A Lifetime to Find Love

by Ava Riley

  “You never need a reason to call and had I known, I would have called you back,” he finally ground out, his voice barely audible.

  He reached up and grabbed the nape of her neck, savoring every moment of the torture she dished out.

  He could barely focus on what they were talking about. Tessa took his breath away as she sat atop him, his hands caressed from her breasts to her hips, gripping as she rode him slowly. With each movement of her hips, Cade’s shaft grew thicker and harder inside of her.

  She’d intended to torment him with slow strokes, but her own desire sparked a heat in her that she couldn’t contain. She began to ride him fast and hard, leaning back to take him as deep as she could until Cade flipped her over to her hands and knees. He grabbed his cock, guiding it into her wet folds while she pushed her ass back towards him. She felt his hands grab hold of her hips, as he rocked back and forth, getting deeper inside her core than he ever had.

  He wanted to fuck her slowly, but her pussy was so tightly wrapped around his cock that he couldn’t hold back his orgasm. Placing one hand on her shoulder for an anchor, the other buried in her long dark hair pulling just enough to bring pleasure while he took her hard and fast. With every stroke of his cock inside her tight pussy, he was bringing them both closer to release. He felt her bring her feet up to his waist an invitation to grab hold and pound her like this was the last fuck either of them would experience. He released both her shoulder and hair, grabbing hold of her ankles and pounding her beautiful pink, wet pussy harder and faster, bringing them both to an earth shattering release. Cade fell to the side of her as Tessa collapsed on the bed unable to move, unwilling to try. Grabbing at the mangled bedding, Cade draped it over the two of them as he pulled her body closer to his. He was spent and was sure she was also.

  Tessa lay next to Cade, allowing her gaze to linger on his face, wondering if she was ever going to be able to get enough of him. It wasn’t just hours she could spend making love to him, but days or weeks. It wasn’t even just the crazy wild sex they enjoyed, but it was Cade and how he made her feel complete. It was a completeness she never felt before. If they never left her bed she would be one physically sated woman. If he never left her side, she would die with a heart full of love.

  Chapter 19

  Tessa rolled over to the sound of her alarm going off to find Cade sleeping peacefully next to her. She quickly turned off the blasted thing so it wouldn’t wake him. As she turned back to him, she found it hard to pull her gaze from him. She’d not thought it possible for him to look any more handsome, but here he was in her bed looking sexy as ever. He was lying on his back, hair sticking on end in every direction, and his mouth slightly open. His shallow breaths a sure sign of his peaceful sleep. The man was absolutely sinful whether he was awake or asleep. Her body stirred from just laying next to him watching as his chest rose and fell with each breath he took. She felt her pussy get wet just with a thought of what lay beneath the deep blue comforter that matched the color of his eyes. He was absolutely perfect. And he was absolutely perfect for her. It wasn’t even just the physical with Cade. He made her feel things no one ever had. She felt beautiful and smart and worthy now that he’d become an intimate part of her life.

  She’d thought she saw Cade move his hand under the sheet, but as she watched the movement, she felt the brush of his knuckles on her cheek.

  “I can feel you watching me.” His voice was sleepy and sexy, his eyes still closed.

  “Guilty as charged,” she replied her eyes still fixated on the sheet that seemed to continue its rise. Heat crept into her cheeks as she realized what the cause of it was, yet she was fascinated by it, by his body’s reaction. She leaned in, her lips lingering just over his.

  “I love how your body responds to me and without even a touch”

  He opened his eyes, a spark in them, he gently wrapped his fingers around the nape of her neck. “It happens often and I love it also.”

  “That’s good to know,” she said seductively. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, gave him a wicked smile, and hurried out of bed.

  Cade rolled to his stomach to try and grab her to pull her back in bed, but she was already across the bedroom.

  “I’m thinking you should get back in bed with me.”

