Romancing My Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens) Contemporary Romance (14 page)

IT WAS FOUR o’clock in the afternoon before Pierce had a second to breathe. He’d worked straight through lunch and had just come from a meeting with a national foundation that was wooing him as a sponsor for an event they were putting on next year. He pulled out his cell phone, intending to text Rebecca so she’d receive it after her shift. He was scrolling through several missed calls from his mother and siblings when Kendra knocked on his door.

He glanced up from his phone. “Hi, Kendra.”

“Sorry to bother you, Pierce, but you had a call from Jeff while you were in the meeting. It appears that he’s found issues with the Grand. I told him you’d call him back as soon as you were free.” She set the message on his desk.

Pierce sighed. “Damn. I was hoping my gut was off on this one.”

Kendra pointed her pencil at him. “Your gut is never off, Pierce. I’d think you would know that by now.”

“I’ll call Jeff.” He picked up the message with Jeff’s number on it.

“Luke called you, too, and your mom, and Treat wanted to know where to meet you for dinner Thursday night.”

As she listed his family members, he realized that he was waiting to hear that Rebecca was trying to reach him as well, which was silly, because she’d call his cell phone, and she was at work. He’d already mentally cataloged her in with the people he loved most.

“I’ll call them back. Thank you.”

“I had a nice chat with both Luke and your mother.” She raised her brows. “Want to tell me who Rebecca is?”

“Christ Almighty!” He shook his head. “My family just gave
Family knows no boundaries
a whole new meaning. I’ll have to alert my uncle Hal. It’s his catchphrase.”

“Catherine and I agreed that for you to mention a woman to Treat, she must be very special.”

He pictured the conversation between his mother and Kendra, scheming to pry more information out of him.

“Well, if you two are in agreement, then you don’t need my two cents.”

She smiled down at him. “Pierce, we’re all happy for you. She must be very special, but you don’t have to share anything with me. I’m happy just knowing that you might let a woman get to that big heart of yours. You’ve kept it locked away so tight that I worried you might never step out of your bachelor ways.”

He rubbed his temples with his fingers and thumb and settled back in his chair with a sigh. “Her name is Rebecca Rivera.” He flashed a teasing smile. He would be happy to tell Kendra all about Rebecca, but he was anxious to talk to Jeff and find out what kind of shit had hit the fan. And he enjoyed teasing Kendra as much as he enjoyed teasing his family members. “That’s all you get for now. I need to return these phone calls.”

“Rebecca Rivera,” she said with a nod. “I know you’re dying to call Jeff, but please call Catherine first. She’s climbing out of her skin over something Emily’s said.” Kendra spoke with a motherly tone, and while that probably should have annoyed Pierce, it was one of the things he liked about working with Kendra. She wasn’t afraid to share her opinions or put him in his place, and sometimes he needed that. She was trustworthy and loyal, and she treated his entire family like they were her own.

“Will do.” He dialed his mother’s number.

“You, my son, are the talk of Trusty,” his mother said when she answered the phone. He pictured her smiling with the tease, her brown eyes vibrant and full of joy. His mother was always full of joy. It took a lot to drag her down, and everything around her accentuated her positive spirit, despite what she’d gone through with his father before they’d moved to Trusty. Her front yard burst with colorful flowers, and her house was layered with rich textures, light colors, and photos capturing some of their best family moments.

“I’m going to strangle Emily.”

“Oh, Pierce. She followed your rules. She told us that you were going down fighting. Just because she added,
Yeah, right
, shouldn’t make a difference.” His mother laughed.

 “And then you told Kendra?”

“Someone has to keep an eye on you there. Besides, Kendra knew something was up. She said you’ve seemed lighter on your toes lately.” Pierce’s mother, Catherine, was down-to-earth and close to each of her six children. She could be tough as nails, had instilled lessons of fairness, honesty, and strong work ethics into their heads as far back as Pierce could remember. She was also sensitive and thoughtful, and he was sure that if she’d been in the room with him, she’d have noticed he was lighter on his toes, too.

