A Lifetime to Find Love

by Ava Riley

  “Okay, so then he must have taken it out for some reason. Geez, Rowan, I don’t know why you men do half the things you do and you’re asking me to try to get into the mind of Cade and figure out why he left his wallet? Damn, he’s your best friend, don’t you know why he would leave his wallet here?” That had come out a little more defensive than she wished, but she knew that tone he was using and she didn’t like it. It was the, I’m the big brother and you will do as I say and answer when I ask you something voice. And she’d be damned if she answered anything else that had to do with last night.

  “Oh, I know him alright, that’s why he better hope to God he didn’t pull it out with the intention of using this condom I found on the floor.”

  Tessa just stood open mouthed at that statement as she looked at the unopened condom in Rowan’s hand. Cade’s wallet? A condom? Oh Lord, what were they thinking last night? All of a sudden the headache that had finally eased away during her hot shower just came back full force along with a now sour stomach. There was no way she was going to be able to skate around the subject of last night’s events now. Her brain had stopped focusing on Rowan’s statement, and for a brief moment she indulged in the thought of Cade actually pulling a condom out of his wallet while in her home. So many naughty thoughts raced through her head at that point. Then the shock of it hit her. It wasn’t so much the condom itself. Guys carried them around all the time just in case they got lucky. And that was it! The getting lucky part! So, Cade had thought he was going to get lucky with her. He had actually thought of having sex with her last night. Oh holy begeezus! But when exactly did he pull it out, the condom that is? Why couldn’t she remember the important parts from last night, damn it? She hadn’t even remembered them driving home; she did remember having pulled up her skirt for him and all of God’s creation to see the very center of her. She remembered the dancing at the club and then the cursed event of being tossed across the room. And if she hadn’t been so aggressive with him and surprised him would they have actually done the deed right there in her home, in that blessed chair? As frightening a thought as that was, it was also very promising. Yum, just the thought…

  “Well, are you going to answer me?” Rowan yelled at her which brought her out of her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry, what was the question?”

  “I want to know what happened here last night. So, are you going to tell me or should I just call Cade and find out what the hell he was thinking, trying to seduce my little sister? Jesus, if I had known for one second that he would try something with you, Tess, I never would have suggested you call him.”

  Oh Shit! Now she really felt bad. Here Rowan was blaming Cade for something she’d done. Although, she did have to concede that he took the condom out. Damn it! Now she couldn’t get that one detail out of her mind; Cade had actually wanted to have sex with her. Just the thought sent shivers down her spine and heat racing through her body and pooling between her legs.

  “Rowan, it’s not what you think. Cade didn’t do anything wrong…”

  “Didn’t do anything wrong! He was going to try to seduce you! That bastard was going to try to have sex with you.” Oh yeah, he was getting more and more pissed by the minute.

  “I’m the one who was trying to seduce him.” Tessa said quickly, hoping to calm him down.

  Rowan just stood gaping at his little sister. It was as if his brain went on hiatus. His little sister? Seducing his best friend? She was just trying to save their friendship. She was trying to protect them both. It’s what Tessa did; she always tried to protect others. That had to be it; that had to be what she was doing. It was the only logical explanation because the thought of his little sister seducing Cade just didn’t sit well with him and he just couldn’t accept that as truth. He had to get out of there and he needed to get over to Cade’s. There was no way he was letting Tessa take the blame for his actions. There was no way he was going to allow Tessa to be seduced by him either. For God sakes, he was seven years older than her. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the door bell rang reining in Rowan’s thoughts. As Tessa rushed to the door, avoiding any eye contact with him, he started to ease himself back into the chair. The sound of the voice at the door brought him soaring right back out of that chair before he could fully seat himself.

  “Oh good, you’re up. I was hoping I wouldn’t wake you,” Cade said sweetly

  “No you -”

  “You bastard!” Rowan yelled as he lurched toward Cade with his fists swinging, causing Cade to stumble and fall against the wall.

