WildLoving (5 page)

“Eliza. Baby, you have to stop.” He was going to do the
right thing even if it killed him.

“Why?” She pushed upward and sat on his thighs, looking like
a pagan queen from some great myth. Her red hair tumbled around her shoulders,
not nearly as long as it had been, but still thick and gorgeous nonetheless.
Her green eyes were half closed and a secretive smile curved her lips. “I don’t
want to stop.”

Rabb wasn’t sure if he was in heaven or hell. It was hard to
tell with Eliza stroking her hand up and down his shaft. “You need to rest.”

“Later,” she promised. “Right now I need this more.” She
rose to her knees and angled his cock until it brushed against her opening.

“Are you sure?” Rabb gripped her waist, keeping her from
going any deeper.

“Oh yes.”

He was powerless against her. Eliza braced her hands on his
chest and slowly lowered herself onto his dick. He pushed upward, sliding his
cock into her wet warmth. Her inner muscles rippled around him and he gritted
his teeth, not wanting to come. Not yet.

His thick shaft stretched her. She was tighter than a
leather glove two sizes too small. “I’m not hurting you, am I?” That was the
last thing he wanted.

Eliza shook her head. She was panting hard, her slender rib
cage moving up and down, her breasts swaying gently. “No, not exactly. You’re
big and it’s been a long time for me.”

The primitive side of him was thrilled that she hadn’t had a
lover in a long time. The thinking side warned him to take it slow. “We’ve got
all the time in the world, baby,” he promised her and prayed he wasn’t lying.

Eliza squirmed and pushed down again. Rabb closed his eyes
and counted to ten when she settled over him with every inch of his cock buried
inside her. Had anything ever felt this good? She pulsed around him, like a
heartbeat, clinging and squeezing his shaft.

He took a minute to catch his breath before sliding his
hands up her torso to her breasts. He cupped the full mounds in his hands and
teased the pert nipples with his thumbs. Her pussy rhythmically squeezed his
dick, and Rabb was sure he saw stars.

“Move, baby,” he urged her. He needed her to move.

Eliza planted her hands on his stomach to steady herself and
then lifted several inches before gliding back down.

“Fuck, yeah. Do it again.”

Eliza obeyed and they both moaned when his cock forged back
inside her tight, hot body.

“Faster.” He clamped his hands around her waist, showing her
what he wanted. He pulled her back down as he thrust his hips up, driving deep.
His balls were almost climbing into his body they were pulled so tight.

“Rabb.” Her voice was slurred and she was starting to fade
on him.

“Hold on.” He wrapped his arms around her and rolled, taking
her over onto her back. She peered up at him and linked her arms around his
neck.

He shoved an arm under one of her thighs and pushed it up
and away. “Let me do all the work.” He worked his cock in and out, rocking
faster and faster, angling his body so his pelvis rubbed her sensitive clit
with each stroke.

“Oh. Oh yes.” Eliza’s cries of pleasure spurred him on.

“Come for me, baby. I can’t wait.” Rabb’s orgasm shot from
his balls, up his shaft and out the tip. He wished like hell he wasn’t wearing
a condom, but even with the latex separating them it was spectacular. Her pussy
hugged his cock, squeezing tight. He managed to slide a hand between them and
pressed his thumb against her clit.

Eliza cried out and her hot warmth flooded around him.
Another spasm rocked him and he thrust several more times.

Eliza clung to Rabb until all the strength drained from her
arms, and they fell back down to the bed. She was totally exhausted, yet felt
better, more content than she had in a very long time. She felt safe too and
knew Rabb was the reason.

He shifted his large body and slid his semi-erect cock free
from her slick channel. She groaned and her pussy made a sucking sound as if
trying to keep him locked inside her. Rabb swore, rolled out of bed and padded
to the bathroom. She heard the toilet flush and water running.

She’d had a few lovers in her life, but Rabb had ruined her
for other men. Every inch of her body tingled and her pussy already ached to
hold him again. She loved his power, the feel of his hard cock thrusting deep.
Yet he was gentle as well, touching her with a reverence that brought tears to
her eyes.

He came back to bed and lifted her enough to pull the covers
down. Then he joined her in bed and pulled her into his arms. “Sleep now. We’ll
talk more in the morning.”

