WildLoving (13 page)

Once she’d taken her medication, she ate cake and sipped
tea. It had always been her grandmother and her once her parents had died.
Eliza had never experienced large family celebrations until she’d met the
Hatters. They found such joy in everything. It was a good way to live.

After about an hour, her adrenaline surge wore off. That
coupled with the pain medication had her yawning every few minutes. “I’m
sorry,” she told them. She didn’t want them to think she didn’t appreciate all
the trouble they’d gone to for her. “Thank you so much for everything.”

“You’re welcome, dear.” Irene beamed at her from across the
table. Then she turned her attention to her son. “You take Eliza in to rest.
We’ll clean up and then leave you two alone.”

“I didn’t mean to break up the party.” She felt bad about
it. And truthfully, she didn’t want it to end. It was a celebration of her new
start in life.

“You’re not,” Frank assured her. “Time for me to get back to
work anyway.” He rose from the table and began stacking dishes.

“You and Mom can leave those,” Nevar told his father. “You
two have to get to work, but I’ve got the bar covered for a few more hours.
Allison and I will take care of this.”

Irene kissed both of her sons, Allison and Eliza on the way
out. Frank only kissed the women. When his parents were gone, Rabb rose with
her still cradled in his arms. “Thanks.”

Nevar slapped him on the back. “No problem. We’ll lock up on
our way out.”

Allison already had most of the dishes ferried into the
kitchen. She simply waved to them as Rabb carried Eliza down the hall toward
the bedroom.

“I don’t know why I’m so tired,” she complained. She wished
she could call back her words. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful and she hated
whining.

“I don’t know why either.” Rabb lowered her so she was
sitting on the side of the bed. He went down on one knee and began to remove
her shoes and socks. “Could be because you were attacked less than two days
ago, have a ton of stitches, lost quite a bit of blood, are bruised from head
to toe and just took a heavy dose of pain medication.”

That recitation startled a laugh out of her. “I guess that
does explain it.”

“Can you stand on your own?” he asked her.

She pushed up and the moment she was steady, he tugged her
track pants down her legs. The moment he had them around her knees, she sat
again. She was feeling a little lightheaded.

He unzipped her hoodie and carefully worked it down her
arms. She was naked except for her panties and a white cotton tank. Rabb pulled
back the covers and helped her to crawl under them.

Eliza released a sigh of relief. Her entire body ached, but
it was starting to dissipate thanks to the medication. Rabb started to leave,
but she put her hand out to him. “Stay. You need to rest as much as I do.”

He’d catnapped in the chair at the hospital. She knew that
had to have been uncomfortable, plus she didn’t think he’d actually gotten much
sleep. Every time she’d opened her eyes, he’d been awake, watching her,
standing guard over her.

She patted the mattress. “Stay,” she urged once again. “Just
for a little while.”

“For a few minutes.” He kicked off his shoes, shucked his
jeans and tugged the curtains shut before he crawled in next to her. He was
still wearing his underwear and T-shirt. She wished he were naked. She liked
him better that way. But this was good too.

He eased her into his arms so that her head rested on his
shoulder. Her right arm wasn’t exactly comfortable in this position, but she
didn’t care. It was exactly where she needed to be.

“Rabb,” she began.

“Shh, we’ll talk later.” He brushed a kiss over the top of
her head.

They would talk later, when she had more energy and could
string more than a few words together in a sentence. They lay together in the
darkened bedroom. Eliza could hear the sounds of Nevar and Allison cleaning up
from their party. They were comforting sounds, good ones. She snuggled closer
to Rabb, content to be exactly where she was.

Rabb raised his arm and checked his wristwatch. Three hours
had passed. He hadn’t expected to sleep, but he felt more alert now. The last
couple of days had taken a toll on both of them. He really should be down in
the club helping Nevar, but he didn’t want to leave Eliza. Business had slowed
down some since the end of the holidays, but Hatter’s was always busy.

