Back for You (10 page)

It was all very frustrating. Nothing he said or did changed anything. Not
even when he’d let her know about his hopes to write a book about his
experiences as a reporter. Or that there was a strong possibility he’d be teaching
journalism at the local college next semester. As far as he could tell, he was
still at square one with her.

Although, on more than one occasion he saw flashes of an emotion cross
her features he couldn’t quite nail down. He hoped it was a positive emotion
rather than a negative one but he had no idea.

Last night, the final step in his plans for this morning had fallen into
place when he’d let Thea leave early for the first time. Instead of wearing her
out with sex to lure her into spending the night, he’d feigned sleep, letting
her escape his bed to go back to her own place. Just like she’d tried to do
every other night they’d been together. It had the double benefit of letting
her think she’d won another round, and it suited his purposes. She had no idea
that he’d followed her to make sure she got home safe.

This morning, he’d picked up the last of the things he needed for their
outing and was ready to take her away for what he hoped would be a charming
breakfast picnic.

Only time would tell if he’d pulled it off or not.

*

Thea stumbled, and clung tighter to Cain’s arm. “This is ridiculous. Why
do I have to wear this stupid blindfold?”

A chuckle rumbled from Cain’s chest. “Patience really isn’t your strong
suit, is it?”

She groused. “You try tripping around, not being able to see where you’re
going, and see how much you like it.”

“Stop griping. We’re almost there.”

She could hear the smile in his voice and gritted her teeth. So he found
it amusing, did he? She’d find a way to get back at him for this. Being
blindfolded wasn’t any fun for the blindfoldee. Well, not unless it was in the
bedroom.

For a split second her mind shot over to the titillating possibilities
that thought conjured until she stumbled again, reminding her she’d better
concentrate on putting one foot ahead of the other if she didn’t want to twist
her ankle.

“Almost
where
?” Good grief, she sounded like a whining child, but
she couldn’t help it. Cain refused to tell her where they were going and it was
driving her nuts. All she knew was that they hadn’t driven too far in the car, which
told her next to nothing.

“If I told you it, wouldn’t be much of a surprise, now would it?”

She tried not to growl at him. “You do remember I’m not a big fan of
surprises, don’t you?”

“Yep.” His tone was definitely amused.

“Bastard.” She’d tried to put some snark into her voice but there was no
real bite to it. She was more intrigued than annoyed, and this was supposed to
be a nice thing he was doing for her. It wasn’t his fault she didn’t like
surprises all that much.

She sighed and turned her attention back to her footing. And then she
heard it. The soothing sound of burbling water getting louder with each step
she took.

Ah ha!
“I know where we are.”

She dropped his arm and ripped off the blindfold, confirming her
suspicions. Yep. He’d brought her to their favorite picnic spot. “Oh Cain, I
love it here.”

She’d forgotten just how much. Her gaze drank in the grassy, well-shaded
area they were in.

Tourists went to the parks around the main falls Forsythia Falls was famous for, but the locals preferred to come here. It was quieter, with a lot less
people, and being a ways up-river it was well off the beaten track. Unless you
knew the small back roads route to get here, you’d never find it.

Despite the fact that this section of river only had a few successive
foot-high drops, it was well worth the effort to locate. They may not have had
the spectacular tourist appeal of the main falls twenty foot drop, but they
were lovely.

Thea sighed in deep satisfaction. It was a gorgeous, already-hot
mid-morning. Very few people were around this early on a Sunday morning which
was just the way Thea liked it. The ones who had come were sitting on picnic
tables or blankets laid out along the river’s edge.

Quiet. Peaceful. Perfect.

She’d forgotten just how beautiful it was here. “I haven’t come here in
forever.”

In point of fact, the last time had been with Cain. Somehow, she hadn’t
wanted to return since. Probably because of the bittersweet memories that lurked
in every part of this area.

Cain carried a folded blanket and a picnic basket in his other hand, but
with his free hand he enfolded hers and squeezed. “Me either. Not since the
last time we were here together.”

