“Damn, baby.” That was as much as he could force out.
Her hands wandered over every inch of him as if soaking in his heat and learning his shape. She lowered his zipper, and he spun around to meet her face to face.
He brushed his knuckles across her cheek, savoring the feel of soft skin. The gentle touch contrasted with the insistent press of his erection against her hip.
When he lowered his head, she did not pull back. Instead, she met him halfway, bringing her mouth to a kiss so hot and tantalizing that he wondered why he had skipped the step until now.
Cassie wanted to say something profound, but she didn’t trust her voice to carry any sound. Rather than talk, she fell into the moment.
Pleasure screamed through her as he scooped her up high in those amazing arms. She’d never really been one to buy into the overly romantic notion of being swept off her feet. It sounded too much like being rescued. But she could not deny the soothing sense of security that came from being so close that she could smell and taste him. The heat of his body warmed hers as he walked toward the back of the dimly lit cave.
Then he took her mouth again. This kiss went beyond testing and tasting. This one claimed.
In that moment, despite her independent nature, she wanted to give over a piece of herself to see what he would do with it. To cede some small measure of control and let whatever was meant to happen just happen.
Before she could fall full and complete into the burning kiss, the dark ceiling spun over her head. He lowered her to the hard ground and covered her body with his. Frantic hands tore at her clothing, pushing and pulling until her T-shirt bunched under her chin and her bra slipped down, exposing her breasts to his eager tongue.
A shot of humid air hit her skin right before his hot mouth settled over her. As his tongue danced across her skin, his fingertips brought her other nipple to puckered attention. He sucked and licked until her back arched off the floor and her heels dug into the dirt.
She got so lost in the sensations, of having every thought except those of him blocked, she nearly forgot to touch him. What a waste. When her hands found his back again, she reveled in his taut muscles. In the way tension thrummed off of him as he balanced his body on elbows above her.
He pushed up on his knees, his mouth breaking contact with her body for the short time it took to rip off his shirt. When he came down again, his chest was bare and his pants were unbuckled.
But she only saw his body for a flash. She wanted to look until she grew tired of the sight of his perfectly fit body, if that was even possible, but his mouth covered hers. Any thought of appreciating or talking or anything else dissolved into a pile of nothing. All that mattered was their mouths as they touched and their hands as they explored.
She lifted her hips, silently begging him to remove the rest of her clothes. She wanted them off. All off until nothing separated them.
Instead, he began to move. His mouth traveled down her body and over her collarbone while her hands roamed over her breasts. After his lips touched every part of her shoulders and upper arms, he slipped to her breasts to join his fingers.
He kept kissing and caressing until her heart thudded loud enough for her to hear the blood rush in and out, then her eyes fell closed. Then he went even lower, pressing a line of wet kisses in a burning path to her stomach. Her skin tingled with a sensation she could not define.
Air rushed into her lungs and squeezed back out every time he touched his mouth to her waiting flesh. Rough fingertips skimmed up her shorts. His eyes locked on hers as his thumb brushed against her growing dampness. Through her conservative cotton underwear he rubbed back and forth until her legs fell open to give him greater access.
A whimper escaped her lips as he bent to kiss her through her shorts. She glanced down, seeing his broad shoulder balanced between her thighs. When his other hand joined the first, with fingers in turn pressing into her and rubbing over her most intimate spot, the breath she had been holding shot out of her with a moan.
“Take them off.” She wanted to scream the order but only had the breath to mumble.
He settled his heated body between her raised legs and reached for her zipper, lowering it with agonizing slowness.
“Cal. Please.”
He punished her by rubbing his cheek against the flesh of her thigh. “Not yet.”
After an eternity, he spread the zipper wide. Reaching inside, he stripped the material, panties and all, down her legs in one sweep. And he didn’t wait one more second. He pressed a hard kiss on her bare flesh. No panties. No hair. Just lips against skin.
She needed this. A man who knew what to do with a woman’s body could wipe away all the doubts and bad memories. Cal was that man. Those fingers, that mouth. He knew his way around a woman.
“Every part of you is pretty.” He whispered the compliment against her shaved mound.
She should have been embarrassed or at least a bit uncomfortable at having him see her like this after such a short time. Hell, she knew almost nothing about the guy. Certainly not a thing about what he had been doing since he lost touch with Dan.
But the rational thoughts refused to stick in her head. She would worry and blush later. Right now she wanted him to explore every inch or her…and then do it again.
“Some parts don’t see a lot of sunshine,” she said.
He traced his fingers over her until her legs opened even wider in reaction. “This should.”
“I think there are laws against that.”
“Now that’s a shame.”
He dipped his head and licked her, his tongue slipping deep inside. Something inside her lower body clamped down. She could feel the tension tightening and spiraling.
His body stiffened along with hers. His muscles clenched as if he were trying to hold back and make it last for her. Cassie appreciated the gesture, but she wanted him inside her. Now.
