Flames of Attraction

chapter 8



Quade wanted it, as well. With a vengeance. With every part of his being. And tonight, just like the other time, he would give them both extreme pleasure. A part of him didn’t want to rush anything. He had wanted to wait and not make love to her until she agreed to be his wife—until the time when she saw that he, she and their babies needed to be a family. And although their marriage wouldn’t be based on love per se, it would be based on mutual respect, admiration and desire.

But then another part, the part that was oozing with a degree of desire he could only reach with her, didn’t want to wait. This part wanted a repeat of that night in Egypt. Being around her had unleashed a host of memories he could not ignore. The fiery heat of them had burned a place into the core of his very existence.

He drew her closer to him, leaned his mouth within inches of hers and said, “Do you know how many days and nights I carried the memory of what we shared with me no matter where I went?”

“No,” she said, breathing her answer across his lips.

“Too many,” he replied in a low and deep voice, while his gaze still held hers. He reached down and took her hand in his. “And whenever I thought about how you would touch me with these hands, stroke me with the most erotic care, I could barely stand it.”

Cheyenne recalled how his body had been so responsive to her touch. Her stomach trembled at the thought that she could do that to him, make him ache with a need for her that was as intense as the one she had for him.

She felt her senses begin to overload, her desire for him kick up another notch at the same time she felt him lift her off the floor to sit her on top of the countertop.

“Have you ever done it in a kitchen before?” he asked, while leaning down to remove her shoes.

“No.”

He then straightened his tall frame and lifted a disbelieving brow. “Never?”

She lifted a disbelieving brow of her own, wondering if making love in a kitchen was some kind of fetish for him. “Why would you think I have?”

Quade smiled. “Because I can imagine you stretched out on a table as a very succulent treat.”

He reached out and tugged her top over her head, exposing a very sexy black-laced nursing bra, which he quickly dispensed of. Breasts that appeared fuller sprang forth before his eyes. He couldn’t wait any longer and gently cupped them in his hands and began lowering his head toward one firm nipple. When she offered no protest, he asked, whispering against the moist tip, “You have enough to share?”

Cheyenne knew she had to respond before she lost the power to think. “Yes. I have enough to share.”

And then it was there, his mouth on her breasts, gently at first, using his tongue to caress her breasts and making her feel the way her nipples hardened in his mouth. Each stroke of his tongue aroused her, sent passion points escalating through her. His expertise astounded her, nearly made her weak in the knees while bathing her in sensual satisfaction that she knew was within her reach.

“Quade.”

The erotic pressure of his mouth on her breasts was devastating to her senses, making her tremble. She cried out when an orgasm struck. It would have knocked her off her feet had she not been sitting on the countertop. She felt her inner muscles tighten, then loosen up. And she felt her control slipping as shock waves of pleasure rushed through her.

“Shh, you’ll wake up the babies,” he whispered, after pulling his mouth away from her breast. “There’s a lot that can be said about getting breast-fed,” he said, licking his lips and lifting her to her feet. “Now, to remove your jeans. You should be more than ready for me about now.”

Her breath shuddered as she fought to remain standing when he crouched down in front of her, and after placing a wet kiss on her stomach, he proceeded to unzip her jeans and slowly ease them down her legs, leaving her clad in a pair of sexy panties.

“Cute,” he said of the daisy print.

She grinned. “Glad you like them.”

“Um, I like what they are hiding even more,” he said, before easing the pair down. And then she was there, bare, exposed and he leaned back on his haunches to take it all in. And she knew, just like he had predicted, she was wet, hot and ready.

* * *

Quade’s tongue suddenly felt swollen in his mouth, actually thickening in anticipation of the treat he knew he was about to have. He couldn’t wait to taste the pulsing heat of her again. He wanted to kiss and cherish her secret place the only way he knew how. He stood back on his feet and then lifted her to place her back on the counter, easing her body close to the edge, lifting her hips with the palm of his hands.

Quade then took her legs and placed them over his shoulders and instinctively, she widened her legs just moments before he lowered his head and brought her womanly core to him, slipping his tongue into the warm heat of her.

