Casual Encounter: The Complete Series Box Set (25 page)

“Desperately,” Jason said with a laugh. He reached across the table and placed his hand on top of mine. “I took the liberty of pouring you a second glass of wine. I hope that was okay.”

“More than okay,” I answered honestly. I used my free hand to pick up my glass and take a drink. Just because I'd decided to go through with this didn't mean taking the edge off with some wine wasn't a good idea.

Jason picked up the conversation where we'd left off and I fell back into it. This time, however, instead of keeping up just enough to not be rude, I engaged in the interaction. I laughed and teased, remembering all of the ways Adelle and Mindy had gotten guys over the years. I kept making excuses to touch his hand, his arm. I even brushed my foot against his a few times, eliciting a flare of heat in his dark eyes.

He really was quite good-looking, I thought as he told me about a trip he'd taken with Habitat for Humanity. He had a solid job, did charity work, and could hold an intelligent conversation. And, best of all, he was a virtual stranger who didn't live near me, which meant whatever happened here wasn't in danger of spilling over into my real life.

Our plates were empty and I saw the waiter coming toward us. It was now or never time because once the waiter got here, he'd ask if we wanted dessert or the check. It was the deciding moment of where the rest of the evening would go.

“I have a room – a suite actually – at the Windsor Arms.” I hoped Jason couldn't tell how nervous I was. I didn't want him to think this was my first time inviting a man back to my room. “What do you say we head back there for dessert?” I gave him a sly smile. “Room service has quite a selection.”

He didn't even look at the waiter as he said, “Check, please.”

Jason was a complete gentleman as he hailed a cab and opened the door. I kept my hands folded on my lap, unsure what to do with them. I didn't know how this transition worked, how to get from date to bed. Jason continued the small talk we'd made at dinner as if we really were intending to just share some pie or cake and then call it a night.

When we reached the hotel, he extended a hand to help me out of the cab and then kept hold of it as we walked into the lobby. My heart was racing as I led Jason toward the elevators. I was really going to do this.

“You know,” Jason said suddenly. “I think maybe I need a little taste of dessert.”

He used my hand to pull me against him and bent his head to kiss me. His mouth was hard against mine as he parted my lips with his tongue. I tried to give myself over to him, to enjoy the way his tongue was exploring my mouth, but part of my mind was protesting at such a thorough kiss in public. Then I felt his hand on my breast, cupping and squeezing through the dress. I grabbed his wrist without breaking the kiss and brought both of our hands down to our sides. I was in charge, in control. That was the point of this entire exercise.

Jason broke the kiss but didn't step back. His eyes gleamed as he walked me backwards until my back was against the wall. The elevator next to me dinged open, but Jason made no move for us to enter. The hand I had restrained twisted and now my wrist was in his grasp. I frowned. This wasn't how Cade behaved when he was forcing me out of my comfort zone. I trusted Cade. I didn't trust Jason. I didn’t trust this.

“What's wrong?” he asked, dragging my hand between us. He pressed it against his crotch. “Don't you want to give the other guests a bit of a show?”

“No,” I said firmly. “I'm not into that.” I yanked my hands free and pushed against his chest. He barely moved. “I think we need to call it a night.”

He scowled. “I don't think so.” He pushed his hips against mine so that I could feel his cock hard against my stomach. “You can't just make promises and not deliver.”

My temper flared. I'd had enough of men telling me what I could and couldn't do. “Get the hell off of me!” I pushed at his chest again, but he had the leverage to keep himself from moving.

“Cocktease!”

All of the good humor vanished from his face and I found myself wondering why no one was coming to help me. I knew there were guests around, but were we hidden enough from view that no one could see what was happening?

I jerked my knee up, but Jason shifted at the last moment, taking the blow against his thigh. He pulled back, his hand coming down before I could register it heading my way. The slap caught me across the cheek with enough force to snap my head back. I cried out, more from shock than the pain. My eyes filled with tears as the sting quickly followed.

Jason glared down at me, his face red. “You little bitch!” He raised his hand again and I tried to remember the self-defense moves I'd learned in college.