His hands pinned her legs open as he kissed and licked, making her more and more desperate to relieve whatever kept ramping up inside her. She broke down and begged him to enter her, but he continued to focus on her sensitized flesh until the sensation traveling through her rocked one final time.
Her body bucked as she gasped, fighting for air to beat back the orgasm ripping through her. Her legs stiffened. Her hips rose off the ground. It was another minute before the convulsions churning through her subsided.
When he slowly climbed back up her body, every nerve ending tingled. “Beautiful woman.”
She answered when her breathing returned to normal. “Talented man.”
She gave in to the urge to brush her hand over his cheek. She wanted to know the feel of him. She had heard him shoot off one-liners and sexist remarks. She wanted to know the feel of him at this type of moment.
He chuckled. “You know what?”
“I can’t actually think now.”
He dipped his head and touched his lips to her mouth in a gentle kiss. “It’s my turn.”
She thought about apologizing but refused to feel sorry for what just happened, even if she was a tad selfish. Instead, she folded her arms around his neck and brought his face back down for another kiss.
When they broke apart, she dropped her head back against the hard cold floor to catch her breath. “I’m still here.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, with a need that bordered on urgent, his hands swept down her body to her hips.
“Wallet.”
Not exactly the comment she expected. “What?”
“Condom.”
Reality smacked her. Protection. She had not even considered that. For the first time in her life, she did not take care to guard her health.
“I didn’t—”
“Doesn’t matter.” He kissed his way across her chin. “In the wallet.”
Wasn’t he the prepared one?
Rather than dwell on what the condom meant or why he thought he would need one when breaking into a house, she stayed in the moment. She vowed to hold off on all
analyzing and dissecting until later. Nothing had changed on that.
Her fingers slipped into his back pocket. She must have been going too slowly because he reached out and grabbed the wallet. One minute it was in her hand; the next it was between his teeth while he dug out the packet with his fore-finger.
Two seconds later he threw the wallet, letting it land in a puff of dirt and sand. “I can’t wait.”
“Don’t.”
With an arm wrapped around her waist, he rolled over and slid his body beneath hers. The move surprised her. She didn’t even know there had been stones digging into her back until they weren’t anymore.
“You get the comfortable position this time.” He lifted his hips to slide down his pants. The underwear stayed on.
Which was good since she wanted to take care of that for him. “And people say chivalry is dead.”
He tried to talk but pressed his head into the floor and closed his eyes instead.
The sudden quiet scared her. “Cal—”
“I’m not going to make it much longer.”
“Poor baby.”
“I’m willing to beg you.”
No need. Instead of answering, she let her fingers give her response. She slipped them inside the waistband of his underwear and watched his eyes pop back open.
With bold strokes, she pumped her hand up and down. His warmth, that incredible hardness, filled her hand. Like every other part of his body, his erection exceeded her expectations. He was long and full. She had her share of partners, less than most but enough to know every single part of Cal was impressive.
His groan lasted for about eight syllables. “Yes, baby.”
“Now I have your attention.” She pushed up on her knees and tugged his briefs down.
“You had it since before we walked into this cave.”
If she hadn’t believed his words, she would have believed that piercing gaze. He was holding nothing back. So she paid him back in kind. She tore open the condom and rolled it down over him.
Gone was his patient touch. His hands settled on her hips. He lifted then lowered her on top of him. First the tip slipped inside her. As she adjusted, he squirmed. She could feel his butt clench as he held back from plunging inside.
So she took over.
With a deep inhale, she inched her way down on top of him. The touch of his body sent a second shock of tremors running through her. She ignored the sensation and kept pressing. Her speed must have been too slow since he wound his arms around her with his hands landing on her bare bottom. The pressure brought her body fully down on top of him in such a swift and powerful move that she gasped.
She shifted her hips, going up and down in a beat that matched the racing of her heart. A groan echoed in her ears as her body began to shudder. She strained to keep her eyes open, to focus on his beautiful face as he found satisfaction, but her body splintered and the tremors rocketed through her a second time.
The last thing she remembered was the sound of her name bouncing off the walls as he shouted.
Chapter Sixteen
He was a dead man.
Cal lay there in the dank cave, pants at his ankles and Cassie tucked under his arm. With her hand trapped beneath his back, he tried to figure out when he had become that guy. The one who took advantage of every situation to sleep with a woman no matter how risky the outcome.
He jumped on a plane and flew across the country to find Dan. Hearing from him after all these years had given him hope they could hash out the past and move on. Dan’s death put an end to that goal. Now Cal had to find out what happened to the helicopter while he figured out who kept using Cassie for target practice.
All of that investigation required he ignore one simple thing—the blinding chemistry he shared with Cassie. The reality arose not out of some noble desire to protect his friend’s sister. No, he needed to stay away from her because she didn’t really know the truth about her brother. Worse, about him.
It was like having sex under false pretenses. The sharp reality took some of the fun out of the post-sex moment. Apparently even he had his limits, which was good to know.
