Chapter 9
Penny awoke the next morning, amazed at her position. She lay atop Warrick, her arms draped over his chest, her legs mingled in between his, but he slept beneath her unaware or not bothered by her weight. She’d met a lot of strong men in her life, but he was one of the few who was so natural with it, so completely accepting of the gift of a strong healthy body. She lay here for a long moment enjoying the peace of having his chest raise her frame and lower it. At first she’d been mortified, but now she had such a serene feeling this relationship could actually happen.
Normally she slept on her side, so it was a sign of the depth of her exhaustion last night that she’d slept in this position. And, of course, with that came the thought about her mother and father and all her past relationship woes. And Warrick’s magical acceptance of what she felt was a horrible trauma in her life, one that caused no end of guilt.
She lifted her head and studied Warrick’s face. He lay solid, not unlike the rock he was. And that was what he’d been for her so far. Solid, steadfast, dependable, protective. She could come up with a dozen more synonyms, but those covered it pretty well.
He also had not tried to persuade her to have sex with him. She thought about that phrase for a long moment and realized just how wrong it was. Because it wouldn’t be sex. Making love with Warrick would be a whole new experience.
She wasn’t sure she could ever have unattached sex with him because her heart was already engaged. It was too early to know how deep or how well it was engaged, but no doubt he had touched her on many, many levels—even though she hadn’t wanted to go that direction.
Her fingers itched to explore the massive body beneath her. She crossed her hands over his chest and just studied him. The square jaw, the heavy five-o’clock shadow already arising overnight, thick brows, wide forehead, hair brown with a bit of curl to it, just long enough that it flicked off his head toward the pillow because of his position.
She gave a happy sigh.
There was a rumble under her chest, and he whispered, “What are you looking at?”
She chuckled, her voice soft, dreamy. “You.”
His gaze opened slowly, and then he tried to blink the sleep away from his mind. “Why?”
She grinned. “Because you’re beautiful. Because I’ve never really had an opportunity to study your face. Because I couldn’t help myself.”
His gaze widened as he took in her words. But she also felt another response lower down. She considered her options. She could get up, go to the bathroom, put on coffee in the kitchen and carry on with her day. Or she could take a step that would move them both into a whole new territory. She whispered, “I was thinking about your words last night.”
His forehead creased as he obviously cast his mind to their earlier conversation. This probably wasn’t fair to him because he was still sleepy. But she figured it was the best time.
“And I realize that sex has nothing to do with this.” His hips lurched beneath her. She smiled gently, reached up a finger and traced the outline of his lips. “It’s all about making love.”
She leaned down and kissed him. Soft butterfly kisses at first, her tongue tracing the outline of his lips, sliding between them, tasting, teasing, gently meeting his tongue before she deepened it. His hands were on her back, not holding her close, just resting there, letting her do as she would.
She lifted her head and smiled. “You’re a miracle, you know that?” His eyebrows shot straight up, and she could see the confusion in his eyes. She chuckled. “I’ll explain later. I’m a little busy at the moment.”
She lowered her head again, this time kissing him with all the passion that had been building since she’d first met him. She remembered her parents, their fighting, their making up. Then she thought about all the times she’d been fighting with Warrick, realizing that had been the same mating game. The same wanted outcome, but she’d been too scared to take that step. She kissed him hard, deep and long.
By the time she lifted her head, her breathing was ragged, and then she smiled. Because so was his.
“Lady, you pack a mean punch,” he said, his voice hoarse. He rolled over so she was beneath him. “Now it’s my turn.”
And he lowered his head and took her to the depths of a passion she’d never known before. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on tight.
She’d been wearing a few pieces of clothing, and so had he. But somehow, in the next few minutes, she realized all of it was tossed to the floor, and now it was just heated skin against heated skin. She couldn’t stop whimpering, and he wouldn’t let her hold back.
She was begging for more when he suckled her breasts. Her back arched, she cried out as she held him tight against her when he moved to the other one. She whimpered because she wanted to feel his lips again and again.
When he slid his way down to the apex of her thighs and tasted her, her legs wide open and weeping with joy, she was beyond thought. She grabbed his curls and pulled on him hard, but he couldn’t be shifted. He was a mountain. There was nothing she could do but accept his ministrations, but she didn’t do it quietly.
“Warrick, come to me. I need you now. Damn it, I want you. I want you inside me.”
At that, he moved up the side of her body, spreading her wide, plunged deep and whispered, “I’ve got you.”
With his large fingers wrapped around her backside, he plunged and rocked and rolled gently, and then more forcefully. Sex would never be the same again for her. There was no plunging desperately, waiting for, driving toward an outcome that both wanted. This was a playfulness, a journey, an experience she’d never had.
