That Time in Venice (Love Unexpected Book 6) Read online

  “I can’t promise that. But sit anyway.”

  She eased onto his lap, and he moaned. She popped up. “Reed!”

  He chuckled. “Sit, woman.”

  Anika settled her bottom on his thigh, wiggling more than necessary to get comfortable.

  “Now you’re playing with fire,” he muttered, winding an arm around her waist and tugging her back to his chest.

  “There are children out here,” Anika warned, giggling.

  “Then behave before you make me embarrass myself.” He used his nose to brush aside her hair and kissed her behind the ear.

  Anika angled away, but in doing so knocked over his bottle of beer sitting on the ledge beside him. The glass shattered and frothy liquid darkened the sidewalk as it crept toward the street.

  “Look at what you did.”

  “Oops.” Anika bit her lip. “Here, you can have some of mine.” She lifted her beer to his mouth and he tilted his head back, swallowing a gulp.

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s the least I could do,” she said softly.

  “Tastes better than mine.”

  “It’s the same beer,” Anika pointed out.

  “But your lips have been on that bottle.”

  Goodness, this man.

  They gazed into each other’s eyes, and the buildings and people around them receded from view and ceased to exist. They were the only two people in the world, and Anika’s heart swelled in the perfection of that moment, where there was only she and Reed and the magic between them.

  “Well, hello Reed!”

  The vaguely familiar voice caused Anika to break eye contact. Her stomach tumbled uneasily when she saw the petite dark-haired woman coming toward them. Dharma looked like the perfect mother, with her hair pulled away from her face by a white cloth headband, pushing her son in a stroller and her daughter walking along beside her.

  “How are you? Anika, right? The designer?” Her voice and tone were friendly, but Dharma’s eyes were expressly confused.

  “Yes.”

  “Your hair is different.” Her gaze dropped to Anika’s exposed cleavage and her smile became tighter.

  Anika shifted with the intention of standing, but Reed’s arm around her waist tightened and prohibited her from moving. “Taking the kids on a little outing, I see,” he said.

  Dharma’s smile became more genuine when she addressed Reed. “Yes, and they have been cranky, cranky, cranky all night long.” She sighed dramatically. “But I think it’s important to expose children to the arts. Speaking of which, where’s little Miss Brielle? Don’t tell me you left her at home and she’s missing out on all this culture.” Her gaze fell to Anika again, this time more accusatory. She clearly blamed Anika for Brielle not being there.

  “She’s at a sleepover with her cousins,” Reed replied.

  “Oh. A sleepover. Well, I guess everyone needs a break every now and again.”

  “Yes, it’s convenient to have a support system in place so I can take the occasional break and indulge in adult activities.”

  Dharma’s eyebrow lifted a fraction. “As parents, we have to be careful that we don’t allow ourselves to be distracted by…outside forces. As you know, my children are my priority.” She smiled tightly. “I’ll leave you to your adult activities.” Anika could practically see the air quotes around the emphasized word. “It was nice seeing you. Anika.” With a curt nod, she walked away.

  “I guess I won’t be getting any referrals from her after all,” Anika murmured, watching Dharma stalk down the street with a stiff spine.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “She obviously has a crush on you and sees me as the enemy.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so. She probably thinks I’m leading you astray and causing you to forego your proper role as a father.” Anika bit into her taco and chewed. “And don’t act like you don’t know she likes you.”

  “I’ve never encouraged her.” He nudged her neck with his lips. “Do you know who I have encouraged, though?”

  “Who?”

  “You.” Reed rested his forehead to her temple. His hand slid to her hip and then covered her thigh.

  “Reed, we’re in public,” Anika said in a breathy voice, even as her thighs opened a fraction.

  “Then let’s go somewhere private.” His shaft hardened beneath her bottom.

  “What did you have in mind?” Anika asked.

  “Adult activities.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, pulling her closer. “Only if you want to, Anika.” His words were amenable, but she heard the edge of hunger in his voice.

