He was pleased to see she wasn’t sleeping. Caine leaned against the door frame and stared at her a long minute. A warm feeling of contentment filled him. In the last few days he had begun to accept that he liked having her in his house, and even when she frowned at him, he felt he’d arrived in heaven. He really must be daft, he thought then, for he was beginning to love her disgruntled expressions. The fact that he could so easily get her riled indicated that she cared, if only just a little.
The woman bewitched him. Caine didn’t like admitting that truth . . . yet she was so beautiful, so soft, so feminine. A man could only take so much before surrendering. God help him, he knew he was nearing that point.
It was becoming a torment not to touch her. His mood reflected the struggle he was going through. He felt tied up in knots inside, and every time he saw her, he wanted to take her into his arms and make wild passionate love to her.
And yet he couldn’t seem to stay away from her. Hour after hour he kept coming into her room to check on her. God, he was even watching her sleep.
She couldn’t possibly know the torment he was going through. She wouldn’t look so damned serene if she had any idea of the fantasies he was considering.
She really was an innocent. She was sitting up in bed with her back propped up by a mound of pillows, looking so pure and virginal as she shook her head at him.
Two candles burned on the side table and she held a book in her hands. While he continued to stare at her, she slowly closed the book, her gaze directed on him all the while, and then let out a long sigh.
“I knew I should have bolted the door,” she announced. “Caine, I’m simply not up to another inquisition tonight.”
“All right.”
“All right?”
His easy agreement obviously surprised her. She looked suspicious. “Do you mean it, sir? You won’t badger me?”
“I mean it,” he answered with a grin.
“You still shouldn’t be here,” she told him in that husky, sensual voice he found so arousing.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t be here.”
“My reputation and your near nakedness,” she answered.
“Those are two reasons,” he drawled out.
“What can you be thinking of?” she asked when he shut the door behind him. “Your servants will know you’re here.”
“I thought you didn’t care about your reputation, Jade. Have you changed your mind, then?”
She shook her head again. The light from the candles shimmered in her hair with the movement. He was mesmerized. “I didn’t care about my reputation when I thought you were going to kill me, but now that you’ve given me hope for continued good health, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Jade, Sterns knows I slept in here the first night when . . .”
“That was different,” she interjected. “I was ill, injured, and you were concerned. Yes, that was definitely different. Now I’ve recovered. The servants will surely tell your mama, Caine.”
“My mama?” He burst into laughter. “You needn’t worry about the servants, Jade. They’re all sleeping. Besides, my motives aren’t lascivious.”
She tried not to let him see her disappointment. “I know,” she said with another mock sigh. “But if you’re not up to mischief, why are you here at this hour?”
“Don’t give me that suspicious look,” he replied. “I thought you might be frightened by the storm, that’s all.” He paused to frown at her, and then added, “Most women would be frightened. You’re not, though, are you?”
“No,” she answered. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because you look so disappointed. Did you wish to comfort me?”
“That thought did cross my mind,” he admitted dryly. His frown intensified when he realized she was trying not to laugh at him. He pulled away from the door and walked over to the side of her bed. Jade moved her legs out of the way just a second before he sat down.
She tried desperately not to stare at his bare chest. The mat of dark, curly hair tapered to a line that ended in the middle of his flat stomach. She wanted to run her fingers through the crisp hair, to feel his heat against her breasts, to . . .
“Hell, Jade, most women would have been afraid.”
His voice pulled her from her erotic thoughts. “I’m not most women,” she replied. “You’d best understand that now, Caine.”
He was having trouble understanding much of anything now. He stared at the buttons on the top of her white nightgown, thinking about the silky skin hidden beneath.
His sigh was ragged. Now that he knew she wasn’t worried about the storm, he really should leave. His pants, wet from the storm, were probably soaking the covers.
He knew he should leave, but he couldn’t seem to move.
“I’m not at all like most of the women you know,” she announced, just to fill the sudden awkward silence. Drops of water clung to his muscular shoulders and upper arms. In the candlelight, the moisture made his bronzed skin glisten. She turned her attention to his lap. That was a mistake, she realized. The bulge between his thighs was very evident . . . and arousing. She could feel herself blush in reaction.
“You’re soaking wet,” she blurted out. “Have you been walking in the storm, you daft man?”
“I had to go to the stables to help quiet the horses.”
“Your hair turns to curl when it’s wet,” she added. “You must have hated that when you were a child.”
“I hated it so much I wouldn’t share my toys,” he drawled out.
His gaze turned to her chest. He noticed her hardened nipples brushing against the thin fabric of her gown. It took a supreme act of discipline not to touch her. His control was close to snapping, and even a simple goodnight kiss would make him forget his good intentions.
Another bolt of lightning lit up the room, followed by an ear-piercing explosion of thunder. Caine was off the bed and standing by the window before Jade had kicked the covers away.
“That surely hit something,” Caine announced. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a storm as fierce as this one.”
He peered into the darkness, looking for signs of a budding fire. Then he felt Jade take hold of his hand. He hid his concern when he turned to look down at her.
