Safe With Him (23 page)

“Dra, you could fix whatever. I doubt they come over once a week just for the food, but to spend time with you.” When he didn’t say anything, she suggested. “You could fix what you did that first night we met. That was really good, and I know it didn’t take that long for you to fix.”

“Chicken puttanesca?”

“Yeah, you can fix that again.” She stood back up and tried to remember where she had put her bag. “I’ll call Storm so you can—”

“You’re not callin’ Storm.”

“What? Why? I mean, you don’t want me to say here, so I’ll just stay with Storm until—”

He jumped up from the bed, walked to her, and wrapped his arms around her middle. “Bree, if we are doin’ this dinner thing, then you are gonna’ be there. With me.”

“But, it’s a family dinner. I’m not—”

He leaned down and kissed her lightly. “I want you there with me,” he whispered against her lips.

“Dra—”

“Gotta’ call Marco back. What’s it gonna’ be?”

“What?”

“Baby, either you’re there at family dinner, or dinner will just be me and you. Either way, we’re havin’ dinner together.”

“Okay.” She smiled back up at him. She had never been to a “family dinner” before unless you could count the times she and Storm had whatever they could find for dinner together.

“I’ll call. You pack.”

After Bree had finished packing while Draco made his call, she was ready for that shower. “I’m going to just take a shower here. What are you going to do about this shirt?” She held up Draco’s now button-less button down
cop
shirt that she threw back on at Draco’s before they left.

“Don’t matter. I’ll just order another one.”

“You can do that? I mean, order another one, just like that?”

“Yeah, I just got ‘em, so addin’ another one won’t be a big deal.”

“They’re new?”

“Yeah, that’s why they don’t have the patches yet. Got them for this winter. Don’t need them now, so haven’t taken the time to get the patches added yet.”

“That’s why it didn’t look like a cop shirt, because really it’s not yet,” she told him, then mumbled to herself, “Ha! No cop clothes for me.”

He looked at her and grinned. Yeah, he heard her mumbled remarks. “Still a state issued
cop shirt
that you were wearin’ today.”

She narrowed her eyes, but with a slight tilt of her head, she teased. “You just had to burst my little happy bubble, didn’t you?”

He moved to her, scooped her up and tossed her on the bed, him following her down, and crashed his mouth to hers, giving her a long kiss. When he came up for air, looking down at her, he spoke softly, “Grab a not-cop shirt and throw it over this,” he nipped lightly on her sports bra covered nipple, “then we’ll get out of here.”

“But I need a shower,” she responded, still a little breathless.

“Yeah, gonna give you a new happy bubble in my shower.”

Bree sat at Draco’s kitchen table with her open laptop, while Draco moved around his kitchen, cooking. She was trying to get further ahead in her classes but the sight of Draco cooking was distracting her. “Dang! He’s fine,” she mumbled to herself.

“You look pretty damn good yourself.” He turned from the stove and walked over to her.

“Crap, that was out loud, wasn’t it?” She really needed to stop that, then she thought of nothing as Draco bent and kissed her. Hard.

“Yeah, baby.” He pulled his head back, then moved back to the stove. “Don’t know what’s cuter; your face when you realize you spoke out loud or the shit that you do speak out loud.” He turned back to her, grinning that sexy grin, then answered himself, “Both. Cute as hell.” Then he looked at her open laptop. “What’re you doin’?”

“Trying to get ahead on my classes, but you’ve been distracting me.”

“I’ve kissed you once since you sat your cute little ass at my table.”

“Yes, but you’ve been,” she twirled her fingers in the air above her head, “doing…stuff. That’s distracting.”

“Stuff?”

“Yes, Chef Oliver. Stuff.”

“What stuff?”

“Distracting stuff.”

Laughing, he walked back to the table, grabbed a chair and moved it close to hers. He leaned into her, lips almost touching, and whispered softly, “Baby, how am I distractin’ you?”

“Uh…” Was as far as she got, before she closed that fraction of a distance and kissed him. Deep.

When he pulled his head back this time he spoke softly, but firm, “I like that I can do ‘distractin’ stuff’ with you, but I don’t like interferin’ with your classes. If you can’t work here without being distracted, you can use my office or any other damn room in the house.”

Bree smiled back at him. “I’m fine. I’m actually still pretty far ahead for now, and besides, I like watching you. I’ve never seen a man cook before. It’s kinda hot.”

He picked her up out of her chair and had her in his lap so fast she didn’t even realize what had happened until she sat straddling his lap and facing him. “Yeah?” he asked, voice going husky.

“Yes.” Her voice had dropped to deep and husky, right before he took her mouth.

