by Anara Bella
With a jarring halt, Cain grabbed her hips, stopping her movements.
“What are you doing?”
“Trust me.”
She nodded, but it was the one thing it was hardest for her to do.
He flipped her over onto all fours, positioned her, and then plunged into her from behind with a hard groan. Sliding in and out through her slick folds, he drilled her, pounding into her like a mad man. She swore his cock grew even larger, reached deeper inside, his heavy balls slapping her with each frantic thrust.
She was so close to the edge now, teetering on the very precipice she sought, desperate to come. Desperate to be a part of him in this way.
He tweaked her breast and then reached down and fingered her clit. She flew into a kaleidoscope of bliss as she screamed her release, wave after wave spasming through her, her vaginal walls clutching, grasping, milking Cain’s cock as if never wanting to let him go.
With a shout, he came too, pounding into her with a tangible fierce possession until she didn’t know where he ended and she began. Not slowing until they were both completely drained. As if he’d poured everything he had into her and she’d given everything she had back to him.
Losing a part of herself she was certain she’d never get back.
And the most frightening thing of all. In that moment, she didn’t even care.
Chapter Thirteen
True to his word, Cain called Thea everyday. At least, at first. It had gone a long way in helping as far as reassuring her went.
But then his calls got shorter, and he missed the odd day. And his one week assignment turned into two, and no matter how much he told her there were very good reasons for it all, deep down she didn’t believe it. Because the longer Cain was away, the faster her distrust toward him came roaring back like a runaway steam engine, plowing through all reason in the process.
But there was more to it than just the lack of contact. She just couldn’t fight the feeling he was never coming back. That the lure and thrill of his old globe-trotting, excitement-filled job had pulled him under its spell. Just like it had when he’d left ten years ago.
Didn’t matter whether it was logical, or made sense. In fact, she knew it was unreasonable and stupid. It didn’t change how she felt.
In the middle of the night, when she lay wide awake, unable to sleep, that was when her doubts hit her hardest. That was when she felt most alone, and missed him so much she physically ached. The whole situation made her feel pathetic and needy, and she hated it with a passion.
She now realized she’d been a complete idiot to think she could keep her heart out of the equation when it came to Cain.
The bottom line was, she loved him, and she now realized she’d never stopped. For God’s sake, she’d said it right out loud and not even realized it. She’d begged him to make love to her, not have sex, or fuck her brains out. Her subconscious had already known it wasn’t about fun and games anymore. Not for her. Too bad she only consciously realized it now.
Could she live without him? Of course. She’d done it once, she could do it again. Did she want to live without him? The answer to that was a resounding no.
She looked around at Lexi, Asia, and her Gram. They were sitting in Astrid’s Antiques, Asia’s grandmother’s antique shop, trying to reason Thea out of her current mood. She loved them to bits for trying, but it wasn’t going all that well.
“Would you stop assuming the worst? There are a lot of good reasons why Cain can’t call you or talk for long when he does. Like, for instance, because he’s working.”
Asia’s firm voice cut through Thea’s non-stop broken record of internal thoughts. A pure relief because she couldn’t seem to stop or ignore them.
Lexi piped in. “Yeah, he went there to work, not for a holiday so I’m sure he’s very busy. And don’t forget, he told you before he left he didn’t know how reliable phone reception would be where he was going.”
How she’d been blessed with such dear friends, she didn’t know, but she appreciated their efforts to talk her down and bolster her mood. Not that it altered anything. This whole situation with Cain had turned her into a raging inferno of conflicting thoughts and emotions. She was a wreck, and more than a little pissed with herself for being this way at all.
She was stronger than this.
As a child she’d dealt with a lot when her mother had died. She’d felt abandoned and lost, lonely and all alone in the world. Just as she had when her father had passed away eight years ago. She’d never really gotten over those losses. When Cain had left ten years ago, it had underscored her belief that everyone eventually left her. His leaving now brought all of those feelings raging back to the surface, made them paramount in her mind, haunting everything she thought and did. She couldn’t seem to control it.
“I know. Believe me, I know. I’m not being rational here but I can’t help it. No matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, I just can’t beat back the feeling that he’s stayed longer because he can’t tear himself away.”
Lexi jumped in. “That’s a big assumption to make. One not based on any facts.”
“Maybe, but he was only supposed to be gone for a couple of days and he’s been gone for three weeks now. Maybe once he got over there he realized just how much he missed his job and now he doesn’t know how to break it to me that he wants to go back. There’s nothing tying him down to Forsythia Falls.”
Asia disagreed. “What about you?”
Thea slapped the notion away with a negative hand motion. “It never held him back before. No reason it should now.”
“I think you’re wrong. I think he loves you.”
Thea snorted at Asia’s certainty. “Based on what, the one time you talked to him?”