He moaned out in pleasure the same time she did, holding firm to her thighs and hips, lifting her up to lock his mouth on her. And then it was on as pleasure raced through him with every stroke of his tongue inside of her. He held on tight to her as she cried out her pleasure at the same time she squirmed under his mouth, trying to get away one minute while trying to get closer the next. He felt her grab hold to those same shoulders her legs were wrapped around and he was too far gone to care if he was getting bruised or squeezed to death. If he was going to die, this way certainly had its merits.

And then he felt her body contract beneath his mouth as another orgasm hit her, making her bite back her scream. He took her in a deep, hungry kiss while grabbing hold of her hips, making sure she stayed in place, right where he wanted her.

He felt something he could only feel with her, a myriad of emotions and sensations that pulsed through him just from her taste, overwhelmed by the potency of her and what this was doing to him. He fought back the notion that the emotions he was feeling were anything other than unrequited lust and appreciation for the mother of his children.

Moments later, licking his lips, he released her. Scooping her up into his arms he carried her over to the cleared breakfast table and placed her flat on it. At her surprised look, he said, “I was serious about doing it in the kitchen with you,” he said. Taking a step back he unsnapped his jeans and eased down his zipper. He quickly dispensed with his jeans and boxers.

“You look bigger than before.”

He grinned and looked down at her. She was an eyeful, lying flat on her back with her legs apart. The thought of easing between her thighs, pressing into her almost had him blowing a sexual fuse.

He knew she was watching when he sheathed himself with a condom before coming back to her. He glanced around the room, took note of her stainless-steel appliances, her shiny tile floor and her granite countertops. What was there about being in a kitchen that made him want to stir up heat, and to make his own brand of sensuous delight?

Naked, he walked back over to her, leaned and took her mouth with the voraciousness that he felt. At the same time his hand automatically went to her center, and tested her. She had gotten wet all over again. Suddenly every muscle in his body tensed with a need so profound he pulled his mouth from hers to release a guttural groan. As he continued to stroke her, feel her heat, he wondered for the umpteenth time what there was about her that pushed him to devour her in such a primal way.

The table was just the right height and width and looked sturdy enough to withstand what he intended to do. It wasn’t a workout table by a long shot but there would be a lot of action on it today. He looked at her and saw the heated glaze in her eyes. He stood between her legs and noted she had spread them even wider. He pressed his hips forward, guiding his hardness into her moist heat. The moment contact was made he threw his head back and the veins in his neck seemed to almost pop from pleasure. He sucked in a deep breath and pushed farther, going all the way inside of her, almost to the area that had carried his children for nearly nine months.

When he was lodged inside of her deep, to the hilt, he leaned down and captured her lips, needing to kiss her, the way a man would kiss a woman he cherished. She felt good—perfect. A beautiful memory transformed into reality once again.

The kiss worked them both up into a feverish pitch and he began moving inside her, holding her thighs to receive his entry and his withdrawal, over and over again. He breathed in her scent. He heard the sound of his name whispered from her lips, and felt her body adjust to his as if it was made just for him.

He began moaning deep in his throat when he changed the rhythm, thrusting deeper, going faster. She clung to his mouth. He to hers. Their tongues mated with an intensity that he felt all the way to the bones. When he eased his mouth away from hers, she said in a frantic tone “No. Don’t go. Don’t stop.”

He had no plans to do either. And to prove that point he bent his head and reclaimed her mouth, kissing her with a hunger that was more voracious than before. The lower part of him continued driving into her, surging deep. She matched his rhythm, lifting her body off the table on each and every downward thrust.

Her inner muscles clamped him hard and he felt his engorged member actually break through the latex. Instead of pulling out, he released a deep shuddering groan just seconds before spilling himself inside her, spinning her into an orgasm right along with him.

“Quade!”

He came again, and so did she. It was crazy. It was passion at its deepest. Satisfaction at its greatest. With an urgency that shook him to the core he filled her womb once again, not sure if her birth control pill would be able to withstand the potency of such a release.

He pulled his mouth away and leaned up slightly. Their gazes locked. He sent her a silent message that if he had impregnated her again, they would deal with it. His way.

