by JM Stewart
Christina took her hand and pushed the door open. Cade had been pacing a line between the living room and the end of the small foyer hallway. He halted halfway between and pivoted toward them, eyes shifty and anxious.
He arched a dark brow. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s great. I’m so glad I stopped by. It was nice meeting you, Hannah.” Christina hugged her like they were old friends, then straightened and winked before pivoting toward her brother. She closed the distance between them, hugged his left shoulder, and lifted on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
“Lunch, Caden. You owe me lunch before you go home. I miss you. You’re too much like Dad, always at work.” She pulled back, one hand on his shoulder, head tipped back as she peered at him. “You sure you don’t want me to tell her? It might sound better coming from me. After all, I made this mess. I’m so sorry, little brother. I was worried. I wanted something to pull you out of your funk, and it’s always a fun night.”
“You and Mom need to stop meddling. Mom wants heirs. Dad says I need a good wife, to put out a good image for the firm.” Cade blew out a breath, and whatever irritation had crossed his features drained from him. “She’s the first thing I’ve done for me in a long time. And, no, but thank you. I’d rather handle this one myself.”
Christina patted his chest.
“Mom won’t hear this from me, I promise.” She kissed his cheek again, then turned and strode for the door. Once there, she pulled the door open, then paused and turned. Her bright expression fell, somberness filling her eyes. Eyes way too much like her brother’s and every bit as expressive. “In case you didn’t hear, Baz is back from Paris. You need to forgive him. Amelia used the both of you, pitted you against each other, for her own selfish gain. In the end, she lost. That’s all that matters.”
Once again Cade rolled his eyes like a petulant child. “Says the woman who won’t admit she’s in love with my best friend.”
Christina rolled her eyes right back, but pink seeped into her cheeks, betraying her. “I’m not in love with Sebastian. The man is insufferable. I don’t know what you two have in common, because you couldn’t be more different. There isn’t a shred of humility in him. He thinks way too highly of himself.”
Laughter rumbled out of Cade. “You do realize he’s that way because he knows it drives you crazy, right?”
“The point being”—Christina narrowed her eyes in warning—“she used him the same way she used you. The two of you are miserable without each other.”
Cade folded his arms and arched a brow, amusement glittering in his eyes. “What’s this about not being in love with him?”
She turned to Hannah and rolled her eyes.
“Sebastian and Caden have been joined at the hip since elementary school. They don’t fight often, but when they do…stubborn as mules, the both of them. Neither one is ever willing to admit being at fault. They’ve always been that way, too. Whenever they fought, our nanny, MaryAnn, would force them to sit beside each other until they apologized. The fools would sit there for hours in stubborn refusal. Too much macho bravado that they’re willing to let a woman get in the way of a lifelong friendship. A woman who didn’t deserve either of them.” She turned to Cade and pointed a stern finger. “Fix it, Caden, or you’ll regret it. Hannah, I’m so sorry I intruded, but I’m glad we got to meet.”
The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving her and Cade alone.
Chapter Eight
Hannah remained frozen halfway up the hallway. Cade stood at the edge of the living room, hands tucked in his pockets. Several long moments passed in silence after his sister left, neither one moving. She didn’t know what to say to him. Whatever bravado she’d sashayed over there with deserted her somewhere out in the hallway.
Cade stood stiff, his jaw set a little too tight. Hannah feared if she moved, something would break between them. Awkward tension and something she couldn’t put her finger on, something in the stiff set of his shoulders, became a wall between them. Something clearly weighed on his mind. She wished he’d get it over with and tell her, because the tension was killing her.
Meeting his sister and getting a glimpse of his life had knocked her for a loop. Watching the two of them, she’d been an intruder on an intimate moment, but she had to admit their interaction had mesmerized her. She and Cade had shared a lot in their online chats, but his sister’s appearance was the first glimpse at the intimate side of his life. His family. She had to admit, she liked seeing this side of him. Watching him with his twin sister had lodged something inside of her she feared naming, let alone acknowledging, a part of her she’d carried since her parents’ death all those years ago. She envied him his relationship with Christina, and she wanted, more than she should, to see him in his world, to see the man in his element.
