“I’m still wearing your jacket,” I whispered, not even knowing why I was keeping my voice so quiet when we were the only ones in the house. “Here.”
I started to step back to take it off, but Cade stopped me, his hands squeezing my shoulders. “No, let me.”
He walked around to stand behind me and gently pulled the jacket off of my shoulders, guiding it down my arms, his fingertips brushing my skin. I shivered as he toff it off completely, then hung it up on the coat rack in the doorway.
“You shivered,” he noted, walking back over to me. His knuckles trailed up my arm and I felt my breath catch. “Should I have kept it on?”
“No,” I replied. My voice was hoarse. “I—I wasn’t shivering because I was cold.”
Cade looked at me for a long moment, then drew his fingertips up my arms, to my shoulders, to my neck, where he cupped my jaw in his hands and tilted my face up to look at him.
My heart was racing again. I felt like I was tingling all over, anticipation and his touch making me melt, the wetness starting to trickle between my legs. It was his gentle, deliberate nature that got me more than anything else. I’d expected him to be on me the moment we’d stepped inside. But to see him be so slow in savoring this moment made me believe that he really wanted this us to be in a relationship.
Cade leaned in close to me until his lips were almost touching mine, and then he whispered, “Come upstairs with me.”
We could have sex just about anywhere in this house—as we’d proven all those years ago—so it wasn’t like going upstairs with him sealed the deal as opposed to, say, doing it right here in the foyer. And yet…there was something so intimate about him asking me to come upstairs with him, to his room. Asking me to join him, making this real.
I nodded, unable to form any words, and I let him lead me upstairs.
When we got to his room, the memories hit me like a wave. Our first times together, also our last, were in this room.
Cade pulled me toward him, and I couldn’t resist the emotions that swept over me. I kissed him passionately, wrapping my arms around him. He made a noise of surprise—perhaps he’d thought that it would take more work to convince me that this was right. But I was swept up in the tide of memory, and I was tired of resisting how I felt about him.
We kissed frantically, like we’d done ten years ago, although I hadn’t known back then that it would have been the last time. I kissed him over and over, unashamed in my want, and gasped when Cade picked me up, turned, and tossed me playfully on to the bed.
God, that was so hot!
Cade stripped off his clothes and I followed suit, not wanting to waste any time until I could have his hands on me and get my hands on him. Every inch of his firm body had my mouth watering. He was so sexy, part of me could still hardly believe that he wanted me, of all the women he could possibly have chosen.
“Look at you,” Cade murmured. It was as if he’d heard my thoughts and wanted to reassure me of just how sexy he found me to be. His gaze traveled up and down my body like he was feasting on me with his eyes. “Beautiful.”
Cade was the only man that I had ever truly wanted or loved. I only wished to know if it was the same for him too.
But I shoved such thoughts aside. Better to enjoy the moment instead of hoping for too much.
Cade crawled up the bed towards me. “I’m going to make you scream for me,” he promised, and then he set his mouth on my thighs.
I gasped, my head falling back as Cade slowly, deliberately kissed me, from my legs to my aching cunt, to where I was already, hopelessly, wet for him. He licked me like I was an ice cream cone, like I was the last bit of melted chocolate on the plate, and I whimpered.
Cade’s smile on my skin had me shivering, and then he curled his tongue on my clit and I began to fall apart. Part of me wanted to keep the noises I was making to be quieter, to make him work to elicit my screams, but I couldn’t help it. Whimpers and moans began to escape from me almost at once.
It had been years, and I wondered how he could still know the things that I liked being done to me! The idea that all this time, he’d been thinking about our lovemaking, remembered vividly how I liked to be touched…it made me go blind with pleasure.
Cade stroked his tongue on my clit, my pussy, gently, like he wanted nothing more than to take his time with me even if that meant going on for hours. His fingers pressed firmly into my thighs, keeping my legs pinned down, so that I couldn’t move. All I could do was lie flat on the bed and take it, trembling at the onslaught of pleasure that he was giving me.
