She inhaled deeply, feeling her eyes glaze over. He was so loving and tender.
His large hand moved up to her face, cupping it gently. “Cassandra, are you okay?” His thumb made soft circling motions on her cheek. “We don’t have to do anything; there’s no rush.”
She lowered her head, shaking it slowly. “No … I want to. I’m just a little apprehensive, too.”
Chad rested his palm on her cheek, and she saw that his eyes too looked glazed again. “I don’t want you to be uneasy. I promise I won’t do anything that will cause you to be uncomfortable.”
She smiled at his words. “You are so wonderful. Kiss me again, please.”
He obliged, and all of her anxieties disappeared as his mouth moved over hers. His tongue glided across her lips, searching. She opened up to him and felt his tongue as it danced with hers. He left her lips, only to trail kisses down her throat, to the nape of her neck, and then moved up the line of her jaw, finding her ear. His teeth grazed her lobe, and she felt chills soar down her back.
“I love you, Cassandra,” he whispered, his words like silk.
He slid an arm under her neck and then pulled her body up so she was on her side lying in front of him. His fingers trailed along her collarbone and over her shoulder and around to her back. His hand was warm as it caressed her, searching, eventually finding the buttons of her wedding dress. He unbuttoned each one slowly, always gauging her reaction. Once completely unbuttoned, he moved his hand back to her front and continued to slide the fabric over her arms as he transitioned her to her back again. He continued to pull the dress all the way down, gently moving her body until he could slide it off completely.
Once he removed her dress, he laid it over the chair and then proceeded to unbutton his own shirt, never removing his eyes from her. Her heart thrashed in her chest as she watched him. She’d seen him take off his shirt only once and had been amazed by his body, but now that body was going to be hers. He removed his pants, leaving only his boxers on, then slid back in beside her.
Chad’s eyes trailed over her entire body, obviously appreciating the outfit the woman had helped her select. Cassandra instinctively moved her hands to her tummy to cover up what little bit she could of her body.
He gently moved her hand, laying it back beside her. “You’re beautiful, Cassandra, and very, very sexy. There’s no reason to feel uncomfortable.” His fingers slid underneath the straps that held each of her stockings up. “I like this, all of this.” He gestured his hands indicating her entire ensemble. “I never imagined I could want a woman as much as I want you right now, but it feels right. As if you were made for me, only me. Tell me, Cassandra, I know you’ve never made love … but have you been touched?”
Cassandra couldn’t respond audibly; she simply shook her head as her breath quivered out of her throat.
“You can’t imagine how that makes me feel, knowing that I will be the only man to ever touch you. To never have to imagine what someone else may have done to you. Close your eyes, my love, and relax. I am your husband and this is right. I am going to make you feel wonderful.”
As instructed, she closed her eyes and released the breath she was holding. His hands moved up to her bustier. He slid his hand under her back and skillfully unhooked each clasp. She tried not to think about whom he’d been with. She was somewhat comforted that at least one of them knew what they were doing.
Chad’s hands moved back in front of her as he deftly removed her final articles of clothing. She tried not to feel self-conscious. He’d called her sexy and said he liked what he saw.
He sighed and then his lips moved to her neck as his hands caressed her softly. “You’re beautiful, Cassandra.” His hands explored her body. He pressed his entire hand against several areas on her abdominals and inner thigh. He was, as she’d suspected earlier, desensitizing her, preparing her for what was to come. His mouth moved expertly over hers, causing heat to soar through different parts of her she’d never imagined existed.
His hand worked magically on her, his fingers mimicking the movement of his tongue as he kissed her, and she felt herself wanting more and more of him. “Chad …” She could hardly catch her breath. She’d never experienced such a feeling. She’d never been able to lose herself on her own. Her body tingled all over, and she gasped for air beneath his kiss.
He pulled his mouth away from hers, but she could still feel his warm, ragged breaths on her face. He was enjoying this too. “Open your eyes, baby.”
