27. Sadie
27
SADIE
C ale finally releases me once we’re inside the suite.
With each passing second I feel more foolish and now that we’re alone, the feeling only intensifies. The first thing I do is kick off these absurd shoes that I can barely walk in. Next I hastily remove the gold earrings and necklace. They get stuffed into my small handbag so I don’t need to look at them anymore.
What am I doing?
First, I clearly have no talent as a seductress.
Second, I’ve behaved like a high maintenance brat.
Cale’s behavior isn’t anything to brag about either but he’s his own problem.
After my disastrous relationship with Grant, I swore to myself that I’d never again stray from the real me. Yet here I am, playing games to get the attention of my fake husband, who is obviously not amused. I tried to be something that I thought he might want and attempted to blend into his world, instead of inviting him to share mine.
Cale throws his jacket down and empties his pockets, tossing each item down on an accent table by the door.
Keys. Wallet. Phone. Gun.
Just a collection of ordinary everyday items.
Then he unbuttons his cuffs, rolls his shirt up to his elbows and drags an armchair to the center of the room. He drops into the chair, knees slightly apart, his jaw set, and stares me down with the arrogance of a king.
“Take it off,” he says to me in a purely cold tone he’s never used before.
“You mean the dress?” I sure wish my voice didn’t squeak but my heart is pounding. His anger is unfamiliar. I’m afraid I might have poked the beast more than I meant to.
Cale tilts his head and runs his eyes up and down my body. He’s doing this on purpose, taking his time about answering. He knows I’m rattled.
“Yeah, the dress, Sadie. TAKE IT THE FUCK OFF.”
My stubborn streak surges and suddenly I want to tell him where he can stick his demands. The weekend is obviously ruined and I don’t need to take this. I can just leave.
Even as the thought flashes through my mind it’s dismissed.
The truth is that I’m stuck here. Cale and I set out to fool a very dangerous man. We’re still acting in a charade. Cale is on high alert when he’s around Richie Amato and for good reason. While we’re here we are surrounded by Richie’s people.
Only in hindsight do I understand how I could have gone about this in a better way. I should have asked Cale to stay at the ranch for a few days, or even longer, once this weekend was over. When we’re alone together, things are different.
We’ve told plenty of lies, the two of us. But we don’t lie to each other.
And like it or not, Cale is in my head. In my heart. I need to deal with him. With this. With us.
“I’ll go change in the bathroom,” I say. “Then you and I need to have a serious talk.”
“No.” He leans back in the chair, parks his elbows on the arms and narrows his eyes. “Take the fucking dress off right here.”
“Here?”
“Right here. Right now.”
He can’t mean what I think he means.
Turns out I’m wrong. Because the next thing Cale does is unbuckle his belt. He opens his pants. And he waits for my reaction.
Maybe he thinks I’ll refuse when push comes to shove. He’s already smirking over my hesitation. This isn’t much different than his wedding night challenge in a Las Vegas hotel room.
Except this time I’m not going to run away and lock the door. I’m ready to meet any dare he throws down. He’s about to get a surprise.
Cale’s smirk disappears when I roll one thin dress strap from my shoulder. Then the other strap. There’s a zipper in the back and luckily it’s easy to find. I slide the zipper down slowly, savoring the look on his face.
All I have on underneath is a pair of black panties. No slip. No bra. Once I let the dress fall from my hands I have nowhere to hide.
I’m not ashamed of my body. But it has been a while since I’ve been naked in front of anyone. And the last time a man saw me naked, things didn’t end so well.
With a deep breath, I drop my hands, which had been clutching the loose material over my breasts. The dress falls to a puddle at my feet.
Cale doesn’t move an inch. He does nothing and he says nothing.
The seconds tick by and he just stares. It’s as if he’s watching a mildly interesting sporting event.
This is starting to feel like a punishment.
I cross my arms over my chest but they don’t cover much. I resist the urge to look down at my own body, knowing what I’ll find.
Breasts that developed too early and at times annoyed me with their inflated size.
A belly that will never be flat no matter how many sit-ups I do.
