Chapter Eleven #2
My clothes clung to my skin from a combination of sweat and the humid air, the sensation heightened by the friction of Cash’s body against mine.
His beard scratched deliciously against my face and neck as his mouth moved from my lips to my jaw, then lower to the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder.
I gasped, my head falling back to give him better access to my throat, rational thought dissolving under the onslaught of sweet sensation.
In this tropical bubble separate from reality, I surrendered to the hunger building between us since the night in the parking garage, when he had promised to help me protect the most precious thing in my world.
Now, in his arms, I allowed myself to forget everything but the feel of his hands on my body and the promise of release from my fears, if only for a few stolen moments in the night.
“I’m not takin’ you on a pool lounger,” Cash growled against my throat. “You don’t want this, tell me. Otherwise, we’re going to my room and I’m going to fuck you in my bed.”
His straightforward and crude declaration shouldn’t have thrilled me as much as it did, but a shot of lust hit me so hard I cried out, nearly sobbing with need.
“Yes,” I managed to say, my voice thick with need. “Take me there.”
Cash didn’t hesitate. He took my hand as he led me back outside and to another warehouse closer to Haven than the Oasis.
We entered the building and we entered the elevator.
Then the doors closed behind us, sealing us in the small space together.
The moment we were alone, he pressed me against the wall, his mouth claiming mine again with fierce possession.
My body arched against him instinctively, craving more contact as the elevator ascended.
When the doors opened, Cash pulled back just enough to guide me forward, his arm wrapping protectively around my waist. Cash unlocked the door to his apartment, ushering me inside before closing and locking it behind us.
Then Cash’s hands were on me again, spinning me to face him.
His eyes had darkened to midnight, pupils blown wide with desire as he studied my face.
“Last chance,” he growled, his thumbs tracing circles on my hipbones. “Tell me to stop.”
“Not on your fucking life. I need this, Cash.”
“Off,” he commanded, his voice thick with desire. “I need to see you.”
I raised my arms, allowing him to pull the shirt over my head and toss it aside. He looked his fill at my exposed skin, his hands following the path of his gaze.
He shrugged out of his cut and laid it carefully over the back of a chair before reaching between his shoulder blades and pulling his shirt over his head.
The sight of his bare chest, covered in intricate tattoos flowing across muscle, sent a fresh wave of heat through me.
I traced the designs with shaking fingers, following them down to the waistband of his jeans.
“Christ, Eliza,” he breathed as my fingers worked on the button. “You’re killing me.”
His hands weren’t idle, unfastening my bra and sliding the straps down my arms before cupping my breasts with calloused palms. My head fell back against the door, a gasp escaping my lips as his thumbs brushed over sensitive peaks.
His mouth descended to replace his hands, teeth grazing before soothing the sting with his tongue.
We stumbled toward the bed, shedding remaining clothing along the way.
When the back of my knees hit the mattress, Cash eased me down onto the sheets, his body covering mine in a delicious weight, grounding me in the moment.
His muscled arms bracketed my head as he looked down at me, something almost reverent crossing his features before hunger returned full force.
“Do you love him?” The question seemed forced out of Cash. I didn’t have to ask who he meant.
“No. I don’t.” The answer came automatically, but it was the strict truth.
“Tell me you want this,” he demanded, his voice strained with the effort of holding back. “Tell me you want me.”
“I do,” I whispered, reaching up to trace his jaw. “I want you, Cash. Please.”
The plea broke his restraint. His mouth fastened on mine again as he petted and stroked my body with increasingly aggressive touches.
I gasped and arched beneath him. I traced the hard planes of his chest and his powerful shoulders and arms. When I grasped his ass, digging my fingers into the rigid muscle, he growled and nipped my neck.
“Not so fast, lil’ Liza.” He grasped my wrists and brought them above my head, pinning them in one large hand.
The feeling of the restraint, of being completely at his mercy, sent a shocking thrill through me.
Cash seemed to sense my response, his lips curving into a knowing smile against my skin as his free hand moved lower, stroking through my pussy to find me ready and wet for him.
I arched against his touch, desperate for more.
“Cash,” I gasped, straining against his hold on my wrists. “Fuck me.”
“So demanding,” he murmured, nipping at my collarbone. But he relented, reaching toward the nightstand for protection, rolling it on before positioning himself between my thighs.