Cade had a soft side, a sister who cared about him. Hannah knew nothing about his world. She played little to no part in it. While the sex blew her mind, she longed to be a part of his world in a way she could no longer deny but that had terror settling cold and hard in her belly. Merely being his physical release at the end of the day seemed shallow now.
She longed for more. She longed for the family she hadn’t had growing up. Oh, she had Maddie, and she would be forever grateful for that, but Maddie was all she had. She made sure of it. If she didn’t let people in, they couldn’t leave her. She’d learned that the hard way over the years. Never get attached, because they always left.
For the second time in her life, Cade had her pondering what she wanted from her life, deep down where it counted.
Cade broke the tense moment first. His gait relaxed, and he closed the distance between them, coming to a stop in front of her. “Hi.”
His sexy, familiar scent swirled around her like a lure. His broad form made her shiver with heat and awareness of the man. He became a wall of muscle in front of her, all she could see and all she wanted to see. Her knees turned to gelatin, and in that small space, need flared between them. Only this morning, she’d woken in his arms, had looked forward all day to this moment right here, when she’d have him all to herself again. After everything that had gone on in the last half hour, the power of her need for him hit like a freight train.
She sagged back against the wall behind her. The man made her dizzy, drunk on the pull he had over her. “Hi, yourself.”
He leaned into her and her troubled thoughts evaporated. His hands settled on her waist, and Hannah sighed in bliss.
“I’m sorry about that. I hadn’t anticipated her coming over.” One corner of his mouth lifted. “Chris has always taken on the role of the big sister, even when we were kids, though technically, she’s only thirteen minutes older than I am. I honestly think it’s a role she was born for, but she can be pushy sometimes.”
The pink staining his cheeks had her smiling in spite of herself. He was nervous.
Unable to resist, she slid her hands up his chest, delighting in the muscle beneath her palms and the addicting heat of his body. “It’s okay. I like her. She’s nice.”
He made a sound low in his throat and shook his head.
“Mmm. I love my sister, but she wasn’t who I wanted to see right then.” His gaze dropped. The tip of his index finger traced the lapels of her coat, following the seam between her breasts. “What do you have on under here?”
She drew a deep breath and released it. Drawing up her inner vixen, she fingered the lapels of the overcoat. “It’s a present. For you. Unwrap me.”
“It’s not even my birthday.” Amusement and heat warred in his gaze. He took a step back and untied the sash around her waist, then undid the buttons and pulled the sides of the coat open. The bra she’d chosen had low-cut cups that didn’t cover her nipples, but thrust her too-small breasts front and center. The cool air rushing over her skin made her nipples tighten and ache, but the bra did its job, for hunger flared in his eyes as his gaze raked over her.
He fingered the edge of the bra, the tip of his ind
ex finger brushing a hardened nipple. “Did you walk over here like this?”
She nodded, unable to help the shiver that coursed through her. “It was rather freeing. At least, until I got here.”
Walking downtown, knowing she wore nothing more than a revealing bra, see-through panties, and fuck-me heels had filled her with a sexiness she didn’t think she could ever match. At least until this moment. His eyes ate up every inch of her, and a flick of her gaze downward revealed a growing tent in his tailored slacks. For the first time in a long time, she felt sexy.
She arched a teasing brow. “You like?”
He made a quiet, contented hmm, and his large, warm hands slid over the curve of her hips to close over her ass. He lifted her off her feet like she weighed nothing and pressed her back against the wall. The length of his erection settled against her, hard as granite behind his zipper. His face a bare inch from hers, his eyes glittered with challenge and triumph and a scorching heat. “That about answer your question?”