  Anika cupped his hard jaw with her free hand and ran her thumb over the soft bristles on his chin. “I want to.”

  There was nothing else she wanted more at that moment.

  Chapter 17

  They fell onto the bed, mouths eagerly fused together as they fumbled with zippers and buttons. Ryan shrugged out of his jacket and shirt and unceremoniously lifted Anika’s dress over her head, dropping it onto the pile on the floor. All she wore underneath was a pair of black, full lace boy shorts that gave him pause.

  Swearing softly, his heated gaze swept her body. He trailed a hand down the middle of her torso, awakening the sensitive flesh of her breasts with a series of sparks that made her nipples harden even more than they already had.

  “I’m so glad you came into my life again.” He said the words in a semi-detached way, not to her, but almost to himself. “You have no idea how much.”

  He reclaimed her mouth, and Anika came alive in his arms. Warm lips caressed hers, first plucking at the full bottom one and then nibbling at each corner. But it wasn’t enough. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sealed their lips together, demanding a proper kiss. Wrapping one leg around his waist, she grinded her pelvis against his hard shaft to ease the ache that echoed through her loins unrestricted.

  She tried not to go too fast, but excitement twisted in her stomach. It felt as if she’d been waiting for this particular kiss for years—the prelude to a meeting of the minds and bodies, resulting in a rapid pulse and goose bumps on her arms. Their tongues twisted around each other in a seductive dance. The dizzying exploration left her drunk on passion and her excited heart hitting against her ribs in an out-of-control cadence.

  Reed lifted his head and cradled her face in his big hands. With naked hunger in his eyes, he said, “It’s different this time, Anika. Do you understand?”

  She nodded. “I do.”

  The first time they’d fallen into a whirlpool of emotion by accident, unexpectedly. This time, both she and he knew what they were getting themselves into. They were making a conscious decision to risk their hearts, and for the first time in a long time she wasn’t afraid. She wouldn’t date and run as she’d done with other men.

  Anika smoothed a hand over the silky skin of his chest and stroked the line of hair that covered his body, all the way down to where it descended below the waistband of his trousers. His muscles were a sight to behold. It wasn’t enough to touch him. She showered kisses on his chest that made him push out a low groan and licked his nipples until they transformed into hard little nubs.

  The rest of his clothes came off with a quickness, and then Reed’s moist lips landed on her skin with a tender, almost reverential delivery before he shifted to stand on the side of the bed. He reached for her panties, and she lifted up so he could slide them down the length of her legs.

  When she was completely naked, he lowered back onto the bed and braced himself above her. His gaze was like a soft caress, roaming over her bare shoulders and her swollen brown nipples tilted up to the ceiling. She ran her fingertips over her own sensitive flesh and watched his blue eyes darken to cobalt. Her nipples ached for his touch and fortunately, finally, became the focus of his undivided attention.

  Reed ran his palms across the turgid peaks before closing one big hand over her right breast. He squeezed it. He massaged it. Until she sucked air through her teeth
in pleasure-filled distress.

  Then his mouth enveloped the nipple of the left breast. Moist and warm, his mouth was relentless. He teased the throbbing nub with his teeth and tortured it with his tongue. His avid attention elicited a shiver and a moan, and a choked sound of helplessness that caught in her throat. Reed took his time, alternating between delivering open-mouthed kisses to the soft mounds and tonguing her nipples.

  “Reed, Reed,” Anika panted.

  Barely able to contain the building pressure in her loins, she clutched handfuls of hair and held his face to her chest, straining her aroused body up to his.

  His fingers traced the line of her waist and over her bare hips, then moved lower to the strip of hair at her privates where his feather-light touch made her sensitive skin tremble.

  “No,” she whispered in a shaky voice.

  “No? I don’t think you mean that, princess.”

  She didn’t mean it. Not when her legs fell apart and he rubbed her clit with gentle but firm strokes. Not when her toes curled and her heels pushed into the bed as she lifted into his touch.

  He pulled her on top of him, fisting a hand in her hair this time and grabbing her ass with a rough hand.

