”Brad!” She exploded around him.
In the same heartbeat, release stormed through his body so forcefully, his knees buckled. He braced himself on her arched hips and closed his eyes to a throaty, drawn-out groan.
He didn’t know how much time passed as he lay there whispering sweet words against her damp skin. Hell, he didn’t even know he was whispering until the sound of his own voice filtered through the buzz in his head. Robbed of strength, he turned his head to press a tender kiss to her spine.
Cassie disobeyed his instruction not to move and reached behind her to rest her fingertips on his bicep. If it hadn’t been for her gentle squeeze, he’d have scolded her again. But those delicate fingers expressed affection he knew she couldn’t voice. And he understood that though she had lost herself every bit as powerfully as he had, she needed contact.
He found the strength to ease out of her depths and crawl onto the bed. Gathering her into his arms, he rolled onto his back. His lips found hers, softly, sweetly. Connecting with her in a strangely tender way that satisfied a portion of his soul he hadn’t realized existed until her tongue tangled lazily with his.
That languor didn’t last, however. The air washed over his skin, cooling him off from head to toe. An odd tingling sensation tickled his cock. Bit by bit, his body stiffened as he realized the reason why, and he drew the kiss to a close. His heart skipped several panicked beats. Possessed by the need to sate himself inside her, he’d forgotten a condom.
The hand that toyed with the ends of her hair froze. “Cassie?”
“Hm?” She smiled up at him, her expression sleepy.
His throat inched closed. “Please tell me you’re on birth control.”
“Oh.” Yawning, she nestled into his embrace again. “Yeah. And I haven’t had sex in three years, remember?”
That’s right—he’d been the first. In so many ways.
Warmth stole over him, unwinding the knot his lungs had become, and replacing the stark fear that had invaded his veins. He pulled his hand through her long hair once more. “I’m clean too,” he whispered against the crown of her head.
“I trusted you.”
Yeah…she had. He tightened the arm that wound around her waist. She felt so soft, so good like this. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and…hold on forever. Her words echoed in his memory. Aw hell—this is what she’d meant. He wouldn’t go so far as to say she’d given him her love, but she’d given of herself. And damn it, he wanted to believe in her.
She snuggled closer. “A girl could get used to this.”
“Mm.” Brad dusted a kiss over the top of her head. “Me, too.”
Tipping her head up, she grinned. “For a few days at least?” With a soft chuckle, she burrowed back into his arms.
“Yeah,” he murmured. Just one week of the sweetest perfection he’d ever known.
Chapter Fifteen
Brad awakened to stillness. This time, there was no disorientation—he knew he lay tangled in Cassie’s bed. During the night, he’d come to terms with the fact that touching her was as necessary as breathing. He reached across the mattress to sate his unending craving. His fingers, however, closed around her pillow.
He lifted on an elbow and frowned. Yesterday morning, the sunlight hadn’t been so bright. Yesterday morning he’d felt like he’d been run over by a steamroller, the need for sleep had been so great.
Yesterday he’d awakened to the buzzing of his phone…which he hadn’t set last night. Shit
“Cassie?” he hollered.
Brad kicked his legs free of the covers and sprang from the bed. Frantically, he searched the room for his clothes, then groaned when he remembered he’d left them in the front room. Great, she was probably waiting for his lazy ass to get out of bed so they could get to the office—if she hadn’t already left. Damn it. This wasn’t how he’d intended to start his day. He’d planned to wake up before they had to be anywhere, drag her into the shower, take her under that hot spray of water, and then help lather her body clean.
So much for a luxurious morning. He strode to the door. A clatter of metal brought him up short in the hall. “Cassie?” he called more loudly.