  Chapter 3

  “Rowan, what the hell is wrong with you! Get back!” Tessa yelled.

  As Cade slowly pulled himself up using the wall as leverage, Tessa grabbed his arm to help him. The sheer shock and look of horror on his face told her that he had no idea what was going on. Rowan stood over them, his face flushed from his anger.

  “Rowan,” Cade said as he pulled himself up.

  “Don’t Rowan me! What did you have planned Cade? Get my little sister in bed with you, have your fun with her for a little while and then move on to the next woman when things got too serious? Well, I’m not letting you do it. I won’t stand by and watch you break her heart.”

  He could rip the guy’s heart out. Rowan had no intention of letting Cade anywhere near his sister again. Really, he blamed himself for even suggesting that they go out together. Yes, he and Cade had been best friends since they were kids, but he knew how Cade was with women. He had some major issues with commitment and there was no way Rowan was letting that happen with his sister.

  “It’s not like that. Seriously, we just went out for drinks and then I brought her home. Nothing happened,” Cade pleaded his case.

  Throwing his wallet and the condom at him, Rowan said, “Really? Is that why I found this laying next to your wallet? Usually one only pulls a condom out when they have intentions to use it.”

  Cade had no idea what to say and surely didn’t want to even look at Tessa. He really had not planned on anything happening between them when he agreed to go out with her. When they got back to her home, he walked her inside with every intention of leaving immediately. She had offered him a drink and he thought nothing of it. One drink before he left was no big deal. It was when she had turned on the radio and began to walk to the kitchen that he got a funny feeling in his chest. Watching her hips sway as she walked into the other room gave him more than just that funny feeling in his chest however. The more he watched her, the more his groin pulsed of need for her. Once she was out of sight, he stood and pulled out his wallet to make sure he still had a condom in there. He always kept one in there just in case. As he pulled out the condom, Tessa walked back in the room with their drinks, startling him, and he dropped both the condom and wallet to the wood floor beneath his feet. He had meant to quickly grab them before she noticed, but that was when she surprised him. She had set the drinks on the coffee table and placed her hands on his chest. Her touch was electrifying; it stilled him just long enough for her to push him into the chair. As he sat, she pulled up her skirt and slid onto his lap. He had long forgotten about both his wallet and the condom. He sat motionless, surprised by her aggressiveness. He’d never seen this side of Tessa. He’d seen her with other men while they were at the bar with Rowan, but he’d never seen her this aggressive. It wasn’t until she leaned down, and whispered in his ear, “I want your cock inside me, Cade, and I want it hard and fast” that he snapped back to his senses and flung her off of his lap. He hadn’t meant to toss her, just to get her far enough away that she couldn’t feel the erection pulsing under the cloth of his jeans. He knew that if she stayed on his lap much longer, he would thrust his cock inside her the way she said she wanted right there where they sat.

  Now, he not only had to deal with Rowan thinking that he had tried to get his sister in bed, but also deal with what Tessa would think of him. He had had a lot of time to think since leaving Tessa’s. He hadn’t slept at all last night. Thoughts of Tessa cons
tantly tormented him throughout the night and he couldn’t find the release his body ached for. He realized that he was attracted to her and he did want to see where things might lead. It wasn’t just her body he was attracted to, but her personality. As corny as it sounded, he really did enjoy being with her. They had had such a great time at the bar that he hadn’t even thought once to try and pick up someone. She made him laugh and even, at times, blush. Tessa was very outspoken and wasn’t afraid to voice what she was feeling or thinking. He appreciated that about her. She wasn’t worried about what other people thought about her and he loved that about her. Now after hearing Rowan, he realized he was right. He was afraid of commitment. And even though he desperately wanted Tessa in his arms, he wasn’t sure he was ready to let anyone in his heart. Tessa’s voice shook him out of his thoughts.

  “Rowan, it’s really none of your business who I allow in my bed. I am the one who decides, not you!”

