Two Lives in Waltz Time Page 12

  The offer made her smile. Actually, everything about Gino made her smile. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

  When he finally glanced back at her, there was a boyish grin on his face. He nodded once, gave her a small wave, and exited the room.

  Ava sighed as she settled back onto her pillow. So what if she didn’t know what the hell was going on, or how she was going to get home, or even where in the world she really was. For whatever reason, knowing she had a guy like Gino watching her back made her feel she could handle anything this painting world wanted to throw at her.

  As long as she didn’t get shot like Cash.

  He was a little drunk.

  Once upon a time, Cash had been able to stomach pains far greater than a surface gunshot wound. He’d forged through a scimitar’s slice, a mace to the side of the head, even an animal trap around his ankle. He still had a bit of that fortitude, but seven years of living a so-called normal life had taken its toll. By the time they reached the apartment, his arm felt like it was on fire, and he was regretting telling Maddy they shouldn’t go to the hospital. Drugs were sounding too bloody good right then.

  So he settled for the next best thing.

  Stripped to the waist, he stood at the liquor cabinet, pouring out another tumbler of whiskey. It was his fourth since getting home, a blistering balm down his throat as it worked its magic on his muscles. From the next room, he heard the sounds of Maddy getting ready for sleep and wondered if she would emerge again before doing so. She had already seen to his arm, pinching the seared edges of his skin to close the wound enough to place butterfly bandages all along its length. It would serve in place of stitches, they believed. But then she’d fled, disappearing into the sanctuary of her own space, and Cash was left to try to combat the aches in both his arm and his head.

  He wanted to know what she was thinking. Confessions might be good for the soul and all that rot, but the fact of the matter was, he had little idea how she perceived him now. The way she had kissed him when they first arrived at the Sun gave him hope that maybe she understood a little better. Maybe it meant they might be able to use this to get a little closer. And then she’d leapt to his defense with the attack, hovering anxiously to ensure he was all right, devoted to his every need all the way up to the first aid.

  At which point, she’d promptly scarpered off. What the hell was he supposed to believe?

  He finished his drink just as the phone rang shrilly from the sideboard. Unwilling to disturb Maddy, he crossed the room in sharp steps to cut it off in mid-ring. “What?” he snapped. It was too bloody late to be worried about niceties.

  “Hey, Cash.” Gino’s deep voice filtered through the line, easing some of Cash’s irritation. “Maddy asked me to call once I knew how Ava was doing.”

  Damn. He had been so wrapped up in his own pain that he hadn’t given a thought to Ava’s. “She all right?”

  “Yeah. The doc’s keeping her overnight, but if it all checks out in the morning, she can go home. Nothing for Maddy to worry about.”

  “She’ll be glad to hear that. Thanks for calling, mate.”

  The door behind him opened as he hung up, but Cash refrained from looking back, choosing instead to return to the liquor cabinet and pour another drink.

  “Was that Gino?” Maddy asked softly.

  His fingers were numb where they curled around his tumbler. “Ava’s good. She’s going home in the morning. Wherever the hell that is.”

  He was stopped from lifting the glass to his mouth by a sudden hand on his arm. “And I think you’re going to bed before you pass out.” Prying the drink away, Maddy set it down on the cabinet before taking his good arm and leading him toward his bedroom.

  He didn’t argue. Beneath her warm fingers, his skin scorched in a resonant heat, and he itched to feel more of it, feel it burn in places more pleasurable than his forearm. When they reached his closed door, he hung back while she opened it, devouring her silk-clad form even more ravenously than he had the alcohol. The full-length robe covered her from neck to toe, but the fabric clung to her curves, revealing more than it hid. For some reason, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the soft swell of her ass as she led him into the darkened room, and he hit the light so that his staring would go on uninterrupted.

  “Does your arm still hurt?” Maddy asked. Releasing her grip, she turned to face him, effectively taking away the object of his attention. Her brows shot up when she caught his flush. “I’m going to assume no. You’re too far gone to feel anything right now.”

