Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
CASSIDY
S omething about Karen triggered an insatiable hunger in me. Something raw and primal that was hard to contain.
I gently traced the outline of her collarbone with my fingers. I wanted to kiss every inch of her. She shivered at the contact. I loved that she responded to me that way. There was nothing fake about it.
I supposed there was a touch of alpha excitement knowing I could get her engine revving. The sight of her, flushed and trembling under my touch, was more intoxicating than the strongest whiskey.
I moved closer, my lips hovering just above her own. The air around us was charged with electricity. We kissed again, this time with more force. I used my hips to pin her to the wall. The lace of her bra scratched against my chest. I could feel her hard nipples through the fabric.
I began to trail kisses down her neck, delighting in the small noises she made. I slid the back of my hand down her ribcage. She gasped, her head hitting the wall.
I reached behind her and unhooked her bra. “Damn.”
She was too good to be true. I immediately lowered my mouth to one nipple and sucked it between my teeth.
She gasped and arched into me. The grip of her hands in my hair tightened. I growled at the pleasant pain. Every moan, every whimper, every gasp was music to my ears.
I switched breasts, giving the other one the same treatment before pulling back to see her flushed face. Her swollen lips were parted slightly, eyes closed, chest heaving.
My hands traveled down her body until they reached the waistband of her jeans. Like a kid unwrapping a Christmas present, I peeled her jeans down her legs, along with her panties, leaving her completely bare before me. She was gorgeous, perfect in every way.
I picked her up and carried her to bed. Her legs instinctively wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. The softness of her skin against mine was intoxicating, driving me crazy with desire.
I laid her down gently and quickly undid my jeans. It took a little longer to get my boots off. I pushed off my jeans and underwear. Her eyes roamed my body with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. It both thrilled and terrified me. I had never felt more vulnerable or more powerful.
I climbed on top of her, supporting my weight on one arm as my other hand slid between her breasts. Her hands wandered over my back, tracing each muscle and scar. Every touch sent a jolt of electricity through me, causing my body to jerk.
I needed to be inside her once again.
Her fingers tangled in my hair as she pulled me closer. Her gaze was full of longing. I could feel the heat radiating off her. Smell her arousal. I moved, putting more of my weight on my elbow as I slid my hand lower. I ran over her belly and then between her legs. She was wet for me. My fingers caressed her gently, exploring the soft folds.
I stroked her, making her gasp as my fingers ran over her clit. I pushed one finger inside her, testing her readiness.
She was more than ready. Her body clenched around my finger. I almost lost control right then and there. Karen gripped my bicep, her nails digging into my skin. It was an exquisite pain that only heightened the pleasure. She arched her hips toward me, seeking more contact.
The sight of her, so willing beneath me, drove me wild. I kissed her deeply, capturing her whimper of need within my mouth. My heart pounded in my chest as I withdrew my finger and positioned myself between her legs and put the condom on.
I caught her eyes again and held them as I pushed inside. The delicate gasp she released was drowned by my groan of pleasure. This was what I’d been craving. The tight heat of her surrounding me was almost too much.
Her body opened up to me. She was hot and tight. The feel of her around me was pure ecstasy. Karen’s eyes closed. Her breath hitched as I sank deeper into her. I braced myself above her, our bodies perfectly fitting together. Two pieces of a puzzle joining as one.
She was beautiful in the throes of passion. Her lips parted slightly as soft moans escaped them. Her fingers ran down my back and shoulders, adding sparks of pleasure to the storm brewing within me. It felt like time stood still as we moved together in an intoxicating rhythm.
“Don’t stop,” she pleaded beneath me.
“Never,” I promised in return. My voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable to my own ears. I plunged deeper into her wet heat.
The sight of her beneath me, the feel of her body responding to every stroke, spurred me on. She was all soft sighs and quiet moans. Every gasp heightened my own pleasure. I was hanging on the edge. I wanted to do this all night, but it felt too good.
“Look at me,” I commanded while pressing my lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered open. There was an intimacy in that gaze that reached into the deepest part of me.
I moved faster, our bodies in perfect sync. She tightened around me and I knew she was close. The moment her body erupted, she pulled me over the edge of the cliff with her.
I collapsed beside her, sucking in large gasps of air. We lay tangled up in her blankets, her body pressed against mine with her head resting on my chest. My heart pounded like I’d just run a marathon. It wasn’t from the physical activity, though. It was from her . From the way she made me feel.
I’d been with my share of women before but there was something special about Karen. It wasn’t just physical—it was deeper. Like we’d found a connection neither of us had been expecting.