There wasn’t really anything left to talk about. She had to
leave even though doing so would be like cutting off a limb. It would be worse
now that they’d made love, but she couldn’t regret it. Wouldn’t regret it.

His lips brushed over the top of her head. “Stop thinking
and worrying, Eliza. You’re not alone. I’ve got you.”

Rabb was pure magic and his words a powerful spell. Eliza
shut her eyes and let go of all her cares. Tonight she didn’t have to worry
about being cold, about Jason finding her or some street thug jumping her.

She snuggled deeper into Rabb’s arms and rubbed her nose
against his chest, inhaling his unique masculine scent.

Contentment spread over her like a blanket and Eliza slept.

Eliza first became aware of the cocoon of warmth surrounding
her and immediately knew something was wrong. She was used to being cold. Her
eyes popped open and she jerked upright, trying to get her bearings. The sheet
dropped to her waist and cooler air shocked her bare skin.

She was naked.

The night before came flooding back. She was in Rabb’s bed.

She dragged the sheet up, clutching it to her breasts. She
was alone. Curious, she looked around his space. It was as masculine as Rabb
was. The bed was king-size with nightstands flanking either side. A wooden
dresser was off to the side and a sturdy chair sat in the corner. There was no
clutter. The only personal touch was the framed pictures on the wall.

Eliza climbed out of bed and padded to the wall, dragging
the sheet along with her. She studied the pictures and smiled. They were both
of the White Rabbit from
Alice in Wonderland
. She knew the book was a
favorite of his parents and that he’d been named after the character.

Who would name their kid Rabbit?

Whimsical parents for sure. She wondered how much grief Rabb
had gotten about his name growing up. Probably not much. There was something
about him, some innate power that would make bullies think twice before teasing
him.

Her knapsack sat on the floor just inside the door. The warm
bed called to her, but she made herself pick up her knapsack, gather her
clothing and go to the bathroom. She’d lingered long enough.

She ignored the mirror. Instead, she got a quick shower,
delighting in the hot water spraying her body. Being homeless, it was amazing
the simple things she missed, things she’d often taken for granted, like being
clean and warm.

It didn’t take her long to dress and repack her knapsack.
She didn’t have much beyond a change of clothing and her wallet. She stopped in
the bedroom long enough to remake the bed. Eliza smoothed her hand over the
comforter. The scent of Rabb’s soap tickled her nostrils and she swore under
her breath. She shouldn’t have used his soap. It would haunt her for days.

She slung her knapsack over her shoulder and left the room
behind. It was too much to hope that Rabb would have already gone down to work.
Coward that she was, she wished she didn’t have to face him. Leaving was going
to be so much harder with him here.

Or maybe not. Maybe he’d be glad to see the last of her and
her troubles. It was one thing to say he wanted her to stay when it was the
middle of the night and they’d just made love. Quite another to say it in the
clear light of day.

“Good morning.” Rabb set down his coffee mug on the counter
and walked toward her. He cupped her face in his hands, leaned down and kissed
her. Oh it was lovely. Eliza’s toes curled in her shoes. Maybe this was wrong,
but it certainly didn’t feel that way. Heat seeped from her lips down to her
breasts and still lower until her pussy throbbed.

When he lifted his head and smiled, she had to blink several
times to make sure she wasn’t still asleep and dreaming. “Ah, good morning.”

Rabb went back to the counter. “Coffee?”

“God yes.” Eliza set her bag by the front door and took a
seat on one of the stools flanking the counter.

Rabb set the steaming mug on the counter and pushed the
cream and sugar her way. He frowned at her knapsack. “You can leave that in the
bedroom.”

Eliza stopped with a spoonful of sugar poised over her mug.
She let the white crystals pour into the mug and then slowly stirred. “I can’t
stay. I thought I could, but I was wrong to come here, wrong to bring my
problems to your door.”

Rabb’s forehead creased and his lips thinned as he frowned.
“I thought we’d gotten past that last night.”

“Last night is the very reason I can’t stay.” She could be
nothing less than honest with him, not now, not after last night. “You mean
something to me, Rabb. I won’t risk Jason hurting you or your family.”

“I can handle Jason Ware.”

Eliza shook her head. “I thought I could too. But he’s a
pathological liar with a charismatic personality. People believe him, Rabb. And
he’s got a good reputation and knows people in the right places.” No way did
she want Jason even glancing in Rabb’s direction.