My hands slid into his thick, curly hair, tugging slightly at them as my voice rose in pitch and my pleasure level spiked dangerously close to explosion. I was so close… “Cade!” I cried out as he slid a finger inside me.
Oh, God, it was so good and nearly there. I was so wet, I clenched the sheets around me, my hands moving around wildly, filling up with the pressure of the pleasure.
I moaned loudly when he put a second finger inside me, hardly able to think at all now. He curled his fingers inside just so and I gasped his name again, feeling his smugness but not caring because he’d earned it, he deserved to feel smug, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t—
I screamed as I came, a long, drawn out thing, the wetness escaping my body in a rush, making Cade a happy man. He kissed tenderly along my stomach until I began to calm down.
“Beautiful,” he murmured again.
For that moment, I truly believed it. I truly believed him when he said it.
21
Cade
Watching Laura come was delicious, akin to a revelation. Every orgasm I gave her, every time our bodies were together in a rush of pleasure and desire, only strengthened my determination to never let her go. I knew that I was in it for the long haul. No other woman made me feel like she did. I didn’t love, couldn’t love, any woman like I loved her.
Hearing her scream my name was the best thing in the world. I crawled up her gorgeous body, kissing every curve, waiting for her to calm down before I stroked my cock and put it inside her. My body was on fire, in agony with expectation, but I wanted to make sure that she wasn’t too sensitive before I slid into her.
Laura fixed a look of delicious desire on me, licking her lips. I smirked and crawled further up to suck that devilish tongue of hers, groaning at the feel of her warm body against mine. I rolled my hips, delighting in her whimper, and then grabbed my cock.
I squeezed the base of my cock to stave off my orgasm as Laura spread her legs, and I carefully slid inside her.
Fuck, she was clenching her muscles around me like she was eager to draw me inside of her. Her hands and mouth were doing the same thing, pulling me into her, keeping me entranced. As if she needed to do anything more to convince me to be with her.
I took my time kissing her, even as that edge of desire made me want to speed through. I felt like we were making up for lost time, like I was chasing all the moments of intimacy we could have had all these years.
My cock jerked and I couldn’t resist anymore. I pulled out until only the tip was inside and then I thrust into her, hard and deep. Fuck, she felt so goddamn good. How had I ever been able to give her up?
I sped up, unable to help myself, and Laura clung to me, kissing me all over my neck, my face, so full of fire as always, never content just to receive but giving in return, meeting my passion with her own….
I balanced my stance by placing one hand next to her head and using the other to stroke her clit, wanting to make her come along with me. I wanted to make up for all the days I hadn’t spent in this town, all the lonely nights she must have had. The only thing sweeter than my own gut-punching orgasm was when hers followed, as her leg muscles tightened around my cock and she cried out in surprise.
Laura panted as I rolled off her, and landed on the bed right next to her. She snuggled into my side and yawned, already exhausted.
“I should…” she mumbled, clearly still out of it.
&nbs
p; “Shh…” I kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. “Stay.”
Laura mumbled something I didn’t catch, but her eyes closed and in moments, she was asleep.
I smiled at her, taking in the way her auburn hair glowed in the moonlight. I had her in my arms, and I had never felt more content. The sleep that followed that night was the sweetest I’d had in years.
Being the first one to wake up in the morning, I stretched out and watched the morning sunlight glinting over the lake through the window. There was this all-encompassing feeling of being…content. It wasn’t just happiness. Happiness brought with it a feeling of elation. This was calmer, quieter, and yet deeper for it. Contentment.
God, when was the last time I’d felt that? When was the last time I’d woken up in the morning and just laid in bed feeling good about myself, about my life, about the day? When was the last time I’d woken up and felt positive about the events of the day and how I’d lead my life?
I couldn’t remember. Probably ten years ago, when I was with Laura.
Speaking of which….
