Chapter Four
Caitlyn’s eyes grew impossibly round as Emrys stepped into the small space, locked the door, and pulled her flush to his chest. Emrys felt so drawn to her that it was more natural to be pressed against her than not.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Her voice grew high and fragile.
“Seizing the day.” He moved his lips close to her ear. “Wresting what I can from life.”
He gave her full ass a squeeze, causing her to squeak in surprise, maybe indignation. Caitlyn looked up at him, her brows furrowed as her glasses slipped down her nose. He brushed his lips against her cheek, waiting and expecting her to put up a fight or tell him to let her go.
Instead, she grabbed his left ass cheek.
“There you are,” he murmured.
“Just, uh, getting reacquainted with an old friend.” She chuckled awkwardly and pushed her glasses up.
Emrys cupped her face in one hand, looking into her eyes. They were so vulnerable and hopeful. Caitlyn was still waiting for him; she joked and went along with their evening, but she wanted more. He could read it in every line of her body.
Moving his hand along the back of her thigh, Emrys leaned in and met her lips with a firm, dominant kiss. He could taste the Cajun spice on her, but as hot as her lips were, she seemed to melt in his grasp, returning his kiss with soft, sweet movements. He grasped the back of her thigh, enjoying the squeak of surprise, and gradually moved his hand down until he was lifting her leg slightly in air.
“E-Emrys,” she breathed.
“Shh shh…” he whispered before supplying her with another kiss. Her shoulders heaved in a silent sigh. From this angle, when he moved close, the hem of her dress lifted above her panties. He couldn’t see them, but when he moved his hand back, he could feel them. Smooth and cotton, with a bit of lace around the edges.
Caitlyn opened her lips in surprise. Emrys’s fingers traced the edge of fabric, as well as the tender skin in the crook between her pelvis and her leg. It was soft, warm. His other hand moved over her breast, massaging the handful of flesh lightly in circles. Caitlyn arched her back in anticipation while he toyed with her underthings.
“What was that? Hm?” Emrys teased. “Do you want more? Or shall I stop?”
“I-I…” Caitlyn panted softly, then looked up at him when he stilled his hands. “Don’t stop.”
“As you wish.”
Emrys moved his fingers along her sensitive lips, watching as her eyes dilated, her mouth opened helplessly in response to his deft movements. A lesser man might have demanded more of her, even so soon, but he wanted her to crave him in the way they craved one another before, desiring one another’s touch so intensely that it was difficult to get through the day without it.
Currently, she seemed to desire his touch very much. Her hips gave a jerk against his stroking, and she bit back a moan. He spread his index and middle finger over the breadth of her lips, up and down, up and down, and watched her pleasure rise like the lapping tide. Then his finger moved under her rapidly dampening panties and slipped into the warm sheath of her.
“Oh!” Caitlyn’s back arched sharply, and she grabbed the back of Emrys’s head and kissed him desperately, attacking his lips and sucking on his tongue as though she needed it to live.
Her eagerness only encouraged him. He slipped in another finger and massaged his thumb over the top of her mound. Her breath drew in sharply, and her head fell back as she lost focus. He continued to kiss her cheek and neck as he brought her up, her pleasure cresting as his fingers drew her to completion.
Her body shuddered as she let out a strangled, staccato cry. Her fingers clenched around his arm, and she moaned his name so loudly that there was no question that anyone standing out in the hallway could have any confusion about what was going on inside. She bowed her head over his shoulder and sighed, and Emrys rubbed her back.
“There’s my girl,” he muttered.
Caitlyn sat back on the lid of the toilet and tried to get her hair back in order. Emrys had turned to the sink to wash his hands. He was smiling a little. He seemed pleased with himself, but Caitlyn wasn’t sure how she felt about what had happened. She could hear the band starting up again. She could partially see herself in the mirror, and her cheeks were scarlet, the blood brought to the surface from a mixture of their passion and her own sense of shame.
Conflict rose in her and stopped her breath for a moment. She simultaneously couldn’t believe her behavior tonight and wanted to do it again. She wasn’t the kind of girl to do something like this, but where Emrys was concerned, she didn’t know if she had the ability to tell him no.
And he was so good with his hands.
There was a loud, impatient rap on the door. Caitlyn looked up at it and rubbed her fingers over her lips. Had they heard? They had probably heard.
“I’ll go first.” Emrys smiled back at her and opened the door.
Caitlyn hesitated for a moment, but she knew she would go wherever he asked her to.
For the next half hour, Emrys tolerated the jazz band’s playing, and he kept his hand on her knee, inching toward the inside of her thigh. She felt safe, and she felt owned. She knew she had to be careful, or she would fall in love with him again, in spite of everything that had happened, and her heart wouldn’t survive the loss this time when he disappeared on her.
It wasn’t until they were walking back to the BMW that Caitlyn felt the effect of all the night’s champagne and cocktails. Her legs grew a little rubbery, and her heart was practically in her ears. Emrys kept his arm around her back as he guided her back to his car, where he twirled her around to lean against it and kissed her once more, one hand cupping her cheek, and the other possessively pressed against the small of her back.
“I’m not taking you home,” he informed her.
“It’s getting late,” she murmured. “Where should we go?”
“My hotel room.”
Caitlyn started to protest, but he kissed her again and then looked into her eyes.
“I can’t do without you. I won’t,” Emrys insisted, his voice going deep and low and tremulous. “I lived without you once, and I don’t plan to be separated from you again so soon.”
