Dade checked his watch again as he drove by her house. All the lights were off. Shit. He should have known he wouldn’t get out of the temple early. It was the first time he could remember ever wanting to rush off and leave early, which had done him no good. Sighing, he pulled around the next corner and into his driveway.
Reaching over he grabbed his drum and swung out of the van. He was going to be camped on her doorstep tomorrow night, no excuses accepted. He stopped and stretched as he opened the door. Everything hurt from the lesson this morning.
Of course, the person teaching him was a woman and thought he was so ‘darling’ to be doing all of this to propose to another woman. She was even working with him on a fast track pace. All he had to do was stay on the damn horse and steer it where he wanted, how hard could it be? He sighed. Well if today was any indication it was harder then he thought.
At least the white horse, Sadie, liked him, at least he was pretty sure she did, if the way she looked at him every time he was at her feet was any indication. She probably thought he was some insane human and felt sorry for him.
He set his drum down and groaned. So sore and all he’d accomplished today, properly, was getting on and off the horse without looking like he had no idea what he was doing. He sighed and looked at the kitchen, no, just sleep.
The phone. The phone? Dade flipped, reaching for the side of the bed. “Lo.”
“Morning.”
He blinked and looked at the window. “Still dark.” He looked at the clock. Why was Cora phoning him this early? “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Dade.”
He rubbed his eyes. “Kay.”
“Did you mean what you said about calling you for breakfast?”
He licked dry lips. “You’re calling me at four thirty in the morning to invite me for breakfast?”
“I’ll make coffee.”
He sat up so he wouldn’t go back to sleep. “Uh…I’ll be there as soon as I grab a quick shower.”
“See you soon.”
Dade found her standing in her kitchen in that red silky robe of hers. “Morning.” His voice still hadn’t woken from the rasping sound he’d just made.
Cora turned and smiled at him. “Look at you, how did you manage to drive, you’re not even awake yet.” She stood there and looked at him. “What time did you get home from the temple?”
He stepped over to her trying not to focus on the front of her gaping robe. “Uh, close to one.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “I woke you so early.” She stepped into his arms and hugged her to him. “I’m sorry.”
He ran his hands down her hair and across her shoulders. Nuzzling into her neck he smiled. “Don’t be.” She fit so perfectly in his arms.
“You’re cold, didn’t you wear a jacket?” She ran her hands down his bare arms.
“Didn’t know where it was, surprised I turned on the water in the shower.” He brushed his lips lightly over hers. “Missed these.” He murmured against them.
“Hmm. Yes.” She kissed him back gently. “Sit and I’ll get you a coffee.”
“Can’t I just stand here and hold you until you have to go to work?” He nuzzled back into her neck.
Cora smiled and shook her head. “I don’t think you could stand that long.” She pushed him towards a chair and turned to the coffee maker.
Dade sat there and ran his eyes over her slowly. “Are you on the menu or is there really going to be food?”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” She sat beside him and then leaned over and looked at his arm. “Dade what have you done to yourself?” She set her cup down and ran her fingers lightly around the scrape down his arm.
He looked down. Ah, got too close to the fence with that one he remembered. “Clumsy kind of guy.” He muttered. “Was trying to do something, didn’t work out as planned.”
She leaned down and kissed beside the scrap. “I leave you alone for a few days and you come back damaged.” She looked up at his eyes. “You should put something on that.”
He looked down and knew it was the least of his issues. “It will be fine.”
She shook her head and ran her hand over his chest. “Are there any more injuries?”
You have no idea, he thought. “No, only scraped my arm.” It was the truth. His butt and legs on the other hand were a different matter. He didn’t land gracefully. His eyes strayed down her throat to the opening of her robe again. Turning in the chair, he reached and pulled her into his lap. Holding her gently he feathered kisses across her throat. “Much better,” he whispered.
She hugged his head and ran her fingers through his hair. “How hungry are you?”
He pulled the shoulder of the robe over and nibbled the bare skin. “Starving.” He whispered.
“For food, Dade.”