*  *  *

Draco was just adding the finishing touches to dinner when he remembered that Ellie usually had wine with dinner and he and Marco had beer. He turned from the stove to look at Bree. She was still sitting at the table but had grown quiet. He figured she was finally working on her classes, so as he finished cooking he did it quietly. But, when he turned to look at her, she was watching him. When his eyes met her, she smiled so bright he damn near lost his ability to breathe. She was gorgeous always, but when she smiled like that she looked un-fuckin’-believable. He completely lost his train of thought. The only thing he could think about was…her. He wanted her…now.

“Is it ready yet? It smells so delicious. I cannot wait for dinner, especially if it’s as good as I remember.” She was talking as he moved to her, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled out her chair, bent, grabbed her around her waist, and lifted her to him. Her legs wrapped around his waist automatically, like they belonged there.

“Ti adoro, Breezie.” He slammed his mouth to hers. Their kiss was so overpowering, so intense, his knees were starting to go weak when he broke the kiss and laid his forehead to hers. “Miniera,” he whispered, barely breathing.

“Dra,” she breathed, looking into his eyes.

When he pulled his head back a little to see her face, her smile reappeared and then he did lose his breath.

“I think I need to learn Italian,” she stated, completely out of the blue.

He pulled his head back more. “What?”

“I said I need to learn Italian.”

“Bree, why the hell do you need to learn Italian?” He set her back in her chair, took a step back, trying to figure out why she was even thinking about learning a new language, but Italian?

“So I can understand you when you speak it,” she said, looking up at him.

“I don’t speak Italian. Haven’t since the day me, mom, and Marco left that shit behind.”

“Then what language are you speaking?” He could see the confusion that was written all over her face. But damn, he was more confused.

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?”

“I thought I heard you say something in Italian, but…”

“Bree, I don’t use Italian. Haven’t for years. Not gonna’ start now. You wanna learn a different language, I’d appreciate it if you picked somethin’ else.”

“Sorry, I thought…” Shaking her head, she said, “Sorry.” She cast her eyes down, looking thoroughly chastised.

“Bree.” He waited for her to look back at him. When her eyes met his, he saw that same unsure look he had seen the first night he had met her after she had rearranged his living room. That look felt like a kick in the balls then and it still did now. He knelt down in front of her. “You wanna learn Italian?”

“No, Dra,” she whispered softly as she reached out and laid her hand on his cheek, thumb lightly rubbing back and forth. “Not if it’s going to upset you, or give you…bad moments.”

He grinned. “It doesn’t give me bad moments. I just haven’t…since I found out about my father.”

“Okay,” she continued to whisper as she leaned into him and kissed him lightly, then pulled back, changed the subject by asking, “Is that ready?” She nodded her head toward the stove. “Can I have maybe just a little taste now? You know, to make sure it’s as good as I remember.” Then she gave him that cute as hell side smile of hers.

And just like that she let it go. For him. Yeah, Draco felt that deep. He stood, holding out his hand to her. When she placed her hand in his and he pulled her up and to him, he softly whispered, “Baby you can have all you want, whatever you want.”

When they were by the stove, he picked her up and sat her on the counter, kissed her lightly, then went about fixing her a plate. “No, just a taste for now. If I eat all that,” she protested, eyeing the plate he was fixing for her, “I won’t be able to eat when Marco and Ellie get here.”

He handed her the now full plate. “So, you can sit and drink…” he started to say, then paused. “Fuck,” he finished instead.

“What?”

“Drink…damn, baby, I meant to tell you…”

“Tell me what?” When he didn’t say anything for a moment, she sat her plate to the side. “Y’all drink alcohol at dinner?”

“Yeah, it’s just that I didn’t think when I was talkin’ to Marco. Ellie usually brings a bottle of wine, and Marco brings beer.”

“Do you…or they ever…get…have too much…to drink?” He could hear the nervousness in her voice.

“Do I get drunk? No! Hell no! And even if I did, or had, I wouldn’t, not now.”

“But you do sometimes?” Now it wasn’t just nervousness, but something closer to panic. Was she scared? Scared him or Marco would get drunk and do what?

He parted her legs, stepped in between them, while laying his hands, palms flat, on the counter on either side of her thighs. “Bree, baby talk to me. You’re nervous about somethin’. I can hear it in your voice. What’re you worried about?”

He watched her take a breath then look over his shoulder. “It’s stupid, I know. I mean, I work at a bar, for goodness sake. It’s just…just…” She looked back at him. “Outside of the bar, I’ve never been around anyone who’s drunk…not since my mother.”

“Oh, Bree, fuck, baby, you think one of us will get drunk and hurt someone?” he asked, but he already knew, could see it in her eyes. “No, baby. No, that would never happen.” He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her tight to his chest. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again.” He laid his cheek on the top of her head and just held her.

