It surprised her that there didn't seem to be any animosity between him and Cade. Unless, of course, she just hadn't spotted it. No, she was certain there weren't any ill feelings but she wondered if Cade felt a little left out. God knows, she'd rejected him before and he had taken in painfully. Even Colton had pointed out that in his shoes, she would be bitter too. She'd felt awful but so unable to cope with the attentions of two men, despite some of her older clan sisters saying it was wonderful. She wondered if Cade understood why they hadn't been intimate...yet. A yet always seemed to hover over thoughts like that. It really was only a matter of time, but she needed to be the one to pick where and when. Luke was one thing. He was unconnected to her past. But if she felt for a moment like she was betraying Colton, even though he'd passed on, she had no idea how she would cope with that. She had to make sure it was absolutely right.
"Clara, there's something I want to ask you."
"Mmm?" She dragged her thoughts back to the now.
"First I want to get something straight. What I want to ask you is not because I'm in anyway jealous. I just want to know."
"Go on." There was a long pause and she closed her eyes, waiting, sure that she knew what was coming.
"Why Luke? Why did you take him first?"
Clara took a long sip of wine, the alcohol giving her the strength to be honest. "Honestly? It was easier."
She felt him shift behind her, but he kept his arms around her. "I don't follow," he said, his voice still gentle.
"With Luke it's less complicated."
"Are you saying I'm complicated?" Cade said, confusion etched in his voice.
"No. Yes. No!" Clara shuffled to sit up and turn around, fixing her eyes on him as she took his free hand in hers. "What I meant was. Oh hell. What I meant to say was, I haven't known Luke long. If things happened and he left, there wouldn't be a lot of hurt... Oh, it'll hurt obviously, but..."
"I don't think Luke is going anywhere."
"Shh! You're interrupting. I'm trying to tell you that if things happen between us..."
"When." Clara gave him a look and Cade held his hands up in surrender. "No more interrupting. Promise."
"Good." She glared at him. "If, when, things happen between us, it's going to mean a lot more to both of us than simply sex. We both know that. We've known each other for years and it's not just that your brother is, was, my husband, but that I've always known you were destined to be my mate." She held a silencing hand up. "Wait! Let me finish. I know I protested it but I knew and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I hurt you. You have to believe that, Cade. I never ever wanted to hurt you but...things were different then and I didn't feel I could."
"How about now?"
"Things are so very different now. I've changed. Cade, life has changed more than I ever thought it could and you're here and...and when this happens it's going to mean a lot because I adore you and it isn't something I'll be able to change or take back, and neither will you. I want to make sure I'm going to do this for the right reasons, not just because I miss my husband and I want the closest thing to him. When you and I make love, it has to be because it's about us. About another chance."
"Because it'll be the beginning of the rest of our lives?" Cade asked in a sudden moment of clarity.
Clara nodded. "Exactly. It's not just about what your body wants, and what my body wants, though believe me, I've thought a lot about yours and wanting it." She raised a hand to his face, stroking it as he grinned, then continued, "The connection has to be more than that."
Cade drew him to her, moving closer then, finally, kissed her. His voice was soft as he told her, "I love you, Clara. Do you think you can love me?"
"Yes, I think I can. I think I'm already there. So do you understand why I slept with Luke and not you? And yes, I did know you were there. It wasn't about desiring you any less but just that it was less complicated. When you and I are finally together, it'll be because I accept there is no turning back. It'll be because I love you, and adore you, and want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"And Luke?"
"I think we both know he's part of my future, if that's what he chooses."
"He wants to complete the mating with you," Cade pointed out. “He’s not going anywhere.”
"And he will, but I think not before you and I move forwards." Clara kissed him, sweetly, waiting for him this time. It seemed strange that he was the one with the unsure note in his voice, like he couldn't work out if he should take things slow or just pounce now. "I enjoyed sex with Luke very much," she continued. "I even enjoyed you watching, which kind of took me by surprise, so I'm not as adverse to the idea of a threesome as I once was. Actually I'm very curious how it works and if it is something that will work for us. But baby steps, okay? I’m only just getting used to the idea of having two men in my life."
