Except he’d never needed anything when he was a football star. Now, in this dingy apartment over a noisy bar, with the hottest girl in the library on an extra-large beanbag, he’d better up his game and take things slow.
“Aren’t you going to kiss me?” She tilted her face and wiggled her butt over his already full blown erection.
He stroked the soft smooth skin of her cheek and played with her silky hair. Her eyes were darkened in the dim light, and he wanted to savor the moment. She was different from the party women he’d known, the ones with perfectly sculpted faces and glued on eyelashes. The ones he never bothered to kiss, but went straight for the play action down below.
“I’m a little out of practice,” he mumbled, licking his lips.
“Really? You must be an escaped convict. Shaved head, obviously temporary living arrangements, just like David in the wilderness of Judah, living in caves and holes with his band of outlaws.”
“Escaped, but not a convict.” He stroked the pulse point below her jaw. “Which one of David’s wives are you playing right now?”
“Obviously Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, the one who clung to him in the harsh deserts when he left his precious Michal behind.”
It was a good thing he’d gone back to the antiques section while she worked, to review the life of King David, especially the stories of his many wives.
The woman sitting in his lap was certifiable, but cute, and hot too. Her soft, fleshy body was everything he’d imagined, lush breasts, full hips, and that flowing flame of red hair that would cover his face when she climbed on top.
“Okay, Miss Ahinoam, time to get your miles of robes off. I don’t know about you, but my landlord keeps this place boiling. I swear I’m over the kitchen sometimes.”
Her hands immediately slipped under his sweater and ran over the contours of his abdominals, then up his chest, pressing and exploring. Deftly she slipped his sweater off while he unbuttoned her blouse.
The gasp and widened eyes as she took in his chest and abdominals never failed to make him proud. Yes, he worked hard for this body and earned every dollar he made playing football with the long hours he trained.
Meanwhile, the swell of her breast and the deep cleavage between them made him harder than he thought possible. “Andie, you’re a goddess.”
“And you’re no ordinary escape artist.” She trailed her finger over the Flash tattoo branding his chest. “Is this a band name or a gang?”
“Band name.” His voice was rough and scratchy as he held her hand still. “Careful. I haven’t had a woman’s touch for weeks, and I’m liable to explode.”
“Well, in that case, bombs away.” Andie giggled and laid her lips over his bare skin, kissing his neck and running her fingernails lightly over his chest and sides.
A loud whoosh of air exhaled from his lungs, and a spike of ecstasy ripped his restraint to shreds. With a mighty heft, he lifted Andie over his shoulder and stood.
Forget nice and slow. She wanted a renegade king, she got one.
Chapter 8
Andie was thrown onto a mattress and covered before she could take another breath. Sparks exploded inside her, and heat bloomed over her shoulders and singed every pore of her skin.
Cade’s lips descended on hers, sealing their mouths together. Wet, demanding, and strong, his tongue probed her as he sucked the breath out of her. She’d never been kissed so hard with such urgency, and even though it was a little frightening, it was exciting and stimulating.
Everything about Cade was hard lines and angles, so much that Andie’s hands couldn’t stop exploring. She’d never been dominated by someone so big and so one hundred percent male.
Opening her legs, she allowed his erection to press against her crotch, sending jolts of pleasure through her spine up to her brain. Her breathing was ragged, and she was actually panting like a bitch in heat.
“Cade, please, Cade,” she mumbled, and he let up from assaulting her lips.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, so hot. Need you to touch me. Everywhere.”
So she was shameless. So what? It wasn’t as if hard body hunks frequented the university town, and she was old enough to understand that sex didn’t necessarily equate with love or lead to marriage.
If he hadn’t had sex for weeks, try over a year for her. Once she’d been in love. Once was enough. Her one and only ex, Declan Reed, had left her for Hollywood and hordes of party girls after she refused to be just a number, even though he had offered her number one. Huh, number one in a long distance relationship while worrying about actresses and party girls? No, thank you.
As for this stranger in front of her? She’d take what she could get from him before he moved on, and she’d stay here, safe and secure in her stable job in this quiet college town.
Cade’s mouth moved from hers, trailing down her neck while his large hands massaged her breasts. Her nipples tingled, and when he latched strong, wet lips around one, she almost flipped off the bed.
The tip of his tongue teased her nipple, and she ached to have him use it further down. Wiggling her hips, she unzipped her jeans and squirmed them down her hips.
Cade moved his weight off her, and his breath sizzled between his teeth. “You are so beautiful. Everything I’ve always wanted.”
Really? Did he just say that? A guy like him had to have had way more experience than she.
“Tell me, babe, tell me what you want me to do.”
He was asking consent, every step of the way. Either that, or he got off from her verbalizing her desires.
She moved his hand from her breasts and slid it over her belly down to the junction between her legs. “Anything you want, Cade. Touch me, tease me, tempt me.”
Take me.
# # #
Cade pounced on Andie and grabbed her panties with his teeth. He shimmied her jeans all the way down and plucked her shoes and socks from her long, elegant feet. He’d tease her all right and tempt her to the limit, but she hadn’t wanted him to take her.