“It will wear out very soon,” she promised. She nodded when he looked so surprised, squeezed his hand to reassure him, and added, “You’ll see.”
He couldn’t believe she was actually trying to comfort him. Since she looked so sincere, he didn’t dare laugh. He didn’t want to hurt her tender feelings, and if she felt the need to soothe him, he’d let her.
“Uncle used to tell me the angels were brawling whenever there was a thunderstorm,” she said. “He made it sound as if they were having quite a party.”
“And did you believe your uncle?” he asked, a smile in his voice.
“No.”
He did laugh then, a full booming sound that reminded her of thunder.
“I have grown to appreciate your honesty, Jade. I find it most appealing.”
She didn’t look as though she wanted to hear that opinion. She let go of his hand and shook her head again. “Everything’s always black and white to you, isn’t it? There’s never any room for deviations, is there? I tried to believe my uncle, but I knew he was lying to soothe my fear. Sometimes, Caine, a lie is all for the good. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
He stared down at her for a long minute. “Give me another example, Jade.” His voice was whisper soft. “Have you ever lied to me?”
She slowly nodded.
Several heartbeats later, Caine asked, “And what was this lie?”
She didn’t answer him soon enough to please him. His hands were suddenly on her shoulders and he forcefully turned her to face him. Then he nudged her chin up, demanding she look at him. “Explain this lie!” he demanded.
The look in his eyes chilled her. She couldn’t find any warmth there. The color had
turned the gray of winter mornings.
“You cannot abide a lie then, no matter what the reason?”
“Tell me what the lie was,” he instructed again.
“I don’t really dislike you.”
“What?” he asked, looking incredulous.
“I said, I don’t really dislike you.”
“That’s it? That’s the lie you . . .”
“Yes.”
She could feel the tension ebb from his grasp. “Well, hell, Jade, I thought it was something serious.”
“Like what?” she demanded in a raised voice.
“Like perhaps you were married,” he answered in a near shout of his own. “I already know you don’t dislike me,” he added in a softer tone of voice.
“You’re impossible,” she cried out. “Unbending, too. If I had other lies, I certainly wouldn’t admit them to you now. You get too cranky.”
“Jade?”
“Yes?”
“What other lies?”
“I thought about telling you I was married,” she said then. “But I’m not any good at fabrications and I didn’t think you’d believe me.”
“Why would you want me to believe you were married?”
He was rubbing her shoulders now in an absentminded fashion. “Because,” she rushed out. “In the tavern, well, you were looking at me very like a tiger planning his next meal, and I thought that if you believed I was married . . . or recently widowed, then I’d gain your compassion.”
“So you wanted my compassion and not my lust?”
She nodded. “You must admit that we are attracted to each other. I’ve never wanted a man to touch me the way I want you to . . . touch me.”
“That’s nice to know, my love.”
“Oh, you already know it,” she whispered. “Quit looking so pleased with yourself. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
“What was bound to happen?”
“I was bound to find someone I wanted to get a little closer to,” she explained.
“I’m glad it happened with me,” he admitted.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him. “Jade, do you want me to touch you now?”
She struggled out of his arms and took a step back. “It doesn’t matter if I want you to touch me or not, Caine. You’re my protector. You have to leave me alone.”
She suddenly found herself pulled back up against his chest, his thighs, his hard arousal. Her flimsy nightgown proved scanty protection against his body, his incredible heat. “It doesn’t work that way, Jade.”
“Why not?”
“I want you.”
The huskiness in his voice was her undoing. She knew she should be appalled by her own reaction to him. Yet she actually wanted to melt in his arms. The urge to let him touch her was such a sweet torment. Lord, she was confused. She’d never, ever permitted anyone to get this close to her. She’d always protected herself against involvements of any kind, having learned early in life that loving someone caused more pain than joy. Even Nathan had deserted her. She’d become so vulnerable then. Yes, only a fool would let a man like Caine close . . . only a fool.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Neither Jade nor Caine was aware of the weather now. They were too consumed by the heat flowing between them.
They stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed an eternity.
And in the end, it was inevitable. When Caine slowly lowered his head toward her, she leaned up to meet him halfway.
His mouth took absolute possession. He was as ravenous for her as she was for him. She welcomed his tongue, rubbed against it with her own. Her whimper of longing and acceptance blended with his raw growl of need.
The kiss was openly carnal. Caine was a lusty man whose hunger wouldn’t be easily appeased. He wouldn’t let her retreat or give half measure. Jade didn’t want to draw back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, threaded her fingers through his soft curly hair, and clung to him. She never wanted to let go.
When he finally pulled away, she felt as though he’d taken her heart. She cuddled up against him quite brazenly, resting the side of her face against his warm chest. The mat of hair tickled her nose but she liked the sensation too much to move away. His scent, so wonderfully masculine, reminded her of heather and musk. The earthy fragrance clung to his skin.
Caine’s voice was ragged when he asked, “Jade? Are there other lies you want to tell me about?”
