by Cat Schield
He’d been expecting something along those lines and wished she wasn’t so damned miserable about feeling that way. “See, that wasn’t so hard. I like you. You like me.”
“And nothing can happen between us.”
“If that’s what you really want.” If that was the case, he would respect her decision. But nothing would convince him to like it.
“It is.” Her expression closed down. “I made a mistake once, and I promised myself I’d never do anything like that ever again.”
“You are too hard on yourself. Everyone screws up. You shouldn’t beat yourself up about it.”
“That’s what my best friend tells me.”
“Sounds like a smart friend.” Liam dropped the subject. Asking her to confide in him would only cause her to shut down, and he didn’t want that to happen. “What should we do after dinner? We could watch a movie. Or there’s board games stored in the front closet if you think you can best me at Monopoly or backgammon.”
“You don’t really want to play either of those, do you?”
“Not really.”
“I suppose if you were entertaining clients, you’d go out to a bar, or if you didn’t have the energy for that after a full day of skiing, you’d sit around drinking scotch and smoking cigars.”
“Something like that.” Neither of those activities sounded like much fun while his thoughts were filled with Hadley’s soft lips yielding beneath his and the wonders of her generous curves pressed against his body. Gripped by a fit of restlessness, Liam pushed back from the table. “You know, I think I’ll head into town and grab a drink. Don’t wait up. It’ll probably be a late night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Eight
Hadley sat in miserable silence for several minutes after the front door closed behind Liam, cursing her decision to push him away. Was it fair that doing the right thing made her unhappy? Shouldn’t she be feeling wretched only after acting against her principles?
With a disgusted snort, Hadley cleared the dessert dishes from the table and set them in the sink. With a lonely evening stretched out before her, she puttered in the kitchen, washing the plates and wineglasses, wiping down the already-immaculate counters and unloading the dishwasher.
None of these tasks kept her thoughts occupied, and she ran her conversation with Liam over and over in her head, wishing she’d explained about Noah so Liam would understand why it was so important that she maintain a professional distance.
After half an hour she’d run out of tasks to occupy her in the kitchen and carried Maggie upstairs. The baby was almost half-asleep and showed no signs of rousing as Hadley settled her into the crib. For a long time she stared down at the motherless child, her heart aching as she contemplated how fond she’d become of the baby and realized that the end of January was fast approaching.
Soon she wouldn’t have to worry over Maggie’s welfare. Liam would find another nanny. It shouldn’t make her heart ache, and yet it did. Hadley began to pace the comfortable guest room. Once again she’d let her heart lead instead of her head. Nor was it only her charge who had slipped beneath her skin. Liam had skirted her defenses as well. Earlier that day she’d accepted that Liam wasn’t Maggie’s father, but yet he’d demonstrated a willingness to step up and raise his niece, and that said a lot about his character.
Hadley stopped to peer out the window but could see nothing but fat white flakes falling past the glass. The day she’d driven up the driveway to the ranch house, she’d never dreamed that the crush she’d developed on him a decade earlier might have been lying dormant all these years. Born of hero worship and adolescent fantasies, it shouldn’t have survived all the life lessons Hadley had learned. Her guilt over the role she’d played in Anna’s accident, her poor judgment with Noah, the financial consequences of choosing the wrong career. All of these should have made her incapable of acting foolishly.
So far they had.
But that was before Liam Wade reentered her life. Before, she couldn’t think about the man without longing to fall into bed with him, ignoring all consequences for the chance to be wildly happy for a few hours.
The baby made a sound, and Hadley went to make sure she was still asleep. Over the past week, Maggie had grown more vocal as she slept.
Hadley settled a light blanket over the baby, knowing she was fussing for no good reason. She still couldn’t calm the agitation that zinged along her nerves in the aftermath of turning aside Liam’s advances during dinner.
“I should have just slept with him,” she murmured, the declaration sounding unbearably loud in the silent house. Then at least she’d have a good reason to regret her actions.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” a low male voice said from the doorway.
Startled, Hadley whirled in Liam’s direction. Heat seared her cheeks as she spotted him lounging against the door jam, an intense gleam in his half-lidded eyes. “I thought you went out.”
“I did, but it wasn’t any fun without you.” He advanced toward her, his intent all too clear.
When his arms went around her, pulling her tight against his strong body, Hadley stopped resisting. This is what she wanted. Why fight against something that felt this right?
“Kiss me quick before I change my mind,” she told him, her head falling back so she could meet his gaze. “And don’t stop.”
She laced her fingers through his hair as his mouth seized hers. Nerve endings writhing like live electric wires, she lost all concept of gravity. Up. Down. Left. Right. Without Liam’s arms anchoring her to him, she would have shot into space like an overheated bottle rocket.
After the first hard press of his lips to hers, Liam’s kiss gentled and slowed. He took his time ravishing her mouth with a bit of pressure here and a flick of his tongue there. Hadley panted in a mix of excitement and frustration. He’d been so greedy for that first kiss. She’d expected what followed would be equally fast and demanding.
“Your lips are amazing,” he murmured, nipping at her lower lip. “Soft. Pliant. I could spend all night just kissing you.”
Pleasure speared downward as his tongue dipped into the shallow indents left behind by his tender bite. “Other parts of me are just as interesting.” She arched her back and rubbed her breasts against his chest, hoping he’d take the hint and relieve their ache.
“I imagine you will provide an unlimited source of fascination.” He nuzzled his lips against her neck and bracketed her hips with his long fingers, pulling her against his erection. “Shall we go to my room and see?”
“Oh yes.”
He surprised her by scooping her into his arms and carrying her next door. He set her on her feet in the middle of the dark room and pushed her to arm’s length.
“I’m going to turn on the fireplace so we have some light. Then I’m going to take off your clothes and spend the rest of the night pleasuring every inch of your body.”
His words left her breathless and giddy. “That sounds great,” she replied, reaching out to the footboard for balance. “But I demand equal time to get to know you.”
White teeth flashed in the darkness as he shot her a wolfish smile. “I love a woman who knows what she wants.”
While he crossed to the enormous stone fireplace, Hadley took advantage of his back being turned to strip off her sweater and shimmy out of her black stretch pants. Clad only in a pale blue camisole and bikini briefs, she shivered in anticipation. The gas fireplace lit with a whoosh, and Liam turned back to her as flames began to cast flickering shadows around the room. In the dimness, his eyes seemed impossibly bright as his gaze traveled over her.
“You are gorgeous.”
Although his tone gave the words a sincerity she appreciated, Hadley doubted she measured up to the women he’d been with in the past. “So are you.” A sudden rush of shyness made her sound flip,
but Liam didn’t seem to notice.
He held out his hand. “Come here.”
She couldn’t have resisted his command even if her feet had been glued to the floor. More than anything she wanted his hands on her.
Together they stripped off his sweater and the long-sleeve shirt beneath. Firelight highlighted the perfection of his arms, shoulders and abs as her fingers trailed along his hot, silky skin.
“You have such an amazing body,” she murmured, marveling at the perfection of every hard muscle. “I’m a little worried that you’ll be disappointed in me.”
He chuckled. “You have nothing to fear. You are beautiful in every way.”
As if to demonstrate that, his hands began to slide upward, catching the hem of her camisole and riding it from her hips to her ribs. Hadley closed her eyes to better savor the magic of his palms gliding over her skin and threw her head back as he reached her breasts, cupping them briefly before sweeping the camisole over her head.
“I was right,” he murmured, dropping to his knees to press a kiss to her abdomen.
Hadley quaked as his mouth opened and he laved her skin from belly button to hip. With his head cupped in her hands, she fought to maintain her balance as his fingers hooked in her panties and rode them down her legs. With one knee he nudged her feet apart, and she shut her eyes as his fingers trailed upward, skimming the sensitive inside of her thighs until he reached the spot where she burned.
As his fingers brushed against her pubic hair, she cried out in surprise. He’d barely touched her, and her insides were tense and primed to explode.
“You like that.” He wasn’t asking a question. “What about this?”
With one finger he opened her and slipped into her wetness. Hadley gasped as pleasure hammered her. Her knees began to shake, threatening to topple her.
“I can’t...stand.”
He cupped her butt in his hands and steadied her. “I’ve got you, baby. Just let go.”
Her knees buckled, and Liam guided her downward and just a little forward so she ended up straddling his thighs, her breasts flattened against his hard chest. He cupped her head in his hand and brought their lips together once more. This kiss, deep and hungry, held none of the gentle restraint he’d shown earlier. It was a demonstration of his passion for her, and she was enthralled by his need.
“You need to get naked,” she gasped as he rolled her beneath him on the thick, fluffy throw rug.
“Soon.”
His mouth trailed moisture down her neck and over the upper curve of her breast. As delicious as it was to be slowly devoured by him, the desire clawing at her was building to a painful crescendo. She writhed beneath him, her sensitive inner thighs rasping against his soft corduroy pants as she lifted her knees to shift him deeper into the cradle of her hips.
“Oh, Liam. That’s so good.”
He’d taken one nipple into his mouth, and the erotic tug sharpened her longing. She ached to feel him buried inside her. Her nails bit into his sides, breath coming in shallow pants as he rocked his hips and drove his erection against her.
When she slipped her hands between them and went for the button that held his trousers closed, he caught her wrists and raised her arms over her head.
“Patience,” he murmured before turning his attention to her other breast.
She thrashed her head from side to side as sensation overwhelmed her. Trapped as she was beneath him, Hadley was still able to rotate her hips and grind herself against his hard length. Liam groaned and his lips trailed down her body.
It had never been this good before. Fire consumed her at Liam’s every kiss. His hot breath skated across her sensitive flesh. Suddenly her hands were free. Liam continued to slide lower; his shoulders shifted between her thighs, spreading her wide. He grazed his fingertips across her nipples, ripping a moan from her.