  Anika took full advantage of her position. She bit down on his hard shoulder and then covered the red mark with a soothing lick. She rained kisses across his throat and let her hands run free—free to explore the hardness of his biceps and the strength of his chest. She took pleasure in his manly form—the hair-roughened skin, the hard contours of his torso, and the power in his thick thighs. He was a big, powerful animal. Incredibly made and beautifully male.

  Her hand clasped the pulsing-hard readiness of him and his jaw twitched as he groaned. When she took the engorged flesh between her lips, Reed dragged air into his lungs with a harsh, loud whoosh. The firm flesh filled her mouth—smooth and taut, hot and heavy.

  It turned her on to watch him lose control—to watch him slowly unravel as he fought not to unravel.

  “Not yet,” he muttered, and flipped her onto her back, effectively taking back control. “You’re trying to kill me,” he said, his voice husky as he took gentle nips at her neck.

  “You’re trying to kill me,” she whispered back. “I want you now, Reed.” She wiggled beneath him and tilted her hips at just the right angle so the tip of shaft pressed at the entrance to her sex. Lifting her hips, she applied a little pressure, eliciting a helpless groan from the back of his throat.

  “Now,” he agreed, reaching for a condom in the nightstand. As soon as he had sheathed himself in protection, he nudged her thighs apart and lifted one leg over his forearm. Slipping in with ease, he gripped the bedsheets as his hard flesh filled her.

  “Yessss.” Anika gasped, sinking her short nails into his buttocks. She marveled at how he completely controlled her body. The way her legs fell open in utter surrender. She was different with him. A tigress in bed, and utterly wanton.

  Her fingers slid over the rippling muscles of his shoulders and upper back as his hips moved with the same motion of an undulating wave between her thighs. His gaze lowered to her jostling breasts and he reached for one taut nipple again, plucking it into his mouth and laving the flesh with his tongue. He moved faster. Shallow plunges became deep dives, and she yielded to the power in each driving thrust.

  Anika bucked beneath him, taking him further in a fast and frantic rhythm. The rattling bed testified to the strength of their passion.

  “You... feel... so... damn... good.” Reed growled in her ear. It was a raw and masculine sound. One that spoke of his need and illustrated his hunger.

  Anika wrapped her arms around his neck and abandoned herself to the pleasure. She couldn’t get enough of him. Not his warm breath as it singed the side of her neck nor the way his body moved inside of hers.

  She belonged to him, just as sure as if he’d tattooed his name on her spine. Completely. Each movement of their bodies confirming the truth—a truth she had tried to run from but failed miserably to escape.

  They climaxed together, a tangle of sheets, limbs, and gasping cries. In the blinding rush of release, Anika squeezed her eyes shut and was certain she saw stars. The soul-shattering intensity of the moment was almost too much to bear. Reed muttered a litany of curse words as she gripped his solid back.

  Anika’s strangled cries faded into whimpers as she came down off her high and Reed collapsed on top of her. She twisted her head and pressed her cheek to his. Her fingers gently stroked the back of his neck where damp tendrils curled against his skin.

  Staring up at the ceiling, a quick tremor ran through her at the enormity of the revelation that crossed her mind. This wasn’t just sex. This wasn’t simply an intense reaction to great sex. Their lovemaking was an experience unlike any she’d had with any other man.

  She’d thought she’d made a mistake and equated sex with intimacy and passion with love. But that wasn’t the case. Everything she’d felt for him in Venice was real—vivid, whole, and true.

  Her heart clenched as she faced the hard truth. She was completely in love with Reed Stewart.

  Chapter 18

  Anika’s eyes flew open.

  A strange bed. A strange room. Alone.

  Her pupils adjusted to the darkness and her memory came back.

  Reed.

  She moaned softly and stretched. Where was he?

  The slightly ajar bedroom door indicated he was out in the hall. He was talking in a low voice. Quietly, she slipped from the bed and pulled on his shirt. Padding across the carpeted floor, she peered through the opening and saw Reed on the phone.