When he finally moved with that ending purpose behind it, all she could do was hold on tight. As he drove deeper and deeper, faster, longer, she tightened her legs wrapped around his hips until he sent her screaming into her orgasm. Through her own cries, she heard his moan as his release swept over him. He crashed down beside her, ever careful to make sure he didn’t crush her with his weight.
After a moment he whispered, “Are you okay?”
She was sobbing. She rolled over, seeing his worry and a hint of fear in his eyes. “Happy tears.” She wrapped her arms around his chest, buried her face in his neck and whispered, “Never been better.”
He crushed her against him, and she thought that maybe, just maybe, there was such a thing as perfection. She was exhausted; she was energized; she was mesmerized.
After they lay here for a few minutes, his hands gently stroking up and down her body, she whispered, “You know, if we’d started this last night, we would have had the whole night to play.”
“We could have,” he said, “but somehow I think this was much more special. Besides, I don’t think we’re limited to one night, are we?”
She lifted her head and smiled up at him. “God, I hope not. Personally I’d like to have as many nights as we want together.”
“Well, that’s what a relationship is all about,” he said comfortably.
He shifted her in his arms, and she asked, “You mentioned celibacy. How long has it been?”
He shrugged. “Not all that long, I had a three-year relationship that she broke off, but we’d been having problems for weeks before that, and I had wondered then if she hadn’t been seeing somebody. She didn’t want us anymore. And that’s always a big sign.”
“I’m sorry. After three years you think you’re there. You think you’ve found everything you want.”
“And instead what you find out is that, for some people, it’s just comfortable until they find something better,” he said. He tilted her chin and said, “But I’m good. In fact, I’m better than good.”
She reached up and kissed him. “You do realize the world is about to intrude on us?”
He nodded. “Shower?”
“Absolutely.” She shifted to sit up. “Alone or together?”
He chuckled. “Absolutely together.”
She slipped off the bed, walked into the bathroom, shut the door to use the facilities in private, and then opened the door for him. She turned on the water and stepped inside the flow.
The naturalness of being with him amazed her. She was the kind of woman who normally would grab her clothing to hide her body as she raced to the bathroom to get dressed. But there was none of that with him. What he hadn’t explored of her body already, she knew he would take a lot of time to explore the next time.
And she welcomed it. She wasn’t ashamed of who she was; instead she reveled at his response to being with her. It was so damn freeing to see acceptance and enjoyment on his face. She stood under the water, letting it wash over her face as he stepped in behind her and picked up a bar of soap. She smiled when he gently used the bar and washed her from head to toe. Then he picked up the shampoo and did her hair. If there was a thought of how he had learned to do this so well, she squashed it with a follow-up thought that she was reaping the benefit of all his practice.
When he was done with her hair, he turned and kissed her, his tongue taking long, deep, sweeping strokes. She wrapped her arms around him and said, “Not sure we can do this in the shower.”
He chuckled. “Remember? I’m the guy who gets things done.”
She was lifted and pinned in place, and he slipped inside. So natural, so calm, so damn powerful that it brought tears to her eyes yet again. If the last time had been like a rock ’n’ roll orgy on the stage, this was like a symphony of tenderness and gentleness. And she couldn’t get enough.
When they were finally done, she whispered, “I hope your friend doesn’t have to pay the water bill here.”
Warrick chuckled. “I’ll ask if he does. Believe me. I’ll toss him some money for it.”
She smiled and whispered, “Can it get any better than this?”
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, whispering against her ear, “I hope so. I highly suggest we give it our best to find out.”
She nodded. “For the first time in a long time, I’m totally okay to see what the future brings.”
He reached down and tilted her chin. “It already brought you to me. I can’t imagine anything better.”
She kissed him yet again. She thought she could spend a lifetime doing that, just touching and kissing him at odd times because she was so damn grateful he had walked into her life. Maybe she’d been screaming at him like a shrew back then, but she’d obviously recognized this man was for her. It was all good.
*
Warrick caught Tanner’s expression, his grin a mile wide as he looked from Warrick to Penny. Inside he cringed because he knew exactly what Mason and Tesla would say. And Warrick knew he was in for some ribbing from the guys, but he really hoped they’d be at least respectful. Immediately he chastised himself. The men were always respectful of the ladies. And honestly, he’d given as good as he expected to get at this point too.
There was such a thing as payback, and he’d certainly ribbed a lot of them over their fine partners. He’d been jealous as all hell all that time. And yet, for a while, he’d been together with Sandra, and he’d been plain happy for them. But, since he knew something was missing in that relationship, he’d been worried about how to fix it, how to change it, what to do. When Sandra took the decision out of his hands, he realized their relationship had been done and gone for a long time. And he had been really worried about nothing he could change or fix. Now he knew the guys would have a heyday with him.