Before she’d even registered the pleasure of his large hands cupping her breasts, he dipped his tongue into her hot wet core and sent her spiraling into orbit. Anticipation had been gnawing on her all day, and Liam’s expert loving drove her fast and hard into her first orgasm. As it ripped through her, Hadley panted his name. His fingers dug into her backside, holding her tight against his mouth as she shuddered and came in what felt like endless waves of pleasure.
“Nice,” she murmured. “Very, very, very nice.”
Once her body lay lifeless in the aftermath of her climax, Liam dropped a light kiss on her abdomen and left her to strip off the rest of his clothes. Despite the lack of strength in her limbs, Hadley struggled up onto her elbows to better watch his gorgeous body emerge.
She was awed by his broad shoulders, bulging biceps, washboard abs, but when he stripped off his trousers and she got a glimpse of his strong thighs and the spectacular chiseling of his firm butt, she forgot how to breathe. His erection sprang out as he peeled off his underwear, and her gaze locked on its rigid length.
She licked her lips.
“Do that again and this won’t last long,” Liam growled as he withdrew a condom from his wallet and made quick work of sliding it on.
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re prepared?”
“I’ve been prepared since the day you walked into my house.”
His impassioned declaration made her smile. She held out her arms to him and he lowered himself onto her. Almost immediately the tip of him found where she needed him most, but he held back and framed her face with his hands.
“I don’t take this next step lightly,” he told her, showing way more restraint than Hadley could manage at the moment.
As much as she appreciated what he was trying to communicate about the depth of his desire for her, she shied away from letting his affirmation into her heart. If this wasn’t about two people enjoying an enormous amount of sexual chemistry, she might lose herself to the fantasy that they had a future. Where Liam was concerned, she had to maintain her head.
But all perspective was lost as he kissed her. Not waiting for him to take charge, she drove her tongue into his mouth and let him taste her passion and longing. Something in her soul clicked into place as she fisted her hands in his hair and felt him slide into her in one smooth stroke.
They moaned together and broke off the kiss to pant in agitated gasps.
“Like that,” she murmured, losing herself in Liam’s intense gaze. She tipped her hips and urged him deeper. “Just like that.”
“There’s more,” he promised, beginning to move, sliding out of her with delicious deliberation before thrusting home.
“That’s...” She lost the words as he found the perfect rhythm.
And then it was all heat and friction and a rapidly building pressure in her loins that demanded every bit of her attention. Being crushed beneath Liam’s powerful body as he surged inside her was perhaps the most amazing experience of Hadley’s life. She’d never known such delirious joy. He was passionate, yet sensitive to her body in a way no one had ever been before.
The beginnings of a second orgasm caught her in its grip. Liam continued his movements, driving her further and further toward fulfillment without taking his own. In a blurry part of her mind, she recognized that and dug her fingers into his back.
“Come with me,” she urged, closer now.
“Yes.”
At his growl she began to break apart. “Now.”
His thrusts grew more frantic. She clung to him as wave after wave of pleasure broke over her. Liam began to shudder as he reached his own climax. She thought she heard her name on his lips as a thousand pinpoints of light exploded inside her. He was everything to her, and for a long, satisfying moment, nothing else mattered.
* * *
The weather cleared after thirty-six hours, but neither Liam nor Hadley looked forward to heading back to Texas when the airports reopened. What had happened betwe
en them was too new, its metamorphosis incomplete. Liam dreaded the return to reality. The demands of the ranch were sure to overwhelm him, and he wanted more time alone with Hadley.
The wheels of the Cessna Mustang touched down on the Royal airport runway and a sense of melancholy overwhelmed Liam. He sighed as he came in sight of his hangar. The last four days had been perfect. The solitude was exactly what he’d needed to break through Hadley’s shell and reach the warm, wonderful woman beneath.
She was funny and sensual. He’d loved introducing her to new foods and wines. She’d matched his ardor in bed and demonstrated a curiosity that amused him. Once she’d let loose, she’d completely mesmerized him. He hadn’t been able to get enough of her. And when they were too exhausted to move, he’d held her in his arms and enjoyed the peaceful sounds of her breathing.
He’d never felt in tune with a woman like this. Part of it was likely due to the year off he’d taken to reevaluate his priorities. Hadley was the package. She captivated him both in and out of bed and let him know pretty fast that his past practices in dealing with women weren’t going to work on her. He had to be original. She deserved nothing but his best.
Maggie fussed as he locked up the plane. She hadn’t slept much on the way home and was probably overtired. He watched Hadley settle the baby into the car seat and sensed the change in the air. Hadley’s expression had grown serious, and her eyes lost their infectious sparkle. Playtime was over. She was back on the job.
“She’s going to be fine as soon as she gets home and settled into her crib,” Hadley said, coaxing the baby to take her pacifier.
“Maybe you should spend the night in case she doesn’t settle down.”
Hadley shook her head. “I’ll stay until you get back from checking in at the ranch, but I can’t stay all night.”
“Not even if I need you?”
“You’ll do just fine without me.”
He wasn’t sure if she had missed his meaning or if she was pretending not to understand that he wanted her to spend the night with him. Either way, she’d put enough determination behind her declaration to let him know no amount of persuasion was going to change her mind.