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.”