Harts of Arizona Series

by Yahrah St. John

  “Please don’t cry, Addy.” He wrapped her in his arms and then grasped her cheek so he could look into her eyes.

  “We both made mistakes. I should have stayed. It’s one of the things I’ve always regretted. If I’d stayed, would things have been different?”

  “I don’t know, Addison,” Caleb replied. “I was so messed up back then. I was angry at God, the world, my family. I pushed everyone away. I may have turned your love into hate. Maybe it was meant for us to go our separate ways so that one day our paths would cross again and we’d find our way back to each other.”

  “That may be true, but I need you to forgive yourself and I need you to forgive me.” Addison stared back up at him, and he pressed his lips hotly against hers and pulled her close.

  He whispered in her ear, “I forgive you.”

  That night, they’d made a breakthrough in their relationship. Addison felt it, and she hoped Caleb did too. It was also why she felt that now was the time to take their relationship to the next level. She was amazed at how well-behaved Caleb had been over the last few months. They actually dated, unlike years ago when the only thing they’d known to do was to get horizontal. Even though there was an intense attraction between them simmering beneath the surface, they’d actually talked and he’d listened to what she had to say. She would even share with him her ideas about campaigns, and he would share with her news about the oil business.

  It was refreshing to have such an open, honest and mature relationship. On the other hand, the ache at the juncture between her thighs every time Caleb was around was causing Addison extreme angst. At first, it had been subtle, but as they continued to spend more and more time together, it was becoming harder and harder to ignore her body’s craving to be with Caleb again. Being near him as she’d been last night when, after dinner, they’d snuggled in his bed and fallen asleep fully clothed had her body remembering what it was like to have Caleb inside her ... all the way inside.

  Whenever a kiss between them became too passionate, Caleb was the first to pull away. It was like he was trying to show her, rather than tell her, that he could be the man that she needed. And she was beyond grateful he had, but the time had come. Addison was ready to end the moratorium on sex and be reminded of just how good they could be together.

  So she planned a weekend getaway to Galveston with him. She’d gotten permission to work a half-day, and she was about to scoop Caleb up at his office.

  She called him on his cell. “Hey, handsome.”

  “A call during the middle of the day, I feel so privileged.” Caleb laughed. “What’s going on, babe?”

  “You need to come outside and find out.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Outside. Meet me in five. Tell Duke you’ve taken ill.”

  “Okay. See you in a minute.”

  He was downstairs and in front of her in less than five. A broad smile spread on his face at seeing her casually dressed in an oversized T-shirt and ripped jeans as she leaned against her Porsche Roadster.

  He gave her a quick kiss. “You’re looking hot.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and then rose from the hood of the car. “Hop in. I’m kidnapping you for the weekend.”

  “Is that right?”

  “It is,” she said, opening the door.

  “What about clothes?” Caleb asked as he came around to the passenger side.

  “Already taken care of,” Addison said as he slid in beside her. “Buckle up. It’s going to be one helluva weekend.”

  It took less than two hours to get from Dallas to Galveston. She’d had to beg her father for the use of his jet and pilot to get her and Caleb there, but she was determined and he’d finally relented. When they arrived, a car was waiting to whisk them to the cottage on the bay that Addison had found while she was looking for the perfect romantic getaway. It hadn’t been easy finding the right place. Caleb wasn’t a man interested in the glitz and glamour of a resort. Addison knew he would appreciate something unpretentious that would just be about the two of them.

  “This is it,” she said when the car came to a stop. In her excitement, she hopped out before Caleb could come around to open the car door for her. She glanced up at the cottage while Caleb took care of their luggage with the driver and tipped him.

  Out of her purse she pulled the keys that had been Federal Expressed to her and opened the door. Caleb soon followed her and walked inside with their bags. The house was spacious and airy and had an authentic nautical décor with beautiful sailboat replicas. The living room had great big comfy chairs, from which they could relax, read or watch the flatscreen TV. She opened the French doors to the wooden deck and an infinity pool that overlooked Galveston Bay.

