Beauty and the Wolf / Their Miracle Twins (19 page)

“No, I’m just stating the obvious.” He urged her closer. “I’m glad you told Harry and your mom we’re sleeping together. Because it gave me hope. I don’t think you would have said that in front of your mother if you weren’t ready for it to be true.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m not sure I—”

Eli bent his head and stopped her protests by covering her mouth with his. The soft curves of her body already rested trustingly against the harder angles of his, and she murmured with pleasure when he stroked one hand up her spine to cup the back of her head. Her hair was pale silk against his fingers, her soft curves willing as he urged her closer.

“Honey,” he said, reluctantly releasing her mouth to lift his head and look down at her. Only inches separated them. Her thick-lashed brown eyes were dazed, eyelids heavy, and her soft mouth was faintly swollen from the pressure of his. “Take me to bed.” He stroked his tongue over the lush fullness of her lower lip, tasting her, and she shuddered.

“Yes,” she murmured against his lips.

She slipped her hands from his neck, catching his hand to tug him with her into her bedroom. She stopped next to her bed and began unbuttoning his shirt, slipping the buttons through the holes with slow concentration. She tugged the shirttails out of his jeans and pushed the white cotton off his shoulders.

Eli grabbed the white T-shirt he wore underneath and yanked it up and off over his head, tossing it behind him on the floor. Frankie murmured, a soft hum of approval. He shuddered when she flattened her palms on his abdomen, tracing the swell of muscles.

The fascination on her face was arousing as hell. Eli stood it as long as he could, loving the feel of her hands on him, before he bent and took her mouth with his in a quick, hard kiss. He slipped his hands under the hem of her cotton T-shirt and pulled it up, her hair drawn upward to expose the arch of her throat and nape, then tumbling to her shoulders when he tugged the shirt off over her head. Beneath it, she wore a pale green lace and satin bra. Pretty though it was, Eli wanted her naked.

He wrapped his arms around her and a moment later, tugged the bra free and slid the straps down her arms. He froze, hands on her waist, and stared.

Frankie was awash in pleasure. It took her a moment to realize Eli had gone still. She swept her tumbled hair behind one ear and looked up to find his eyes heavy-lidded and intent, smoky with arousal.

“You’re so beautiful,” he muttered, his voice rasping, deeper than a moment before.

His hands stroked upward from her waist, tracing
over her rib cage. He eased her closer, his thumbs brushing the lower curve of her breasts. Then one arm swept around her waist, bending her backward as his mouth took hers and one hand cupped her breast. Frankie shuddered when his thumb stroked over the sensitive, taut nipple, and she strained closer, pushing against him, wanting more contact.

Eli groaned, his lips tasting the underside of her chin, the curve of her throat and upper swell of her breast before his mouth closed over the tip. Frankie twisted against him, shivering with pleasure, her arms holding him closer. The heat between them rose higher.

Impatient, Eli shoved the knit pants down her legs and hooked his thumbs under the lace-covered bikini panties over her hips. He eased them down her legs and off before tumbling her backward onto the bed. She held out her arms, waiting as he shoved his jeans and boxers off before joining her.

The hard angles of his body settled against hers, and Frankie welcomed his solid weight. Her breasts were crushed softly against the powerful muscles of his chest; Frankie twisted, loving the slide of his skin against the sensitive tips.

Eli took her mouth, nudging her knees apart with his thigh. Frankie shuddered, wanting him even closer, and wrapped her legs around his waist. Groaning, he flexed his hips and with a powerful surge, joined them. She cried out, arching beneath him, and the world narrowed to the man above her, heat raging out of control until they both shuddered, falling over the edge together.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

Frankie muttered and burrowed deeper into her pillow.

“Time to wake up.”

She could swear her dream had somehow added aromas to its visual and audio dimensions. She frowned, half awake.

Eli’s lips brushed over her temple. “Honey, are you always like this in the morning?” His deep voice held amusement, layered with affection.

Frankie opened one eye. Eli was sprawled across his side of the bed, his head propped on one hand. The smile on his face was sinfully sexy—and he held a mug of steaming coffee a few inches from her nose.

“You brought me coffee?”

