“Isn’t it time to end the charade?” he asked.
“I’ve been thinking that myself.” Because of all the emotions rioting through Raina, guilt was paramount. Guilt over deceiving her sons and allowing them to worry about her for no real reason. Although, she reminded herself, her supposed illness had brought Roman and Charlotte together.
Then there was her middle child. Rick’s prospects, which just last week had seemed hopeless, now blossomed with possibility. Raina had given every eligible female she could think of a nudge in her middle son’s direction, but no sparks had resulted. Until Kendall arrived in town.
Yet they’d hooked up without Raina’s matchmaking. “Maybe you’re right.” She sighed. “I could confess . . .”
“And we could start more openly dating instead of sneaking around,” Eric said.
“You have no idea how wonderful that sounds.”
“Then do something about it.” His words sounded like a dare.
“I’ll have to find the right time.” Would there ever be a right time to tell her sons she’d betrayed them?
“They love you. They’ll forgive you,” Eric said, reading her mind.
“I hope so.” But she wasn’t as sure.
“Would you come over later tonight? I rented some DVDs.”
She met his warm gaze, enjoying his interest. “I’d love to. Pick me up so my car isn’t seen parked outside your house?” She tapped her fingers restlessly against the table, unable to believe she was plotting like a teenager who’d been forbidden to go out with her boyfriend. But as a woman recently diagnosed with a weak heart, she had no business driving to Eric’s and remaining there for a good part of the night.
“I’ll pick you up anywhere.” He leaned over and brushed a soft kiss against her cheek. “But why don’t I just take you home from here and drive you back later?”
“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll just tell Chase he’s off duty.”
“And that puts me on call.” Eric grinned. “I like the idea.”
Raina smiled, the pleasure overwhelming. If Rick and Kendall were feeling as warm and fuzzy as she felt, Eric was right. It was time to confess because they didn’t need her help at all.
* * *
Rick held Kendall’s hand in a heated caress. She stepped into his apartment and immediately felt surrounded by his essence. With every inhale, she took in his masculine scent, stirring her already aroused senses.
He tossed his keys on the counter. The jingling sound along with the slam of the door and twist of the lock lent an erotic edge of anticipation to the night, serving as a prelude of what was to come.
He turned to face her. “There’s no place like home.” Only a small light burned from the back hall, giving her a glimpse, and as she glanced around, the dark wood and barely there decor reminded her so much of Rick.
“So what do you think?” he asked, a wry tilt to his sexy lips.
“This place is very you.”
“Tonight it’s going to be us.” His voice came out a low growl, curling her insides with a hunger long denied.
He reached for her, drawing her into his arms for a slow, seductive kiss that quickly turned wanton. The hours they’d spent in Norman’s served to build the urgency between them and as he thrust his tongue into her open, waiting mouth, Kendall knew he was as hungry and desperate as she. For someone whose world was spiraling out of control, the notion that she wasn’t alone was strangely reassuring.
By the time he broke the kiss and led her into his bedroom, she was burning with need. She told herself she was starting an affair but was more afraid the feelings arcing between them indicated something much deeper. Something she had no business contemplating now or ever.
He came up behind her and she turned to see he’d already pulled off his shirt, leaving him dressed in a pair of jeans, the button already undone. His chest was tanned and muscular and as her gaze settled on the sprinkling of hair and his dark nipples, her own hardened in response.
“The whole time we were in Norman’s, I couldn’t wait to get you alone.”
“I know what you mean.” She grinned. “I felt the same way.”
His dark gaze bore into hers. “You didn’t help matters, pressing to stay and talk to Charlotte.”
“Part of me wanted to be polite. Another part needed to talk business.” She grabbed hold of the scalloped edging of her lace shirt and teased him by slowly lifting her top. “You made me realize both could wait.” Before she lost her nerve, she pulled the shirt up and over her head, letting it fall to the floor in a discarded heap. “Pleasure’s much more important,” she said, stepping forward and letting her bare chest, covered only by a wisp of a camisole, rub against his.
“I agree.” He grasped on to her shoulders and his thumbs caressed her flesh with circular strokes. His body picked up a similar rhythm and through the soft silk, his hips swayed and his chest undulated against her. “Feel what you do to me.”
“I do.” Beaded and sensitive, her nipples rasped against the fabric, even the thin sheath too much of a barrier when she wanted only skin against skin.
“That’s not all.” He gyrated his hips in a circular motion, letting the building swell of his erection pulse and settle against her stomach. The sensual pull shook Kendall to her core, physically reaching out to her feminine mound, and emotionally touching the depths of her soul. She pressed her lower body tightly against him, both wanting to feel his hard body come alive and needing to feel more in an attempt to block any emotional feelings building inside her.
He groaned and eased her aside of him. Words were unnecessary as they undressed quickly, the frenzy to feel skin against skin consuming them both. Rick lifted her and lay her down on his bed, and as he came down on top of her, she took refuge in the sizzling body contact that felt so good. She sighed in pleasure, then realized the sound echoed between them.
Without warning, he sat up, his large body towering over her and his thighs straddling her stomach as he studied her intently. “I’ve never wanted another woman the way I want you.”
Her heart flipped at the admission. “I feel the same way.” Honesty compelled her to speak even as she warned herself against getting too attached to the man or the moment.
“I sure as hell hope not.” He burst out laughing. Kendall did a mental rewind and realized what her words implied. A burning heat rose to her cheeks but she appreciated the sudden lightening of the mood. Intensity wouldn’t do either of them any good right now. “I mean I’ve never felt this way about another man.”
He ran a tender hand down her cheek. “I’m damn glad.”
Emboldened, she smiled. “Then prove it.”
“I intend to.” He reached over and opened the night-stand drawer, pulling out a condom, then paused. “Kendall . . .”
“Yes?”
“I keep these out of habit, because Chase told both Roman and I that if we were ever unprepared, we weren’t just disrespecting ourselves, but the woman we were with.”
Kendall felt a rush of emotion as she realized the strong familial bond shared by the Chandlers, a bond she’d never experienced with anyone before. Except maybe her aunt, but that time had been too brief and the good memories often too painful to remember in light of the void that remained afterward.