Time for Change Read online

  He sat back, watching her eat. She loved her food, and he recalled all the other times he’d been with her eating a meal. Rachel had been part of his life for a long time. When he’d met Claire’s family, he’d been enamored by the young woman and her idealistic views. Later on, he’d cared for her, holding her hand and comforting her through the hard part of her life. Over the years he’d helped her through everything, so much so, they’d become really good friends.

  When had his feelings turned to love and lust?

  There was a lot of stuff he wished he could take back, but this feeling wasn’t one of them. The women were the only part he’d change.

  The meal went by without another hitch. On the way out, twenty-five minutes later, Rachel was smiling and laughing.

  In the fresh air with plenty of space surrounding them, Rachel threw herself in his arms. “Thank you,” she said, dropping her head to the nape of his neck.

  “What for?” he asked.

  “For being my best friend. I’ve missed you being there for me.”

  In the coming weeks he was going to be more than a best friend.

  “I care for you, Rachel. I hate this distance that has settled between us. No more women, I promise.” He reached out to stroke her cheek. Chris saw her gasp and try to hide it with a cough. She covered her mouth, stepping away from him.

  There was something blistering between them, and he wasn’t going to let it go.

  “I’ve got to go. I’m looking for more work seeing as I can only work here part-time.” She smiled, looking unsure and adorable as she did.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yeah, if not, I’ll call you.” She left him alone.

  Chris waited until she was out of sight before going around the back. Richard was waiting for him. The other man was sat on a step with his hands fisted.

  “What do you want?” Richard asked. The real bad attitude of the man was coming through. Chris saw through the charm to settle on him.

  “How high is the bet going? I mean, do you get more for screwing her or just going on a date?” Chris asked, getting straight to the point.

  He’d been a man. While he’d been training to become a doctor, he’d worked in a lot of odd jobs. He knew the men who would put a price on dating or fucking someone. Chris had been exactly like it. Claire had been the woman at the hospital the men wanted. She’d been a nurse, an untouchable nurse.

  When he’d told her about the bet on her head, she’d been heartbroken. Chris never expected to fall in love with her. Once he realized his feelings, he’d nipped the betting in the bud.

  “Why? Do you want in?”

  Chris smiled. This man’s life was going to get hard. Acting, Chris grabbed the man’s apron and threw him against the wall. Pinning him to the wall, he pressed an arm over his neck, halting his struggles.

  “Do you really think screwing with my friend is funny?” he asked, getting angrier as he looked at the slime-ball’s face. Shaking his head, Chris applied more pressure to the man’s windpipe. “This is what you’re going to do. You’re going to go on a date with her, and then you’re going to tell her everything that happens here. I don’t want you to leave a detail out of what and how much you were going to win for getting in her pants. Do you understand?”

  Richard jerked his head in acknowledgement.

  “Good.” Releasing the man, Chris kept his gaze on him. “No one hurts my friend.”

  With his parting words, he turned and left.

  Chapter Three

  By Friday Rachel settled on the black cocktail dress she owned, her hair tied back with minimal makeup. The last thing she wanted to do was look like a clown or something. Chris had phoned to check in with her. She’d tried to talk to him about tonight, but he wasn’t having any of it.

  She avoided going to his place, but against her better judgment, she’d walked past her old home, the home he’d sold after Claire died. She needed to put her relationship with Chris into some kind of perspective. He was not her lover or boyfriend. Chris was Claire’s husband, and her sister was dead.

  Any feelings she had for him were wrong, and she needed to stop them from taking any kind of form. She was twenty-six with no chance of settling down. Rachel still wanted to have a life, become a mother, a wife, and have the dream of a family.

  Chris was not part of her life. He’d told her before that he was done with having a family and trying to have a life that meant happiness.

  Her cell phone buzzed, and she saw it was Chris dialing her.

  Rolling her eyes, she clicked accept on her phone and listened to him talk. “Have you gone on your date yet?” he asked.

  “No, I’m stood making sure I look okay.”

  “What are you wearing?”

  “A black cocktail dress. It’s plain, but it’s all I have, and he wasn’t very specific on what to wear.” She wiped some lipstick from her teeth. Another of her faults, she’d never been good with the makeup or getting all girly. Claire was the woman who could primp and pamper herself all day. Rachel had never been good at looking in the mirror and getting herself all pretty.

  “Remember I want you to phone me—”

  “Yeah, I know, you want me to phone you during every stage of my date because you don’t trust me,” she said, interrupting him before he got into the flow of his rant.

  “I trust you, not the chef.”

  Her door was knocked on, and she headed toward it.

  “Please, stop worrying about me. I need to get out and date. I’m not getting any younger, and I want a family soon.”

  The silence on the other end was deafening.

  “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “I never do anything stupid,” she said, loving his concern way more than she should.

  “No? Then what do you call losing your virginity in college and the guy crushing you because of it?”