She gasped, her hips pushing into the sweet pulse of him. The ridge of his erection rubbed the exact right spot, and Hannah shivered. “God, I was so nervous coming over here. I wasn’t sure what you’d think. I’ve never worn lingerie like this for a man, the naughty stuff. When your sister opened the door, I thought I was going to die, but the look on your face made the effort worth it.”
Cade went still as a statue. His countenance changed. The teasing, playful light gave way to something softer, more tender. His eyes searched hers for a moment before he bent his head, his hot mouth trailing a lazy path over the curve of her jaw, down her neck, and across her shoulder.
“You have no idea what you do to me, do you? I crave you like a junkie. You’re all I think about. I need you. I’ve needed you since I left you this morning. Like I need to draw my next breath.” He nipped the curve of her shoulder, then pressed his cheek hard against hers. His voice lowered to a vulnerable murmur against her ear. “You scare the hell out of me, Hannah.”
His words echoed the feeling she’d had standing out in the hallway. Red alert blared in her head. She needed to end this here and now, leave while her heart remained intact. She’d broken a rule she spent her life upholding until Dane. Her ex only proved she should have upheld her promise to herself—never get attached. Cade’s words confirmed what she already knew: they’d become caught in something not part of the deal.
Instead, her arms and legs tightened around him, drawing him closer. She couldn’t stop trembling. Cade McKenzie overwhelmed her senses. She needed him the same way he needed her. Something she couldn’t explain if she tried but couldn’t deny either.
God help her heart when these two weeks ended.
Cade crushed her to him. He buried his face in her throat, his breathing harsh and ragged against her skin. How long they remained that way, clinging to each other, she didn’t know, but it hadn’t escaped her notice she wasn’t the only one shaking.
With a deep breath, he pulled back. His expression took her by surprise. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, tenderness maybe. Instead, his eyes searched her face anxiously.
“I’m afraid I have news, and I’d rather tell you now before we get too deep into this. As much as I hate to waste your surprise, I need to tell you something.” He set her to her feet, stepped back, and held out a hand. “Take a bath with me?”
The worry staring back at her from his gaze caught her in the chest. Something weighed on him and the acknowledgment of it knotted her stomach.
She nodded, slipping her hand into his. “Is everything okay?”
He shook his head, his fingers closing almost painfully around hers.
“I don’t know. That depends on you. Chris came over to drop a bomb on me.” He drew a deep breath and released it before continuing. “I’m going to have to break a rule.”
The anxiety written in his searching eyes had the same emotion swelling like a tide within her. Something deep inside tightened to painful proportions. Why did she get the feeling she was about to lose him?
Cade tied her heart in knots. She couldn’t deny it anymore. She was falling in love with him.
“Bath.” Hannah tightened her grip on his hand and stepped around him, pulling him behind her as she made her way toward the bathroom. “And wine. I want you naked before I hear this.”
Outside the bathroom, Cade came to a dead halt, forcing her to stop along with him. “Baby, I think you should hear me out first.”
His words and the regret in his tone made her insides shake. He obviously worried she’d hate his news, and his worry had a lump forming in her throat.
She swallowed hard and turned to face him. She needed to be honest with him. “The expression on your face scares me. You’re worried about something and it’s never good when the man you’re seeing says ‘we need to talk.’ I get this feeling something is about to interrupt our time together, and I don’t mean just tonight. Am I right?”
His thumb swept along her wrist. “That depends on you.”
She rolled her eyes, irritated with yet another elusive non-answer. “Will you stop saying that?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. A familial obligation has crept up, one I hadn’t anticipated, because my darling sister volunteered me without asking first. Carrying it out breaks a rule, one we both agreed was important.”
She stared at him, blinked, processed. She didn’t have to ask. Her sinking stomach told her which rule he meant: the one where they’d agreed not to see other people.