  He didn’t move while she set to pulling back the red satin comforter, knocking aside the throw pillows that got in her way. “You’d be wrong. It’s just that I’m too much of a gentleman to be acting on them right now, is all.” Even if she’d given him back the tempting view of her bottom.

  Maddy snorted and looked back over her shoulder with a wry smile. “Since when?”

  “Since you’ve gained exclusive access to the Those Who Know About Cash Club.” Staggering slightly, he sat down on the foot of the bed, letting the slick surface of the blankets seduce him into lying back.

  From that angle, Maddy suddenly seemed larger than life, though he imagined that could have been the whiskey’s influence as well. In spite of the way her robe had covered her from behind, the front was much more revealing, hanging low to expose the daring bodice of the matching negligee beneath. The curve of her small breasts made his cock jump.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Cash murmured. The tie of her robe dangled near his fingers, tickling him with the silken touch. Grabbing the end, he tugged hard enough to uncinch the loose bow she’d tied, and felt his throat grow dry as the robe parted to reveal even more of her delicious curves.

  Maddy didn’t move, but neither did she help him. “And you’re drunk,” she said gently.

  His fingertips skated over her hip. There was no panty line beneath the delicate fabric. The thought that she wasn’t wearing anything under the negligee made him want to tear it from her then and there. “Does that matter?”

  “It did when you wouldn’t take advantage of me the first night we got here.”

  Tearing his gaze away from the promise of her hips, he met her luminous blue eyes and gave her a half-smile. “So the thought did occur to you,” he teased.

  Her cheeks flushed. When his hand drifted upward, daring to stroke along the outer curve of her breast, her hard nipple visibly pebbled the silk, prompting Cash to sit up and seek it out with his mouth.

  He stopped when the room spun wildly around him, clutching Maddy’s hips as he struggled to remain upright. “You need to lie down,” he heard her say. Without letting her go, he fell back against the mattress, pulling her with him so she stretched out along his length.

  Maddy froze. The look in her eyes made it clear she felt his erection pressing into her stomach. “This wasn’t what I had in mind,” she whispered.

  “Are you going to stop me?”

  “I have to. For both of our sakes.”

  Cash groaned when she slid off, his trousers scraping along his hard length, making him throb even more. His hands scrabbled to find her again, but caught only empty air, leaving him frustrated and increasingly angry.

  “Am I going to get an explanation for the hot and cold act?” he demanded, squinting up to where she had inched away from the bed. “And don’t tell me it’s the whiskey playing with my head. You kissed me at the club when you didn’t have to, and you did it knowing about Dubai. And I’m not even going to touch the Little Miss Nightingale act, though that could probably be because you’re afraid of not getting home if something happens to me.”

  Fire danced in her eyes. “Is that what you think?”

  “Well, what else am I supposed to think?” He tried to push up on his elbows, but the strain on his wound was too painful, even through the whiskey-induced haze. “You haven’t said bugger all about any of it. Not that I’m holding my breath, hoping you’ll have half the sense to realize what I’ve been saying
to you all along is the truth.”

  “I told you that I believed you!”

  “And then tucked your tail between those gorgeous legs of yours and ran off. Can you bloody blame me for being confused?”

  Cash was startled when he suddenly had a lap full of Maddy, her robe and negligee riding up to show off her strong thighs as she straddled his hips. “I’ll show you confused,” she muttered.

  Then her lips were on his, forcing his to part, to let her tongue slip inside with a hungry fervor. All Cash could do was comply.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nobody could infuriate her quite like Cash could. He had been sullen for most of the car ride home, then pouted like a little boy when Maddy insisted on tending to his injury before he started drinking to try to drown his pain. Nothing she had done had been quite good enough, and as soon as she could, she fled to the haven of her bedroom before she decided to shoot Cash herself. Only the call she knew was from Gino could draw her back out, but seeing Cash sway in the half-darkness, the bandages stark against his muscled arm and chest, Maddy knew she couldn’t just leave him like that. He had taken care of her when she’d been under the weather. The least she could do was the same.

