“My mother used to make this caramel almond toffee each Christmas that I couldn’t get enough of.”
It had been one of her favorite desserts, and her mother made it just for her. She hadn’t thought of that dessert or of her mother in that way for so long that tears streamed from her eyes immediately.
Cade reached across the tale and took her hand in his.
“I’m just emotional.” She waved her free hand and then quickly picked up her wine glass and downed the rest of the dark liquid. She knew she was being overly emotional but didn’t care. The lack of sleep mixed with hormones was wreaking havoc on her system. Besides, she figured she deserved to be a little emotional every now and then. At least once a month anyway.
Cade had showed only kindness and understanding when she’d told him that she’d wanted to stay at the resort for the last few nights.
She’d never really been around men during… well, except her father. She didn’t plan on starting with Cade. She knew from past experience that she could be… well… emotionally challenging.
The one thing she was sure of was that she didn’t want anything to get between her and Cade. Least of all her period.
“You’re allowed to be,” Cade responded. “After all, look at all that you’ve accomplished.” He waved his hand around the room, his eyes following the movement. “I can only imagine how wonderful it feels to see something you’ve worked so hard on turn out this… wonderful.”
She smiled. For a moment, she’d believed he was going to treat her like some emotional woman. Even though rationally she knew she sometimes was, that didn’t mean she didn’t want to be treated as such. He hadn’t done so before, and she didn’t want him to now.
“It did turn out rather grand, didn’t it?” She beamed as she looked around. “We can have guests dining in here this weekend.” The smile slipped. “If the tables weren’t set to arrive on Monday.” She groaned.
“Don’t rush it,” he said, getting her attention. “For now, we get to enjoy all this ourselves.” He held up his glass of wine. Somehow, during her complaining, her wine glass had been refilled.
Lifting it, she smiled. “Remind me to give the waitstaff a raise.” She tapped her glass against his.
“I was thinking the same thing.” He sipped his wine.
They sat in the gorgeous room for at least another hour, chatting about all the improvements. She hadn’t realized she’d had the equivalent of an entire bottle of wine until she went to stand up. The entire room tilted and, thankfully, Cade was there to catch her.
“Easy.” He chuckled. “I’ll walk you up to your room.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“No, I want to go home,” she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.
“Actually, I was thinking of crashing here. My grandmother has Blue for the night.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“That would be great. I can’t sleep without you,” she admitted drunkenly, her arms thrown over his shoulders while he walked them into the elevator. “I can’t even ride in these without thinking about Rachelle,” she blurted out.
She knew her speech was slurred. That she was wobbling on her feet. But at this point, she didn’t care. When the elevator doors shut, she plastered her body against his.
“God, I love these,” she said, running her hands over his arms, his chest. “I love the way you feel against me.” She trailed her mouth down his neck. He’d shaved for their dinner tonight, and she couldn’t get over how smooth his face and neck were. She wanted to run her tongue all over his face, taste every inch of him with her lips.
“Raven.” His tone was a warning.
“You taste so good,” she moaned as she started working on the buttons on his shirt. When the elevator doors slid open, she no longer thought of Rachelle. The only thing in her mind was getting Cade naked and in her room.
She fumbled with the credit card key several times before Cade took it from her hands and easily opened the door.
“I’m not used to the new system,” she mumbled as she tossed her shoes off her feet and reached for him.
“Raven.” He took her hands and held her at bay. “You’re drunk.”
She laughed. “And horny.” She jerked his shirt open, sending buttons scattering around the room.
He laughed, a burst of it echoing in the smaller room.
“Raven.” He laughed again when she pushed him onto the bed.
Her eyes ran over him. The worn black jeans he wore. The tanned, toned skin of his arms and chest. His messy hair from her fingers. The look he was giving her. All of it together had her wanting him even more than before.
In one quick move, she tossed off her shirt and slacks, leaving her in only a pair of black cotton panties and a matching bra.
“I like those.” Cade ran his eyes over her. Then they locked with her own. “I like you.”
She hesitated for a moment and in that split second, she came crashing down to reality. She wanted to be with him but couldn’t. She didn’t know how to tell him. What to say to him?
Then Cade stood up, took her hand, and pulled her into the bathroom.
“Let me. There’s a lot we can do. If you trust me,” he said softly as he ran his mouth over her jawline.
She melted. At that moment, she would have gladly given anything, let him try anything.
He reached in and turned on the shower and smiled as he turned back towards her, his eyes running over her.
“Give me a moment.” She held up her hand and stepped into the private bathroom area.
When she came out again, he was standing, gloriously naked, under the spray of water.
She stepped in behind him and ran her hands over his back, across his shoulders, down his back. Then she reached around to his front and gripped him.
His breath hitched and then he moaned as she started running her hands up and down his length.
He turned around and nudged her against the tile wall and covered her mouth with his.
“I’ve missed you. Missed this.” He ran his hands over her, sliding down her wet body. Then he cupped her and glided a finger into her heat.
She arched into him, moaned his name as he pleased her. She’d never imagined it would feel this good. That it could feel this good even while the cramps tightened her gut. When he thrust into her, she was consumed with pleasure. Obsessed by his every movement.
She’d never felt more alive than she felt now, here with him.
She told him that while he moved inside her. When she felt her powerful release vibrate her entire body, she dug her nails into his shoulders and cried out his name.
She felt him start to run his shampooed hands across her body, massaging his fingers throughout her hair, and groaned with pleasure.
She leaned against the tile and let him pleasure her in a different way. After he turned off the water, she allowed him to wrap a towel around her.
When they climbed into bed, she was wearing her cotton pajamas, her long hair braided back away from her face. Cade wore his boxer briefs and spooned her like he had missed her.
She slept like the dead, enjoying a full eight hours of deep sleep, catching up on the sleep she’d missed over the past few nights.
When she woke, Cade was there, smiling down at her.