Our eyes locked as he pushed forward, both of us gasping at the sensation. For a moment neither of us moved, adjusting to the overwhelming feeling of connection. Then I rolled my hips experimentally, and something snapped in Cash’s control.
He released my wrists, gripping my hips instead as he established a rhythm that had me clawing at his shoulders, leaving marks on his skin I would later feel guilty about. All that existed was the building pressure and the desperate need for release.
“Harder,” I demanded, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears as I grunted and whimpered in need. “More!”
Cash growled his approval, gripping the headboard with one hand for leverage as he complied, driving us both closer to the edge.
His other hand slid between our bodies, his fingers circling precisely where I needed them most. The added sensation was overwhelming, pushing me over the edge with a maddening intensity.
A cry exploded from my throat. Cash followed moments later, his body tensing above me as he came with a loud groan before collapsing on top of me.
We were both breathing hard. Cash’s lips brushed my neck where he’d buried his face. He raised his head and kissed me gently before rolling off me, taking me with him. He fumbled for the condom before tossing it into the wastebasket beside the bed.
For several minutes, we lay tangled together, sweat cooling on our skin as our breathing gradually slowed.
Cash pulled me more solidly against his chest, his fingers tunneling through my hair to massage my scalp gently.
The gentle touch contrasted sharply with the urgency of moments before, creating a strange tenderness threatening to undo me in a different way.
I hadn’t planned on this. I was attracted to Cash. He represented safety and protection, and he’d been so good to Lily. But I knew better than to start a relationship right now. Especially now.
I kept my face pressed against his chest, suddenly afraid of what he might see in my expression.
This hadn’t been part of any plan. In the midst of losing control of everything else in my life, I had surrendered control of my body as well, finding momentary escape in the arms of a man I barely knew.
A man who had inserted himself into my life and my daughter’s with a determination I still didn’t fully understand.
“You OK?” Cash asked quietly.
I nodded against his chest, not trusting my voice.
His heart beat steadily beneath my ear, its rhythm somehow comforting despite my growing unease.
When I finally gathered the courage to look up at him, the expression on his face sent a jolt of panic through me.
His eyes held something deeper than satisfaction or even affection.
He seemed to project a possessive gentleness towards me that I knew better than to accept.
For him, this night had cemented something. I could see it in the softening around his eyes, the slight curve of his lips as he gazed down at me. This hadn’t been casual for him. It hadn’t been just physical release or comfort in a moment of vulnerability. For Cash, this had been a declaration.
The realization sent cold reality washing through me.
What had I done? In the midst of fighting to keep my daughter, I had complicated everything by sleeping with a man connected to the very motorcycle club Ms. Winters was using against me.
A man who now clearly believed he had some claim to me and Lily.
Gradually, my body tensed beneath his gentle touch. I pulled the sheet higher around myself, suddenly aware of my nakedness in more ways than physical. Cash’s hand stilled on my back, sensing the change in me.
“Eliza?” His voice held a question, concern edging into his tone.
I eased away slightly, creating a small but deliberate space between our bodies. “I should go back to my room,” I said quietly, not meeting his eyes. “It’s late.”
Cash’s expression shifted, confusion and hurt flickering across his features before being masked by careful neutrality. He reached for me, his fingers brushing my cheek. “Stay. You don’t have to go.”
The invitation tempted me. The warmth of his body, the temporary escape from my problems, the comfort of not being alone all appealed to me on a visceral level.
But as I looked at him, I knew staying would only make things more complicated when morning came.
Ms. Winters was already using my connection to the MC against me.
Lily’s future hung in the balance. And Ash’s reappearance had added yet another layer of complexity to an already impossible situation.
“I can’t,” I whispered, rebuilding my walls piece by piece even as I lay in his bed.
“This was…” I faltered, unable to say our encounter had been a mistake.
Because, if not for whatever crusade Ms. Winters was on, I’d have been thrilled at the prospect of belonging to a man who actually took an interest in his family.
Cash watched me retreat, physically present but emotionally withdrawing.
His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t try to stop me as I sat up, clutching the sheet to my chest as I looked around for my scattered clothing.
The distance between us grew with each passing second, the connection we’d shared just moments ago already fading like a dream upon waking.
All the complications I’d just created settled over me like a heavy, suffocating blanket as I began to dress, turning away from his gaze and the unspoken questions hanging in the air between us.
I opened the door. “I’m sorry, Cash.” Try as I might, I couldn’t meet his gaze before stepping through the door and pulling it closed behind me.