  Then he touched her. He did it so lightly she couldn’t even feel the pressure of his fingers against her skin. But she felt the warmth, the heat trailing up her hip, along her breast. Stopping him was inconceivable, until he nearly fell over from sitting up too quickly. Then, reality had come crashing back, along with their bodies. As hard as it was, Maddy was ready to walk away before Cash opened his big mouth and practically called her a tease and a coward.

  What else could she have done but kiss him and prove him wrong?

  Once she started, though, she couldn’t stop. Her silk nightgown only exacerbated the heat differential between their bodies, allowing her skin to scorch from the heat of his, and when Cash slid his arms beneath her robe to cup her ass, Maddy automatically ground her hips against his straining erection.

  He groaned into her mouth, his teeth catching her bottom lip. “Finally,” he breathed. As his arms tensed, locking her firmly against his chest, she realized just in time what it was he intended to do.

  “Stop,” Maddy panted. She braced against his good shoulder to break away from the temptation of his kisses. The dangerous glints in those vibrant green eyes warned her what was going through Cash’s mind, so before he could lash out, she leaned in and trailed her lips along his jaw, early stubble rasping along her tender mouth.

  “You’re hurt,” she murmured when she reached his ear. “We can’t do what you want.”

  Cash growled, his hands tightening almost painfully around her ass. “Like hell we can’t. If you think I’m letting you run away after a kiss like that—”

  “I’m not.” Daringly, she nipped at his earlobe before straightening, fighting against his hold to slide off his body and onto the floor. “But I’m not going to hurt you even worse, either.”

  He banged his head against the mattress, his eyes squeezed shut. “This is killing me even more than that little gunshot, you know that, right?”

  “I’m not running,” Maddy repeated. She had to fight not to sound too irritated by his failure to listen. “But…look. Do you trust me or not?”

  Cash cracked an eye to stare at her. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “Everything. So? Do you?”

  She was convinced he was going to say no, just to be contrary. So when he murmured the reluctant yeah, Maddy exhaled in relief.

  “Slide up.” At his confusion, she added, “To the pillow. I want you lying still for this.”

  His brows quirked at her choice of words, but he did as he was told, watching her carefully as she slid the robe from her shoulders. “For future reference,” Cash said, his gaze raking hungrily over her curves, “stripping in front of me is probably the worst possible way to keep me from touching you.”

  Draping the pink silk over the chair, Maddy deliberately turned away from him, showing Cash the deep cut of the negligee that bared most of her back. She smiled when she heard his sharp hiss, relishing the effect she was having, but when the blankets rustled as he fought to sit up, she whirled to stop him.

  “You keep that up, you’re going to start bleeding again,” she warned, pressing him back into the bed.

  Cash glanced at his bandages, then pointedly at the satin surrounding them. “Maybe there’s a reason I picked out red sheets.”

  “And maybe there’s a reason I’d rather you didn’t get hurt any further.” It came out before she could stop it, but as she realized the true sentiment behind the words, Maddy averted her eyes, unwilling to show Cash how badly he was already getting to her. Instead, she focused on the hands she hadn’t removed from his muscled chest, concentrating on the rhythmic pounding of his heart as it pulsed into her palms. “You said you trusted me. Prove it by doing this one thing.”

  Gradually, she felt him relax, the tight muscles of his abdomen easing. It still wasn’t safe to look at him, though, so Maddy shifted her gaze lower, catching her bottom lip between her teeth when she saw the unmistakable bulge of his arousal beneath his trousers. He hadn’t been lying. He wanted her as badly as she wanted him. Her mouth watered at the possibilities.

  “Any other rules I need to know about?” Cash asked.