  The outdoor area was extensive. There was a palapa-covered porch with a grilling area that housed a propane pit, cooktop, refrigerator and whatever utensils they would need to make them feel at home. There were two wooden piers that extended beyond the property into the water. One of them was sixty-five inches, which the owner had told her was good for fishing. The other held a hut on the edge with sitting areas for relaxing and unwinding with a firepit nearby. Not to mention they were a stone’s throw from the beach. Everything they would need for a relaxing, romantic weekend was right at their fingertips.

  “This is beautiful, Addison,” Caleb said, wrapping his arms around her middle and staring out at the bay from the deck.

  “I’m glad you like it.” Addison glanced behind her.

  Caleb brushed his lips across hers. “Let’s look at the rest of the place.

  There was a large eat-in kitchen fully equipped with all the latest appliances, including a Keurig coffeemaker. Addison walked over to the refrigerator and was happy to see the curator had indeed stocked it. The cupboards were also filled with pans, dishes and utensils. “Looks like we won’t be hungry.”

  Caleb bent his head and looked at the contents. “No, we won’t.”

  Addison continued her tour down the small hallway to the bedroom, with Caleb following quietly behind her. It was a deep midnight blue and held a large king-size bed, flatscreen TV and wicker furniture and also had doors which led out to the patio. Did Caleb realize it was the only bedroom in the house? If so, he hadn’t said a word.

  Addison walked over to the adjoining private bathroom that had a walk-in shower and large Jacuzzi jetted tub.

  “Looks like there’s room enough for two,” Caleb commented from behind. She spun around, and from a short distance he stared at her for a long time before finally asking, “So, what’s all this about, Addy? I mean, if I’m reading you correctly, this is a pretty romantic spot.”

  Addison glanced over at Caleb and got lost in her admiration of him. She allowed her eyes to rove all over him, from his dark, luxurious ebony lashes to his hard cheekbones, strong jawline and nicely sculpted mouth. But it was his lips that she was most interested in and a zing of awareness shot through her. Tonight, she would make love to Caleb again after four years. She swallowed hard and finally said, “I know.”

  His eyes were dark and stormy and difficult for her to read. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  She nodded and in five seconds flat, Caleb had her pushed up against the shower door and was kissing her passionately. When he finally broke the kiss, she was breathless and panting, but he didn’t let her go.

  “I want you so much,” Caleb said, caressing her backside.

  “I want you too,” she admitted.

  He smiled. “My patience paid off.”

  “It did. It showed me you were ready for something more.”

  “I am, Addison. I’m ready.”

  She wasn’t sure he meant that literally, but she would take it. “I know, and I can’t wait to be with you, but not this second.” She wrenched herself from his grasp. “I have a romantic evening planned.”

  Chapter 24
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br />   Caleb appreciated Addison’s thoughtfulness. She’d gone through a lot of trouble to show him that she was ready to take the next step in their relationship—from the romantic cottage on the bay to the exquisite seafood dinner that they’d just finished sharing at a quaint, yet romantic waterfront restaurant—but if he were honest, he was ready for the main event.

  It had taken a great deal of restraint not to tear her clothes off in the bathroom earlier when she’d lifted the sex moratorium. Now all he could think about was when the dinner would be over and when he could once again experience the heaven between her legs. If he closed his eyes and thought back, he could almost, almost remember how she tasted. But he wouldn’t have to recall anymore. Tonight, he would sample the real thing.

  They continued walking hand in hand down the waterfront, listening to the waves beat against the shore until, eventually, Caleb couldn’t stand it anymore and pulled Addison into a darkened corner between two nearby buildings and began devouring her mouth.

  “I need you now,” he groaned against her lips.

  Mesmerized by the potent dark allure of his face, she said huskily, “Let’s get out of here.”

  When they made it to the cottage bedroom, he turned on the bedside lamp. “I want to see all of you. Remember all of you.”