I looked over at Laura, who lay asleep next to me. She looked like an absolute angel in the morning light, the warm rays of the sun making almost glow golden. Perhaps I was biased, looking at her with the eyes of a man in completely smitten by her, heads-over-heels in love, but I didn’t care. I’d never seen anyone more beautiful. I wanted to keep staring at her for hours.
Of course, I couldn’t do that. We were going to get hungry, and we’d have to take a shower together, probably, after the activities of last night. Hmm…. Perhaps I could take us out somewhere nice for a brunch? I didn’t want to leave this comfortable nest, but I also wanted to keep treating her. Perhaps it would be nice for us to go out and about, to go to one of the restaurants we’d never gone to all those years ago.
As I debated these thoughts in my head, Laura stirred, as if she could sense me watching her. Her eyes opened slowly, and she blinked a few times, her nose scrunching up adorably as she got her bearings.
If I could get to see this sight every single morning, I’d be truly happy.
“Good morning,” I murmured.
Laura smiled at me, and I couldn’t not kiss her. I leaned in and softly planted a kiss on her lips, a good morning kiss, the prelude to an amazing day….
I felt Laura go stiff and then she pushed me away, her eyes wide and horrified. “Oh my God, I slept over!”
“You did,” I agreed, blinking in surprise.
“Shit!” Laura sounded genuinely distressed. She shot out of bed and scurried around, grabbing her clothes and yanking them on.
“What’s wrong? What’s the rush?” I sat up, confused, and watched her as she scrambled.
“I was never supposed to stay the night!” Laura was panicking now, looking like she might be near tears.
I didn’t understand. Why would she need to rush so early in the morning? Why would she panic? Unless there was someone waiting for her to come home…like a boyfriend. Was ‘Caitlyn’ really a woman? Or was she a man and Laura had hidden the truth by changing the name and pronouns so that I wouldn’t know?
“You don’t have to…” I started, but Laura cut me off.
“Thank you for last night, it was lovely, truly. Thank you, but I have to go.” Laura waved at me as she ran out of the room, and a moment later I heard her car start up. She must’ve sprinted down the stairs.
I sat down on my bed, still naked but the covers tangled around me, wondering what the hell had just happened.
Okay. Laura was definitely hiding something. And you know what? It was time I took matters into my own hands to figure out what it was.
22
Laura
My stomach twisted, heart pounding hard that my ears were ringing, and I burst into my home, hoping against hope that Drew was still asleep.
No such luck.
“Mama!” Drew said with glee as I entered the house. He was standing in the kitchen, on the step stool, next to Caitlyn, the two of them making breakfast.
“Hey, baby!” I dropped my purse so that I could hug him.
“Where were you last night?” Drew asked. “You said you’d be back to kiss me goodnight, but I fell asleep, and you never came.”
“I know, honey, I’m so sorry. It was wrong of me to break a promise to you and promises are very important.” I kissed the top of his head. “I was….”
I paused as I scrambled in my mind to think of something. Where should I tell him that I was? I had no idea what to tell him. He needed some foolproof explanation.
“Mama was at a sleepover,” Caitlyn said with a lighthearted smile, like it was no big deal. Thank God that she’d swooped in to save the day.
“I didn’t know grown-ups had sleepovers too,” Drew replied.
I laughed. “There are a lot of things grown-ups do that you’d be surprised about,” I told him. “Now, what’s for breakfast?”
“Pancakes!” Drew said with excitement. “Caitlyn said she’ll let me flip them!”
That was going to create a hell of a mess, but you know what, Drew deserved to learn how to flip some pancakes after I’d left him alone last night. Anyway, a little mess never hurt anybody. “Sounds like a fun plan to me!”
I slipped out of the kitchen to change out of my evening dress from last night and take a quick shower while Caitlyn showed Drew how to stir the batter. It felt good to scrub myself clean, even if there was a part of me that was sad to not be at the lake house right now, in the large shower, with Cade in it with me. We’d done that before, when we’d been dating, washing ourselves off after a dip in the lake or a round of sex, and it had always been fun.
