Page 30 of Players Like Us (Reunion Gap #7)

Several minutes passed as she grew more relaxed, lulled by nature and the even breathing of the man next to her.

After, she would remember the moment when he clasped her hand and intertwined it with his.

Her senses came alive, heightened by the feel of his long fingers joined with hers.

She opened her eyes and caught him on his side, staring at her, gaze intense.

Rachel leaned toward him, brushed a dark wave from his forehead.

A smile inched over his lips as he leaned toward her, knuckles brushing against her cheek. “I want to kiss you...taste you...learn every inch of you...”

“And I want to do the same.” She was the one who unbuttoned his shirt, pushed the fabric aside before he’d undone her first button.

She was the one who planted tiny, wet kisses on his collar bone, let out soft sighs and moans as she ran her hands along his bare chest while he devoured her mouth.

That kiss! Oh, but she wanted more. She wanted his hands on her, his tongue, his whole body.

.. She was the one who pulled him to her, on top of her, mouths open, bodies pressed together, anything to get closer.

Neal broke the kiss, his breathing ragged, eyes bright. “Do you want to go somewhere more private? Somewhere more...”

Rachel answered his question with another kiss, this one hotter, more desperate.

Raw. Open. Filled with such need. Oh, but she wanted him and it didn’t matter where they were or that too many unanswered questions still stretched between them.

Nothing mattered but this . Their clothes disappeared one delicious stroke at a time until they were naked and he’d satisfied his promise to learn every inch of her.

Oh, but those hands...that tongue...so luscious.

And then he entered her and her world spun apart, obliterating everything but pleasure and white-hot heat.

Rachel clung to him as they moved together, greedy, needful, all-consuming.

The intensity continued until she burst into a million pieces of the purest pleasure she’d ever known.

Seconds later, Neal pulled her to him, eyes glittering as he groaned and reached his climax.

There were no words after that. How could there be when the unspoken had been so much more powerful than a simple and inadequate string of words? He made her feel… He made her feel… He made her feel.

She drifted to sleep tucked against him, his scent covering her, his strong arms keeping her close. When she woke, her head was on his chest, her leg flung over his hip, her hand clutching his waist. He’d draped his shirt around her shoulders to form a loose blanket. “Neal?”

“Have a nice sleep?” He stroked her back, rested a hand on her thigh.

“Best I’ve had in forever.”

Pause and then “Are you still talking about sleep? Because if you’re not, then fair warning, we were not in a bed, or even a couch. The ground isn’t as comfortable and tends to limit mobility.” Big sigh. “I definitely wish we were in my bed right now.”

She didn’t miss the humor or the intimacy in his words. “Maybe next time.” She snuggled closer, breathed in his scent. What if he weren’t interested in the next time? What if he didn’t want the complications that would arise from being involved with her? What if—

“Definitely.” His fingers trailed along her spine, sent shivers through her. “Cold?” He tucked his shirt closer to her body.

“No, I’m good.” She’d never made love outdoors like this, on the grass, beneath the sky, a gentle breeze blowing over them, the sun shifting.

There was something about it that increased the intimacy of the experience, made her feel closer, made everything more intense.

Or was it simply because she was with this man?

Next time , they’d make love in bed and she’d see if it were as intense as this time.

But even as she catalogued her plan, deep down, she knew the answer—the location wouldn’t matter. It was Neal who mattered.

“So… This could get tricky…”

Rachel played with the springy hairs of his chest. “Complicated for sure.”

Big sigh and a quiet “Should we tell them together and be done with it? I prefer that… Get it all out and no doubt your brother will take a swing or two at me and my sister will cry, but then it’s done. They can get used to the idea. They can—”

“Neal, we shouldn’t say anything yet. Why do they need to know? Can’t we just pretend nothing happened?”

His hand stilled and when he spoke, she didn’t miss the coolness in his voice. “You want to pretend this didn’t happen?”

“No, of course not. I would never… I just don’t want to ruin this.

” She lifted her head from his chest, noted the brackets around his mouth, the narrowed gaze.

“I just don’t want to hear them offering opinions, especially my brother.

” She touched his lips, leaned forward, and placed a soft kiss on them. “Can’t we wait?”

“What about when we head back to Virginia?” No missing the challenge in his voice. “Do we keep pretending we can barely tolerate each other? Do we let Simon think he still has a chance with you?” Pause. “ Does he still have a chance?”

“How can you even say that? I’m not interested in Simon and haven’t been in a long time. My minimal curiosity peaked before I knew who he was...what he was...a player.”

“Ah, a player. Maybe we’re all just players, did you ever think of that? Maybe he’s just one of us… A player like us?”

“Don’t talk like that.” Rachel sat up, placed a hand on his forearm. Minutes ago they’d been so close, so connected , but now? He might as well be ten miles away.

“I’ve pretended my whole life and I’m tired of doing it.”

“Can you just do this for me?” Why couldn’t he understand? “For a little while?”

He remained silent for so long, she didn’t think he’d answer, and when he did she was almost certain he’d refuse. “Define a little while.”

“A few weeks? I just need some time to work things out in my head and then… We’ll let whatever happens happen.”

Neal sat up, reached for his boxers, pulled them on.

“Sure. You let me know what you want to do and we’ll see where we are then.

If we agree, then great… We’ll move forward with whatever this is.

” He snagged his slacks, thrust a leg into one side, then stepped into the other one and yanked up his zipper.

“Just send me the playbook, since I don’t seem to know the rules. ”

Rachel shimmied into her panties, his shirt still draping her shoulders, the scent of him clinging to her.

Didn’t he realize these emotions were too new, too raw, too unfamiliar for her to process right now?

She cared about him… Maybe too much… Maybe so much it made her vulnerable and needy, and she did not want to be either.

She had to think about this, had to get control, and she needed him to understand.

“Neal, there’s something going on between us and I can’t deny it.

I’ve never felt this way about any man..

.and that was before what just happened.

I need time to figure this out; can you try to understand? ”

He eased the shirt from her shoulders, careful not to touch her skin.

“I understand exactly what you’re saying.

You’re scared. Uncharted territory. All of that other BS, and I guess maybe you think I’m not?

Maybe you’re questioning whether I have real feelings for you?

Maybe I’ve been through this so many times and you’re just one more—” he waved a hand toward the ground “—warm body? Well, guess what? You’re not and this wasn’t and if you need time to process it and develop talking points?

” He shoved his feet into his shoes, spat out, “Then maybe this was a mistake.” His gaze swung to hers, blue eyes so bright they glittered. “Maybe we were a mistake.”

No, no, he couldn’t mean that. “Neal. Don’t say that.”

“Don’t say what you’re trying to figure out? I’m done playing games with you, Rachel. You know where I am and you should know who I am and if that’s not good enough for you, then do us both a favor and admit it.”