“Okay, Mom. Her name is Rebecca Rivera, and yes, she’s gotten to me like no woman ever has.” It felt good to say that out loud.
Really good
.

“I assume you’ve checked out her background?” she said in a serious tone.

“No.”

“Pierce, a man in your position—”

“Trusts his gut.”

“Okay. Yes, I can see that. But women are very sneaky,” she warned.

Pierce had never let anyone get very close to him, and he knew his mother worried because suddenly he was, and she wanted to protect him from being hurt the way she’d been hurt by his father.

“She’s not sneaky, Mom, though I appreciate your concern.” He spun around and looked out the window. “She is one of those women who does everything for herself.”

“Oh, one of
those
,” she said sarcastically. “The kind that takes care of herself.”

“Yes.” After a moment of thought, he added, “Like you.”

“Hm. She pays for her own stuff, then.”

“Exactly.”

“Gets mad when you try to do too much.”

“Yes. How do you know?”

“Because that’s the only type of woman who could hold your interest.”

“What exactly does
that
mean? I like to do things for her.” 

His mother sighed. “Pierce, you don’t like
easy
.”

He arched a brow. “I might disagree with that.”

“Let me rephrase that. You are a man, after all. You’re competitive and aggressive. A woman who is too easy might be fine as a…distraction, but she’d bore you in the long run. She wouldn’t be your equal, and while you’re every bit an alpha male, like your brothers, you’re too smart to settle for someone who’s not equally as bright or equally as aggressive as you are. A life partner has to understand where you’re coming from on all levels. It sounds like maybe you’ve met your match.”

She paused, and Pierce realized that she knew him better than he knew himself. 

“Pierce.” Her voice softened. “I know that you remember what things were like when your father lived with us.”

His chest constricted. “Mom. Please.”

“Hear me out. I know you remember what it was like when he left, even if you don’t like to talk about it.”

“Mom.” He clenched his teeth against the painful memories that came with her words.

“No, no more running, Pierce. Just hear me out, honey, please. I don’t thrust my opinions on you often, so give me a few minutes. You can forget what I say the minute I hang up if you want, but please hear me while I say it.”

He sighed, wishing like hell he could hang up the phone and walk away. His mother didn’t force her opinions on him often, so he sucked up his discomfort and paid her the respect she deserved. “Go on.”

“Honey, not everyone is like your father. It’s okay to trust, and I know you like to control things, but, Pierce, you’ll drive a woman away if you try to make her something she’s not. Especially a strong woman.”

“I’m not trying to make her anything, Mom.” The words felt hollow. Wasn’t he wishing she’d let him fix things for her? Didn’t some small part of him think she’d eventually allow him to wave his money and make her problems go away?

“I’m not saying you are. I’m just saying that if she’s really used to handling things herself, well, a guy who likes to make things better for everyone might want to help her with the things she struggles with. I mean that with love, Pierce. When your father left, you took on his role with your brothers and sister as best you could, and there was no dissuading you. I swear you took the entire burden of your father’s leaving off their shoulders and carried it on your own. When Ross and Wes had nightmares, you took them into your room. When they acted out, you set them straight, and when they cried, you put on a stiff upper lip and helped them feel better. You were a little father at age six.”

Pierce heard regret in her sigh.

“I tried to dissuade you from trying to take on so much responsibility, but you were a stubborn little thing, and I wasn’t exactly at my strongest.”

Pierce closed his eyes. He remembered arguing with Ross when he’d taken out his anger on their mother, and later, holding him while he cried about their father leaving. Those months that followed were hard, but Pierce hadn’t realized that they could have defined so much of who he was.

“Honey, you’re a good, strong, successful man. I’m sure Rebecca knows those things. If she’s the way you say, then let her flourish and enjoy the same self-respect you’ve earned. She’ll need it.”

He swallowed against the emotions that clogged his throat. “Her mother died a few weeks ago. Should I still let her handle things? Or is it okay to want to help her through? Because everything inside me says she’s taken care of others long enough, that now it’s her turn.”

