Bending the Rules: Wicked Warrens, Book 5 Read online

  She sighed. “All my starch, hmm? How about we talk about my week at work, my budgets, the trouble with the logistics on a few projects, and my nemesis, Josh Jessup? Then maybe you’ll understand why I’m wired all the time.”

  “Do tell.” Darn, he had to go looking interested in a detailed list that had already bored her. She mentally added good listener to his attributes and did her best not to look besotted.

  “You asked for it…”

  Chapter Six

  Sunday afternoon, Rex mulled over the past evening with his best friend, wondering how to get the stubborn woman to admit she liked being with him, both in and out of bed. “I’m telling you, Brian. She’s the one.”

  Brian’s narrowed eyes spoke volumes. Faith joined them outside on the patio of their home, bringing him a glass of sweet tea. Lord love her, the girl made it better than Rex’s own momma, not that he’d ever tell Sue Samson that.

  “Don’t let me interrupt. What’s this about Natalie Wielder being ‘the one’?” Faith asked.

  Rex sighed. “I think I’m falling for her. You know what we did last night?”

  Brian raised a brow.

  “Not that,” said Rex.

  “Yeah, Brian. Get your mind out of the gutter.” Faith winked at Rex. “But I bet you wanted to.”

  He laughed. “It’s hell being around her and being good.” He paused. “No pun intended, Brian.”

  “Really? This again? Didn’t you use up all the mileage on my last name like ten years ago?”

  “Serves you right for trying to sully my innocent time with Nat.”

  “Please.” Brian shook his head. “You spent the night listening to her, committing her details to memory, all while trying to figure a way into her pants. I know you, dude.”

  “Yeah, well, she’s hot. It’d be like you and Faith hanging out and not thinking of sex. Yeah, like that. Not happenin’.”

  Faith blushed. “He’s got a point.”

  “Fine. So tell us about last night.”

  “I made her dinner. She teased me with work stories and a few personal facts about herself. She’s got some baggage from her parents divorcing when she was young, I think. But I didn’t get too much else out of her. Except, well, she’s from the North.” A Yankee. But so damn sexy.

  Faith sighed. “That’s too bad.”

  Rex agreed, but for Nat he’d make an exception. “She has two brothers in and out of relationships and a sister who’s happily married to a wonderful woman—ergo, Nat’s not a homophobe. She’s not a tight-ass either, except at work, and she’s competitive like you can’t believe. Woman dared to play me at a hand of gin, and when I won, I swear she looked ready to pound me.”

  “Impressive,” said Faith.

  Brian clapped. “Heck, I’m impressed you used the word ‘ergo’ in a sentence.”

  “Don’t be an ass.”

  “He can’t help it,” Faith added.

  Brian frowned at her, then turned back to Rex. “She sounds like she’s just your type.”

  “I know.” Rex wanted her even more today. “We have a lot in common. Well, in addition to freaky sex, which she still won’t admit to.”

  Faith’s eyes gleamed. “About the freaky sex… I only know you like to watch.”

  “And be watched. Don’t forget that,” he added. “Consider that an invitation.”

  Brian glared at him. “Quit flirting with my fiancée.”

  “You going to spend the rest of the evening calling her that? Not like it’s something I can forget with that huge rock on her finger.”

  Faith looked at Brian with her heart in her eyes. “Isn’t he sweet?”

  “I wouldn’t call him sweet,” Rex muttered. “Whipped, maybe.”

  “Make fun all you like.” Brian tugged Faith into his lap with a smug smile. “But I can bend her over and have at her whenever I want. You wish you were me.”

  “I do.” He groaned. “I just wish it was Nat on my lap.”

  Faith tapped her nails on the table. “I knew you’d get bitten by the bug someday. All this lovey-dovey mooning from a man who once told his best friend to take the pole position. Classic karma.”

  He glared at Brian. “You tell her everything?”

  Rex once tried to offer his friend advice on dating. That advice had been to keep in the lead and not let Faith run him to ground. Brian hadn’t taken the hint, and because of it, he now had his hands full of perfection. That was why Rex wasn’t arguing overmuch. He wanted what Brian had.