  “Tess, it’s okay. I can handle this,” Cade interjected. “It’s totally my fault, Rowan. You’re right, I was trying to seduce her and I shouldn’t have. I stepped over the bounds and I’m sorry.”

  “What the fuck are you doing, Cade? You did not try to seduce me. I - ”

  “Don’t try to make this easier on me, Tess. I know what I did last night was wrong.”

  “You’re damn right it was wrong,” Rowan spat at him.

  Tessa was totally and completely pissed now. She couldn’t believe that both of these men were standing there acting like jackasses. One was trying to dictate who she slept with and the other was standing there blatantly lying.

  “I want both of you out of my house. Now!”

  “Tessa,” Rowan began, “I am still taking you out to breakfast.”

  “No, you aren’t. I am not going anywhere, but you two are. I can’t look at either one of you right now. Rowan, again, you do not tell me who I can take to my bed and, Cade, I can’t believe that you are actually standing there lying. I am done! Out with the both of you!”

  Tessa stomped to the door, held it open and waited for them both to leave.

  “Tess…”

  “Rowan, out! I am done talking to you.”

  Cade followed Rowan out the door without a second look at her. He just couldn’t bring himself to face her knowing that she wasn’t just pissed but was hurt also. He hadn’t meant to make her angry or to hurt her; he was just trying to protect her from her brother’s wrath. He knew that if he had a sister, he would not want to hear that she had tried to seduce Rowan. Once Cade crossed the threshold he not only heard the slam of the door but he felt the force of it also. As soon as they were outside, Rowan faced Cade with an anger he’d never been on the receiving end of before. Oh, he’d seen Rowan’s anger directed toward others, but never in the whole time since they began their friendship had he pissed Rowan off.

  “Cade, you have to tell me what happened here last night. And, I want the truth.”

  Cade just shook his head. “Tessa needs to be the one to tell you, not me.”

  “Well, I don’t see that happening anytime soon, so you need to start talking.”

  As they walked to their cars, Cade told Rowan the entire story. Well, not the entire story. He wasn’t an idiot, though after the way Tessa just reacted, he felt like one. He, of course, left out all the explicit thoughts he had had toward Tessa and, of course, what she had whispered in his ear. He certainly had no desire to add to Rowan’s fury of the moment.

  Tessa paced her living room for the hundredth time since kicking the boys out of the house.

  Ugh, men are just idiots sometimes.

  She had planned on leaving, going for a run to relieve some of her frustrations. Frustrations, that weren’t just about Rowan going off the deep end; but also frustrations in regards to Cade. She couldn’t get his scent out of her nostrils or his face out of her mind. However, when she had looked out the window, she saw that the two of them were outside talking. At least Rowan wasn’t swinging fists and yelling anymore. She wondered what Cade had told him to calm him down. Did he continue to lie or did he tell him the truth? She told herself she didn’t really care, but she did. She hadn’t intended to hurt Rowan, but damn it, she wanted Cade even more than ever now having the knowledge that he had pulled out that damn condom. The longer she stood around thinking about her and Cade together the more frustrated she became. She had to get out of there. One more glance out the window confirmed that they had both finally left. She grabbed her IPod and headed out the door for her run. She was convinced that a run would definitely help as she stepped outside.

  It seemed like it had been hours, but when she glanced at her watch, it had only been thirty minutes. So much for the run helping relieve those frustrations. She found that as she ran and felt the pounding of the pavement under her feet, her thoughts turned to Cade. Not just Cade in general, but her and Cade. Her and Cade in her bed. Her and Cade in her bed naked. He hovered over her, keeping his weight off of her as she traced the muscles of his stomach with her fingertips. Each time she dragged her fingers across his flesh, his muscles jerked under her touch. His crystal blue eyes caressed her body making her wetter than she had ever been in her life. His chiseled jaw shadowed perfectly and there wasn’t a flaw on his gorgeous face or his tanned body. His dark hair hung just at his shoulders and though it was groomed, it had that sexy messy look to it. He was so strong and she wanted every part of him and she wanted to feel him inside her. As she continued to caresses him, he leaned down and brushed his lips to hers. Gently tasting her; licking the seam of her lips. With a small sigh, she parted her lips for him; wanting his tongue inside her mouth so she could taste him. Cade slowly caressed her tongue with his, bringing her pleasure in just that small action, a pleasure she had never felt before. She gently sucked his tongue deeper into her mouth wanting as much of him as she could get, relishing in his taste and scent. As he kissed her, he gently slid his thumb over one of her hardened nipples making her ache for more of him.

