Chapter 54

She threw her arms around him, caught him in a kiss and pulled him back onto the mattress. “No, I wasn’t.” Long legs, tanned, muscled, capped with the outrageously sexy shoes lifted, extended and landed, bent and apart, on the bed. “How was your day?”

“Uh…” His voice cracked like an adolescent’s. “Getting better all the time.”

“Mmm, I’m glad. Tell me more.”

“Um…it was…oh, man…wait a second.” He made it off the bed away from her, but only to take off his clothes, unable to takes his eyes off her.

That first night he’d compared her to a black-and-white movie star. Now she was a black-and-white version of the best sexual fantasy he’d ever had. She rolled to her side, her breasts pushed tantalizingly together in the dark lace cups of the bra, and blinked sweetly. “Think you’ll get the job?”

“Uh. Don’t know yet.”

His shoes were gone. Socks: gone. Pants: gone. Brain: half-gone. Bed and candles had been fabulous, he had no problem whatsoever with bed and candles, but whatever had gotten into her today worked fine for him, too. Just fine.

“Well.” She stroked her fingers up and down the valley of her cleavage. “Be sure to let me know of any new developments.”

He made an incoherent sound and threw himself back onto the bed, stroking every inch of her smooth curves. “I think there’s going to be a new development in about thirty seconds.”

She grinned wickedly, produced a condom from somewhere, who knew, at this point he could barely see, then pushed him on his back and straddled him, lowered herself slowly. He groaned, unable to help it. Oh, she felt so damn good.

There would never be another woman for him. He knew it as surely as he knew he was going to last an embarrassingly short time, because her hotter-than-hot outfit and lack of inhibition was making any attempt at control beyond him. She started to move, up and down, swinging her hair, arching her back. Oh, man. Oh, no.

He tried to say his five-times table and couldn’t remember a single one. Five times Candace equaled…Candace. Five time sex equaled…more sex. He needed to slow down, make this good for her. She closed her eyes, raised her arms, crossed them behind her head, riding him with new possessive confidence that was as much of a turn-on as the way she looked.

Gone. He groaned and came in bursts that made his whole body shudder. Oh, no. Not since he was a teenager…

“Candace. I’m so sorry. You were so incredible, I couldn’t hold back.”

She grinned languorously, collapsed onto his chest, breathing hard, eyes closed, hair tumbling, cheeks pink. “Yeah, gee, Nolan, I’m really annoyed that you found me so sexy.”

“Damn, woman.” He wiped his hand over his forehead, filmed with sweat. “Where did you get those shoes?”

“They’re Michelle’s.”

“Ah.” He grinned, still slightly out of breath. “So you are more like her than everyone thought.”

She looked at him oddly. “What do you mean?”

“Your gran said you two were more similar than you knew.”

“Hmm…maybe.” She kissed him, kissed him again, dragged her tongue across his lower lip.

His body felt as if it had weights on it; he’d been pretty sure his drive was spent by that atomic blast of an orgasm, but the more she kissed him, the more he became conscious again of those miraculous black-lace-clad breasts against his chest and those hot-as-hell shoes, and the more he thought round two wasn’t out of the question after all.

“Remember what you said the other time… About loving me?”

He pulled back, trying to pay close attention, at the same time he couldn’t help running his hands up and down her gorgeous firm— He suddenly heard what she said.

“Yes?”

She nuzzled his neck, bit gently, then soothed the spot with her lips and tongue. His libido definitely noticed that.

“I love you too,”

“Candace….”

“I love you, Nolan.” She repeated, then grinned at what must be the same stunned look she was wearing at the beach when he used the same words.

“You—” He crushed her to him, had to loosen his grip when she made suffocation noises against his shoulder. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. Does… Does that mean you will stay here in Quinley?”

Her eyes lowered then, and Nolan's heart sank. He could tell he wasn't going to like what was coming.

“I don't think I should stay, Nolan,” she said softly.

He swallowed hard and tried to stay calm, even though what he wanted to do was to throw something. He'd failed. He'd failed to get through to her. She loved him? Guess love wasn't enough.

“Why?” he asked, barely able to recognise his own voice. “Did something happen with your mom?”

Candace shook her head. “No, not really I guess. She’s actually planning to stay awhile… Spend more time with Michelle, then she’s going to Rosehill to take care of Gran and Grandad.”

He shook his head. “I don't understand. That solves everything… Doesn't it? If she moves to Rosehill then you don't have to worry about your grandparents anymore. You could stay here with me… Unless…” he paused, “...You don't think what we have is enough to change your plans,”

“No that's not it… Nolan,”

It was too late. He was off the bed before she realised what he was doing. Grabbing and putting his clothes back on hurriedly. Candace sat up and grabbed the sheets as cover, suddenly embarrassed by her outfit.

“So what the hell was this?” Nolan asked, zipping up his pants, “Pity, goodbye sex? Complete with the outfit too. Why? To make it memorable?”

She'd never seen Nolan this way. The man she'd gotten to know in this short time took life's circumstances as they came. He found a way around them without letting it get to him. But that man seemed to be gone now. He was angry… She could tell.

“Please don't say that, Nolan. It was more than that and you know it!”

“Believe me, I don't,”

“It doesn't have to end,” said Candace desperately. Surely he had to understand. “I just think that we're taking a lot of big steps too fast. I'm always talking about how Michelle does the same with the men she meets, but here I am… Doing the same thing.”