Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
What in the hell was she doing?
Cat had been having a lovely evening with Tate, and then she felt the need to pick a fight with him. It wasn’t even a good reason to be mad. It was a silly thing from their youth, and she should have laughed about it because it was amusing and harmless.
Instead, she’d overreacted and accused him of lying to her for fifteen years. If she were being honest, she’d have to admit to him that she didn’t really like to go fishing. She’d only pretended to because she’d wanted to spend time with him.
This was all happening because she was nervous and a bit overwhelmed. It was silly, of course. She’d been the one to kiss him, and yet, here she was acting like an idiot. Perhaps it was simply becoming more and more real. If they failed at this second chance, she would be heartbroken.
And not the teenage heartbroken she had been before, but a true pain inside that would take a long time - if ever - to heal. It meant more this time, and far more was at stake.
He’d done this incredibly romantic thing, and here she was pouting and acting like some spoiled child. He had to be thinking that maybe he should have kept his distance from the crazy woman.
If this all broke apart, she’d have only herself to blame.
Turning on her heel, she marched back to where Tate was packing up the portable movie screen. He’d already cleared their pizza box and paper plates and folded the blankets.
“I don’t like fishing,”
Geez, I’m a genius. That wasn’t what I wanted to say.
But she hadn’t thought it through before she’d returned. If she’d been smarter, she would have rehearsed something.
“Okay. That’s fine.”
Tate looked guarded, as if wondering where she was going with this. If only she knew.
“I mean to say…I don’t like fishing. And I pretended to like fishing when we were in high school because I wanted to spend time with you.”
Apparently, she’d said something funny because his smile widened and he was openly chuckling.
“Sweetheart, I know you don’t like fishing.
You never liked fishing, and you were not fooling anyone.
You didn’t want to touch the worms. You didn’t want to touch the fish.
You gagged when we cleaned them and almost puked in the bushes.
At no time did you ever appear to be having fun.
Not one single second. Your declaration is not news, but thank you for telling me. ”
“You weren’t fooled at all? Not even a little bit?”
So much for that Hollywood agent who had sworn up and down she’d make a great actress.
“Not even a little bit,” Tate replied gently. “But it’s fine. It made me feel amazing that you were willing to go because you wanted to be with me. If anything, it made me love you more.”
“I’m sorry I’m acting like this. It’s all just a bit much. I think I got overwhelmed for a minute.”
“I had a feeling it wasn’t about the chocolate.”
“Except now I have to share the good chocolate.”
“I’ll buy you your own box,” Tate offered. “But that means I have my own box, too.”
“I guess that’s fair,” she sighed. “Maybe I could try a hazelnut again. Maybe I’ll like them this time.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But if you don’t like them, and I don’t like them, we’re going to have a lot of chocolates left over.”
“It sounds like a good problem to have.”
Cat’s gaze ran over the tidied clearing. It looked like they were ready to go.
“Is it time to leave then? This was an amazing evening. Thank you for going to so much trouble.”
“We don’t have to leave. We can stay here as long as you want. Cooper said we can spend the night, if you like. I can light a fire in the fireplace, and we can finish this bottle of wine.”
“Tate Winslow, if I’ve never said it before, I’m saying it now. You are a genius.”
They stowed the movie screen and other items in the mudroom of the cabin before kicking off their shoes and pouring two glasses of wine.
Tate lit a toasty fire, and they threw some cushions down on the floor, cuddling together with her head resting on his chest. She could hear the beat of his heart under her cheek, strong and steady.
They didn’t speak for a long time, simply soaking up the moment and the closeness. His strong arms were wrapped around her, warm and protective. At a moment like this, they were the only two people on the planet.
The fire crackled and popped in the background, and the pitter-pat of raindrops on the roof grew louder. The sky had opened up, and it sounded like buckets of water were being dumped from above.
“Looks like we came in just in time,” Tate remarked. “I’m glad we pulled everything inside so it didn’t get ruined.”
“I love listening to the rain. It lulls me right to sleep.”