  His voice was still husky from sleep causing her insides to catch fire. She really did love the affect she had on him and the affect he had on her. Her body trembled with desires like the branches of a tree during a thunderstorm. And what a thunderstorm she had going on inside her. Cade didn’t affect her just physically, but every day that passed she realized that without even thinking about it, she laid her heart at his feet. Her chest tightened and a lump rose in her throat at the emotions that were swirling around in her head and her heart. At that moment, she realized she wanted all of Cade, not just the physical, but his heart also. She wouldn’t ask for it or offer hers to him without knowing how he felt. Rejection was something she didn’t deal with well and she had no intentions of taking a step in that direction. She intended to keep her emotions in check until she was certain of how Cade felt, but she would enjoy every inch of his scrumptious body without hesitation.

  “No way,” she shook her head adamantly as she grabbed clean clothes. “If I get back in that bed, I won’t want to get out and then I’ll be late for my first shoot. I’m going to take a shower.”

  “Is that an invitation?”

  “No. It is not, Cade McCarthy.”

  “I just thought I should come in and help you.”

  She glanced back at him, giving him a look of reprimand. He laid on his stomach, his bare ass exposed to her and it took every ounce of self control that she had to keep moving away from him. She kept her back to him, turning her eyes towards the bathroom knowing that if she took one more look she’d be throwing her clean clothes to the floor and in no time at all be straddling that cock she so enjoyed last night.

  “Just to help you with those hard to reach places, that’s all.” His laughter filled the room.

  “It’s not happening mister, so just stay where you are.” And with that she closed the door.

  Cade found himself laughing out loud when he heard the click of the lock to the bathroom door. Rolling to his back, he stared up at the ceiling trying not to focus on the fact that Tessa was just behind that closed door naked, wet, soapy and hot. He could just picture her skin glistening as the water caressed her body, clinging to every luscious curve she has to offer. He’d give anything to be in there with her right now, but she was right, she would be late if he joined her. When he woke and felt her gaze on him, his body came to life immediately. He thought for sure when she had noticed how he had woken up that he would get to spend at least a few minutes feeding that hunger and dishing out pleasures to her she’d never known before. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t happen. So, he lay still for a few moments trying to calm his body. He needed to get up and get moving, otherwise he was definitely going to make her late no matter the consequences. Although, she would be sated, she most certainly would not be happy with him messing up her schedule.

  Twenty minutes later, Tessa made her way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a quick bite. The sight of Cade leaning over looking into her refrigerator with only his jeans on would forever be burned into her mind. She really was getting used to having him around. She liked the idea of seeing him in her kitchen on a daily basis. The thought of making love to him nightly and waking up next to him every morning sent a shiver down her spine. She let out a gasp at the thought. . She could see her life unfolding and Cade was in the center of it at her side. And she was scared out of her mind for the deep emotions that she was experiencing for him.

  Cade turned his head when she let out that gasp and just that simple motion sent liquid heat pooling between her thighs. She was going to have to go back down the hall to change her panties if she couldn’t get her mind elsewhere. She had been amazed by his body’s reaction to her, but even more so, she was surprised at
the way her own body responded to him. And it wasn’t just her body, but her heart stuttered at just the sight of him. It was as if her mind and heart were finally listening to what her body had been saying all along. They belonged together. He always made her feel special, intelligent, talented and beautiful, even though she didn’t really see those things in herself. She realized quickly that while she was holding her own conversation with herself in her mind, she was standing there gawking at him. She walked to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of coffee before he thought she’d gone crazy on him.

  “Was there anything in particular you were looking for, doctor?”

  “Creamer and something to make you for breakfast. You have nothing in this house to eat, Tess. And what is with this ‘doctor’ stuff? I’m going to take you right down that hall and show you doctor. I can do some amazing things with a tongue depressor.”

  “Okay, I so set myself up for that one. I’m out of creamer, so you’ll just have to use milk. And you are not cooking for me again. I’m just gonna grab a bagel and get out of here.”