  She paused at his accusation. Rachel had begged her sister not to tell him the truth. Yes, she’d lost her virginity to a musician at college, but not once did he give her the time of day after that. She’d felt cheap and hated the sight of herself when she looked in the mirror.

  “Did Claire tell you about that?” she asked.

  “No, I knew from looking at you. You’re like an open book, honey. Please, don’t do anything stupid.”

  The knocking grew louder as she listened to Chris on the phone. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you, I promise.”

  She hung up at the first moment. Closing her eyes, she tried to compose herself.

  “Are you there, Rachel?” Richard asked, calling through the door.

  Unlocking the door, she saw her date was stood, dressed in a suit and holding a single red rose dressed in a suit.

  “Richard,” she said, forcing a smile to her face.

  “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you. You look very handsome.”

  “You’re just saying that to be nice.” He handed her the rose.

  “Erm, thank you. Let me put this in a pot.”

  She left the door open, wishing Richard stayed outside. Filling a little pot, she placed the rose inside the water and headed back. She didn’t want to be on this date. The thought of being with Richard for the rest of the evening didn’t leave her thrilled.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked. She saw he was stood outside still.

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded and headed out with him. She wasn’t surprised when he took her to a Chinese restaurant as she’d not been very forthcoming with her ideal place. Telling a prospective date that she liked eating with Chris didn’t sound great to her.

  She glanced down at her cell phone as they were seated. When she reached for the menu with the prices on, Richard took it instead. All too soon she was being ordered something she didn’t actually like and was having to listen to him talk about work.

  Nodding, mumbling and pushing her food around her plate, Rachel was bored. She couldn’t stop looking at the clock, wondering when she
’d be able to call it a night.

  Richard leaned back after he finished his meal. “I’ve got something to tell you,” he said.

  Looking up, she waited for him to speak.

  He reached into his jacket pocket and produced an envelope. She took it from him. Opening the envelope she saw it was a lot of money. “What is all this?”

  “It’s a bet.”

  “A bet?” She closed the envelope, looking at him.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, Richard, you’re going to have to bring me up to speed because at the moment, I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say to me.”

  “You were part of a bet.”

  She stared at him, wondering if this was some kind of joke. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “No one could get in your pants. You’re not dating anyone, and so a bet was set up. The first man to get you on a date and fuck you, got the money,” Richard said.

  Rachel felt sick.

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “I got the winnings, but there’s another pot for getting you into bed.”

  Glancing around her, she felt the tears fill her eyes. She hated the feeling of being alone. “You only asked me on a date for money?”

  “It was nothing personal.”

  Standing up, she left him alone.

  “Rachel? Rachel? Stop, please,” Richard asked.

  She kept walking, hating the fact they were drawing attention.

  “Please, stop walking away from me.”

  Stopping where she was, she faced him. “What? Do you need money? With your winnings you can pay for my dinner.” She stared at his face and knew she’d brought this date on herself. Hating Chris for his knowledge of the situation, she raised her palm and slapped Richard.

  “Don’t ever speak to me again.”

  Without waiting for a response she ran out of the restaurant, wanting to put as much distance as she could between them both.

  She didn’t answer her cell phone as it rang.

  Getting a taxi, she gave the man Chris’s address and sat back down, waiting to get to his place. The guard on the door smiled at her and then frowned when he saw her tears.

  Rachel gave him a wave and headed toward the stairs.

  ****

  Chris listened to the guard’s explanation as his door was being banged on. Her key was still on the kitchen counter where he’d left it. Going to the door, he saw her waiting for him, crying.

  “Did you know?” she asked.

  “Did I know what?” He was stalling for time.

  “About the bet, did you know? You know everything else, so why not know about this?” She raised her arms in the air.

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her into his apartment.

  “Yes, I knew about the bet, and yes, I told Richard to tell you the truth,” he said.

  “Why? It was an innocent date. Why did you have to spoil it?” Her voice grew louder with every word she said.

  “Did you want to have a date with a guy who couldn’t be bothered to care about you?” he asked, getting annoyed.

  “You don’t get it. This was the first date I’ve had in over a year. I just wanted to have some fun.”

  He wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Richard is not worth these tears, Rachel.”

  “I know. He’s not worth anything, but now I’ve lost everything, Chris.”

  “How?” The urge to pull her into his arms was strong.

  She breezed past him standing in front of his coffee table. “How can I go back to work knowing they were all betting on sleeping with me?”

  Chris rubbed the back of his neck. “Then don’t go back to work.”

  “No, you don’t get it.”

  “Do you know what I don’t get? Why you keep backing away from me.” He took a step closer to her. She stepped back, moving around from the coffee table. The tension in the room thickened. His cock tightened at the sight of her in the cocktail dress. He’d been with her when she brought the dress. Chris had needed a date for a function, and Rachel had agreed to go with him. He’d brought the dress himself and had her on his arm. The night had been magical, and one of the few times he’d forgotten about his responsibility with her.