“Actually, yes. He asked me to help him, knowing I hated his guts and would give him a hard time. Which I did, but he did it anyway because he wanted to do something nice for you. He went to a lot of bother, it took a lot of arranging on his part and he groveled very nicely. So yes, I believe he loves you. He’s coming back. Everything he’s done since he’s been here has been for you.”
Lexi reached over. “The best thing you can do is stop thinking about it. Cain is sure to be back soon, and then you’ll find out for sure what’s been going on.”
Gram’s bright eyes were filled with sympathy in her typical no-nonsense way. “Listen to your friends. There’s no point in borrowing trouble by thinking the worst. I’ve known you your whole life and you were never afraid of anything. You’re strong, and tough, in the very best way. You can deal with whatever comes your way, including this. I know you can.”
Gram was like the grandmother Thea had never had and her heart brimmed with love. Growing up, Thea couldn’t count the number of times Gram had given her good advice and a loving shoulder to cry on. Now was not the time to start doubting her.
She gave Gram a hard hug, hanging on longer than necessary, hoping to absorb her certainty and strength deep into her soul. “Thanks, Gram. You’re the best.”
After Thea left them, she tried to take their advice to heart, but she had minimal success. Not surprising since she not only believed the worst was possible, but probable. She could multiply that feeling by a hundred when it came to Cain. Like it or not, she loved him. And that was true whether he stayed in Forsythia Falls or not.
The only thing left to find out was whether he was going to shred her heart. Just like he had ten years ago.
*
Cain was back.
After almost a month of waiting for his return, he’d arrived late last night. And he still hadn’t come to see her.
Thea held the phone’s receiver to her ear with a great deal of ambivalence like it was about to bite her. A part of her was nervous and anxious about seeing Cain again because she didn’t know what was to come. But the other part of her was so happy to hear from him, she could take flight from sheer effervescence, and how effing annoying was that? There was a good chance he’d returned just to
break the bad news he was leaving again. Fool that she was, she wanted to believe that wasn’t the case, but the truth was he hadn’t come to see her right away. That couldn’t be a good thing. It could only mean he was putting off facing her, right?
“Sorry I didn’t call before now. I was away longer than I thought I would be, and I had to take care of a few things as soon as I got back.”
She didn’t doubt that for a second. “It’s okay.”
It wasn’t, but what else could she say? It didn’t seem as if he’d missed her as much as she’d missed him.
“I can’t wait to see you, but I still have a few things I need to take care of. Can I come by later this afternoon?”
Was he anxious to see her or could he just not wait to break the news and be on his way again? Hope fought with the realist in her, and a fresh wave of anger lanced through her that she was being ten times the fool. How could she have fallen for him? Again. “Sure. I finally hired someone so things aren’t as crazy around here as when you left.”
Besides, may as well get this over with.
“Great. I’ll pick you up around five.”
That gave her a few hours to prepare herself for the worst. If such a thing was even possible. “See you then.”
Now all she had to do was find that inner steel that had never let her down before. Because there was no way she was going to fall apart in front of him when he gave her the bad news. There was also no way she was going to let him go that easily.
He’d made his bed, now he could lie in it. With her.
Chapter Fourteen
Cain gripped the steering wheel with less than steady fingers, surprised and amused by his nervousness.
Over the years, he’d been in dangerous situations with a fair bit of regularity, but this was different. This was about Thea, the most important person in his life, and things were a little precarious at the moment.
The assignment had taken far longer than he’d thought it would, mostly because it had morphed into a second one. And to make things worse, as the second week had rolled around, he hadn’t been able to call her anywhere near as often as he’d have liked and when he had, he’d had to cut his calls short every single time. It was no surprise that by the end of four weeks, Thea had been more and more distant with each subsequent call.
He was pretty sure she’d raised all her defenses against him again, distancing herself in an effort to protect herself. And he really couldn’t fault her for it. With their history, she had every reason to assume the worst. She was sure to think he missed his job and now planned on going back.
He knew nothing could be farther from the truth. Proving it to Thea was another matter entirely. He felt like he was starting from square one all over again.
Reassuring her over the phone hadn’t helped much, but he had a plan. One he hoped would make her see just how serious he was about her, about them.
Step one was already underway.
He glanced over at Thea sitting blindfolded beside him in the front seat. He hoped he was doing the right thing because she was looking very annoyed at the moment. “You okay? The blindfold isn’t too tight is it?”
Her hands clenched in her lap. Not a good sign. “It’s fine. But I don’t see why this is necessary.”
“It’s a surprise.”
She sighed and unclenched her hands, only to cross her arms instead. “So you keep saying. You keep forgetting I’m not a big fan of surprises.”
He grinned, remembering the time years ago when he’d found that out first hand. The hard way. Hell, she’d almost neutered him. “I remember.”
She harrumphed. “Could’ve fooled me. This is twice now. You do know there’s going to be payback, right?”
He had no doubts about that. “Hang on. We’re almost there.”
Right on cue, the driveway he’d been looking for appeared. He turned onto the run-down lane hoping his special surprise would finally convince her he was serious about staying in town.
