She rocked her hips, silently pleading for more as he finally, blissfully, lowered his mouth to hers, taking her in a long, passionate kiss. Their eyes connected for a hot moment, and he reached for his wallet, retrieving a condom.
“I’m on the pill.” She saw hesitation in his eyes. “I’m clean, Caden. I got tested in the spring. I’ve been on an all about me path, and the first step was making sure I was clean.”
He leaned his forehead to hers. “It’s not that. Caty was on the pill, too.”
Hearing her name stung in this intimate moment. But he’d asked for honesty, and she wanted to give—and receive—nothing less. She caressed his cheek, and when she went to kiss his lips, this time he didn’t pull back.
“Okay,” she whispered.
THE LOOK OF understanding in Bella’s eyes nearly overwhelmed him. He couldn’t wait a second longer. He tangled his hand in her hair and brought her lips to his for another passionate kiss. Her mouth was soft and eager, and every kiss was sensuous and filled with more than just the lust that drove them together, which was why he took his time, savoring every second of each magnificent kiss.
His body ached for more of her. He wanted to make love to her, cherish her, and take care of her all at once—and he recognized the significance of those feelings. Every fiber of my being loves you.
He rose to his feet, and carried her into the bedroom. She rested her cheek on his shoulder with a contented sigh, and when he lowered her to the bed, she reached for him again. He took her in another ceaseless, impassioned kiss that he hoped told her how much she meant to him. He wanted her to feel safe enough with him to expose, and to embrace, all the parts of herself that she tucked away from the rest of the world.
Her lips curved up, and her eyes were so full of desire that there was no room for misinterpretation. They were totally together in this.
THEY LAY TOGETHER for a long while afterward.
“It seems unfair that we have to spend tonight apart,” he admitted.
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
“I haven’t spent the night with a woman since college.”
She turned toward him. “Do you miss it?”
“Honestly? I haven’t really thought about it until now. It’s different when you have a child depending on you. I wanted to be home with Evan. There wasn’t a woman in the world who could make me want to spend a night apart from him.” He kissed her softly. “Until you.”
“Caden.” She snuggled against him.
“I promised honesty, and the truth is, I don’t want to be away from Evan, especially since he’s been giving me more flack lately, and he seems withdrawn.”
“That’s not good. Do you think he’s just going through a hard time, or are you worried that there’s something else going on?”
“I don’t know. I feel like he’s challenging me.”
“I call it the I-don’t-need-parents stage. You remember what it was like to feel old enough to not need to be checked on, don’t you? When your parents graduated from being the people who knew everything to the dumbest people on earth? It comes a few years before the oh-yeah-you-weren’t-so-dumb-after-all stage, which usually hits around twenty or so.”
“I hope you’re right.” He pressed his lips to hers. “All I know is, I also don’t want to be away from you.”
“I thought you were just being sweet, but you’re serious.”
“Dead serious.” He held her gaze.
She kissed the dimple in his chin. “Spending the night together isn’t an option. We both know that.”
“Okay, Little Miss Rational. Isn’t the woman supposed to be the one craving cuddle time?” He pulled her on top of him.
“Oh, I do crave cuddle time with you.” She ran her finger down the center of his chest, and it made him want her all over again. “But I’d never try to come between you and Evan, or try to coerce you into spending time away from him. I love and respect the type of father you are.”
She nibbled on her lower lip and her eyes filled with mischief again. “So…You want to make love to a woman outside?”
He rolled over with her in his arms so she was beneath him again.
“No. I want to make love to you outside, but I won’t.”
She raised her brows. “Oh, yes you will.”
He laughed. “I’m a cop. I think that would be the totally wrong thing for me to do.”
“Then we’ll be careful and find a place no one can possibly catch us.”
“You, Bella Abbascia, are a very bad influence.” He kissed her again. “By the way, I didn’t see any rule breaking in the bedroom. All talk no action?”
“A girl can’t pull out all the stops in one night.”
“That’s what I was counting on.”
Chapter Eleven
ALL BELLA HAD ever needed at the Cape was a few sundresses, flip-flops, towels, and bathing suits. Food and drinks were bought on the fly, and days began when her body decided it was time to wake up and ended when she and her friends were too tired to stay awake any longer. She’d spent so many summers turning off the part of her brain that required watches and calendars that it was a huge adjustment for her to get used to paying attention to the day of the week, or the exact time. In her mind, the Cape meant seven or eight weeks of immersing herself in her friends, stockpiling memories to carry her through until spring, when they would return for a long weekend of catching up.
She knew today was Friday because of her appointments, but also, and weighing on her mind more heavily at the moment, it was Caden’s last night shift, and he was excited to switch to day shifts so he could spend more time with her and Evan in the evenings. She sent him a quick text. Yay! It’s your last night shift! Walking into the clinic. Wish me luck! Xox.
The cell phone was a welcome addition to her summer accessories. She and Caden had traded flirty texts over the last two days when he was working nights and she had been tied up in meetings with businesses and school administrators to discuss the new angle of the program. He’d called her each evening, and their conversations flowed naturally, like they’d been dating for years. He was interested in her project, and she loved hearing about Caden’s and Evan’s days. Evan had been more attitudinal lately, and she’d reassured Caden that was to be expected at his age and with all the changes he’d been through recently, but she knew from teaching teens that parents took the worst of teens’ attitudes and she felt for him.
With her new pitch in mind, she assessed her crinkled cotton minidress in her car window, then entered the clinic with her head held high.
I can do this.
I will do this.