The Playboy (16 page)

Though he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her narrow hips and firm behind—he was male after all—her heart and inner spirit interested him most right now. “So tell me about your jewelry.”

She’d tossed the paper plates and wrapped the extra slices. “Refrigerator or freezer for these?” she asked him.

“Refrigerator. I’ll live on those tomorrow.”

“Okay. I have two different styles of jewelry,” she said as she got back to work. “I hope to learn newer techniques in Arizona especially working with turquoise, but right now, I do wire jewelry with beading. I also have another idea but I haven’t tried it out yet. I only have sketches and I’d have to show you—” She obviously and deliberately cut herself off. “That was silly. You wouldn’t be interested in female jewelry.”

In a heartbeat he stood and strode into the kitchen, catching her between the counter and his body. “I wouldn’t presume to know what interests me, if I were you.”

She licked her lips. “Why’s that?”

“Because you might miss out on something amazing if you do. Now I might not be interested in women’s jewelry, that’s true. But when it comes to something that you’ve created, that’s a different story.”

A unique-looking choker that resembled a lace collar lay wrapped around her neck. He lifted the piece and fingered some of the small and intricate beads in his hand. He studied the piece and craftsmanship with awe. Kendall had talent to say the least and Rick was certain Charlotte had seen it or she wouldn’t have agreed to take the pieces into her beloved shop.

“This is beautiful,” Rick said. “And so are you.” He unhooked the necklace from behind and lay it on the counter beside him, then leaned forward and placed his lips on the soft skin where the choker had once been.

He inhaled her fragrant scent and his groin pulsed with aching need. Not ready to assuage that particular desire, he worked on arousing Kendall first instead. He ran his tongue along the slightly red line left by the jewelry, soothing her flesh, and if her soft moan was any indication, accomplishing his goal.

“Rick.”

Her husky voice worked on his already sensitive nerve endings and the bedroom in the small apartment seemed too far away.

“Rick, wait.”

He groaned and stepped back. “What’s wrong?” “Tonight’s not about satisfying me and I can tell that’s where you’re headed. Not that I mind. I’d love it in fact, but I promised myself this would be
your
night.” She lifted her hands and cupped his face. “You earned it.” She placed a soft kiss on his mouth. “You deserve it.” She slid her tongue across his lips as her thumbs caressed his jaw. “And I want nothing more than to give back to you this time.
That
would satisfy me even more.”

“Mmm. Okay.”

“Good. Now you’ve had a long shift. Go relax in the bedroom while I clean up.” While she spoke, she massaged his shoulders, showing him exactly what she had in mind.

She’d put a great deal of thought into this evening and he had no doubt there’d be much more to come than simply a massage of his aching muscles.

“It’d be faster if I helped.”

“I’d be happier if you didn’t. Now go,” she said, her tone lowering.

No one had ever spoken to him in such a gentle, heated voice. No one had touched him with such special care. And no one had ever put his needs before their own. Kendall had. She obviously had her own agenda. She wanted to be in charge of this evening, wanted to give to him for a change.

He couldn’t say he minded.

“I’ll be in soon. I promise. I just don’t want to leave a mess in here.” She gestured toward the bedroom. “Go on.”

“You never mentioned you were so bossy.” He grinned as he took a step back.

“That’s because you never asked.” She shot him a wink and turned back to working on the cleanup.

He watched her in his kitchen for a moment before he headed for the bedroom and stretched out on top of the bed. As soon as he relaxed into the mattress, his body remembered how exhausted he’d been earlier. He couldn’t be more grateful Kendall had surprised him, that she was here with him now.

He wanted nothing more than to have her beside him in his bed. And his heart settled in his throat as he recalled how unlikely it was that she’d remain here for very long.

CHAPTER SEVEN

K
endall tossed the beer bottle into Rick’s recycling bin and after towel-drying the wineglass, she replaced it in the cabinet from which she’d taken it earlier. Because this night was for him, she didn’t want to take any chances of leaving a mess he’d end up having to clean later. The kitchen spotless, she shut the lights and headed inside.

