Chapter 31
January 1, 2007
Noon. The house was so quiet without the children there. Rachel yawned as she came down the stairs, picking up clothing as she moved. She laughed to herself. "G-d, it looks like something out of Hansel and Gretel - The Adult Version." As she gathered things in her arms and headed toward the kitchen her thoughts flew back to the early morning hours.
~ ~ ~ ~
They had arrived home at around three-thirty in the morning-alone. Ellen had informed Rachel and Kevin that since both Jemma and Aaron were sound asleep, they were staying over. There was no sense in waking them just to take them out in the cold. It was transparent, but Rachel knew that she and Jerry meant well.
Kevin had really had too much to drink to be driving home, but he refused to be chauffeured, or to spend the night bunked in with everyone at Jerry's. So they had come home slowly and carefully, avoiding main highways where possible. And once they were at the house, there was a great deal of giggling and stumbling getting up the steps to the front porch. The key in the lock was another feat of engineering.
"Give me your jacket, Kev," Rachel said opening the closet door.
"Can't," he laughed softly. "It's stuck."
Rachel hung her jacket in the closet and turned to him with a grin. "What are you talking about-it's stuck?"
"I need some help-with the buttons," he smirked as he pulled her to him. His arms went around her and he leaned back against the wall, pulling her off balance.
Rachel pushed away slightly and kissed him on the nose. "You mean these buttons?" she whispered, as she slowly unbuttoned the leather jacket and slid her arms inside around his waist.
"Well, that's a start," he whispered back as he bent down and brought his lips to hers.
The fires had been burning on low ever since midnight, when Kevin had kept his word, standing in the middle of Jerry and Ellen's living room and giving her a New Year's kiss that left her breathless. Now, as his tongue searched her lips, needing to return to that moment, the flames leapt higher. Rachel's arms tightened around his waist and her lips parted, inviting him to explore.
It was finally happening. His heart was racing. She wanted him and he could hardly bear the flood of emotion that was pulsing through him. As he tasted her lips and began to invade her mouth, he reveled in the velvety softness. He was aching to possess her but every instinct said to go slowly and gently. His hands caressed her back and she pressed closer to him. He could feel his erection growing. He wanted her to feel it too. Wanted her to know what she was doing to him. His hands slid down over her buttocks and he pulled her in to his hips.
He was turning her body into an inferno. She felt herself melting into him as his hands caressed her. His mouth on hers was slow torture. He tasted of the bourbon he had been drinking and the dark, smoky taste only added to the sensations piling up in her brain. When his hands slid down to her hips and pulled her into full contact with his aroused manhood, she thought she was going to collapse. He broke the kiss and looked down at her. She gazed up into those bottomless green eyes and struggled for breath. He grinned at her. "Black velvet and that little boy smile..."* Her fingers combed into his hair and pulled him back to her lips.
As her fingers wove into his hair and her tongue pressed into his mouth, dancing with his own, tracing the roof of his mouth, he groaned. His hands searched for new pleasures. They traveled upward, dragging the hem of her shirt up. Skin was exposed and his fingers claimed it. Her back, her sides, following the line of her ribcage forward. He hesitated, and felt her body tense. Then he cupped her breasts in his hands and she moaned into his mouth, the vibrations sending shock waves hurtling through him. The muscles in his hands flexed, squeezing her breasts. The satiny bra beneath his fingers was another sensory overload. He pushed her away and straightened up. Taking her hand, he pulled her toward the stairs.
"Where are we going?" she asked with a smile.
"Up," he grinned. And promptly tripped on the step.
As they both collapsed on the stairway, laughing, Kevin bent down to kiss her again, his hands returning to her breasts. As he nuzzled her neck Rachel giggled, "Well, we're never going to get there at this rate!"
Kevin sat up and grinned at her again. "You're the one who said we had to pace ourselves. I'm just tryin' to make sure that nothin' happens too fast." She chuckled and tried to pull him up, but he looked at her and whispered, "Wait." He reached down and pulled off his boots and socks, and then hers. As he removed hers, he gently massaged her feet and planted soft kisses on the insteps. Then he crawled back up her body, and his hand slid between her legs. Rachel tensed up again in anticipation, but he looked into her eyes and smiled. "I think I'll save that for later. Come on," he whispered as he stood up. "I want you in my bed."
~ ~ ~ ~
The doorbell rang, pulling her back to the present. She set the clothes in the laundry room and went to answer the door. Brian and Nick were standing on the front porch, waiting patiently. Rachel smiled and opened the door.
"Come on in, guys. What time does the game start?"
"Started," Brian corrected. "Started at noon. We're running late."
"Want some coffee?" she asked. "I just put up a fresh pot."
"Yes!" Nick gasped. "My head feels about three sizes bigger than it ought to."
"I noticed you were scraping the sides of the doorway," Brian grinned.
"Cute-real cute, Frick," Nick grumbled.
"Where did you and Maria go last night?" Rachel grinned.
"This club downtown that Kevin said was cool-and it was. But we didn't get back to the hotel until about four this morning," he grinned. "And-I think I overdid the liquid refreshments. Rachel, please!!"
"Come on, Nick," Rachel grinned. "Super-size mug in the kitchen."
