Chapter 20

Caden

"Hey, I was just teasing you about the panties." I couldn't help but stand back and let my eyes move across her. She looked like every wet dream I'd had in the last ten years. The navy dress she wore flared at the bottom, giving it a southern belle look and yet she was all business. "Wow. Damn."

"You like it?" She turned around slowly, giving me the time to move closer, but not too close.

"I love it." I forced my eyes back up as she finished her parading around in front of me. I was working to catch my breath as I studied her closely. A million promises flooded my mouth but stayed trapped behind my teeth. I couldn't offer her the world yet, but I wanted to. I wanted to offer anything that would bring her back to me, back to where she belonged.

"Good. I wasn't too sure about this bottom part." She bent over and ran her hands over it. She was starting to soften ever so slowly. I could see parts of the girl I knew springing up around the ice-cold woman who'd walked back into my life a few weeks back.

"It's perfect. I think you'll woo the Parkmounts with not only your brilliance but your beauty too." I turned and picked up my wallet and the room key. "I rented a car and had it delivered. Hope you like it."

"Like the car?" She gave me a quirky smile and walked to the door.

"Yeah. You'll see." I chuckled under my breath, unable to help myself. I wanted to remind her of everything I could over the next few days without drowning her too badly. She needed to know that I wasn't at all the stiff prick I had to play in the office. I was still me, and I had a strong feeling that she was still very much her.

"I'm a little worried about this." She ran her hand down her hair and turned as I walked to catch up with her.

I offered her my arm and lifted my eyebrow. "Your hair? It looks good."

"No, about this car you rented us. It's not a convertible is it?"

"What? No." I held the elevator door open and smiled as she walked back. "And if it is?"

"Then you ride in it, and I'll call a cab. You know how bad my hair looks when the wind catches a hold of it." She pressed her hands behind her back, which only seemed to accentuate the fullness of her breasts. My body reacted quickly to the thought of stripping her from her pretty dress and hitting the emergency button on the elevator panel.

"I like it when you look like a cave woman." I shrugged and laughed as she yelped and popped me. Melting. She was melting.

"A cave woman? No, you didn't." She moved to the front of the elevator and stood by the door.

I reached out and grabbed her wrist, turning her and forcing her flush against me.

"Why are you with Luke, Olivia? Tell me one good reason why you belong to him and I'll stop." I brushed my nose against hers and breathed in deeply as she stiffened in my arms.

"He makes sense in my life, and he won't ever hurt me." She locked gazes with me. "I won't let him."

"Because you'll never love him?" I reached up and brushed my fingers down her hair before leaning in for a kiss.

She pushed at my chest and denied me, which only made me want it all the more.

"Right. Sadly enough, I think he prefers it that way." She shrugged and gave me a noncommittal look before turning and walking out of the elevator.

I watched her go as I moved in behind her and took a slow breath. I needed to be careful and not force her into anything. I wanted to, but I needed her to come to me in the same demanding need that I planned to come to her.

No. She belongs to Luke. But does she? Or does she still belong to me?

"There." I pointed to the snakeskin green viper in the corner. "Look familiar?"

"Holy shit." She glanced over at me before walking quickly to the car and running her fingers along the hood. "I love this thing. I've always wanted one of these."

"Well, tonight we get to pretend like it's ours." I laughed and held up the key. "You wanna drive?"

"No. You drive. I just want to sit in it."

I shook my head and walked to the driver's side. "Why don't you just buy yourself one? I know your salary would more than cover it."

"I can't." She glanced at me over the hood of the car. "It's too extravagant, and how ridiculous would I look driving around in a snakeskin green viper?"

"You'd look fucking hot. Like you do now." I opened the car and got in before buckling up and looking over at her as she got in beside me. "Let's go have dinner with these rich old people and then take this thing out on the back roads and see what it can do."

"Really?" She buckled up and brushed her hands over the plush leather seats.