“You could stay in New York. I’m not going back to Cincinnati for another week.”
“I can’t. I have to fly out in the morning. Since the PR junket for this film is over, I promised my family I would come home.” Emrys shook his head. “I must meet their expectations, if I want to continue to live freely.”
“I don’t know what to do, then.” Caitlyn wrapped her arms around him. “If you have to go, I won’t stop you. I understand that your time isn’t always your own. I mean, between your film career and life as Cabeauian royalty…That’s a lot of obligation.”
“Cait, I’m asking you to come with me.”
Caitlyn felt her head spinning. “Come with you. To Cabeau? Now?”
“No better time.” He stroked his fingers through her hair. “You haven’t been to Europe in some time, right?”
“I— Well, no—“
“And you said you love to travel. You’ve never been to Cabeau, and we can do day trips back to France, if you like, or any of the other surrounding countries.” Emrys’s eyes pleaded with her.
“I can’t just run off to Europe!”
“Why not? You won’t have to pay a cent for the trip, and your work can come with you, can’t it?”
“Well, it can, but…” Caitlyn shook her head. This was too sudden. It was crazy. She couldn’t just decide to leave the country on a whim. There were plans to be made, paperwork to get in order. She was sure Emrys could arrange travel, but were there regulations for entering Cabeau? Would she need a visa, her passport?
“Stop thinking,” Emrys ordered. He touched the tip of her nose. “I can see that little worry line on your forehead.”
“Emrys, this is such a generous offer. I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“You want to go,” Emrys said confidently.
“I…”
She felt the wind on her cheek and his hand on her back. She looked up at him and saw the intensity and raw want in his blue eyes. She had to tell him no, to keep herself and her heart safe.
“I want to go,” she found herself saying.
And she let him kiss her again.
***
Caitlyn didn’t get back to Melinda’s apartment until the dawn had come and gone. She was greeted by both Marbles and Snowball, who rushed her with a chorus of demands for breakfast. She chuckled and leaned over after closing the door to give each of them a head pat and a few scratches in turn. She scanned the living room and spotted her things perched neatly on the end of the sofa where she’d left them before heading out to the premiere. She let out a sigh.
First things first. She pulled out some clothes and set them aside. She would need to get cleaned up before they flew out. Then, she went to work packing up her laptop and the various associated notepads and paraphernalia she used to complete her work.
“Whoa. You’re up.” Melinda came into the room rubbing her eyes. “Are you coming with me on my morning run?”
“No, I’m gonna have to pass.” Caitlyn turned to face her and twisted her fingers.
“Did you just get in? You’re still wearing your dress.” Melinda screwed her brows together and looked over Caitlyn in confusion. “Did you stay out all night?”
Caitlyn pinched her lips to the side as she considered what to say, and Melinda exploded in laughter.
“You bagged a movie star!”
“I didn’t bag anyone! He’s…he’s an old friend.” Caitlyn sat on the arm of the sofa and begged Melinda with her eyes. She needed someone to understand. “Do you remember that story I told you about the boy I met in France?”
“Of course. Back in college, all you could do was babble on about that guy. Mr. Bohemian, Mr. Sweet Lips.” Melinda came over to sit with her.
“Emrys was that boy,” Caitlyn admitted.
When Melinda gave her a skeptical look, Caitlyn covered her face and leaned away from her. At first, of course, Melinda clearly didn’t believe her, but as Caitlyn began to break the story down, Melinda grew quiet, occasionally bobbing her head or asking for clarification. She wrapped up the story with Emrys’s invitation.
“You’re just leaving?” Melinda blinked at her in disbelief.
“I’ll come back to New York another time. It’s just that I haven’t seen him in so long. I’m really sorry to wreck our trip.”
“It’s just strange, running off with some random guy you barely know.”
“He’s not some random guy. We were close. I was in love with him,” Caitlyn argued.
“Yeah, and that’s clearly in the past tense. People hop across the Atlantic all the time for guys they’ve actually known, what, two months and one passionate night?” Melinda stood and headed to the kitchen with both cats flanking her.
“I don’t love him anymore,” Caitlyn protested as she followed. “I don’t know him anymore. But I’d like the chance to get to know him again, and in between films is really the best time for that. I’m sorry to bail on you.”
“Hon, I don’t care about that. What I care about is that you’re dropping everything for what amounts to a stranger. I know you say you were close.” Melinda bent over and doled cat food out. “But he lied to you then. He lied about everything, didn’t you say? How can you trust him now? How can you say you even knew him before?”
Caitlyn paused to think about that. “Maybe I didn’t. But I can’t help how I felt.”
“How you feel,” Melinda corrected.
“I…” Caitlyn pushed a hand through her hair. “I’m going, Melinda.”
“Yeah. I got that. Just be safe, okay? Let us know where you’re supposed to be, and…” Melinda stroked one cat’s back before straightening up and coming over to Caitlyn. “Protect yourself. I know he’s a movie star and a prince, but the way you acted toward him before tonight. Girl, he hurt you. A lot.”
“I know this. I lived it.”
“Well, just don’t let him do it to you again. If he starts his bullshit, if you think he’s lying to you again, get out of there. You’re worth a lot more than some guy with an ego the size of Mars discarding you like a used condom.”
Caitlyn smiled a little and accepted a hug from her friend. She knew she couldn’t keep herself from going with Emrys. The pull was too strong. But she was going to have to make sure that she put up a better guard for her heart than she had been in college.