The fault was with him, and the pain in Liv’s voice was his punishment. He shook his head and refused to look at her. ‘Get out of the shower, Liv.’ His voice had acquired an edge and now he turned his back on her.
A muscle jumped in his jaw as the shower door slammed. The bathroom door slammed too. Straightening up, he shook the water out of his eyes. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel. He’d done the right thing. Liv thought sex was a destination when he knew it was just the start of the journey. And he wasn’t ready for a relationship with anyone yet, and maybe he never would be. He thought too much of Liv to lead her on.
Rough-drying his hair, he hooked a clean rugby shirt out of the laundry cupboard and pulled it on. Securing the belt on his jeans, he rammed his feet into trainers and left the room. He was halfway through the door to his gym when he heard the spa bath running across the landing in the other bathroom. He couldn’t resist opening the door just a crack. He had to make sure she had everything she needed, he told himself, though the real reason was he couldn’t bear to be apart from her. Leaning against the door frame, he called her name. She couldn’t hear him with the water rumbling. It made him smile to think she had stubbornly carried right on with their plans. He pulled away, meaning to shut the door quietly and leave her to it. That was what he should have done, but there were only so many times he could tell himself he wasn’t good for Liv and stay away…
Kicking off his shoes, he padded barefoot across the room. He had expected anger when she saw him, but instead she looked at him with such understanding in her eyes a heavy beat of emotion caught him unawares. ‘Liv, I’m sorry—’
‘What are you sorry for?’
Instead of finding fault she held out her hands to welcome him.
When she saw Cade, Liv’s heart had swelled with emotion. She was so relieved he had come back to her. And now…a naked Cade had never failed to take her breath away. There wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t tanned and fit and hard, and yet he was completely unaware of how beautiful he was. Even the savage mutilation of the scars only made him seem more human, more vulnerable, more earthy and real to her. Turning her face to the ceiling and closing her eyes, she sank lower in the foaming water. Knowing the turmoil in his head, she wanted to make it easy for him by not crowding him. But she couldn’t remain inactive for long, and soon she was stealing glances to see his eyes were closed, his mouth was firm—so what was he thinking? She tried to concentrate on breathing steadily and forget how much she wanted him, but having Cade beside her was like having a powerful engine ticking over, and she longed to throw it into gear. She didn’t resist the temptation for long.
‘Hey!’ he exclaimed, brushing a hand across his eyes when she splashed him.
‘Just checking you’re awake.’
‘I’m not likely to go to sleep with you around, am I?’ His black gaze scorched her, and so she splashed him some more, screaming with excitement when Cade launched himself across the tub.
‘You need some firm discipline, young lady.’
‘Oh, yes, please,’ she teased him, laughing into his face with relief as Cade’s tension unravelled and he bound her arms with his.
It wasn’t easy to hold onto her, not while she was covered in soapsuds, but the struggle was a pleasant one. He hadn’t played like this for…for ever? She slipped away from him like a graceful seal, and it was fun bumping and colliding until he brought her back into his arms again. ‘Promise me you’ll stay still for a moment so you don’t hurt yourself.’
‘What’s my reward, if I agree?’ she asked him boldly, staring deep into his eyes.
‘I’ll hold back on the discipline,’ he said lightly.
She broke away from him. ‘That’s no fun.’ And then she started splashing him again.
He was tempted to show her just how much fun he could be, but he remembered his good intentions just in time. ‘What have I told you about provoking men?’
‘You’re different.’
‘And you’re so sure about that?’
Sitting on the ledge beneath the water, she stared at him levelly. ‘I’m absolutely certain, or I wouldn’t be here, and neither would you…’
They rested for a moment, and then he splashed her. By the time he caught her to him they had managed to flood the bathroom quite comprehensively and Liv was shrieking with excitement. ‘Hey, that’s enough now,’ he told her, bringing her back into his arms to calm her down. As she rested her head against his shoulders it was hard for him not to feel complete, and when she turned her face up to him he kissed her…gently at first, teasing her with his firm, hard mouth, and then deeply, passionately, with the whole of his being engaged.