The pockmarked gravel lane that passed for a driveway played havoc with the car’s shock absorbers, and their equilibrium, shaking and jerking them every which way, forcing Thea to uncross her arms so she could stabilize herself on the seat.
“This had better be worth it.”
He grinned at the sarcasm she used to hide a heart of gold. Just one of the many things he loved about her.
The car rolled to a stop, which was a huge relief from the vigorous rocking. Shoving the car into park, he turned off the engine.
“You tell me.” He reached over and pulled off the blindfold.
Cain watched her closely as she got her bearings and then focused on the small cottage before her.
He’d hoped to get a big reaction out of her but that wasn’t happening. Her face was a stony mask, and she wasn’t saying anything either, which was driving him nuts.
He prompted her. “So? Was it worth it?”
She looked at him, her eyes full of questions. And hot damn, the anger had slipped away. “What are we doing here?”
“You recognize the place, don’t you?”
She nodded, still mystified. “Yeah, I do. I’ve always loved this place.”
“We’ve always loved this place. Ever since we spotted it on our first official date.” The one he’d taken her on after their hot Halloween party hookup.
A smile played across her lips. Lips he was dying to taste again. “I remember. We spotted it from across the river and hunted around until we figured out which cottage it was from this side.”
He nodded, remembering the adventure they’d made out of it, and how much he’d wanted to kiss her that day too.
“I started checking real estate listings for this area as soon as I began thinking about moving back. When this cottage came up for sale, I knew the time was right. The first thing I did when I came back to town was check this place out. It’s also the reason I didn’t have time to see you earlier today. I had to close the deal. This is my place now.”
Her eyes went wide, registering her shock. “Your place?”
He nodded. “Come on, I’ll show you inside. You’re gonna love it.”
He opened his door and hurried around the car to help her out, hoping against hope this would finally tip the scales in his favor. He was due for a break where Thea was concerned.
But if this didn’t do it, he wouldn’t give up. He’d find a way to bring her around. No matter what happened, he wasn’t giving up. Not now. Not ever.
Thea felt blindsided as she struggled to take in what he was saying.
Cain had bought this place? Did this mean he planned on sticking around after all? Or was she just being hopeful, coming to the conclusion she wanted?
She took Cain’s outstretched hand, all the while wondering what it all meant for her. Tentative hope fluttered in her heart but she fought it down. Until she knew what this was about, she wasn’t jumping to any crazy conclusions like that he wanted her to be a part of his life here in Forsythia Falls.
Cain unlocked the door, flicked on a light and ushered her inside. Not that he had to push. She’d always wanted to know what this place looked like on the inside.
It didn’t disappoint. As much as she’d always loved it from the outside, she loved it even more on the inside. It wasn’t big, but its very quaintness was what had drawn her to it. Bigger was definitely not better in her opinion.
It was only one story with the main living area being an open floor plan that encompassed the living room, eating area and kitchen. There were plenty of windows on all the outside walls showing the trees that surrounded the cottage, but the best part by far was the gorgeous view of the river framed by floor to ceiling windows.
The place was perfect.
With deep pleasure, she took in the dark-toned wide-plank hardwood floors and old-fashioned wood moldings. “I love it. I was almost afraid the inside would disappoint but it doesn’t at all.”
“I felt the same way.”
She stepped farther into the ro
om, loving its comfortable, homey feel. Fixer-upper described it best, but that didn’t bother her in the least. The bones of the place were perfect. In fact, fixing the place up would be a lot of fun.
She shook herself out of her little fantasy. No point in dreaming that renovating the cottage would have anything to do with her. “Is it winterized?”
Cain nodded. “I think that’s just about the only thing the previous owners did to the place. But then, they only used it as a cottage.”
“How did you get furniture in here so fast?”
“It came with the place. It’s old and beat up but I figured anything we didn’t like we could replace as we went along.”
She froze. “We?”
His gaze was glued on her. “Yeah, we. I want you to live here with me, Thea. I bought this place for the two of us.”
Her mind reeled. “The two of us? Together?”
He took her hands in his, his thumbs caressing the backs with feather-light, soothing circles. “I’m here to stay, Thea. There are so many reasons I wanted to come back home to Forsythia Falls. I missed my friends, I missed that unique small town closeness where everyone knows everyone. Hell, I even missed everybody knowing everybody’s business. But more than all those things put together, I missed you. My life is nothing without you in it.”
Thea was struck speechless.
Cain squeezed her hands. “I love you. I want you. So, what’s it going to be?”
With every word he said, Thea’s insides shook, and her knees felt like they were going to collapse out from under her. Damned if she didn’t feel like she was going to pass out or something equally ridiculous. “I-I don’t know what to say.”
“You just need to say one thing. Say, yes.”
Did she dare? A part of her wanted to so much, yet another part quaked with fear. And didn’t that just beat all? Was she really going to let fear dictate what she’d do, or how she’d live her life now?