It was too damn soon anyway, and she was different from the other woman who’d known his status and the size of his bank account. Cade had always been a man who took what he wanted, pleasuring women with the aim of his own gratifications. But with this one, he’d earn his spot between her legs and not one moment sooner.
After divesting Andie of her clothes, the blouse and bra having been shed in the living room, Cade bent her at the knees and nibbled on the soft skin of her inner thighs. She moaned and wiggled, trying to push herself onto him, but he withdrew and ran his tongue down one leg and up the other while his fingers skirted around her pubic area, tickling the fine thatch of reddish brown hair and teasing the lips between her legs before launching himself at her breasts.
She squirmed, moaned and arched her back desperately, but he was in full control despite his raging hard on. Cupping her breasts in his hands, he pushed them together and rubbed his beard between them while licking and sucking her pink and tender nipples. He could spend all night listening to her whimper, feeling the moans deep in her throat, and tasting the scent of her arousal.
By the way she bucked underneath him, she had to be soaked and slick by now, her juices overflowing, moaning nonstop with a mixture of pleasure and frustration.
He couldn’t help humping his erection against her thigh or slipping a finger between her legs, yet he didn’t go for her opening, wouldn’t plunge in without permission.
Her clit was soaked and slippery, swollen as he swirled the wetness around it, plumping it to her insistent gasps. Her breath sizzled, and she pressed hard against him, so on the edge.
“Are you ready to come?” He covered her body and whispered in her ear. “Are you about to explode? Shall I?”
“Please, yes, please. It’s so good, burning hot. Never felt this before.”
He dipped his middle finger into her tight heat, and rubbed her clit with the back of his index finger. Her eyes rolled back in her head. Strong pulses clamped a
round his finger, and she peaked, as a pink blush glowed from her belly to the top of her chest. Beautiful, and only possible with the fairest of all women, true redheads.
# # #
That had had to be the most mind blowing orgasm she’d ever had. At first, Andie was worried the way Cade’s fingers had burned her clit, bringing heat to the surface, raw and spicy. She’d never responded to anyone the way she had with him. Not that she’d had that many men to compare with, since her trusty vibrator beat most of them in bed.
But Cade? Wow. She couldn’t catch her breath before he was leaning over her, a satisfied gleam in his amber colored eyes, looking every bit like a chef who wanted to be complimented.
“That was awesome. Unbelievable. How’d you do that?”
“Taste.” He swiped his middle finger across her lips.
They were covered with her juices, but below her slick, transparent scent was the slight edge of spice. “The hot wings.”
“You got my method down.” He licked his finger and twirled it in his mouth. “A little goes a long way. Didn’t want to burn you too bad, but it does get the blood flowing. I bet you’re real tasty down there.”
“Why don’t you find out?”
Oh, that was lame. Real lame. Usually Andie had a smart comeback handy, but with the IQ reducing orgasm she’d just had, she doubted she had a single alert brain cell left. All she wanted was his lips on her clit, and his tongue between her slick flesh.
And then, when he had her primed and on the edge, he’d take her with his cock, plunge into her sensitive depths and fling her over the edge until she no longer knew her name. And she would throb and throb and throb for him, heart, mind, and body.
Except no, it would be too dangerous. Too much, too soon.
Chapter 9
Cade knelt up on the bed and rubbed Andie’s hip gently, reassuring. Even though she’d verbally invited him in a flirtatious manner, her body language had shut down, as her brow furrowed and she worried those pouty beautiful lips of hers. Had she been comparing him with someone from her past?
“Think the wings are getting cold? I can nuke them if you’d like.” He dotted a kiss on her forehead. “Was this too much?”
“No, it was wonderful. What’s wrong?” She reared up on her elbows and crossed her legs. Her eyes cast about, searching his face.
“Nothing’s wrong. You’re beautiful and unbelievably sexy. But we should slow this down.”
She lowered her eyes, checking his groin. Women always did that, as if they needed to reassure themselves that he desired them.
Placing her hand on his massive erection, he said, “There’s no malfunction down there. I want you, if that’s what you’re worried about. Dammit, I don’t know if I can control myself.”
“Except you are,” she muttered. “You’re backing off. You’re very much in control.”
“I won’t be if I taste you down there. Then I’d want to be inside, naked skin to naked skin, and then what?”
“You mean you don’t have a condom?” She pulled a sheet over her nakedness and sat up. The horror in her eyes that he’d slip up without protection was proof enough that he’d been wise to slow down.
“I wouldn’t ever invade you without your permission, and I’ve never done it without protection.” He swallowed regret at the thought he’d blocked his own cock. “It’s just we have to be on the same page and have the same expectations.”
She pulled her knees to her chest and crossed her arms. “I knew it would come to this. Every guy wants to make sure I have no expectations, and I don’t. Really. I’m totally satisfied with sock knocking sex as long as you want, and when you want to call it quits, hasta la vista, baby.”
Something about the way she dismissed him twinged his heart, just a little, even though that was what he was about to propose, a hideaway fling, nothing heavy and serious.
“So, you’re really okay with me upping and leaving when the time comes?”
“Of course.” She tugged the sheets closer and shuddered. “Can I put my clothes on?”
