Only You (14 page)

She nodded and waited for him to kiss her. But he didn’t. He stood there looking at her with a mixed expression on his face—quizzical, tender, intense, and patient. Caitlin’s heart turned over.
He was waiting for her to make the first move. But she didn’t know if she could.

Caitlin tried to coax herself and still couldn’t make herself reach out to him. Finally, Max gently took her right hand. He lifted it to his lips, pressed a kiss on the back of it, then brought it to the knot in his tie.

A tremulous smile lit her face as she slowly loosened the tie. When she pulled it off, she was rewarded by Max’s sharply indrawn breath. But he remained still.

Her forehead creased in thought. So that’s the way it was going to be, was it? Her fingers toyed with the top button of his shirt, then opened it. Max’s back stiffened. She undid the second and third buttons. Max’s hands clenched at his sides. After the fourth button her fingers slipped inside and caught in silky golden brown curls. Beads of sweat broke out on Max’s forehead, and his hands moved to cover hers.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” he asked hoarsely.

“I’m seducing you, I think. Am I doing it right?”

“You seduce me just by breathing, but yeah, you could teach a class in it.”

“Really?”

“Really.” His voice was little more than a groan. “Ah, Caitie, kiss me. More than anything, I need you to kiss me.”

Slowly, her hands urged his head down. Their lips met, hers hesitant and seeking, his sure and gently. Hers parted beneath his, but he didn’t move in, he simply waited, his mouth warm and hungry, but passive.

Caitlin felt a sharp stab of impatience and she thought of how long it had been since she had
wanted anything this much. If she ever had. And now she was going to have to take control to get it.

Heady excitement shot through her. She felt exhilarated. She felt powerful. Powerful? She paused, suddenly understanding what Max was doing. He was
letting
her take control. A wave of tenderness swept over her, giving her the strength she hadn’t been able to find before.

She stood on tiptoe to fit her body more intimately to his. The tip of her tongue teased the corners of his mouth before making little forays inside, inviting him to follow suit.

Max’s breath caught in his throat and his hands swept slowly down her back, then up again to thread through her silky curls, curls that always seemed bedroom-tousled.

He slanted his mouth over hers with an urgency held firmly in check. He intended to keep it in check even if it killed him. And the way his need for her burned through his veins like acid, he felt as if it just might.

Caitlin felt his hands toying with the bottom of her sweater, his fingers darting beneath it to run lightly over her waist. But the teasing wasn’t enough. It did nothing to fill the longing that raged within her. Pulling away slightly, she took his hands, then slowly urged them upward, drawing the sweater with them.

He continued to draw the sweater up and over her head, tossing it aside. The lace of her bra was a sensual barrier to his exploring fingers as they found and caressed her creamy mounds. Her gasp of pleasure told him without words that she wanted more, and he reached gentle fingers behind her to unhook the clasp of her bra.

Her gasp, this time, was one of surprise, and
Max felt her hands clutch his shoulders. He paused in his explorations to lavish caresses on her face. He ran his fingers down her cheeks and across her lips, following with his lips.

Only when her grip eased and she began to urge him closer did he let his hands touch her soft breasts. Rosy nipples hardened immediately, inviting him to taste. “So beautiful,” Max murmured against her skin, “you’re so beautiful.” He took one swollen nipple, then the other, into his mouth and bathed each with his tongue.

“Max,” Caitlin whimpered, feeling her knees begin to buckle with delicious weakness.

“Do you want more?” Max’s voice enveloped her, a whisper that promised untold pleasures.

“Yes, oh, yes.”

Max held out his hand, a smile of tender yearning on his face. “Then take my hand, sweet Cait, and lead me to bed.”

Caitlin took him up the stairs, then paused in the hall. “Which room is yours?” When Max indicated his answer, Caitlin led him inside, stopping next to the bed. Her heart pounded with anticipation as she stroked his chest, the golden-brown curls tickling her fingers. She slid his shirt from his shoulders, gratified at the low moan that issued from his throat.

His muscles tense beneath her touch, Max stood still, letting her dictate what would happen next. Caitlin’s hands, more sure than they had been a few minutes before, moved to the buckle of his belt. As she undid it, she felt a tremor run through his body matching the one that ran through hers. “Touch me, Max,” she breathed.

His eyes held hers in a gaze so intense she could feel its heat as he unbuttoned her skirt. He slid
the garment, her half slip, and pantyhose down in one sweeping movement, leaving her clad only in panties. At the cool air that wafted over her, she stirred apprehensively and looked down, but Max reached out one hand to tilt her chin back up. “Look at me, Cait. Don’t stop looking at me.”

She whispered, “I feel … I feel so vulnerable.”

“I know, sweet Cait. I know.” He quickly removed his trousers and briefs and stood before her, his eyes still holding hers. “See? I’m as vulnerable as you now. More, because you can hide how you feel. I can’t.” He reached out and took her hands, bringing them to his chest.

“Touch me, Caitie,” he pleaded softly. “Touch me and see what your touch does to me.”

She spread her hands over his chest, haltingly tentatively. When his muscles jerked beneath her fingers and Caitlin felt the rapid pounding of his heart, her caresses became more certain.

“Dear God!” Max groaned, and Caitlin felt him shudder. “Let me love you, sweet Cait. I need you more than I need my next breath.”

At those words Caitlin very gently pushed him until he sat down on the edge of the bed. She moved next to him and threaded her fingers through his silky brown hair. She urged his head down to hers, parting her lips immediately beneath his. Her caresses became even more insistent, more daring.

It wasn’t until she lightly feathered her fingers across his arousal that Max took the initiative. His tongue plunging deep into her mouth, he urged her back until she lay on the bed. Then his hands staked their own claim on her body. Every time Caitlin’s eyes fluttered closed, Max made her open them and look at him.

When his mouth paid sweet homage to her breasts, he watched her brown eyes grow soft and hazy. When his seeking fingers removed her panties and discovered the womanly secrets between her thighs, he saw her eyes widen with pleasure at his touch. And when he used his lips and hands to bring her to the brink of fulfillment, he watched her eyes darken to almost black.

He left her side to reach for something on the nightstand, and Caitlin murmured with disappointment at the unwanted distance between them. He pulled her back into his arms and she shifted against him, trying to get closer still.

But when he began to press inside her, Caitlin shut her eyes tightly and stiffened. “Caitlin,” Max said hoarsely, “open your eyes and look at me, sweetheart. It’s only me and I’ll never hurt you. You know that. I’ll never hurt you. I want only to love you, Caitie. Let me in, sweetheart. Let me in.”

Gradually the tenseness left her and she began to relax. Only then did Max enter her fully. His breathing harsh and heavy, he lay still for a moment, to regain what little of his control remained and to give her a chance to get accustomed to him. He felt as if a sacred charge had been given to him: to erase all the bad memories and replace them with ones of gentleness and love and passion. When she shifted her body beneath him, he moved against her, whispering sweet words and reassurances all the while.

He kissed her, a slow, deep kiss that stole her breath away and gave it back again. His hands touched and fondled whatever they could reach, as if they couldn’t get enough of her. The warmth that was stealing through her body grew hotter
with each of his strokes until she thought she’d burst into flames.

“Max?” She clutched his shoulders with her hands.

“Yes, sweetheart. Let go. I’ll catch you.”

When she finally found release moments later, tears ran down her cheeks at the sheer beauty of it, and she spoke Max’s name over and over.

Max then released the steel grip on his control and tumbled headlong into pleasure. He arched his back and cried out her name before collapsing on her, his face buried in her neck.

Overwhelmed by the intensity of his feelings, he lay still, catching his breath, and reveling in the way their bodies felt pressed together. He realized that the only time he felt right, complete, was when they were together, as if each were one half of a whole.

Without releasing her he rolled to one side and levered himself up on one elbow. He needed to look at her face but was afraid of what he’d see. When he saw the silvery tears on her cheeks, his stomach knotted. But the look in her eyes was soft and warm and hazy with satisfaction.

“Thank you for making it beautiful,” she said softly.

Max pressed a sweet kiss on her lips. “We made it beautiful, sweetheart, not me. And just so you’ll know, I’ve never felt like this before.”

“Neither have I.” When a smile spread over his face, she said, “A conquering-hero smile if I ever saw one.”

