Adam found her standing in the kitchen. The steaks were seasoned and on a platter, a large bowl held salad greens, and she was whisking something in a smaller bowl. It was one of the first times that he could observe her without her knowing he was there. She wasn’t talking to him, her staff, or herself, and she looked very serene, very at peace and happy with what she was doing.
Something was cooking on the stovetop, and it smelled wonderful. Adam had not known that she had come back down to start dinner until he smelled whatever it was that was cooking and it had brought him up from his office to investigate.
Cassie put the bowl down and lifted the lid on the pan that was steaming. She gave it a little shake, replaced the lid, then pivoted, went to the spice cabinet, and began sifting through until she found what she wanted. As she put a dash of one thing in the bowl and a sprinkle of something else in the pan, Adam couldn’t help but compare her to a dancer as she moved about. Every movement had purpose and was executed with such grace that it was hard to look away.
She finally caught sight of him and merely smiled and went about her task. “I think the grill is ready for these,” she said as she walked over, picked up the platter, and headed out to the large grill on the deck. Adam followed.
“I can do that if you have to keep an eye on what you’ve got going on inside.”
Smiling, she shook her head, lifted the lid from the grill, and placed the steaks on it. “These will be quick,” she stated, knowing that they both preferred their steaks rare. Pulling a small timer from her pocket, she set it and went back to the kitchen.
He felt like an idiot, but Adam couldn’t help but follow. He had nothing else to do. When Cassie turned and nearly ran into him, he knew he had to get out of her way. Walking toward the stairs, Adam went to the lower level and found what he was looking for. Sprinting up to the kitchen, he found a corkscrew and poured them both a glass of wine.
He held one out to Cassie, and she grabbed it on her way to flip the steaks. “Thanks.”
Ten minutes later, Adam was sitting down and enjoying a meal that had no rival. He knew that Cassie was an exceptional cook; he never had the time to sit and savor what she created. He told her so and watched a delicate blush creep up her cheeks.
“I think that is the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me. Thank you.” Cassie took a sip of her wine and sighed. A girl could get used to living like this, that was for sure. “So tell me what your favorite meal is.”
“I think I’m eating it right now,” he replied as he cut into the tender steak. “I definitely want to use this butcher again, and the produce guy was right on the money, too.” After much deliberation, the menu ended up consisting of the steaks, a baby field greens salad with a lemon balsamic vinaigrette dressing, roasted new potatoes with herbed butter, baby carrots, and toasted French bread.
For Cassie, the meal itself did not present that much of a challenge, but it was nice to be appreciated. While cooking was second nature to her, Cassie rarely had the opportunity to cook for someone personally. Sure, there was her family, but they were biased. It had been a long time since she’d been involved with anyone, and back then, she never had the desire to cook for him.
She wanted to cook for Adam. She enjoyed his praise of what she had done. Cassie found herself wanting to be with him more and more, and it had nothing to do with a working relationship and everything to do with a personal one.
What bothered her most was that here they were, in a romantic setting, and he had not made any attempt to touch her or kiss her. Was that kiss in her apartment on Thursday merely a fluke? Maybe he didn’t enjoy kissing her! Maybe Adam had thought about it and realized that it would be awkward for them to get involved. Of all the times for her father to fall in love, it had to be with this man’s mother! Talk about bad timing.
She must have sighed because Adam put his fork down and looked at her. “Are you okay? Do you feel all right?”
Great, he was concerned for her health. That should have been a sweet thing, but right now it fed her frustration. What was wrong with her, for crying out loud? Why didn’t he enjoy kissing her? Cassie knew she wasn’t a supermodel, but men did find her attractive. Maybe Adam was used to more sophisticated women. Well, if that was the case, he could have at them! There was nothing wrong with her, and she had it on the tip of her tongue to tell him so!
“Cassandra?” He interrupted her thoughts. “Seriously, are you all right? You look like you’re in pain.”