“Oh, honey. That poor girl.” His mother was silent for a minute. “Pierce, this will be hard for you to understand, because you are very much of a fixer, but it’s the best advice I can give you. By allowing her to take care of the things she feels she has to, you
are
helping her.”

PIERCE SPENT THE evening stewing over the issues that his due diligence team had uncovered with the Grand. He was meeting with Jeff and the team tomorrow to go over the details, and there was nothing he could do before then. That didn’t stop him from wearing a path in front of the windows of his home library while he waited for Rebecca to arrive and tried to convince himself not to dwell on the Grand until he had a handle on how deep the issues ran.

He spotted the headlights of Rebecca’s car coming up the driveway, and on his way outside, his mind traveled back to the things his mother had said. As much as he trusted his mother’s advice, he wasn’t convinced that letting Rebecca handle everything on her own was the right thing to do—or that he was even capable of stepping back and letting it happen.  

He took Rebecca in his arms and kissed her. “Mm. That was way too long to go without seeing you.” He kissed her again and slid his hand to the curve of her butt.

“It felt like forever, but I’m glad I got a little time with Henry. Thanks for understanding.” She reached for the back door of the car to grab her overnight bag, and Pierce retrieved it for her.

Henry
. She’d said his name with compassion, and Pierce had to remind himself that she was a compassionate woman in general and to tuck away the jealous feelings that tried to sneak in. “I wouldn’t have minded staying at your place. You didn’t have to drive all the way out here.” They walked inside hand in hand, and Pierce swore the house grew warmer, felt more like home, once Rebecca stepped inside.

“I didn’t mind. Besides, I have roommates, so…”

He put her bag in the hallway. “Roommates? Like sexy hot guy roommates?” He was only half teasing.

“Superhot. One’s an MMA fighter. You might know him, Big Johnson?”

He swooped her into his arms as she threw her head back and laughed. “Big Johnson, huh?” He kissed her neck, which only made her laugh harder. “I’ll give you Big Johnson.”

“Yeah, I bet you will.” She wrapped her legs around his waist, then settled her lips over his.

He pressed her back against the wall. “Better be careful. You might find yourself in a compromising position.” He didn’t give her time to respond as he took her in another greedy kiss, getting his fill for all the hours he’d missed her.

“Good Lord, Pierce.” She pressed her hands to his cheeks and kissed him softly. “When you kiss me.” She drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I can barely think.”

He took a step back, giving her room to shift her legs to the floor. She kept them wrapped around his middle.

“Carry me to the couch,” she said with a mischievous grin.

He cupped her ass and kissed her as he crossed the floor and then lowered himself down, with Rebecca straddling him. She ran her hands through the sides of his hair, and he touched his lips to hers again.

“It wasn’t my intent to greet you with my carnal desires on display, but you’re too incredible for words.” He kissed her chin, her lips, the soft pillow of her cheeks. The points of her nipples pressed against her cotton V-neck tee, and she was looking at him like he was the most delicious thing she’d ever seen—or tasted—as she ground her butt into eight inches of rock-hard desire. Her eyes held the hazy mist of lust, and her hair was sexily mussed.

“You push every sexual button I have, Bec. I didn’t mean to come on so strong.”

“No?” She tilted her head and licked her lips. “Oh, darn.”

With a soft laugh he shifted her onto her back, positioning himself above her on the couch. He tangled his hands in her hair and kissed her again, meeting her arching hips with his hard desire. He pulled back with a need for air, and she reached for his neck and drew him into another unyielding kiss. He was straining to keep control. He’d thought about what Emily had said about him and his brothers whoring their way through life, and he wanted Rebecca to know his feelings for her went far deeper than sex, but damn if their kisses weren’t pulling him under, into a slow blurring of right and wrong and all things rational. His hand slid to the bend of her hip, and lust coiled deep in his belly as a moan of pleasure slipped from her lips into his lungs. Again, he tried to pull away, make an effort to talk, but when their eyes met, the connection rooted deep within his soul, demanding more of her.

“Becca,” he said between heated breaths. “We should…talk.”

“I know.” She kissed him again. “Later.”