“No.”
He smiled over the shyness in her voice, then said, “No, there aren’t any other lies, or no, you don’t want to tell me about them?”
She rubbed her cheek against his chest to try to distract him, then said, “Yes, there are other lies.” She felt him tense against her, then hastily added, “But they’re so insignificant I can’t even remember them now. When I do, I promise to tell you.”
He immediately relaxed again. Lying, she decided, was on the top of his list of atrocities.
“Jade?”
“Yes, Caine?”
“Do you want me?”
He didn’t give her time to answer. “Damn it, be honest with me now. No more lies, Jade. I have to know,” he grated out. “Now.”
“Yes, Caine, I want you. Very much.”
She sounded as though she’d just confessed a dark sin. “Jade, there should be joy in wanting each other, not despair.”
“There is both,” she answered. She shivered inside over the knowledge of what she was about to do. She was eager . . . and terribly uncertain. I will not fall in love with him, she promised herself, and knew the lie was a mockery when her eyes filled with tears. Caine had already found his way into her heart.
When she moved back into his arms, he felt her tremble. He tightened his hold around her. “I’ll take care of you, Jade,” he whispered. “Love, what are you thinking?”
“That I’ll survive,” she answered.
He didn’t understand what she meant, but the fear in her voice made his heart ache. “We don’t have to ...”
“I want you,” she interrupted. “But you have to promise me something first.”
“What?” he asked.
“You mustn’t fall in love with me.”
The seriousness in her voice told him she wasn’t jesting. Caine was immediately infuriated with her. She was such a confusion to him. He decided he’d demand an explanation for her ridiculous request, but then she started caressing his skin into a fever. She placed hot, wet kisses on his chest, and when her tongue brushed against one of his nipples, his body began to burn for her.
She teased a path up the side of his neck with her sweet mouth, urging him without words to respond. Caine’s control disappeared. He’d never had a woman respond to him with such innocence, such honesty. For the first time in his life, he felt cherished . . . and loved.
A low growl escaped him even as he told himself to be gentle with her. He wanted to savor each touch, each caress, to make this night with her last forever. Yet he contradicted his own command when she began to make those erotic little whimpers in the back of her throat. She drove him wild. He roughly pulled on her hair until he’d made a fist of her silky curls, then jerked her head back so he could once again claim her mouth for another searing kiss.
His passion consumed her. His mouth ate at her lips, and his tongue . . . dear God, his tongue made her shake with raw desire. Jade’s nails dug into the bulge of muscle in his upper arms. She gave herself over into his care. A deep ache began to spread like wildfire through her stomach, then lower, until it became an excruciating sweet torture.
Caine’s hands moved to her buttocks. He pulled her up against his arousal. Jade instinctively cuddled his hardness between her thighs and began to rub against him.
The ache intensified.
When his mouth moved to the side of her neck, when his tongue began to flick her sensitive earlobe, she barely had enough strength left to stand up. He whispered dark, forbidden promises of all the erotic things he wanted to do to her. So
me she understood, others she didn’t, but she wanted to experience all of them.
“There’s no turning back now, Jade,” he whispered. “You’re going to belong to me.”
“Yes,” she answered. “I want to belong to you tonight, Caine.”
“No,” he grated out. He kissed her long, lingeringly. “Not for just one night, love. Forever.”
“Yes, Caine,” she sighed, barely aware of what she was promising. “Tell me what you want me to do. I want to please you.”
He answered her by taking her hand and moving it to the waistband of his pants. “Hold me, sweetheart,” he instructed in a husky voice. “Touch me. Squeeze me. Hard.”
His size frightened her but his reaction to her touch overrode her initial shyness. His groans of pleasure made her bolder. He made her feel powerful and weak at the same time. Jade sagged against him, smiling when she heard his whispered instructions again, for his voice actually shook. As to that, so did her hand. Her fingers brushed against his flat stomach, then slipped inside the wastband of his pants. Caine inhaled sharply, telling her without words how pleased he was with her aggression. She grew bolder then and slowly began to unbutton the opening of his trousers. She was awkward, yet determined until all the buttons were undone. She hesitated then. Caine took over the task for her. He forced her hand inside the opening. Her fingers splayed downward, into the springy hair, and then lower still, until she was touching the very heat of him. He was so incredibly hot, hard, but Jade had barely caressed him when he pulled her hand away.
“It will be over for me before we’ve started,” he grated out when she tried to touch him again.
“Caine, I want . . .”
“I know,” he groaned. He was pulling her nightgown up when he made that gruff statement. Jade was suddenly embarrassed and tried to push her gown back down over her hips. “Can’t I have it on?”
“No.”
“Caine, don’t,” she stammered. “Don’t . . .”
And then he was touching her there, in her most private place. The palm of his hand cupped her boldly and then his fingers began to weave their magic. He knew just where to stroke and fondle, just how much pressure to exert.
Her nightgown was quickly discarded, his pants as well. His big hands cupped her full breasts. His thumbs rubbed her distended nipples until she was straining against him.