  She wasn’t his responsibility. Rachel had never been anything more to him than a friend. He wanted so much more, and he was determined to get what he wanted.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, backing away. Her back hit the nearest wall, stopping her from running from him.

  Pressing his palms to the wall on either side of her head, Chris gazed into her dark brown eyes and then down at her plump, heart-shaped lips. Fuck, she was so beautiful and sexy. He wanted her badly.

  If he did this, then their relationship would be over.

  “Chris, what are you doing?” she asked. He cupped her cheek then sank his fingers into her hair, fisting the length.

  “I’m doing what we should have done a long time ago.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. Her gaze went to his lips before jerking back up to look at his face.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  She shook her head, and he stopped all denial by pressing his body against her. Rubbing his cock against her stomach, Chris watched her reaction. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him.

  Tilting her head back, he didn’t give her room to move or to mistake what he was doing.

  “This has been a long time coming.”

  “You sleep with everything that walks.”

  “I didn’t think I could have you,” he said, being honest with her.

  She gasped, trying to jerk back. He stopped her from hitting her head on the wall.

  “This shouldn’t be happening,” she said. Her voice became a whisper as she looked at him.

  “Why not?”

  “You’re Claire’s—”

  “She’s dead, and she wanted me to be happy.”

  Rachel swallowed, and he watched the movement. Her throat looked so tempting. Leaning forward, he stroked his tongue along her pulse, feeling it jump beneath his touch. Her moan erupted out of her lips, making him harden further still.

  “We can do this, Rachel. We can be together. We will be together.”

  He wasn’t taking no for an answer. Rachel was his woman, and all they’d been doing was wasting time with each other.

  Moving his hand from the wall, he cupped her large breast through her dress. Her nipple hardened, pressing into his palm.

  “Richard doesn’t deserve you. No other man deserves you.” He didn’t deserve her, but he wasn’t going to let her go.

  “And you do?” she asked, sounding incredulous.

  “I know you better than any other person. You know this, and so do I.”

  “You’re Claire’s.”

  “No.” He spoke the word through gritted teeth. “I’m not Claire’s.” She needed to stop seeing her sister when it was only him that was left. Cupping both of her cheeks, he tilted her head back, focusing on her. “But I could be yours.”

  They’d never kissed, not once. Staring at her plump lips, Chris felt his heart pounding against his chest. He was going to do this. No more fighting or hiding from what she evoked inside him.

  “This can’t happen,” she said.

  Drawing closer to her lips, Chris made a decision. “This can happen, and it will.”

  He slammed his lips down on hers not giving her a chance to pull away. She whimpered the instant his mouth was on hers. Tightening his fist in her hair, he tugged on the length wanting to shock her in some way.

  Chris felt the need to possess every inch of her. She’d been on a date with another man, and he couldn’t accept the thought of her with someone else. No one deserved to be with his woman.

  Letting go of her hair, he ran his hands down her back to cup her ass. She didn’t open for him, and he released her lips long enough to order her. “Open your lips for me, baby. Kiss me back,
touch me.”

  He was mindless with pleasure. Every need pushed him to claim her harder. Squeezing her ass tightly, he rubbed his cock against her body, wishing she was naked.

  Breaking the kiss, he looked down into her eyes knowing he’d finally crossed that line between them.

  “Nothing is going to stop what’s about to happen.”

  “I’ve just been on a date with someone else,” she said, pressing a hand to her lips.

  “And now it’s my turn to show you why I’ll be so much better for you.”

  Chapter Four

  What the hell was happening to her? One moment she’d been upset and angry about being part of a bet, and now she was being kissed mindless by a man she’d been developing feelings for a long time now. Her lips felt swollen to the touch. She saw he had a day’s growth on his face as well.

  “This is happening,” he said, drawing his shirt up and over his head.

  “No, this can’t happen.” There was no fight or conviction to her words. She’d seen him without a shirt on many times before. This was different. They’d kissed, and now he was naked from the waist up. He took hold of her hand and placed it on the center of his chest.

  “You can fight me, Rachel. You know as well as I that we’re meant to be doing this. I feel it every time we’re together.”

  “What do you feel?” she asked, staring at her hand on his chest.

  “The spark. We’ve had it for a long time. Claire knew our spark existed. She’d want this.” His hands went to her dress and began to pull it off her shoulders. Rachel didn’t protest. She should protest. What if he was drunk?

  Stop thinking about Claire.

  What if he was right? Would her sister really want her to be with her husband? None of it made any sense. Throwing caution to the wind, Rachel, threw herself in his arms. For at least two years she’d been fighting her attraction for Chris. Two years of wanting him and holding herself back had created some pent-up frustration she couldn’t rid herself of.

  He picked her up in his arms and started to carry her across the apartment. She slammed her lips down on his. Rachel felt consumed with need to touch him and have him touch her.