  It was just like the first time they’d made love and honestly, this was like their second first time because they were different people, yet oddly the same.

  He let his eyes do the walking, studying her every feature as he soaked in this momentous occasion. The beaded bodycon dress she wore fit perfectly and hit right above her knee. And her hair was a mane of tumbling waves, just as he liked it. She looked striking. He could also see she’d expertly done her makeup, which encompassed a touch of mascara while her eyeshadow highlighted her doe-shaped eyes. And her glossy lipstick ... well, it made him want to taste her full lips. His groin tightened at the thought, and a heartbeat later, he reached for her.

  He claimed her mouth with a passionate kiss. He toyed with her bottom lip, and then the top. When he finally released them, he and Addison were gasping for air. He wouldn’t rush things. He had all night to make sweet love to his Addy.

  Without a word, he began stripping off her dress. She didn’t protest when he bent down and peeled her sandals from her feet before lifting her onto the bed in her lace-embroidered underwear, but not before punctuating each action by giving her a searing kiss. “You’re so beautiful, Addy,” he said, caressing the underside of her breasts.

  “I want to see you too,” she murmured with drowsy lashes as she sat on her haunches on the edge of the bed. She motioned him forward with her index finger.

  He came willingly, and she helped relieve him of his jacket. Impatiently, her slender fingers attacked the buttons on his shirt until she reached gold. Slowly, she eased his shirt from his shoulders and then she lowered her head and licked one of his nipples.

  He moaned. “Addy ...”

  She continued teasing his nipples with her tongue while her hands roamed down his chest and abdomen until she reached his trousers. He felt the zipper and pants being tugged down his hips, and he assisted her by stepping out of them until he was in black silk boxers.

  Addison shot him a wicked smile as she reached behind to unhook her bra, sending those luscious breasts of hers tumbling from their confines. Then she hooked her fingers into the waistband of her panties and began sliding them down her thighs. Without taking her eyes off him, she leaned backward and eased them off until she was lying naked on the bed.

  Caleb swallowed hard, and he knew his boxers were not concealing his extreme state of arousal. The old Addison would never have been so bold with her attraction for him. He liked this grown, mature version.

  “Are you going to just stare or are you joining me?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head. “It’s getting awfully cold over here.” Wanton desire was evident in her brown depths.

  “Oh, I’m about to turn the heat way up,” Caleb said as he swiftly removed his boxers, letting his jutting erection spring free. He crawled toward her on the bed and lay over her body as he kissed her.

  Addison sighed when Caleb’s mouth moved from her lips to her breasts. He rubbed the crests with skillful thumbs and then laved them with the tantalizing warmth of his incredible mouth. Pleasure surged through her. She shut her eyes as he coaxed the points until he had her hips writhing on the mattress. “I’d forgotten how sensitive you could be,” Caleb murmured.

  Addison glanced up from the sexual spell Caleb was casting to see him smiling at her.

  “And I love it.” He turned his attention back to her nipples and made havoc of her senses while his expert fingers trailed a path past her flat abdomen to the silky brown curls covering her mound.

  Addison’s breath hitched as she remembered just how skilled Caleb was in this area. Fuzzy images of the nights in Vegas and Miami in which Caleb had given her this particular treatment dazzled her mind. But the memories were not nearly as good as the present. He toyed with the delicate pearl at her apex, and she whimpered breathlessly, arching her back against his skilled fingers.

  “Yes, oh yes,” she cried, even though she couldn’t focus on anything but his fingers. They were going deeper, stroking at her very core, and she was drowning in pleasure of the most profound kind. When he withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his tongue, she arched off the bed.

