What it Takes (42 page)

Kelsey’s hips lifted when his teeth grazed her collar bone. “Patrick,” she gasped as he filled her again. His slow pace was excruciatingly pleasant, every thrust pushing her higher, every pinch sending a jolt through her body. Patrick trailed kisses down her chest until he was able to replace his fingers with his mouth. He shifted to his other elbow to continue the sweet torment with his fingers on her other nipple and Kelsey thought she might explode.

She ran one hand down the length of his back until her hand reached his buttock, her other hand plunged into his hair; both hands pulled him closer to her. His hand left her breast and slid down to grasp her hip. Patrick kissed across her cleavage until he found the other nipple and slowly suckled it. He lifted her hips to penetrate deeper and Kelsey moaned as he hit the spot.

He moved his hips a little faster and sucked a little harder and Kelsey climbed a little higher. He filled her with sensations she hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever; she couldn’t think at that moment. The peak was coming closer and she fought it as her hand fisted in his hair. She wasn’t ready for it to end.

“Let go, Kelsey,” he whispered, suddenly at her ear. She opened her eyes, briefly wondering when she’d closed them. Her hand relaxed on his head as he thrust faster and harder. Their lips met as she reached the peak and he swallowed her scream. She tightened around him and he pulled her leg up and continued to drive her higher, until he followed her over the edge with a long growl.

Her arms went limp and he collapsed on top of her. They lay still and silent while their hearts returned to a normal pace. When they could breathe again, Patrick rolled to his back and gathered Kelsey in his arms. He kissed the top of her head as she laid it on his chest and curled into his side.

When Kelsey finally lifted her head, she met Patrick’s probing brown eyes with a smile and slowly slid up to place a kiss on his chin. He tightened his hold on her and she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort. She settled onto his chest again and lightly ran her fingers through the sparse hairs. Her mind drifted back to their time in Tennessee and she was suddenly reminded of the conversation she’d had with Grayson the morning the women from the bar had shown up on set.

“What are your rules?” she asked quietly as she pushed up to face him.

“What rules are you talking about?” Patrick asked with a puckered brow.

“Grayson told me you have rules. One of which is not sleeping with fans,” she said slowly, trying to gauge his reaction. “I was wondering if you had any others I should know about.”

“No.” He began to stroke her arm. “They don’t apply to you.”

“So.” She smirked playfully. “I’m still curious.”

“Why did Grayson bring them up?” His voice full of exasperation, he stared at the ceiling.

“It was the morning your dance partners appeared on set.” Her assumption had been that he had taken one, or all, of those girls back to the hotel with him. It hadn’t been one of her prouder moments. She saw the confusion clear before he sighed and looked back at her. “Sorry,” she muttered shyly.

“I understand.” He kissed her forehead and she slid farther up the bed, propping her elbow on the pillow beside his head. “I don’t know if I’d call them rules, it’s not like I sat down and thought them out.”

Kelsey patiently waited for him to elaborate. When he remained silent, gazing at her, she raised an eyebrow. “You’re stalling.” He shrugged and she leaned closer and quickly kissed him. “If they don’t apply to me, why won’t you tell me what they are?”

“Because, they’re not important,” he murmured. She cocked her head to one side and he frowned and looked away. “If you must know, there’re really only two I follow.” He smiled wryly and added, “Well, aside from the one about fans.” He turned to Kelsey. “I don’t ever spend the night, and I’ve never had a woman over to my home.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Never?” she whispered, dumbstruck when he shook his head.

“For the same reason I’d never introduced any other woman to my family. It was an intimacy I wasn’t ready for.” He put his hand on her nape and pulled her closer. Their lips met in a gentle kiss that quickly deepened. Kelsey’s toes curled as her leg slid along his. He quickly pulled back. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment . . .”

Patrick slid out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Kelsey felt chilled by his absence. She watched in horror as he returned from the bathroom and began to get dressed.

“I thought the rules didn’t apply to me.” She couldn’t hide the panic in her voice as a sense of déjà vu started to set in. Had she made another mistake? She’d done the one thing she’d vowed not to do, she’d become his lover and now he was leaving. She felt stupid and naïve, as if she were back in college again.

Patrick looked at her and all humor left his face. “They don’t,” he said softly as he knelt on the bed and took her hands in his. “I just need to get a bag of clothes out of the car.”

“Can’t that wait?”

“No.” He kissed her temple and pulled her into his arms. “I also have more condoms and thought we might need them.” He pulled away and lightly gripped her upper arms. “You don’t have any, do you?” She shook her head and he grinned. “I didn’t think so.” He stood and buttoned his jeans. Still apprehensive as he left to get his shirt and shoes, Kelsey held the sheet tightly to her chest. When he returned, he looked at her and frowned as he hurried to her. He sat on the bed and laid his palm on her cheek. “Hey, it can wait,” he said gently.

“No, it’s okay.” She tried to look happy. “Go. But hurry.”

“I’ll be right back.” He kissed her forehead as he stood and walked quickly from the room.

When Kelsey heard the door to the apartment close behind him, she suddenly felt lost. She pulled her knees up and rested her cheek on them, staring at her bedroom door as some of Tim’s final words came back to haunt her.
“You’re nothing but a whore, Kelsey. You should do real well in Hollywood.”