“Are you falling asleep on me? Am I that boring?” Tate teased.
“You’ve never been boring a day in your entire life.”
It was silly hyperbole in a way. Everyone had their dull moments, but there was something about this man that she found endlessly fascinating. Even when they were apart, she’d unconsciously compared every man to him.
They’d all come up lacking in some way. She hadn’t even realized she was doing it, but she could see it clearly now. No other man was Tate Winslow.
No words were spoken, but they didn’t need to be. Their lips met by silent consent, soft as a whisper at first. They both knew what was going to happen. It had been inevitable, of course.
The moment she’d walked back into this little town and seen Tate standing in the middle of Josh and Rachel’s living room, she should have known she’d end up here with him. This wasn’t the first time. They’d made love before, but this time it was…more.
They were adults, all grown up with grown-up lives and problems. Neither one of them was the type to hop into bed with someone casually. This meant something. It meant everything. It had all been building up to this moment.
Cat couldn’t have said who made the first move.
Tate’s fingers glided down the skin of her arm, raising gooseflesh and giving her the shivers with his mere touch, sending electric shocks through her body, and igniting a fire deep within her core.
Cat leaned into him, her lips seeking his with an urgency she couldn't explain.
She only knew that she needed to feel him as closely as possible.
She never wanted them to be apart again.
He was as necessary as air and water to her well-being. He was the thing that had been missing from her life, but she hadn’t realized it until she’d come home.
And it was home, here in his strong, warm arms.
Tate's hands moved with purpose, exploring every curve and dip of her body as if he was trying to memorize her with his fingertips. Silly, because this wasn’t their first time.
They’d seen all there was to see of one another, but it had been so long.
They could pretend that it was the first time between them, discovering all the ways to bring pleasure to the other.
Cat fell back on the pillows, arching her back and inviting him closer, craving more of his touch. The room seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in a world of their own making. The fire flickered and the rain beat on the roof, but they could have been anywhere on the planet.
Her hands roamed over his strong shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles underneath the cotton of his shirt as he pulled her even closer.
In that moment, nothing else mattered but the heat between them.
Tomorrow they’d have to ask all the right questions, but she didn’t care about any of that now.
She wanted his bare skin pressed against hers, the weight of his body above her.
She already knew how delicious he would feel.
Urgent fingers tugged at their clothing, tossing them haphazardly aside on the floor. Neither of them cared, intent only on getting as close as humanly possible.
His head dipped, his tongue tracing her nipple before moving to the other side to give equal treatment.
She writhed underneath him, her nails digging into the skin of his arms. His name escaped from her lips, and it seemed to arouse him further, his hard length pressing against the softness of her belly.
When she’d been younger, she’d been shy and tentative with lovemaking. She truly hadn’t known what she was doing, and was terrified of “doing it” wrong. She’d been rather passive, afraid to give in to her own strong desires.
At this point in her life, she had a bit more experience, and there was no way she could stop herself from touching Tate, too.
Her fingertips slid up his arms and over his wide shoulders before taking a trail down his ribcage.
His skin and body, so different than her own, fascinated her completely.
She wanted to know every inch of it, burn the images and emotions into her brain so she could call them up decades from now and remember it all.
Pressing her lips to his stubbled jaw, she could taste the tang of salt on her tongue even as she breathed in his heady scent.
Her deep need for this man should have deeply shocked her, even scared her, but it all seemed right and natural.
Perhaps the universe had always known that they’d end up together.
It was only Tate and she who hadn’t had a clue. A couple of oblivious idiots.
Tate’s lips traveled down her torso, dipping a tongue into her belly button and dropping butterfly kisses onto her hips before gently pushing her thighs apart.
Oh. This. They hadn’t done this before. They’d done plenty of exploring, but not this.
With the first touch of his mouth and tongue, Cat’s world shattered into a million pieces, the shards dancing in the firelight as fireworks exploded in her brain, short-circuiting any lucid thought she might have had.