"I love you," he grinned down at her as he put an arm around her shoulders.
"Watch it, Frack," Brian laughed. "Train hears you say that, you'll be in deep shit."
"He's not up yet, Brian," Rachel smiled.
"Oh, well then-in that case-I love you too," Brian grinned. Rachel poured coffee for both of them and they sat at the table. "So, everything's okay with you two?" Brian asked with a smile.
Rachel blushed slightly and nodded. "We're fine."
Nick looked puzzled. "What's fine? Did I miss something?"
Brian gave him an exasperated look. "Frack-what don't you hear today?"
Now Nick looked really lost. "What?? I don't hear much of anything. It's quiet."
"Pre-cisely!" Brian smiled. "No kids."
"Where are they?" Nick asked.
"At Jerry and Ellen's-they stayed there last night." Brian was grinning from ear to ear now and Rachel was staring at her coffee cup.
Nick looked from Brian to Rachel and it finally dawned on him. "Oh." He smiled at Rachel. "I'm glad, Rachel," he said quietly and put his hand over hers on the table. "You're a pretty special lady."
Rachel looked up, startled at the seriousness in his voice. "Thank you, Nick."
"Well," Brian spoke up. "Kev has to get up. He's gonna miss the game!"
"Then you go wake him! He's only had-well-he hasn't had very much sleep. I'm not going anywhere near that room!" Rachel chuckled.
"Do I look stupid?" Brian groused as he headed up the stairs. "I must look stupid, for everyone to assume that I'm just gonna walk in there and wake him up." Nick chuckled as he followed him.
"Well, Frick," Nick grinned. "Looking stupid isn't the problem. It's when you follow through on it. I mean-if you're not stupid-why are you headed for his bedroom?"
"Because he'll beat the crap out of me if he misses the Bowl game," Brian whined.
"And he'll beat the crap out of you if you wake him up," Nick whined in imitation. "I don't see the advantage."
"Cause if I wake him up, he'll appreciate it later," Brian sighed.
"Oh! So this is a kinder, gentler beating. I got it now," Nick laughed, shaking his head. "Um, I'll wait out here for you. Good luck-stupid."
Rachel listened to them as they went up the back stairway. She set up a second pot of coffee. Kevin would need it.
~ ~ ~ ~
The door to the bedroom swung wide as Kevin pushed it open and leaned against it, his arms still around Rachel. Somewhere along the way they had lost his sweater and tee shirt as well as Rachel's blazer and shirt, and Rachel was working at the buttons on his jeans. He tipped her head up and smoothed back her hair.
"I love touching your hair," he murmured. "It's like silk. And it smells so good too." He bent down to bury his face in her hair and nibble on her earlobe. "Now I've got you where I want you!" he chuckled, as he pinned her against the door.
"Said the half naked man!" Rachel giggled as she succeeded in pushing his jeans down below his knees.
He pulled back and looked down with a mock frown. "Yeah. Hey, how come you're still wearin' so much?" He finished pulling the jeans off.
"I guess because you've been too busy to do anything about it," she teased.
"I can fix that," he said with a slow smile that sent shivers down Rachel's spine. "Come here," he whispered. He pulled her close and his hands slid around her to unhook her bra. As he pulled it away, his eyes were glued to her. He tossed the bra aside. "You're-." He stopped and exhaled. "Oh, Rachel," he breathed. His hands gently cupped her breasts and molded them to his hands. Rachel grasped his shoulders for balance as the fires in her brain and her core raged higher. His eyes burned into hers before he bent down to bring his mouth to her breasts.
Rachel was teetering on the razor edge of passion again. She gasped and whimpered as his mouth sent searing waves of heat fanning over her. There was nothing she could do but close her eyes and hold on. As she gave up control of the moment to him, he responded by intensifying the attack. His tongue pressed harder and rolled around the nipple in his mouth more insistently. And then he was sucking, drawing more of her breast into his mouth. Sucking harder as his fingers manipulated the other nipple.
Kevin groaned. Rachel had just added something into the balance that he hadn't expected. When she had surrendered-had stopped teasing him and just given in to the feelings that were mounting-she had become vulnerable. And it was so incredibly erotic that he wasn't sure how to deal with it. Except that he needed desperately to protect her and show her he was strong enough to take care of her-and all her needs. Kristin had never made him feel like this. Kristin was always the strong one. He'd never felt that she needed protecting. She had been too independent. And most of the time he had loved that. They had been equal partners. But sometimes-sometimes he had wished that she could be more vulnerable. Like Rachel was right now. He drew away from her breast and picked her up in his arms. As he laid her on the bed and reached down to unzip her jeans, his eyes caressed her. She smiled up at him and raised her hips to help him slide the jeans and her panties down her legs. He straightened up and Rachel watched as he removed his boxers. She reached out for him. And then he was moving up her body, touching and tasting, seeing her with his hands and his mouth. She moaned and his heart started pounding. He slid his hand gently between her legs again as he leaned over to draw her lips to his. "Oh, Rachel," he whispered against her cheek. "I've wanted you here like this so much-more than you know. I love you, baby." Maybe it would be all right.
*Black Velvet - Alannah Myles
Chapter 32
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