Seeing the frown on her face, he leaned down and kissed her, building sexual tension all over again. Moments later he lifted his mouth from hers only to trace kisses down her neck to her chest. She arched her back and groaned out his name and he knew, this was just the beginning. They had the entire night and he planned on using every second of it.

* * *

Cheyenne wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to move again. So she lay still, with her eyes closed while releasing deep breaths of fulfillment and gratification. Quade had removed himself from inside her moments ago and she knew he had walked away, probably to get rid of the condom, although it hadn’t served much purpose.

Her mind shifted to dwell on that, when she suddenly felt something warm and wet between her legs. She opened her eyes to find Quade standing there, wiping her with a warm cloth. Instinctively, she closed her legs.

“No, don’t close yourself from me. Let me do this, Cheyenne. I want to do this. Open up again for me.”

The kind gentleness of his tone made her do just what he asked and he continued to wash her with the most tender of care. “You don’t have to do this, Quade.” He had done the same thing before. Their first time together in Egypt.

He glanced up and met her gaze. “I know, but I want to.”

So she lay there, willing, complacent, at ease in placing herself in his hands. And they were big hands, tender hands, gifted hands. And when she thought about all those hands had done, how they had made her feel, she knew they were skillful hands.

“Feel better?”

Actually she did. Given the intensity of their lovemaking, she knew she would feel some soreness, but it had been worth it. “Yes.”

He nodded. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

She figured he was going into the bathroom to wash himself and she wished she had the strength to do that for him, return the kindness. But she doubted she had the strength to move. So she lay there and closed her eyes again.

Moments later, she felt herself being lifted from the table and cradled into strong arms. “We’re going to bed now.” She heard his deep, masculine voice whisper close to her ear. “And I will let you sleep for a while.”

She knew he was letting her know they would be making love again and she had no problem with it. When they reached the bedroom, he placed her in the middle of the bed and she glanced up at him. He had put his jeans back on, but had not snapped them back up. Nothing about him had changed. Stripped naked he looked good; with clothes on he looked good. He was awesome and she knew as strange as it would seem to some people, she had fallen in love with him.

If the truth was known, she had probably fallen in love with him on sight that first night, but had put the thought out of her mind as ludicrous, especially when she’d believed she would never see him again. But the moment the doctor had told her she was pregnant, some kind of torch had lit inside her, and she’d known she wanted a baby. His baby, which would always be a way to connect with him. A baby where their combined blood would flow through his or her veins.

She hadn’t counted on triplets, but when she’d given birth to their babies, she had felt connected to Quade threefold. The only thing that kept her from accepting his proposal of marriage was the fact that she knew he didn’t love her. He had an obligation, a sense of responsibility, but he did not love her. She couldn’t have that kind of marriage with a man. Especially this man.

“Is there anything I can get you?” he asked in a soft voice, standing next to the bed.

“Um, yes, there is this one thing.”

She scooted closer to the edge and stared at his erection that was pressing hard against his jeans before reaching out to slide her hand down his stomach, liking the feel of his hair there, past his navel to insert her hand inside his jeans to grab hold of his throbbing member. He hadn’t put on his boxers. She smiled when she heard his sharp intake of breath while she used her other hand to pull his jeans past down his knees.

“Careful.” Quade eased the word from between tight lips when Cheyenne’s fingers curled around him. He doubted that she heard what he’d said since she looked so preoccupied at the moment. Her main focus was him and she seemed content to stroke him in a way that was driving him mad with desire.

“You like torturing me, don’t you?” he asked when she continued her stroking, hoping and praying that she didn’t stop. She certainly had a way with her fingers.

He heard her soft sigh and then she said, “No more than you like torturing me. I love touching you this way, and thinking this, in all its engorged glory, is responsible for my babies.” She glanced up at him. “Our babies.”

He didn’t want to bring up the fact that pill or no pill, with a burst condom she could very well be pregnant again. The thought didn’t bother him.

His attention snapped back to her when he felt something hot and wet touch him. Her mouth. He sucked in deeply as need flared in his belly. He grabbed hold of her head and tried pushing her away, but she was holding on to him, her mouth was locked around him. What she was doing to him made him weak in the knees.

