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She could remember the stunning orgasms, him coaxing her to stay, the promise to help her leave this morning in secret—and her insistence staying was a bad idea. So why had she succumbed?
Jet lag? Maybe. Exhaustion? Possibly.
But even as she tried to convince herself there were lots of practical reasons for her to fall asleep in Cade’s bed, the panic in her chest became a ticking bomb.
Stop analysing your stupidity and get out of here—now.
Galvanised, she edged off the bed. He lay, still fast asleep, taking up most of the available space. She stared at him for one precious moment. Weren’t guys supposed to look boyish and less threatening and overpowering while asleep?
Trust Cade Landry to be the opposite. His hard, handsome face—the stubble on his jaw almost a beard now—was even more devastating. Serious and hot, and totally intimidating.
The ticking time bomb pushed into her throat as she recalled how careful, how intent he had been on her pleasure, her response to him.
No man had ever made love to her with such focus.
Not made love...had sex.
He’d said himself it was no big deal. All he’d had to do was pay attention. She’d obviously just picked the wrong guys to get intimate with before Cade.
No biggie.
He frowned in his sleep, shifting. And she jerked back.
She scrambled off the bed, her heart now pressed against her larynx.
She gathered her discarded clothing and slipped each piece on—from her signature dress, now hopelessly crushed, to the tangled thong.
As she yanked on her ankle boots, she became brutally aware of the discomfort between her thighs, the tenderness in her sex. She needed a shower. But she wasn’t about to risk waking him, the ticking bomb threatening to explode.
Her flight home was booked for three o’clock. She had enough time to catch a cab back to her motel in Marin County, grab a shower and her luggage, then head to the airport.
She paused while scooping up the purse she’d dropped in the living room.
The penthouse’s panoramic view of the Bay Bridge and the heritage building in front of them—ornate and dazzling in the sunlight—had the breath she’d been holding clogging her lungs.
The memory of the approval in Cade’s eyes all through the evening and during their night together—as he’d played her body like a virtuoso, and she’d enjoyed every minute of it—filled her with a fierce yearning which only made her feel more exposed. And frankly idiotic.
Orgasms were one thing. Even breathtaking, life-altering, mind-blowing ones. But the fact Cade had been the man to deliver them—a man who in a weird way had changed the course of her life four years ago—felt significant. But she refused to be one of those women who confused great sex and electrifying chemistry with something more.
She turned from the magnificent view and spotted a notepad on the coffee table.
She jotted down a quick note. Then screwed it up and stuffed it in her purse. It took two more attempts before she got the right mix of friendly and flippant.
As she walked through the parking area ten minutes later, she refused to acknowledge the regret making her chest ache.
She was not that needy, messed-up girl any more.
This wasn’t a walk of shame. She didn’t care if her make-up was smudged, her dress wrinkled and her scent more than a little musty. She was one hundred percent responsible for her actions last night. And she’d had a good time. An illuminating time.
But she would shove this memory away in a box marked ‘Your First Booty Call to Remember’ and then forget about Cade, finally, because she’d come full circle from the reckless girl he’d met four years ago.
And she had no doubt at all, Cade Landry would be grateful when he woke up to discover she had taken the initiative—and left before things could get awkward.
Thanks for an epic night, Sir Galahad! If I ever get the chance to dance the Zydeco again, I’ll think of you. C
Cade stared at the note—which he’d found propped on the coffee table after spending ten minutes searching the apartment for his overnight guest.
Her sultry perfume had woken him from vivid erotic dreams—in which she was the star player, his groin hard and throbbing. And nowthis...
