Caden (Loving the Sykes Book 1)

by Elizabeth Stevens

Even Phillips shoved him out of view.

  “What the wanker’s trying to say is we miss you, tosser,” Benyon said.

  “Miss you lot, too. He still reading those romance books?” I grinned.

  “I’ve tried blocking him from the internet, but I don’t know where he’d getting them,” Richards said.

  “Tell him your news, you jerk hole,” I heard Gunner say offscreen.

  I looked between them expectantly. “News? Who’s got news?”

  “You, one would hope,” Phillips said

  I frowned. “I haven’t got any news.”

  “Still full of secrets?”

  I crossed my arms. “I’m working on it.”

  “Right,” Gunner said as he jostled his way back onscreen. “Well, while you’re pussyfooting about and can’t face up to one tiny girl about your feelings, Richards has some news.”

  He clapped Richards on the back, who glared at him.

  “Tess is pregnant,” he said solemnly. “It’s hardly news.”

  I smiled. “Nah, man. That’s great. Congrats.”

  Richards nodded, always awkward when it came to feelings. Which was why Gunner was all over him and making cooing and kissey noises.

  “It’s…” Richards batted Gunner away. “Thanks, man. We’re pretty chuffed.”

  I nodded. “You fucking should be. That’s an achievement to be proud of.”

  “When can we be expecting your news then?” Benyon asked.

  “Any what news am I supposed to have?”

  “Pertaining to a certain young woman whose picture you’ve carried as a physical manifestation of the torch in your–”

  “Shut up!” we all laughed at Gunner.

  He shrugged. “What? My point’s legit, man.”

  “He has a point,” Phillips said.

  I shook my head. “You think news is me telling Lucy I love her?”

  All four of them nodded.

  I scoffed. “That’s not newsworthy. Way to shit on a pregnancy announcement.”

  “Nah, man,” Gunner said with a shit-eating grin. “He told us last week. We all went out for a beer, celebrated that shit without you.”

  “My point still stands. It’s not newsworthy.”

  “On the contrary,” Phillips said dryly. “It’s always newsworthy when one of you lets go of your macho bullshit.”

  I huffed. “And if all I get in return is my heart shredded, sir?”

  “Remind me. Is that better or worse than spending the rest of your life chicken shit and never knowing?”

  We all knew Phillips was a hardarse, we just didn’t see it in regards to matters of the heart very often.

  I nodded. “Fine. I’ll get back to you when I have any news.”

  “All right,” Gunner cheered. “Until you’re back, we’re on shit detail. So, hurry the fuck up and come back.”

  Gunner counted shit detail as paperwork, training, and being a trainer. Really, anything that took him out of the field was apparently shit detail. The guy wasn’t called Gunner for nothing.

  “Any news on…the replacement?” I asked.

  They all shook their head and it was Phillips who replied. “Nothing yet. We’re grounded until they arrive.”

  “Or until you come back!” Gunner said.

  “We thought we’d all take a trip out when you do, Reece,” Philips said softly and I nodded. “I know you’ll want to say goodbye.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’d like that.”

  Phillips cleared his throat. “Right. Good. Well. Do as your told, train as you can, tell Lucy you love her, get in some shooting if you can, get your paperwork done and we’ll be praying for a speedy return.”

  I smirked at his little insertion, but said nothing about it. “Yeah. Sure.”

  “See ya, wanker!” Gunner whooped.

  Phillips nodded to me and I saluted.

  “Catch you lot later,” I said before the call disconnected.

  I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair. It was longer than it had been in the last six years – not a lot of call for haircuts on medical leave. Something about it had me feeling weird. Or maybe that was the very unsubtle hint from my commanding officer that I was choosing to ignore.

  14

  Lucy

  I’d spent as much of the weekend avoiding him as possible. I was starting to think he’d been flirting with me, but surely that was my insane imagining. It didn’t stop me hoping though and, even though I was convinced I was the only one home on Monday, I still put on my shortest sundress and my nice wedges.

