Take a Chance on Me Read online

“That is not a word,” said Rachel. She slapped Mitchell’s hand away from the Scrabble board.

  “It’s a term used only by folks in the Army––that’s why you’ve never heard of it.” He leaned back against the headboard on the bed and took a bite out of the pizza. He grinned at her. Was she buying it? Probably not. She hadn’t fallen for the last word he’d made up either, respinition. He usually didn’t resort to this sort of trickery, but cheating was his only chance of staying in the game. Rachel was a Scrabble genius. The only person he’d known who also played at this sort of level had been his late mother. Rachel sort of reminded him of her in other ways too, like the way she said certain words, her smile and yes, her obvious caring nature.

  “I should have brought a dictionary along with me,” she finally said, leaning up against him and finishing off the last slice of pizza.

  “I can get online and access one. I’ll prove to you thatlexihexion is also a real word, too.”

  Mitchell reached over for his cell phone on the nightstand and logged onto the Internet. Rachel rested her chin on his arm, all the while not taking her eyes off the screen.

  “Found it yet?” she asked.

  He’d heard a slight giggle and yes, a tinge of sarcasm in that question. He loved teasing her like this.

  “Oh, it’s here all right.” He fingered down the screen, reaching the lex index on the dictionary site, knowing full well he’d never find it––but she was so much fun to kid around with.

  She playfully slapped his arm.

  “See, you can’t find it,” she said.

  “I’m betting it’s in a print dictionary.”

  They both burst out laughing. He hadn’t done that in ages and it felt good for both his body and soul.

  “Okay, Rachel is declared the winner of two rounds of Scrabble.”

  “Yay,” she said, pumping the air with her fist.

  “So, was that your first time?” asked Mitchell.

  “What, playing Scrabble?”

  “Playing Scrabble in the nude?”

  She nodded. “And now I know how much fun it is, I’ll have to try it again.”

  “Your next opponent might not be such an easy push-over as me.”

  “And probably not so sexy.”

  They kissed, but Mitchell felt a pang of sorrow shoot through him. Would she want to see him again? After all, she hadn’t been the one to sign up with Perfect Partners, her mother had. Maybe she wasn’t looking for anything permanent, and he didn’t want to ruin their evening by asking her.

  “Hey, you look sad all of a sudden,” she said.

  Was it that obvious? Did my sorrow show up on my face?

  “Just thinking.”

  She ran her finger down the middle of his chest and belly. His cock twitched at her slightest touch.

  “You want to get under the covers and watch a movie?” he asked.

  Without answering, she snuggled down beside him, resting her head on his chest as he pressed a button by the bed. The big screen TV rose up out of the box at the foot of the bed.

  “I could get used to this lifestyle, couldn’t you?” asked Rachel.

  “I sure could.”

  And used to having you by my side, too.

  ***

  Rachel squinted as the sunlight spilled over her face. They hadn’t pulled the drapes in the room because after they’d made love again they’d fallen asleep watching a spectacular thunderstorm, courtesy of Mother Nature.

  Mitchell was still asleep. Rachel glanced over at the clock near the minibar: 7:46 a.m.

  They had to be out of the suite by noon. It saddened her to think in a few hours they’d part company. It had been so much fun, and not just the sex. Mitchell was a nice guy. A man who understood what it was like to be reluctant to date or get involved with someone when you bore scars from the past. Not just the physical kind, but mental too. Would he want to see her again? After all, he’d been forced into their meeting just like she had.

  “Good morning.”

  His voice startled her.

  “Morning.Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”

  He yawned and looked outside. “Sure does.”

  “You want to order breakfast in the suite, or you prefer to go to the restaurant?”

  He rolled over and stroked her face. “How about in the room…and we can make love again before we have to leave here.”

  “Sounds like heaven.”

  He took her by surprise and pulled her on top of him this time. She leaned in and they rubbed noses. She slid farther up his body, feeling his cock poke her in the belly.

  “You always get this hard so quickly?” she asked.

  “Nope, I think you have something to do with it.”

  He took her face between his palms and they kissed again.

  Rachel moved down to his neck, running her tongue over his Adam’s apple and then onto his chest, circling each nipple with her tongue. He tasted good, smelled wonderful, and oh my, he was so irresistible. She flicked his navel with the very tip of her tongue.

  “Hey, that tickles.”

  “It’s supposed to…and I didn’t think guys were ticklish.”

  “Well, this one is.”

  He leaned back against the pillow as she slid down some more and took the tip of his cock into her mouth. She licked a bead of pre-cum and then ran her tongue down its entire shaft.

  “Rachel, not that I don’t love this, but you drive me so crazy I won’t last and I want to be inside you when I see fireworks.”

  He reached for a condom, and this time she took it from him and sheathed him. Rachel also took another initiative, hoping he didn’t mind. She raised herself up, took his cock in her right hand and then glided him inside her before slowly lowering herself down until she was perched on his thighs.

  “Let me know if your leg hurts,” she said.

  “Oh, I will but I’ve got a feeling another part of my body will be feeling so good I won’t notice any pain. Give me a kiss.”

  Rachel leaned over and ran her tongue along his lower lip before they kissed. Mitchell palmed her breasts, gently stroking them before pulling on her nipples. She leaned back, rocking her hips as he slid his hands down her belly. He reached for her hands and they held onto one another as she picked up speed. Soon she was riding him, feeling slightly lightheaded as heat moved through her legs, into her crotch, and then deep inside her pussy.

  She threw her head back as she rode him and moaned. Rachel couldn’t remember a man who had made her feel quite like this, physically and emotionally. If she could just freeze this very moment in time she’d give anything.