  Shutting the door to the refrigerator, he turned back to look at her. She was absolutely breathtaking. Her dark hair was pulled back in a pony tail, her blue jeans showing every luscious curve that he’d had his hands and mouth on the night before, and she was wearing a simple v-neck white tee that accentuated her perfect breasts. He felt himself growing hard again just looking at her. It was like he was back in high school having no control whatsoever over his hormones or his erection. He quickly turned and opened the freezer. He needed the coolness from the ice box to calm him down. He’d take the ice tray out and pour the contents down his pants if he thought he could get away with it without her thinking he was crazy. He felt that hopeless in that moment.

  “Cade? What the hell are you doing?”

  “Um, I’m just going to get some milk for the coffee.” He tried to sound as normal as possible, but he was certain it didn’t come out that way.

  “Well, that’s fine and dandy, but I don’t normally keep my milk in the freezer. Is that where you keep yours?”

  She had to turn away from him to keep from bursting out with laughter. She knew why he was flustered, she’d seen the evidence as he stood there staring at her, the hunger in his eyes growing along with the bulge in his jeans. She reveled in the fact that she was the cause of his rock hard reaction. She tried to feel sorry for him, but she couldn’t. She enjoyed it way too much. She didn’t want him to ever get to a point where he didn’t respond to her this way.

  Tessa looked at the clock and realized she didn’t have much time before her first appointment. As it was, she would be getting there just in time to set up. She grabbed her bagel and coffee and started toward the door. Cade was on her in a heartbeat, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back into him.

  “I know you aren’t leaving without kissing me goodbye.”

  “No, of course not. I do need to get you a key so you can lock up when you leave. I really need to get out of here now. What time do you have to be at the office?” She pulled out of his arms to retrieve the extra house key.

  “My first appointment isn’t until ten o’clock, so I have plenty of time.”

  “Lucky you,” she said as she handed him the key.

  “Are you sure you want me to have this?” he asked holding up the key.

  “Well, I don’t want you to leave my house unlocked. I don’t have a lot of nice things, but what I have, I’d like to keep.”

  “So, I’m assuming I’m giving this back to you then next time I see you.” Neither his voice nor his expression gave away what he was thinking.

  Tessa was a little taken back. She wasn’t sure how to respond. When she told him she would give him a key, she hadn’t even put much thought in to it, just that she had to leave and she didn’t want him to feel rushed to. Now standing there facing him, with no hint of what he was thinking, she wasn’t sure if he were asking to keep it or making it clear he would give it back.

  “Whatever you want to do with it, Cade.”

  She’d wanted to scream yes, keep it, stay as many nights as you want, hell, never leave. But she wasn’t taking a chance of him telling her he’d planned to give it back. Damn it, it was just a key. Why was she getting so worked up about it? It’s not like he wouldn’t be coming over here again and it’s not like if he kept the key he’d be moving in.

  ”Just keep it. Besides, I’m always locking myself out and if I can’t get a hold of Rowan to let me in, at least I know I’ll be able to call you.”

  “So, you do want me to keep it.”

  “Damn it, Cade.”

  Her frustration with this conversation was getting the better of her. If he wanted to keep the damn thing, he needed to just come out and say it. Hell, they were grown adults who should be able to say what was on their minds and not beat around the damned bush. They had already shared some of the most intimate times with each other. A key should be a walk in the park as far as their relationship went.

  “I want you to keep the key. Honestly, I hadn’t thought past today, but yes, I would like for you to have a key to my place. If you don’t want to hold on to it, just give it back to me tomorrow. It’s not really a big deal.”

  He leaned in to place a kiss on her mouth. His tongue traced the seam of her lips. She tried to resist him. She really needed to get the hell out of this house. The man was driving her batty and if he, oooh, if he kept stroking her lips with that sinful tongue of his, they would find themselves, once again, on that hard wood floor.

  “Just for the record, I was hoping you wanted me to keep it. Now, instead of using the doorbell to wake you in the middle of the night, I can find other, more exciting ways to arouse you.”