"You know I'm going to go insane with jealousy if you take him to your bed every night."
"Who says I'm going to do that? Actually the nights you inserted yourself in my bed, uninvited I might add, were, well, pleasurable and trust me, you've been in my bed far more often than Luke has. So, I see no reason why we shouldn't continue to share a bed from time to time while we work on us. And Luke and I have not made any plans to have sex again, not that I'm saying it won't happen because... Well, I like it, okay?"
Cade raised an eyebrow at that and she pushed his chest lightly. He probably didn't feel it at all. Except when she went to move her hand, he caught it and kissed the palm. "And what if something happens while we're sharing a bed?" he asked.
"Then it'll be the right time."
"You seem to have thought a lot about this."
"I've been thinking about a lot of things since you two pitched up on my porch and made me faint." Clara laughed. "Frankly, a lot of it was pretty dirty."
"Any chance you're going to share?"
"Not any time soon." Clara giggled.
"Will you invite me into your bed tonight?"
"Yes, I will, but to sleep not to..." She inclined her head, blushing slightly.
"I didn't ask for that. I asked to sleep with you. I want to go to sleep with you in my arms. And you look mighty pretty when you blush, even right after admitting to having all kinds of dirty thoughts."
Clara swallowed the last of her wine, placing the glass on the coffee table and got to her feet, holding her hand out to him. "Let's go to bed," she said.
Cade slid his empty glass next to hers and took her hand. "Lead the way."
The bedroom was neat, the bed made. Cade approached her, his hand sliding down her arm. He wrapped his hand around hers and she stepped closer, her heart suddenly beating faster. When she invited him up, she had intended to go to sleep but now...the fire in his eyes sparked something within her. The desire she tempered spiraled inside her and her inner wolf trembled at the promise of the night.
He kissed her, slowly, gently. She savored the taste of him on her lips and went back for more. His hands drifted to her waist, untucking her t-shirt and then sliding under. His hands felt electric against her skin and she shivered.
If he pressed the point, would she still say no? She wasn't sure.
Stepping back, Cade pulled his shirt over his head and she relished the sight of his bare chest, the little ring piercing his nipple. Again, she stepped to him, until they were touching. She leaned in, her tongue darting across his nipple, the ring cool, and he sighed, his hands drifting down her sides.
“I changed my mind,” she whispered. She pulled off her t-shirt, and his hands grappled with her belt, unbuckling it and then pushing her jeans and panties down. His jeans followed a moment later, then his boxers and her breath caught as she saw him thicken under her gaze. She wondered what it would be like to have him inside her.
For a long moment he gazed at her naked form, his face filled with lust and something more. Love, she thought, he loves me. He’ll always love me.
"Let's get under the covers," he whispered, leading her around the side o
f the bed, pulling back the covers and pulling her down with him. Lying on their sides, facing each other, they continued their kissing and stroking, exploring each other's bodies after years of wondering how it would be to touch the other.
His hands caressed her torso, his palms ran over her breasts and teased her nipples to stiff points before sliding around her sides to palm the small of her back as he pulled her to him and kissed her. His cock, pressed between them, hardened. She couldn't resist rubbing her pussy against his leg as his thigh navigated between hers. She was fairly certain she was wet, could feel the moisture pooling between her thighs.
She had thought it was only a matter of time but now seemed perfect. She wanted him. She knew that destiny would get its way this time. She knew she didn't even want to fight it. She just wanted Cade. Wanted to feel him in her, thrusting and taking her over the edge. She wanted to experience him moving making love to her wholly and completely, but the bond that would bind them for life was a serious step that needed to be thought about, not given and taken in the heat of the moment.
There wasn't any turning back. She loved Cade, part of her always had even though she buried it, had refused to accept it, but now, if she just dared.
She dared.
"Make love to me, Cade."
