Claimed by the Hero
Page 8
Would he know how woefully inexperienced she was? Savannah imagined that during their time apart Caden had had many lovers. She hoped he wouldn’t find her a boring substitute.
“What’s wrong?” Caden asked as he looked into her face.
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying again,” Caden tisked. “We need to get you over this habit of not being truthful with me.”
The silence stretched and stretched between them as Caden waited for Savannah to speak. Eventually, she said, “I … I was thinking I may not be as experienced as some of the women you may have been with.”
“And you’re comparing yourself? Well don’t. Although I haven’t been a monk, there are not as many as you might think.”
Savannah’s eyes widened. “No?”
“No. But there’s more, isn’t there?”
Savannah nodded. “You … you should know there hasn’t been anyone else.”
“Pardon?”
Savannah completely blew him away. Was she really saying he was the only man she’d ever been with? Hell, they hadn’t been together in twelve years. Was Savannah saying she’d been celibate since then? The stain of color on her cheeks told Caden he was right. He couldn’t believe it.
“Have you changed your mind?” The fear in her voice was evident.
“Baby, you’ve felt how much I want you. I couldn’t walk away unless you asked me to.”
A smile bloomed on her face.
Caden’s gaze locked with hers. He reached behind her, unhooked the clasp of her bra, and bared her breasts. They were larger than he remembered but just as beautiful. A tremor of excitement ran through him, and he lowered his head to flick his tongue across one brown crest.
Savannah half-moaned or half-cried. He didn’t know which. He just drew a tight peak fully into his mouth, and she arched her back. Any inhibitions she may have had faded away as he suckled one nipple gently, stroking his tongue back and forth. When he was done with one nipple, his tongue laved the other with deliberate strokes, and Savannah’s entire body began to quiver. But he didn’t want her to come yet. He wanted to prolong the moment.
His hands freely moved over her, and he slid one hand down her hips until he reached her bikini panties. He hooked a finger underneath and eased them down her silky legs until he could pluck them away. When she was fully naked, Caden was ready for his feast. Ready for this. Had been for a long time, and he wasted no seconds slipping his hand between her thighs. He parted her with one finger and then placed two into her molten warmth.
Caden was surprised at how unexpectedly tight she was. He frowned. He would need to be careful so as to not hurt her because his burgeoning arousal was pressing hard in his boxer briefs. He used his skillful fingers to probe deeper and take her higher. Savannah greedily accepted all of him, undulating her hips in pace with the movement of his fingers inside her. She was just as ready for this as he was. Soon, her muscles were contracting around his fingers and she frantically jerked against him and gave a sharp cry.
She was ready for him. Caden moved upward but stopped long enough to find a condom he kept in his wallet for such occasions. He wanted her so badly, he couldn’t think straight. He returned to Savannah, buried his fingers in the silky hair at her nape, and crushed her lips to his. When he pulled apart to grasp both sides of her face, Savannah was smiling at him, tipping his entire world off its axis.
“Make love to me, Caden,” she murmured. She slid her palm to his nape and kissed him back with fiery need.
Caden willingly obliged, settling his hips between her thighs. He thrust inside, taking possession of her, making her his once more. Although he’d primed her, she was still quite tight. “Are you okay, baby?”
She nodded, and a primal heat pulsed within him. Knowing he was the only man she’d ever made love with made the feelings all the more intense. He lifted her bottom and thrust deeper. Savannah moaned as he began moving with her. They were completely in sync.
Caden kissed her, grinding into her, and Savannah wrapped her legs around him, holding him tight. Here, everything made sense, like he was where he belonged. His mouth plundered hers, and together they spiraled off the edge of the cliff.
Afterward, he rolled onto his back and pulled her into his side, and that’s how they fell asleep.
Chapter 9
Savannah awoke to the firm pressure of Caden’s mouth on hers, the sensual sweep of his tongue, and the warm weight of his hands on her stomach. She was lost in a world of sensory pleasure she hadn’t known since the last time they made love. Eventually, Caden had carried her to his bed, and it hadn’t taken long for them to explore every inch of each other’s bodies and to sate their appetites. It was heaven on Earth, but after several hours, Savannah had to slide out of bed.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Caden asked.
“I have to leave.” Savannah glanced around for her clothes but then remembered they were in the living room.
“Can’t you stay the night?”
Savannah shook her head. “Charlotte is babysitting. I can’t do that to her.” She started toward the door.
“Of course not.” Caden jumped off the bed, sliding on a pair of jogging pants. “I’m sorry. Forgive me. I’m not quite used to—”
“Looking after someone else other than yourself?” Savannah said once she found her clothes. “It’s okay. It takes time.” She dressed quickly, and once she had her purse, she was ready to go in minutes.
“I’ll walk you out.” Caden followed her to the front door. Before she could open it, he pushed her against it and planted a kiss so hot on her lips, it nearly made Savannah drop her purse and beg Charlotte to stay the night, but she couldn’t. Liam needed stability.
