All for Family (The Rawley Family Romances Book 3) Read online

  By the time she finally forced her thoughts aside, he was climbing into the bed beside her. His magical hands delved into her wet folds while his mouth clasped onto one breast, tugging the nipple gently with his teeth before circling it with his tongue. Excitement anew rushed through her body.

  Jeremy’s lips popped free from her breast, only to swoop down and claim her mouth, slanting over her in bruising desperation. All the while his hand was still flicking between her legs, drawing her higher and higher towards nirvana.

  “God, I can’t wait much longer to have you, Meg. You’re so hot, so wet.” He was kissing her again.

  In response, Meg reached for him, squeezing and working him as she spread her legs to tell him she was ready. Jeremy quickly slipped on a condom, the rapid movement of his hands evidence enough the he really couldn’t wait much longer.

  Finally, he was there, poised at her entrance, and she wriggled, frantic to feel them joined. He was holding himself up on one elbow as the other cupped her face, keeping her eyes on him as he entered her slowly.

  His girth was bigger than she’d realized, and she’d been without a man’s touch for so long that the fullness of him was uncomfortable at first. But as he pressed deeper, her body adjusted and reacted. Once he was there, fully seated within her, he stopped and she finally closed her eyes and moaned.

  “I love this. The feeling of you inside me is so good I never want to be without that.”

  But then he was moving, withdrawing just to the head and thrusting forward again. The expression on his face said he was closely controlling himself, his skin crinkled at the eyes and his lips taut with the effort. She tucked her hands under his arms to clasp his back, then slid them down to his buttocks.

  “Don’t hold back, Jeremy. Give it all to me.”

  And then, like a genie from a bottle, he unleashed, grabbing her to him so that he could pound in and out with enough force that the bed squeaked in protest. Meg didn’t care. She spread her legs wider, wrapping one of them up around his waist to urge him deeper and harder. Her second climax took hold of her, and she could feel her walls clenching around him. As her body continued convulsing, he too came, grunting into her shoulder and holding her tight.

  The clock beside the bed said 2:47 am. Meg rolled over and pounded the pillow, angry that sleep was eluding her. The bed felt empty and cold, which was silly considering it had been for all intents and purposes her bed for the last eight months or so. The difference was that Ray was here again, now sleeping in the guest bedroom.

  Sure, they’d worked out all of the details about the divorce. Who would get what was easy. He’d already made another life for himself in New York so he didn’t need or want much of anything back home. The house didn’t have a lot of equity in it, only a few years’ worth of payments; the down payment had come from Meg’s inheritance upon her mother’s death. Meg liked her home and decided she could find a way to keep up the payments on her own. Starting next month, after the divorce was final, she would take over the mortgage.

  It wouldn’t be easy. The landscaping business wasn’t a money maker, but she knew how to cut corners. She’d had to learn that after her dad had left and her mom was too zoned out to take care of business. Now would be no different.

  What was bothering her was the idea of failure. Her marriage was supposed to be different than that of her parents’. She and Ray had had mutual affection for each other long before they became a couple. That was a strong foundation. It should have been able to survive. But neither of them could deny that their feelings for each other weren’t the same anymore.

  She tossed aside the covers and decided a cup of hot chocolate might help. But when she stepped into the hallway, she heard Ray’s voice and couldn’t help the urge to eavesdrop.

  “Oh, baby…” Ray groaned low. “Yeah, say that again. Say what you want to do to me. Oh …. Oh, Tabby, yes …” His moans were smothered by what she imagined was his pillow, but still the undeniable sound of his orgasm made her physically sick. With a shake of her head, she hurried to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water instead of milk, her stomach protesting the idea after what she’d just heard.

  A few moments later, she rinsed out her glass and put it in the dish drain, then headed back to her room. Now Ray was talking, chuckling a little. She leaned against the hallway wall and cradled her head against her forearm as she listened.