A dim flickering light greeted her and she knew he’d had the bedroom TV on while he awaited her. Her heart pounded in her chest in anticipation of the night ahead. But when she stepped into the room, she discovered that in the brief time she’d finished in the kitchen, Rick had fallen asleep. He lay on top of the covers, his sneakers still on, testament to his exhaustion. She smiled and walked up beside him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

In sleep his features relaxed. Stress- and exhaustion-free, he looked even more incredibly sexy. She ran a hand down his cheek and he turned into her palm. With the warm, intimate gesture of trust, her insides curled with need, want, and desire, but she admitted a hefty dose of emotion was involved too.

Just the fact that she’d decided to come over here tonight and take care of Rick told her she felt more than just lust. But she refused to panic. After all she’d been through, she intended to adhere to a
here and now
mantra. Moments like this in her life had been too rare.

She lay down and curled into Rick, letting his body heat seep through her skin and warm her inside and out. Security was something else sadly lacking in her life and with this man, she felt not only desired, but cared for in a meaningful way. No reason not to take it all in while it lasted.

She yawned just as his arm came around her and pulled her into him, her backside pressing insistently against an erection she felt certain he wasn’t even aware he had. She smiled knowing that when he awoke, she’d take care of that problem for him as well as any other things that needed soothing.

Warmth seeped through Kendall’s body as a strong hand slipped between her legs and found its way beneath her clothing to her private, feminine folds. She was slick with moisture, ready for him to thrust inside her and make love to her. But apparently he had other plans because his skillful hands and fingers alternated between a soft, teasing glide with one finger, and an insistent rotation of his palm against her feminine mound. Working magic, he brought her closer and closer to the brink of orgasm.

Her breathing came in shallow gasps as the incredible sensations bombarded and pounded at her body. She

jerked her hips forward in a futile attempt to take him deeper into her body. The waves built higher and higher until they took over and she cried out loud at the same moment she finally, blessedly toppled over the precipice in the most explosive orgasm she’d ever had.

Kendall woke in damp heat, Rick’s arms around her waist and his hand—the source of that exquisite pleasure—resting against her body. She writhed against him, convulsions still wracking her with warm, explosive sensations until she collapsed in his embrace. He pulled her close, pressing a tender kiss against her neck that brought a lump to her throat.

“You don’t play fair.” She snuggled even deeper into him.

His deep chuckle reverberated through her. “You weren’t complaining.”

“I was asleep.”

“Then that must have been some dream you had because you screamed my name.”

She rolled to her side so she could see his face. “You rat.” But she grinned. “I remember reading somewhere that orgasms that occur during a dream are stronger and more pleasurable than those that occur while you’re awake.”

He propped himself up on his elbow and gazed down at her. “And is it true?” A self-satisfied smile tipped the edges of his mouth.

It had been an incredible experience and he knew it, the arrogant man. Kendall decided it was time to turn the tables on him. “Absolutely true.” Sort of, she mentally amended. Every orgasm she’d had at his hands or with him inside her had been incredible. She stretched languorously, her body still sensitized from arousal and need.

A frown replaced his earlier smile.

“What’s wrong?”

“Stronger and more pleasurable while you’re asleep, huh? I think I’m just going to have to outdo myself while you’re awake.”

She felt his wandering hand and stopped his movement by clamping down on his wrist. “First, you already outdid yourself, and second, this night is supposed to be about
you.
Why do you find it so difficult to give up that control?”

Even as she asked the question, she realized she was getting deeper into his psyche and what made him tick. His need to protect obviously went way back and she wanted to know more.

“Are you sure you want to know? The answer might take a while.”

“I’m sure.”

He shrugged and eased against the pillow, obviously accepting that they were going to talk awhile first. “You already know my father died when I was fifteen. I saw Chase take over. He made sure the paper kept running and gave Mom one less thing to worry about during that awful time.”

“I’m sorry.” She squeezed his hand and snuggled back into him, more to give him comfort than for herself.

“That’s life I guess. But don’t feel bad for Chase because he’s never regretted his decisions. And don’t feel bad for me. I’ve had a good time of it so far. A few bumps in the road but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

She didn’t buy his cavalier assessment of his past but she wasn’t about to argue, not while he was opening up to her.

