Cade Maddox strode
through the cold, marble tiled corridors of Renault Publishing, his expression
reflecting his considerable anger if the wide berth he was given was any
indication. He entered his office and slammed the door behind him with a force
that resonated throughout the suite.
Damn Isabeau Renault! She was the most exasperating woman he’d ever
met in his life, and he’d known a fair few women in his time. She fought him on
everything, challenged him regardless of his logical suggestions, and she did
it with a smile and a fire that made him want to get lost in her. She needed a
damn good spanking some days, and others he would have sold his soul to lie
next to her at night, the way he used to.
He sank into the
leather chair at his desk and pulled the keyboard for his computer toward him,
intent on making use of what remained of the work day. Once she exited the
building, he’d be following her. As he
started scrolling through emails and seeing what needed his attention, he caught
movement on the monitor that showed him her office. She was pacing…and she
looked more lost than he’d seen her in years, her delicate features drawn with
sadness. He forced himself to look away and get back to his work. The moment
she left the office, he’d be notified.
A couple of hours
later, a beep from the security panel made him turn, and he watched her lock
the door to her office then head for the private elevator. She wasn’t going
home tonight, but taking the lift to her penthouse on the top floor of the
office building. He’d already done the security for her apartment, a few
keystrokes and he was able to observe her every move there, too, though she
hadn’t been told that in any of his reports.
* * *
The day had been much
longer than she’d meant it to be, and she keyed in the security code to her
office before heading to the private elevator that would take her to the
penthouse. She was too weary to drive, even though her body was buzzing with
restless energy on the way to the only floor this particular elevator was
programmed for. She stepped out into a cool, silent entryway, and smiled.
She took the few steps
that would put her at the door, then pressed her thumb to the panel that slid
open when she punched in another code. A barely audible click told her the door
was open and she went into the apartment, turning the lights on as she went,
though only on dim, not full power.
She slipped her shoes
off and left them by the curving sofa, then headed for the kitchen. Nothing
appealed to her as she stared at the contents of the two fridges through their
glass doors. She wasn’t really hungry anyway. The past couple of evenings had
been spent at the privilegeNyc nightclub, drinking too much Scotch–again–and
sparring verbally, then physically, with Cade Maddox.
She rubbed the heels
of her hands over her tired eyes and sighed as she made her way back through
the apartment. The entire place was laid out in a near horseshoe shape, the
open end a wall of heavy, bulletproof glass that overlooked the glittering city
below. On the left was the kitchen, small dining area, and her library/office.
To the right, taking up most of the floor was the master bedroom suite, which
contained a spacious bedroom, wide stone balcony attached, a bathroom straight
out of Homes and Gardens, with waterfall shower and deep Jacuzzi bathtub. A
smaller guest room was across the hall, richly appointed and comfortable. So
far, no one had ever stayed in the apartment with her.
While she went through
the familiar routine of undressing and showering, her thoughts returned
constantly to Maddox and his unexpected reappearance in her life. Their past
was lodging itself firmly in her present, and she wondered how long it would be
before they were forced to talk about what had happened to put them on opposite
sides of a chasm so dark and deep, it would be damn near impossible to bridge
the gap. Then again, she chided herself, why would Cade want her near him again
once he knew the truth?
She emerged from the
bathroom after a quick shower, not bothering to put on a robe or nightgown, and
she flopped on the silk and lace coverlet of the soft bed. They’d danced again
tonight at the club, and he’d kissed her. She licked her lips, and in her mind the
faint, lingering taste of him made her smile. She shivered, letting the memory
expand outward, seeing every tiny detail of his face, tracing it with mental
fingers, from the curving arch of his brow, across the sloping plane of his beard-stubbled
cheek, and brushing softly over the lush curve of his lips. She loved Cade’s
mouth, the soft sensuality of it so at odds with the stark masculinity that
defined every inch of his body. He’d aged since they’d lived together, his eyes
spoke of horrors seen, and acts committed that would never quite fade from his
mind. He’d gained weight, but it was all hard muscle and controlled power. There’d
been a time when she knew the taste and texture of every part of him, the soft
silken hair of his chest, and how she loved to rub her cheek against it, or her
breasts when she sat astride his hips. She bit her bottom lip, and memory took
her back to the first time they’d made love…
God, Cade’s hands had
been so gentle, and so knowing. She’d never been with anyone before him. She
hadn’t told him, letting him believe she knew precisely what she was doing when
she didn’t know a damn thing outside of her want for him. He’d figured it out
fast, though, and once he’d stopped being pissed off at her for what might have
happened, he’d made love to her for hours, showing her heaven over and over
until she was limp and exhausted in his arms. That had been the beginning of
the most perfect and happy year of her life.