“Really?” He nuzzled the side of her neck, tasting the saltiness of her skin.

“Mm-hmm,” she turned her head slightly, affording him better access. “Definitely.”

“I’ve always fancied myself a hero type.” His smile became less victorious and more possessive as his hand settled over the softness of her breast.

Caitlin said breathlessly, “Fighting dragons and all that?”

His smile faded, replaced by a look of intensity. “I’ll fight all the dragons I have to, Caitie, because I’ve just discovered that the princess in the castle tower is worth all the battles.” He bent his head to run his tongue around one rosy nipple.

“Ah, is, ah, that a dragon you’re after?”

She could feel another smile curve his lips. “I think so. Shh, now, let me see if I can catch the rascal.” He made a few more swirls with his tongue before lightly nipping at her with his teeth. “There, I think I’ve caught him.” He grinned.

“I don’t know. I think he’s getting away.” Her eyes shone with amusement.

Max was enchanted by this playful side of Caitlin. He hoped to see more of it. A lot more. “I’ll just have to stop him, won’t I?” With that, he captured one tight bud between his lips, sucking gently.

Her breath escaped in an audible sigh. “Yes, I definitely think you’ve got him this time.”

“Not yet. I won’t be satisfied till I’ve taken the castle by storm.” His fingers slid underneath her to cup her smooth bottom, while his lips continued to nibble at her breast.

“Max?” she breathed.

“Yes, sweetheart.”

“Be careful that the dragon doesn’t spring a surprise attack on you.”

“Surprise attack?”

“Yes. Like this.” With unexpected strength and agility she pushed him onto his back. “You see,
sometimes the dragon fights back.” She flicked her tongue across his tight nipple. His body jerked in response and his eyes opened wide at the look on Caitlin’s face. It was so supremely, so powerfully female that it took his breath away.

Caitlin felt alive, more alive than she’d felt in seven years. She felt young and strong and feminine, and gloried in those feelings. She didn’t know if she could find the words to tell Max how she felt, but she could do everything in her power to show him. She lowered her head to his, her eyes gleaming.

While her lips busily seduced his, her hands discovered Max’s hard, lean body. It was a perfect complement to her softer one, and she found pleasure in running her hands over the taut cords of muscle in his shoulders and chest. Her fingers tangled in the silky gold-brown curls that dusted his chest, then swept across each flat brown nipple.

When Max groaned she felt the sound reverberate through her. She moved one questing hand lower, and Max quivered. A feeling of pure pride shot through her that she could do this to him, that she could bring him to the same fever pitch of need that he’d brought her to.

“Caitlin,” he said again.

“Tell me what you want, Maximillian.” Her voice was a throaty purr.

“Make love to me, sweetheart.”

“I will. Show me what to do.”

Dizzy with need, Max hurriedly rolled on another condom, then guided her on top of him, groaning again when she sheathed herself around him. He was captivated by her smile—the smile of a wanton, of an angel. He would give his life to
keep that smile on her face, Max thought before the fog of pleasure eclipsed everything but the driving necessity to find the ecstasy only she could give.

When Max woke up it was light, and based on the rumbling of his stomach, probably after eight.

Caitlin still slept, her head cradled on his shoulder. He smiled. So it hadn’t been just one more dream. It had really happened. He tightened his arms around her and she stirred, murmured incoherent words, and pressed her face into Max’s chest. Her warm breath stirred the hair there, and Max felt a sudden tightening in his body. All he had to do was think about her to want her again. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her.

Last night had been so much more than he’d ever expected. The first time they’d made love, Caitlin’s response had been shyly passionate. But the second time Max would carry engraved in his memory forever. Caitlin had been Eve, Delilah, Helen—a woman secure in her own femininity. A temptress, a siren.

There had been a third time, too, in the middle of the night, when both were warm and hazy from sleep. Caitlin had cuddled in his arms as if she belonged there. And she did. She might not know it yet, he mused as he brushed her hair from her face, but he would never let her go.

Caitlin opened her eyes to an empty bed, but she could hear the muted sounds of Max whistling in the kitchen downstairs. She smiled. Max’s
off-key tune was the prettiest music she’d ever heard.