“Yes!” she screamed. “God, Cade! Yes!”
Her body gripped him, hard, and then rippled over his shaft. One more thrust and he groaned, his release joining with hers. He continued to pump, in and out, in and out, helping her ride the last vestige of her orgasm until she lay still but trembling beneath him.
Dropping his head and nuzzling his face against her neck, he breathed in the subtle scent of lavender in her hair. He pictured warm, sunny days making love to Addie in a meadow, hearing that low, sexy voice of hers scream his name again and again.
God, he wanted that!
An instant later, walls of fear and doubt slammed into place.
He had nothing to offer.
She deserved better.
What if this meant more to me than it did to her?
He pushed the thought away and hugged her closer.
He would deal with whatever happened next. But until then, he wanted to enjoy the comfort of a woman who wanted him. Wanted to see where it would lead—if it would lead anywhere.
And if he really could love again.
Chapter 15
Addie breathed in Cade’s warm, musky scent and reveled in the heavy weight of his body pressing her into the mattress, his arms wrapped around her and his hot breath scalding her neck—his turgid flesh still part of her. God, she’d missed this! Having a man rest on her, replete in the aftermath of great sex. More than great. Sharing that intimacy with Cade had been…something she’d never experienced before. The swell of emotions inside her still threatened to bubble over and stumble out of her mouth in some gushy froth of girly feelings.
No one, not even Jared—the man she’d once thought she wanted to marry—had ever made her feel that way.
When Cade looked at her, she felt every bit as beautiful as he told her she was; and in his arms, she felt safe and cared for. Something else was also mixed in with all of that. Something that promised so much more than just one night, more than just a seasonal fling.
Her heart ballooned with every emotion she’d experienced since he’d arrived. It threatened to explode, and she couldn’t help the giddy giggle that bubbled out of her chest.
“What?” Cade asked, pushing up onto his elbows. Addie silently thanked him for not rolling away.
She smiled. “Nothing. Just…happy.”
His curious frown bloomed into a gorgeous smile that locked up her lungs.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, his blue eyes almost glowing.
She tilted her head and remembered to breathe. “Something’s different…”
Cade’s brows snapped together. “Don’t know what you mean.”
“You seem…” She paused, considering her words. “You seem happy. Are you happy, Cade?”
His grin returned, but with a bit more sizzle than the last one. “Of course, I am. What man wouldn’t be if he got to hold you like this?”
She rolled her eyes. “You really need to stop exaggerating.”
“I’m not.” His gaze turned serious. “Addie, you need to believe me. You are a catch and so much more than a guy like me deserves.”
It was her turn to frown. “And what kind of guy are you, Cade, that you don’t deserve to be loved?”
He blinked at her choice of words and Addie wanted to kick herself. She hadn’t meant to say it like that. She didn’t really love him—did she? It seemed too fast. Thankfully, she’d stopped herself from saying, “I love you,” while he was rocking her world. Maybe the words had simply slipped onto her tongue because of the glorious things he’d done to her body.
But that didn’t seem right, either.
Something dark swirled in his eyes—sadness, pain, doubt—and she cursed silently.
“Everyone needs to be touched, Cade, to feel affection from another human being,” she said, trying to reel back the implication in her last statement. “Why wouldn’t you deserve that?”
He shrugged, rolled away from her, and got up to discard the condom. She mourned the loss of his heat and the weight of his body, and wondered if he would leave her there waiting. Thankfully, he returned moments later and plopped down on the mattress beside her, seemingly comfortable in his nakedness.
Unwilling to let the distance between them grow or lose the closeness they’d shared, she wiggled up to his side. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her to pull her close.
They lay quietly together, and as much as she loved listening to the calm, steady beat of his heart beneath her ear, Addie wished he would speak. When he didn’t, she tried to reach him again. “I’ll make a deal with you.”
He chuckled. “Okay. What kind of deal?”
“I’ll stop questioning my beauty, if you stop beating yourself up all the time and believe me when I tell you, you’re a good man who deserves the best in everything.”
He laughed again, and the sound rumbling through his chest made her smile.
“Only you, Addie,” he said through his chuckles.
She tilted her head so she could look up at him. “Only me, what?”
“You’re the only one who’s made me think I can believe you.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
He kissed her forehead. “Yes, it is.”
“So, does that mean we have a deal?”
Looking up at the ceiling, he pulled in a deep breath. “Sure, I’ll give it a try.”
“Good,” she said and returned his smile as she cuddled up against him again.
“I can’t believe you’re still single,” he muttered as if talking to himself.
She looked up at him. “What does that mean?”
He met her frown with a grin. “How is it that a woman like you is still single? I mean, why hasn’t some lucky guy snatched you up and put a ring on your finger?”
Addie sighed and settled her head back on his chest. She didn’t want to talk about that when she felt this good, but she
