CHAPTER 25

 

“Wow,” Charlene fanned herself, “that was a scorching hot Rumba. The chemistry between you two was just…” She was truly lost for words.

Cate blushed. As much as she liked Declan, the fiery intensity of their Rumba tonight was nothing to do with him and everything to do with Kian. She might have cursed her husband repeatedly during the day for the slight discomfort but somehow he’d known exactly what she’d needed. After the miscarriage and the sex tape, she’d started to feel lost again. The pressure of the butt plug with every movement reminded her of him and how sensual and seductive he made her feel. It didn’t matter to him if she was heavily pregnant or had lost weight, if she was wearing his old, baggy pyjamas or the skimpiest lingerie, his ferocious desire for her never waned.

“I think we’d better move on,” Tom laughed. “Bruce, what did you think?”

“A couple of weeks ago, when you danced the Foxtrot, I said I was disappointed that I didn’t see the sparkle, the bubble, the whole lot of trouble. Tonight, you gave me that and so much more. Declan, you certainly didn’t make it easy for Cate and I commend you for that. That routine was packed full of choreography; the Rumba walks, the cucarachas and my favourite, the Aida.”

Cate took a step back and applauded Declan. He truly was an amazing choreographer and teacher and she was delighted that Bruce had recognised this.

“Rich,” Tom turned to the final judge, “was that hot enough for you?”

“To be honest,” Rich said, “it made me a little bit uncomfortable.”

The audience booed loudly and he laughed. “I felt rather like a voyeur watching that, as if I was peeking into your bedroom window.”

“You don’t want to do that, Rich,” Declan winked. The audience laughed.

Rich twirled his pen between his fingers. “Your technique was almost flawless, if it hadn’t been for that slight balance issue towards the end.”

Cate nodded. For the briefest second, she’d locked eyes with Kian on the front row. Until that moment, she’d been completely lost in the fantasy that she wasn’t dancing the Rumba with Declan in front of a live audience but with Kian in the privacy of their bedroom. When she’d seen Kian sat on the front row, it was so jarring that she’d stumbled a little.

As they walked across the dance floor, Cate murmured to Declan, “I’m sorry.”

“What are you saying sorry for?” Declan grinned, showing his cute dimples. “That was amazing.”

“Judges, can we please have your scores,” Tom asked.

“Ten” Charlene shrieked, waving her gold paddle in the air. The audience went wild, clapping and cheering. Cate looked at Declan, thinking there must have been some kind of mistake? He spun her around until she was insanely dizzy. She still couldn’t believe it. Had she, Cate Warner, really just scored a perfect ten for her Rumba?

The other two judges gave them nines, which gave them a total score of twenty eight out of a possible thirty.

“We got a ten, we got a ten,” Declan chanted, still giddy as they walked backstage. Cate was still in shock. “I can’t believe it,” she said, eyes wide. “I might need you to pinch me.”

Declan gathered her into his arms. “I’ve never had a ten before. I can’t thank you enough, chara.”

Cate shook her head, “it was all you. I’m not a dancer; it was your choreography and teaching.”

While Velma was touching up her make-up, Cate got a call from Nate. “You do realise you’re going to have two very cranky children on your hands when you get home tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“They are so excited that their mum got a perfect ten that they are never going to be able to sleep tonight. I’m just warning you.”

Cate laughed. Nate handed the phone to Lola. “Mum, I’m so proud of you I could like, burst. When you got that ten, you should have seen us – me, Mats and Nate, we were all jumping up and down and screaming.”

Cate felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. “That means everything to me, Lola. I love you so much and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Hey,” Velma said as Cate switched off her phone. “No crying or you’ll ruin your make-up.”

“Sorry,” Cate said. “My daughter just said that she’s proud of me. She’s never said that before. If I get voted off tonight, I’ll always have that, you know?”

“Hush now,” Velma said, “there’s no way you’re getting voted off tonight. You need to believe in yourself more, Cate. You are a beautiful dancer.”

“Thank you.”

When she met up with Declan backstage, he said, “I’ve just spoken to Hadley. She and Sadie watched the show online or at least I think they did, I could hardly understand what she was saying, she was crying so much.”

Cate gave him a hug, “she’s so proud of you.”

Tom faced the camera, “the fifth couple to leave Stepping Out are…” The silence seemed to stretch on forever. Declan tightened his grip on her waist. Cate didn’t want to be voted off tonight but at least if she was, she could leave on the highest high. She’d scored a perfect ten but even more importantly she’d made her children proud.