Thighs that could use some toning.
None of that is bad. But it’s also private. The last man I trusted made it all public without my consent.
I don’t know how to completely get over such a betrayal. Maybe it’s not possible.
A tear squeezes from my right eye and rolls down my cheek.
This just makes everything worse. I lower my head in shame.
“Baby, please look at me,” Cale says. There’s nothing harsh in his voice now. There’s only soft pleading.
I shake my head. Another stupid tear falls.
The springs of the chair creak as Cale rises to his feet. He closes the distance between us and takes my face in his hands, giving me no choice but to meet his eyes.
Cale’s big thumbs rub the tears from my cheeks. There’s only tenderness in his face. “Mercedes. Don’t you know how incredibly beautiful you are? Let me see you.”
His initial kiss is so gentle it’s almost reverent. My eyes shut and I lean in. His arms pull me close. He parts my lips with his tongue.
That’s all it takes to set me on fire.
All uncertainty evaporates and now I’m frantic to feel his bare skin. I pull his shirt up, eager for more of him, as much as I can get.
Cale helps by impatiently yanking the shirt over his head, popping a few buttons in the process. His pants are already open and with one shove they fall from his hips, leaving nothing but his dark blue boxers.
I drink in the sight of him with greed and he lets me.
Cale’s body is ripped, all muscle and impeccably defined. My fingers trace the random patterns of ink on his chest and arms. My heart aches when my exploration leads to the scar on his lower right abdomen where he was shot. Then I become mesmerized by the huge, barely restrained bulge in his shorts.
When I touch him, cupping the outline of his length in my palm, his deep groan of pleasure doubles my own desire. I want him so much the need is nearly painful.
Cale is also finished waiting. He kisses me again, this time with even more urgency. He lifts me up, sending my legs around his waist to hold on.
We kiss our way to the bed and he sits on the edge, holding me in his lap. He moves my hair aside and sucks at my neck. His hands move everywhere. When one hand goes between my legs and strokes outside my panties I lose the ability to think.
Every second of this feels so good, so right.
“You’re so fucking sexy.” He sends me to my back. He peels my panties down and throws them aside. “You have no clue what you’ve been doing to me.”
Yes, I think I do. His lust is ready to split his boxers open. But I still want to hear about the details.
“Tell me about it,” I beg. “Please.”
He pauses and considers the request. Then he breaks into a devilish grin. “You want some dirty talk? Is that what you want?”
I nod my head.
Yes, I want dirty talk. I want a lot of dirty things to happen.
He nudges my legs open. Slowly, he moves his hand between my breasts, over my belly and then lower. He slips one finger inside me with ease. My moan of pleasure is automatic.
“That’s what I want to hear,” he says. “I’ve been wanting to wreck this sweet pussy since our wedding night.”
Cale moves his finger with maddening slowness. He watches my reaction, teasing another moan from my mouth.
“Since then I’ve had a lot of time to think about all the ways I’d love to fuck you, Sadie. Now I hope you’re ready for this because I’m not to type to go easy.”
“I’m ready,” I gasp as the climax starts to build. I’m clutching the bed comforter in my fists. I’m moving my hips in rhythm to gain more friction on his hand.
Cale’s eyes spark with triumph. “Now be a good girl and let me know how much you want my cock.”
“I do want you, Cale.”
He shakes his head with mock disapproval. “That’s not what I asked for.”
“What?” I’m writhing around now, desperate to finish and frustrated that he won’t cooperate.
He chuckles. “Look at you, trying like hell to ride my hand. I know you’re aching to come so don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. But first that sweet mouth of yours needs to practice how to say filthy words.”
Cale takes his hand away and kneels between my legs.
He waits.
I glare at him.
He smiles.
I push myself up on my elbows. “Cale, shut the hell up and use that huge cock of yours to fuck the sense out of me before I scream.”
That does it.
Within two seconds he sheds his boxers and pushes my knees far apart. I’m sure my eyes are wide when I get a first look at the size of him. He notices and palms the length with smug satisfaction.
Then his face grows serious and he lowers his body over mine.