“Cheyenne, why did you have to go there?” Instead of answering him, she gripped him tighter. And he threw his head back when she began devouring him, covering all of him, caressing every inch of him with her hot, wet tongue. And then when he thought he couldn’t stand it a minute longer, she opened her mouth and pulled him in deeper.

“Oh, yes!” There was nothing else for him to say and when she dug her fingers into his thighs to hold her mouth in place on him, he nearly hollered. Not from pain but from pleasure so intense he could feel a tingling sensation all the way to his toes. And when he felt his groin about to explode, he grabbed hold of her shoulders and tried pushing her back. When he saw that she was refusing to move, he sucked in a deep breath as a ripple of sensations crashed through his nerve endings causing him to flex his hips.

And she still wouldn’t let go, holding on to him with the strength of a woman who knew what she wanted. Moments later she jerked her mouth free to pull air into her lungs. He used that time to remove his jeans the rest of the way before joining her on the bed and pushing her on her back and entering her in one smooth thrust.

And then he was riding her, stretching her, returning the same sensuous torture she’d just given. He wanted to make love to her forever—wished he could—and knew he would carry the memory of glancing down and watching her mouth at work on him for the rest of his days.

And when he felt her coming, he pulled in a deep breath as waves of pleasure splintered down his spine. He knew at that very moment that Cheyenne was the only woman he would ever want.

* * *

“And you have to do this every morning around this time?”

Cheyenne glanced over at Quade and smiled. It was barely five in the morning and she was busy at work breast-feeding the triplets. As expected, Troy had awakened first, sending a cry through the monitor that he was ready to be fed.

And as the night before, Quade was sitting across the room with Venus and Athena in his arms. He was proving to be an attentive father, she thought. He had heard the monitor go off before she had and was already easing out of bed to check on the babies by the time she had awakened.

She was still overwhelmed at the thought of their night together. They had made love until they hadn’t had any energy left to do anything but sleep, and he had held her in his arms while doing so. More than once she had awoken cradled close to him, and then had gone back to sleep content and at peace.

An hour or so later and the babies were fed and placed back in their cribs. “They’ll sleep until around ten,” Cheyenne was saying as they turned off the light to leave the room.

“When can they begin eating solid foods?” Quade asked as they walked together down the hall to her bedroom. His arm was slung over her shoulder and he had pulled her close to his side.

“Not until they are at least six months old according to their doctors. But at the rate Troy is going, it might be sooner for him. I can’t wait until their next doctor’s visit to see how much weight he’s gained. The same holds true for Athena.” She paused a moment and then said, “But Venus doesn’t seem to be gaining weight as fast as the others.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Are you worried about it?”

“Yes.”

“Then come over here and let me relieve your worry for just a little while.”

When they entered her bedroom, he took her hand in his and when he sat down in the rocking chair, he pulled her down into his lap. “I enjoy holding my babies and now I want to hold the mother of my babies.”

Cheyenne rested her head on his chest, liking the feel of being in his arms, being held this way, inhaling his mesmerizing male scent. She could get used to his attentiveness, his protection and how he catered to her every need. His tender attention had nothing to do with sex. He was merely giving her what he thought she needed: a peaceful moment in his arms.

“I want to change the babies’ names from Steele to Westmoreland as soon as it can be done.”

Cheyenne lifted her head and glanced up at him. She knew it bothered him that his son and daughters didn’t have his last name. At least she could grant him that one request. “All right. I’ll contact my attorney later today.”

She could tell by his expression that he was surprised and appreciative. “Thanks,” he said, with deep emotion in his voice.

“You haven’t said anything about a paternity test,” she said, placing her head on his chest once again.

He looked down at her. “I don’t need one. I know the babies are mine.” That statement made Cheyenne feel good inside. Yes, they were his.

“Now what about yours?” he asked.

She arched a brow. “My what?”

“Name. I want to change your name, as well, Cheyenne.”

She sighed, seeing they were back to that again. “I don’t need to change my name.”

“I think that you do” was his comeback. “I want to marry you.”

But not for the right reasons, she thought. “I’m not ready to get married,” she said, hoping she sounded convincing.

“Then I guess it’s up to me to persuade you to think differently.”

He leaned down and captured her lips with his and then she decided she didn’t want to think at all.

