She dragged her eyes back upward. His chest was all muscle, with a light sprinkling of hair, which seemed to beg for her touch. Holding her breath, she reached out. She couldn’t seem to help herself.
His skin felt hot and damp, his male scent emanating from him and making her aware of his arousal. She inhaled deeply and grew more bold, the palm of her hand sliding over his flesh.
And then without an inch of warning, his hand trapped hers against him, causing the breath to hitch in her throat. He turned his head toward her; his eyes slid open. For a moment she stood there, frozen. He’d caught her out.
Then he murmured her name, and she realized he was still dreaming. Her heart thudded, not with relief, but with disappointment. She wanted him to pull her into his arms and make love to her without giving her time to think. If she thought too much, she might—
He hauled her into his arms and pulled her on top of him.
The shock of it held her still.
She went to speak, to tell him to wake him up so that he knew what he was doing, but he kissed her, and at that moment she was his. The taste of him, the scent of him, the very feel of him at her thighs were what she wanted most. She didn’t have the willpower to pull away from him this time.
And then his hands did a slow march down her body, then up again, as if feeling to make sure she was really in his arms. She knew he was awake then. She broke off the kiss and lifted her head to look down at him.
His dark eyes burned into her. “You’re here,” he said hoarsely.
She moistened her mouth. “Yes.” She swallowed. “I’m staying this time.”
In his arms.
He gave a shudder that rippled through her. After that his palms slid over her silky nightgown; then he was lifting it up over her head, taking it off her to give him access to her body. It was so quiet in the room that she heard the sound of the silk dropping to the floor in the sweetest surrender.
“God, I knew you’d be beautiful,” he rasped, looking down between them at her firm breasts suspending toward his chest. Then he lifted her higher and held her there while he drew one of her nipples in his mouth.
“Please!” she cried out at the exquisite torture as he tugged the tender bud with his lips, making her arch her neck. But was she asking for more or asking him to stop? She didn’t know.
Then he moved to the other breast, and she could feel his erection hard against her lower belly. Sensations of pleasure almost sent her over the edge. Dear Lord, she could never remember being so affected by the touch of a man before. Never had passion overridden everything else. She wanted him so much, she could feel it inside her chest and deep in her bones.
After that everything happened fast. Desire quickly reached the boiling point between them and bubbled over.
With only a pause between breaths, he lifted her by her waist and opened her legs with his own, then eased her over his thickened length, melding their two bodies into one. She wasn’t sure which one of them cried out first—maybe both—but one thrust led to another and everything within her started to break free. She abandoned herself around him, feeling him thrust one more time, stiffen and come inside her.
For long moments Cassandra buried her face in his neck while she continued to pulse in rhythm with him. There was a feeling of completeness here she hadn’t expected. She and Dominic had become one in the physical sense. And that was more fulfilling than she could ever believe possible.
Something deep in his cells rippled through Dominic as Cassandra’s body quieted around him. One minute he’d been dreaming about her; the next he was fully awake and lowering her onto him. He hadn’t even taken the time to kiss every inch of her delicious body like he’d imagined he’d do their first time together.
Together.
She stirred above him, lifting her head up from the crook of his neck where she’d collapsed. Moonlight fell across her face at the exact moment she opened her eyes before his, and he saw the pleasure she couldn’t hide.
“I was dreaming about you,” he murmured, reaching out to brush strands of blond hair off her beautiful face.
She took a breath. “I know.” She hesitated. “You called out my name.” Had he?
Yet he wasn’t embarrassed. He was proud for her to know he had wanted her so badly.
Still did.
She probably didn’t need any further evidence of that, he mused, growing hard inside her again. Her eyes widened, filling him with renewed anticipation and making him acutely aware of her wet, silky warmth surrounding him. He groaned, unable to stop his body from giving a brief thrust.
“I’ve wanted you like this for some time,” he managed to say, feeling little clenches of her body, which he knew she couldn’t stop.
Her eyes flickered. “Er…you have?”
She was too tempting.
“And you’ve wanted me,” he pointed out, needing to hear her admit what he’d always suspected.
She held his gaze for the longest second, then whispered, “Yes,” and lowered her head to his chest, hiding her eyes as if self-conscious.
It sent adrenaline shooting through him, yet at the same time something felt odd. She was showing a sexual vulnerability that didn’t tally with what he knew about her. It was like she was only just awakening to passion, and that didn’t make sense. She’d had no compunction in having an affair during her marriage to Liam, so why pretend she wasn’t experienced?
And then he realized.
Was this just an act? Was it the way she got to a man—making him think he was the only one to tap into hidden sexual depths deep inside her? If it was, then she was very good.
And if it wasn’t?
He shook off his thoughts. “Lift your head. Look at me.”
“I…don’t have the strength.”
There it was again.
He rolled them over and reversed their positions. “Now look at me.”
A heartbeat paused.
She lifted her eyelids.
She was bewitching.
He throbbed with need again and gave another thrust, and all at once she lifted her body to meet him. Triumph raced through him, and he began to move, plunging deeper, thrusting harder. It was incredible that he wanted her again so soon. He’d never known anything like it before.