He’d been wrong when he’d said them, and she’d tried so hard to continue to prove him wrong. It had taken six years, but she wondered now if he’d been right all along. She closed her eyes as tears began to flow, letting the pessimistic nature of her thoughts have free reign.

A little voice in her head tried to reassure her that Patrick was not like Tim and that he would be right back. She argued that he shouldn’t have left in the first place. He should have brought his bag up after the game; but then, she hadn’t really planned on this happening and doubted he had either. The idea of him leaving was unbearable. Her stomach clenched as the feelings of abandonment resurfaced with a vengeance. She tried to shake the thoughts away.

She was being ridiculous. Patrick had already proven himself a better man. But how did she know he was telling the truth? He’d just admitted he’d never spent the night with a woman. How could she be sure he was coming back? He could change his mind while he was at his car. Her father had pointed out that Patrick got paid to pretend to be something he wasn’t. What if he’d only been pretending to love her?

“Kelsey?” Patrick’s arms surrounded her, her warmth seeping back into his body. “Sweetheart, I’m back,” he whispered in her ear. “What’s wrong?”

Kelsey shook her head and her gaze became clearer as she looked at him. Her cheeks turned bright red. “Oh,” she sighed as she wrapped her arms around him. “It’s nothing.”

Wanting to look into her eyes, he grasped her arms and gently pulled her away. He couldn’t understand what had happened. He hadn’t been gone more than ten minutes, and she’d been fine when he’d left. Maybe she’d been a little upset, but he’d reassured her that he was coming back. Hadn’t he?

“Kelsey, I told you I was coming back,” he soothed. “Didn’t you believe me?” He pulled her into his arms again and felt her relax.

“Of course I did,” she mumbled against his chest. “I’m just being silly.”

He shook his head. “You’re not being silly. I admitted to never spending the night with a woman five seconds before I left. That was pretty stupid on my part.”

She abruptly sat up and looked him in the eyes. “No,” she said as she laid a palm on his cheek. “No, it wasn’t. You said you were coming back.” He rested his forehead against hers. “You’ve never given me any reason to doubt you.”

“Haven’t I?” he retorted softly. “You questioned everything I did in Tennessee.” Patrick sat up and slid away. “I don’t blame you for that. I know what you thought about my reputation and I’m trying to prove that I’ve changed. If I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it.” His heart was racing, and he wasn’t sure whether it was suppressed fury at her ex for hurting her more than she was letting on or irritation at his own actions and the trouble they’d caused him with her. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking deep breaths. When he had regained his composure, he looked at her. “I hope you know I’ll never hurt you.” Kelsey nodded and took his hand as he moved closer to her. He cupped her cheek and gently stroked it with his thumb. “I love you, and losing you,” he brought his lips to hers, almost touching them, “is not a chance I’m willing to take.”

Their mouths met and an instantaneous fire began to bubble in his blood. She released his hand and grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt, quickly pulling it up. He groaned as his lips left hers so she could lift it over his head and drop it on the floor. Before he could kiss her again, she grasped his face with her hands. Through the haze of lust, he could see the seriousness in her eyes.

“I. Love. You,” she said, emphasizing every word. “I trust you won’t hurt me, and I don’t want to lose you either.”

He smiled as she pulled him to her again and kissed him, hard and urgently. When his arms were around her, her hands went to the button and zipper on his pants. While he held her with the kiss, he toed off his shoes and helped her to quickly remove his pants. He ripped the sheet from between them and laid her back on the bed, covering her with his own body.

They kept the pace leisurely, savoring every touch, kiss, and lick. Patrick dedicated himself to exploring every inch of skin on Kelsey’s body, pushing her as far as he could before settling between her thighs and entering her. Her warmth went straight to his core and he wasn’t sure how long he could keep up the slow, deliberate pace. When she tightened around him, he relished her scream of pleasure and groaned as she took him with her.

Again, he collapsed on top of her and lay motionless for a few minutes. He loved the feel of her soft, boneless body underneath him. When he finally got up, he went to the bathroom to dispose of his condom, then returned to the bed and gathered her to him. Looking down at the warm, sated body in his arms, he marveled at how different it was to make love to her. Until her, sex had always been a means to an end, a simple way for him to slake his lust. A part of him knew there would never be another woman for him, but he wasn’t ready to examine the impact of that thought.

He settled deeper into the mattress, kissed the top of her slumbering head, and fell into a satisfied, blissful sleep.

Twenty-Six

P
atrick awoke the next morning with Kelsey in his arms and watched her sleep. Having her in bed beside him just felt right, as though she was made to be there. Once again thoughts of a future with her whispered through his brain, and he tried to push them out. Not because he was afraid of them but because he wasn’t. And that scared him.

The moment her eyes opened, Kelsey looked at him with a smile and his heart skipped a beat. Even rumpled from sleep, she was beautiful and he was filled with a yearning so strong it took him by surprise. Without a word, he quickly covered her mouth with his. The kiss slowly progressed and he found it convenient that they were already naked.

Making love was a fine way to start the day.

“Good morning to you too,” Kelsey said languidly an hour later, as she lay against his chest. With his eyes closed in delightful satisfaction, he chuckled and drew her closer to him with one arm. A few silent minutes later, she pushed herself up to look at his face. “I’m hungry. Let’s go out.”

“No,” he replied without hesitation as he opened his eyes. Her brow furrowed. “Let’s just stay here.”