Mad, Bad and Blonde (28 page)

“I thought they forbade you from attending,” Megan said.

Sure easy for her to make a comment like that. Aunt Lorraine wasn’t her aunt.

“That was a misunderstanding.” Lorraine gave Megan a vulture glare. “Why are you here with your father? You couldn’t find a man either, Megan?”

“You know what?” Faith stood. “I’ve had enough.”

The older woman sniffed her disapproval. “I should hope you would have had enough of picking losers.”

“I’ve had enough of you, Aunt Lorraine,” Faith said. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m leaving now.”

Megan said, “I’d join you, but I have my eye on a couple of silent auction items that haven’t come up yet.”

Faith glanced over her shoulder to see Caine seated at the table with his gorgeous coworker hanging on his arm and almost drooling over him.

She’d once told Caine that she wasn’t a Marine, and therefore she didn’t march, but she did march right out of that ballroom, head held high, shoulders back, posture perfect. She didn’t look left or right. She just kept going.

She’d reached the cab line when Caine suddenly appeared by her side. “I told you to wait for me.”

“I don’t take orders from you. I don’t take orders from anyone. You got that?” She bounced her index finger off his sternum.

He lifted her hand and kissed it.

His romantic gesture caught her off guard. Usually he moved in like a commanding warrior, seducing and conquering.

“Having a bad night?”

She nodded.

“Let’s see if I can’t make it better.” He guided her into the cab and slid in beside her. He gave the driver her address and then turned to look at her in the darkness. A second later he was kissing her.

He began slowly for a change. He seductively nibbled at the corner of her mouth, the fullness of her lower lip. He was wooing her and doing a damn fine job of it too. No Austen hero could have done it better.

Cupping her face with his hands, he made her feel treasured. Made her feel special. Made her feel wanted. Made her want him even more.

She parted her lips, inviting him in, and he increased the intimacy of their kiss. He slowly explored with a talented gentleness that sensitized every touch point from the tip of her tongue to the roof of her mouth.

Meanwhile he slid one hand through her hair while his other hand stealthily found the slit in her dress and moved up her thigh to rub her feminine mound through the silk of her sheer underwear. The need grew inside her, doubling time and time again, until it exploded out of control. She clutched his crisp shirt in her fists as she was swept away by everything. Suddenly she was horizontal on the backseat of the cab, his tautly aroused body pressed against hers.

His mouth consumed hers—hot and wild. Gone was his earlier slow approach. Now the kiss was all about escalating passion.

Caine traced her cleavage with his fingertip before freeing her right breast from the captivity of her strapless dress. He brushed his thumb over her nipple, then lowered his head. His darkly erotic tongue-lashing made her womb weep with pleasure.

Gasping his name, she tilted her head back and banged it on the cab’s door handle. The pain brought her to her senses. Wiggling out from beneath him, she hurriedly stuffed her naked breast back into her dress.

“We are not having sex in the back of a cab,” she said.

“Right.” He moved away slowly, reluctantly, to the far corner of the seat.

As the cab came to a halt in front of her building, she turned to face Caine. “Would you like to come up with me?”

Caine leapt out of the cab and quickly tugged her out before shoving a handful of bills through the open window at the cabbie.

They sprinted to the elevator, which unfortunately was already occupied, so they couldn’t make out. Not in front of Mrs. McGee, who lived one floor below Faith and sat on the board of the Operatic Society.

But Caine was very creative. He stood closely behind Faith in the far corner from the silver-haired grande dame, trailing his fingers down Faith’s back left bare by the low-cut gown. The second Mrs. McGee got out and the elevator doors closed, Caine and Faith were at each other. His lips didn’t leave hers as they rushed to her door a few feet away. She fumbled to unlock her door.

Once inside, he turned her against the closed door and held her hands above her head as he kissed her lips, her jaw, her shoulders and the curve of her breast. He shifted against her, letting her feel his arousal through his dress pants and her silky gown. A gown that was getting in his way. He released her hands to find the hidden zipper in the back, undoing it in one go so that the gown was released and fell to the floor. She stood there in nothing but her jewelry, her stilettos and her black silk tap pants. He kissed his way down, starting at her breasts, which he treated to lavish attention. He kissed her navel, her hipbone, the top of her thigh. He caressed the back of her knee with his fingertips before trailing down to her ankles and her stilettos. Kneeling before her, he removed them from her feet.

His next mission was to retrace his path back up her leg directly to the lacy hem of her tap pants. He brushed his thumb against her most sensitive mound, letting the silk magnify the pleasure.

Her hands shook as tugged him to his feet and undid the zipper on his pants. He growled his pleasure as she fondled him.

“Condom,” she gasped. “Do you have one?”

He quickly retrieved one from his wallet. She shoved his pants and black briefs out of the way and helped him roll it on. He shoved her black silky tap pants down to the floor before lifting her in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he surged into her. He had her pinned to the door as he consumed her moan of pleasure with a kiss so hot she almost came right there and then.

He pumped in and out, in and out, with ever-increasing speed. The friction was erotic and deeply satisfying. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. She could only feel. Pressure increasing, building, building. So close, so close . . . there!
Yes!
Her orgasm consumed her, the spasms like a powerful internal earthquake.

With one final thrust he came, tilting his head back before leaning his forehead against hers.

It took Faith a while to come back to earth, and when she did, she had her feet back on the ground but only for a second as he swept her into his arms and carried her to her bedroom.

“Do you have more condoms in your wallet?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Did you think you’d get lucky tonight? With me or with that gorgeous woman hanging all over you?”

