It was Saturday, so I didn't have to report back to work until Monday.
Cain had also left, leaving a note for me on the counter telling me that he'd be back before dinnertime, and making a point of letting me know that we would be having dinner together.
I busied myself doing domestic things, and trying not to think about this evening, when it would be just Cain and me. My stomach butterflies swarmed at the possibilities my imagination was churning out.
Eli hadn't mentioned anything before Christmas about a planned ski trip. This was so not like him. I mean, he’d plan his wardrobe in advance for an excursion such as this to ensure that his ski wear was coordinated perfectly.
This had been a last-minute decision; I knew that now. Eli was giving Cain and me time alone. On purpose.
But why?
Wasn't it obvious?
He loved Cain that much.
Maybe he loved me that much, too.
My heart was racing; jumbled thoughts were running through my head. I didn't think that I'd ever been this nervous—or excited.
I finished up with the house, and then took some steaks out of the freezer for dinner.
I took a leisurely bath, shaving, waxing and buffing my skin to a healthy glow.
I painted my nails, and selected some sexy new underwear that I had purchased as a Christmas gift to myself. I dressed in a pair of my new skinny jeans and one of the sweaters I’d received from Eli and Cain.
I brushed out my damp hair, blowing it dry and straightening it with my flat iron. Once I had applied a bit of bronzer and eye make-up, I studied my reflection in the mirror.
I knew what was going to happen this evening and for now, I was okay with that, because I knew in my heart, that it was what I wanted and what I needed.
I was in the kitchen, marinating the steaks and putting a salad together when Cain got home. It was damn near seven o'clock and I could tell that it had been a day for him. He came up behind me and my skin immediately goose-bumped hard.
"I was going to take you out," he said to me softly, his breath warm on the back of my neck. "Today's event was one disaster after another, it seems. I meant to call you before I realized how late it was. Sorry, baby."
"It's fine," I said, not daring to look at him while I continued chopping celery for the salad. "Let's stay in and have a quiet dinner."
"I'm gonna grab a quick shower, then I'll be out to help you, I promise."
"No, Cain. You worked today. I've got this, okay?"
He put his arms around me, and kissed the top of my head gently. "I won't be long," he said with a promise in his voice.
I shivered.
Dinner was quiet and intimate. The two glasses of wine I consumed had taken the edge off, and maybe had even served to give me some courage. We needed to deal with the elephant in the room before anything else progressed.
"So, have you talked to Eli today?" I asked, looking up from my plate.
"No," he answered quietly. "I don't expect to hear from him while he's away. He needs this time for himself."
"Cain," I started, but he quickly interrupted.
"It was his idea, Paige. Totally. He wants this for us and if I wasn't absolutely sure of that, I'd be with him at Massanutten right now. Do you understand that?"
"But—"
"It's what he wants, Paige. It's what I want and you fucking know that it's what you want," he said firmly, his eyes now flickering over me with an expression that left no doubt in my mind that he was right.
"What is it that you think I want?" I challenged, because I had to hear it from his lips.
"You want to know what it feels like when my cock is buried deeply inside of you, after my tongue has tasted every fucking bit of you first," he said, huskily. "You want to know that, when I'm inside of you that it's just me and you—and no one else, and that each and every time I thrust my cock into you—that it's for you and you alone, and when I finally come—it's because of you and what you do to me that made that happen—and that it's all yours and only yours."
My God.
My panties were damp because of his words; I felt my tongue sweep across my upper lip as I finally exhaled a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding.
"That's just fucking," I finally said, looking at him and tilting my chin up just a bit.
I saw a glint in his eye as he knew I wanted more.
"Oh yeah," he breathed, sipping his wine. "We're going to fuck for sure. And then we're going to make love, and then maybe fuck again before we finally sleep. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No," I whispered, my limbs turning to jelly right where I sat.
"Good," he said, "Because tomorrow is Sunday and we're both going to be resting up so that we can do it all again afterwards…and again."
Cain got to his feet, and circled around to where I was sitting. He pulled my chair out for me, and he extended his hand down to me. I placed my hand in his, and he pulled me up to my feet where I stood before him.
His hand went to my face; he tilted my chin up to look into the depths of his eyes.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice every bit as intense as his eyes.
I nodded, keeping eye contact with him, making sure that he could read the message very clearly in my eyes: I was never surer of anything in my life.
"For the first time ever, I feel like I belong somewhere…with someone…with you," I breathed.
And what he did next, I'll never forget.
He gathered me up into his strong arms, and I immediately laced my arms around his neck.
"You're mine" he said huskily, as he carried me down the hallway towards the master suite.
I'm pretty sure everything in my body just…stopped what it was doing, so that my pulse, heartbeat and shallow breathing could just pay attention to what was currently happening.
He lowered me down to my feet once we were there; his arms now drew me up against him. Standing there for a minute that felt like two seconds in this man's arms, I felt his lips breeze across my forehead. He tilted my face upward to his, and sought my lips with his own as I melted against him.
I was dizzy with his nearness, his breath warm against my throat as he whispered against me. "God, you're so sweet, Paige. So fucking sweet."
My arms laced around his neck, my face was buried against his chest. I felt his heartbeat and it was strong, and steady. His fingers traced the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck, and he gently fisted my hair, drawing my face back as his mouth now came crashing down on mine with clear purpose and intent.
His lips worked mine expertly, and I moaned with the pleasure of feeling his tongue exploring my mouth, capturing my bottom lip in a soft suck, and then tracing his tongue over my top lip, nipping gently at it. I felt heady with his taste and his scent.
His hands moved to my torso, where he pulled my sweater up and over my head, his hands eagerly moving to unclasp my bra so that he could access my breasts, fondling them with urgency, fingering my nipples and causing me to shiver against him.
I felt him unbutton my jeans, and I assisted, getting them lowered to my feet so that I could step out of them. And just like that, he'd discarded his clothing and his eyes took in every inch of my naked body. Mine did the same and he was magnificent. Just like I knew that he would be.
He was back to me, capturing my lips once again, as he lifted me up against him, and then gently lowered me down onto their bed.
There was nothing gentle about his kisses at the moment. The sheer intensity of that was mind-fucking-boggling, as he consumed my lips with his, and claimed my tongue. I felt his hardness against me and my body ached to feel all of him.
I thrust my hips up against him as he roughly fondled my breasts with his large, strong hands, before dipping his head lower, and pulling one into his mouth, nursing it as if it had always been his and no one else's.