“It’s yours if you’ll sit up,” he told her, his smile widening.

Sighing, Frankie levered upright, clutching the sheet to her chest, and shoved her pillow behind her against the headboard.

“I’m up.” She yawned, covering her mouth with one hand, and considered him through half-open eyes.

He caught her hand, curled her fingers around the mug and grinned at her. “You’re cute when you’re comatose.”

“You brought me coffee. Therefore, I’ll let you get away with that.” She yawned again, settling back against the pillow and smiling sleepily. “I could get used to this,” she told him.

“Uh-huh.” He bunched up his pillow against the headboard and stretched out beside her, his big frame taking up more than his share of the bed. He leaned sideways, gathered her up and shifted her closer, bracing her back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Hey,” she protested. “You could have spilled my coffee.”

“But I didn’t.” He nuzzled the back of her neck, moving her hair aside until his lips found the sensitive skin of her neck.

Frankie closed her eyes, smiling contentedly. “This is a very nice way to wake up.” Her voice was throaty, bemused.

“Yeah, isn’t it?” His lips trailed down the curve of her throat to her shoulder, and she tipped her head to give him better access. He tugged the sheet lower, his hands replacing the soft cotton as he cupped her breasts. “I like it. A lot.”

The alarm on the bedside table went off, and the radio came on, the voice of the morning announcer bright and cheery.

“Darn.” Frankie stirred, lifting her head. “I have a breakfast meeting this morning,” she said regretfully.

“Skip it.” Eli brushed a kiss against the soft, vulnerable skin just beneath her ear.

Frankie closed her eyes as the world began to slowly spin. “I can’t,” she got out. “I have to give a report.”

“Damn.” Reluctantly, Eli released her.

She turned her head, her lips meeting his. The kiss
was sweet and long, and Frankie was reluctant to end it. But at last she sat up to deposit her mug on the bedside table before slipping out of bed.

“Want some help showering?” Eli asked as she entered the bathroom.

A quick glance over her shoulder told her he’d watched her walk naked out of the room. She flushed. “No, thanks. If you help, I’ll take twice as long, and I’ll miss my meeting.”

“Yeah, but you’ll have twice as much fun.”

“Sorry, but no.” She laughed at his disappointed expression and closed the bathroom door.

They left her apartment together, Eli opening Frankie’s car door and kissing her breathless before he walked away. His truck was parked on the street, and as she left the condo’s parking garage, she waved. He lifted a hand in reply, his handsome face creasing in a smile as he watched her drive away.

Frankie realized she was smiling, happiness bubbling up from inside. She was in love. She wanted to tell the world.

So why hadn’t she told Eli?

A better question was: If he felt the same, why hadn’t he told her?

Last night had been wonderful. Making love with Eli was everything she’d hoped and dreamed it would be. She no longer had any doubts about her feelings for him, but she was uncharacteristically reluctant to tell him how she felt. Not until she had some indication he felt the same.

She didn’t like being unsure of herself.

This is one of the reasons I never wanted to fall in love,
she thought with a sigh.
I’m uncomfortably vulnerable and unsure of him. Why didn’t I just ask him?

She knew why—but she hated to admit it, even to herself.

Because she knew, she would have been devastated if Eli had told her he didn’t love her in return.

F
rankie set aside her worries over Eli’s long-term intentions, instead focusing on the amazing night she’d spent in his arms. Happiness bubbled through her veins, and she had the urge to call Tommi and Bobbie to tell them she totally understood why they seemed to glow. Falling in love did that for a woman, she thought.

She had only two morning classes. When she left the lecture hall and hurried back to her office, she was still walking on air. Planning to visit Lily’s boutique and buy new lingerie, she grabbed her purse and raincoat and left the hall to hurry to her car. She’d just tossed her purse onto the passenger seat and switched on the engine when her cell phone rang.

“Hello?” Her brain was fully occupied with wondering whether Eli liked black lingerie or if he preferred
red. Distracted, she didn’t catch the first words the caller spoke. “I’m sorry, who is this?” she asked, holding the phone to her ear with her left hand while her right fitted the key into the ignition.