Damn straight she was in pain. Emotional pain. Psychological pain. How dare he kiss her and then never try to do it again! Here she was fawning all over him, trying to get his praise and approval, and for what? So he could ignore the fact that they’d kissed? Cassie realized Adam was staring at her and waiting for an answer.
“What? Oh, no, I’m fine. My mind wandered. Sorry.” She stood abruptly and began clearing the dishes. All this thinking about Adam killing her self-esteem had Cassie missing out on the brilliance of the starry night. She had been looking forward to enjoying it over their dinner outdoors, but she felt too ill to sit still any longer.
Adam followed her into the kitchen. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked, confusion sparking his words. “You seem angry.”
Cassie turned to him, her eyes ablaze. “Do I? Do I seem angry to you?” she demanded. When Adam stood there, dumbfounded at her tone of voice, she went on. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong. I am a decent person. I may not be in your league, but I am a damn fine human being who cares about people. I am good at what I do, and you know what? Plenty of people appreciate that and find me attractive!”
Geez, how much wine had she had, she thought to herself, wishing more and more that she could stop the verbal assault that seemed like a runaway train. “I mean, here we are in this fabulous place, having a great time, and you…you are treating me like a damn sister. We’re not related yet, you know!”
If she hadn’t been so angry, Cassie would have laughed at the expression on Adam’s face. He was clearly confused and wanted to speak, but all he could do was sputter. That was fine with her because she had more to say; only now, she was pacing from the deck to the kitchen with the remnants of their dinner.
“You come to my home, bring me pizza, watch TV with me, and then you kiss me and run. What the hell was that about? I know I’m not pinup material, but seriously, you are the first guy to sprint from the building!” She slammed the dishes into the sink and thanked God that nothing shattered.
“So I have no idea what is going on here. Maybe you do this kind of thing all the time where you go around kissing people and then pretending like it didn’t happen, but I’ve got to tell you, Adam, it’s weird. It’s wrong, and it’s weird, and it’s—”
She never got to finish because Adam had had enough and had walked up to her and cut off her words with his mouth. It was hot, hard, and hungry on hers, and it took Cassie less than a second to jump on board and open for him. Adam’s hands immediately went to her hair to pull it free from its clip while Cassie’s arms twined around his neck to keep him close.
This is glorious madness was all Cassie could think as Adam continued to kiss her more intimately than she’d ever been kissed before. His tongue stroked her, and she tasted the wine, the sweetness, and wanted to drink him in. Too soon he moved his mouth from hers and trailed kisses to her cheek and her throat and up to her earlobe before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her over to one of the oversized sofas in the living room.
Settling her down and sliding down next to her, Adam’s hands began a journey of familiarizing himself with Cassie’s body, and his mouth found his way to hers. Cassie whimpered with need and wrapped one leg around Adam’s to give them full-body contact. In the next instant, she found herself pinned beneath him and staring up into his heated gaze.
“Dammit, Cassandra, I was trying to be a gentleman,” he said, breath ragged. “I knew you were rec
overing, and I knew that if I touched you, if I kissed you, that I’d want to make love to you, and I don’t think you’re feeling up to that yet.” Adam rested his forehead on hers. “For once I was trying to be the good guy.” He placed a gentle kiss where his head had rested and positioned himself more comfortably between her legs, enjoying the sight of her gasping for breath.
“Really?” Her voice was wispy and soft, and it made him groan.
“Yes, really.” He rained tiny kisses all over her face before settling on her mouth. She purred with delight to have him where she most wanted him. Winding her fingers in Adam’s hair, all Cassie could think was that she wanted to make love with him. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but right now, with his aroused body pressed so intimately against hers, she couldn’t find it in her to care.
“Adam?” she whispered against his mouth. He raised his head, his eyes glazed with passion. “Can we take this upstairs? Please?” She was crazed and desperate to be with him, and as much as she should have been questioning why it had to be this man, all Cassie could think about was getting naked with him and spending the night locked in Adam’s arms.