Eliza had rolled onto her back at some point. Rabb propped
himself up on one elbow and studied her. She looked better than she had, not
quite as pale. Her silky red hair flowed like molten fire over the pristine
white pillowcase. He reached out and fingered a soft strand.

Eliza stirred and her green eyes fluttered open. She licked
her lips and his cock went from relaxed to hard as steel in a heartbeat. “Hey.”
Her voice was husky with sleep and really turned him on. But there would be no
lovemaking for a few days. Not until her injuries started to heal and she was
stronger.

And she’d kick his ass if she could read his thoughts. He
knew she hated feeling weak and wouldn’t appreciate him treating her that way.
But she’d just have to suck it up and live with it. She’d been injured, damn
it. Seeing her blood running down her arms, knowing Jason had hurt her would
give Rabb nightmares for years.

“Hey,” he returned her greeting. “I didn’t mean to wake
you.”

She stifled a yawn. “You didn’t.” She turned her head and he
could see the pillow crease on her cheek. It made her look even more adorable.
“What time is it?” she asked.

“Almost five.”

She blinked. “Wow, I slept the afternoon away.”

“You needed it. Are you hungry?” She needed to eat to build
up her strength. And as much as he loved his family, cake just wasn’t going to
cut it.

She stopped and thought about it for a moment. “I could eat
something. Maybe some soup.”

“Soup it is.” He started to roll out of bed, but she placed
her hand on his arm.

“Wait. Let’s talk first.”

He turned on the bedside lamp and eased back down beside
her. “Okay. What’s on your mind?”

She glanced away and chewed on her bottom lip.

“Eliza?” He captured one of her hands, brought it to his
mouth and kissed her palm. He was very careful not to jar her injured arm. She
sucked in a breath and turned back to face him.

“What happens now?”

He threw the question back to her. “What do you want to
happen?” Rabb knew he wanted Eliza with him, in his life and his bed for the
next sixty or seventy years.

She shifted restlessly. “I can get a job. Well, a different
one,” she amended.

“You don’t like washing dishes,” he teased, even though his
stomach was in knots. Was she saying she was leaving?

Her lips turned up in a tiny smile. “It’s fine, but it’s not
my chosen career path.”

“What is?” he asked. Rabb seriously wanted to know.

Eliza shrugged. “I’ve always wanted my own place. A coffee
shop that opens early and closes around six in the evening. The kind of place
people stop in for their morning coffee and come back on their way home from
work to pick up some treats to take home. Maybe serve lunch specials. Nothing
fancy.”

“You never talked about it when we worked at Bruno’s
together.” He gently set her hand back on her stomach and touched the curve of
her cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

Eliza sighed. “You had such big dreams. But more than that,
you had a plan. I had no savings and a pipe dream.”

“What would you do if money and time weren’t a problem?”

She gave a rough laugh. “Money and time are always a
problem.”

“But what if they weren’t,” he countered.

Eliza shrugged. “I’d always wanted to take a baking course.
I’ve done some in the various jobs I’ve had over the years and really enjoyed
it. I’d started a recipe file for my business before everything happened and
things fell apart.”

“You could do that now,” Rabb insisted.

“Now I need a job and a place to live.” Eliza offered him a
halfhearted smile. “Maybe sometime down the road I’ll be able to go back to
school. Maybe part-time or evening. I’m not sure they even offer baking courses
part-time.”

Rabb knew this was his moment. “You could stay here. With
me.”

“Oh Rabb, you’ve already done too much for me. I’m not going
to take advantage of your generosity any longer.”

Was that loud crack the sound of his heart breaking? He
really thought it might be. “You’re not taking advantage. I want you here.” He
took a deep breath and opened himself up totally. “I need you here with me,
Eliza. I love you.”

Eliza wondered if she were still dreaming. She blinked
several times, but Rabb was still stretched out beside her, propped up on one
elbow beside her. His big body was tense, and his brown eyes glittered with
lust and some deeper emotion. Love.