  “We share.” Brian nuzzled Faith’s cheek. It would have been annoying if Rex weren’t so happy for the pair. “We shared with you, didn’t we?”

  “Yeah. It’s just… Nat’s perfect for me. I knew it the moment I first saw her. Plus, she’s kinky as all get out. I mean, she rocks my world, you know?”

  Faith frowned. “Then I don’t get it. What’s holding you two back?”

  “She doesn’t mix work and pleasure. At all. She’s smart, tough and closed off. And dominant as hell.” Which turned him rock hard just thinking about it. “But when she makes up her mind about something, she sticks to it. She put me in the friends category, so that’s where I’m stuck. Even though I’m pretty sure she knows it was me at the club the other night.” At least, he thought she knew it was him. Now he wasn’t so certain.

  “Rex, you’ve been on what? Two dates with the woman? Give her a chance to change her mind,” Brian offered.

  “I am. It’s just… I know what I want, and I don’t like to wait. Nat doesn’t trust me yet. She’s sexy, smart, confident. She’s also nowhere near as weird about wealth as Faith here. Another plus.”

  Faith frowned. “Hey. I’m not a gold digger.”

  “Nope, and you still freak out that Brian will think you are. Get over yourself, girl.”

  She fumed as Rex continued, “Thing is, Nat’s the type to compartmentalize. Her home is totally neat. She’s almost OCD organized.”

  “Something you could use a little help with,” Brian pointed out.

  “Yeah, but I mean, it’s like she’s professional-office Natalie most of the time. In private, at the club, she’s this crazy sexy woman I want to worship. But I get the feeling she won’t let down her guard enough to find out how great we can be. The club is a place for fantasy, but Nat won’t let that fantasy play out in real life. No bending, no breaking the rules with Ms. Wielder.”

  Faith frowned. “But if she already loves being with you, then—”

  Rex interrupted, “We wore masks and it was dark. I’m pretty sure she knows it was me, but I can’t say for certain.”

  “Ooh. That’s tricky.” Faith bit her lip. “If she’s like you say, and she does find out it was you at the club, she might be upset you weren’t honest with her.”

  A problem he hadn’t considered. Stupidly, he’d thought that once Nat put him and R together, they’d run with hot sex and kinky fantasies into a happily ever after. “So maybe she’ll assume I was playing her? But I never told anyone about us.” Should he just tell her? A simple solution…yet it meant putting their night out there, something to deal with. Until he knew how she really felt about him as Rex Samson, not R, he thought he should wait.

  “Who the hell knows how women think?” Brian answered.

  “Hey.” Faith frowned.

  “Well, honey, it’s true. I had no idea how the hell your mind worked when we first started dating. Even now, half the time I’m still clueless.”

  She smirked. “That’s the way it should be.” She turned to Rex. “You want my opinion, just be honest with her. Get her to see the real you out of bed. Then, next time you’re both wearing those masks at the club, you take yours off and let her see you’re not the enemy.”

  He sighed, still wishing he’d seduced her last night, instead of sticking to his plan. “I’m trying, but it’s hard.”


  “Yeah, we know.” Faith looked down at Rex’s pants.

  Brian chuckled.

  “Perverts.” Rex drained his tea. “Faith, could I have more?”

  “For you, sexy, anything.”

  Brian stared at her back as she flounced away with Rex’s glass.

  “You really did good with that one,” Rex said, following his gaze.

  “I know. I’m just amazed you can see that now. What happened to being a loner more interested in threesomes and casual sex than a relationship?”

  “Well, maybe if you and the rest of our friends weren’t such happy, horny assholes about coupling up, I could be my happy, horny self,” Rex admitted. “Damn, son. I’m seeing you with Faith and want my own woman.”

  “Oh my God. You’re growing up right before my eyes!” Brian gasped.

  “What did I say about not being a dick?”

  “You said ass.”