  “Holy shit!” I yelled when I walked into the kitchen and found Caden in nothing but a towel, his hair still wet.

  “Good morning to you, too,” he chuckled and my knees went weak. “You’re looking particularly lovely today,” he said as he started making coffee.

  Holy hells, his muscles rippled as he moved, drops of water running down his body. I envied those water droplets and the urge to lick them up tugged on me. He was absolute perfection. He was like a walking women’s wet dream.

  “What?” he laughed.

  I’d spoken out loud? Own it…partially. “I was just thinking some women might think you look like some sort of walking women’s wet dream.”

  He looked at me over his shoulder with a smirk. “Really? What sort of women would that be?”

  “I…uh…” Jesus, he was standing right in front of me.

  “I’m hoping it’s beautiful young brunettes.” He smiled.

  “Yes.” Oh, God, obvious or what?

  His grin widened and suddenly I was pinned against the wall, his hands all over my body and he was kissing me. And damn it, I kissed him back with everything I had while my hands raked through his hair. My heart pounded in my chest and I knew I was dripping for him. I wanted him so badly and I could hardly believe he was kissing me. Another girl might have held his heart, but he was thinking with something else right now, and I was confidant it was only thinking about me.

  His kisses moved down my neck and he slid my strap down to kiss my shoulder. His other hand ran over my breast and my breath hitched. He nipped me gently and then, just like that, he’d moved away and was standing at the coffee machine.

  I leant against the wall, breathing heavily, wondering what the hell had happened and why it had stopped.

  “You working today?” he asked nonchalantly, pulling a cup down.

  “Uh…no, not today.”

  He nodded. “When’s Oz’s shift finish?”

  I thought about what day it was. “Um, he’s on dinner, so late. I think he has some corporate party in tonight, so God knows when they’ll finish up.”

  He turned and passed me a coffee, then sat in front of a laptop at the table. “I just need to check in with work, emails and that, then let me get dressed and we’ll go get some food, yeah,” he said, busy with whatever was on the computer.

  “Yeah, sure. Sounds good. You don’t have therapy today?”

  He shook his head. “Day off, thank God.”

  “Cool. Okay, I’ll be ready when you are.”

  He looked up briefly, flashing me a panty melting smile and went back to whatever he was doing. Well, there was no way I was going to be able to sit in the same room with him now, so I slunk out and took my coffee up to my room.

  I grabbed my phone and quickly texted Brit. She was at work, but since when did that mean she was actually doing any work?

  Me: He kissed me.

  She didn’t take long to respond.

  Brit: OMFG what? How? On a scale of brotherly to orgasmic…

  Me: Uh…orgasmic? What do I do?

  Brit: Where is he?

  Me: In the kitchen, in nothing but a towel.

  Brit. *swoon* what are you wearing?

  Me: Yellow sundress and wedges.

  Brit: Take off those panties and go back down there!

  Me: What? NO!

  Brit: YES! Or, do y
ou want me to come over there and make you?

  Me: le sigh, fine.

  Brit: Let me know how it goes ;)

  I threw my phone on my bed and lay down, my coffee forgotten on the bedside table. Should I? I could always tell Brit I did and missed my chance, she’d never really know? I huffed a laugh. Of course she’d know, she had a sixth sense for these sorts of things. Hell, she’d guessed the first time Tommy had touched my boobs. Needless to say, she’d been thrilled when I’d told her Caden and I had drunkenly slept together on Friday. Now, she seemed to think it was my purpose in life to sleep with him as often as possible so she could live vicariously through me.

  I sighed. What harm was there? I could always leave my phone here and, if nothing came of me going down there panty-less, I could use it as an excuse to come back and put them on before we left.