Dade pulled his head back and grinned at her. “Oh, uh, not awake enough to eat yet.”
She smiled and slipped off his lap. “Let’s see if we can wake you up.” She took his hand and led him out of the kitchen.
His body was completely awake as she led him silently up the stairs. Following along behind her he watched the gentle sway of the silk over her hips covering what he hoped was bare skin underneath.
She led him to the bed then turned and ran her hands up his chest, pushing his t-shirt up. Lowering her head, she kissed across the bare skin she exposed. He pulled the shirt over his head quickly.
His hands went to her hair as his fingers weaved into the heavy curls. She licked across his nipple much like he did to her all the time. When his hands tightened, she smiled against his skin. With her teeth, she gently nipped the same nipple and he sucked in a breath. “Will this help you wake up?” She asked moving down and kissed across his ribs.
“Oh yeah.” Was the only thing he could say.
She smiled again and ran a hand down over the bulge in his jeans. She lowered her head and bit him lightly above the waistband of his jeans. “I think these need to go.” She straightened and leaned into him kissing his throat. Her hands quickly undid his jeans and she pushed them down his body.
He hugged her head into him and didn’t want her to take her mouth off him. His legs were shaking from her hesitant explorations. Before he could move to kiss her, those lips worked down over his collarbone while her warm hands moved behind him and over his sore muscles. The combination of her wet mouth and kneading his bruised ass did things to him that he wasn’t able to think through at that moment. He sucked in a breath when her teeth pinched his nipple between them again.
She smiled and felt the rush of knowing how she affected him. While her mouth moved over his ribs, she moved her hands around to grasp his hardness. His stomach clenched under her mouth. Moving back, she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled him closer. Hesitantly she touched her tongue to the tip of the erection in her hands and felt him jerk. “You’ll have to tell me if I do this wrong.” She looked up to see his dark eyes heavy with lust looking down at her. Smiling, she ran her tongue up the length of him and watched his eyes drift shut as he gasped.
I could get used to seeing him under my control, she thought as she gently ran her teeth along him. His hands clenched in her hair but he didn’t try to move her head. Licking her lips, she closed them over the tip and pulled them off. He groaned and sucked in his stomach. She slid her mouth further down him and flicked her tongue around the tip as she pulled it off again. She felt his thigh clench under her hand.
Glancing up she saw his head was back and his chest rose and fell very slowly. Sucking along the length of him she felt herself get wet when he groaned again before hissing out a breath. Oh, she liked this reaction. She sucked him back into her mouth as far as she could and was slowly pulling her head back when his hands jerked her head up, and he lifted her by the arms up to his mouth.
Dade attacked her mouth and jerked her into his body. His hands moved to pull the robe open, he needed to feel her skin on his. He pushed it quickly down her arms to the floor. Bending down he took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking hard. She gripped his hair and arched her body. Lifting his head, he stepped from his jeans and looked over at the dresser by the wall.
Grabbing her hips from behind, he walked her over to the dresser and lifted her to sit on top of it. She dropped a hand to steady herself as he lowered his mouth to pull at one silver ring, then the other. She gripped him between her thighs tightly. With her head thrown back she sucked in a breath and arched into his mouth.
He groaned, looking at her. Lifting his head, he grasped her hips and thrust into her as slowly as he could manage. Looking down, he watched himself entering her body and groaned again. He leaned over her and found her mouth. She moaned into his mouth as their bodies connected. He almost sighed to know she was as turned on as he was right now.
Leaning a hand against the wall behind them, he thrust into her again and tried to go deeper. She put both hands on the dresser and lifted herself onto him. Leaning down he bit her neck when her muscles gripped him tightly as he pulled back out. “Can’t wait, love.” He panted against her throat.
“Don’t,” she moaned.
He lifted his head and looked down at their bodies again. Grasping her thighs, he pulled her up off the wood and onto his body and he moved into her faster. She moaned and dropped her head trying to meet his thrusts. He watched the movement of her breasts as he continued to go faster. So fucking beautiful, he thought gritting his teeth.