“This is Matt, Eli’s brother.”

“Hi, Matt.” Wondering why Eli’s brother would be calling her, Frankie switched on the engine.

“Connor thought I should call and let you know there’s been an accident. Eli’s fine, but we thought he might want you to know.”

Frankie froze, her heart seeming to stop beating.

“Where is he?”

“He’s in the ER at Harborview.”

“Harborview?” Frankie’s veins turned to ice. She knew serious trauma cases were taken directly to Harborview. “How badly is he hurt?”

“The doc isn’t sure. They’re still running tests.”

“What happened?” Her fingers gripped the steering wheel, knuckles whitening.

“That damned slope above the job site slid on the east side.” Matt’s voice was taut with anger and disgust. “Took out a big fir just past the work trailer and caught Eli’s truck. He was running to move it out of the way when one of the big tree limbs caught him.”

“Oh, my God.” Frankie caught her breath.

“The doc’s running an MRI now. I’ll call you back when we hear the results, okay?”

“Yes,” Frankie managed to get out. “Okay.”

She dropped her phone into her purse and waited a moment, willing her fingers to stop trembling. Then
she left the parking lot, heading across town to the hospital.

The parking at Harborview was nonexistent. Frankie drove through the stacked levels of the huge garage twice before finally finding a spot. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nosed her car into the open space before hurrying toward the elevator, her heels tapping quickly on the cement as she ran.

When she left the elevator, it took her fifteen minutes to find her way through the maze of hallways. Harborview was Seattle’s general hospital, and not only were serious trauma and accident patients seen there, but also those folks without insurance. Consequently, the halls were thronged with a variety of people, from the homeless to well-dressed businessmen to middle-income housewives.

At last, Frankie reached the emergency area and found the waiting room. But none of Eli’s brothers were there—she didn’t recognize any of the people seated in the chairs or ranged on the two sofas.

Terrified, she left the waiting room and stopped a nurse in green scrubs just outside.

“I’m looking for an accident patient. He’s supposed to be in the ER—his name is Eli Wolf.”

The nurse eyed her shrewdly. “Are you a family member?”

“He’s my fiancé.” Frankie lied without a shred of regret.

“Then I’m sure it’s okay for you to go in. This way.” The nurse held open the heavy door and led Frankie
into a big room sectioned off with curtains that slid on overhead transoms. Several of the curtains were open, the beds within their semicircles empty.

The nurse led her across the room. Just as she pulled back a section of the heavy drape, masculine laughter rang out.

“He’s in here,” the nurse told her, standing back to let Frankie pass.

Frankie stepped quickly through the opening and stopped abruptly, her eyes filling with tears.

Eli was propped up in the raised hospital bed, his chest bare above the white sheet bunched at his waist. Red scrapes marred the left side of his chest, and bruises left faint blue marks. But he’d been laughing, a smile still curving his mouth and lighting his eyes.

Ethan and Connor sat in plastic chairs, long legs stretched out, while Matt stood at the foot of the bed.

They all looked up when she stepped into the room.

Frankie’s frantic gaze tracked over what she could see of Eli’s body. She was relieved to find nothing worse than scrapes and bruises. The tight knot squeezing her chest and sitting like lead just below her collarbone eased, but the tears streaming down her face didn’t stop.

She brushed at them with trembling fingertips while she stared at Eli, unable to speak.

“Frankie,” his deep voice rumbled. “Honey, I’m all right.”

She didn’t speak, and the tears wouldn’t stop falling.
Her feet wouldn’t move; they felt cemented to the floor.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Eli said without taking his eyes from Frankie. “Thanks for coming down.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Metal chair legs scraped against the linoleum-covered floor as Ethan and Connor stood. Matt joined them, and the three filed out, each pausing to awkwardly pat Frankie’s shoulder as they passed.

“Come here, honey.” Eli opened his arms. The words lifted the paralysis that held her. At last, Frankie could move.

She ran across the waxed floor. Eli caught her hand and tugged her down onto the hospital bed, facing him. And when he wrapped his arms around her, she willingly let him tuck her close, her face pressed against the strong column of his throat, his pulse beating with rhythmic thuds against her cheek.