Chapter 10 #2
Now she was settled in her grandmother's sitting room where they were coloring.
"Surreal." Cade admitted with a rueful smile as he sipped wine and eyed his brother. "What do you think of her?"
Kevin smiled whimsically, swirling the wine in the glass. They were in one of the small drawing rooms where a fire blazed cheerfully. "She's too beautiful to be real. You're going to have to beat the guys off with sticks when she turns thirteen."
Cade's glower had him laughing.
"I'm thinking more of a gun. Anyone touches her answers to me. Christ, when I think of the way I was with girls, I want to lock her up and throw away the key."
"I bet your perspective has changed."
"Drastically." He sipped wine thoughtfully. "Her mother looked so sad and beaten down when she left. She tried to hide it, but it was there." He shook his head. "I kissed her."
Kevin's head lifted sharply. "Zoe or the mother?"
"You know damn well, I meant the mother." He growled.
"Why the hell would you want to further complicate things?"
"Because it's already bloody complicated." He rose and started pacing restlessly. "I'm in love with her."
Kevin stared at him in surprise.
"I've never said that about another woman before and you know it."
"Yes. Did she kiss you back?"
"What do you think?" Stopping in front of the fire, he stared into the flames sightlessly. "She's attracted to me, no doubt, but she's hurting." He looked up at his brother. "I hurt her pretty much when I left." He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Proving myself to her is going to take a minute."
"You want a relationship."
"Hell, yes." He tossed back the wine. "For the first time in my life, I want to be with one woman. I knew there was something there and that's why I ran." He closed his eyes briefly. "I ran like a damn coward and now I'm paying for it."
Kevin stared at him in silence for a minute. "Then you're going to have to decide if she's worth fighting for. From what I gather, it's going to take a lot of effort."
"Are you saying I'm not up for it?"
"I'm saying you should think about that woman's feelings and not just your own."
Cade let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair.
"I know. She deserves so much better than what I gave her before.
I want to make things right, but I don't even know where to start.
" He glanced at Kevin, his vulnerability plain on his face.
"All I can do is show her I've changed. Show Zoe, too. "
"I do believe you have changed. And Cade?"
"Yes?"
"I love her. She's not only beautiful, she's like a light in a very dark room. She's a treasure."
His brother's words echoed inside his head as he made the journey, later that night.
Dinner had been very interesting, with Zoe asking a million questions and involving everyone in the conversation.
He was humbled to discover that his genius of a daughter had an aptitude for languages, just like him.
She could speak Spanish and was learning French.
She was also good at figures. His little girl knew her multiplication tables and could already add double digits.
She also had a remarkable memory and could quote poems by Yeats and Byron.
His parents adored her. Kat wanted to adopt her and his brother and Sarah-Jane said she was a marvel. He knew she was in danger of being spoiled rotten. The three women already planned out the next few days' activities.
Shopping tomorrow and possibly Saturday, and a trip to the museum.
He had told Zoe that he would be popping out, and the little girl had simply waved at him and gone back to her fun activity.
Pulling up at the gate, he tapped his fingers on the wheel.
He was taking a chance. One he had to take and was hoping it paid off.
Touching the icon on the steering wheel, he called up her number.
"Zoe?" She answered immediately, telling him that she was waiting for the call.
"Come outside."
"What--"
He hung up before she could finish what he knew was a question. Exiting the vehicle, he rounded the hood and had the door opened when she rushed out, jacket flapping around her.
"Where is she?" She tried to peer into the passenger seat of the powder blue Jaguar.
"Get in."
Stepping back, she frowned at him. "What's going on? I thought you brought Zoe."
"Why would I do that?" He asked mildly. He nudged her into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut, skirting the hood and getting in before she had a chance to get out.
Engaging the lock, he started away from the gate.
"Our daughter is just now doing a makeover with Kat, Mom and Sara-Jane."
"What are you doing?"
"Going for a drive. I want to talk to you." He spared her a brief glance and admired the way her hair shone under the light of the moon streaming through the window. She had on a snug hunter green sweater dress with big brass buttons going down the front and knee-high boots.