She opened her eyes and found him looking directly into hers. He smiled, and she was incapable of controlling the blood rushing through her body.
“Tell me what you want,” he whispered in a slightly unsteady voice.
“Chad …” she trailed off, gulping again, unable to form a sentence as his hand continued to tease her. “Please …”
“Yes?” He beamed.
“Make love to me please.” Her body was ready. She knew it might hurt, but she was made for him. She wanted him to feel as good as she felt.
He pressed his body up against hers, but just continued to caress her.
Cassandra moved her hands to him. He was her husband, and he was hers as much as she belonged to him. This was right … everything felt as it should.
He pulled in a raspy breath as he moved his body on top of hers. “I love you, Cassandra.” He ran his hand down her face, pressing his mouth against her lips at the same time he consummated their marriage.
She gasped for breath, but it felt incredible. Hot. Full. Complete. His body moved gently with hers, keeping his weight off her and holding back, she knew.
Wrapping her arms tightly around his back, she pulled him onto her, biting down on her lip at the pressure. There was a moment of pain, but then the familiar sensation as before started running through her body again as she moved with him. She opened her eyes, and he was looking at her, his eyes on fire. She could see he was enjoying this.
The thought of pleasing her husband made her pleasure intensify. He tightened his arm around her and pulled her hips deeper into him. She didn’t think there could be more, but there was. Her arms started to tingle first, and then the feeling washed through her entire body. She looked up at him again as the emotion rocked through her body. He locked his eyes on her for a moment, then his mouth clamped down on hers as she felt him increase his movements. It seemed to go on forever, and then she heard him gasp for air.
Chad buried his head into her neck as he whispered her name over and over. Passion, she thought. When he said her name, he thought of passion. Her heart was full to the brim, knowing he loved her and wanted her.
Completely spent, he collapsed down beside her, gathering her up into his arms. His lips pressed against hers for a second, then he pulled back to look her in the eyes. “That was incredible, love.” He released a long breath. “I was wrong … I’ve never made love … that was definitely making love.”
She nestled her head into his chest. “It was wonderful,” she said on a sigh. “I can’t imagine it getting any better.”
“Oh, it will, I assure you.” He lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “You’re okay, then?”
She laughed lightly. “I would say that I am way more than okay, Chad. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the way I feel right now. Shh … now, I want to just enjoy this; it still feels good.”
Kissing the top of her head, he pulled her closer.
After they had been quiet for a while, he pulled himself up off the bed and went to the dresser. He came back carrying the bag of macaroons the restaurant had given them.
Chad crawled back in beside her, reached his hand in the bag, and offered her the first bite. Cassandra accepted the morsel gratefully. The act was somehow the most sensual thing she’d ever encountered. They’d just spent over an hour holding each other in the most intimate of ways, and yet, this one act sent a thrill through her entire soul.
He plopped the next cookie in his mouth, then rested his fingers on her thro
at. “I notice you only wear the same necklace. Is it the only one you have?” he asked sweetly.
Instinctively, her hand went to the heart charm she wore, as tears filled her eyes. Her emotions were overpowering her today. “My father gave this to me on my twenty-first birthday. He said it was to signify that his heart would forever belong to me.” She looked at Chad soulfully. “I never take it off. So, no, to answer your unasked question, I don’t need another necklace. It’s one of the only things I have left of him. He never dated after my mother left; I was his life. He did everything for me. And to think, she didn’t even tell him about me until he found us when I was almost two and a half. It wasn’t fair of her to do that; he should have been given a choice.”
“I agree,” Chad whispered. “I know it’s a little late to ask this now, not that it matters, I would have married you anyway. But I was wondering … do you want to have children?”
She smiled. “Yes … and I hope you do because it never occurred to me until you mentioned it, but my mind wasn’t on birth control. I guess we should have taken some precaution.”