  As I slid them off, I knew I was probably just setting myself up for heartbreak; the closer Caden and I got, the worse it was going to hurt when he left again, probably with thoughts of the girl he loved on his mind. Oh well, I deserved some fun. And really, heartbreak only made you stronger right? What was that Austen quote? ‘A girl likes to be jilted in love now and then’? Something like that. Well, Caden could jilt me – would jilt me – and then I could move on with my life. At least I’d know how he felt.

  I gave my hair a shake, applied some lipgloss and made my way out of my room. But I was stopped in my tracks right outside my door.

  For whatever reason, whoever had built this house had thought it was a great idea to have all the bedroom doors face each other. Upstairs had three corridors with two bedrooms and a bathroom each. Oscar and Carter were down one corridor, Dad’s old room – now a spare room – and Luther’s down another, and what had become Caden’s room and mine down this one.

  And standing in his room, door wide open, was a very naked Caden Reece. I was pretty sure I’d need my jaw scraped off the ground.

  As if he knew I was standing there, he turned around with an incredibly sultry smile and I was treated to a full, sober look at his incredible body. There were long scars down his injured leg I hadn’t seen before, as though it had been sliced open. I didn’t know if it was from surgery or when he was injured. But it made my heart twinge uncomfortably at the thought he’d been hurt.

  I heard him chuckle.

  I blinked and gained enough mental control to pretend to be annoyed. “Do you need the door wide open?”

  He grinned. “I don’t see you complaining.”

  He was right, though I wasn’t going to admit it. Even while I was attempting to chastise him, I couldn’t stop my gaze roving his body. It remembered far too vividly how he felt inside me. He was hard and his piercing looked awfully tempting. I’d thought I was wet before, but I was well past ready for him now.

  “I don’t imagine the boys would be keen on seeing you naked,” I said.

  He walked towards me and leant in the doorway. “Well it’s a good thing the only person who is, is the only person home.” He licked his lips and openly ogled my body.

  I mean, I was but… “And who says I’m keen to see you naked?”

  He reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me to him. One arm held me tight around the waist. His other hand reached up and his knuckles brushed my cheek.

  “Your eyes,” he said softly, “your lips,” he ran his thumb over my bottom lip, “your breathing,” he said as his hand trailed down my chest. He paused as his hand raked over my stomach, his eyes following it. He slid it down my body and up under my dress to caress my slit. He looked back into my eyes, a devilish grin at his lips. “And I think this caps it all off.”

  My breathing increased as his fingers teased me, brushing over me lightly. Slowly, his pressure increased and I bit my lip to stop myself moaning his name. He dipped his head to my neck and kissed me as his fingers worked me.

  “Are you really going to try to tell me you’re not wet because of me?” he said between kisses.

  “You make an awful lot of assumptions, Cade,” I replied, slightly breathless.

  “You haven’t been thinking about me? Because I’ve been thinking about you. I’ve been thinking about how you felt around my cock. I’ve been thinking about how perfect you felt under my hands as they roamed over your body. I’ve been wondering how you’d taste when you cum…”

  “Oh God, Cade…” Shit, was it possible to get wetter at this point?

  I whimpered as his fingers left me. But he picked me up, his hardness pressing against my slit, and carried me to his bed. He sat me on the edge of it, my legs spread, and ran his hands up under my dress, slowly pushing it up my body. His hands paused as he leant forward and sucked my nipples through my bra. Bolts of pleasure shot through me and I arched into him.

  He pushed my dress over my head, his hands firm on my skin, and dropped it on the floor. His lips trailed across my chest and stomach as he reached behind me and unclipped my bra, discarding that with my dress. Then, he picked me up like I weighed nothing and shifted me further up the bed. He lay over me and a tingle of excitement ran through me. I reached between us, ready to guide him into me.

  But he smiled as kissed me passionately. “Not before I taste you cum, Lulu,” he said before kissing his way back down my body.

  I gasped when he kissed my clit, sucking on it before lashing it with his tongue. He was amazing.