  “Nah, it was cool. We’re friends, so we worked it all out. She’s gonna pick up the mortgage next month, so then all I’ll have are the other payments, and it should be fine.” A few moments of silence. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” Silence again. “Aw, Tabby, there’s nothing between us anymore. Never was really. I mean, we care about each other, but you’re the one I want.” He laughed. “Yeah, exactly. Like a whale or something. Nothing like you and that hot body you rock my world with …”

  Meg pushed herself away from the wall and shuffled back to her room, tears burning her eyes. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. It was true she’d always been bigger and these days, since Ray was gone, she’d actually gained a few pounds. She dropped her head and watched a little roll of extra skin appear under her chin.

  “A whale or something…”

  Meg stretched awake with a little whimper, her muscles aching. When her hand brushed against another body, she started and sat straight up. And there he was. Beautiful, golden-haired Jeremy. He was facing away from her, his body spread out on the bed and with only a sheet covering his backside from her view. Still, the lines and contours of his back were impressive enough. Her hands itched to touch him, but he was so soundly sleeping she clasped her hands in her lap and refrained.

  After a few moments of staring, she slithered out of the bed, taking the top coverlet with her and wrapping it around her body. On her way to the bathroom she stopped in front of the same mirror where they’d stood the night before. Opening the blanket, she looked at herself again.

  Somehow, without him there and that hazy look of want in his eyes, the image of herself was wholly different. Now all too prevalent were the wideness of her thighs, the pooch of her belly and the droop of her breasts.

  “Morning.” A hoarse voice spoke from the bed, and she shyly turned, covering herself again.

  “Good morning.”

  As he rubbed his head hard to wake himself up, he swung his legs around and out of the bed, caring not at all that his naked body was clearly in view to her. She averted her eyes, ignoring the memories of last night and scurried to the bathroom.

  It was hard to keep ignoring what happened, though. They’d made love too many times to count. Love? Of course. She couldn’t call the act anything else. Sure, he would probably see it as sex or whatever, but Meg would never forget the way he had worshiped her body. She imagined she might never experience that again.

  When she emerged, she found he was gone, but her gown was neatly folded on the bed, along with her underthings. On top of them, though, was a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt.

  A few minutes later she was showered and dressed in the shirt and sweats, the pants rolled up several times. She was a short girl and he was a tall man. But at least he apparently wore his workout clothes loose because they had no problem accommodating her size otherwise.

  Her one problem was the still prevalent bruise on her face. The make-up Martika had meticulously used to make her presentable was now gone, and she had nothing else to reapply. She had no choice but to suck it up and face Jeremy, swollen, bruised face and all.

  “Good morning again.” He grinned when she stepped into the living area. He was seated at the little breakfast table near the window, a newspaper in hand. “Hungry? I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I called down and asked them to bring us up a buffet of sorts. I’m sure we’ll both find something we want.”

  Meg nodded, tiptoeing in her bare feet to the table and sitting down. “Thanks. I could probably eat something.”

  He tipped the paper down to l
ook at her again. “Something? I’m famished. We missed the dinner last night, you know.”

  Yes, they had. And the recollections of the previous night were warring with her for attention. The women in the bathroom and their ugly words. Jeremy’s hands strumming her body like a musical instrument. What was real and what wasn’t? Where did anything lead?

  She heard the crinkle of the newspaper and watched him turn the page. She wondered what he was thinking. Did he regret their evening? Would he be willing to drive her home, or would she need to get a cab? How much cash did she have in her clutch?

  A rap at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she peered in that direction as Jeremy set aside his paper. A server entered with a long cart which he wheeled towards the table.

  “Thank you. Don’t worry, we’ll serve ourselves,” Jeremy told him when he reached for one of the covered dishes. After slipping the man a few bills, he sat down and then pulled the cart even closer. “Now, let’s see what we have.”