Under Cade’s loving
guidance, she’d learned to enjoy her body. No one else had ever touched her the
way he did. She’d known other lovers since him, not many, but they weren’t
Cade, and even in her anger and her feigned hatred for him, she knew she’d
never love anyone else. He was the best part of her, he was inside her like the
blood in her veins and the beat of her heart. She rolled onto her side and
reached out to drag the second pillow close to her, hugging it tight.
“Cade…” she whispered
in the silence, where it was safe to admit to the air that she still wanted him
as much now as she had years earlier. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes, let
her thoughts drift…
She heard him come into the room, the heaviness
in his breathing telling her he’d been drinking too much, which meant he’d been
out with his old unit. The bed rocked a little as he sat on the edge and she
turned to watch him pull off his shoes and go through the motions of getting
undressed. With Cade, she never tired of seeing him stripping down to bare
skin, and he was magnificent, all hard muscle and tanned skin. He turned back
to the bed and she saw the flash of his smile in the dim light from the lamp on
his side of the bed.
“Good night?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I think it’s about to get
better.” He grinned down at her.
Laughing, she threw back the bed linen and
opened her arms to him. He wasn’t long accepting her invitation and she arched
up off the mattress when he settled over her, their mouths fused, tongues
entwined, soft moans sighing in the silence of the room.
His hands glided over her, slowly stroking over
her curves, and she felt him ease away. He hooked her legs over his arms and
her fingers tangled in the thick silk of his hair while her entire body
shuddered when he spread her thighs wide and bent to kiss the soft thatch of
hair before moving lower. The stroke of his tongue over her clit made her gasp
his name, and he slowed his pace, kissing and sucking softly, drawing her
nerves so tights she was certain she was going to faint before he ever let her
come for him…
Her head thrashed from side to side as he held
her in place and his tongue began to flick rapidly over her clit. The building
heat inside her would have had her writhing against the sheets if he’d loosened
his hold, but he held her exactly where he wanted her, and she screamed as her
orgasm trailed flames along her veins. Her hips rose off the bed and she pulled
at his hair, panting for breath. He let her breathe for less than a minute,
then he covered her again and lifted her hips to meet his thrust as he buried
himself fully inside her still quivering pussy.
She hardly heard his soft, lust-roughened voice
growling close to her ear, but she felt the tremor it evoked rushing through
her entire body. He was still for a moment, allowing her to relax and adjust to
him, then he moaned softly when she pushed against him, and whispered, “hard,
baby, please…” His body answered her, and she came apart in his arms again, her
senses exploded as tiny showers of light falling behind her closed lids as she
cried his name…
Isabeau woke from the
dream shaking and sweaty, the wetness seeping between her legs coating her
thighs when she sat up, her clenching pussy still rippling with the remembered
feel of Cade inside her. She ground her teeth and tears sprang to her eyes.
She fell back on the
bed, her breathing quick and erratic. Closing her eyes, she let her hands begin
to caress her heavy, sensitive breasts, tugging on the hard, distended nipples
as she pinched and traced circles around them, remembering Cade’s tongue, and
the way his mouth worked her into a frenzy with this touch alone. Low in her body,
the tugging sensation of weight and need grew. Groaning, she rolled and pulled
the vibrator out of the nightstand drawer, flicked the switch, and slid it deep
inside her, slowly creating a steady rhythm as tension began to build. Within
minutes her body shook, the orgasm sweeping over her as she cried out Cade’s
name, and in her mind, saw the incredible pleasure than transformed his
handsome features when she took him over the edge with her.
Breathing hard, she
slid the vibrator free of her body and tossed it aside, the overload of emotion
suddenly battering her in the aftermath of the sexual release… She lay flat on
her back and cried, soft, low sobs that were broken only by his name… She loved
him. Against all her efforts to make it go away, she loved Cade as much as she
had when he loved her, too…
On the bedside table,
her cellphone began to ring and she knew who it was before she answered. “I’m
tired, Cade, what do you want?” She heard the tears in her voice, the rasping
quality making the pitch low and husky. Maybe he’d assume it was because she’d
been asleep… He used to tell her he loved the sound of her voice after they’d
made love, and she hoped he wouldn’t remember that now as she waited for him to
speak…
* * * * *
Cade Maddox and Isabeau Renault
are living their story on the pages of Facebook. If you’d like to know more about them, and read about them,
visit here:
