Good God, now Lainie doubted the sanity of her own mother and took Cade's side. Because she loved him. Because she could accept nothing less than his normalcy and devotion, even if it only extended to Eli. She wouldn't allow her mother to bash his credibility or his personality. Lainie stood and kept her voice even. "I'll make sure you get to the airport tomorrow morning, Mom. Now go to bed, and get some rest. I'll call the airline and get you a ticket."
Sharon raised her head. "I've already done that, and I've called your father. He'll pick me up. Don't worry. At least he listens to me."
With that her mom waltzed out of the room, her head held high. She left Lainie sitting there, shaking, stunned. Things were getting more complicated by the minute. She'd thought they'd get easier, once her mother left, but now she wasn't so sure.
Lainie went into her bedroom and found Cade there, sitting in the rocker. The look on his face slammed Lainie to her soul. Cade looked up, his hand rubbing his chin. "Is she leaving?"
Lainie nodded mechanically. "Tomorrow morning. I'll take her to the airport. Can you watch Eli, while I go?"
He nodded and stood. "Then?"
Lainie gulped. "Then, what?"
He strode to her door, closed it, and locked it. He crossed the room in three long strides. "Then, what happens between us?"
Lord, he wouldn't even give her time to unravel her thoughts from her mother's rampage, or allow her simmering body and whirling mind to settle into a normal rhythm after the tumultuous interlude in the kitchen. She stammered with his nearness, "I... I don't know."
He touched her then, putting his hand on the back of her head. He ran his fingers through her hair, and then curled them around her neck. The lightning bolt rammed into her belly, and then dipped lower, heating her system like nothing else but his touch could. Butterflies went wild, fluttering inside her churning gut and making her reel out of control.
"Tell me what you want, Lainie," Cade whispered hoarsely, his blazing eyes trying to peel at her layers, attempting to uncover her secrets, her innermost desires. "If I can give it to you, I will. Even if you don't need my money, I'll give you anything you ask and do anything you ask. I want you to be happy. I want Eli to be happy."
Cade sounded as desperate as she felt, but what good would it do to tell him what she wanted? It did her no good to want him to love her. She shook her head. "You know what I want."
His eyes shuttered closed. His hands dropped to her shoulders, sending shock waves through her system, wreaking havoc along the way, stopping at her toes and starting back up her flaming body again, overwhelming her. He sighed heavily and admitted, "Yes. I suppose I do, but if I can't give you that, will you push me away in all respects?"
She shuddered when he brought his other hand up to cover her breast and move closer to her, until their bodies were plumb against each other. Trembling with need, she shook her head, trying to clear it and attempting to tell him she wouldn't push him away. Either that, or she tried to deny the profound impact of his hot touch... his intoxicating scent. She couldn't think straight when he was this close to her. She really didn't know what she wanted. Or what she was willing to accept. Or what she could live with. She only knew what she dreamed of and hoped for.
Her mother was probably right about one thing though - Cade would seduce her, and she'd let him.
Suddenly, his lips were on hers, and she lost all thought. She savored his taste, the feeling of his lips sliding on hers, threatening to consume her, asking her wordlessly to open for him and accept all he was willing to give of himself.
So she did. Her mouth parted under his coaxing, and he slid his tongue inside, groaning when she responded with a moan of her own. She couldn't deny him any longer. She couldn't deny that she wanted him and loved him with her whole soul. She'd give him her body, now and as often as he asked. She might even do some asking of her own.
She did, when his irresistible mouth released hers to lower to her neck and suckle there. "Cade, I want... "
"Tell me, baby. Tell me what you want," Cade rasped. His lips brushed against her full breast, covered only with a thin cotton blouse and bra, the protruding nipple jutting outward and begging for his ravishing touch.
"I want... I need... " Lainie swallowed and let her head fall back. She allowed him to nibble at her neck, and then her breast. He pulled her shirt over her head and unhooked the front-snapping bra. His mouth closed over her hard, peeking nipple, his tongue hot, wet, and rough. He bit at her, and her body jerked in volatile reaction, plowing into his, wanting to take him into her very core, her very center.