Tanner, however, didn’t say a word. He just nodded toward Penny and said, “You look like you got some sleep for a change.”
She beamed. “I did indeed. It’s been a rough couple days.”
Tanner looked at Warrick. “I spoke with the police this morning.”
“Oh? Any update?” Penny asked.
He nodded. “They spoke to Nina. She gave them some names. They checked it out, and apparently George does have a gambling debt of well over six figures.”
Warrick whistled. “That’s not a small debt. It still doesn’t explain all this.”
“No, but according to Nina, she does have that kind of money. It’s sitting in a trust. It’s one of the reasons why he wanted her back in his life. Instead of trying to find the money elsewhere, he wanted her to give it to him.”
“And he couldn’t force her to do it, so he needed her to do it because she loved him.” Warrick nodded. “Makes a sick kind of sense.”
“Isn’t that the way?” Penny murmured. “Is she still safe?”
“I haven’t checked in with her this morning.” Tanner looked around the small café they’d chosen to meet in for breakfast. “There is some concern that the two thugs might be following you.”
“I haven’t seen them at all this morning,” she exclaimed.
Warrick watched as she nervously glanced around. Had the cops found George yet? He was haunting Nina’s house and the hospital. Warrick knew he would get resistance from Penny by refusing to go to the hospital. She really wanted to see Nina again. Originally he’d thought it would be fine, but, with George still on the loose, no place was safe. “I wonder when Nina’s being released,” he murmured.
“Whenever she is, she needs to get the hell out of town,” Penny said. “She’s the one who’ll be the real target.”
Again he kept his next thought to himself because, of course, Penny wasn’t thinking like a desperate madman. Yes, George was after Nina for the money, but he was also after Penny for revenge. And those two guys were after George. If he was supposed to give them money, the two goons wouldn’t want to kill George, at least not until they got the money first.
“I’m not sure there’s any reason for them to keep following Penny,” Tanner said to Warrick. “Except, if they’re still looking for George and figure he’ll target her, then it makes sense to keep an eye on the target too. And, when he shows up, get the money they want and either take out George or leave.”
“But I can’t get the money for them,” Penny said in a matter-of-fact tone. “So really the target is Nina, not me.”
“Except that …” Warrick let his voice trail off.
She turned to him, narrowing her gaze until she was staring at him. “Why did you stop talking?”
He tried to give her a bland innocent look, but it hadn’t been working very well with her.
She shook her head. “Oh no, hell no. You’re not keeping that from me.”
“I don’t want to use scare tactics, but there are all kinds of reasons for the men to continue to follow you.”
She held out her hands. “Like what?”
He loved the challenge in her voice. She just didn’t want to back down. He kept his voice low when he said, “What would make Nina hand over the money to George?”
“Only if she loved him.”
“Or to save somebody’s life she cares about.”
She stared at him for a long moment and then nodded agreeably. “Yeah, of course.”
And he waited. And waited. And when her face broke with the realization of what Nina would do if George held Penny hostage, the shock was almost too much to bear. She hyperventilated right in front of him. He reached an arm out, tucked her firmly against his side and held her close. “I won’t let them get to you,” he said. “You’ve got to remember that.”
She swallowed hard several times.
Just then the waitress returned with the coffeepot and menus. He grabbed a menu for the two of them and held it up so it half concealed her face. And he kept talking to her. “Remember all we’ve been through so far. We’re not giving up the ghost now.”
Slowly she started to relax. “You must think I’m really stupid,” she muttered.
Surprised, he looked down at her. “What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t get what you’re trying to say at first.”
“That’s because you see the good in people. I’ve spent a lifetime dealing with the bad.”
She stayed nestled against his chest, not even looking at the menu.
“You should be hungry,” he said, looking at the listed items. “How about pancakes?”
She gave a half shrug. “I don’t think I can eat.”
“Too bad.” When the waitress returned, he ordered two stacks of hotcakes and eggs on the side with two sausages.
She sat back up after the waitress left, turning to look at him. “So, are you trying to eat my breakfast again too?”
He stared at her uncomprehendingly.
She rolled her eyes. “I told you that I’m not very hungry. I don’t think I can eat.”
“And?” Tanner asked, his voice confused.
She gave him a drawn smile. “This way, Warrick gets to eat his breakfast and mine.”
Tanner chuckled. “Some of the women in our acquaintance can eat pretty damn well,” he said.
“And I guess, at the right time, I can too,” she said. “But, right now, just the thought of what he ordered is enough to make my stomach heave.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Tanner said, giving her an easy smile. “You’re not alone. You need to remember that.”
Warrick appreciated Tanner’s support because it was the one thing Penny really had forgotten. She wasn’t alone. This really was not just about her but more about everyone rallying around her.