He touched her face and the muscles in his biceps rippled
with barely restrained power. “Did you hear me?”

She nodded. “You.” She swallowed hard when the words stuck
in her throat. “You love me.”

He nodded. “I want you to live with me, share my life and
family.”

Eliza’s head was spinning. She knew Rabb cared for her,
deeply, but she’d never dreamed he’d return her feelings, at least not so soon.
She’d hoped maybe somewhere down the road.

Now his brows drew down and he looked impatient. “Is there
anything you’d like to tell me?” he prompted.

“I love you,” she blurted out. “I have ever since I met
you.”

His eyes darkened. “Oh Eliza.” He touched her cheek and her
jaw before running his thumb over her bottom lip. “So much time wasted.” His
features hardened and she recognized the look of determination that came over
him. “But no more. You’re staying here.”

She wanted to. More than anything in the world. “Are you
sure?” If he changed his mind down the road it would devastate her.

Rabb leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “I’m sure.”
He peered deeply into her eyes. “Are you?”

Eliza nodded. “I am. When I thought I was going to die, all
I could think of was the fact we’d never get a chance at a life together. Jason
almost took that from us.”

“But he didn’t,” Rabb assured her.

“No, he didn’t.” They’d come out on top,
despite the odds. She’d come out on top. Jason was gone and her life was her
own again. It was time to plan for the future she wanted. No more drifting from
day to day simply surviving.

“I want to find somewhere to take some baking courses. If I
can do it part-time, I can keep working at Hatter’s.”

Rabb frowned. “That’s a lot of work, Eliza. Maybe you should
think about school full-time.”

She’d thought about this over the past few weeks and had
considered her options even before she knew Rabb was going to tell her he loved
her. “I think part-time school is best. At least to start out. I’ve always
enjoyed baking and seem to have a knack for it. But I won’t know for sure until
I do some classes and learn more.”

“Whatever makes you happy.”

“What makes you happy?” she asked.

“You,” he baldly stated. “You make me happy.”

Tears filled her eyes. “That’s the most beautiful thing
anyone has ever said to me,” she told him.

He sat up and cupped her face in his large hands. “It’s
true. I didn’t know what I was missing in my life until you came back into it.
Marry me, Eliza. Let’s make it official.”

Wow, when Rabb decided he wanted something he was like a
steamroller. “Maybe we should wait a while. What will your parents think?”

“That I’m being smart by putting a ring on your finger.” He
rose from the bed and strode to the dresser. He tugged open the top drawer,
reached inside and pulled something out.

Her heart began to beat faster. She pushed herself upright
in bed, ignoring the throbbing in her arms. “Rabb?”

He straightened his shoulders, turned and stalked back to
the bed. He sat beside her and thrust his hand out. A glittering ruby ring in a
platinum setting was nestled in his large palm. The ring was unusual and
unique, just like Rabb.

“Will you marry me?”

They should wait until she got back on her feet, until they
had a chance to be together under normal circumstances instead of the craziness
they’d endured these past weeks. In real time, they hadn’t spent much time
together. But in terms of life problems and challenges, they’d endured more
than most married couples faced in a lifetime together.

Screw that. She was going after what she wanted from this
moment on. And what she wanted more than anything was a life with Rabb Hatter.
She glanced from his face to the ring and back to his face again. He looked so
fierce, so determined. She knew if she said no, he’d have a dozen reasons why
she should say yes.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He seemed surprised, but then a huge smile split his face.
He carefully picked up her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger. It fit
perfectly.

He kissed her then. There was more than passion in the
caress. There was love and commitment and tomorrows. His tongue stroked hers,
demanding a response. She gave it to him, loving the taste of him, his passion.

He cupped her face and tilted it to the side before
deepening the torrid kiss. Eliza’s toes curled beneath the covers and her pussy
began to throb, distracting her from the ache in her arms. It was delicious,
but more than that, it was life affirming.