  Caleb lifted his head long enough to say, “I want you to come for me, baby.” He placed her legs around his shoulders and buried his face between her legs. He slid his tongue inside her gently at first, teasing with light, precise flicks. Then he quickened the pace, and Addison began to squirm as Caleb licked her to the edge of an orgasm, but then he would withdraw and ease in again. He tortured her with his tongue until she sobbed his name desperately for a release. “Caleb—please—”

  He thrust farther inside her until she broke. Her thighs began to quiver. She was flying so high from his erotic skills that she didn’t notice him slide a condom over his thick erection until he had shifted over her and slid between her thighs. She felt his iron-hard length push against her, and she spread her legs for him as he plunged inside. It was a sweet invasion that she welcomed.

  Addison cried out, not in pain, but in the significance of the moment. They were about to make love. Her eyes connected with Caleb’s as he withdrew and then slammed into her. Ripples of heat stirred through Addison as every nerve ending came alive. She wanted him, and he delivered.

  Caleb thrust deeper yet again until he was at the hilt, and that’s when he began to move and rotate his hips. A whimper of excitement escaped Addison’s lips as their bodies joined as one. It felt amazing to be with Caleb again after all this time, and she clenched around him.

  Fierce strain was etched across Caleb’s strong face and a hunger lay deep in his eyes. He stroked her breasts until the tips became tight beads while the lower half of his body had her squirming and writhing underneath him. She was greedy with an elemental need that she couldn’t describe, so when wild convulsions overtook her, she was shellshocked, but she welcomed them because she was finally with the man she loved.

  Caleb awoke in the wee hours of the morning feeling hungry. Hungry for Addison. She was draped over him. Her soft breasts were cushioned against his chest, and her hair had fanned out. He inhaled deeply. He would never get tired of her smell. He flipped her over, tumbling her onto the pillows, and her eyes opened.

  They were sleepy and languorous. “Caleb?”

  “Yes, baby.” He reached for a condom on the bed and protected them. Then he turned back around to find Addison watching him. Her eyes were wide with—dare he think it—lust.

  He scooted beside her, and without leaving her eyes, slid a forefinger inside her. “Good morning.”

  Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she whimpered softly.

  “Are you ready for me?
” he asked, because every fiber of his body was leaping with eager excitement. He wanted to be inside her.

  She nodded slightly, so he slid over her and began to drive himself in. As if she sensed what he needed, she angled her hips for his hard and fast entry. His heart hammered as sweet pleasure began to engulf him. He pounded into her as if he were penetrating her very essence.

  Last night he’d felt the very same way. To be with her again after he’d thought he’d lost her forever ... oh! Once he’d started to recover from his bull riding accident and realized he was alone, despair had nearly overtaken him at the possibility of never seeing her again. But slowly, he’d come to accept it. And now, it was like he could breathe again. He withdrew and then with all his power, lunged into her again. She screamed his name as if she too were bent on consuming him as he was her.

  Pleasure rose inside him as the fire and bitterness of those years of solitary existence began to die out. He rode her hard. She didn’t seem to mind his frenzied nature because her responses were just as wild as his. She clung to him as her orgasm tore through her. Seconds later, he bellowed and hollered her name as he shuddered over her. His heart pressed into hers, and he could swear he heard her heart beating erratically too.

  After all this time, their love was just as strong. LOVE. There it was. This time he could recognize it because it was beyond what he’d felt for her before, which was more akin to lust and possessiveness. The emotion he felt for her was ten times stronger. He was seconds away from saying it out loud and he would have meant it, but in the heat of the moment, he wasn’t sure Addison would have believed him, so he said nothing. But soon, he would tell her that he had fallen madly, hopelessly in love with her all over again.

  Over the next few days, Addison and Caleb enjoyed all that Galveston had to offer, from the fishing on the pier near the cottage to going out and feeding the dolphins in the bay. Their days had been perfect relaxation, and every day brought another fresh and wonderful moment. They’d eaten in tiny restaurants on the island that islanders loved and the tourists rarely frequented. Other times were just as idyllic because they’d barely made it out of the cottage. Like radar, Caleb picked up on her presence whenever she was near and would give her a smile or wink or one of his searing kisses that would send them back to the bedroom to make love for several more hours until they were both exhausted.