“Oh, I thought about it.” He shrugged. “I even picked up some in case you wanted protection. But since you hadn’t brought it up, I felt no need to worry. I never had unprotected sex with Michelle; that would have been scary, as wild as she is, and since you’ve never had sex, I wasn’t worried.”
She chuckled. “So you would be okay if I got pregnant on the first night we are together.”
He laughed heartily. “Okay? I would be better than okay to echo your earlier words. In fact, I would be thrilled.”
Cassandra threw her head back a fraction. “Really? Don’t you think it would be good to wait a while?”
“Why? It’s not as though we don’t have the means to support a child. But if you would rather not take a chance again, we can certainly take precaution next time as our chances are going to increase greatly over the next several days.”
Cassandra blushed. “Is that a threat, Chadwick?”
He flashed a wide smile. “That’s a promise.” He lifted her head to look into her eyes again. “I know you meant it to be funny … but I have to say, Cassandra, a thrill just went through me when you said my name.”
“It’s very formal, isn’t it? Walter Chadwick Wilkinson. Why such a formal name?”
“Old money … Walter was my maternal grandfather’s name. My mother always called me Walter...one of the reasons I started going by Chad. Chadwick was my paternal grandfather’s name. The South is funny like that. We have a lot of juniors running around. At least they didn’t do that to me.” He inhaled a deep breath. “So … what do you say?”
She looked at him confused. “What do I say about what?”
“Do you want to let nature take its course, or should I use protection?”
Cassandra thought about the situation for a moment. She wasn’t sure. She’d never really thought about children. She’d had a career on her mind. Children were a far off notion, ten years she’d suspected.
He ran his fingers down her face, sending a thrill through her body. “No pressure … I just need to know, as I’m getting ready to attack you again,” he warned.
“What do you want, Chad?”
“I already told you. I thought about it and chose not to be concerned.” He rested his hand on the soft area on her belly. “I would love a child, Cassandra. But I won’t pressure you for anything. I have you, and you are all I ever wanted.”
Cassandra pushed Chad to his back, crawling on top of him. “Whatever you want, Chad … I am yours.” She would make him feel good this time, she decided. She lowered her head to his face and kissed him. Her hair fell around her shoulders, and he brushed it back so he could reach her neck.
He let out a groan, pulling her down on him. “Make love to me, Cassandra.”
Cassandra did her best and felt assured she’d pleased him based on his reactions. It made her feel incredible. She would do everything she could to please her husband.
When they were finally exhausted, Chad pulled her close to his side. She felt so protected. Certainly, Chad would never let her down or hurt her.
Chapter Twenty
Chad woke up, frantic that his alarm had not gone off. He picked up his iPhone from the side table, 3:55. Whew. His internal clock was still on Eastern Time; they hadn’t missed their flight.
He hoped Cassandra wouldn’t mind him waking her up so early. When he’d booked the sunrise flight, it sounded like such a marvelous idea. But after their three-hour dinner and two-hour romp once back in the room, they hadn’t gotten much sleep.
Oh well, he felt fine. It usually took his body a few days to miss sleep.
He nudged her softly on the side of her neck with his lips. “Cassandra.”
Turning over, she buried her head between his pillow and hers. “Just a few more minutes, Karen.”
Laughing, he leaned over her, brushing the hair away from her face. “It’s not Karen, baby. I’m your husband. Come on, you can sleep in the car. I have a surprise for you.”
His wife’s eyes popped open. She looked around the room as if she weren’t quite sure where she was.
“Good mornin’, sleepy head. Sorry to wake you, but we need to go so we don’t miss the sunrise.”
Cassandra focused on his face as a small smile played on her lips. “So, you’re not going to attack me this morning? I thought as newlyweds, we were supposed to stay in bed for days.”
He cupped her cheek and kissed her. “Don’t think I’m not kicking myself right now. I don’t know what possessed me to schedule for this morning. I should have booked us for tomorrow. Oh well, I guess I’m not perfect after all.”