  “Are you having a good time?” he whispered. He waited, head bowed, listening attentively. “I’m glad to hear you’re having fun with your cousins.” He listened again. “Yes, I miss you very much. I’m coming to get you tomorrow, okay? Oh, I don’t have to rush?” He laughed softly. “You really are having a good time.”

  A few minutes passed as he listened to what Anika imagined must be quite a story about the day Brielle had. His only comments were the occasional “Mhmm,” and “Oh really?”

  Anika felt like an intruder on this intimate moment, but she couldn’t walk away. Their bond was a joy to witness.

  “All right, sweetheart. Give the phone back to cousin Ryan and go to bed. It’s late. I love you, too. Yes, we can go to the park tomorrow, but you have to go to sleep now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Anika scurried across the bedroom on tiptoe, tossed the shirt back on the floor, and slid under the covers.

  When Reed returned to the room and eased onto the bed, she reached for him. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I was talking to Brielle for a bit. Did I wake you?”

  “No, I was already awake.”

  Reed turned his face into her neck and flung one muscular arm across her waist. She closed her arms around him and welcomed the comfortable weight of his body as it rested half on top of hers. She was wide awake now and so was he. They lay there quietly, simply listening to each other breathe.

  “Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Anika said.

  “Something you don’t know about me. Hmm…what do you want to know?” His warm breath brushed her collarbone.

  She absentmindedly played with his soft hair. “Tell me about your dad. You never talk about him. What does he do?”

  Reed laughed. “My father does whatever he wants. Right now he’s in California housesitting for some rich businessman who travels all the time. He lives in the guy’s guesthouse with a girlfriend younger than I am. He’s got room and board, so he doesn’t need anything else. He’s always behaved the same way my entire life.”

  “You don’t behave like that.”

  “I used to.” Reed rolled onto his back and folded an arm beneath his head. He stared up at the ceiling. “I got tired of the insecurity of the life I’d lived with my father. That’s why I majored in accounting. I wanted to do something that offered stability and permanence. Well, that’s no
t completely true.” He laughed again, this time in a self-deprecating manner. “I also sucked at everything else. I’m a terrible writer and can’t spell for shit. My academic advisor steered me towards accounting.”

  Running a fingertip along his shoulder, Anika asked, “Did your father exhibit the same tendency to be irresponsible when your mother was alive?”

  “Not as bad. My mother was the responsible one for sure, a nurse. She always held a job, but my dad was a dreamer. The occasional odd job was enough for him. I’m not sure what she saw in him, to be honest. He’s so different from everyone else in his family. I think maybe he just hated farm life in Oklahoma and wanted to get away from the structure and demands he grew up under. My mom, on the other hand…” He paused, a frown developed on his face. “I think she wanted to punish her strict parents, and marrying my father was an act of rebellion.”

  “How’d she die?” Anna asked gently.

  A muscle in his jaw moved. “An idiot shot up the hospital where she worked, killing her and two patients. She wasn’t even supposed to be at work that day. She’d taken someone else’s shift to make extra money.” His voice had become devoid of emotion.

  “I’m sorry.” Anika rested her head on his shoulder, offering what little comfort she could. She smoothed her hand over his chest, gliding her fingers through the silky hairs sprinkled across his torso.

  “Mmmm. That feels good, babe.”

  They were quiet for a while. The lull in the conversation allowed them to simply be—to just enjoy each other’s company.

  “What about you? Tell me about your family.”

  “Well, you know I have two older brothers who live out of state. I miss them, but they have their own lives. My parents married young and my dad was old-fashioned. He was the no-wife-of-mine-is-going-to-work type of man, and in a perfect world he would have lived forever. But he didn’t.”

  “How did he die?”

  “Brain tumor. His deterioration was gradual, and he didn’t tell us what was happening to him. That was my dad. He worried about us constantly but never took care of himself. He had episodes of slurred speech and dizzy spells before my mother finally caught on and convinced him to go to the doctor. That’s when they discovered the tumor.”