There was a brief hesitation in his gaze before he stood and held out a hand to her. “Are you sure?” He needed her to be sure. He needed her to want him as much as he wanted her. When Cassie smiled and nodded, Adam scooped her up into his arms and considered the possibilities. He strode to the elevator doors and slapped the button on the wall. Once the doors were opened and they were inside, he set Cassie on her feet and pinned her to the wall with his body as he feasted on her mouth once again.
By the time they arrived at the top floor, Adam was nearly ready to lose control. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She wasn’t supposed to make him this crazed or want this much. The doors opened, and Adam took Cassie’s hand and pulled her into his room. The moonlight pouring through all the glass on the far wall lit the room in a more romantic way than anyone could have asked for.
He didn’t stop until they were next to the bed, and without asking, without waiting, Adam reached down to the hem of the tiny white cami Cassie was wearing and pulled it over her head, tossing it to the floor. She let out a small gasp that turned to a sigh as his hands reached up and cupped her full breasts.
She was beautiful. That was all Adam could think. Her skin was milky-white and smooth as silk, and touching her with his hands wasn’t enough. Lowering his head, he took one pink tightened nipple into his mouth and suckled. Cassie’s knees gave away, and Adam gently helped her to stretch out on the bed and followed her down, immediately returning to the task of laving her with his tongue.
Cassie cried out his name and hugged his head closer, unwilling to let him slip away. She wanted to touch him and be touched by him. Adam’s hands continued to roam her body, and it wasn’t long before he tugged at the waistband of her silky pants and found his way inside. With unerring precision, he found where she wanted his touch most. She was wet with anticipation, and Adam growled his approval.
Before he allowed himself the pleasure of feeling Cassie more intimately, he sprang off the bed and removed his shirt and then his shoes, socks, and belt. The sight of her dark hair spread across his white comforter and her body sprawled out for his eyes only had Adam barely hanging onto the thread of his control.
They weren’t supposed to get to this point this weekend. He had planned on kissing her tonight, but in a much less frantic way. Adam had thought that he’d have to coax her, persuade her; how was he to know that she was as needy and frantic as he was? Unfastening his trousers, he stopped and reached for Cassie. Reaching for the waistband of her pants, he carefully slipped them over her hips and down the incredible length of her legs. Wearing no more than a tiny piece of lace, Cassie squirmed slightly under Adam’s heated inspection.
“Please…” Her voice trembled slightly, and Adam’s resistance broke. He wanted her; he had to have her. Now. To hell with the consequences. He was already going to burn for many of his life’s decisions; this simply added one more to the list.
Stripping away his trousers and briefs, Adam joined Cassie on the bed and settled into her open arms and opened legs. He felt the heat of her, the dampness of her panties, and nearly came from the sensation.
Cassie pulled his head to hers and kissed him as if her life depended on it. She had never known such want, but she was spiraling out of control and needed Adam’s hands on her, needed him to feel what he did to her.
Anxious to return to what he had started, Adam slipped a hand between them and let it skim the outside of the lace she wore. Taking his mouth from Cassie’s, he trailed kisses along her throat to her breast while his hand teased and tormented the very core of her.
Arching off the bed, Cassie silently pleaded for Adam to touch her more; she felt her body starting to tingle with sensations that had been long missing from her life. With her breast fully pressed against his mouth, she told him exactly what she wanted him to do, and for once, Adam took someone else’s command and was happy to oblige.
Tearing the lace from her body, Adam found her—her folds, her wetness—and dove in with first one finger and then two. Cassie bucked off the mattress, but Adam settled her with his body. She loved the sensations he was creating in her, and it didn’t take long for her release to hit.
Seeing millions of colors, gasping for air, Cassie cried out Adam’s name over and over. Even with her eyes closed, Cassie could tell that he was watching her, and it thrilled her all the more. She wanted Adam to see and feel what he did to her. She wanted to be his.