  Faith returned with his glass.

  “Thanks, honey.” Rex took a large sip, thirsty for more of Nat’s affection and drinking the only thing he had at hand.

  “Now what’s this about Brian’s dick?” asked Faith. “Is he showing off again?”

  Brian sputtered.

  “He been whipping it out when he shouldn’t?” Rex teased. “Did you know he used to measure it in college? Would watch dirty movies and see if he could get to—”

  “That’s enough out of you. Don’t even get me started on your shenanigans in school.”

  Rex paused. “Point taken.” He drank more tea.

  “I feel for you, man. You’re where I was when Faith was being stupid.”

  “Still not amused with you,” Faith said with a bite.

  “Now, honey, I’m just trying to make a point. Rex, woo the woman on two fronts. Get her hooked on your cock and your slow drawl. Then show her who you really are.”

  Faith nodded. “Crude, but effective. You want her to trust you, you have to show her all of you. Even the ugly parts.”

  “But, Faith, there’s nothing ugly about me,” Rex joked. “Maybe my perfection will scare her off.” Yet inside, he wondered. Would Nat still want him if he admitted his sinful pleasures? Maybe she wanted to live in her fantasy world, keeping her two lives separate. He’d tried denying himself, but it didn’t work for him. Rex had to keep his private and personal lives on an even keel, which meant giving in to temptation when it struck.

  Could Nat do that? Could she trust him without the mask? Enough to let him into her life as more than a friend?

  Working this much for a woman should have been boring, but as he’d never had to try this hard before, he found the challenge intriguing. Almost as enthralling as Nat.

  Tuesday night, he met Nat at her place for a meal she’d promised to prepare. He arrived with a six-pack of the beer she’d liked on their Saturday-night-date-that-wasn’t-a-date.

  “Hey, Nat. How’s it going?” Keep it casual. Friendly. He leaned closer to press a kiss to her cheek. God, not reaching for the rest of her about killed him. He handed her the beer. “Enjoy, compliments of the house.”

  She smiled. As usual, in her spare time she dressed casually and still managed to look amazing. Her torn shorts and Yankees tee-shirt gave her a girl-next-door appearance. He wanted to drop to his knees and beg her to give him a shot. Then beg her to let him fuck her but good.

  Clearing her throat, she pulled back and glanced away from the intensity in his gaze.

  Damn. He hoped he looked a lot less desperate than he felt. “So what’s on the agenda for tonight?”

  “I ordered in pizza.”

  “That’s cheating.”

  “Hey, I said I’d make dinner. I’m making it appear. Same difference.”

  He sighed. “I feel so misled. So used.”

  She chuckled. “Shut up. You wanted to be friendly, I’m inviting you into my house for a shared meal. That’s about as friendly as I get.”

  He had the feeling Nat wasn’t kidding. Such a prickly thing. Though amicable and respected at work—he knew because he’d discreetly asked around—she didn’t seem to have many visitors. No tight friends that he could tell, though she seemed chummy enough with Freddy. Nat exuded an all-work, no-play vibe clearly visible at the office and in her obsessively organized home.

  The neatness all around smothered him, and he had an overwhelming urge to muss the stack of magazines on her coffee table. Something to shake her, to get her to drop those repressive walls and share her inner desires.

  He resisted the urge and followed her into the kitchen. He accepted the beer she poured him, raised his glass and clinked it against the one she’d poured for herself.

  “What are we toasting to?” she asked.

  “To a heavenly extra cheese pizza. I’m just hoping you didn’t order sausage or mushrooms. I hate them.”

  Her evil grin made her that much cuter. “Oh, I ordered pizza with all the fixings.”

  “Monster.”

  “And a small calzone in case you were picky.”

  “Thank God. You might be civilized after all under that Yankee veneer.”

  She snickered. “Y’all lost the war. Get over it already.”

  “Sugar, I was talking about your God-awful taste in baseball teams.” He nodded at her shirt.

  She flushed. “Oh.”

  He laughed. “So tell me, how can an intelligent woman root for a team so miserably bad?”