"Oh... that. That's what I want."
Cade moved to the other breast and gave it the same sensual treatment and tantalizing attention he'd given the first one.
"I want... " Lainie shuddered in Cade's strong arms when his tongue lapped the drip from her breast. "... that. And more."
She moved her hands around to his back and pulled his tucked-in T-shirt from his jeans. She pushed her lower body up against his and moved instinctively against him. He growled and lifted his head from her breast. He cupped her bottom and ground his hardness into her belly, spreading her legs apart with his large, muscled thigh. The heat pooled between her legs, and she wanted him to touch her the way he had before, the way he had last summer, the way he had at her door. "Cade, please, I... "
"Shhh. Easy, honey. Take it easy. Take it slow," Cade commanded, maddeningly.
Slow? She felt anything but like taking it slow. Her heart raced, and her body ached. She needed release, and he must, too. Why didn't he do something about their mutual, maniacal need?
She tried to obey, relax, and take it easy. She forced herself to breathe a deep, cleansing breath. Cade plundered her mouth again, his mouth molding perfectly to hers, his body melting into hers, fitting solidly against her femininity, his hardness forming the ideal match for her softness.
He used his tongue to tantalize her beyond the ability to think clearly. He broke their kiss, just long enough to slide her shorts and panties over her hips and sling them across the room, along with her bra. She was naked now, and he remained fully clothed, unfortunately. He backed her legs up against the bed, put both his hands on her breasts, and thumbed the sensitive nipples. Never had she known such pleasure, except with him, but this was more - more than she'd ever felt, even with him, or dreamed of.
Oh, no. What was she doing? What was she thinking? She should stop this. Now. But, Lord, he tasted so good, felt so good, and...
Cade laid her back onto the bed, following her down and covering her, his weight feeling so comforting and yet so sensual at the same time. She had no intention of denying herself this feeling, not as long as he wanted her, because she wanted him, too, so why should she deny either of them? He certainly hadn't denied that he wanted her. As if he could hide it. His manhood pressed against her and reminded her how large and powerful he was, how good it felt for him to be inside her, stretching her, filling her, bringing her to the edge of madness, and then driving her over that edge. She wanted him inside her again, now, in the worst way.
Cade wanted inside Lainie. Now. But he had to hold back. But he could at least satisfy her. Until after tomorrow. Tomorrow she'd be released by Trish. It was her six-week check up, as well as Eli's six-week pediatrician appointment.
If he kept that logic in mind - and thought of something besides how good Lainie felt in his arms and how badly he wanted to ravish her - he could pleasure her, and then take a cold shower and cool off - if it was possible to cool off a raging volcano about to spew hot molten lava.
Cade kissed Lainie for all he was worth, putting every bit of effort into the kiss, yet holding back his own pleasure, so he wouldn't lose himself in the feelings rising within him. It was like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a couple of sandbags. Useless.
Lainie tried to unzip his jeans. He took her hands in his. If she had her way, if she touched him, he'd never be able to pull this off without slamming into her body and taking what
his body wanted so desperately - release and satiation.
He held her small hands in one of his, above her head, and he skimmed his free hand down Lainie's abundant curves. She shuddered and whimpered. He let his free hand linger over her womanhood. She arched in anticipation.
God, he wanted her. He wanted more than just to make her feel good. He wanted to join with her, thrust into her, and bury himself to the hilt. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't slake his own lust until he knew she was okay. He chanted in tortured silence, Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
He dipped a finger into her moist center and lapped his tongue into her ear. She bit him, her teeth sinking into his shoulder. Her reaction nearly sent him over the edge of ecstasy with her lips and teeth at the base of his neck. That'll leave a mark. He shuddered with the thrill of her mouth on him, searing his body into near eruption where she sucked at his neck, turning him into a roaring inferno.