“I told you it was stupid.” He heard her mumble into his shirt. “It’s just…” She pulled back a little. “Just, at most of the bars or clubs I’ve worked, they always had bouncers to take care of anyone who…who got a little out of hand.”

Draco moved his hand to wrap around the back of her neck, giving a light squeeze. When he caught her eyes he could see the scars of her childhood reflecting back at him. He had never even thought of hitting a woman in his life, but given the chance, he would kill her mother for what she did to his Breezie. He rubbed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. “It’s not stupid. I get it, but you gotta know that I would never, don’t matter if I’m stone cold sober or drunk off my ass, baby, you gotta
know
I could never hurt you.”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment, she only searched his face. For what, he didn’t know. But he silently watched and waited as her eyes roamed his face, always coming back to his eyes, then going over his face again. When she did speak, it was only two little words that he felt so deep he lost his breath and his heart.

“I know.”

Bree was setting the table when she noticed there were only two chairs. A quick look around the kitchen and she didn’t see any others. “Where are we eating?” Maybe they just ate in the living room or something.

Draco looked at her, then the table she was putting the plates on, then back at her. “Right there?”

“There are only two chairs, and as much as I like sitting on you, I’m not sure sitting on your lap to eat is the best idea.”

“You like sittin’ on me?” He teased with that sexy grin of his.

“You know what I mean.”

“There’re more chairs in the dining room. I’ll get them in a sec—”

“You have a dining room?” She looked around, confused. She hadn’t seen a dining room or even a room for one.

He was just standing there looking at her, that same look on his face she had seen before, the look that said he thought she was crazy. Then it passed and his face got tight for a second before he uttered, “Damn!”

“What?”

He walked to her and grabbed her hand. “Gonna show you my house.” Draco pulled her across the room. “Kitchen,” he stated, even though they were already in the kitchen. Then he continued to pull her across the room and to the wall. He dropped her hand and pushed two pocket doors apart. “Dining room.”

“Well, no wonder I never noticed it. The doors blend into the walls completely.” She stepped into his dining room. She walked toward the middle of the room, turning in a complete circle slowly before she faced him again. “You do know a
dining room
has dining room furniture.” He had stopped at the door and was watching her as she again looked around the room.

There was a pool table sitting in the middle of the floor with lights hanging down from the ceiling on each end of the table. On the far end of the room there was a bar complete with four bar stools. On the opposite side of the room was a dart board with darts sticking out of it. Then, on the other side of the pool table against the wall, opposite from the door, was a juke box. She walked to it and noticed it was an original juke box that played records. She could even see some of the small records in the slots. “This is so cool.” She ran her hands over the top.

She again turned to face him, leaning back against the juke box. “This is so
not
a dining room. It’s a…a…pool room,” Bree said and watched as Draco stalked to her, grabbed her around the waist, picked her up and sat her on top of the juke box. Using his hips, he nudged her legs apart as he stepped in between, close. So close, in fact, that she could feel him starting to get hard as he pressed himself into her.

He leaned in, put his mouth to her ear and growled low. “Wanna take you just like this.” He ground into her once. “Now.” He kissed her long and deep and when he pulled his head back she wished like hell she was already naked.

“Yesss,” she moaned, running her hands down his chest to the end of his T-shirt then up under his shirt, as she started to push it up to reveal his chest. Dang, she wanted him naked…now!

“Fuck!” She heard him groan. “Dinner, baby, Marco and Ellie will be here soon. Too damn soon for this,” he complained as he ground himself against her again. He kissed her lips lightly, then her jaw, across her cheek until his mouth had reached her ear. “After,” he growled so deep she could barely understand his words. “Gonna strip you down, sit that sexy ass of yours on my bar with my face buried between your thighs till you’re screamin’, then take you here with you wrapped tight around me.”

Without even thinking her legs wrapped around his waist, crossing behind his back, pulling him to her. “Now! Now! Now!” she begged. Yes, she was begging, and didn’t give a damn.

He shifted his body enough so he could unsnap and unzip her jeans. He slid her butt back just a little as he stuck his hand inside of her jeans and undies to cup her, pushing the palm of his hand tight to her. “So fuckin’ wet, baby.”

He shifted again, then jerked his hand out of her pants. He took a half step back, yanked her jeans and undies down until they tangled with her shoes. “Fuck!” he growled out loud as he was pulling off her shoes. When she was naked from the waist down, he crashed his mouth to hers again and kissed her deep and long, or as long as it took him to undo his jeans and push them down his hips.

He ripped his mouth from hers as she stared into his eyes. She could almost hear the unspoken question there. “Yes! Now, now, now!” Bree groaned, then lost her breath as Draco slammed into her…hard.