Free Her Gentle Giant: No Regrets by Heather Rainier

love me? Our first kiss was only this morning. How can you be so sure?”
    He chuckled. “Silly girl, I didn’t fall in love at your kiss. I’ve been falling in love with you a bit at a time over the last two months, even though you kept turning me down.”
    For once, she spoke the words that came into her mind without first filtering and editing them. He spoke from his heart, and she did the same for him. “I fell in love with you last night when you showed up at the fire and held your arms open to me, and when I slid between your sheets last night and felt enveloped by your presence. And when you touched me and told me I was beautiful. I fell in love with you only last night. Before last night, it was purely physical attraction. What does that say about me?”

    ,
    53
    “That you were scared and didn’t want to be hurt. Everybody’s different. Adam Davis told me at the wedding that he fell in love with Grace the very moment he laid eyes on her. I fell in love with you by degrees, and maybe you might have, too, if you hadn’t been fighting it so hard, you know?”
    She smiled at him and nodded. She knew he was right. “One fact remains the same.”
    “What?”
    “I do love you.” She turned to him and parted her lips as she kissed him. “Are you sure you can handle me?”
    “You mean your jealous nature?”
    “Yes, we should probably talk about that at some point rather than waiting for it to rear its ugly head. Given the change in our status, how would you handle a woman who threw herself at you?”
    “I wouldn’t wait for them to do that. Ethan has invited you to sit up front with us any night you come in while I work. They would all see that you were my girlfriend, and that would stop the more decent ones. I want people to see you at my side. You could even kiss me if you wanted,” he said with a little bit of a grin. “We could also dance during breaks. That’s something I’ve never done before because I didn’t want to encourage them, but I’d dance with you as often as I could. Let’s focus on us and deal with those situations as they arise.”
    “When did Ethan tell you I could sit up front with you? How does he know about us?” It had been less than twenty-four hours.
    “He asked me one night why you hadn’t given into my charm yet. I told him about it. It was his suggestion that you sat with me to send a message to them.”
    “Oh. I hope I’m worth the trouble.” She let out a big yawn.
    “Come on, angel. Let’s put you in bed,” Eli said as he yawned also.
    “We need a nap.” He stood with her still in his arms, and she let out a startled squeal and held on.
    “What about…”
    “Making love? You’re too worried about being jealous. We’re both preoccupied, and the mood isn’t right. It’s one o’clock right now. Let’s wait and see how you feel after a nap. When I make love to you, it’s going to be worth the wait.” He carried her into his bedroom.

    54

    Nap my ass! What? Am I two years old? Naughty Rachel tapped her shoulder, ready with a plan.
    She smiled innocently at him and asked, “Would you mind if I slipped out of my jeans? I’ll be more comfortable that way.” Rachel pictured Eli weighing his options. In one hand, he had his conviction that she needed a nap and maybe he did, too. In the other hand, he had a half-naked woman about to climb in his bed and snuggle with him. She felt safe in predicting the outcome. Pretty smug, actually.
    He set her on her feet. “I want you to be comfortable here, Rachel. No pressure, whatever helps you relax.” He removed a large woven throw blanket from the closet, big enough for both of them to cuddle together under. Dang, he seemed okay with that.
    After she removed her jeans, she climbed onto the bedspread, wondering if maybe she should be a good girl. Naughty Rachel rolled her eyes. He spread the blanket over her and climbed in under it with her. She yawned, which caused him to yawn again, and they both laughed. He