She sighed and released his hand. The weight of a thousand elephants sat upon her, pressing her down. Her shoulders rounded. Her outfit didn’t feel sexy anymore, but more like a clown suit. “Look. I get it. You need to share this with me, because you’re worried about my reaction. That’s sweet of you, but whatever the hell this is, it’s about to interrupt my time with you. I’m not stupid, GQ. From the look on your face, you’re worried I might decide to end our two-week agreement.”
He looked down, his thumb sweeping her knuckles this time. A sense of melancholy hung on him, turning down the corners of his mouth. “I’m not sure I’d blame you if you did.”
His voice was a soft, resigned murmur that filled her with dread.
She shook her head. “I don’t do this. I decided a long time ago relationships weren’t worth it. People leave. Everybody leaves. I’m twenty-five, and I’ve had one real relationship in my life, and you know what? All it did was prove to me why I don’t get involved. It’s why I liked that we set a time limit on this. Two weeks, and when that two weeks is up, you go back home and we never see each other again. I leave with my heart intact.”
Cade looked up, eyes wide with alarm. “Hannah, after—”
She put a finger to his lips. “I’m done listening, GQ, done talking. For now. Whatever you need to tell me can wait. Our time is limited, and I don’t want to ruin it by talking about things that’ll steal a piece of that.”
Over the last six months, Cade had become a friend, a lover, someone she could talk to and be herself with. For two weeks, he would be hers, and she wanted to enjoy him while she had him. They could get serious later.
She released his hand long enough to take off the overcoat and set it on the bed, then took his hand again and pulled him behind her into the bathroom. There, she took a seat on the edge of the enormous tub and took a moment to start warm water running. Then she turned, hooked Cade by his belt loops, and pulled him toward her. She unbuckled his belt, let her fingers brush his still throbbing erection as she unbuttoned his slacks, and slid down the zipper. She took him in her hand, stroking his length before lifting her gaze to his.
Cade’s eyes glittered with heat and amusement. “You’re a stubborn little minx, you know that?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she closed her mouth around him, enjoying the feel of him there, the velvet-encased steel. She enjoyed, too, the way, despite his protests, one hand found its way into her hair and fisted. His thighs trembled,
the muscles tightening as he braced his legs and rocked his hips forward. He made a sound at the back of his throat, a murmur of a groan that filled her chest with triumph and eased the tension between them.
She flicked her gaze upward, pulled him from her mouth, and licked him like an ice cream cone. “Do you want me to stop, GQ?”
Cade’s heavy-lidded eyes blazed back at her. When she took him in her mouth again, his eyes slid shut, his other hand sliding into her hair. “God, no.”
She took her time, enjoying giving to him what he’d given to her. It was an intimate act to perform with someone, and the closeness it created made the wall between them evaporate. She needed this connection to him, however small. Here, no complications sat over their heads like a black rain cloud ready to dump on their time together. Things were simple. He was a man, and she was a woman. She gave him pleasure, and he accepted.
She would only admit to herself, though, that his every reaction fed a deep-seated need within, to give, to be accepted, as she was. She wanted to enjoy the intimacy with him, wanted to divest them of the wall that made them, once again, strangers.
She had a sinking feeling she was losing him or would soon. Her time with him seemed finite, in a way it hadn’t before his sister’s arrival. The thought of going back to a world without him in it made her chest ache. She needed to feel close to him now.
His hands tightened in her hair, the rocking of his hips becoming shaky and jerky. “Hannah…”
His garbled warning came two seconds before he erupted in her mouth with a strangled moan. Hannah took everything he gave.
When the small aftershocks faded, Cade reached down, his hands gripping her shoulders as he pulled her onto her feet and into his arms. He crushed her against his chest and buried his face in the fall of her hair at her shoulder. “God, you’re incredible.”
She could only cling to him in return. She was definitely in trouble. Her time with him drained like sand in an hourglass; she couldn’t stop it. She had one more week left. Eight days. Eight days and she had to give him up. He’d go back to his life. Maybe he’d start seeing other people. The thought of him with someone else made her sick to her stomach.