"Take me back." Her arms were folded on her chest, expression mutinous.
"In a minute." He came to a stop beneath the overhanging branches of an old redwood tree. Turning off the engine, he unsnapped his seatbelt and turned to face her. "I did not like the way you looked when I picked Zoe up."
She tried for a sneer and failed. "That has nothing to do with you."
"You looked miserable, as if I was tearing your heart out. It's been haunting me. You've been haunting me." When he stretched his arm across the back of her seat, she jolted and tried to move.
"Are you afraid of me, little one?" He asked huskily.
The timbre of his voice and the words had something melting inside her.
"Don't be ridiculous. Will you please take me home?"
He toyed with the ends of her hair, sliding his fingers through the glossy strands. "You've haunted me for years."
"You--"
"Shh." He continued still in that mild tone, laser blue eyes boring into hers.
His long fingers feathered over the flesh at the back of her neck, sending little licks of fire all over her.
"I hurt you before and cannot expect you to forgive me immediately.
But I need that forgiveness, Abigail. I want to prove to you that I'm no longer that person.
" She shrank back when he moved closer and unhooked her seatbelt.
Her heart was beating hard and fast, her pupils dilating.
Instead of moving, he hovered there, pressing his body on hers.
"I couldn't concentrate on anything. I kept seeing your exquisite face and the look in your eyes and I told myself that I never want to be the one to put that look there again.
" Tilting her chin up, he held her gaze as he brushed his thumb over her bottom lip.
Common sense tried to break through the sexual haze, but she was slowly going under. Everything she had told herself about him were fading away from her mind. All she could do was feel. His fingers on her, the look of intense desire that was igniting her own.
Lifting her hands, she planted them on his chest, shivering when she felt the unsteady beating of his heart through the material of his sweater.
"I want to make love to you."
"No." She groaned it out.
"You're in my blood. Wanting you is driving me insane.
Let me have you baby." Without waiting for her response, he closed his mouth over hers.
She resisted at first, put up a weak struggle, but it was too much.
Passion swamped her, making her open her mouth.
His sigh was soft, sliding over her skin like a kiss.
His tongue traced the outline of her full bottom lip and had her moaning. Her fingers gripped the front of his sweater, body arching towards his.
He nibbled, taking his time, absorbing the heat, the scent and the taste.
He could feast for days, weeks even and it would never be enough.
He wanted his hands on her, all over her, familiarizing himself with every curve and dip of her slender body, the one that had carried his child for nine months.
The thought of it drove him mad and had him changing the tone of the kiss. His tongue darted into her mouth, tangling with hers as he breathed her in.
He took the kiss deeper, his fingers fisting in the thick strands. He used it to lift her head up, so he could get better access to her mouth. She tasted like honey and brandy warmed over. He wanted, wanted, wanted.
Lifting her up, he plopped her in his lap without breaking the kiss. The contact with her was so heady, he felt as if he was about to die from feeling her against him.
Reaching between them, he started to unhook buttons until he came in contact with flesh as soft as cream. The lace of her bra simply melted beneath his impatient fingers. Something ripped, but neither of them cared. Her breasts filled his palms, the nipples rubbing against his skin.
The location wasn't ideal; he had wanted their first time together after five years to be in a bedroom with candles glowing.
He hadn't planned on taking her in his car, on a dark side street, but it had to be now.
Dragging his lips from hers, he nibbled on her lobe, then went to the side of her neck, the exposed area of her throat.
"Sweetheart, let me--" He bunched the dress up around her waist, hand palming her sex. When he slipped his fingers between the lace and touched her, she erupted. Closing his mouth over hers, he swallowed her cries as she crested against his fingers.
She was hot, so hot and moist. Shifting to the side, he somehow maneuvered them into a position where he could release his throbbing erection. His eyes on hers, he parted her thighs and entered her swiftly. Her tightness had him pausing, his heart hammering, his throat dry.
"Finally." He whispered hoarsely as he drove into her.