  “Bad? I think you’re confusing us with the Braves.” She argued win-loss averages over the years, battings statistics and ball team history like a pro.

  Rex fell more under her spell. If it turned out she watched Formula One too, he was going on one knee and offering to marry her, on the spot, no questions asked. Except at mention of Formula One, she frowned.

  “Oh, those weird looking race cars? Not my thing.”

  So no marriage proposal tonight then. He’d keep that in his back pocket for later.

  The pizza arrived, and the stubborn woman refused to let him pay. Instead, she watched him dig into the calzone with a knife and fork, shaking her head at his attempts to neatly consume greasy food.

  “Such a prima donna. Just pick the damn thing up and eat it with your hands.”

  He cringed. “My momma would die on the spot.”

  “She won’t know.” Nat huffed.

  “She will. You don’t know Sue Samson. Woman has a second sight. Always knows when I’m doing without manners.”

  “Then she must be cringing constantly.”

  He laughed. After a pause he asked, “So how is it an uptight woman like yourself, who doesn’t allow a speck of dust to linger in her house, has an issue with me using silverware to eat a pizza?”

  “Did you just call me uptight?”

  “I believe I did.” He had the satisfaction of watching anger turn her gaze from green to dark brown.

  He thought she might finally admit she’d been the one behind the mask at the club that night, to show how not uptight she could be. But then she relaxed and shrugged. “So I’m uptight—I like my job. I work in an office where they eat their young. I can be gruff and deal frankly with subordinates, but step one foot out of place when it comes to not being a lady, and I’m out on my ass. A dichotomy I’m not fond of.”

  He frowned. “You make way too much out of fitting in at work.”

  “Do I?” She poked him in the shoulder. “Do you know why the last urban planner was fired? For doing his assistant. And the mayor’s last secretary was urged to leave because someone found out she was gay.”

  “Who? Old Abby Denton?”

  “Yep.”

  He laughed. “Honey, Abby wasn’t gay. She lived with her elderly sister. She wasn’t fired either. She quit.”

  “Not what I heard.”

  “The last mayor fooled around
with city money and was let go. Jessup might be a philandering ass, but he’s a by-the-book kind of guy in the office. A lot like you, only not as pretty.”

  “Oh, that’s mean. Comparing me to the mayor like that.”

  He shrugged.

  They continued to banter as they finished the six-pack. He didn’t know when he’d enjoyed an evening more. He just wished he knew how to break through her fun yet distant barrier. She laughed and made eye contact, but he could tell she kept a piece of herself tucked away. That sensual dynamo festering just under the surface.

  “I’ll do dishes,” he offered when he realized the evening had wound down. Nearly eleven, and they’d done nothing but argue, tease and argue some more.

  “We’re eating off paper plates, genius.”

  “And paper napkins,” he reminded her. “Like I said, I’ll do dishes.”

  She rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide a smile.

  Wishing he could stretch out the evening longer but knowing he’d do well to leave before he made the mistake of kissing her again, he cleaned up the kitchen and prepared to go. He’d have to rethink how to get her to admit to her fantasies. Some more sex at the club, maybe? He’d have Freddy tell Nat that R had asked for her. Then he’d tear off his mask after making her come and show her the truth. Maybe that would work…if it didn’t backfire terribly.

  “I had a great time.” He searched for his keys. He could have sworn he’d left them on the counter.

  “Looking for these?” She dangled his keys from her finger and stood by the door.

  “You’re a slick one.” He walked toward her, but as he tried to grab his keys, she pulled them back.

  “Uh-uh.”

  He raised a brow, intrigued by the heat in her eyes. “Hmm. You holding me hostage?”

  “Something like that.” She dropped the keys on the floor and gripped his shirt to pull him closer.

  “Um, Nat?” His voice had grown embarrassingly deep, his arousal impossible to miss.

  “You want to leave, you have to pay the toll.” She practically purred the challenge, and he wanted nothing more than to ask his mistress for permission to please her.