“I can do that if you have to keep an eye on what you’ve got going on inside.”
Smiling, she shook her head and lifted the lid from the grill and placed the steaks on. “These will be quick,” she stated, knowing that they both preferred their steaks rare. Pulling a small timer from her pocket she set it and went back in to the kitchen.
He felt like an idiot but Adam couldn’t help but follow. He had nothing else to do. When Cassie turned and nearly ran in to him, he knew he had to get out of her way. Walking towards the stairs, Adam went down to the lower level and found what he was looking for. Sprinting back up to the kitchen, he found a corkscrew and poured them both a glass of wine.
Cassie grabbed hers as he held it out to her on her way back out to the grill to flip the steaks. “Thanks.”
Ten minutes later, Adam was sitting down and enjoying a meal that had no rival. He knew that Cassie was an exceptional cook; he just never had the time to truly sit and savor what she created for any of his events. He told her so and watched a delicate blush creep up her cheeks.
“That’s quite a compliment, Adam. Thank you.” Cassie took a sip of her wine and sighed. A girl could get used to living like this, that was for sure. “So tell me what your favorite meal is.”
“I think I’m eating it right now,” he replied as he cut into the tender steak. “I definitely want to use this butcher again and the produce guy was right on the money, too.” The menu had ended up consisting of the steaks, a baby field green salad with a lemon balsamic vinaigrette dressing, roasted new potatoes with herbed butter, baby carrots and toasted French bread.
For Cassie, the meal itself did not present that much of a challenge but it was nice to be appreciated. While cooking was second nature to her, Cassie never really had the opportunity to cook for someone personally. Sure, there was her family but they were biased. It had been a long time since she’d been involved with anyone and back then, she never had the desire to cook for him.
She wanted to cook for Adam. She enjoyed his praise of what she had done. Cassie found herself wanting to be with him more and more and it had nothing to do with a working relationship and everything to do with a personal one.
What bothered her most was that here they were, in a romantic setting and he had not made any attempt to touch her or kiss her again. Was that kiss in her apartment on Thursday merely a fluke? Maybe he didn’t enjoy kissing her? Maybe Adam thought about it and realized that it would be awkward for them to get involved? Of all the times for her father to fall in love it had to be with this man’s mother! Talk about bad timing.
She must have sighed because Adam put his fork down and looked at her. “Are you okay? Do you feel all right?”
Great, he was concerned for her health. That should have been a sweet thing but right now it just fed her frustration. What was wrong with her, for crying out loud? Why didn’t he enjoy kissing her? Cassie knew she wasn’t a supermodel but men did find her attractive. Maybe Adam was used to more sophisticated women. Well if that was the case he could have at them! There was nothing wrong with her and she had it on the tip of her tongue to tell him so!
“Cassandra?” he interrupted her thoughts. “Seriously, are you all right? You look like you’re in pain.”
Damn straight she was in pain. Emotional pain. Psychological pain. How dare he kiss her and then never try to do it again! Here she was fawning all over him, trying to get his praise and approval and for what? So he can ignore the fact that they’d kissed? Cassie realized Adam was staring at her and waiting for an answer.
“What? Oh, no, I’m fine. My mind just wandered. Sorry.” She stood abruptly and began clearing the dishes. All this inner dialogue about Adam killing her self-esteem had Cassie missing out on the brilliance of the starry night. She had been looking forward to sitting out and enjoying it over dinner but she felt too ill to sit still any longer.
Adam followed her in to the kitchen. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked, confusion sparking his words. “You seem angry.”
Cassie turned to him, her eyes ablaze. “Do I? Do I seem angry to you?” she demanded. When Adam stood there, dumbfounded at her tone of voice, she went on. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong, I am a decent person. I may not be in your league but I am a damn fine human being who cares about people. I am good at what I do and you know what? Plenty of people appreciate that and find me attractive!”
Geez, how much wine had she had? She thought to herself, wishing more and more that she could stop the verbal assault that seemed like a runaway train. “I mean, here we are in this fabulous place, having a great time and you…you just are treating me like a damn sister. We’re not related yet, you know!”
If she hadn’t been so angry, Cassie would have laughed at the expression on Adam’s face. He was clearly confused and wanted to speak but all he could do was sputter. That was fine with her because she had more to say; only now, she was pacing back and forth from the deck to the kitchen with the remnants of their dinner.
“You come to my home, bring me pizza, watch TV with me and then you kiss me and run. What the hell was that about? I know I’m not pinup material but really, you are the first guy to actually sprint from the building!” She slammed the dishes in to the sink and mentally thanked God that nothing shattered.
“So I have no idea what is going on here. Maybe you do this kind of thing all the time where you just go around kissing people and then pretending like it didn’t happen but I’ve got to tell you, Adam, it’s weird. It’s wrong and it’s weird and it’s just…”
She never got to finish because Adam had had enough and had walked up to her and cut off her words with his mouth. It was hot, hard and hungry on hers and it took Cassie less than a second to jump on board and open for him. Adam’s hands immediately went to her hair to pull it free from its clip while Cassie’s arms twined around his neck to keep him close.