  He lifted the covers from each dish revealing pancakes, fruit, eggs, sausage, ham, and assorted pastries. Meg’s belly rumbled, and he side eyed her with a grin. He handed her an empty plate from the second shelf of the cart and then waved his arm that she should begin.

  “Coffee?”

  Meg nodded as she considered which items to take. Fruit was healthy, and there was a slightly appetizing English muffin on the bread plate. She reached for it, but Jeremy grabbed the croissant just beside it and slipped it onto her plate. “Thanks, that’s just what I wanted.”

  Deciding that the pretense of dieting was stupid, she stabbed a piece of sausage with her fork and knocked it onto her plate, then scooped up some scrambled eggs too. She waited for Jeremy to finished making up his, dishing out a large helping of pancakes and then lathering them with lots of syrup.

  “Dig in.” He grinned.

  She did.

  “So, what’s going on in the world today?”

  “The usual.” His response was dry. “Although this is actually from yesterday.”

  “Thanks for ordering breakfast.” She raised her fork in a sort of salute of appreciation before bringing it to her mouth. Swallowing, she added, “Would you have time to drop me off at my house? I can get a cab if you can’t.”

  He wiped his mouth and looked at her, his blue eyes seeking something she wasn’t sure she wanted him to find. “I have time. Of course. I considered this morning that maybe I could change my flight … it leaves at 1:45. But I promised my father I’d be back this evening, so I really shouldn’t.”

  Genuine regret appeared to be heavy in his voice, but she just smiled and brushed her hand at him. “If you promised your dad, then you should be there. I have a lot to do before work tomorrow. It’s been a long weekend.”

  They chewed their food in silence a few moments, then after one last bite, he set his fork down and pushed his plate aside. “I want you to know I’m glad you came here with me last night. You’re an amazing woman, Meg. And I enjoyed every moment of our time together.”

  But … she told herself. Always a but …

  It took a few swallows to force down the eggs and sausage in her mouth, but she did, sipping at her coffee to help it along. “I’m glad too, Jeremy.”

  “The truth is, I have to be home because my father and I are going to New Durma for a time. I wish I could stay here longer. I’d like to get to know you better.”

  And so there it was. He certainly had a good excuse, and she imagined that an earl-in-training had lots of responsibilities and duties. But it was also a convenient way for him to slip right on out the door after their evening together. She shouldn’t have been disappointed. One night with him was more than she could have imagined she’d have when she met him.

  “Listen, I get it. I mean, let’s just face what this was: a hook-up. But it was . . .” She paused, a bit of emotion creeping from under her façade. “But it was really good, Jeremy. Thank you.”

  He smiled, but just barely. There was something nervous and uncomfortable in the way he looked at her, but after a time he stood. As he swept past her, he reached out a hand and brushed it through her loose, wet hair. “I’ll just be a few minutes getting cleaned up and then I’ll take you home, Meg.”

  The way he said her name sent a little shimmy of longing to her belly. She pushed it aside and grabbed another croissant, tearing off the end in an angry jerk and tossing it into her mouth to keep herself from crying.

  Meg stared at the blinking light on her message machine and frowned. She knew who it was even without listening. It was the same voice she’d heard from that machine for the last two days. Rhonda wasn’t giving up, and frankly Meg was getting tired of hiding from her.

  In turn, Meg had been calling Ray for the better part of a week, ever since Rhonda returned from vacation and started trying to orchestrate a house search. She and Ben wanted to move back to her hometown early next year, and for that they needed a house. And according to Rhonda’s plans, Meg and Ray needed one too, right next door to hers.

  She picked up the phone and dialed his number. Once again, his machine picked up. “Hey, Meg here. Listen, I’m tired of waiting, Ray. I’m calling Rhonda back now and I’m going to explain things to her. You can call her after if you want to have your say.”

  After dialing her friend’s number, Meg headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. In the process the extra-long phone cord got tangled, so just as Rhonda’s voice picked up she dropped the phone as she tried to get it free.

  “Hey, sorry. Are you there?”