* * *

Cheyenne eased deeper between the covers when suddenly she was jarred from sleep by the sound of the doorbell. When it rang again, she opened her eyes and remembered. She and Quade had awoken when the babies had stirred for their five o’clock feeding. Just as he’d done the night before, Quade had assisted by holding the other two babies as she fed one. After making sure they were dry and comfortable, she and Quade had returned to her room where he had held her in his arms for an hour or so. After that, they had made love several times before finally drifting off to sleep. That was the reason she was naked. He had awakened a few moments ago, dressed and left to buy them breakfast from a deli not far away.

Wondering if he had returned, she slid out of bed and slipped into her short terry-cloth robe and made her way to the front of the house. The last thing she wanted was for the doorbell to wake the babies.

She crossed the room to the door and peeped out. It was her sisters. After their conversation yesterday, why had they returned when they knew she wanted to handle the babies alone? She then figured it out. One of her cousins had probably told her sisters about Quade.

Inhaling a breath of annoyance, she opened the door and plastered a smile on her face. “Vanessa. Taylor. What brings the two of you visiting so early?” she asked, pretending she didn’t have a clue.

She took a step back when they walked in. At least Vanessa walked in—Taylor wobbled in. She wasn’t due for another month or so but her belly had gotten so big it wouldn’t surprise Cheyenne if she didn’t deliver before Christmas. But then, Cheyenne thought, as far as she was concerned nobody’s belly had been as big as hers. She hadn’t gained a lot of weight, just a lot of size.

“Donovan called this morning,” Taylor told her, taking a seat on the sofa. “He told us about the card game last night. Chey, you know we don’t like to pry, but we’re worried.”

“About what?”

“We heard the babies’ daddy showed up yesterday after we left,” Taylor said.

Cheyenne lifted an arched brow. “And?”

“And it looks to me like he works fast,” Vanessa said, eyeing Cheyenne up and down. “I hate to tell you this, but you have passion marks all over you. Even on your legs. What is that all about?”

Cheyenne thought the entire thing too comical to get mad. “If you have to ask, Van, then...”

“This isn’t funny, Cheyenne,” Vanessa said frowning. “This guy shows up one day and already he’s back in your bed. Do you deny it?”

Now that ticked her off. She stiffened her spine and said, “No, I don’t deny it, nor do I consider it any of either of your business.”

“You’re our baby sister,” Taylor said softly. “We care about you and don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“And I can appreciate your concern. But I told you yesterday that what Quade and I shared ten months ago was no more than a one-night affair. The only reason he’s here is that he found out about the babies.”

“Okay, if the babies are the only reason he’s here, then why did you two sleep together?” Vanessa asked, moving to take a seat on the sofa next to Taylor.

Cheyenne couldn’t help but smile. Evidently she needed to paint a picture, a very explicit picture, for her sisters. “It seems nothing has changed,” she said. “Quade and I can’t keep our hands off each other. It’s this thing, this spontaneous combustion that happens the moment we are within a few feet of each other.” Now, that much she thought was true. “When we get like that, all we want to do is have a sex-a-thon. Anywhere. And at any time.”

Her sisters stared at her, not knowing if she was really serious. “Do you really want us to believe that?” Vanessa asked, glaring at her.

“Why not?” Cheyenne said, moving to sit in a chair opposite them. “The two of you have had more extensive love lives than I have. Is it possible for such a thing to exist? At least the part about the spontaneous combustion?”

Her sisters continued to stare at her, not sure if she really wanted an answer. She couldn’t understand why the two of them were hesitating in giving her one. Vanessa had shared a torrid affair with Cameron right before they married, although it had taken Cameron years to get her to finally admit she was interested in him. And Taylor was now as pregnant as pregnant could be because she and Dominic had gone on a procreation vacation together. Now they were as happily married as Vanessa and Cameron.

“Yes, there’s a lot to be said about spontaneous combustion,” Taylor finally said, smiling. “But I’m sure Vanessa would agree with me that being in love with the person is important, too.”

Cheyenne nodded. “That’s good to know, because I do love him.”