Still he held back, inserting another finger into her womanhood and moving within her, digging deeper, in and out of her heated core, penetrating a place no other man had been and creating a craving within himself he could almost believe only she would be able to satisfy.
That was a bad way for someone like him to be thinking. He diverted his thoughts to focus on more pleasurable and eminent things. His thumb found her most sensitive spot and moved over it, circling slow, using the moisture from within her to keep her hot, wet, and silky, creating a need that he sensed built within her. She dug her short, sensible nails into his back and nipped at his throat, wreaking havoc on his body and his willpower. She pulled him to her, running her fingers through his hair and driving him wild.
Lainie opened her legs further for him, and he took full advantage of her offer of full access. God, she was spread wide for him, and his shaft pounded furiously, aching for her beckoning heat. She writhed beneath him, and then clenched her legs around his hand, shuddering, her inner muscles spasming and reacting violently. He continued to plunge his fingers in and out of her as best he could, moving around her nub, imitating the motion of their bodies mixing, mingling, and coming together, joining as one, as if making love.
She nearly screamed his name, only holding back, he suspected, because her mother was in the next room, only able to do so because she sank her teeth once more into his marked shoulder. He rose up enough to kiss her, and he let her come down from her high. Oh, how he wished he could join with her.
"Cade, you... I want you inside me. I need you to... " Lainie pleaded.
"No. Not this time, Lainie. This was just for you," Cade whispered, wishing otherwise.
"But... " Lainie looked up at him, her face flushed with the after glow of ecstasy. "You must want to, and... " Lainie chewed on her lower lip. He loved it when she did that. It made her near innocence obvious. "You must be hurting, or something, and I can... "
She went to reach for him. He stopped her, his hand on hers. "Lainie, I'm trying to do the right thing here, but you're pushing it. If you touch me, I won't be able to stop, and I have to stop. You have an appointment tomorrow. Remember?"
Her eyes widened, and she flushed crimson and looked glorious. He was going to have a heart attack, if she kept looking like that. He just knew it. She mumbled, "Oh. I'd forgotten. I'm sorry. I... "
He smiled at her and picked her up. Their bodies hung half off the bed. He laid her in the middle of her bed. She was naked and gorgeous, and he stared down at her for a moment, practicing enormous restraint. He refused to touch her. If he did, he'd do as he'd told her. He'd take her, and it wouldn't be slow or easy. He backed away. "No regrets, sweetheart. Not for now. Not for what happened last summer. Not for anything we do or don't do in the future." Cade's smile broadened. "Someone who reacts to my touch the way you do shouldn't apologize."
She looked up at him, appearing slightly self-conscious, naked and exposed as she was. "Where do we go from here, Cade?"
He sighed, loving the way she looked, disheveled and seeming as if she'd just been ravished. "For now, I go to my room. You stay in yours." Cade shrugged and drilled her with a heated look. "But tomorrow night's a different story. Your mom will be gone, and we'll be alone together. Don't plan on sleeping in this big bed all by yourself tomorrow night, darlin'."
He grinned, and Lainie surprised him with a twinkle in her eye, a mischievous wink, and words he'd never expected. "It might surprise you to know I already had no intention of sleeping alone tomorrow night, huh?"
Cade went still. "And just when did you come to that conclusion?"
"In the middle of the massive orgasm you just gave me, or maybe right before it. Any reason you can't repeat that level of ecstasy again twenty-four hours from now?" Lainie gave him a devious, flirtatious, sultry look.
He growled and headed for the door. "I'm out of here. Because if I stay, you're not going to get any sleep. And I figure you'll need it to deal with your mother tomorrow morning."
She grew serious then. "You're right about that. And Cade... I'm sorry... about the way my mother has treated you."
"What about the way she treats you? How is it she raised such a beautiful, intelligent, independent, generous daughter, but she won't let her go?"
"She's really not a bad person. Just controlling. And she thinks she's always right. And pious. And righteous. But somewhere, down deep under all those layers of oddity, she has a good heart. I think." Lainie smiled broadly. "And she has my dad to keep her in line. He sets her straight when she needs him to."