  Rhonda was laughing. “Did you just drop the phone? You are seriously getting a cordless for the new house!”

  Meg grumbled under her breath as she pulled out her chair and plopped down. Her legs were aching from a day kneeling in flower beds pulling weeds and putting plants into the ground.

  “You’re a hard woman to track down. Geez, don’t you ever return calls?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Returning yours now, hon. Besides, aren’t you still in the honeymoon period? Why are you calling me every day?”

  “Pfft! We’ve been living together for a while now. What’s a honeymoon?”

  They made small talk for a few minutes, Rhonda sharing all the fun things they’d done and seen on their trip. But just as she knew it would, the conversation turned to realtors and perfect houses with white picket fences.

  “Rhonda …” Meg tried to speak, but her friend kept talking. “Rhonda … Rhonda. Listen. To. Me.”

  Finally the other woman paused.

  “I’m staying here, Rhonda. I’m not looking for a new house.”

  “Oh, Meg, I know you think moving sucks and all, but that house is way small. You guys need more room for little ones. And I am not living in that dinky neighborhood. I want a new house on the east side. Ben says…”

  “Rhonda, listen. Ray and I are divorced. We’re not going to have little ones. We’re not going to buy a house next door to you. We are over and done.”

  The silence this time was deafening. After a moment, there were several deep breaths from the other end of the line, and Meg had the impression Rhonda was starting to hyperventilate. Biting her lip, she waited, not sure what to say now that she’d dropped the bombshell.

  “He didn’t mean it with the other girls. He just likes to flirt. And Geneva … I mean, seriously she’s such a bitch to play those games in your face. But Ray loves you. Always has. There’s no need to talk about divorce.”

  “Rhonda, I didn’t say I want a divorce. The divorce is done. It was done …” She didn’t really want to admit how along ago it had been finalized. “ … a while ago. We just didn’t want to hurt you before the wedding. We wanted you to have your fairy tale. But Ray’s staying in New York. And I’m staying here. It’s done.”

  “You can’t be serious. You lied to me!”

  Meg dropped her head into her hand and squinted one eye against the migraine that was developing. “It wasn’t really a lie. It was kind of an omission
.”

  “Don’t play that crap with me, Meg. Oh my God. You and my brother have been lying to me. How long have you been divorced? You did that without telling me? Without talking to me? I’m your best friend!”

  “And how was I gonna tell you? He’s your brother, Rhonda. Besides, up until you called about being in the wedding ceremony, I assumed he’d told you.”

  “It’s been that long!”

  She groaned and shook her head. “We were separated. Not divorced yet.”

  “He’s such a prick. He cheated, didn’t he? That’s why you divorced him. He was out there like some stud or something and left you behind. I’ll beat the shit out of him…”

  “Listen, it was a mutual decision. And the whys don’t matter, Rhonda. What matters is that this isn’t a bad thing for us. Ray’s out there enjoying his life, and I’m going to move on with mine. It’s not the end of the world.”

  Meg’s hands were shaking with emotion, but the silence after the initial outburst lifted her hopes that Rhonda was getting the picture. Still, she owed her friend an apology, and she knew it. She had in fact kept something very important from her, and whether or not Ray had convinced her to do it didn’t matter. Friendship was friendship, after all.

  “I’m sorry. I know we hurt you, and I really am sorry for that. Please just understand that I never meant to. I love you, and always will.”

  “You’re just like your mother,” Rhonda hissed with vitriol. “She threw away her marriage, too. Your dad had a few one-night stands, and she threw him out, and that’s why you didn’t have a real family. You should have fought for him, Meg. You shouldn’t have given up.”

  The rain was pitter-pattering outside the window, while inside Meg sat at her kitchen table trying to balance the business totals for the month. She tapped her pencil against her forehead to the rhythm of the sound, then frowned and erased one line of numbers and corrected it. After adding things up on her calculator, she wrote down the final figure and stared at it.