It was glorious madness, was all Cassie could think as Adam continued to kiss her more intimately than she’d ever been kissed before. His tongue stroked hers and she tasted the wine, the sweetness and wanted to drink him in. Too soon he moved his mouth from hers and trailed kisses to her cheek, her throat, up to her ear lobe before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her over to one of the oversized sofas in the living room.
Settling her down and sliding down next to her, Adam’s hands began a journey of familiarizing himself with Cassie’s body and his mouth found his way back to hers. Cassie whimpered with need and wrapped one leg around Adam’s to give them full-body contact. In the next instant, she found herself pinned beneath him and staring up in to his heated gaze.
“Dammit, Cassandra, I was trying to be a gentleman,” he said, his breath ragged. “I knew you were recovering and I knew that if I touched you, if I kissed you that I’d want to make love to you and I don’t think you’re feeling up to that just yet.” Adam rested his forehead on hers. “For once I was trying to be the good guy.” He placed a gentle kiss where his head had just rested and positioned himself more comfortably between her legs; enjoying the sight of her gasping for her own breath.
“Really?” her voice was wispy and soft and it made him groan.
“Yes, really.” He reined tiny kisses all over her face before settling back in on her mouth again. She purred with delight to have him back where she most wanted him. Winding her fingers in Adam’s hair, all Cassie could think was that she wanted to make love with him. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but right now, with his aroused body pressed so intimately against hers, she couldn’t find it in her to really care.
“Adam?” she whispered against his mouth. He raised his head, his eyes glazed with passion. “Can we take this upstairs? Please?” She was crazed and desperate to be with him and as much as she should have been questioning why it had to be this man, all Cassie could think about was getting naked with him and spending the night locked in Adam’s arms.
There was a brief hesitation in his gaze before he stood and held out a h
and to her. “Are you sure?” He needed her to be sure. He needed her to want him as much as he wanted her. When Cassie smiled and nodded, Adam scooped her back up into his arms and considered the possibilities. He strode to the elevator doors and slapped the button on the wall. Once the doors were opened and they were inside, he set Cassie on her feet and pinned her to the wall with his body as he feasted on her mouth once again.
By the time they arrived at the top floor, Adam was nearly ready to lose control. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She wasn’t supposed to make him this crazed or to want this much. The doors opened and Adam took Cassie’s hand and pulled her into his room. The moonlight pouring through all of the glass on the far wall lit the room in a more romantic way than anyone could have asked for.
He didn’t stop until they were next to the bed and without asking, without waiting, Adam reached down to the hem of the tiny white cami Cassie was wearing and pulled it over her head, tossing it to the floor. She let out a small gasp that turned to a sigh as his hands reached up and cupped her full breasts.
She was beautiful. That was all Adam could think. Her skin was milky white and smooth as silk and just touching her with his hands wasn’t enough. Lowering his head, he took one pink tightened nipple in to his mouth and suckled. Cassie’s knees gave away and Adam gently helped her to stretch out on the bed and followed her down; immediately going back to the task of laving her with his tongue.
Cassie cried out his name and hugged his head closer to her, unwilling to let him slip away. She wanted to touch him and be touched by him. Adam’s hands continued to roam her body and it wasn’t long before he tugged at the waistband of her silky pants and found his way inside. With unerring precision, he found where she wanted his touch most. She was wet with anticipation and Adam growled his approval.
Before he allowed himself the pleasure of feeling Cassie more intimately, he sprang off of the bed and removed his shirt, then his shoes, socks and belt. The sight of her dark hair spread across his white comforter and her body sprawled out for his eyes only had Adam barely hanging on to the thread of his control.
They weren’t supposed to get to this point this weekend. He had planned on kissing her tonight, but in a much less frantic way. Adam had thought that he’d have to coax her, persuade her; how was he to know that she was just as needy and frantic as him? Unfastening his trousers he stopped and reached for Cassie. Reaching for the waistband to her pants, he carefully slipped them over her hips and down the incredible length of her legs. Wearing no more than a tiny piece of lace, Cassie squirmed slightly under Adam’s heated inspection.
“Please…” Her voice trembled slightly and Adam’s resistance broke. He wanted her; he had to have her. Now. To hell with the consequences, he was already going to burn for many of his life’s decisions; this simply added one more to the list.
Stripping away his trousers and briefs, Adam joined Cassie back on the bed and settled into her open arms and opened legs. He felt the heat of her, the dampness of her panties and nearly came from the sensation.
Cassie pulled his head down to hers and kissed him as if her life depended on it. She had never known such need but she was spiraling out of control and needed Adam’s hands on her; needed him to feel what he did to her.
Anxious to return to what he had started, Adam slipped a hand between them and let it skim the outside of the lace she wore. Taking his mouth from Cassie’s, he trailed kisses down her throat to her breast while his hand teased and tormented the very core of her.
With her back arching off the bed, Cassie silently pled for Adam to touch her more, she felt her body starting to tingle with sensations that had been long since missing from her life. With her breast fully pressed against his mouth, she told him exactly what she wanted him to do and for once, Adam took someone else’s command and was happy to oblige.