Shocked expressions appeared on both of her sisters’ faces. “But the two of you have only been together twice during a ten-month period. And both times, need I remind you, centered on sex. Are you sure you’re not confusing lust with love?” Taylor asked.

No one had to remind her of anything, Cheyenne thought. She and Quade had a great sex life. It was a start, wasn’t it? But deep down she knew her sisters were right. Quade wanted to marry her for all the wrong reasons. He wanted to give his babies a name—his name. He wanted to give her his name, as well, but only because she was his babies’ mother. Love had nothing to do with it. At least not for him. But for her, regardless of how many times they had been together and the reason for them, she truly knew she loved him. Maybe for her it had been love at first sight and she had only realized that fact when she had seen him again yesterday. She refused to believe that two people needed to have a long, drawn out relationship before they could fall in love. She was living proof that they didn’t. It wasn’t the quantity of time but the quality of time, and she and Quade had definitely spent good quality time together.

Besides that, there was something about Quade that was totally different from any of the men she had ever dated. Maybe it was his maturity—he was twelve years older than she was. There was a goodness about him that she felt whenever she was around him that had nothing to do with lust. How many men would go searching for a woman to find out if she had their baby just because they’d seen her pregnant on the cover of a magazine? He not only had come searching for her, he had come willing and ready to do what he considered as the right thing by her and their children.

She was about to open her mouth and say something when the front door opened. Quade walked in and his gaze went from her to her sisters before he closed the door. The smile that lit his face almost took her breath away and made her love him much more. Without waiting for introductions, he placed the grocery bag he was carrying on a table and he went directly over to her sisters and offered his hand. “Vanessa and Taylor, I presume?”

At their nods, his smile widened, and then he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet the two of you. I’m Quade Westmoreland.”

* * *

At least her sisters now understood how the sight of Quade had practically knocked her off her feet the first time she’d seen him. She could tell they had been just as overwhelmed by him as she had. There was no way they would not agree that Quade Westmoreland was a very good-looking man. Quade was handsome beyond measure and debonair to a fault. He practically oozed sexuality from every pore.

Instead of going to a deli like she’d thought, he had gone grocery shopping with the intention of surprising her with a home-cooked breakfast. He ended up fixing a feast and inviting Vanessa and Taylor to join them.

It didn’t take long to see how captivated her sisters were with him. Not only was he a wonderful cook, he was a great conversationalist. Vanessa and Taylor hung on to his every word. Then it was their turn to ask him questions and they started off by asking him about his family.

They were astonished to discover all the famous people in his family. There was motorcycle great Thorn Westmoreland and author Stone Westmoreland, aka Rock Mason. He also told them about his cousin Delaney, who was married to a Middle Eastern sheikh. They had remembered reading about Delaney’s storybook romance and wedding in People a few years ago. Then there were his cousins who owned a multimillion-dollar horse-breeding business.

When Taylor—whose business was growing a person’s wealth and who was always on the lookout for potential clients—had inquired as to who was managing the Westmorelands’ wealth, Quade responded that his brother Spencer was the financial whiz in the family.

Then they had asked him about his occupation. He told them he had gone on early retirement from a position in government to join his cousins in opening several security firms around the country, as well as a number of other business ventures.

It didn’t take long to accept that Quade was not someone after the Steele fortune. He and his family were already wealthy. And it was also easy to see that he cared for his babies and would be a wonderful father to them.

Moments later, Cheyenne excused herself when she heard the sound of soft noises on the baby monitor. “Excuse me, everyone. Troy is awake,” she said, pushing her chair back from the table, standing and making her way to the nursery. Quade smiled at her, and she could feel his gaze following her until she was no longer within his sight.

Cheyenne sensed something was wrong the moment she walked into the room. Troy was crying as usual and Athena had begun whimpering, as well, but when she glanced over at Venus, Cheyenne went on alert and quickly lifted her daughter into her arms.

Barely able to let out the scream that was lodged in her throat, she raced from the room with the baby in her arms. She then began screaming for Quade. He and her sisters intercepted her at the end of the hall. “Cheyenne, what’s wrong?” he asked, panic covering his face.

“It’s Venus!” she said in a frantic voice, not even trying to remain calm. “Call 9-1-1. She’s having trouble breathing.”