  He melded his mouth to hers once again, probing with his tongue. Tessa gave in. Either she was going to have to kiss him now and get out of there or he was going to keep her until she did his bidding. She gave back to him with her mouth what he was dishing out to her. Cade abruptly pulled away from her.

  “Out,” he told her as he pulled further away.

  “Excuse me.” Give the man a key and apparently he takes possession of more than just her mouth.

  “You are going to be late. Go.”

  “Cade?”

  “Tess, please go. I don’t want you to be late and, honestly, if you stay any longer, I promise you, I so promise you, I will make you late.”

  With one last quick kiss and a squeeze of his hard ass, she was out the door. She had two doctors to photograph then she would be done with the exception of Cade’s shoot tomorrow. That was one photo shoot she was looking forward to though. They would be going up the coast to Cade’s favorite spot to shoot. A few hours in the car, an hour for the shoot at most, and then he would be all hers.

  Chapter 20

  When Tessa left, Cade went back to the kitchen, finished his coffee, then got himself dressed and headed home so he could make it to the office on time. He never had the girls come in early on days that he had late appointments. He wasn’t one of those doctors who expected his staff to work harder than him and he had a great staff, so he tried to make them happy. He always tried to get to the office before anyone else because he liked to have coffee ready for them. They all worked hard for him and he really did appreciate each of them. Since he had to stop at his house before heading over that wasn’t going to happen this morning. He was certain one or two of them would make it there before him. Sure enough, when he arrived, Erin was just opening up.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he told her.

  “Cade, you’re not late. Your first appointment isn’t for another forty-five minutes.”

  “Well, I guess I feel like if I don’t have coffee ready for you all by the time you get here, I’m late.”

  Cade held the door open for her and they both walked to the front desk. He started going through messages from the previous day, hoping to find the one Tessa had left for him. He knew Erin was a spiteful bitch, knew he wouldn’
t find a message, but he continued to look. “Hey, did I get a call from Tess yesterday?” He asked looking up from the message pad.

  “Tess? Rowan’s sister?”

  “Yeah, she said she called yesterday and left a message, but I don’t remember getting it.”

  “I don’t recall if she did. Sorry, Cade. We were pretty busy,” she said smugly.

  “That’s okay, it’s no big deal. I’ll just be in my office.”

  Cade made his way to his office to prepare for his day. As he sat at his desk and turned on his computer he couldn’t help but think of Tessa. He felt his heart swell with just a thought of her. In all his relationships, he never had someone consume him the way she did. Of course, he hadn’t known the other women like he had Tessa. He was comfortable with her because she knew all his faults, his quirks and she still wanted to be with him, just as he knew all her faults and he just couldn’t see himself without her. They were comfortable with each other. There was no possible way that he could ever go back to just being friends with Tessa. She was his other half, she completed him body and soul. For the first time in his life he felt as if he were ready for that next step and he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he was ready to take their relationship down that path. Although they’d only been dating a short time now, he had known her practically her whole life. It was just right for them to be together. He’d wanted to tell her last night that he loved her, but he couldn’t find the words to. He didn’t want to just blurt it out to her and certainly not in the throes of passion. Nothing would have been worse than telling her for the first time that he loved her while he was buried deep inside her. That would come later. He would tell her over and over and as many different ways as he could. He wanted it to be special the first time she heard the words leave his lips. He wanted her to know beyond anything else how deep his feelings were for her. What he really wanted was to shout if from the rooftops so that everyone would know that this woman held his heart in the palm of her hand. He’d held his excitement in check this morning when she had handed him the key to her place, but inside his heart was doing flips. He knew she’d not thought past this morning when she decided to give it to him, but the fact that she gave it to him made him happier than he’d ever been. He pushed himself away from his desk and leaned back in his chair. He was turning into a big pansy when it came to Tess and being honest with himself, he didn’t care one iota. He welcomed it. A knock at the door drew him from his thoughts.