Cade put his hand on the door, unlocked it, and then opened it. Lainie covered her nudity. "Thank goodness for a good man in her life, then."
He saluted her on his way out, thinking sadly, Maybe that's what Lainie needs. A good man in her life. Cade suddenly wished he hadn't ruined her for a good man, and he wished she'd found someone better than he was, before he'd destroyed her chances of achieving happiness and finding true love. He wished he could be that good man for her, and he swore he'd be the best man he could be and treat her as well as she deserved. He wished that he could paste his heart back together and love her as she deserved to be loved - with a whole heart, mind, body and soul, instead of one that'd hardened beyond repair. Although, at the moment, with her smell on him and his throbbing body hard as a rock, he wondered if maybe, just maybe, a woman like Lainie couldn't change his mind, heal his heart, and lighten his soul.
Oh, how he wished that it were so.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lainie heard Eli cry, and then she heard silence.
Oh, God. Is someone in the house?
Jumping up, she ran to Eli's room, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Cade stood in the dim nursery, lit only by the light from the hallway, holding Eli and feeding her with one of the bottles of milk Lainie had pumped from her breasts and refrigerated. He looked so gorgeous - too gorgeous and potently male for a guy holding a baby. He'd obviously pulled on his jeans in haste. He'd left them unsnapped but zipped, most of the way up, anyway.
Sleepy but growing more alert and aware of Cade by the second, Lainie swallowed the almighty lump in her throat at the sight of Eli's holding tightly to Cade's finger. The babe drank and stared into her daddy's eyes. A flood of emotion welled up within Lainie's heart. What went through a baby's head, and what did Eli think of Cade? Judging by the dreamy look in Eli's eyes, she loved him and trusted him completely. Cade's adoring gaze revealed the same abundant emotions for his daughter.
Lainie's eye skimmed over Cade. She wished she could see more of him - not that it'd do her any good right now, but eye candy isn't always a bad thing, even if the eye candy is holding your baby, especially if your baby is his baby, too.
Tomorrow night would be a long time coming, and torturing herself with the vision of Cade might not be such a bright idea. Sure it is. Horny little thing, Lainie was becoming, just from being in Cade's presence all the time. Tomorrow night would be the night... actually tonight, since it was now five o'clock in the morning, and anticipation drummed through her. She admonished hersel
f. She wasn't always this wanton - not until Cade awakened feelings she'd never even imagined before.
Cade grinned knowingly at her, causing her blush to deepen and making her body sizzle. His smoky eyes captured hers and held her gaze steady and locked to his. Lainie went further into the room, stepped up to father and daughter, and wished that he loved her, but dreams didn't always come true, did they? Still, she could try, couldn't she? Try to get Cade to love her...
Then the world turned upside down and crashed in on her in a loud blur of noise and confusion. Tires screeched to a halt just outside her house. Running footsteps pounded concrete on the walkway wrapping around back of her house. Glass shattered through the small window in Eli's room and splattered all over the place.
Cade instinctively shielded Eli with his body. He placed himself in between Lainie and the breaking glass, as best he could, in an instant of sheer insanity. The impact of something hard and heavy smashed into his ribcage and shoved him into Lainie. He grunted with the pain and solidity of whatever rammed into him. He braced himself above Lainie and Eli and held onto his girls for dear life. He shoved Lainie down into a squatting position, still holding a whimpering Eli to his chest, her bottle in her mouth. He said in a hushed whisper, "Stay down. Don't move. Glass on the floor."
Lainie nodded, and he knew she'd stay put. Her breath heaved, and she looked rattled, her eyes wide and panicked. What if something else came through the window - a fiery torch or bullet? No use thinking that way. He needed to act, not worry about possibilities.
"What's happening?" Sharon stepped into the doorway, and her hand flew to her throat.
Lainie and Cade remained hunkered down in the floor holding Eli between them. Cade warned, "Don't come in here. There's shattered glass everywhere."
Guard My Baby Page 18