“No. The Marines trained us to always be prepared, which means carrying a condom whether you think you’ll need it or not.” He left to retrieve his wallet and returned to her side to nuzzle her ear with his lips.

“I’m no longer your one-night stand,” Caine said.

“What are you?”

“The man in your bed.”

“And what am I to you?”

“Trouble. The best damn trouble I’ve ever had in my entire life.”

“This isn’t smart.”

“Maybe not,” he said. “But it sure feels good.”

“What are we going to do?”

“I thought I just showed you. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll show you again.”

“I’m not talking about sex.”

He pulled back to stare down at her. “Is that all this is for you? Sex?”

“What is it to you?”

“I asked you first.”

“So what?”

“So you don’t really want to talk any more than I do. I think you’d much rather I did this . . .” He brushed his thumb over her clitoris, sending her flying back into the orgasmic outer limits.

The next afternoon, Faith stood beside her cousin Megan in the enclosed dark area of the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows at Navy Pier. “What’s wrong?” Megan said. “You only suggest coming here if you’re upset.”

“I didn’t come here after I was jilted.”

“No, you went to Italy instead. So I guess this is now your second choice stress haven. Unless you plan on returning to Italy in the near future?”

“No.”

Faith slowly made her way to the collection of Tiffany windows, pausing in front of her favorite landscape. The artificial light behind the large panels made them glow like jewels, the way Caine was able to make her glow with an inner throbbing light that was hot and vibrant. She took a deep breath and tried to keep her mind off sex. It wasn’t easy. Caine had left early that morning, kissing her on the cheek and telling her he’d be in touch. “Did you know this is the only stained glass museum in the country?”

“Yes, I know. I’m the one who told you that. What’s wrong with you today?”

That was a complicated question, because not only was Faith still totally distracted by the memory of making love with Caine several times last night, but she also had the disturbing feeling that she was being stalked. “Did you feel like someone was following us?” Faith glanced over her shoulder. The museum was tucked away in the far end of Navy Pier. Most people didn’t even know of its existence.

“Hundreds of people followed us here,” Megan said. “I mean, come on. It’s Navy Pier, one of Chicago’s top tourist destinations, on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. Of course the place is packed.”

“I meant on the walk here from my condo.”

“No, I didn’t notice anything. Why?”

Faith shrugged. “It was just a feeling.”

“Do you still have it now?”

“Not as much.”

“If someone really is following you, then maybe wandering around in an out-of-the-way place that’s on the dark side isn’t the best move.”

Faith shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Just my overactive imagination. Besides, I’ve got pepper spray in my bag.”

“What’s got you so jumpy? Did you find something in the case about Caine’s father?”

“I’m discovering things, and none of them make me feel good. Well, one thing did, but it wasn’t about his father’s case. It was about Caine.”

“I saw the way he was eyeing you at the ball last night.”

“I didn’t mean to ignore you last night. We didn’t get to talk much.”

“That’s okay. You were on the other side of the table with your date, divinely yummy Dylan.”

“He’s an actor.”

“You didn’t go to an escort service, did you?”

“No. Dylan is a friend of Yuri, my doorman.”

“That dress of yours was also hot.”

“Yuri again. He hooked me up with this new boutique on Oak Street. I know you prefer vintage clothes, or I would have told you about it.”

“Maybe I should move to your building.”

“You only live two blocks away.”

“We were both lucky that our inheritance from Grand-dad helped us get our condos.”

“I still miss him,” Faith said.

“Yeah, me too. I couldn’t believe Gram brought a date to the ball. He seemed like a nice guy.”

“He’s quite a character.”

“I’ll say. He was trying to set me up on a blind date with his grandson, Logan, who’s a cop.”

“What did you say?”

“I said no, of course. You know I don’t do blind dates anymore. Especially not with a cop. Not with my history.”

Faith nodded her understanding. Megan might be the optimist in the family, but even optimists had their line in the sand that they wouldn’t cross.

“What do you say to lunch at the Comfort Café?”

“Yes! You know I love the food there.”

The café, specializing in comfort food with a twist, was located halfway between Faith’s and Megan’s condos. Its convenient location wasn’t the only reason they ate there a lot. The food was delicious. Their light and fluffy blueberry pancakes were to die for. Their famous French toast stuffed with cream cheese and marmalade sprinkled with powdered sugar was another big hit.

They managed to snag a table in the far corner. Despite the fact that it was past the main lunch crowd, the café was always popular. They were too late for the breakfast specialties, but the lunch selection was just as mouthwatering. Faith went with one of her faves, the homemade mac and cheese with shallots, Gruyère and mascarpone cheese while Megan had her favorite Hilltop Salad composed of organic spring greens, candied walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and other goodies with a yummy raspberry chipotle vinaigrette.

“Okay, now talk.” Megan speared a dried cranberry. “I saw Caine follow you out of the ballroom last night. Did you two hook up?”

Faith blushed.

“You did. OMG. Your dad is going to have a cow.”

“OMG we sound like the Gossip Girls. Did my dad see Caine follow me?”

“I don’t think so. He was finally dancing with your mom. What’s going on with those two? I definitely sensed some tension there. Between your parents, I mean. We both already know about the tension between Caine and your dad.”

“My parents are going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment, but they’ll come through. I’m sure Aunt Lorraine’s sudden appearance didn’t help.”

“She was almost shown the door because she sneaked in without a ticket. Your dad had to buy another ticket for her to avoid another scene.”

“Great. She does have this unerring ability to show up at the worst possible times and say something awful.”

“Her words clearly didn’t upset you enough to avoid Caine.”

“You’ve got that right.”