Sunday (Timeless Series #7) (12 page)

But that was impossible at the moment.

Rose pulled away then sat upright, straddling my hips as well as my hard dick.

I didn’t want the session to end. I loved kissing her. It was better than any sex I’d ever had.

Then she did the unexpected. She pulled her shirt over her head.

I stiffened in place, seeing the flawless skin of her stomach and chest. Every curve was highlighted despite the darkness of my bedroom, and somehow I became harder at the sight.

Damn.

She unclasped her bra and let that fall on my thighs. Her firm and round tits were delectable. I remembered the way each one felt in my mouth. Her nipples were hard and pebbled. Now I wanted to run my tongue over them and suck them until they were raw.

What was she doing to me?

She leaned down and pulled my shirt up to my shoulders, revealing my bare chest and chiseled stomach. Then she kissed me again, her naked torso pressed against mine.

It felt so good it hurt.

I yanked on the chains again, desperate to touch her. The metal cut into my wrists but the pain was irrelevant. I didn’t even feel it.

I kissed her hard, wanting her more than I’d ever had. She was so sexy and she didn’t even realize it. When I looked at her and felt her, it seemed like I was the only person who’d been allowed to do such things. I wish she could see herself as the beautiful and perfect woman she was. No one could take her purity away from her—not unless she gave it away. “You’re so beautiful it hurts.”

She paused in our embrace, her lips still touching mine. Then her hand migrated up my chest to the area just over my heart. “As are you.”

***

I held Suzie in a single arm at the table. She looked just like her mother but had her father’s formidable eyes. Dark strands of hair protruded from her forehead, and she had the cutest smile I’d ever seen.

Francesca took advantage of my offer to hold her daughter so she could eat her burger and fries.

“Hawke isn’t coming?” We were sitting inside Mega Shake, my favorite place to eat. Francesca had never been there before, so I suggested we meet there.

“He has to meet with a client today.”

“Oh. On a Sunday?”

“With Hawke’s business, he works all the time.”

“Does that mean he’s not home often?” With a new baby in the picture that didn’t seem fair.

“He comes home every night and he spends time with us, but sometimes he has a client that can only meet at a certain time, like the weekend. Believe me, he hates it when that happens.” She picked at a few fries then turned her attention to Suzie in my arms. A small smile crept across her lips.

“And he’s okay with...this?”

“With what?” she asked blankly.

“You and I hanging out alone.”

“He doesn’t care in the least. I already said that.”

“But we were at your bakery. Now we’re hanging out as friends.”

“Trust me, he doesn’t care.”

I don’t think I’d ever be okay with Rose hanging out with an ex, even if we were married. In fact, it would bother me more. “So, he knows I’m here with you.”

“And our daughter.”

This would take me a long time to understand. “So, if he hung out with an old girlfriend you’d be okay with it?”

“He doesn’t have any old girlfriends, just flings. So no, it wouldn’t bother me. But those situations aren’t the same. You aren’t into me anymore, Kyle. You have someone in your life.”

“I suppose.” Hawke used to be extremely territorial. He may be nice now but I’ll never forget the feud we had. We were about to rip each other’s throats out.

“So, how’s it going with Rose? If you’re having lunch with me it must not be perfect.”

“It could be better.”

“What’s wrong?”

I moved Suzie to a different arm then leaned back in the booth. She was so small, almost as light as a feather. It was hard to believe she would grow up into a person someday. “Rose is pretty…hesitant.” It was the best way I could describe it.

“Hesitant?”

“She’s not ready to be physical yet.”

“But you’ve already slept together.”

“I know, but the trial changed things. She’s not the same.”

“Oh…” Francesca swirled her fry in her ketchup but didn’t take a bite. “I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine…”

“I understand how she feels. I probably understand better than anyone since I was the attorney on the case. But I wish she would trust me and understand what we have is nothing like her previous experience. And I want her to know I don’t think about that stuff when I’m with her.”

“She thinks all you think about is what happened?”

I nodded. “But I don’t. Honestly.” Actually, I put it far, far into the back of my mind. It was too difficult to think about. Every day of the trial I wanted to throw up in the bathroom. “She doesn’t deserve to be looked at like some kind of charity case, damaged goods. And I don’t look at her that way.”

“Maybe you need to remind her.”

“I have. And believe me, I show it.” I kissed her with passion and gripped her so tightly she could never leave my embrace. “I guess I’ll just have to wait until she comes to terms with it on her own.”

“Maybe she should see a therapist.”

I shrugged.

“Has she ever done that?”

“Not that I know of.”

“It couldn’t hurt. You could go with her.”

“I guess that’s not a bad idea. But honestly, I’m not sure if I want to hear her talk about it. Upsets me…”

“Show her that you can handle it. Maybe when she sees how supportive you are, she’ll let her walls come down.”

“Maybe.” But could I handle hearing her talk about how painful that night was? So far, I’d only heard objective recollections of that crime. I looked at the evidence and the police reports. I’d never heard Rose speak of it herself.

And that was completely different.

“I wish she would understand I’m her soul mate. Maybe if she did, all of her problems would go away.”

“Maybe you need to tell her.”

“No. I want her to figure it out on her own.” If she did, I would never be scared of losing her. I would trust her completely. And I would no longer be scared of letting her slip from my grasp.