“There’s no reason for him to look for you here,” Rabb
pointed out. “If he was going to do so he would have done it weeks ago.”

Rabb was probably right about that, but she still didn’t
want to risk it. “I can’t.”

Rabb sighed and popped a sliced bagel into the toaster. “Why
don’t you stay for a few days at least? It’s almost Christmas.”

Eliza stared down at her coffee rather than at Rabb. When
she looked at him, she wanted to stay. He made it all sound so simple, so easy.
And she knew the situation was anything but.

The toaster popped and seconds later Rabb slid the toasted
bagel in front of her. “Eat, Eliza. And stop worrying so much.” He set a tub of
cream cheese and a knife next to her plate.

“I’m not worrying too much, Rabb. You’re not worrying
enough. I know what Jason is capable of, what lengths he’ll go to in order to
get what he wants, or have you forgotten that?”

Rabb brushed her hair away from her face and fingered her
scar. “No, I haven’t forgotten.”

Eliza felt like crying, but she was also angry—at the world,
at Jason and at Rabb. It was totally irrational, but she couldn’t help it.
“Then why are you making this more difficult than it needs to be?”

“Because I care.” He came around the counter and sat next to
her. He grabbed the knife, dipped it into the cream cheese and spread it over
one half of her bagel. Then he lifted it to her mouth. “Eat.”

She was hungry and Rabb’s expression was filled with
determination so she took a bite. It was only a bagel and cream cheese, but it
was delicious, and she savored the flavor.

“I don’t want to lose you again.” His quiet words hit her
with the force of a sledgehammer. She chewed, but the food stuck in her throat
and she had to grab her mug and drink half the coffee to get it down.

“Rabb…” She wasn’t sure what she was going to say. She
didn’t want to lose him either, but her life was in total chaos.

“No.” He fed her another bite of the bagel. “Listen to me.
You can work here. You’ll work the same shifts I do. And you can call that
detective. What was his name?”

“Mitchell Zurkowski,” she said after she swallowed.

“Right. You can call Detective Zurkowski and let him know
where you are.”
You’re safer here than you are on the streets.

He was right about that. But there was still another
problem. “If I agree to work for you. And I’m not saying I have yet,” she added
when he started to smile. “But if I did, do you know a cheap place I can rent?”
It did her no good to have a job if she didn’t have a place off the streets. She’d
sleep better at night behind a locked door than she did in an alleyway or a
shelter.

Rabb spread his arms wide. “Here. You can stay with me. I’ve
got plenty of room, all the food you can eat and,” his voice lowered, “a big
bed you can share.”

Eliza flushed. She knew exactly how big and how warm his bed
was. She also knew if she stayed they’d be having sex in that big bed. “I don’t
know.”

He took her hand in his. “Hey, no pressure. If you want to
sleep alone, you can. I’ll take the couch.”

She could only stare at Rabb in wonder. “You’d take the
couch?”

He scowled. “I’m damn well not letting you sleep there.”

“Rabb.” She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his
knuckles. “Your couch is a hell of a lot better than anywhere I’ve slept in a
long time.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll stay here and you’ll sleep in my
bed. If you want to share it, fine, if you don’t, that’s okay too.” He kissed
her forehead. “But be warned, I’m going to do my best to convince you to
share.”

Eliza laughed. She couldn’t help herself. Rabb was
dictatorial and charming at the same time. It was quite a combination, and not
many men could pull it off.

He slid off the stool and went back into the kitchen. “As
soon as you’re done, I’ll take you next door to meet my brother and his
fiancée. You’ll like Allison.” He checked the big-faced watch he wore strapped
to his left wrist.

Yeah, she really wanted Rabb to introduce her as his
homeless friend. “Ah, that’s okay. If you have things to do I’ll just stay
here.”

He cocked an eyebrow and studied her. She nibbled on her
bagel and tried to ignore him, which was impossible. Rabb wasn’t the kind of
man anyone ignored. His sheer size and presence made that idea laughable.

“I don’t think so.”

Eliza was just about to sip her coffee, but she put the mug
back down on the counter. “You don’t trust me.”

“You bet your ass I don’t. I’m afraid if I turn my back
you’ll be gone and I’ll never find you.” Rabb opened the dishwasher and loaded
in his breakfast dishes.