“It was Mom who worried us all,” he continued. “And taking care of her became our jobs.”

“Raina seems pretty independent to me.”

“She is now.” He glanced up at the ceiling. “Maybe she always was, but as the three men of the house, we all thought it was our duty to look out for her.”

Kendall nodded. All three Chandler brothers were amazing men. Any woman would be lucky to land one of them. She shivered and got back to business. “And then? How’d looking out for your mother translate into police work?”

He glanced out of the corner of his eye. “You’re awfully curious tonight.”

“Humor me.” She didn’t want to admit that she craved the closeness they’d begun to share. “Why law enforcement?”

“Doesn’t every boy want to be a cop?”

“Maybe but not all of them actually grow up and live the dream.”

He smiled. “Good way of looking at it. Chase made sure Roman and I had the chance to live our dreams. Roman’s were simpler. He’d always wanted to follow in Dad’s footsteps, only he wanted to take his show on the road. I wasn’t so sure, but Chase made certain we both went to college before making any lifelong decisions.”

She sighed. “You’re so lucky to have family that cares that much about you.”

He squeezed her closer, as if sensing the sensitive and painful nature of the topic. “You’ve met my mother. There are obviously pros and cons to my kind of close family,” he said, wryly. “I wasn’t into reporting the news but we all worked the paper after school, regardless. I hated it and after I’d ditched one too many assignments, Chase stuck me with Chief Ellis. He figured if I had to report on him hauling the juvenile delinquents into jail, I’d straighten out. As usual, in his know-it-all way, big brother was right. I found my calling.”

Kendall laughed. “He sounds more like big daddy than big brother.”

“Only when we were watching. Chase had his own social life when he could squeeze it in. I can’t prove it, but I’m sure of it anyway. But he did make certain we all walked the straight and narrow, which except for Roman’s foray into women’s underwear wasn’t all that hard.”

“What!?!”

Rick grinned. “Roman played the ultimate prank. When he was sixteen he stole a girl’s underwear. I believe you met the victim. Terri Whitehall.”

“That priss?” Remembering the starched collared, prim woman, Kendall laughed harder. “So that explains why he was blamed for the panty thefts this past spring.” The Chandler brother seemed to be the stuff of town lore and Kendall had heard many stories during her excursions to the General Store for food or housecleaning supplies.

Rick nodded. “No way it could have been Roman. Mom made him pay for his crime way back when. He had to hand wash his boxers and hang them out to dry on a clothesline on the front lawn. The girls came to watch and laugh. Cured him forever.”

She rolled her eyes. “You Chandlers were a handful, weren’t you?”

“Spirited, Mom called it. Chase just said we were a pain in the ass.” Rick chuckled, knowing that despite all the ups and downs of being a Chandler, he was damn lucky as Kendall had said.

She obviously hadn’t been as fortunate. “Tell me about your parents,” he said.

“Tell me about your marriage,” she countered.

He sucked in a deep breath. No way would he discuss his ex-wife with Kendall. Jillian was his past. He’d put her behind him long ago.

But if that was true, then why didn’t he want to confide in Kendall now, a taunting voice asked. Because to bring up that pain might force him to raise more barriers against Kendall, to protect himself from being hurt worse than when Jillian had chosen another man and life over him. Kendall had already made the decision to leave and Rick had no intention of dredging up past feelings that would cause him to shut her out. Until she left, he wanted nothing keeping them apart.

He flipped over and pinned her on her back, her arms against the mattress. “I’m skilled in the art of interrogation,” he said with a grin. “Do you really think you can deter me?” It wasn’t lost on him that his groin had settled between her legs, his desire obvious despite the barrier of clothes.

She let out a forced sigh that came out sounding more like an aroused moan. “Well, if you’re going to use torture tactics, I suppose I have no choice but to talk,” she said in a breathless, husky voice.

He was glad he affected her but it didn’t change what he needed and for now that was information. For all her independence, by her own admission Kendall never had a stable family life. As an adult, she was obviously still running from something. At least that was Rick’s take on things. Maybe if he understood the
what
he could work on changing her views. He didn’t hold out hope but he had to try.