A hand wrapped around Jason's wrist and he was spun around, just as a fist connected with his jaw. I silently cheered as the creep’s head swung to the side then Jason stumbled backward, and I saw Cade swing again. This time, the blow was accompanied by a crunch as bone yielded to the blow, followed immediately by a shriek of pain.

Cade stepped in front of me, but not before I saw his face. Gone was his usual calm demeanor. He was enraged as he spat in Jason’s face, “Get out of here before I seriously fuck you up.”

My eyes widened. I'd heard Cade's voice with an edge before, but I never imagined he could sound so fierce. He meant it, there was no doubt and I wondered if that was the real man behind the mask. I couldn't stop myself from flinching as he turned toward me and a flash of pain went across his face. He reached out and took my arm, pulling me to his side.

“Come on,” he said, looking around. “We don't want to make any more of a scene than we already have.” He led me away from the elevators, carefully stepping over the drops of blood on the pale tile.

There were people moving toward us, hotel guests and a few people I assumed were security. Before I could get a good look at any of them, Cade ducked through a doorway, taking me with him.

“Sir, we're not open–” A young man hurried toward us.

“Here.” Cade stretched out his free hand, a bill folded between his fingers. “We just want some privacy.”

The young man looked at me, and I saw doubt cross his face. I could only imagine how we looked. My cheek had to be red and I could feel it starting to swell. Cade's knuckles were bloody and neither one of us looked very happy.

“I'm fine,” I said and forced a smile. “I had a misunderstanding with someone who didn't take it well.” I jerked my chin at Cade. “He protected me.”

The young man nodded. “This way.”

We followed him through what I now realized was the Courtyard Cafe. It was light and airy, the kind of place I would've enjoyed coming for a light meal. The young man motioned to a table that was tucked behind a heavy curtain. It would shield us from view of anyone who might happen to glance in here.

“Cade,” I asked as I took a seat. “Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?” Cade let out a bitter laugh. “Are you kidding me?” He pulled his chair around until we were just a few inches apart. He reached toward my cheek, stopping just before his fingertips touched it.

“Thank you,” I said. “For what you did, but why are we hiding in here? We didn't do anything wrong?”

Cade dropped his hand and I saw it was shaking. I met his eyes and saw the storm still raging inside. “We're hiding because I'm not sure if I want to report him to the police or go find him and beat the shit out of him.”

I put my hands over his; something in my stomach twisting as his hands jerked under the touch. He was almost more rattled by what happened than I was. “I'm okay,” I said softly. “We can just let it go.”

“Let it go?” Cade's hands curled into fists. “Sure. Just forget it ever happened. Put it behind us until it happens again and again.”

His voice was shaking and, with a start, I realized it wasn't just from anger. What happened triggered something in Cade, something he'd hidden for a long time.

“It's my fault,” he said. His expression was raw and open as he looked at me. “I'm so sorry, Aubree. I didn't know he was that kind of man. I should've seen it. Stopped him.”

“You couldn't have known,” I said.

He shook his head. “I should have. I spent seventeen years watching a man like him charm my mother one minute and beat her the next.”

My hands tightened over his, but I didn't make a sound.

“She married the abusive bastard when he knocked her up with me. And she stayed with him because she loved him.”

The anger and bitterness he put into that single word made me wince.

“Stayed with him and loved him right until he beat her to death for burning dinner.”

“Oh, Cade.” My heart broke.

“I couldn't stop him. I tried, but he beat me up and locked me in a closet. I listened to her scream and beg him to stop. Every time she told him she loved him, he hit her harder.” Cade shuddered, his head dropping. “By the time I broke through the door, he was gone and she was dead.”

I put my hands on Cade's cheeks and raised his head until we were face-to-face. I didn't try to tell him that it wasn't his fault. He'd heard it a million times, I was sure, and he'd never believe it, no matter who said it. I did the only thing I could do. I gave him a distraction, something he could lose himself in.

I covered his mouth with mine, teasing at his lips with my tongue. I felt him stiffen in surprise for a moment before he took what I offered. His arms wrapped around my waist as my tongue slid into his mouth. I kissed him to forget what happened to me. To help him forget what he'd been through. I kissed him because my heart was aching for him and it was the only form of comfort I could offer for us both.