Her gaze shot to his. “You remembered.”

Their eyes locked. “Of course, I remember. I remember everything about
us.”

For a long moment she couldn’t look away, unable to ignore the old
feelings she thought she’d buried long ago.

Never breaking eye-contact, he brought their clasped fingers to his mouth
and kissed the back of her hand. Sincerity radiated off of him, making her
forget, making her believe, making something deep inside of her melt with the
wonder of it.

Shaken by an unexpected surge of emotion, she looked away, not wanting
Cain to see it. Her mind warred with her heart, reason warred with emotion,
what she knew warred with what she felt. How could this have happened? And so
quickly? It had taken years to build up her defensive walls and it had taken no
time at all for Cain to tear them all down.

She would never have believed it of herself, but it seemed that when it
came to Cain she was a complete pushover. She didn’t even have enough brains or
self-preservation to run.

She chastised herself for her foolishness as they headed to ‘their spot’.
It was at the far end of the picnic area, a little off to the side, hidden by
bushes and rocks that were difficult to get past, which was why it was unused
by most people. But it was well worth the effort to get to. The view of the
river and falls was great, and best of all, because the grass wasn’t cut, there
was a proliferation of wild flowers in that area. As far as Thea was concerned,
the wildness of it was the best part.

Cain set the picnic basket down. “It’s just like I remember.”

“Yeah. The trees and bushes have grown some but otherwise it’s the same.”
If only everything between them was still the same too. Before the hurt and the
heartache and the years apart had done its damage.

As if wanting to distract her from her thoughts, he shook out the
blanket. “Give me a hand.”

 Together they placed it on the ground and straightened the edges.

“I hope you’re hungry.” He set the basket on top of the blanket.

“Famished. What did you bring?”

He knelt and opened the basket, releasing the most incredible aroma of
fresh-baked goods. “We’ve got fresh croissants from Mama Biggs Bakery.”

She knelt to get a better whiff. “Oh God. Really? Those are my favorite.”

He started pulling out food. “I also have her famous cherry jam, some
cream cheese and a couple of her to-die-for Cinnamon Swirls. There’s also some
fruit salad and fresh cherries.” With a flourish, he lifted out two thermoses.
“And we can’t have breakfast without coffee.”

Overcome by his thoughtfulness, Thea blinked back tears. If she wasn’t
careful, Cain would turn her into a sentimental sap. And then something
occurred to her. She poked through the basket looking for his much-beloved
bacon. “You only brought
my
favorites. Where are yours?”

“This is your treat. I wanted to spoil you a little bit. Of course,
bringing bacon and eggs would have been a bit awkward on a picnic.”

“But why? You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

He took her hand, brought it up to his mouth and kissed the backs of her
fingers with a soft brush of his warm lips. “Do you really have to ask?”

“I guess I do.”

His other hand sandwiched hers between his. “I want to show you how
special you are to me. I was a fool to give up what we had and I’ve regretted
it ever since. More than you can imagine. I want you to know that.”

She studied him, looking for some sign he was just saying what she wanted
to hear, but his earnestness was clear. “I must be losing my mind, but I
believe you.”

“Believe it. I know you want this thing between us to be just about sex,
but it’s never been just about sex for me. Not ten years ago and not now. I
love you. I always have. And I want you back.”

Panic fluttered in her breast. She was
not
ready for this. “I
don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. I just want you to be clear on where I stand. I
don’t expect anything from you. Let’s just enjoy the beautiful morning together
and have our breakfast.”

Fear made her want to run, but she fought back the rising inclination,
and after a few moments, she took a deep breath and nodded her agreement.
“Okay. I can do that.”

Cain smiled, clearly pleased. He let go of her hand and finished setting
up their picnic.

She watched as he set out plates and cutlery, then poured them each a mug
of aromatic coffee before handing her one. She took a blissful, and much-needed
sip, working to look calmer on the outside than she really felt.