She cried out and reached up to grab the back of his neck. Seeing her body convulse with orgasm sent him over the edge, he grabbed her hips and lifted her into one last time before shuddering with the force of his own. Growling against her throat, he put his hand back against the wall to stop from falling on top of her.
“Mmm, morning.” She whispered against his throat trying to breathe.
Dade grinned into her hair. “I used to know how to do this slowly.” He inhaled her scent as he tried to catch his breath.
Cora pulled back and kissed his mouth lightly. “Nothing wrong with the way you do this.”
He grinned against her mouth. “Someday, I’ll try really hard to show you slow.” He kissed her again. “You affect me like I’m some fifteen-year-old who’s never been touched by a girl before.”
She laughed. “That’s good, because it only takes one touch from you and I’m more than ready.”
He straightened slowly and looked down at the mark in the wall where the dresser had hit it hard. “I’m going to have to fix your wall now.”
“Leave it. Every time I reach in the drawers to pull out underwear I’ll remember.”
Dade pulled from her and with shaking hands helped her down to the floor. “This dresser is filled with underwear?”
“Not just lingerie, nylons too…”
“Really?” He grinned and ran a hand over the dresser as he hugged her. “I like this dresser.” He smiled at her. “Maybe you could show me some of the contents some time?”
Laughing, she walked over to pick up her robe. “Any time you’ve seen something from those drawers you’ve ripped it off me.”
He grinned at her while he pulled his jeans on. “I can’t help it, I’ve never had a problem with control ever, but one look at you and…”
She opened the top drawer and pulled out a pink thong. Pulling it on, she grinned as he watched without moving. “I’m the only woman whose underwear isn’t safe near you?”
He walked over and opened the robe to look down at the pink cloth hugging her. “The first. The only.” He looked up to see her smiling at him.
Cora kissed him quickly then walked to the door. “Well, then feel free to rip it off me, whenever the mood strikes.” She headed down the hall, with him following quickly behind her trying to pull his shirt back on.
“I plan to.” He grinned as he caught up to her at the top of the stairs. Grabbing her he swung her up into his arms. “As pretty as those pink ones are, they might be in danger if there’s enough time after breakfast.”
“I’m going to need to go lingerie shopping again.” She wrapped her arms around him as he walked down the stairs. “It’s not cheap.”
He shrugged. “Don’t care, we’ll buy in bulk or something.”
She put the dishes in the sink and turned to look at the man watching her silently. “What are you doing today?”
He shrugged. “Trying to get some stuff ready for tomorrow, can’t believe in two more days they’re all getting married.”
“I know. Wait until you see the gowns Leena made.”
He stood up and pulled her into his arms. “Are the grooms going to be able to speak to say their I do’s?”
She laughed. “Maybe not.” She smoothed his hair back with her hands. “I’m still a bit flustered we haven’t gotten them anything.”
“I took care of that.”
Her eyes widened. “You did? What did you get?”
He grinned. “It’s a surprise, you’ll have to wait and see when we go set up the gardens.”
“Oh really? Hmm sounds curious. You’re giving it to them the day before?”
He shrugged and kissed her. “Yeah, it has to be that day, wouldn’t work out on their wedding day.”
Cora smiled and narrowed suspicious eyes at him. “Okay, I’ll trust you with this Dade, this time.”
Dade pulled her against him and hugged her. “I think you’ll approve.” He hoped she did. Getting the men to agree that after this, no gift would top it, had been easy to do. Seeing him fall on his ass would have to be gift enough.
He pulled back and glanced at the clock. “You’re going to be late, love, if you don’t go get dressed.”
She pulled out of his arms. “I forgot about work.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her back against him. Looking down at her wide eyes he sighed. “I love you, Coralee,” his voice was quiet.
Cora smiled and touched his lips with her fingers. “I love you too, Dade Jones.”
Dade smiled and kissed her fingers. “Go get dressed. I have to go meet Owen.”
She nodded and backed out of the room looking at him with a big grin on her face.