She reached for him again, and he sank into the most seductive kiss, slow and impassioned. She met every lap of his tongue with a sweet laving of her own, slaying his good intentions. She reached for his pants, and he gripped her wrist and held it above her head, earning him a gloriously naughty moan that darkened her eyes and made his heart race.

“You like that, huh?” He tugged her shirt down her arm and dragged his teeth along the smooth column of her neck.

“Jesus, Pierce. I’m already wet.”

Holy hell. He couldn’t stifle a groan. Forget behaving. Forget talking. He captured her next breath in his mouth, kissing her hard and deep, a preview of what was yet to come. He pushed from the couch and carried her in his arms. She shifted as he carried her to the bedroom, opening her mouth wider, taking more of his kiss, his tongue, his lips as he lowered her feet to the floor. Rebecca clutched his shirt—and a fistful of chest hairs—driving him crazier by the second.

“God, I love how you turn me on,” he whispered against her neck.

He didn’t think of the words he said; he just let his emotions speak for themselves. He didn’t care if he said
like
or
love
or
fuck
or
damn
. He could no better rationalize a thought than he could refrain from hooking his thumbs in her jeans and panties and pulling them straight to the ground, then crouching to help her lift each foot from the harsh material and stepping out of his own clothes. He turned her around, pressing his hard length to her sweet, round ass, and took her neck in his mouth, sucking as she ground her backside into him. He clutched her waist and held her tightly, slid one hand flat against her stomach, and lower, until his fingers touched her curls.

She arched her neck. “Touch me, Pierce. Love me. Make me come.”

He slid his hand down the curve of her belly to her inner thigh. She gasped a breath and held it as he squeezed his way back up her thigh to her sex and stroked her wetness. She craned her neck, and he took her in another kiss as he plunged his fingers deeper. She turned in his arms, and he touched and teased her into halted breaths. Her lacy red bra scratched his chest as she pressed against him, her body pleading for more. Using his teeth, he dragged each strap down her arm, until the flimsy material balanced at the edge of her taut nipples. He could smell her arousal as he slid his finger in and out of her velvety heat, and—
finally—God, finally
—unhooked her bra, freeing her luscious breasts. He brushed his thumb over her nipple as he dragged his tongue along her lower lip. She gripped his wrist at her center and urged him deeper, holding him there as she rose to the edge and went up on her toes as an orgasm tore through her. He caught her gasps in his mouth, his fingers still working their magic, and as the thrum of her release eased, he took her to bed.

It was his turn.

He wanted to be inside her. Now. Fast and hard and buried so deep she could feel him in her throat. He paused long enough to think about a condom.
Goddamn
condom
. For twenty years he’d used them faithfully, and now, with Rebecca, he wanted to feel her,
all
of her, without a latex sheath between them.

He gazed into her loving eyes. “Bec, are you on the pill?”

She shook her head. “It’s been years since I’ve been with anyone.”

He closed his eyes as disappointment welled inside him, and then he reached for a condom, tabling the conversation for another time.

She was tight and eager as he slid into her. She wrapped her arms around him, bringing him as close as he could be, hip to hip, his heat buried deep inside her. All of the emotions he’d been battling came rushing forward.

“Rebecca, look at me. Be with me.”

Her lids fluttered open. Her gaze was sensual, and he knew he wasn’t imagining what he felt between them. He’d been with enough women to know that the look in her eyes ran deeper than desire. Her lips curled up as her eyes focused on his.

“I…” The words were on the tip of his tongue, but they were so big that he began to wonder if they needed more of a stage, a momentous presentation.

“What…?” She ran her fingers along his back, sending shivers of wanting through him.

“I’m falling for you, Becca. I know you’re working on your life and you’ve just lost your mom, but…You’ve become everything to me.”

Her brows drew together, and she pressed her hands to his cheeks in that way he’d come to love—and crave. “I know. I can see it in your eyes.”

He touched his forehead to hers.

“And I feel it, too. We’re totally in sync, even if we’re from different worlds.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, and with all of the love that she’d woken within him, he lowered his lips to hers, sealing their words, and their bodies took over.