"Absolutely." I gripped the wheel tightly to keep from taking her hand. My heart was racing in my chest having her excited about something as silly as a car. I prayed she wouldn’t pay me too much attention as my cock was raging hard and more than obvious in my slacks. I couldn't help it. She woke me up, brought me back to life.

"Fuck yes," she whispered and breathed in deeply. "I want it. I want one so bad."

"Then we're getting you one when we get back home."

"This is home." She brushed her hair off her shoulder and smiled. "Right? It always will be for me."

"Me too." I nodded and pulled out of the hotel driveway. "Me too."

****

"That was fantastic." I held her door open after the dinner was over, and the Parkmounts had picked up another million dollars in foreign investments from us. "You were brilliant."

"That was fun." She extended her hand. "Give me the keys. I wanna drive this thing."

"Yeah, you do." I pulled them from my pocket and handed them to her.

She walked around to the other side of the car and got in as I dropped down into my seat and buckled up.

"How fast does it go?" She buckled up and gripped the steering wheel before adjusting the seat and her mirrors. The movement caused her dress to ride up on her thighs, and I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of her.

"Really fast. Just play it safe until we get out of the city." I turned on the air conditioner as it suddenly felt so damn hot. "I gotta get this jacket off."

"Let me help you. Turn toward the window." She reached over and helped me pull my suit jacket off, gripping it tightly and tugging hard. I stifled a groan and took the jacket from her.

"Thanks. I'll hold it." I dropped it across my lap, happy to have something cover up my latest erection.

"Just throw it in the back." She grabbed it and tossed it in the back. "See? Much-"

"Yeah. I needed the jacket." I shook my head and rested my hands on my lap.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry." She turned and started to fumble with trying to get the jacket.

"Olivia. It's good." I pulled at her and leaned in as she moved back a little, but stayed close to the center console. "I'm turned on. It's fine. It's not the first time, and it won't be the last."

"Because of the deal?" I loved how airy her words were. She liked the idea of me being turned on.

"No." I touched the side of her face and licked my lips. "Because of you."

"Behave." She moved back and gripped the steering wheel. "You ready for this?"

"Wait until we're... fuck." I gripped the side of the seat as she hit the gas and jerked the car out of the parking lot and onto a side street. My concern was coming in my pants, not dying. She was so blistering hot as she sat beside me, determination on her pretty face. The dainty dress she wore opened at the top just enough to show me the tops of her breasts, and fuck if I didn't want to crawl over into her seat and press my lips to them. To her. All of her.

"I love it." She glanced over at me with elation on her face.

"It loves you from what I can tell." I chuckled. "So are you going to go with me to see Jake while we're here?"

"When are we going?" She turned down a long dark road and pointed to the front of the car. "We just go down here a mile and turn left, right?"

"Yeah, exactly." I turned on the radio and reached across her to roll down the windows.

"Caden. I can't see." She swatted at me as I moved back.

"We're going to see Jake tomorrow most likely." I sat back in my seat and pulled out my phone. I needed to know Annie's answer. If Luke was cheating on my girl, she had to know. I knew it would break up their relationship, and I was a dick for doing it for personal gain, but I had to know.

I texted her quickly just asking her to answer the question I asked in my office the other day. Had she slept with Luke?

She texted right back that she had. I couldn't help but ask when the last time was.

Her answer sent a shock wave through me. Not only did Luke have Olivia, but I knew without a doubt that Annie had a boyfriend.

Tonight. Don't judge.

"Did you hear me?" Olivia glanced over at me and smiled. "I'll go to see Jake, but no blonde jokes. Tell him."

I forced a smile. "Right. No blonde jokes."

She pressed the gas and the car shot off down the road. "Hold on, baby. It's about to get bumpy."

"Yeah... maybe it is." I leaned back in my chair and worked through how to tell her without ruining the evening. We both needed it too much and yet without telling her about Luke, the night would end with an awkward parting instead of me making love to her until she begged me to stop.

Who was the bigger bastard? My brother? Or me?