Hearing her scream out his name and then go lax with pleasure was all he needed to push him over the edge. The tight ball of pressure that had been gathering at the base of his spine exploded. He emptied himself into the condom, his hips bucking against her.
Rick immediately slumped forward, placing sloppy kisses against her shoulder. Regretfully, when he began to soften, he pulled out of her and asked, “Where can I get rid of the condom?”
She stood up. “Come here. I'll show you.”
He followed her, watching as she walked down the hallway completely unfazed by her nudity. He, on the other hand, was incredibly fazed by it. The sway of those delectable hips was even more pronounced without clothing. Christ, she was gorgeous.
She slowed, then pushed open a door and said, “Bathroom's in there.”
At his nod she added, “I'm going to go get some water and then go lay in there.” She pointed to a dark room at the end of the hall. “I'd be delighted if you'd join me.”
He appraised her openly and then gave her a grin. “Count on it.”
* * *
When Rick rolled over, he reached for Tessa but found the bed empty. He glanced at the small en suite bathroom but saw it was unlit. He was about to get up and go find her when he heard her raised voice. “I told you I would make the copies. I'll get them to you tomorrow.”
There was a brief pause and she said, “I know I said last week but something came up. Jesus, Mel. Did you really need to call me at 6:30 in the morning on a fucking Sunday to discuss this? Could this not wait until a decent hour?”
Another longer pause. “Then get someone else to do it for you. I'm risking my neck by even doing it. You could at least—”
“Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going back to bed now unless there's anything else I can do for you at six in the morning?”
Rick dropped his head back to the pillow and said, “Well fuck.”
When he heard her walking back down the hallway, grumbling, he rolled back over. He felt her slide quietly back into bed. He sleepily asked, “Where'd you go?”
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I tried not to wake you. Just a phone call.”
“It's barely even daylight. Did somebody die?” he asked, his voice laced with irritation.
“No. Nothing like that. The phone call is the last thing I wanna think about when I have a warm, sexy, and hard body in my bed,” she said, her voice practically dripping sex.
He fucking hated that he still wanted her, despite the fact she looked so guilty right then. Still, he rolled over, fastened his mouth to her throat, and tried not to think about it. Not yet, anyway.
Chapter Six
Still annoyed after yesterday morning's blowout, Tessa stood on Melinda's doorstep with the invitations in hand. When her sister finally opened the door, Tessa said, “Here are the invitations. Sorry I was delayed in dropping them off. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal since her birthday is five weeks out.”
“Don't worry about it,” Melinda said in her typical unapologetic style. She opened the folder and said, “Thank you for making the copies.”
“I can't do it anymore,” Tessa said. “My boss is already on my ass enough as it is. It's going to get me in trouble.”
“Well, jeez. I didn't mean to inconvenience you.”
Tessa rolled her eyes. Now she was going to be the bad guy. She really didn't have the patience for this anymore. Between the shit her brother gave her and the way Melinda assumed everyone was at her beck and call, she'd really had enough.
“Your original is in there. I need to get back to work, okay?”
“Sure, but ... I thought these would be on thicker paper, Tessa. I can't even use these.”
Tessa blinked at her sister. “Holy shit, Melinda. I drove an hour in traffic to get the freaking invitation to make you copies so you didn't have to do it. I risked getting bitched at by my boss, then drove here on my god damned lunch break for you to tell me you can't use the fucking invitations? I don't care. I just don't even care. You're so freaking selfish. Do you even hear yourself?”
Melinda gaped at her. “Christ. Next time I'll make the copies myself. Go back to work, grump.”
“This is so not about the invitations and you know it. I bend over backwards for you all the time and you're never freaking satisfied. I went to probate court when Dad died, sold the house, and did all the fucking insurance paperwork. You came over and moved a couple of boxes when I begged you to, sure. But you were damn quick to come over and take your share when the checks showed up. You were happy to take everything that wasn't nailed down. Not once did you ask me how I felt or if you could help me with the process.”
“Tessa! That—”