When I broke the kiss, his hands flexed on my back and I saw desire in his eyes. I stood and held out my hand. “Come on,” I said quietly. “Let's go to bed.”

Chapter 2

We managed to avoid the crowd still gathering around the spot where the fight had occurred. The ride to our floor was silent, but this was different from other moments of quiet between the two of us. Something had shifted, at least for the moment, and I wasn't going to risk breaking it. I doubted it would last, but I was going to enjoy what I had as long as I had it.

I led the way off the elevator and down the hall, and I was the one who unlocked the door. This whole thing with his past had taken something out of Cade. I kicked off my shoes and urged Cade to do the same. We walked back toward my bedroom and, once inside, I took charge.

The shirt came off first. Cade lifted his arms like a little boy and allowed me to pull it over his head. He looked down at me as I tossed the shirt on the floor and reached up to brush his hair away from his eyes. For a moment, I almost forgot that this was business, that while I might have been offering him my body for comfort, it was, at most, a friendly gesture.

I looked down at his chest, running my hands over the solid muscle, exploring the dips and curves. I scraped my nails over his nipples and he hissed. The darker flesh wrinkled and I bent my head to cover it with my mouth. Cade moaned as I sucked on his nipple and I ran my hands up and down his back, enjoying the feel of his smooth skin. I flicked my tongue across the tip and dropped my hands to his ass, squeezing the firm muscles until I felt one of Cade's hands in my hair. I bit down on his nipple.

“Fuck, Aubree!”

Cade's body jerked and I smiled. When he pushed down on my head, I let him guide me to my knees. I wasn't sure if he was completely taking control back, but as long as I got what I wanted, I didn't care. I tugged down his pants and boxer briefs together and he stepped out of them, leaving him gloriously naked. I ran my hands up his calves, then his thighs, until I was right at the level he wanted me.

I looked up at him through my lashes and he tugged on my curls, an encouragement to take the thick shaft in front of me into my mouth. I gave him a wicked grin and darted out my tongue, licking along his full length, then stopping. He applied pressure to my head again and, this time, I shook my head.

His eyes darkened and something low and deep inside me twisted. It wasn't until that moment I realized what I'd been doing without even knowing it. I wanted him to be in control because that's what he needed. I needed to be what he needed. And at this moment, it wasn't slow, gentle lovemaking that would help him. And it definitely wasn't what I wanted either.

Something flickered across his eyes and he touched the cheek Jason had hit. I could see the question in his eyes. He needed to know I understood the difference between what Jason had done and what Cade wanted to do to me. My pussy throbbed in response and there was no doubt in my mind that I knew the difference. And I wanted what Cade had. I nodded, letting him read the desire in my eyes. I couldn't let him see the emotion behind it, but the lust…that I could allow.

Something clicked in Cade's face and he was back. He took half a step closer to me and let the tip of his cock brush against my lips, but I didn't open my mouth. He tugged on my hair, half pulling me to my feet. I caught my breath at the heat in his eyes and then he was pulling my dress over my head.

He made a sound in the back of his throat as he saw what I'd been wearing underneath. The black lace was so sheer that my nipples were clearly visible, as was my freshly waxed pussy.

“You were wearing this for him?” The question came out in a near growl and my stomach flipped at the possessive undercurrent I could hear. I didn't let myself read too much into it. That was dangerous territory.

“I wore it for whoever got to undress me.” The words didn't come out quite as cocky as I'd meant them to, but I knew he got the gist of what I meant. I slowly turned, letting him see the way the back of the garment exposed most of my back and barely covered my ass.

“Bend over.”

I didn't even consider disobeying. I knew what was coming. I put my hands on the edge of the bed and planted my feet shoulder-length apart. I shivered when Cade's hand ran over my ass, but it was all anticipation.

“You disobeyed me,” Cade's voice was soft, but far from gentle. “Do you think you should be punished for that?”

I nodded, then yelped as his hand came down on my ass.