She smiled but didn’t comment. “What are we doing?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Attacking your fears. Let’s go,” he pressed. He could see she didn’t care for his choice of words. But she rolled out of bed anyway, stealing the sheet with her. “Hey, that’s not fair. I don’t even get a peek?”
Cassandra raised her chin as she strutted off toward the bathroom. “Uh-uh. If you wanted to look at me, you would have allowed me to stay in bed instead of dragging me off to conquer my fears,” she grumbled. “What fears do I have anyway?” She stormed off sullenly, pulling the door closed behind her. “I married you, didn’t I? That was pretty brave,” she shouted from behind the door, but he could hear her laugh through her words.
Chad heard the shower turn on. He’d give her two minutes. After counting to one hundred as slowly as he could manage, he jumped out of bed and walked to the bathroom door. He tried the knob. Good, she hadn’t locked it so she wouldn’t be too upset if he joined her. He peeked in to make sure she was in the shower. She was, and her back was to him. He strolled in without a sound, then pulled the glass door open. He knew she heard him, but she didn’t turn around, so he stepped inside and wrapped his arms around her.
Cassandra turned around in his arms. “Did you change your mind?”
He gave her a crooked smile. “No … we don’t have time. I just figured we could save a few minutes, and you did thwart my ability to see you fully this morning. I need to have something to carry me through the next few hours.” He pulled her body against his, allowing the water to pour over them.
Now, this was something he’d never done, and it was very tantalizing. Suddenly, five hundred dollars didn’t sound like so much to lose. But no, he could handle a few hours. They would return before lunch, and they could spend all day in the room. Then tonight, they were going dancing. He would enjoy spinning her around on the dance floor, holding her close, not getting frustrated that he couldn’t go further.
“Okay, you’re clean now. Go get dressed while I finish.” He patted her on the butt and sent her on her way. “Well, that’s one way to get a woman out of the shower,” he said, closing the door behind her. He rather liked that approach.
After wrapping a towel around her, she peeked back in. “Chad, you are utterly bizarre.”
�
�You have no idea.” He laughed. “I’m glad you didn’t figure that out before you agreed to marry me.” As soon as she left, he turned off the shower, stepped out, and wrapped a towel around him. He allowed her a few minutes alone to get dressed. If he saw her without her clothes, he wasn’t sure they’d make it out of the room.
When he came out, Cassandra was pulling on shorts and a T-shirt. “Oops, sorry. Jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt.”
She growled. “It’s a hundred degrees in the shade. If you just wanted to see me with my clothes off, you could have just said so. I thought we were in a hurry.”
“As much as that is tempting, we are in a hurry. But you’ll freeze in that, trust me. It’s probably only sixty out right now. Do you have a jacket too, just in case?”
She shook her head. “No. Where the heck are we going?”
He smiled as he watched her change. “No worries. I’m sure I can keep you warm.” He had better self-control than he thought. Well, of his mind anyway. Other parts of his anatomy weren’t obeying as well. He pulled on his clothes, grabbed his wallet, and hurried them out the door.
They had driven for about fifteen minutes before he located the place he was looking for.
He pulled off onto a field, parking next to a metal building. Passengers milled around, awaiting their flight, but he’d paid extra for a private excursion.
Chad looked over at Cassandra, watching, as her eyes grew wide. Obviously, there was no way to hide what they were doing when there was an air balloon the size of ten stories inflating in front of them.
“Are you serious?” It was difficult to tell if she was excited or nervous. “We’re going up … in … that?”
Okay, that was easier; she was nervous. He stroked her hand that she’d clenched onto the center console. “It will be awesome, Cassandra. Imagine the view. I always wanted to do this. And I thought, what better time than now?”
Her eyes darted back and forth between the balloon and him. “Is it dangerous?”
“Of course it is,” he admitted. “But what isn’t in life? I figure the odds of something else bad happening to either one of us has to be extremely low with what we’ve already experienced.”
Southern Romantic-Suspense Boxed Set (Southern Romantic-Suspense Novel Book 0) Page 81