Cade lifted his head from where his lips nibbled her neck playfully, looking at her carefully and she felt the unspoken acknowledgement of trust and love that passed between them. "With pleasure," he murmured, rolling so that she lay on her back and he between her spread thighs.
Cade tended to her breasts first, licking her nipples, already hard with want, taking his time to suck and nibble each mound. As his body shifted and moved, his cock brushed against her pussy, sending electricity shooting through her. He brushed up her body, every part of them touching and she circled his neck with her arms, clasping her own wrists as he claimed her mouth passionately.
Breaking away, Cade pulled back to watch his hand stroke through the valley of her breasts, down across the flat plain of her stomach and pause at her strip of tight curls. She pushed her head back into the pillows as his fingers pushed through her lips, her arousal coating them. His slick fingers made several passes before resting on her clit, thumbing it and pressing until she was gently bucking her hips against him. His kisses grew more urgent as his fingers sank within her channel, finding her wet and warm and so very ready for him. It wasn't enough. She needed more. Needed everything he had to give her.
"I need to be inside you. I need you so bad, Clara." His voice broke with the wanting.
Guiding his cock to her entrance, he butted it against her and she held her breath at the recognition of his size. He slid inside her, achingly slow, savoring every moment of their first time. "I love you," he whispered over and over as he sank into her.
When he was fully enveloped within her body, he curled his hands under her back, lifting and holding her to him. She tilted her hips, tightening her legs around his back as he began to move. He felt wonderful inside her, stretching her around him, his movements sure and strong as he thrust, increasing in speed as she moaned her pleasure. Why had she waited for this?
He kissed her over and over, holding their bodies tightly together as their pace increased. Clara gripped his shoulders, feeling his powerful sweat-slicked muscles roll under her palms, as her orgasm mounted.
Her breath quickened, he groaned, and she felt the urge to bite him, to mar his skin with her mark as her incisors lengthened and brushed her lower lip. Holding back, she gave herself over to climax, the force of it causing her to cry out as his smooth strokes jolted into shallow, hard thrusts, finally stopping as he came, collapsing into her arms.
"I love you, sweetheart," he groaned, holding her. "I love you, Clara."
"I love you, too," she whispered.
Cade eased from her body and rolled to her side. Next to him, she felt like a boneless heap, all gangly limbs and no brain impulses telling her to move which was fine by her. "Stay," she said. "Don't say anything. Just stay."
For a long time they lay together, companionably quiet, comfortable in each other's arms. Just as sleep beckoned, as the last of the fading light seeped from the room, she could have sworn she heard outside a tiger's roar.
Chapter Fourteen
Clara woke with a start, somehow not surprised to find two warm bodies pressed either side of her. The last thing she remembered from the previous evening was falling asleep in Cade's arms after a very intense orgasm that had her seeing stars. That didn't explain why she awoke, naked as the day she was born, with her arms around Luke's waist and her head pressed against his shirtless back and her body full snuggled against his.
And against her back pressed Cade's front, his long masculine form following the curve of her body. She wriggled backwards, trying to make some extra room for herself while she gathered her thoughts.
"Smooth move," came an amused voice from behind her. Cade.
She fought the urge to blush, an urge she forgot all about as his body pressed against her back again, his hard morning arousal already in evidence.
"Subtle, Cade," she whispered.
"That's me, Mr. Subtle," he whispered back, amusement lacing his voice as an arm slipped over her, tightening around her waist.
"So, Mr. Subtle, are you going to tell me why I woke up to find you and the tiger in my bed?"
"I seem to remember him mumbling something about it being tired and late and the bed looking so comfortable."
Clara arched an eyebrow. Oh really? And it had nothing to do with her, sandwiched in the middle of them?
"I've never seen a tiger look so pathetic," Cade added, holding down a snort.
"Really?" she drawled.