As her world began to right itself, Adam leaned over and gently kissed her. Cassie could feel his impressive erection pressing against her thigh, and right now all she wanted was to feel it inside of her. She lowered her arms, which had been thrown above her head in reckless abandon, and reached down to touch him.
In the madness that they had created, Cassie had not taken the opportunity to simply touch. She ran her hands over his chest, toying with his flat nipples before letting her hand trail lower to glide and stroke over him. Adam hissed out a breath and pulsed in her hand.
“Cassandra…” She loved that he was the only person to use the formal version of her name, and right now, said in such a husky tone, she loved it even more.
She moaned slightly as she leaned forward and kissed his chest. She wanted to explore all of him as he had her when suddenly pleasure turned to pain. She gasped and let go of him before crying out in agony.
Adam cursed under his breath and sat upright. Dammit, he knew it was too soon for this, and she had made him lose control.
“Cass? What can I do? What’s going on?” He was so worried. Cassie was curled up tightly next to him, clutching her stomach.
“I didn’t bother to listen to what the doctor said about the timeline for sex because I wasn’t expecting to have any,” she said through clenched teeth. “But once that orgasm settled, my insides sort of felt like they were being attacked with a rusty razor blade.”
Adam stood and walked into his bathroom, hit the lights, and then started the water in the Jacuzzi tub. He went into his medicine cabinet and found some ibuprofen and retrieved a bottle of water from the mini fridge he kept in his walk-in closet. Dimming the lights in the bathroom on the way out, he went to the bed and sat next to Cassie.
“I don’t know if you have your pain pills with you, but these should help take the edge off.” She mumbled a thank you and took the pills and the water from him. Before she knew it, Adam had her in his arms and was walking toward the bathroom.
“What are you doing?” she asked weakly.
“We’re going to take a nice bath to relax you, and then we’re going to go to sleep.” Cassie was in too much pain to admit that she liked the fact that Adam had taken control and was helping her and that he was using we to describe what was going on. It comforted Cassie to no end to have someone taking care of her. Wh
ile she hated that she needed someone to care for her and that she was dealing with this pain, particularly at this moment, it was certainly more tolerable when someone was there to help her through it.
Gently lowering Cassie into the large tub, Adam waited until she was settled before turning the jets on low. The water level was perfect, and he turned off the spout and climbed in behind her so Cassie could relax against his chest. This was a first, and once they fitted themselves together, Adam found that it was quite a pleasant experience, one he wouldn’t mind repeating when Cassie was feeling better.
They sat in the tub, letting the jets pulse over their bodies in silence. Adam rested his head next to Cassie’s and simply enjoyed the sensation of having her in his arms. After several long minutes, he whispered, “How are you feeling?”
She sounded drowsy. “Mmm…better. This is as good as the heating pad. Can we sleep here?”
Adam chuckled. “We’d be pruney by morning.”
“I don’t have the strength to care,” she murmured, shifting slightly. They returned to amicable silence, the sound of the water jets the only thing they could hear.
Some time later, Adam felt the water cooling and whispered Cassie’s name. “I think it’s time to pull the plug here.” Cassie sat forward and Adam stood, the water cascading off of his muscular frame as he stepped from the tub, grabbed a fluffy towel from the heated rack, and wrapped it around himself before grabbing a second one for Cassie.
She stood, heedless of her own nakedness, and allowed Adam to wrap the plush towel around her and lift her from the tub. He placed her on her feet and dried her off before wrapping the towel snugly around her. “Wait here,” he said as he stepped away and walked over to his closet. In less than a minute, he had a cotton T-shirt in his hands. Without asking for permission, Adam loosened the towel and pulled the shirt over Cassie’s head. “You’ll be more comfortable sleeping in this” was all he said before taking her hand and leading her to the master bedroom.
In the Eye of the Storm / Catering to the CEO Page 25