You have to let that go, now, I reminded myself. I’d had a wonderful night with Cade—the perfect night, in fact—but it was time to move on. I had to get him out from under my skin and the only way to do that was to be firm with myself.
When I came back into the kitchen, the pancake batter was ready to be turned into golden brown pancakes. I grabbed a spatula and waved it at Drew. “You ready?”
“You bet!” Drew sounded unbelievably excited, and I laughed seeing his wide smile. He always put me in a better mood.
Caitlyn and I helped him as he tried to flip the pancakes. The batter flew everywhere, it got on our arms and faces, on the stovetop and the kitchen wall. I didn’t mind. It would give me something to do that would take my mind off of Cade.
Even with the batter missing the pan, we managed to make enough pancakes for everyone—not perfectly round ones, but still delicious. Drew didn’t want to stop until he’d flipped a pancake perfectly, so we had some extra pancakes by the time we were through and I had to put them in the refrigerator for another time.
Drew was so happy though, so proud of himself when he got it right, beaming down at the flipped pancake. My heart filled with warmth. I loved him so much that it felt unreal sometimes, like I couldn’t believe that such much love could even fit into my body. Like it just had to overflow at some point.
We ate up, slathering our pancakes with syrup, and for once I didn’t police the amount of food that Drew had. I still felt guilty about leaving him all night and what harm could a little bit of extra sugar do every once in a while. He was a kid, let him have it.
Once we finished eating, I sent Drew to take a shower to get the batter off of him, while Caitlyn and I cleaned up the kitchen.
“So…” Caitlyn said, playfully splashing a little water at me over at the sink. “How’d it go? What happened? It must have gone well seeing as you spent the night with him.”
My face felt like it was on fire. I kept my head down, smiling in spite of myself. “It was…perfect, honestly. It was wonderful. Everything I could’ve dreamed. He was a gentleman, he made me laugh….”
“And the sex?” Caitlyn asked, lowering her voice.
I bit my lip. You could’ve cooked a pancake on my face, that’s how hot it felt right now. “It was amazing. But I mean, that didn’t surprise me. It wa
s just…you know….”
Caitlyn elbowed me with a sly grin. “I’m happy for you. You deserved a great night.” She paused. “And it sounds like it’s going well, like the things you had worried about aren’t there anymore.”
I sighed, reality coming crashing back in. “They’re going too well, honestly. I don’t know what to do. I told him last night that I wasn’t looking for a relationship. I said it in general, but I also pointed out that—specifically, with him—there’s the fact that he’s in D.C. and I can’t transplant my entire life for a new relationship that might not work out. I don’t want to do the long-distance thing, either. It would just be a mess. He seemed to take it well, but he’d also seemed upset when I fled this morning.”
“Well, maybe he was hoping for round two of sex,” Caitlyn wiggled her eyebrows and I elbowed her in the ribs, which only made her laugh.
“Seriously, though. He seemed upset and…well, I just said that I didn’t want a relationship.”
“But not wanting a relationship doesn’t mean that you can’t stay the night,” Caitlyn replied. “The reason you were panicking was because of Drew, wasn’t it? Not because of wanting to keep it casual.”
“Yes,” I admitted. “I panicked because I’d left Drew alone here all night and not come back like I’d promised. And you had to be the babysitter all night and all morning, which wasn’t fair to you. I didn’t even tell you where I was or that I was staying over.”
“I was worried,” Caitlyn admitted. “But I figured I would wait until after breakfast to call you, in case I interrupted anything romantic.”
“And that’s why I can’t keep this up,” I explained. “I have to let Cade go. It’s just not going to work.”
“Well, you don’t know that,” Caitlyn said, putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and turning it on. “You have legitimate concerns about his life being in D.C. and I’m not going to argue with you on that. But this whole thing with Drew…wouldn’t it be easier to just tell him? You wouldn’t have had to rush out then, leaving him confused. And you said it’s going so well, and he was great, so why can’t he meet his son?”
The One and Only: A Single Mom Second Chance Romance (Heart of Hope) Page 15