When Cade released her and relaxed against the side of the tub she had her own personal man mountain to play with. She traced the contours of his mouth with the tip of her tongue, and when he leaned his head back she rasped her tongue against the stubble on his neck. His ears were next…strong, man ears—firm and tanned ears, with luscious ear lobes for her to nibble on. ‘Do you think it’s possible to be intoxicated by each other?’ she murmured when Cade brought her into the cradle of his arms. ‘Just wondering,’ she said, not wanting to distract him for too long from kissing her again.
His soul fired as his body stirred. His reasoning mind shut down as he kissed Liv, and with it all the warnings he had given himself about not doing this. All he knew was he wanted her and she wanted him. Was that a problem?
Having swathed her in towels, Cade carried her through to his bedroom. The room was decorated boldly, with good plain furniture and a solid oak floor. The bed was huge, the sheets crisp and white, and the throw looked like a genuine Peruvian weave in subtle earth colours. He tossed it back and laid her down on the firm mattress. She slipped beneath a cool linen sheet that smelled faintly of fresh air and good quality soap. She exhaled sharply with anticipation when Cade shed his towel and joined her in the bed. His body was an invitation to sin, and when he pulled her close the clash of their warm bodies and the cool sheets was like nothing she’d ever felt before.
‘Lesson five,’ Cade teased. His lips curved in a smile against her mouth.
‘What’s that?’
‘Sex in bed—for a change.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CADE sank into Liv without foreplay. This was something they both needed badly. They moved together like lovers who had known each other for ever, giving and taking in a straightforward hunt for reassurance and release. After the edge had been taken off her hunger he tugged the pillows to arrange them beneath her head. Bringing her into his arms, he teased her, brushing her mouth lightly with his lips, until finally he kissed her deeply, tenderly, as if she were the most precious thing on earth to him.
Tracing the lines of Cade’s powerful shoulders, Liv learned the road map of muscle and scar tissue; the soft, hard, irregularity of him—all of it seemed perfect to her.
He kissed his way down Liv’s body, lingering self-indulgently at certain points…the nape of her neck, the fragrant insides of her elbows, and then, finally, her breasts. She had the most beautiful breasts. Full and soft like peaches, they were blessed with rose pink nipples that always proved so responsive to his touch. He caressed her until she begged for more, writhing beneath him as if she couldn’t wait a moment longer.
It was hard to believe they had taken and enjoyed so much pleasure and yet they still wanted more. ‘Patience,’ he murmured when she bucked beneath him. He wanted to make an experience Liv would always remember for the right reasons.
Incredibly she was on fire for him again. She’d had no idea how many erogenous zones existed on her body until Cade showed her the possibilities. She had never guessed hands like his could possess the subtlety and skills of a concert pianist. Cade was so big in every way, and yet so sensitive to her needs. Throwing back the sheet, he slipped a pillow beneath her hips and she gasped when her thighs parted so naturally. As Cade moved over her she feasted her gaze on his naked body. To have all th
at power and strength at her disposal was a thrill she would never become used to—because she would never have the chance—
Sensing her sudden tension, Cade stopped. She reached up to run her fingertips over the wide spread of his chest, and, remembering his lesson about the senses, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the erotic dream. Cade dropped kisses on her lips, and when he stroked her the pleasure rippled and grew until finally it came to lodge in pulsing pleasure beats between her legs.
He moved away again. Sitting back on his haunches, he stared down at her. She was boldly displayed for him and made no attempt to cover herself. It was as if all the barriers between them had been removed. Reaching out, Cade worked a magic spell with one hand that left her mouth slack and her eyes glazed with pleasure. The urge for him to finish it quickly was overwhelming her.
‘Relax,’ he said. ‘It will be so much better if you do…’
She was almost there when he stopped. ‘What are you doing?’ she said with concern. As he reached inside the bedside drawer she knew. ‘Let me do that…I want to…’
‘Why don’t I help you?’ Cade suggested.
‘No…’ She brushed his hand away. ‘Have you forgotten I’m a nurse?’
‘I haven’t forgotten anything you told me.’
A rush of feelings swept over Liv as her nimble fingers completed the task. She didn’t want to read anything into what Cade had said, but that didn’t stop the emotion being so strong she gasped.