Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set (94 page)

Shirtless, and wearing jeans with more holes than fabric, Cole's burnished body presented a delectable sight in the warm afternoon sunshine. She'd never quite gotten used to the capricious California early spring weather, but at the moment she was enjoying its benefits to the fullest.

She checked on Chance, asleep in a bassinet in the living room. Then, sticking sprigs of fresh mint from the garden into two tall paper cups of iced tea, she picked up the tray and headed for the backyard.

Cole was now lying on his back on an ancient blanket under the engine. She put the tray on the grass near the driveway and sat down next to it. She knew better than to disturb him in the middle of some intricate maneuver under there. She'd learned restraint at an early age when her father had ended up with a face full of motor oil after she'd inadvertently startled him once. She grinned at the memory. Boy, had he been hopping mad. But they'd ended up rolling on the grass in fits of laughter, both covered in black grease. Her mother, of course, had put an end to that bit of filthy nonsense.

Rini had a great view of Cole's legs. Long and athletic under his torn jeans, bent knees sloping to bare feet, they invited her glance to linger. The distinctive odor of motor oil mingled with the earthy scents of early spring and the tang of fresh strawberries. She sighed as she let her gaze wander slowly up Cole's body, caressing every inch of compact muscle as it went, until his lean, bare torso disappeared behind the jacked-up wheel of her car.

The waistband of his jeans rode low on his narrow hips; his concave belly gleamed with sweat and a light spattering of grease. Lazily allowing her gaze to ride those hips awhile, she smiled to herself and popped a grape from the tray into her mouth. This was just what she'd always thought marriage would be like.

Except for that one small detail…

"You want me to take them off?"

She started at the sound of Cole's chuckle coming from under the car. "What?"

"My jeans. You want me to take them off? Seems like it might make all that fantasizing you're doing a whole lot easier."

Her face blazed in the warm sun.
Busted
. Caught red-handed. Or rather, red-faced. His pirate's grin taunted her from around the front of the tire. She launched a grape at the cocky bastard.

"
Ow
!" He rubbed the spot on his thigh where it had bounced off. "Good thing your aim is off."

She stuck out her tongue. "Says who? That was just a warning shot."

"What was it, anyhow?"

"Grape. I brought refreshments."

"What a charming and delightful wife I have."

"Thank you."

"When she's not armed and dangerous." He slid out from under the car and sprawled on the ground on the other side of the tray, accepting the cup she offered him. "Paper?"

"So you don't have to wash your hands. My dad always hated interrupting his projects to clean up for a snack, but Mom would have a conniption if he gummed up her glassware. So we worked out this system."

She followed his approving eyes as they traveled over the tray of grapes and early strawberries, cheese cubes and bread sticks, along with a small pile of toothpicks.

"Toothpicks. Good idea. But what about the bread sticks?" His brow quirked.

"My dad used to smoke cigars. He'd just chomp on the bread sticks like stogies."

Cole nodded, watching her carefully. "Used to?"

Tamping down a quick sting of pain in her heart, she dropped her gaze to her hands. "He died of throat cancer while I was in college."

"I'm sorry." Cole sipped his tea, and a light, warm wind ruffled her hair. "You loved him very much." It wasn't a question. More like a quiet observation.

She lay back on the springy grass and reached for a handful of cheese cubes. "Yeah—and the best part was he loved me back just as much."

The apricot and plum trees that ringed the lawn were just breaking out in fragrant blossom, and the flowers shimmered in the breeze. Occasionally, one of the petals broke loose and floated slowly down to the lush grass. She pulled in a big lungful of springtime.

"That's how I know," she murmured.

How she knew it was actually possible for a man to love her. Her father had never had a problem saying, "I love you." The poignant memories of his loving looks and hugs made her want to hold out for the real thing, even while it was breaking her heart to do so.

"How you know what?"

She glanced at Cole, who had rolled onto his stomach and lay with his chin on his arms, gazing out over the back garden, a toothpick hanging from his mouth.

"How I know to use paper cups," she said, covering her unwitting slip.

He glanced over but didn't challenge her. Instead, he went back to his survey of the budding perennials.

She studied his profile—the aristocratic nose, the high, angular cheekbones, square jaw, and full, sensual lips. She watched as he sucked on the end of the toothpick, her imagination suddenly working overtime.

The ample muscles in his broad shoulders bunched and shifted as he reached for a bread stick, pulling the pick from his mouth. Closing her eyes, she had visions of those bronze shoulders hovering naked above her, the corded muscles of his biceps working in an ancient rhythm as he moved over her. For the first time ever, she saw the attraction of having mirrors over a bed. She had to stifle a groan.

Her eyes shot wide-open, she was so horrified at her errant thoughts. She grabbed her iced tea and gulped down half of it.

Cole's wicked chuckle drifted over the lawn. "What's the matter, darlin'? Gettin' too hot out here for you?" He sat up and tossed a couple of grapes into his mouth. In a supple movement he rose to his feet, then lithely, leisurely, stretched his body like a magnificent giant cat. A black-haired puma, the beautiful, dangerous mountain lion that roamed the arid hills of his native southern California.

She stared in fascination, holding her breath when it appeared that the loose waistband of his jeans would slide down over his slim hips and keep right on going.

"No such luck, babe," he teased, as if reading her thoughts, "they seem to be caught on something."

She drew herself up, barely able to keep a straight face. "I can't
imagine
what you're talking about."

"Oh, you can imagine plenty, I'd wager." Arms folded across his powerful chest, he strolled over and stood before her. "The six weeks are nearly up, you know. After that, I'm available anytime. Happy to be of service."