He enters me slowly. Carefully.
I meant what I said. I’m completely ready for him.
And yet I still shudder at the invasion. My skin stretches. My knees are pulled up and apart as far as they’ll go.
Cale moves cautiously at first, giving me time to adapt. His big hands are holding him up to avoid crushing me with his weight. He sets the pace and the rhythm starts to send me higher. His thick arms form a muscled cage around my body. Even in the midst of spiraling toward a frenzy, I find the time to admire the flex of his muscles and the raw, sensual power of his body.
There’s not another man alive who could compete with him.
I’d rather savor this moment indefinitely but I’m too close to the brink. It’s been so long since I’ve even been touched and I’ve spent endless hours fantasizing about sex with Cale. Plus I was already massively aroused by our little dinner table game.
Cale’s pace becomes ruthless. I clutch his arms as the inner tremor builds.
I’m going to erupt. And soon.
I might truly scream when the tidal wave crashes. Instinct takes over and now I’ve reached the point of no return. I’m consumed. And yes, I hear myself making all kinds of noise as I’m carried away.
Maybe later I’ll be embarrassed over the fact that Richie Amato might have heard me have an orgasm but for now I can’t stop. All I can do is shake and whimper and fall apart completely in Cale’s arms.
I’m still quaking from the aftershocks but Cale isn’t finished with me. He’s still rock hard when he withdraws. He wants to make a change. Sliding his hands underneath my body, he lifts my hips and checks to make sure I’m watching. He smirks before he lowers his head to commit a new offensive with his tongue.
Boy was I wrong to assume I’d reached peak ecstasy.
Sixty seconds at the mercy of Cale’s tongue is enough to send me into a new dimension. My eyes squeeze shut and every important sense in my body shatters in the same instant. I may have passed out for a second.
Finally, I’m spent and gasping, almost weak from the sheer overwhelming dose of bliss. But Cale still isn’t done. He’s now going to take what he needs.
His next thrust into my body is savage and I love it. He pumps with frenzied rhythm as I cling to him. He throws his head back when he comes. The look on his face gets imprinted on my mind forever. A hot surge spills into me and I don’t care if there are reasons why this might be a problem.
Right now I’m his and he’s mine.
This moment is more real than anything I’ve ever shared with anyone.
Once he’s exhausted himself, Cale rolls to his side and pulls me close. I lay my cheek on his chest and his fingers wander through my hair. Minutes pass as we enjoy the simple happiness of holding each other. The thud of his heartbeat gradually slows to a calm pace.
Then my nearly empty stomach decides to end the romance by growling. It seems a single crouton and forkful of ziti don’t qualify as dinner.
Cale laughs. “I better feed you,” he says, and reaches for the bedside phone. “Can’t let you run out of energy when I’ve got big plans for you all night.”
I drop a kiss on his chest. “Get some of those rosemary butter rolls they served at dinner yesterday. Kiki ate them all before I could grab one.”
“What else?”
“Mashed potatoes. Fruit tarts. Ask if they have pizza.”
Cale orders enough food to feed a football team and says he’ll tip twice the total if they can have it to our room within half an hour. The food arrives twenty three minutes later. Cale complains when I cover up with a robe but eating while naked feels wrong. Like gardening in a bikini. He quits grumbling when I promise I’ll make it up to him later.
I keep my promise. After another epic spell of incredible sex we relax by soaking in the oversized bathtub together. I don’t want the night to be over but I can’t stifle my yawns forever. Cale towels my body off with care and carries me to bed.
This time we make love and it’s languid and gentle. He wants to see me on top. This has never been my preferred position. I suppose I don’t like being so visible. With him, I feel different. Cale’s eyes stay on me the whole time. He tells me again and again that I’m beautiful. And I think I can see myself as he sees me. It’s a powerful feeling.
We’re both finally exhausted and he switches off the light. His fingertips trail over my flushed skin as he drifts off to sleep.
Only when I’m fairly certain he can’t hear do I dare to utter the most honest of all words and then only in a whisper.
“I love you, Cale.”