  Her climax had been building while she’d been daydreaming. She gripped Mitchell’s hands some more, curled her toes and almost went cross-eyed when her orgasm washed over her. She wanted to flop onto him, be comforted by Mitchell, and yes, snuggle too but he was breathing heavily now and she guessed he was on the brink of seeing those fireworks. Rachel felt him grip her hands with more force and then he murmured something. He went still, apart from his chest rising up and down. She was sure she could even hear his heart pounding.

  “You see those fireworks?” she asked him.

  “Better than the Fourth of July.”

  She slid up his body and then eased herself down beside him under the covers, where they snuggled together.

  “I don’t know how you feel about this, but what do you think about us seeing one another again?” asked Mitchell.

  It was Rachel’s heart beating faster this time. She wondered if he felt it and realized just what his suggestion had done to her body.

  “I’d really like that.”

  “Great, then after I’ve had my operation how about we go to a movie and have some dinner, somewhere nice?”

  “Mitchell.”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you have anyone to be with you when you have your skin graft next week?”

  “Yes, my brother Ryan. Why?”

  “I was just wondering. I
mean, I work two blocks from the hospital and thought I could drop by and see you. I’ve been through three skin grafts myself, so I know what it’s like.”

  He kissed her. “Nothing I’d like more.”

  Nadine’s Department of Love

  Sadie strode into Nadine’s office, confident that she’d be pleased with the success of her first assignment. She sat down with the folder containing the photos of Rachel Moore and Mitchell Farraday, her first successful pairing.

  “So, what do you have to tell me on this first report?” asked Nadine.

  Sadie pushed the folder across the table to her.

  Nadine hummed the theme from the movie Love Story as she read through the files and looked at the photo of the couple.

  “Wait a minute…you’ve opened a matchmaking service…Perfect Pairing?”

  Sadie nodded.

  “I specifically said you were not to use witching skills.”

  “I haven’t used any. I’m like a mortal entrepreneur. And if you look at the figures, you’ll see Perfect Pairing now has 1200 people signed up for my services.”

  Nadine put on her other glasses and flipped through the pages at the back of the folder.

  “I’m making the Witches’ Association a tidy fortune,” said Sadie.

  “And this first couple…are you sure you didn’t use any hocus-pocus on them?”

  “Just a little love dust that I disguised as party glitter…oh, and I gave him a little push when they first had sex so she’d really…well, you know.”

  “And you’re sure they’re properly paired and will stay together forever? You know I only match couples who are in it for the long haul.”

  “Of course. In fact, she’s just heading over to the hospital to be with him while he gets his first skin graft. I can assure you that this pair was made for another and they’re hopelessly in love already, smitten in fact.”

  Nadine smiled. “I love smitten. You wouldn’t mind if I looked in on the scene, would you?”

  Sadie clicked her fingers and an image of the waiting area in the ER appeared above Nadine’s desk. “Check this out…”

  ****

  Mitchell’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten since nine o’clock the night before. He hadn’t slept, either. His mind had been too busy thinking about the operation and the skin graft. He looked down at the IV they’d put in, remembering the last time he’d had one placed. It had been shortly after the bombing and he’d been miles from home. He shivered from head to toe.

  “Are you cold? Do you need another blanket?” asked Ryan.

  “Nope, just scared, that’s all.”

  Mitchell rested his head back on the pillow and glanced up at the clock on the wall. Rachel had called him last night to wish him luck. She’d told him she’d see him before he went to surgery as she’d rescheduled her morning patients so she could be there. Maybe something else had come up and that was the reason she was a no-show. He’d see her once he got out of surgery, and that’s what he’d be looking forward to.

  Someone grabbed his arm and squeezed it. He looked up and smiled. There she was. He hadn’t seen her since their night together and today she looked even prettier. She wore her blue scrubs and her hair was tired up in a ponytail. Even her scarred arm was no longer covered. She was so beautiful.

  She took his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back, suddenly no longer scared of what lie ahead for him.

  “Ryan, this is Rachel.”

  “Hi,” said Rachel. “I guess I have you to thank for signing your brother up at Perfect Pairingi. If you hadn’t I wouldn’t have met this very wonderful guy.”

  “Well, he’s been talking nonstop about you, so I guess the feeling’s mutual.”

  “Glad to hear that.” She looked at Mitchell and he smiled.

  “Mr. Hathaway, we’re ready to take you into surgery,” said a nurse.

  Rachel squeezed his hand again and leaned her face closer to kiss him.

  “I’ll warn you I haven’t eaten anything for a while, so my breath might not be that minty fresh,” said Mitchell.

  “I’d like to take my chances.”

  He closed his eyes. Her lips felt like hummingbird’s wings fluttering against his skin.

  “I think I’ll wait with your brother while you’re in surgery, if that’s okay.”

  “Fine with me,” said Ryan.

  “Just don’t invite her to play Scrabble with you, because she’ll kick your ass.”

  Rachel laughed. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “I’ll be dreaming about it.”

  Nadine dabbed her eyes.

  “I do so love a happy ending. Well done, Sadie. Now, who is Perfect Pairing planning to match next?”

  “I have another perfect couple already lined up. They have a past history and think they hate one another, but I know better. She’s the host of a morning talk show and he’s an actor. All I need to do is convince them Perfect Pairing is just what they need…”

  The End

  www.vanessadevereaux.com

  Other Books by Vanessa Devereaux:

  How I Met My Lover

  Evernight Publishing

  www.evernightpublishing.com

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