Tearing the lace from her body, Adam found her. Her folds, her wetness and dove in with first one finger then two. Cassie bucked off the mattress but Adam settled her with his body. She loved the sensations he was creating in her and it didn’t take long for her release to hit.
Millions of colors, gasping for air, Cassie cried out Adam’s name over and over. Even with her eyes closed, Cassie could tell that he was watching her and it thrilled her all the more. She wanted Adam to see and feel what he did to her. She wanted to be his.
As her world began to right itself, Adam leaned over and gently kissed her. Cassie could feel his impressive erection pressing against her thigh and right now all she wanted was to feel it inside of her. She lowered her arms that had been thrown above her head in reckless abandon and reached down to touch him.
In the madness that they had just created, Cassie had not taken the opportunity to simply touch. She ran her hands over his chest, toying with his flat nipples before letting her hand trail lower to glide and stroke over him. Adam hissed out a breath and pulsed in her hand.
“Cassandra…” She loved that he was the only person to use the formal version of her name and right now, said in such a husky tone, she loved it even more.
She moaned slightly as she leaned forward and kissed his chest. She wanted to explore all of him as he had her when suddenly pleasure turned to pain. She gasped and let go of him before crying out in pain.
Adam cursed under his breath and sat upright. Dammit, he knew that it was too soon for this and she had made him lose control.
“Cass? What can I do? What’s going on?” He was so worried. Cassie was curled up tightly next to him, clutching her stomach.
“I didn’t bother to listen to what the doctor said about the timeline for sex because I wasn’t expecting to have any,” she said through clenched teeth. “But once that orgasm settled my insides sort of felt like they were being attacked with a rusty razor blade.”
Adam stood and walked in to his bathroom, hit the lights and then started the water in the Jacuzzi tub. He went into his medicine cabinet and found some Ibuprofen and retrieved a bottle of water from the mini fridge he kept in his walk in closet. Dimming the lights in the bathroom on the way out, he went to the bed and sat down next to Cassie.
“I don’t know if you have your pain pills with you but these should help take the edge off.” She mumbled a thank you and took the pills and the water from him. Before she knew it, Adam had her in his arms and was walking towards the bathroom.
“What are you doing?” she asked weakly.
“We’re going to take a nice bath to relax you and then we’re going to go to sleep.” Cassie was in too much pain to admit that she liked the fact that Adam had taken control and was helping her and that he was using ‘we’ to describe what was going on. It comforted Cassie to no end to have someone taking care of her. While she hated that she needed someone to care for her and that she was dealing with this pain, particularly at this moment, but it was certainly more tolerable when someone was there to help her through it.
Gently lowering Cassie into the large tub, Adam waited until she was settled before turning the jets on to low. The water level was perfect and her turned off the spout and climbed in behind her so Cassie could relax against his chest. This was a first and once they fitted themselves together, Adam found that it was actually quite a pleasant experience; one he wouldn’t mind repeating when Cassie was feeling better.
They sat in tub, letting the jets pulse over their bodies in silence. Adam rested his head next to Cassie’s and simply enjoyed the sensation of having her in his arms. After several long minutes, he whispered, “How are you feeling?”
She sounded drowsy. “Mmm…better. This is just as good as the heating pad. Can we sleep here?”
Adam chuckled. “We’d be pruney by morning.”
“I don’t even have the strength to care,” she murmured, shifting slightly. They returned to the amicable silence, the sound of the water jets the only thing they could hear.
Some time later, Adam felt the water cooling and whispered Cassie’s name. “I think it’s time to pull the plug
here.” Cassie sat forward and Adam stood, the water cascading off of his muscular frame as he stepped from the tub and grabbed first one fluffy towel from the heated rack and wrapped it around himself before grabbing the second for Cassie.
She stood, heedless of her own nakedness and allowed Adam to wrap the plush towel around her and lift her from the tub. He placed her on her feet and dried her off before wrapping the towel snugly around her. “Wait here,” he said as he stepped away and walked over to his closet. In less than a minute he was back with a cotton t-shirt in his hands. Without asking for permission, Adam loosened the towel and pulled the shirt over Cassie’s head. “You’ll be more comfortable sleeping in this,” was all he said before taking her hand and leading her back into the master bedroom.
Cassie stood next to the bed while Adam drew the blankets back and motioned for her to climb in. Obeying, feeling as if she were in a dream state, she snuggled into the cool sheets and watched as Adam removed the towel from around his hips and climbed in beside her. He turned off the light next to the bed and drew Cassie into his arm.
“Do you need anything else?” he whispered, mentally kicking himself for not asking sooner.
“No, this is perfect,” Her head rested on his shoulder as her arm wrapped around his middle and one of her silky thighs tangled with his. “Good night.” Adam knew immediately that she was asleep.
If only sleep would claim him as quickly. The night had promised to be spectacular. Knowing that it would be this way made waiting that much harder. He wasn’t selfish enough to press her; after witnessing her pain tonight, he berated himself for being such a bastard who had no sense of self control.
The sound and feel of Cassie’s soft breath against his chest was soothing; taming the beast within. The last time he had held her while she slept, they had been spooned together, her back to his chest. This position was much better.
Catering to the CEO Page 10