Her hair was messy and she had that rosy glow on her cheeks. The look of a woman that had just been satisfied. I brushed a strand of hair away from her face. She looked so relaxed, so real .
“So, tell me something,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence. “What was it like growing up for you?”
Her lips quirked up in a half smile. She shifted a little, tilting her face up to look at me. “What do you mean?”
“Were you a little troublemaker?”
She laughed softly. “Nope. Sorry to disappoint. I was a spoiled only child—a total daddy’s girl.”
I grinned. “Oh, I can definitely see that.”
She poked me lightly in the ribs. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, you just strike me as someone who got whatever she wanted. You know, sweet little smile, wide eyes—probably had your dad wrapped around your finger.”
She gave me a playful glare, but then her expression softened as she thought about it. “Okay, you’re not entirely wrong. I could get away with a lot. My dad was a big softie when it came to me. I was his world.”
I watched her smile fade a little. I could see that faraway look in her eyes, the one that meant she wasn’t really here with me anymore. She was back in some memory.
I tilted my head, brushing my hand along her arm again. “What are you thinking about?”
She blinked, coming back to the present, and then let out a little sigh. “When I was a kid, I had these huge dreams,” she said. “I mean, like, ridiculous dreams of what I was going to be when I grew up. A veterinarian, a fireman, a crime scene analyst, a marine biologist, and even a professional ballerina at one point.”
I laughed. “All at the same time?”
“Not in that order,” she said with a grin. “But yeah, I had it all mapped out in my head. I was going to be someone , you know? I was going to do something amazing with my life.”
“And now?” I asked gently.
“And now…” She paused and looked away again. “Now I’m none of those things. I’m a plain Jane accountant with nothing to my name. I have a track record of first dates that led to no callbacks or texts, and it’s embarrassing.”
“Karen—”
“Sometimes, I think that if ten-year-old me could see me now, she’d be disappointed. You know what I mean?”
I hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words, but then I just told her the truth. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You don’t?”
“No,” I said quietly, shaking my head. “If ten-year-old me could see me now he would be proud. He’d be relieved, maybe. He’d certainly be content. Because I never thought I’d get this far, Karen. I never thought I’d have a place that felt like home, or people who felt like family. I didn’t think I’d be anybody . Hell, I expected to be in prison or homeless.”
Her eyes welled up with tears.
“I didn’t mean to make you sad,” I said quickly.
She shook her head, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “You didn’t. That’s beautiful, Cassidy. And I’m glad you don’t feel the way I do.”
She moved up, pressing her lips to mine again, soft and gentle. The kiss was different this time. There was tenderness in her touch, like she was trying to say thank you without words. I kissed her back, running my fingers through her hair. Everything felt perfect.
But then, out of nowhere, Karen suddenly sat up, her eyes wide.
I blinked, startled by the abrupt movement. “What’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she threw the blankets off and scrambled out of bed, rushing into the bathroom. A second later, I heard the unmistakable sound of her throwing up.
I sat up, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. “Uh, Karen?”
She groaned from behind the closed door. I winced. Okay, not good.
I knocked lightly on the bathroom door. “Look, I know I just dumped a lot of mushy shit on you, but it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
There was a long pause, then another groan. “No,” she said weakly. “It must have been something I ate.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, even though I felt bad for her. “Well, that’s a relief. Thought I might’ve grossed you out to the point of tossing your cookies.”
“Very funny.”
I leaned against the door, folding my arms over my chest. “You need anything?”
She opened the door a crack, peeking at me with a sheepish smile. “I think I’ll live. Just give me a second.”
I nodded and stepped back to let her have space. I wandered over to the bed and sat down and thought about what she said earlier. It didn’t sit right with me. She wasn’t plain or boring or any of the things she seemed to think she was.
The Karen I knew was smart, funny, and capable of handling herself—whether she believed it or not. She was stepping way out of her comfort zone, doing things she’d never done before. And she’d done it all with more heart than I’d seen in a long time. If that didn’t count for something, I didn’t know what did.
A minute later, she emerged from the bathroom, looking a little pale but otherwise okay. “Sorry about that,” she said with a wince, rubbing her stomach. “Not the cutest way to end a romantic evening.”
“No worries. Come on, I’ll tuck you in. You can sleep it off.”
I did just that, pulling the blankets over her and kissing her forehead. I quickly dressed and kissed her one last time before I slipped out and headed back to the bunkhouse, hoping she would be okay in the morning.
Her happiness was important to me now. I didn’t know when she had slipped past my defenses but she had. Now I just had to figure out what to do with all these unfamiliar feelings.
Usually, I was a doer, not a thinker, but it seemed I had a lot to think about.