"Of course your body was the clincher," Cade continued, his breath tickling her ear lobes and just as she thought he was going to admit exactly what he wanted to do to her, he said, "You just rolled right in the middle, leaving plenty of space that side so I said 'whatever' and went back to sleep." The back of his hand brushed her neck, and dropped lower, tracing a path along her cleavage, causing her nipples to tighten as a shiver ran through her. The hand stopped, a palm coming to rest on her stomach, fingers gently tickling her.
"Stop that," she said, her palm landing on the back of his hand.
"Make me."
Clara wriggled over to face him, her nose millimeters from his. She narrowed her eyes. "I'll push you out of bed, just like I should."
"Oh, really? I'd like to see you try." Cade's arm clamped across her just as she started to wriggle and his mouth was at her ear again, his cock pressing hard into her belly. "I'm sure the tiger would like that just fine. And, for that matter, I don't see you offering to push him out of bed."
"He's not awake," she sniffed. "It would be rude."
"Rude, my ass," Cade scoffed. "You enjoyed waking and having two men pressed against you...you curled around him, me curled around you like a very toasty, very tasty sandwich," he teased.
"Am not," she protested. "I'm just too...tired to move!" It sounded lame as soon as it slipped from her lips. Liar, said her wolf. She rolled over and tried not to smile.
"Then you're probably too tired to stop me from doing this." Cade's hand slipped from under hers and dived between her legs, his fingers skimming through her lips. "Fuck, you're wet," he gasped, forgetting to be quiet.
Of course, she was, she thought. She'd woken from a really dirty dream, after a fabulous climax, to find part of the dream was already a reality. It was no surprise her nipples were hard pebbles and her sex soaked. The fingers sliding through them were an especially nice morning treat that made her breathing ragged and her mind all fuzzy. Where was her resolve? With a sigh of frustration, she gave Cade a push and wriggled over, facing away from him again. Except, instead of Cade's body, she now had an equally fine one in front of her. Frankly, she didn't care when Cade's hand returned to slide over her buttocks, and approach her sex from behind. Two fingers slid inside her, the languid thrusts causing
her to arch against him.
A sleepy hand grasped hers and she froze, biting her lip to keep quiet, fully aware that Luke lay sleeping in front of her, while his friend fingered her deliciously from behind. Except now she thought about, Luke's fingers had tightened about her hand and he was holding awfully still for someone who was supposed to be asleep. Oh gosh, what if he wasn't? Had he lain there and listened to everything Cade said, listened to her protestations even as Cade's hand worked her into a frenzy?
Cade's body slid down hers, his cock rubbing playfully at the seam of her ass. She could feel him bare and hard. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on keeping her breathing normal. Lips pressed against the nape of her neck and she gasped.
Without thinking, her hand slipped down Luke's body, over his firm abs and between his legs, her fingers wrapping around his hard cock. Oh, he was awake all right. He clasped his hand over hers before she could move away.
As Cade increased his finger thrusting, Luke began to move her hand rhythmically over his shaft, the speed increasing as her moans did, now combined with Cade rubbing his dick against her back, searching for his own release against her if she didn't take him within her. She found her teeth grazing Luke's shoulder, so careful not to break the skin, to not unwittingly begin the mating bond.
Just as she started the ascent towards climax, Cade's fingers disappeared.
"No," she mewled. "Don't stop."
"I'm not stopping. Just doing something different," Cade whispered in her ear. He rolled her onto her back then slid down the bed. Fortunately, Luke chose that moment to stop feigning sleep and rolled with her, keeping her hand wrapped around his shaft. "Why don't you take her mouth, Luke, while I take her sweet pussy," instructed Cade.
"My pleasure," came Luke's answer, his mouth finding hers. His lips tugged at her lower lip, sucking, nibbling, before his tongue slid in to mesh with hers.
"What are you...oh!" A hot mouth settled over her pussy, an eager tongue lapping at her wet lips. Yet the cock she held and pumped belonged to another man. Even more surprising was that she wasn't pushing them away, that she didn't want to. Instead she was lost in the exotic feeling of feeling desired and excited.
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