Chapter 18
Cade
Something shiftedup against that front door of Aspen’s cottage. The moment my lips met hers, I sensed it.
Reluctantly pulling away from the woman who was thoroughly flushed from my kisses, I pecked her lips once more and presented her with her options. “Here or home?”
“Here.” She tightened her arms around my neck, pulling herself to her tiptoes, and rubbed herself against my front, eliciting a groan from me. “Right here, Mr. Summers.” An arm dropped, and her hand tapped lightly against the wooden barrier to her home’s main entrance.
Fuck me!
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in through my nose, then released it before peering down at her. “You’ll be the death of me,” I muttered and moved my hands down to her ass, squeezing it as a signal for her to jump up. “I’m not fucking you against this door…not yet anyway.”
She beamed a smile at me. “Not yet?”
I shook my head and turned us toward the inner sanctuary of the cottage. “Ever since we met, when you mumbled something about you never expecting this would be the way you’d have a man in your bed here, all I’ve been able to think about is getting you naked and sullying your sheets.”
She giggled. “Is that right?” Her head tilted back as I began nuzzling the side of her neck, all the while bringing us to her bedroom.
“Mm-hmm.” Her grip tightened on me as I leaned forward to place her on her bed, following her down until I was pressed on top of her.
As soon as we were settled, Aspen’s grip loosened, and her arms moved to hold the slats of her headboard above her head. The move thrust her chest deeper into mine, and I could feel her pebbled nipples through our clothes.
Her eyes held mischief and I found myself captivated by her playfulness as she breathlessly said, “Sully away then.”
Aspen
Quick. Hard. Dirty.
I might have written about it, but I sure as fuck had never experienced the real thing. Cade rode me hard and put me away wet, and that wasn’t just a metaphor either. I’m pretty sure I soaked through more than my sheets with how many times the man made me come.
Six. Fucking. Times! All this before he took his own release. Despite last night—I honestly thought it had been a complete fluke—I thought men like mine only existed in romance novels. I mean, why the hell else would us authors write about these types of lovers if not to fulfill a certain need we weren’t getting on the regular, right? Sure, I always believed there were exceptions to the rule out there, but me landing one of those…nuh-uh, not little ol’ me. Never.
A set of teeth bit down lightly on the back of my shoulder as a soapy hand caressed and tweaked the nipple of my breast. “Where’s your head at, baby?” he mumbled against my drenched skin.
“How you’re just too good to be true,” I blurted, turning to face him. His deep blue gaze penetrated mine as though demanding I explain further. In order to distract him from my avoidance, I grabbed the bar of soap and proceeded to lather up his chest, my eyes aimed wherever my hands went, but my mouth also chose to run away on me. “Sexy. Sweet. Sensational. Insatiable. Kind. Dedicated. Strong.” Each area of his body I cleansed was punctuated with a singular word until I was done.
Finding myself on my knees, face-to-face with a rather impressive erection, Cade made his thoughts known before I could get him off—a little something just for him.
“Up and out,” he ground out, leaning past me to turn the water off.
He escorted me out of the shower, taking his time with dabbing my body with a towel as he himself dripped water onto the bathmat beneath his feet. His tongue joined his ministrations, catching the droplets he hadn’t yet dabbed at on my shoulder, then my collarbone, moving tantalizingly slowly down my chest.
Making quick work of rubbing his chest and legs off with the same towel he’d used on me, he let the terry cloth sheet fall limp to the floor, then guided me backward toward my bed. That’s when I noticed he’d changed the sheets.
I smirked as we toppled to the mattress. “I was wondering what took you so long before you joined me.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome.” His lips pressed against mine for an all too quick peck before he gathered the duvet which he’d folded back and pulled it over us before he drew me snug against him.
Chest to chest, thigh to thigh, I lay in Cade’s arms, reveling in the heat of his skin against mine, captive in his affectionate gaze.
“Sleep,” he whispered, kissing my forehead and giving me a squeeze before he settled.
Cade
Something woke me, but I wasn’t sure what.
Lying there, Aspen tucked into my chest with my arms and legs wrapped around her, my body stiffened when I heard something just outside of the cottage bedroom window. A few seconds later—maybe ten or twelve—the distinctive sound of a doorknob being manhandled could be heard. It prompted me into action.
“Pen,” I whispered.
Her eyes opened, and she tilted her gaze to meet mine. “What?” she said on a yawn.
“Someone’s trying to get in,” I explained with a finger covering her mouth, urging her to stay quiet. “I need you to go into your bathroom and lock the door. Don’t come out until I tell you to.”
“But—”
“We can argue about the fact that this is your place, and you’re well and truly able to handle things on your own later. Now go.”
She gave me a curt nod, then proceeded to get out of bed, tiptoeing to the bathroom, but paused at its entrance to turn and face me. “Cade?” I looked her way. “Be careful.”
With a silent nod, I watched as she closed the door behind her, then headed to check things out.
Giving Renegade the sign to stay, I was impressed when Molly followed his lead. Then again, having a ninety-five-pound dog practically sitting on you, in the dead of the night, would probably convince you to do that.
Exiting the room quietly, I could hear scraping at the kitchen window. It was as though someone was trying to jimmy the latch and slide the pane up to open it.
My emotions were flying at a new high, toying with me. I found myself struggling between two decisions: sit here patiently waiting for the perp to come in or go for the attack and risk having myself be found out and them escaping. As a man of action, it was laughable that I would consider the idea of hiding at all, but it still held merit. Waiting for a perp to enter would leave them with a harder time escaping when they’d been discovered and chose to run.
Thinking of the fact my woman had herself holed up in her bathroom—and I doubted she’d stay there until I returned—I opted to sneak out the front door as soundlessly as I could. I just didn’t anticipate the fact the dogs would have an agenda of their own.
The instant the door opened, Molly made a mad dash, Renegade hot on her tail, both threatening masses of growling and barking fur.
Fuck!
Nearly bowled over, I regained my balance seconds later, and gave pursuit to the canines, hoping I could at least get a visual on the night’s intruder. Making it to the side of the cottage, I managed a glimpse of a shapely silhouette—much the same as the one I’d seen a few days ago when I’d arrived back in town—only more distinctive and familiar which only served to confuse me further.