“I’ll call you.” Savannah reached behind him to open the door and was about to leave but paused to pull out a photograph from her bag. “It’s not much, but I thought you might like this.”
She handed Caden Liam’s latest school picture.
Caden was silent for several beats, and when he looked up at her, tears glistened on his lashes. “Thank you, Savannah. Thank you.”
Savannah felt guilty, so she quickly fled the house.
After Savannah left, Caden couldn’t go back to sleep. Now, hours had passed, and morning had come. He walked into the kitchen, turned on the Keurig, and made himself some coffee. Extra strong.
He sat down at the table and stared at the picture Savannah had given him of Liam. He was holding a picture of his son. A son he hadn’t known existed. Caden was conflicted.
On the one hand, after all these years of wondering, Savannah was here. And he’d just spent one of the most incredible nights of his life with her in his bed. Knowing she hadn’t been with another man was gratifying. She was his in every way.
On the other hand, he was still terribly upset with her. Between Savannah and his mother, they’d both ensured he didn’t have a place in his son’s life. How could he hope to carve out a spot when his own son thought of him as a stranger?
Ring, ring …
Caden glanced down at his cell and saw that it was Cameron. “Hey, Cam. What’s up?”
“You still plan on coming down to run? Or are you getting soft, old man?”
“Like hell,” Caden replied. “I can still whoop you, young blood.”
“I’ll see you in twenty minutes, and you’ll be eating those words.”
Caden laughed. Perhaps running would relieve some of the tension coursing through him. He put his coffee cup in the sink, made his way to his room, and dressed in his running gear. When he was done, he laced up his sneakers and ran out the door to meet his baby brother.
When he arrived at the track, Cameron was already there stretching. “Nice of you to join,” he said, eyeing Caden.
“Don’t start, Cam. It’s been a long night.” Caden followed suit and stretched his qua
ds.
“Oh yeah? Care to talk about it?”
“How about we run first?” Caden suggested.
“You’re on.”
An hour later, after running ten miles, Cameron and Caden retired to the bleachers for that talk.
“You killed it out there,” Cameron said. “It was like someone was chasing you.” He glanced sideways at Caden, who was deep in thought. “Or perhaps you’re trying to run from something?”
“Oh, I can’t run from this,” Caden responded. “It’s a game-changer, for me and this family.”
“That sounds dire.”
“Not dire.” Caden hazarded him a glance. “But life-changing all the same.”
“Alright. Now you have to spill the beans because you’re making me nervous.” Cameron was watching him closely, and Caden knew he couldn’t keep this from him. Hell, he didn’t want to. It was time everyone knew.
“I have a son.”
Cameron coughed uncontrollably. “Say that again. I know I didn’t hear you right.”
“It’s true, Cam. I have a son. His name is Liam, and he’s almost twelve years old.”
“Twelve?” Cameron parroted his words. “That would mean you had him back during your West Point days.”
Caden nodded. “Yes, his mother and I were seeing each other then.”
“Wait a minute!” Cameron gasped. “She’s the one, the woman you talked about who left you without a word back at West Point.”
“The very same. Apparently, she found out she was pregnant and thought telling me would hinder my military career.”
“That’s ridiculous. It might have caused you to rearrange your priorities, but knowing you, you would have risen to the occasion.”
“See,” Caden said, pointing his finger, “you know me, Cam, but apparently, Savannah thought she was doing what was best for me by leaving, but she had help from someone close to home who gave her a push.”
“Caden, no!” Cameron shook his head. “Please tell me Mom didn’t interfere.”
“Can’t tell you that, Cameron, because that’s exactly what she did. She told Savannah that saddling me with a wife and children would ruin my career, and Savannah believed her. It’s part of the reason she left without a word. Dammit! I’m so furious, Cam. I can spit nails.”
“Rightfully so. Mom was way out of bounds. Do you think she knew Savannah was pregnant? I can’t imagine she would do that to her own grandchild.”
Caden shrugged. “I don’t know, but I plan on finding out.” He planned on confronting his mother and would dare her to lie to his face.
Caden left his brother at the track and headed home. It didn’t take him long to shower and dress before driving over to his parents’ home in DC. It was early, so he was sure to find his mother there. It was a Sunday after all.
When he pulled into the driveway, Caden found his mother’s Jaguar was indeed parked in her normal spot next to his father’s Mercedes Benz SUV. Jumping out of the car, Caden made his way to the front door. He used his key and strode inside.
His parents were sitting in the morning room having coffee. As usual, his father was at the head of the table while his mother flanked him to the right. His father wore a checkered button-down shirt and jeans while his mother sported an emerald blouse and slacks.
“Caden, what a pleasant surprise,” Camilla said when she glanced up and saw him standing there. “Would you care for some breakfast? I can have Rosa make you an omelet, or if you like she can cut you a slice of the quiche Lorraine she made earlier. It’s heavenly.”
“I don’t need the pleasantries, Mother. I need to talk to you.”