“That may take some time.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere.”

***

“Hey, sweetheart.” I walked inside her office and approached her desk.

“Hey.” Her face lit up the moment she saw me. She practically jumped to her feet just to hug me.

I missed that.

I kissed her forehead then rested my chin on her head. “Excited to see me?”

“Always.”

I rubbed her back and melted into her, never wanting to leave this embrace. Being close to her like this was exactly what I craved—every hour of every day.

“What brings you here?” She pulled away from my chest and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. She hesitated at the end, as if she wanted to keep kissing me but was unsure if she should.

She always should.

“I just wanted to check on your plans for the house.”

“Sure.” She opened her cabinet and pulled out the folder that contained the drawings. “I made all the changes you asked for.” She rolled out the print across the desk so we could both take a look at it.

I sat across from her and eyed it. She did exactly what I asked, bringing my vision to life. “It looks great.”

“Thanks. Do you have any other changes?”

I searched my mind as I examined the drawing. “Do you have any recommendations?”

“Recommendations?” she asked.

“Yeah. If this were your home what would you do?” I lifted my gaze and searched her eyes.

“Uh…I don’t know.”

“Not a thing?” I asked in surprise.

“Well, if it were my house I’d probably have a separate sitting room. You know, with just elegant furniture, a fire place, and a great view of the ocean.”

“You mean a living room?”

“No. This room wouldn’t have a TV. It would be a quiet place dedicated to reading and conversation. You know, when you have people over for tea and stuff like that.”

“Like in the 1800’s?” I teased.

She ignored the jab. “I love TV as much as the next person, but it would be nice to have a quiet place to read and enjoy other people’s company. I don’t know…it’s something I’ve always wanted.”

I nodded in agreement. “When you put it like that it’s intriguing. How about we add that in?”

“Why?” she asked. “I’ll have to redo the floor plan with the game room.”

“The game room can be smaller. I don’t even play that many games.”

“But you play more games than sit by the fire and read.”

“Maybe I’ll give it a try if it’s there.”

She stared at me quizzically. “Are you sure that’s what you want? I’ll make the changes but are you sure you want to do it?”

“Absolutely.” There wasn’t a doubt in my mind.

When she saw the confidence she turned to her notepad and wrote it down.

“Any other suggestions?”

“This is your house, Kyle. My suggestions are irrelevant.”

“Come on,” I pressed. “I want your opinion. You do this for a living. You probably have a lot of insight.”

“Well…” She rested the pen against her bottom lip. “I think a walk-in closet is essential.”

“But there already is one.”

“I mean a big walk-in closet.”

The one I had wasn’t big enough?

“I know you don’t have a lot of clothes now, but over time possessions really pile up. I’ve never had a client complain about their walk-in closet. It’s so much easier to put all of your stuff inside and walk in when you need something. The dressers in the bedroom are good for your undergarments and lay around clothes, stuff you don’t mind getting wrinkled. But it keeps the room tidy when you have a completely separate place to put your things.”

“Like another bedroom.”

“Exactly.”

I would never need that much space, but if that’s something she wanted it would happen. “Then let’s do it.”

“Really?” she asked in surprise.

“Yeah.”

Instead of doubting me again she wrote it down.

“What else?”

“If we keep doing this we’ll completely redo your house.”

“That’s fine with me. I’d rather get it right.”

“Well, you only have one fireplace right now. You should have one in the bedroom and the other living room.”

“Why?”

“It gets pretty cold in the winter. Fireplaces are so warm and inviting. They are just comfortable. I wish I could have one in my apartment.”

“Then let’s put them in.”

She made the notes without objection.

“Anything else?”

“Uh, I think that’s it.”

“So, would you say this is your dream home?”

She shrugged. “I guess. But it’s not my house.”

“But hypothetically, would it be?” I watched her face closely.

“I’d say so. Anyone would die to live here. This place will be a masterpiece once it’s finished.”

That was good enough for me. “Great.”

***

She walked inside my apartment with a tray of cookies. “I know you aren’t much of a sweet tooth but I thought they were cute.”

They were cookies cut into the shape of dinosaurs. White frosting outlined their bone structure so they looked like tiny fossils. “They are cute.”

She smiled and set them down. “I made them from scratch.”

“Even cuter.” I grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her in for a kiss. I lived for these embraces. They were so sexy and innocent at the same time. Her lips were somehow softer than last time, and I had to stop myself from devouring her.

She pulled away before things became too heated. “How are you?”

“Good now that you’re here.”

She smiled beautifully, a look I never took for granted. “I’m glad to be here too.”

I wanted to head into the bedroom and handcuff myself again but I had something more pressing to do. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Yeah?”

“I hope you keep an open mind to it.” Whenever I brought this up she usually took off. Her natural reaction was to run—all the time. But she needed to stop doing that and face the music.

“Okay…”

“You and I should go see a therapist. You know, to talk about what happened that night. I think it would be good for you.”

All of the joy that was on her face just a moment ago disappeared. “Why? What will that accomplish?”

“You obviously haven’t moved on from it, and maybe talking to someone will help you get through it. I’m more than happy to be there too—if it helps.”

The blood ran from her face, and now her cheeks were pale.