  Shaking her head, Tessa snapped herself out of her daydream. God, why did the man have to have such an influence on her? Giving up on the idea of releasing some frustration, she turned around and headed back home. If she was going to get her body to relax, she’d have to settle for a cold shower.

  Chapter 4

  Tessa heard the phone ringing as she walked through the front door. Not really in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment and that cold shower screaming out her name, she let the answering machine pick it up. It was her boss at the paper. Well, Dominick couldn’t actually be considered her boss since she was a freelance photographer, but she did have to check in with him from time to time. He had a job for her that he needed her to take care of right away and she was glad for it. She needed to busy herself for awhile; needed to be away from both of those frustrating men. It would help her stay away from Rowan’s overbearing ways and Cade’s delicious body. She decided to call Dominick back, but only after she had that cold shower. There was no way that she would be able to speak to anyone with those God forsaken, erotic images of her and Cade swimming around in her head. She needed to clear her mind and calm her body before she did anything else.

  An hour and a half later, Tessa sat on the couch in her office going over the details that Dominick had given her a short time ago. Apparently, there was a fundraiser coming up that the paper was hosting to benefit the local hospital in Long Beach. They planned on doing a calendar with local doctors for each month with Tessa taking pictures of each doctor. Susan, one of the staff writers, would go along with her so that she could interview each one. The event was surprising, since Rowan had never mentioned it. However, if he hadn’t been chosen as one of the doctors, he wouldn’t have had a clue about it either. Dominick would be emailing her a list of each doctor so that she could set up times to photograph them.

  Unfortunately, they were on a time crunch since he dragged his ass on the project. Dominick had a habit of doing just that and then expecting Tessa to get the job done quickl
y. Her work load had been very light lately, so had she known about this job, she could have had it done already. Thankfully, she was a good enough photographer that when she did get a job, it paid her well enough that she could go months at a time without work. She had had a couple jobs back to back in Hawaii shooting some surfing contest and a magazine cover and made great money from it, allowing her to pay for her house in full . The money wasn’t the only good thing about her chosen profession, so were the perks. Watching all those fine toned surfer bodies had done her good. Most days she loved her job because it allowed her a pretty flexible schedule. During those times when she felt rushed to complete an assignment, were the only times she thought of a career change. She was not only a perfectionist when it came to her photography, but there was not a bigger critic of her work than her. Tessa liked to take her time to get that perfect picture, so being rushed didn’t do anything for her mood. She wouldn’t have that luxury this time around, however.

  With all the information in front of her, she began to go over the paper work. In her frustration, Tessa threw the crumpled paper that held the names of the doctors across the room that was her office. To say she was upset was an understatement. Initially, she had glanced at the list when she opened it on her laptop and hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. Once she printed it, she began to separate the doctors by those who worked for the hospital and those who worked in private practice. When she told Dominick that she would take on the job, she never once thought that Cade would be on that list. But there it was in big bold letters: CADE MCARTHUR. It took everything within her not to scream. The job that she was counting on to take her mind off Cade had only brought her back to him. She could get another photographer to take Cade’s picture, but that whole perfectionism problem wouldn’t allow her to let someone else do her job. She would have to suck it up and get the job done quickly. A couple pictures wouldn’t be that big of a deal and then she would move on to the next doctor. Get in and get it done, that’s what she would do. First things first though, she needed to get the times and places set up. She quickly called Susan to set up a time for them to get together so that they could coordinate their schedules.