They came together.
Then his heartbeat slowed, and he eased back to look down on her. She was staring at him with wonder, her eyes telling him she couldn’t believe she had climaxed again so soon. He knew the feeling, even as he still wondered about her. For the moment he would take what she offered, give as good as he could get. As long as he remained aware she might be manipulating him, she wouldn’t get away with too much.
Then her eyes lowered to his chest, looking away from him again. “We haven’t used any protection,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
His heart lurched in his chest. She wasn’t telling him something that hadn’t already occurred to him. “It’s too late tonight. We’ll discuss it tomorrow.” He scooped her up in his arms.
“Where are we going?”
“To take a shower together,” he said, striding into the bathroom. Standing her on her feet, he reached over and turned on the hot water. “And after that—” he lowered his head for a long kiss and when it had finished, steam was swirling around them “—we’re going to start all over again.”
Five
Cassandra stretched herself awake to the sound of native bird life, then realized where she was.
In Dominic’s bed.
And Dominic was no longer next to her.
She sat up and looked around, blushing when she saw her silk nightgown draped over a chair. The last time she’d seen it, he’d been lifting it over her head.
Oh, my.
The temptation to stay there and relive the night was strong, but she needed to check on Nicole. Peeling herself from under the bedclothes, she grabbed the nightgown to hold in front of her as she crossed the hallway to her bedroom.
No, m
ake that Nicole’s room now. Dominic would not let things go back to the way they were.
She had to admit she didn’t want that, either. Dare she believe that on another level something else might have changed, too? Could they now be as compatible outside the bedroom as they were inside it?
The crib was empty, and she assumed Dominic had taken Nicole to give her breakfast. And then she heard her daughter’s laughter coming from downstairs, and she relaxed. Interested in seeing how he would cope, she quickly took another shower—her stomach giving a little quiver at the memory of showering with Dominic during the night—and then she dressed in a tank top and a tiered skirt that swished about her legs. Hoop earrings made her feel a bit like a gypsy woman.
At the kitchen doorway, it was obvious by the slight mess that Dominic had already fed Nicole her cereal, and now the little girl was happily sitting in her high chair, playing with a selection of her small toys.
He looked up from pouring coffee, his hand stilling. The masculine appreciation in his eyes made her stomach flutter. And the sensuality in them made her tremble. He knew the secrets of her body now. She could not hide from him.
“Good morning,” he said huskily.
“Good morning.” To cover her blush, she walked toward Nicole, pretending he didn’t affect her. “Morning, sweetie,” she murmured, kissing the top of her daughter’s head, then took a step toward the cupboard to get a coffee mug. She would stay calm, she told herself. She would not panic that he knew how easily she had succumbed to him. Just because—
All at once he was in front of her, pulling her up against his already hard body, reminding her how aroused his dream had made him. Her breath quickened. She could think of nothing more sensual than this man fantasizing about her.
He lowered his head, his mouth closing over hers. She slid into the kiss like water into a pond. Everything seemed so right between them. So natural.
It couldn’t last.
Things never did.
She wasn’t sure how long before the kiss ended, but when it did, she quickly stepped around him and went to the cupboard.
“I see you’ve already fed Nicole,” she chatted, not wanting him to know her thoughts. “Thanks for doing that. She would have been hungry.”
There was a short silence. Then, “I thought it time Nicole and I got to know each other.”
Elation swept through her, the words so sweet.
But as she poured herself a coffee, she admitted that being “sweet” wasn’t exactly one of this man’s more notable traits. Dominic was renowned for being a shrewd judge of character, in business and out of it—except when it came to her, of course.
A moment later she found herself rethinking that. It wasn’t just her he’d pegged wrong. He hadn’t been able to see Liam’s true character. In a strange way, such a quality would be endearing if it didn’t affect her so much. It showed him to be a caring brother and a protector of his family and—
Unexpected clarity hit her. Last night he’d left his bedroom door ajar. Had that been for a reason? Despite the security alarm being turned on, had he been keeping his ears open in case they needed him? Had he been protecting them?
She grimaced inwardly. Well, protecting Nicole, anyway. He didn’t care enough about her to want to protect her. As far as he was concerned, she could look after herself. She wasn’t a true Roth. Not like her daughter was a true Roth.
And that brought her to the heart of the matter. What more could she ask than he protect her child? It didn’t matter that he thought less of her. She could take all he dished out as long as her child was happy and safe. Her daughter being protected at all costs was what mattered most. Dominic’s indifference toward her own safety wasn’t an issue. She could look after herself. She didn’t need his protection or—
She almost dropped the coffeepot as one thought rolled into another, reminding her of another type of protection. One between a man and a woman. One that hadn’t been on their minds last night until it was far too late. “Cassandra?”
She looked up at him and swallowed. “What if I’m pregnant?”
Their eyes collided.
A strange glitter flashed in his eyes before he looked away. “I don’t mind.”
“You don’t?”
