicated for sure.”
Big sigh and a quiet “Should we tell them together and be done with it? I prefer that… Get it all out and no doubt your brother will take a swing or two at me and my sister will cry, but then it’s done. They can get used to the idea. They can—”
“Neal, we shouldn’t say anything yet. Why do they need to know? Can’t we just pretend nothing happened?”
His hand stilled and when he spoke, she didn’t miss the coolness in his voice. “You want to pretend this didn’t happen?”
“No, of course not. I would never… I just don’t want to ruin this.” She lifted her head from his chest, noted the brackets around his mouth, the narrowed gaze. “I just don’t want to hear them offering opinions, especially my brother.” She touched his lips, leaned forward, and placed a soft kiss on them. “Can’t we wait?”