At his harsh tone, his father glanced up from his newspaper and placed it on the table. “Son, whatever’s got you riled up, that’s no reason to speak that way to your mother.”
“No disrespect, Dad, but I need you to stay out of this. This is between me and Mother, who can’t seem to stay out of her children’s lives.”
Camilla sighed. “Caden, if this is about Natalee, then really you must get over yourself. She’s a lovely young woman whom you would only benefit from having an association with. I did nothing but give her a little push.”
“This has nothing to do with Natalee and everything to do with Savannah Grace Vasquez.”
All color drained from his mother’s face, and she glanced at her husband. “Cal, darling, would you mind terribly having Rosa freshen up the coffee?” She inclined her head to the carafe sitting between them.
“Oh no you don’t, Mother.” Caden walked toward her until he was facing her. “I want Dad to know what you’ve done because now it affects all of us.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic, Caden.”
“Melodramatic?” Caden’s voice rose several octaves. “How about we start with this: I have a son.”
His mother blinked in bafflement. She stared open-mouthed at him.
“What did you say?” Cal reacted first.
Caden turned to his father, who was sitting beside his now silent mother. “You heard me. I have a son—an eleven-year-old son that Mama knew about and kept me from.” Regardless of the fact that Savannah had said she’d only learned she was pregnant the day Camilla confronted her, Caden hadn’t believed that his mom didn’t know about the pregnancy. He knew how crafty his mother could be—when she was set on finding something out, she did.
“No, no.” Camilla shock her head furiously. “This can’t be true. Whatever that woman has said, she’s lying, Caden. I admit I talked to her when you were at West Point. You were spouting all kinds of nonsense that you were in love and might marry this girl someday. I had to do something.”
“So you decided to tell Savannah she was ruining my career if she stayed by my side? And I believe you offered her ten thousand dollars to disappear from my life. Well, guess what, Mother? You got your wish. The woman I loved left, but she was pregnant with my child.”
Camilla rose to her feet and rushed over to Caden. “She’s lying. She has to be. My investigator never mentioned a baby. I would never have knowingly kept you away from your child, Caden. You must believe me.” She clutched at his arm, but Caden pushed her away.
“Must I?”
“Is this true, Camilla?” Caden’s father rose from his seat. “Did you do this? Did you go to that girl and run her off?”
His mother’s eyes filled with tears. She lowered her head and nodded. “Yes, I did, but I … I didn’t know … I didn’t know she was pregnant.”
“Liar!” Caden yelled. “You told her not to saddle me with a wife and kids. What did you think she was going to do after you made it abundantly clear she wasn’t welcome in this family?”
“Caden, I …” She dropped into her seat, wringing her hands. “I didn’t know.”
“I don’t believe you!” Caden was so furious with her. “Because of you, I’ve lost eleven years of my son’s life I will never get back.” He squatted down until he was facing her. At this point, he was unmoved by her tears. “Do you have any idea what your machinations have cost me?”
Camilla covered her face with her hands and began sobbing uncontrollably.
“I think that’s enough,” Cal said. He patted Caden’s shoulder, pushing him backward. “You’ve made your point.” When Cal reached his wife, he handed her a handkerchief.
“I don’t think I have,” Caden said. “I loved Savannah, but Mother interfered and cost me years of happiness. I could have had a life with her and my son. Now, I have to play catch-up and pray to God my son doesn’t resent me for being MIA all these years.”
“So, you’ve met him,” his father said, “my grandson?”
“Yes, I have.” Caden pulled out the picture Savannah had given him. “This is Liam.” He handed his father the photo.
“My grandson.” His father covered his mouth. “Omigod! He looks just like you.”
“Those are strong words, Caden,” Cal said.
“And I mean them.” Caden snatched the picture from his father’s hands. It was all he had of Liam. “Especially when she,” he said, glancing at his mother, who was now sniffling into his father’s handkerchief, “put all of this in motion and won’t even admit the truth.”
Camilla glanced up from a tear-streaked face. “Caden, I promise you on my children’s lives, I didn’t know Savannah was pregnant. I knew you wanted to marry her, and I figured she’d try to get knocked up and you’d be a husband and father before you were ready. If she’d told me—”
Caden scoffed, laughing bitterly. “Tell you, the woman who told her she wasn’t good enough for her son? Why on earth would she tell you she was pregnant?”
His mother nodded. “You’re right. I don’t have anything to say to defend myself other than I was doing what I thought was best.”
“Oh, I get that. You and Savannah both thought you knew best. You made choices for me you never had the right to make. It was my life. I should have had the right to decide, but mark my words, Mother, I will decide going forward what’s best for me. And if you ever interfere again, I promise you, you will lose a son.”
Caden strode out of the room, feeling better after having spoken his mind, but doing so didn’t change the situation. He still had a long way to go to become the man and father he should have always been.
“Caden, wait!”
Caden glanced behind him to find his father jogging toward him. “How are you, son? How are you really?”