I’m on my way.
A man of fortitude, his words were spoken with grit, guaranteeing his strength and protection. Giving her the assurance he was there for her. He was coming to her.
She stared at the phone in her hand. She should get up. She should get dressed. Her limbs were too heavy. She had no energy, no will to move. Mike. She’d wait for Mike. Vague thoughts rolled around in her head until abruptly, she heard a loud pounding on her front door.
“Cassie. Are you in there? Open up?”
Jerked out of her fog, she flinched at the racket.
“Cassie. It’s Mike. Open up!”
Good Lord, the neighbors. She jumped from the bed and nearly lost her towel. Grabbing it with both hands, she ran down the hallway and stubbed her toe on a corner table. She shrieked.
“Dammit, Cassie. What’s going on in there?” He pounded harder.
Her toe throbbed, tears threatened and she worried her neighbors would call the cops. She half-stumbled, half-hopped to the door and threw it open.
If she didn’t already know Mike, the ferocious scowl on his face would have scared ten years off her life. With his arm in the air, he looked ready to break down her apartment door. She reached, got a fist full of shirt and hauled his butt inside. Which was no easy feat, since the man was rock solid. Refusing to stick her head out to see if her neighbors lined the hall, she slammed the door.
“Cassie. Are you alright?”
Mike’s face softened, but his chest heaved like he’d just run a marathon.
“My neighbors may call the cops. What were you thinking, pounding on my door like that?”
His brows drew together in a confused frown as his gaze slid slowly down and back up her body. “I thought you were in trouble.”
Realizing she stood practically naked with only a towel wrapped between them, she felt a rush of heat. Instead of desire, she saw his concern. Then his words sank in. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Did something happen?” he asked in a gentle voice, resting his hands on her shoulders.
“Yes. No. Oh, damn.” Her head fell to the side, longing to melt into him.
“Cassie. Look at me.”
She took a deep breath, inhaling tangy soap and musk cologne. When she lifted her gaze, pools of cobalt gleamed at her. She wanted to lose herself in their brilliance. Maybe he didn’t offer his love, but something fierce shone in their amazing depths. Caring, compassion, and desire … God, how she needed this man.
“Mike. Make love to me.” The towel forgotten, she slowly raised her arms.
When Cassie dropped her towel, lust slammed Mike’s gut and his dick hardened to steel. His heart cracked at the anguish he’d seen just before she’d fallen into his arms.
“Cassie,” he whispered, his voice like sandpaper.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
He groaned and dragged her against his chest. Something crucial had happened; he’d find out what later. Right now, this was what she needed. He understood the signs. Something drove her. She needed to lose herself and she’d chosen him. God help him, he hungered for her. He was more than willing to give her whatever she needed.
He’d give her this moment.
He’d give her oblivion.
She kissed him with urgency, as if her life depended on it. Her naked body tempted him beyond all reason. Sinking his hands into her hair, he slid his tongue inside her open mouth, licking every crevice he could find. Her body melted into his and he moaned her name.
Impatient lust surged with raw need. He cradled her in his arms, reassuring her with his body. “Cassie, I’m here. I’ve got you.”
He nibbled at the corner of her mouth, then licked the spot where he’d nipped. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and captured his lips again. His heart thudded as she opened her mouth eagerly, desperately. He groaned low in his throat, a deep hum of pleasure as hot desire ripped through him.
Moving slowly, he slid both hands down the sides of her body, kneading every inch. She jerked at his shirt, pulling it from the band of his jeans and slid her hands underneath, her hot, urgent fingers driving him crazy with need. She made him so hard so fast, he wanted to take her the same way—hard and fast. Her movements frantic, there was no slowing down, no foreplay. This woman was fired up. He’d be insane to deny her.