She nodded and smiled. “If Warrick hasn’t said it, let me say it. Thank you for looking after us.”
Warrick protested. “He’s not looking after me.”
She snorted. “Bullets will kill you too.”
“Like hell,” he said good-naturedly. “I have been shot several times. I’m still here.”
She glared at him. “That’s not funny.”
“Actually it is,” he said chuckling. “At least at this point in time.”
Tanner reached across and patted her hand. “He’s a good guy.”
She nodded. “He is a good guy. He’s also irritating. He’s frustrating. He’s …” She ran out of words.
Warrick leaned closer. “Yes?” He turned a devilish grin on her. “Don’t stop now.”
She turned so they were almost touching nose to nose. “Very irritating.”
“You already said that,” he said helpfully. “Surely you have another synonym.”
“Adjective?”
“Both work.” His grin widened.
She groaned. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to having you around. I used to get mad, and it was a good feeling. Now I get mad, and you’re right there in my face, trying to make me madder,” she complained.
But there was humor in her voice, and he appreciated that. “Temper is definitely something you need to let out,” he said. “Emotions need to be released and preferably before they become uncontrollable.”
The waitress arrived with steaming hot stacks of pancakes on three plates.
She looked at the four pancakes stacked high. “No way I can eat all this.”
Tanner and Warrick exchanged looks as they each accepted the same overloaded plates themselves.
Warrick handed her the butter. “You better take what you want because we’ll finish it.”
She sighed, took what she wanted, and the men cleaned out the rest of the butter and slid it over the top of their pancakes.
Then Warrick handed her the syrup. “Better get what you want.”
She shot him a look of disbelief but poured a generous helping over her pancakes. As soon as she was done, he handed it to Tanner first. In one swoop, Tanner damn-near emptied the bottle. When Tanner handed it back, Warrick completely emptied it.
“Oh, my God! Can you guys really eat that?”
Even as she finished speaking, the waitress returned with plates of eggs and sausages and set them down on the side. Warrick carefully put the eggs and sausages into the swimming pool of pancake syrup and butter, and, catching the look on her face, he tossed her a devilish grin. “Want a bite?”
She shook her head, put down her knife and fork, and said, “I want to watch you guys eat this.”
They both looked at her in surprise. Warrick cut cleanly down the center of the stack, cut off a wedge, topped it with a piece of sausage and popped the whole thing in his mouth. Tanner wasn’t far behind with pancake, egg and sausage all on the same fork to disappear into his mouth equally as fast.
Warrick watched Penny’s look of startled surprise change to amazement. After chewing this bite, he said, “Aren’t you eating?”
She muttered darkly and turned her attention to her stack.
He plowed through his food with great enjoyment. After all, he’d worked up a hell of an appetite this morning. Given a choice, he’d have the same exercise every morning and a breakfast like this to follow. He kept an eye on Penny as she worked daintily through her stack. It seemed like four pancakes were too much, and she kept cutting just the top two. He knew she would need more butter and syrup for the two in the next layer. She also ate one egg and one sausage.
When she was left with two pancakes, she put down her knife and fork again, and said, “Okay, I’m done. But I could really use more coffee.”
Warrick called the waitress back over, and, as she cleaned up his and Tanner’s empty plates, he asked her, “May we get more coffee, plus more butter and syrup please?” He scooted Penny’s plate closer to him. He ate the last egg and sausage and waited for the butter and syrup before devouring her last two pancakes.
Just as he was about to eat the last bite, his phone rang. He glared at it and said, “It could’ve waited five more minutes.” He handed his phone to Tanner. “Looks like it’s Mason.”
While Warrick finished off his—Penny’s—breakfast, he listened as Tanner talked.
When Tanner ended the call, he said, “Nina has been released. She’s heading home and then apparently to the airport this afternoon.”
Warrick studied Tanner. “Did the cops send anybody to escort her?”
Tanner shook his head. “She didn’t tell anyone but hospital staff. One of them called Tesla. Nina said she wouldn’t be home longer than five minutes, and then she’d be on her way to the airport. Which, of course, we know won’t work at all.”
Warrick looked up, caught the waitress’s eye, and within seconds they were paying the bill and rushing out of the restaurant.
“Why would she do that?” Penny asked. “She knows he’s still out there.”
“She also knows he’s not trying to kill her. He wants the money.”
“Sure, but what’ll he do to get it?” she asked bleakly.
With her tucked into the car, Warrick pulled out of the parking lot and following her directions toward Nina’s house. He already knew it would be bad before they got there. He didn’t know how long it had been since Nina had been released, but it was too damn long, and he was pretty damn sure George was already after her, if he didn’t already have her.