"In your dreams,
hombre.
Remember our agreement."

"I remember." His gaze was lit with a hunger that shook her. "But I've also seen the way you look at me."

She swallowed heavily.

Kneeling down, he leaned over and brushed his lips across hers. Just a whisper of a touch, light as the breeze soughing through the blossoms overhead. She shivered.

"I still want you," he said, his voice low and sultry. She closed her eyes, expecting his lips to come crashing down on hers. When they didn't, she swayed imperceptibly toward him. He smelled of fresh grass and oil and grapes and Cole. She breathed him in, savoring his nearness.

"You want me," he murmured.

The words tumbled softly over her hair and into her ears. She could feel his hot breath slide down the front of her dress, curling between her swollen breasts. His finger traced a lazy path along her jaw. She realized she was trembling like a leaf.

"Open your eyes, Rini."

She obeyed, looking up into the liquid midnight of his. "Admit it to yourself, if not to me." Again he brushed his velvet lips over hers, tenderly, longingly. Seductively. When he reached the corner of her mouth he increased the pressure just a shade, pressing a wisp of a kiss into her imagination. He whispered, "You want me, Fire Eyes."

* * *

You want me, Fire Eyes.

Rini still shivered at the memory of her husband whispering those words seductively in her ear over two weeks ago.

She leaned heavily against the bathroom sink and contemplated her face in the mirror.
Panic.
That's what she saw. Pure, unadulterated terror.

It had been nearly six weeks since Chance's birth.

Cole had been a model of decorum, but she could see impatience in his eyes now, every time he looked at her. He was counting the days just as diligently as she was. But for an entirely different reason.

What would she do?

"Rini! Have you fallen in or what?" Alexa's voice held mostly pique and only the barest hint of concern.

Rini opened the powder room door and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"What is with you, anyway? You've been acting weird all afternoon, and I know it's not the wine. You've hardly touched yours."

Oh, she'd touched it, just enough to blurt out in response, "It's Cole. He wants sex."

Alexa's brow rose, and she smiled mischievously. "Imagine that. When does the doctor say it's okay?"

Rini let out an exasperated breath and led Alexa back to the living room. "No, you don't understand."

"So, tell me." Her sister flopped down on the sofa. Reluctant to talk, but knowing she had to confide in someone or go nuts, Rini leaned back against the cool brick of the fireplace. "We haven't had sex since Chance was—"

"Born. Right. I understand that's standard procedure."

"No. Since Chance was
conceived
."

"
What?
" Alexa's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "But you're married! Why on earth not?"

"And now I'm afraid I'm going to give in to him, and I don't know what to do."

"Give in?" Alexa refilled her wineglass and sank back against the sofa, taking a long swallow. "Rini," she said in a deadly calm voice. "Honey. Are you out of your
mind
?"

"I know I should stick to my principles, but he's just so damned...sexy."

"Principles?" Alexa groaned, speaking to the floor lamp across room. "She's married to the hunk of the western world, but she doesn't let him touch her."

Rini looked up sharply. She'd noticed her sister's slow thaw toward Cole since the baby's birth, but until now, Alexa had never actually said anything to confirm her change of heart. "Since when are you on his side?"

Alexa made a face. "I know I thought he was scum-eating slime when I first met him, but I'm not too proud to admit I was wrong." She met Rini's gaze directly. "I've seen how he treats you. He's a guy most women would kill to have. He's smart, good-looking, kind, generous, and he changes diapers."

"He had Obsession perfume on his shirt when he came home last week."

Alexa looked up. Rini knew exactly what she was thinking, but, to her credit, she didn't say it. Since discovering David's chronic infidelities, Rini was prone to jealousy and suspicion at the least provocation. With David it had been deserved. With Cole, her jealousy had cost her months of suffering, at the very least, and had nearly cost her the baby's father and her future happiness.

"Attorneys' clients have been known to wear perfume now and then," Alexa said comfortingly.

Rini fiddled with a fingernail, a stubborn pout on her lips. "Anyway. He doesn't love me."

"Oh, sweetie. Give him a chance."

She couldn't even smile at the unintended pun. "Alexa, I have!" Tears of frustration spilled over her eyelashes. "I've tried everything. I've cooked his favorite meals, kept the house spotless, decorated it the way he likes. I even typed his stupid papers when Charlie was out sick."

Alexa gave her a sympathetic look. "Never worked with Mother, either, did it?"

Rini scowled into her lap.

"Maybe Cole doesn't want a housekeeper or a secretary. Maybe he wants a wife. A companion… Sex."

Rini looked up and wiped her eyes determinedly. "I want him to love me first."

Her sister stretched out her arms to her. "Maybe he does. Maybe he just has a hard time saying it."

Rini shook her head and accepted a hug as she sat down. "He tells Chance every day."

Alexa gave her an understanding look. "I know how important this is to you. But whether or not he loves you, he's trying his damnedest to do right by you."

"I know he is, Alexa. But it's just not enough. I want his love, too. I need him to love me."

* * *

Tanya was spending the weekend with her family at Rincon, and she asked Cole and Rini to bring the baby and come down for a neighborhood barbecue. After checking with T, Cole called up Jeff and invited him, too. They'd talked several times on the phone, but had never met face-to-face. It was long past time. Since Jeff lived down that way, they arranged to meet at Tanya's.

On Saturday morning, Cole loaded the car seat and diaper bag into the truck and settled behind the wheel, with Rini close beside him and Chance's car seat buckled next to her.

He shot her a wink and shifted into reverse, deliberately sliding the stick shift under her skirt. She quickly scooted her knees to the side and clamped them together. Chuckling, he gave her an evil grin.