“Do you want to?”
Biting her lip, she patted around the bed for her jeans and panties.
Since Cade prided himself a gentleman, he went to the living room to retrieve her bra and blouse, then handed them to her without meeting her eye.
“Please, don’t be ashamed or anything,” he said. “I loved the way you opened up to me. I think it’s wonderful.”
“I know, and I’m not going to sit here and hem and haw and tell you I’ve never done this before, although I haven’t had sex in more than a year, but don’t worry, I know you’re not judging me. It’s society and the double standard.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t ever shortchange yourself. You’re beautiful, responsive, hot, and smart.”
She wiped the sweaty red strands of her hair back over her forehead. “I know, and that’s why I never have to settle for anyone. Let’s not overthink this, outlaw. How long are you going to be in town?”
She asked that as if it didn’t matter, but her voice wobbled, and her eyes darted away from him before she pasted on an overly bright smile.
“End of March,” he said, pulling on his sweater.
“Is that when the dog shows start?”
Not really. Training camp didn’t start until the end of July, but Cade hadn’t been planning to spend all of his free time hiding. For one, he had strength and conditioning camp at the end of March. He should be completely refreshed by then and ready to go back in a big way. Confident and positive, especially coming off an affair with a woman who appreciated him without knowing who he was.
He noticed she was fully dressed, so he took her hand. “Why don’t we hit the bar downstairs? Or go out for a bite? Night’s still young.”
“Sure, we could do that.” Andie slid off the bed and clasped her fingers between his. “We still have time.”
“We still do.” He pulled her close and captured her sweet, succulent lips.
# # #
Andie put on her coat and stiffened her spine. One orgasm, no matter how awesome, should not have reduced her to wishing and begging Cade to stay. End of March meant they had roughly six weeks. Plenty of time.
She’d show him the frozen waterfalls, they could go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, target shooting, even downhill skiing.
“Ready?” Cade patted his dog and checked his water bowl. “I have to be back to walk him before midnight. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes, I should get home before then.” She stepped into her slip-on duck boots and pulled on her gloves.
Cade stopped in front of the door and kissed her. His eyes were focused and intense, and he seemed to want to say something.
Andie stepped back from the kiss, hating the wall of awkwardness that had descended between them. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked when you were leaving. Maybe having a set date is the wrong thing. I mean, just because we’re here today doesn’t mean we have to see each other for the next six weeks.”
“Are you seeing anyone else?”
Her head shook before she could open her mouth. She wanted to say ‘yes,’ she was seeing others, loads and loads of other guys. She didn’t want to be dependent on him, or seem too clinging. Not on the first date.
“I take that as a ‘no.’” He grinned and dotted a gloved fingertip on her nose. “Then I won’t see anyone else either. Not even your boss, Margo. “
“Oh, I didn’t mean anything.” Panic sizzled in her veins. He wanted to date Margo too? Had to be. Before she had gotten off work, Margo had sauntered around the circulation desk primping and showing off the address and phone number Cade gave her. Andie would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t jealous, but when you’re stuck in a small town with a dearth of hot, available men, competition was stiff whenever a new man walked in.
“You can date her if you want,” she quickly added.
“I don’t want anyone but you.” He leaned in and cupped both hands ar
ound her face. “So, if you can stand not going out with anyone else while I’m here, I’d like to monopolize your time one hundred percent.”
This was music to her ears. Andie couldn’t help the grin that cracked her cheeks or the bounce in her steps. She hopped on tippy toes and locked her lips to his.
Six weeks. Anything could happen in six weeks. Maybe he’d fall in love with upstate New York and make this town his home base. There were sure to be Irish Setter clubs in New York state. This could work.
The kiss was long and slow, and Andie didn’t want to let go. He was so delicious, pressing into her with hunger and grace, his lips strong and firm, yet soft and sweet, his tongue both lazy and demanding.
She twined her arms around his neck, dragging him down closer as she arched her back. Her fingers caressed the back of his neck. Her moans were muffled by his mouth. She closed her eyes and let all thought go.
His phone started ringing in his pocket. Reluctantly, Cade disengaged, but not before tenderly tucking a strand of her hair over her ear and giving her a wink, promising more delights to come.
“Sorry, I can’t think who’d be calling me.” He answered the phone. “Hello? Oh, sure, she’s right here. For you.”
“Me?” Andie mouthed, but took the phone. She wasn’t even sure which end was which, but put the top part at her ear. “Hello?”
“Gollie’s missing.” Her mother’s voice sounded urgent and frightened.
“Gollie? Gone? What happened?”
“The alarm went off at the vet and when Dr. Menon went to investigate, he found several of the pens wide open. Gollie’s was one of them.”
“You mean someone stole her?” A sinking sensation floored her stomach. “But, it’s the dead of winter. She’ll freeze out there.”
“They’re organizing a search party, which is why I called you. Meet them at Dr. Menon’s.”
“I’ll be right over. Mom, we’ll find her.” She handed the phone to Cade after her mother hung up.
Boxed Set: Intercepted by Love (The Complete Collection): Books One - Book Six Page 4