  Tommy and I might have only had sex once, but we dated for five years, we weren’t entirely abstinent. And this was just another thing at which Tommy was found lacking, where Caden was more than capable.

  Caden worked me furiously, using his tongue, lips and even nipping me gently. I was bloody glad none of my brothers were home, because I couldn’t help myself moaning Caden’s name as I wriggled beneath him.

  But his hold on me was firm and I was at his mercy. The coil of pleasure in me tightened and I fisted the sheets in my hands. Caden seemed to know exactly what I wanted, what I needed. He slid two fingers inside me and worked me harder as I ground against his face. I’d never felt so wild and uninhibited; Caden was making me feel things I’d never felt before.

  Pleasure crashed over me and I cried out in pleasure, his name on my lips.

  His fingers slid out of me and he licked me slowly as I came down from the heights he’d taken me. I swore I could feel him smile against me. Spasms wracked my body and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

  “Holy shit, Cade. That was too good.”

  He crawled up my body and grinned down at me. “Nothing’s too good for my girl.”

  His girl? I wasn’t going to deny the idea of that thrilled me.

  I shivered as much from his words as from the way he settled between my legs. I’d just had the most amazing orgasm of my life, but I still wanted more of him. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of him; the way he smelled, the way his arms went around me, the way he looked out for me, and the way he made my body feel so alive.

  He kissed me gently as he ran a hand up my side. I didn’t know what it was about it, but it turned me on so badly. I rocked my hips towards him, biting my lip, and he chuckled.

  “Do you want me, Lulu?” he asked softly.

  My lip still between my teeth, I nodded.

  His eyes flashed. “Tell me you want me as much as I want you.”

  I smiled coyly. “How much do you want me?”

  He looked at me intently. “I always want you. I want you every day. I want to wear you out and wrap you up in my arms all night. I want to wake you up with kisses. I want to feel you move with me as I thrust into you, over and over until you’re screaming my name. How much do you want me?”

  “More,” I said before I could stop myself. I felt my eyes widen and the pounding of my heart had nothing to do with the anticipation of having him inside me again. It was pure fear; I’d revealed too much.

  15

  Caden

  I noticed the look of intense fear on her face and I wondered why she
’d be scared by that.

  “More?” I asked. “You can want me more than that?”

  She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening them again. When she did, I saw firm resolve in the depths of that beautiful blue. She reached up and her fingers brushed my cheek.

  “I want to be there to hold you when you have nightmares. I want to share your troubles, the things you can tell me anyway. I want to be there for you, through good and bad. I want…” She took another deep breath. “I want you, Caden Reece.”

  My heart skipped faster, harder, higher than I could ever describe. Was she saying everything I’d ever wanted to hear? Did she mean it the way I hoped she did? Now didn’t seem the right time to bring up that other guy, especially not if he was losing his hold on his place in her heart…but that didn’t mean I was replacing him.

  “Fuck, Luce…I…” I didn’t know what to say, that was the crux of it. I was speechless.

  She brought me down to her lips and kissed me softly. With everything going on in my head and my heart, the kiss became pretty passionate pretty quickly. My hands ran over her body and she rocked under me. My lips trailed down her neck and she gasped as I nipped her skin.

  “I want you inside me, Cade.” She reached between us and brought my cock towards her slit.

  “Shit Lu, condom.” I started to reach for the bedside table, but she stopped me.

  “You get checked for work, right?”

  I nodded; we had regular check-ups for everything under the fucking sun, especially after a mission where we may have come into contact with someone else’s blood. Besides, I’d never gone bare before.

  “I’m clean,” I replied, “but that’s not exactly the only thing to worry about here…”

  She smiled. “I’ve been on the pill for years.”

  I frowned. “I thought you and Tommy only did it once, and not recently?”

  “Do I detect a hint of jealousy in our secret agent?”

  I kissed her neck. “With you being you, can you blame me?”

  She laughed. “Girls use the pill for more than contraceptive, Cade.”