When Rabb finally pulled back, she was gasping for breath
and he was no better. Her entire body was humming with arousal. His hair was
mussed and she was still gripping it in her fists. She couldn’t even remember
doing it. She pulled her hands back and raised her left one to get a better
look at the ring. The ruby was diamond shaped and there were diamonds on the
band flanking it.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“It’s incredible.”

“The ruby reminded me of your hair.” He grinned sheepishly.
“I didn’t want to get you anything ordinary.”

“It’s certainly not ordinary. And I have a feeling my life
with you will be anything but.”

“Count on it.”

She started to reach for him, but he drew back. “You need to
eat and rest. You’ve only been out of the hospital a few hours.”

Eliza felt herself pouting. She wanted to make love with
Rabb. “That’s hardly fair.”

He threw back his head and laughed. The sound enveloped her
like a warm hug. “Later,” he promised. “Once you’re feeling better we’ll
celebrate.”

He stood and stretched. Eliza admired his strong legs and
the heavy erection tenting the front of his underwear. He saw where she was
looking and shook his head. “None of that.” He wagged his finger at her.

“Oh if you insist,” she muttered. She was really feeling
much better.

“I insist.”

Luckily, later came much sooner than she’d hoped. After a
supper of chicken noodle soup and a hot bath, Eliza had gone back to bed only
to wake in the middle of the night. She’d been having the most wonderful dream.
Warm hands stroked her skin. Hot lips caressed her body.

She opened her eyes. It was dark in the bedroom, but there
was enough light filtering in through the window to allow her to see Rabb. He
knelt beside her on the bed, his big, calloused hands on her body.

It wasn’t a dream at all. It was better.

“Rabb.” She reached out and touched his chest. His skin was
warm, and the muscles in his abs twitched as she lowered her hand.

“You just lie there and relax.”

She loved how he wanted to take care of her, but it was
getting out of hand. “I’m fine,” she insisted. When he raised an eyebrow in
question, she shrugged. “Okay, so I’m a little tender and bruised in places.”
Rabb pointed looked at her bandaged arms. “And my arms have stitches. But other
than that, I’m good.”

Rabb shook his head. “I know you’re strong, Eliza. You’ve
had to be.” He stroked her bare stomach. And when had he removed the shirt
she’d been wearing? She had no memory of that. And her panties were gone too.
She must have really been sleeping heavily to have missed that.

His fingers trailed around the mounds of her breasts,
circling closer to her nipples. She sucked in a breath when his thumbs grazed
the hard buds.

“Let me love you,” he continued.

“Oh Rabb. You can love me, but I want to love you too.” She
sat up and let her hands roam over his thick shoulders, his firm pecs and down
over his washboard abs. She loved his body, his strength. He groaned when she
leaned forward and flicked her tongue across one of his flat nipples.

“You don’t play fair.” He caught her hair in one big hand
and held her close.

“And don’t you forget it,” she told him, making him chuckle.
She moved her hand lower until she found his cock. Rabb was naked. He must have
removed his underwear the same time he’d gotten rid of her shirt. Good. That
saved her time.

His shaft was hard and hot. She stroked her hand from tip to
base and back up again. When she reached the top, she rubbed her thumb over the
silky, damp head.

Rabb sucked in a mouthful of air and let it out slowly.
“Damn, that feels good.”

She continued to tease his nipples with her tongue as she
played with his cock. She loved the way he responded to her touch. He allowed
her free rein to do whatever she wanted. She only wished she weren’t quite so
sore all over.

But they had time. She caught a glimpse of the ring adorning
her finger. They had lots of time.

“This isn’t going to work.” Rabb grabbed her hand and eased
it away from his straining erection.

“I think it’s working rather well myself.”

He chuckled. “I’m not complaining, but I can’t touch you.
And that’s not fair.” He lay on his back with his head propped up on the
pillows. Then he reached for her and eased her over him.

Eliza swung one leg over his hips and sat on his upper
thighs. He ran his hands up her outer thighs, over her waist and inward until
he cupped her breasts. “Oh yeah. This will work.”