She was shocked he’d actually admit it. “But I promised,”
she pointed out.

“And I know you mean it, but I’m also afraid you’ll start
rethinking the situation if I’m not here and then you’ll do something stupid
like leave.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “You
don’t think much of me, do you?” And it hurt that he didn’t trust her to keep
her word.

“On the contrary. I think too much of you. If you believe
leaving will protect me, you’ll go regardless of the danger you put yourself
in. You’ve already proven that.” Rabb finished cleaning the counter and turned
off the coffeepot. “You done with that?” He pointed to her plate and mug. In
spite of the upheaval over breakfast, she’d managed to eat half the bagel.

“Yes.” She pushed the plate away.

Rabb dealt with her dishes and put the cream cheese back
into the refrigerator. “More coffee?”

“Okay.” She pushed her mug toward him. It felt strange to be
having such a mundane conversation about breakfast and coffee after everything
she’d been through. It was so normal. So ordinary.

Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked them back. No way was
she going to cry over something so silly. She took her coffee and added sugar.
She used to use cream but had gotten out of the habit in the months she’d been
on the run. Cream cost money, but sugar packets were usually available at
coffee shops and she’d always slipped a few extra in her pocket to take back to
whatever cheap room she’d been renting.

“Hey.” Rabb eased her off the stool and held her in his
strong arms. “Everything will be okay. Just give it time.”

“I wish I had as much faith as you do.” Her faith had been
eroded over the long months alone.

“That’s okay.” He kissed the top of her head. “I have enough
for us both.” His lips found her mouth. He tasted like coffee and cream cheese.
His tongue tangled with hers and soon she couldn’t think at all. She could only
feel. She clutched his broad shoulders and returned his kiss, wanting his heat.
And when he groaned, she felt triumphant. He cupped her ass and yanked her
lower body closer, grinding her erection against her mound. Now it was her turn
to groan.

Rabb pulled away and took a deep breath. “As much as I’d
like to continue this, I’ve got some errands to run before work.” He glanced at
his watch again before he dropped a quick kiss on her moist lips. “We’ll finish
this later.”

Later
. She clung to the promise as he released her.
It had been a long time since she’d looked forward to later.

“Leave your bag here and let’s go.” Rabb grabbed his jacket
from a hook by the door and snagged his keys off the small console table just
to the right. His words were a challenge to her. If she left her knapsack and
here she couldn’t leave.

She reached for her coat, which was hanging by his front
door. He must have put it there at some point. “You won’t need that either,” he
told her.

It was a huge step and a giant leap of faith. Butterflies
fluttered in her stomach, but she nodded. “Okay.” She took another mouthful of
coffee, reluctant to leave the rest of it behind.

Rabb smiled and opened the door. “You won’t be sorry.”

She wasn’t so sure of that, but it was too late to change
her mind. Rabb locked the door and motioned to the blue door across the hall.
She squared her shoulders and marched up to it.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Rabb murmured before he
gave the door two heavy thumps with the side of his fist.

She hated that he’d seen her apprehension and tried to
smile, but it felt wooden and forced. Rabb leaned down and kissed her just as
the door opened. Eliza wanted to groan, but managed to swallow it in time. This
was so not a good start.

She looked at the man standing in the doorway. He was taller
than Rabb by a few inches. Leaner too. But they shared the same eyes and their
features were similar enough for her to know without an introduction that this
was Rabb’s brother.

“This is Eliza Hart,” Rabb told the man. Then he turned to
her. “This is my brother Nevar.”

She stuck out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

Nevar took her hand and gave it a brief shake. “Nice to meet
you too. What’s this all about, Rabb?”

“Let us in and I’ll tell you,” Rabb countered.

She elbowed him in the stomach. Not that she hurt him. No,
his stomach was like a slab of steel. But she did get his attention. “What?”

Really, the man was obtuse. “Maybe your brother is busy and
doesn’t need or want company right now.” She could feel her cheeks getting
warmer by the second.

Rabb snorted. “If he was that busy he wouldn’t have answered
the damn door.”

Eliza buried her face in her hands and groaned.

“What’s wrong, Eliza?” Rabb asked.

Nevar threw back his head and laughed. “As usual, you’re
like a bull in a china shop, Rabb. You’re embarrassing the lady.”

Hands on his hips, Rabb studied her. “Am I embarrassing
you?”