  Her fingers skated along the line of his waistband, making him twitch with anticipation. “No.” Taking a deep breath, she slid onto the bed, half-sitting, half-kneeling alongside his hips so that she could undo the top button of his pants.

  “What about touching you?”

  His voice was husky, sending shivers along Maddy’s skin. Somehow, she kept the tremors out of her hands as she moved to his zipper.

  “If you can do it without sitting up or moving your bad arm, you can do anything you want.”

  Immediately, his hand rested on the small of her back, fingertips running along the edge of the silk to stop at the upper swell of her ass. “Those are dangerous words.”

  Her breath hitched when a single finger dipped below the fabric. This was going to be over before it began if he kept that up, and what she wanted right then was to sate her desire to taste him. That would never happen if his exploration continued.

  Moving beyond his reach, Maddy settled between his legs. “I want these off,” she said, tugging at the waistband of his pants. She smiled when he lifted his hips enough to let them slide effortlessly down. “I’m going to guess that’s what you want too.”

  He didn’t answer. He merely watched her through hooded eyes as she maneuvered the trousers off his legs.

  She had had a brief glimpse of his legs and more when he crouched by the gifts, but that small tease was nothing compared to having him now in touching distance. Though he wore silk boxers, his hard cock was clearly outlined beneath the dark material, a small wet spot near the band from where he was already leaking. Resting her hands on his powerful thighs, Maddy ran them along his skin, up to his hips, under the loose fabric. Cash groaned when her fingers brushed against his heavy balls.

  “You’re part of the plot, I just know it,” he said.

  If there was a plot, it was going to kill her as well. Her body burned, aching with the desire to spread out on top of him, to feel her hard nipples crushed against his chest. She wanted to straddle those slim hips and sink down onto his hard cock, to ride him as he slammed repeatedly into her.

  But this would not be the time for that, not with that gunshot wound threatening to open again at the slightest provocation. This was the time for something gentler, for learning the other’s body, touching and tasting and exploring his sharp planes. Careful to avoid touching his shaft, Maddy slid her fingers beneath the elastic waistband and began tugging downward, exposing even more of his long lines and smooth skin.

  She didn’t realize she held her breath until his cock sprang into view. It was thick and smooth, curving onto his belly just as long and hard as the rest of his body. A drop of clear fl
uid collected at the tip and, without thought, Maddy leaned down and caught it with her tongue.

  Cash bucked at the unexpected contact, though the combination of Maddy and the boxers around his thighs kept him from moving too far. “Christ.” His hands fisted in the sheets. “Warn a bloke next time you do that.”

  Her smile was impish as she looked up into his flushed face. “Who said there’s going to be a next time?” His answering growl made her laugh. It was odd how intoxicating this kind of power over him was. Not nearly quickly enough, the boxers found their way to the floor, leaving Cash naked and waiting for Maddy to continue. When she curled at his side against his hip, his hand returned to stroke her back, running up and down her spine as she reached out and did the same to the length of his cock.

  “You know how you asked about rules?” she whispered. Where her breath fanned across his skin, goose bumps suddenly speckled his flesh. “You have no idea how ironic I think that is. The one thing I’ve always known about you is that the only rules you care about are your own. Why should mine make any kind of difference?”

  “Because they’re yours,” Cash answered without pause. “I thought I’d made it clear that I don’t think of you the same as I do other women.”

  He had, but it felt good to hear it again. It gave her the strength to bend down and start nibbling along his abdomen, her fingers curling around his shaft so she could stroke him a bit more deliberately.

  Cash’s murmurs of approval accompanied the slide of his hand to the back of her head. He wasn’t pushing her closer, though she knew that was probably what he wanted. Instead, his strong fingers massaged her nape, traced along the contours to stoke the burn inside her skin even higher. He was doing exactly as she had asked, playing by the lone rule she’d established for this to happen, and that single realization made Maddy want to make this as good for him as she could possibly get it.