Page 40 of Frog

“Yes, baby,” he said, eyes on my mouth, all semblance of concentration gone. “I heard you. I heard you begging and whining and—”

I kissed him to shut him up, and he met me eagerly with an open mouth, his tongue tangling with mine as he rolled over on top of me and pinned me under him to the bed.

“You’ve never been so aggressive before,” I told him, panting, when he let me breathe.

“I never knew you belonged to me before.”

And I would have argued, but the way he was kissing me, the feel of his hands, the heat of his skin… all I wanted to do was just surrender.

So for once I did.

Chapter Four

I WOKEup feeling better than I had in a while. My body hurt, there were new bruises, and I was sore in brand new places, but there was comfort too, which was just too terrifying to contemplate. Nothing had changed. I would still have to leave because, again, my brain told my heart for the ten billionth time, I could not live in San Francisco. There was nothing for me to do there.

Having changed and gone out the front door, ready for my morning run, I was surprised when Rachel was suddenly there.

“May I join you?”

“Yes, ma’am,”

She cleared her throat. “Not that I don’t love your sexy drawl when you say ma’am, but I really would like you to call me Rachel, if that’s okay.”

“It’s okay.” I smiled at her.

“My brother-in-law is head over heels in love with you, my girls think you’re the second coming, and my husband probably won’t be able to look you in the eye this morning.”

“And why’s that?”

She arched one perfectly shaped, raven black brow at me. “You know very well why.”

I shrugged. “He meant well bringing his stockbroker friend up here.”

“My mother-in-law doesn’t see it that way.”

“Oh, poor bastard.” I chuckled. “Did she get a hold of him?”

She laughed with me. “Oh yes, she even came to our room last night to ream him out.”

“Now I feel bad.”

“You shouldn’t. I’ve known Cy for over ten years, and he has never been anything but logical and practical and, honestly, more than a little cold.”

I had no idea what she was talking about.

“Come on, I know a good trail.”

Silently, I followed her back behind the house, but instead of veering right toward the stables, we went left over some rocky ground that quickly became dirt. It opened out into a larger area, and I saw other joggers. It was cold and foggy, but the green of the trees, the smell of wet earth and grass, and the gray of the sky all soothed me.

“I don’t understand,” I said as we began the slow climb of the trail, “what you were tryin’ to say before.”

“He’s different.” She grinned at me. “Cy. He’s completely changed when you’re around.”

“How do ya mean?”

“That guy yesterday—happy, smiling, warm guy—I’ve never met him before.”

“I am so lost,” I told her.