It wasn’t that any of what he’d just said was news to her because he’d
essentially already told her the same thing before. What was different was the
way she felt, especially after the accumulation of small gestures he’d made since
he’d come back to town. Little things that let her know he cared, that he’d
paid attention, hadn’t forgotten anything. Things that made her believe he was
sincere in his feelings for her.

Things that were very dangerous for her to believe. That she couldn’t
allow herself to believe for fear of losing her heart to him all over again.

Something she worried was already too late to stop.

Resolving to just enjoy the day and deal with her feelings later, she
gradually relaxed, idly enjoying the gorgeous view of the landscape, and of
Cain sipping his coffee as he watched the water tripping down the river.

They chatted about mutual friends, what they’d been up to since he left.
He’d also satisfied her curiosity about what he’d been doing around town since
he came back, and how much he’d enjoyed working with his hands again. As they
talked, his sexy mouth drew her gaze time and again, his soft yet firm lips
pulling her in. It wasn’t long before she found herself wanting to kiss that
mouth in the worst way. To feel the heat of his skin against hers, wrap herself
around him and touch him everywhere. But they were in a public place.

And then it hit her. Wasn’t he the one who was tantalized by the idea of
having sex in a public place? She wouldn’t go that far, but there was no reason
she couldn’t indulge herself a bit.

Hiding a grin, she snatched a flakey croissant out of the paper bag. Its light,
buttery goodness almost sent her into orgasmic ecstasies, but even that
couldn’t distract her for long. Soon, she was contemplating her options. Although,
she was somewhat limited by where they were, there were still some interesting possibilities
that would keep things focused on sex.

She fed him morsels of food, sensually licking off her fingers, teasing
the inside of his thigh with her foot, touching him in intimate places every
chance she got, stealing kisses she made sure turned him on as much as they did
her.

It went very well for the most part. More than once she caught him
clenching his jaw, fisting his hands, growling at her in warning, but that was
all part of the fun.

Of course, by the time they finished their meal, she was every bit as turned
on and frustrated as he was.

Before long, she was forced to point out the obvious. “We need to get out
of here.”

She ran her hand up the inside of his thigh, surreptitiously petting his
balls through the fabric of his jeans until he growled out a ‘let’s go’, his
eyes smoldering their desperate agreement.

They made it back to his room in record time.

The door slammed shut as Cain wedged Thea up against it in his efforts to
kiss her more deeply.

Tongues dueled for dominance, hands fought to remove clothing, urgency
rode them hard.

He popped her breasts out of her halter top and filled his hands with
their bounty. He nipped her lobe. “This doesn’t change anything you know. It
still isn’t just about sex.”

She threw his shirt over his shoulder. “Whatever you say.”

Seconds later his jeans dropped to the floor and she reached inside his
boxer-briefs. The jolt spiked through him as his steely-hard cock surged into
her soft, eager hands.

He groaned and dropped his forehead against hers in an effort to gain
control of himself. “It’s about how we feel about each other.”

She cupped his balls while she started pumping his cock in her fist. “Uh
huh.”

He choked out a desperate laugh. “You really aren’t listening to a word
I’m saying right now, are you?”

She bit his nipple. “Are you still talking?”

His eyes crossed, it felt
so
good. “I guess you just want me to
fuck you right now.”

“Guessed it in one, big boy.”

She ran her thumb across the top of his weeping cock, the electrical
shock of it racing up his spine. His knees almost gave out and he growled in
bliss. “
Fuck.
You win. This round goes to you.”

He dropped to his knees, dragging her shorts and underwear down her long,
sexy legs as he went. After helping her step out of them, he placed her foot on
his shoulder, giving him primo access to her already wet pussy.

Like a starved man, he licked and sucked her folds, working her channel
with his fingers, until she writhed in ecstasy. When he sucked hard on her
clitoris, she screamed, coming hard with unexpected speed. She never ceased to enthrall
and amaze him.