Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CADEN
Our mouths crash together, hungry this time, nothing delicate about it.
I wanted her to be sure. I wanted her to know I wasn’t trying to push her.
But god, I want this. I’ve wanted this for so long.
Isla’s lips are warm and eager, and she presses herself against me in a way that makes my head spin. I let myself dissolve into her touch, her mouth moving in perfect rhythm with mine, her fingers clutching my shirt like she’s drowning and I’m a life preserver.
I feel like the one drowning, though. I sink into Isla, falling deeper in the abyss of her, her honey-bread scent, the softness of her hair where it sweeps over my arms. I pull back and allow my hands to sink into it, to gaze at the gentle lines of her face, her green eyes warm and filled with want.
It hits me that we are outside. In public. Probably not the best idea.
Isla picks up on it too. She reaches into the pocket of her cutoffs and takes out her key.
The moment we step inside, and the door closes behind us, I pull her into me again, cupping her face in my hands, slanting my mouth over hers. She makes a faint moan that sets my groin aching. My cock presses against the seam of my jeans and Isla’s hand moves down to rake over the tough fabric. It’s my turn to moan as my tongue teases at hers. I move her until she’s pressed against the wall, brushing her satin-soft hair back so I can feast at her neck and nibble the length of her collarbone while my hands are busy with the buttons on her shorts.
I get them undone and sink my hand inside, rubbing the soft cotton fabric of her panties and feeling her wetness through the thin material.
“Oh god,” I groan as she gasps, “Yes.” She wriggles against me, impatient, riddled with need. I stroke her until she’s squirming.
“Caden,” she whispers, her mouth moving to my ear. She nips my earlobe with her teeth and I think I might faint. “Caden, please…”
God, she’s so fucking sexy. I slip one finger beneath the cotton to feel the sweet wet line of her pussy. I want to open her up and devour her. I dip one finger just barely into her entrance and she cries out.
Fuck it. I need her in my mouth.
I drop to my knees, pulling her shorts and panties down to her ankles. She steps out of them, yanking off her tank top and standing there in only a black lace bra and nothing else. I gaze up at her, my eyes drinking in her perfection, the smooth plane of her stomach, the dip of her navel, the pert curves of her breasts. The way her hair spills across one shoulder. Her teeth press softly into her lower lip, her eyes alight with need.
“Please,” she says again.
I need no further encouragement. I lick her slowly, in one long, luscious pull and she groans as her fingers knot in my hair. I probe her further, exploring her, tasting her, hungry but never satiated. I want more. My tongue teases her clit then sinks deeper as I hitch one leg over my shoulder and angle her. She arches her back, giving me full access, and I feast on her wetness, on her utter perfection, the delicious lines of her, feeling her muscles tense and shudder.
My cock is like a coil ready to spring. Isla is ready too—I feel it in the pitch of her breath, the quickening of her pulse, the way her thighs clench with need. I circle her clit with my tongue just as I plunge a finger inside her, opening her up as she spasms against me, letting out a glorious wail of ecstasy.
When she’s done, I kiss her sex softly then kiss her hip bones, her stomach… I kiss her all the way up until I’m standing before her.
She’s panting, her eyelids heavy with pleasure, and a satisfied smile curves on her lips.
“You look awfully pleased with yourself,” she says breathlessly.
I cup her neck and bring her in for a kiss. She wraps her arms around me and peels herself off the wall.
“I need you inside me,” she murmurs.
“Oh yes,” I agree.
In one swift motion, I pick her up. She shrieks with laughter as I carry her to the bed. I place her down gently and she gazes up at me. She’s so beautiful, for a moment, it’s hard to breathe. Then she pouts.
“You’ve got too many clothes on,” she says.
I chuckle. “Let me fix that.”
I slip my tee over my head and can’t help the pinch of pride as Isla’s eyes drink in my chest. She licks her lips, her breath quickening again. But it’s nothing compared to her reaction when I remove my jeans and boxers.
“Oh,” she groans, sitting up to take my cock in her hands. I gasp at her gentle touch, the way she strokes me then leans down to take me into her mouth.
“Fuck,” I cry as she sucks on me, taking her time, licking me like an ice cream cone, like I’m her favorite treat. Her tongue circles my tip and I think I might explode right then and there. “Condom,” I gasp, barely able to keep a coherent thought in my head.
Isla looks up, my cock still in her mouth, and points to the nightstand.
“Good god, woman,” I growl as she gives me one final stroke then releases me. She grins and licks her lips.
“You’re delicious,” she says. I scramble in the nightstand drawer, grab a condom, and slip it on, turning just as she unclasps her bra. Her breasts fall free and I push her back onto the bed, taking one full in my mouth and sucking on it until she’s crying and begging for more. I pinch one nipple between my fingers as I suck the other breast, making her fully wet and ready for me again. Her hands scrabble against my back and her thighs clamp around my waist like a vice. I plump and stroke her, feeling like I’ll never get enough. She squirms against me and I feel her slickness against my shaft.
I need her. Now.
I sink between her thighs, my cock teasing her entrance. She shudders and looks up at me as we pause for a moment. I take her in, the slope of her nose, the delicate pink of her cheeks, the welcoming green of her eyes. I stroke her jaw with one finger and tilt her face up toward mine.
