“The pool is private. None of the guards can see over the fence.”
She leaned up and kissed him, felt the warm pressure of his lips. For an instant, Beau deepened the kiss. Then he took her hand and led her outside. The night was dark and cold, the wind whipping the branches of the trees behind the patio walls.
The hot pool sat at the far end of the swimming pool, steam curling up in hazy tendrils. Beau retrieved some towels from the cabana and set them on the cement decking next to the steps leading into the heated water. She caught the glitter of a foil packet and her belly clenched with need.
Beau stripped out of his pirate costume, then helped her undress, being careful of her ribs. He descended the steps, took her hand, and led her into the chest-deep water.
“You don’t need to do anything,” he said, kissing theside of her neck. “I’ll take care of everything. You just relax and let me do the work.”
It sounded so good. He always seemed to take care of her. She let herself float in the water, her hair fanning out around her face, the warmth soothing her battered body, her tightly strung nerves. Beau spent long moments just kissing her, nibbling the corners of her mouth, the side of her neck. He trailed hot kisses over her breasts, her belly, between her legs.
Heated water surrounded her, buoyed her, allowed her to do nothing but feel. Beau took full advantage, sampling and tasting, building the hunger inside her. By the time he stretched out on his back on the stairs and drew her on top of him, she was on fire for him.
A little sound came from her throat as he began to kiss her again, lifted and settled her astride him. Her heart beat faster. Need sank low in her belly. She wanted him so badly.
Shifting a little, she slowly took him inside her, biting her lip to hold back a moan. She loved the feeling of fullness, the intimacy of having him as close as two people could get.
“Easy . . .” he said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She ran a finger over his lips. “You won’t hurt me.” But even as she said the words she knew they weren’t true. Once this was over, Beau would be gone. She loved him. When he left, the pain would cut deep.
She leaned forward, rested her hands on his shoulders. Moved a little, heard him groan.
“God, I want you,” he said.
She wanted him, too. She always seemed to want him. But along with the sex, she wanted him in her life. She wanted him to feel for her the things that he had felt for Sarah.
Beau slid a hand around the back of her neck, pulled her mouth down to his for a deep, burning kiss. Gripping herhips, he held her in place to accept his thrusts, driving deep, stirring the hunger. Her skin felt hot and tight. Sensation blazed through her. The adrenaline rush returned, pumping pleasure through her blood instead of fear.
She pressed a hot, wet kiss on his mouth, her damp curls cocooning them, surrounding them in heat and darkness. His hands found her breasts as she rode him. He was mindful of her ribs, moving slowly and with care, which only excited them more.
She took him deeper, felt a shudder move through his long, hard body as he fought for control. Riding the edge of climax, Cassidy kissed him. “Let go, honey,” she whispered.
Beau groaned and his muscles went tense. Gripping her hips, he drove into her, doing his best not to hurt her, building the heat, driving them both insane. Her release came swift and hard, a rush of pleasure so sweet tears stung her eyes.
I’m falling so in love with you, she thought as she began to spiral down, but she didn’t say it. Beau wouldn’t want to hear it. His love remained locked in the past. It was sad. It was unfair. But it was true.
Cassidy consoled herself that for now he was hers. She would enjoy their time together. When it was over, she vowed, she wouldn’t look back. She would just let him go.
She pressed a last soft kiss on his lips. In the meantime, she would sleep well tonight and regain a little more of her strength.
Tomorrow they had work to do.
* * *
Beau sat at the desk in his study, going over work emails and generally playing catch-up. Running Tex/Am’s sales division wasn’t an easy job. No matter what was happening in his personal life, there were things he needed to do.
He typed half a dozen replies, then sent a message toMarty, asking him to postpone a dinner engagement with one of the company’s biggest customers, find a way to smooth the man’s ruffled feathers. The email whooshed into cyberspace, and Beau leaned back in his chair.
Last night, after they’d come in from the hot pool and gone to bed, Cassidy had curled up beside him and fallen deeply asleep. He hadn’t awoken her this morning. She needed her rest, needed to heal. He still couldn’t handle thinking about the crash that had nearly killed her. He had embroiled her in this. If something happened to her, the fault would be his.
He shoved the unwanted thought away, along with the chest-deep ache that came with the idea of losing her. He didn’t want to think about that, either.
He looked up as she wandered into the study yawning, looking sleepy eyed and well tumbled. He thought about making love to her last night, how good it always was between them. She walked over and gave him a peppermint-toothpaste kiss and he felt the kick.
“Good morning,” she said.
Beau pulled her down on his lap and gave her a far more thorough greeting. “Good morning.”