She could only feel. That was it. Nothing else.
“Tate, now.”
She barely recognized her own voice, as if a stranger were pleading with him. But there were only the two of them, and he seemed to understand her raw urgency.
“Are you ready for me, Kitty Cat?”
He hovered above her, his weight on his hands as he looked down at her with such a tender expression it almost made her want to cry. How on earth had she gone so long without him?
“Yes. Now.”
Her hands tugged him closer, his cock nudging at her entrance. Wrapping her legs around his lean hips, she closed her eyes in bliss as he slid into the hilt, rubbing at deliciously sensitive spots on the way.
Like two pieces of a puzzle, they fit together perfectly.
Tate paused for a moment, bending his head to give her a breathtaking kiss, his tongue delicately tracing her lips before capturing them with his own.
They began to move together, awkward and unsure at first, but eventually found the right rhythm. Their gazes locked as his strokes sped up, neither one of them wanting to look away for even a second. She didn’t want to miss a moment of his expression as he moved closer to orgasm.
Her own climax was building again, a coil of arousal tightening in her abdomen with every thrust. At one point, he slightly changed angles, and it was sweeter than she’d ever known it could be.
“Yes, there. Tate, yes,” she chanted between pants of breath. It was simply far too good to last, though. She was so close, and she could feel Tate tensing as well, his body rigid. “Yes, faster.”
The temperature in the room felt like a sauna, and a fine sheen of sweat covered their skin. Cat opened her mouth to urge him on further, but instead her climax slammed into her, leaving her speechless with its force and intensity.
Forcing her eyelids open, she watched as Tate’s orgasm had him throwing his head back, the veins on his neck standing out in sharp relief. It didn’t seem possible, but he was even more sexy and gorgeous than she’d ever seen him before.
His teeth snapped together and his jaw tight, she heard her name spoken softly right before his head dropped and he collapsed onto the bed, pulling her into his side.
Everything had changed. There was no going back, only forward. If it didn’t work out with Tate, she didn’t have any idea what she was going to do.
Cat listened to the steady rhythm of Tate's heartbeat, feeling the rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek.
The room was quiet now, save for the soft crackling of the fire and the gentle patter of rain against the window.
The storm outside had subsided, much like the one that had raged between them moments before.
She couldn't help but smile at the thought, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on his skin.
Tate's arm tightened around her, pulling her closer as if he feared she might slip away.
His lips pressed against the top of her head, lingering there in a soft kiss.
She could feel his breath, warm and steady, against her hair.
There was a comfort in his embrace, a sense of belonging that she hadn't felt in years.
"I've missed this," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've missed you, Tate."
She could still taste him on her lips, still feel the echo of his touch on her body.
"I never want to lose this again," Tate said, his voice a low rumble in his chest. She could feel the vibrations against her cheek, his words resonating deep within her. "I love you, Cat. I always have. I’ve been lying to myself for too long, and I don’t want to do it anymore. I don't want to waste more time. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since we’ve been apart, is that life is too short. "
Her heart swelled at his words, a warmth spreading through her that had nothing to do with the fire or their lovemaking. Any fear about making her own declaration flew from her mind. There was a deep sense of safety with Tate she’d never known with anyone else, and frankly, hadn’t expected to find.
“I love you, too. I’ve never stopped thinking about you,” she replied, her voice thick with emotion, the blood roaring in her ears. There was no going back from this. She’d said it, and she couldn’t deny it later. “This is crazy. I’ve only just come home, and now we’re in love. What happens next?”
Cat didn’t want to take it back in the morning. She wanted to make it work with this man. Finally, they’d grown up enough to make it happen. They hadn’t been mature enough in the past.
“We sleep,” Tate said with a lazy grin, winding a strand of hair around his finger. “And in the morning, we start thinking about what we want our life to be. Our life , Kitty Cat. We start making each other important.”
He made it sound so simple. Could love truly be that easy? She wasn’t sure, but she had something she hadn’t had even a week ago.
Hope.