I love her so much in this moment. It feels like too much for one body to contain.
Then I sink inside her and I know I’ve reached nirvana.
Isla is warm and wet around me, her muscles sucking and clenching at my cock as I thrust deeper into her. She wraps her body around me, her heels digging into my back, her mouth against my ear.
“More,” she moans. “Oh Caden, please…more…”
I increase my pitch, barely able to help myself. She’s so fucking perfect—every inch of her, every curve and line and breath. I feel her tightness gather as my cock gets even harder, pumping into her, not gentle but demanding, and she wants it too, she wants to be consumed, to be set alight. I can feel it in the way her body reacts to me.
“Oh god,” she groans, her hands coming to grip my ass, bringing me even deeper and just when I think I can’t contain anymore pleasure, I give one final thrust and then explode, rocketed to the ultimate planes of ecstasy as I come hard and heavy inside her. It feels like I’ve been catapulted into the stars—my vision blurs, my cock shudders, and I feel a sense of release unlike anything I have ever known. Like I’ve been torn apart and sewn back together, somehow more whole than I was before.
I slump against her, my heart beating so hard it makes me dizzy. Her fingers rake through my hair and I feel her lips press softly against my damp forehead. I ease out of her and move to stand but she grabs my hand.
“Where are you going?” she asks, and there’s fear in her voice.
I kiss her palm. “Just cleaning up,” I say. I hurry to the bathroom and dispose of the condom. My dick aches in the best way and when I catch sight of myself in the mirror, I see a man renewed.
When I get back to the bed, Isla reaches for me and I pull her close, her head resting on my chest.
The gentle weight of her is comforting, and the soft sound of our breathing mixes with the chirps of birds and the faint chatter from the street that wafts through her open window. The sun is setting, filling the room with a rich light that makes everything seem dipped in gold.
I have never felt more sense of peace than I do in this moment. I think the last time I felt this way was the last time I was here—five years ago, when I woke up with Isla in my arms after that party. I remember the deep contentment that washed over me as Isla and I finally came together that night. The sense that my life had righted itself.
How much has changed. And yet, how little. I may have hid my feelings all these years, forced them into a box, taped them up, and shoved them into the darkest recesses of my mind. But they were always there.
It’s always been Isla.
“What are you thinking about?” Her gaze is heavy as she smiles up at me with lazy satisfaction. Her hair is mussed, her skin dewy, and her cheeks flushed. She looks as utterly happy as I feel.
“I’m thinking there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be right now,” I say. “I’m thinking I haven’t felt this way since the last time I was here.”
She cocks her head, and her hair tickles my chest with the movement. “I haven’t either.”
My heart swells up and bursts into a million, glittering stars. “Really?”
She nods. “It’s always been you, Caden. All these years. And all my years to come. It’s always you.” She bites her lip, her face turning sad, and I wonder if she’s regretting what we did. If I pushed her too far, too quickly.
Her fingers trace the tattoo on my chest, to where a hummingbird perches over my heart.
“Is this for Noah?” she asks. “Or your dad?”
“I told you,” I say. “My dad’s not on here.”
“So, who’s the hummingbird?”
I shift back against the pillows so that I can see her warm green eyes. “Can’t you guess?”
Her gaze widens. “Me?”
I nod. Isla’s whole body blushes, so hot I can feel it against my skin. “Really?”
I kiss her forehead. “Hummingbirds represent love. And joy. And good luck.”
“You think I’m lucky?”
“No,” I say. “I’m the lucky one.”
“But…what about Argentina?” she says, and the fear in her voice is back.
Suddenly, it all clicks together in my mind. The sadness, the hesitation…she thinks I’m leaving again.
I prop myself up on my elbow so fast I dislodge her. “I didn’t tell you.”
She falls back against her pillow. “Tell me what?”
“Dad wants to wait to announce it in some grandiose fashion but…Everton is going to be moving in a sustainable direction. And I’m going to be the one running the estate. I’m staying here, Isla. I’m staying in Magnolia Bay.”
Isla’s eyes pop. She claps her hands together. The she launches herself at me, breasts bouncing as she pounces, flattening me on my back.
“Caden!” she shrieks. “You’re staying? You’re going to run—this is amazing! When do you start? When is the announcement? I can’t believe your father—when did you—ahhhh, this is incredible! You’re staying! Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“Well, we kind of weren’t speaking,” I remind her as she leaves a trail of kisses down my neck. Her head pops up and she frowns.
“Oh right.”
“But,” I say, pulling her in for a kiss, “I would love to tell you the whole story. Maybe over dinner. Osteria Fortuna?”
Her eyes go wide, and she licks her lips. “Spaghetti vongole.”
“Caprese salad?”
“Grilled artichokes,” she says.
“Okay, now I’m starving.”
She giggles and presses her mouth against mine. Our lips part, her tongue playful and teasing. Her hand slides down my chest and latches onto my hip bone as she presses herself against me. I feel myself start to stiffen again.
“We aren’t going anywhere if you keep doing that,” I growl.
“Osteria is open till ten,” she reminds me.
I glance at the clock on her nightstand. “We’ve got time.”
Then I whirl her over on her back and crush her mouth with mine.