The police had their theories about Dan and his failures in the cockpit that day almost a month ago. To Cassie, Deputy Greene’s opinion branded him as the enemy. She refused to believe he could be right or that Dan could have played a role in his own demise.
Cal knew another piece of information, one that tended to corroborate Ted’s theory of the events. While Cal didn’t believe the official accident story, he did have some insight into Dan’s flying past that made the police talk more feasible. About a previous time when Dan’s reckless behavior cost the Air Force a multimillion-dollar plane. Nearly cost two men their lives.
But that wasn’t the worst. How did he explain to Cassie he was the one who put Dan on the path that eventually killed him? She would hate him and he couldn’t really blame her. Somehow, still, the never-was and never-would-be thoughts filled him with an odd sense of loss.
Cassie pushed against his shoulders with her palm. “Cal?”
He looked down into her sleepy eyes. “You okay?”
“Squished.”
“And women say men lack a sense of romance.”
“You weigh a ton.” She wiggled her fingers.
Since those fingers were lodged in the small of his back, he felt every movement right down his spine. “Shit. Sorry.”
He lifted his midsection and butt off the ground so she could pull her arm out. He did not let go of the rest of her. Their bodies remained locked and their legs tangled together.
“Are you going to sleep?” he asked.
She balanced her chin on his chest and glanced at the entrance to the cave. “Looks like it’s still unfit for humans out there.”
“What gave you the hint, the trees whipping around or that sound?”
“Which?”
He couldn’t believe she did not hear it. “It’s like there’s metal out there and the water keeps hitting it a bucket at a time.”
She smiled. “Welcome to Hawaii.”
“I told you I lived here before.”
She snorted. “On a military base.”
“Did I say that?” He pulled back to get a better view of her body as she lay sprawled all over him. “And what’s wrong with living on base?”
“First, I was guessing.”
“Yeah. And?”
“Nothing. Paradise costs a lot. Keeps the riffraff out.”
“I’m assuming you don’t work for the tourist board, or whatever it’s called.”
One hand moved under her chin while the other traced a pattern back and forth over his chest, her fingernails lightly scraping as she went. “Sometimes.”
Cal realized he had no idea what she did or what she was sacrificing to be on Kauai looking for answers. “Since we’re naked and stuck in the middle of nowhere, why don’t you tell me what that statement means?”
“I’m a graphic designer.”
As if that answered the question. “Yeah, you’ll need to explain that, too.”
“I design and assemble brochures, advertising promotions, and online campaigns.”
She was talking about something other than poor police work and her brother’s death. If she planned to share something about herself, he planned to listen. “I understand all of those words separately. Together, not so much.”
She gave his skin a little pinch.
“Stop that.” He smoothed his hand over hers.
“In other words, I designed the ad that the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau—what you call the tourist board thing—uses to lure guys like you to the islands to spend loads of cash.”
“That I get.” He folded one arm under his head and watched the storm batter the ground outside. “You work for this convention thing?”
“I work for myself, which is why I can afford to be here now.” She closed her eyes and stretched, letting out a tiny moan of pleasure.
She lifted her slender ar
m across his chest before snuggling in even closer. The whole show lasted about five seconds, but the move would run through his mind for quite a while. It was so utterly feminine and so damn sexy.
And that sly little smile playing on her mouth made him wonder if she had an ulterior motive. One that involved breaking down all of his good intentions to keep his hands in the neutral zone.
“What is going on in that pretty head of yours?” he asked when he just couldn’t take the suspense any longer.
One eye popped open to gaze at him. “You are a die-hard chauvinist.”
“Well, your head sure ain’t ugly.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. And, for the record, next time, you’re on the bottom the whole time because my shoulders are bruised.”
Yeah, there wouldn’t be a next time. Not if he could help it…and he wasn’t all that sure he could. “Are you okay?”
She kissed his chest. “Great.”
“Did you get hurt?” He started to sit up.
She pushed him back down. “I was kidding.”
He ran his hand over two scratches on her shoulder as thunder clapped outside the cave. Cal feared the bang was an ominous sign of things to come. He focused his attention on the rumbling darkness outside instead of the warm woman in his arms.
“Hey.” She pushed up on her elbow. “What did I say?”
He took a deep breath and stepped right off the cliff into utter stupidity. “We have to talk.”
She laughed. “That sounds like…”
“Cassie—”
Amusement drained from her face. “Oh hell.”
“It’s just that—”
This time she sat straight up, right at his side, with her shirt still pushed up against her throat. “You’re going to give me the talk?”
“The what?”
“Now? Are you kidding?”
“I just suggested we take a few minutes and—”
“It was your tone. You’re about to give me the you’re-nice-but-this-shouldn’t-happen speech.” She shoved against his side. “Deny it.”
Yeah, well, hard to do that when she was dead on. “This was a one-time deal.”
He almost added “it shouldn’t have happened” but stopped the words in time. He’d have enough to choke on later without eating a few more sentences.
It’s Hotter in Hawaii Page 10