His gaze came back at her. “Not yet, of course. But eventually I’d like a couple of children. If it happens now instead, then so be it.”
She didn’t want it to happen.
She didn’t.
Liar.
It was the strangest thing, but the thought of carrying his baby made her feel gooey inside.
And then she realized what that would mean. Having Dominic’s baby would tie her to him completely. She’d never be able to get away from him. Somehow with Nicole being his niece and not his own child, it allowed her to detach from him in some small way. She’d even thought that sometime in the future, she and Nicole might be able to make a life for themselves without Dominic. But if she became pregnant…if she had his child…the ties would be so much more binding. There would be no escape.
Suddenly, the slamming of a car door cut through the silence, followed by another car door closing. Her thoughts subsided as the world intruded.
Dominic frowned, then walked past her into the living room and glanced out the large windows. He swore.
She watched him from the kitchen doorway. “Who is it?”
“We’ve got visitors.”
“Visitors? The housekeeper, you mean?”
“My parents.”
Cassandra only just held back a groan as he strode to the front door. Of all the times she didn’t want to see her in-laws it was now. It could only mean trouble, she knew, as she went to unbuckle Nicole from the high chair before following Dominic.
“Mum? Dad?” he said as she went to join him at the front door. “What are you doing here?”
His parents were in their late fifties. His father’s tallness and handsomeness were the perfect complements to his graceful wife. Both of them came from the best families Down Under. They were true members of the Australian aristocracy. And that made it all the more amazing that they had accepted her into their hallowed ranks. At first.
Laura Roth’s face was strained as she looked at her eldest son. Her eyes hardened when she saw Cassandra at his side, and Cassandra’s arms tightened around Nicole.
As if Laura noticed the movement, the older woman’s gaze slid to Nicole. In an instant, her whole face softened. “Oh, my heavens, Michael,” she said, hurrying up the timber steps. “There’s our little granddaughter.” She held out her arms and Nicole went straight to her. “Take a look at her. She’s grown in just a short time. My, she’s so like her fath—” Laura burst into tears.
Dominic was the first to move. He quickly lifted Nicole out of Laura’s arms, holding on to the little girl himself while his father rushed forward.
Michael pulled his wife into his arms. “Shh, honey. Don’t cry.”
Cassandra stood there, feeling a deep pang of sadness as her mother-in-law sobbed. No parent should have to lose a child.
“Mum, you shouldn’t be here,” Dominic muttered, a rough edge to his voice.
Laura sobbed into her husband’s chest, but it was Michael who spoke. “We had to come, son,” he said, a grave note to his voice, and Cassandra saw Dominic stiffen. Then Michael passed his wife a handkerchief. “Why don’t we go inside, honey?”
Laura took a deep shuddering breath and pulled back, wiping her eyes. “I’m fine now, darling. It was just the shock of seeing Nicole.” Tears welled up in her eyes again.
“How about some coffee?” Cassandra asked quickly. “Or perhaps something to eat? Have you had breakfast?”
“We had something on the way,” Michael said politely, “but coffee would be welcome.” He started leading Laura inside.
Cassandra stood there for a moment, then followed them. Dominic was carrying Nicole on his hip, his face closed now. Not a good sign, though for whom she wasn’t sure. She winced. Who
was she kidding? Dominic’s lovemaking last night hadn’t changed his opinion of her. Like his parents, he still disliked her.
“I’ll put the coffee on,” she murmured, once the older couple were seated in the living room. She turned toward the kitchen. It would be a relief to get out of their presence.
“Wait.” Michael’s abrupt tone stopped her in her tracks. “We have something to say to you and Dominic first.”
Cassandra darted a look at Dominic. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he nodded at her, then he put Nicole down in a playpen a few feet away, before going to stand in front of the open fireplace. Cassandra took a seat on one of the armchairs. His parents sat beside each other on the full-length couch, his father holding his wife’s hand in his.
“Fire away, Dad.”
Michael nodded, a determined look about him. “Right. Well, as you can see we came home early. Last night, in fact. So imagine our incredible surprise when Adam told us about your wedding.”
Dominic’s mouth compressed. “He should have called to tell me.”
“We asked him not to,” Michael said. “We wanted to see you in person.”
Dominic raised a cool eyebrow. “Why? Is there a problem?”
“Yes, there’s a problem,” Michael snapped. “Adam told us what was in the will. He said Liam had asked you to do this.”
“That’s right.”
“And that’s very commendable of you, son, but your mother and I think you should have waited. There was no need to jump in feetfirst and marry Cassandra. We could have figured out a way around that. Hell, that’s what lawyers are for.”
Cassandra felt like her breath was cut off. During Liam’s illness her in-laws had been cool toward her, but to be so blatant in their loathing of her now was hurtful. Clearly, if Dominic had married anyone else but her, they wouldn’t be here.
Her eyes sought Dominic’s, expecting to see the slash of regret now that he knew he should have waited. Strangely, all she could see was a hardness—an intensity—that was surprisingly directed at his parents. The force of it was rather…intimidating.
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