“It’s Poppy and Vladimir.”

Vladimir looked stone-faced; he had always reached at least the semi-finals before. Annie and Michel, who were closest to them on the dance floor gave Poppy a big hug. “Poppy and Vladimir, come over and join us,” Tom urged.

Vladimir grabbed Poppy’s hand and pulled her from the embrace with Annie and Michel, almost dragging her across the dance floor. “How are you feeling, Poppy?”

Poppy smiled weakly. Vladimir still had a tight grip on her wrist. “I’m sad, obviously.”

After the cameras had stopped rolling, the contestants found their friends and families in the audience. “Can I take it out now?” Cate giggled as Kian gave her a hug.

“Soon,” he said, the dark look in his eyes making her stomach flip-flop with pleasure.

As she walked backstage, she bumped into Poppy and Vladimir who were arguing. “I don’t care about your reputation, I just want you to stay the hell away from me,” Poppy hissed. “You’re a horrible, mean bully and if it hadn’t been for the charity, I would have quit Stepping Out as soon as I realised that you were going to be my partner.”

“Stupid bitch,” Vladimir spat and stalked down the empty corridor.

“Are you OK?” Cate asked Poppy.

Poppy giggled, “I’m so ready to get back to my real life.”

“What was his problem anyway?” Cate asked, as they walked to the dressing rooms.

“He said I wasn’t effusive enough when I was thanking him on the show,” Poppy rolled her eyes.

Annie joined them, “I’m sorry that you’re leaving the show, sweetheart but I’m happy that you’ve escaped the clutches of that… ugh, he might have the body of an Adonis but he’s got the personality of a World War Two dictator.”

Cate changed out of her Rumba costume, washed off her make-up and brushed the lacquer out of her hair.

“Will you come for a celebratory drink with us?” Annie asked. “Mickey’s going to teach me how to do the lambada.”

“I’d love to,” Cate said regretfully, “but I’ve got a late flight back to Seattle. I want to be there when the children wake up tomorrow morning.”

“Maybe next week then?” Annie looked at Poppy. “You’re coming though, right? You need to have a little fun after all those weeks with General Vladimir.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Poppy giggled. She looked so much freer already.

“I’m going to love you and leave you,” Cate gave them both big hugs. “Have fun tonight.”

“If I was her,” Cate could still hear Annie’s voice as she walked down the corridor, “I’d want to get straight home too. Mm, have you seen her gorgeous hunk of a husband?”

Cate rolled her eyes; Annie was definitely one of a kind.

As she reached for the door handle, she was vibrating with excitement about seeing Kian again. She’d braided her black hair to one side just how he liked it and was wearing a red tea-dress and the black cowboy boots that Liv had bought her as a thank-you present because she’d looked after Sofia for the weekend so Liv could go with Jax to a festival in Austin, Texas.

As she pulled open the door, she saw Kian leaning back against the car. His gaze unapologetically swept her up and down and his lip curled up as if he very much liked what he saw. The butt plug felt even thicker inside her bottom.

“Are you ready?” Kian asked, opening the car door for her.

“Yes,” Cate said breathlessly.

She climbed inside the cool, dark inner sanctum of the car. It was long and spacious; in front of Cate, there were two more black leather bench seats on either side. The screen was up and the windows were blacked out for their privacy. Kian slid onto the seat next to Cate, his hard muscular thigh pressing up against hers, making the goose bumps intensify on her exposed skin.

Cate took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It was going to be several hours before she and Kian could be alone again; they were going straight from the studio to the airport.

“I like the boots,” Kian smirked as the engine roared to life.

“Thanks,” Cate said. She was trying desperately to distract herself.

“Take off your knickers.”

Scandalised, Cate looked at the privacy screen. “He can’t hear us, angel. I promise.”

Cate slowly unfastened her seatbelt and moved on to one of the side seats. “Kian?”

Kian looked so relaxed she wanted to hit him; he stretched his long legs out in the aisle in front of him and rested his hands behind his head. “Now.”

She hitched up her skirt and slid her fingers inside the waistband of her panties, tugging them down her legs until they wantonly dropped to the floor around her ankles.

Kian reached out a hand, “give them to me.”

Cate bent down, “ooh.” The butt plug shifted inside her.

She handed him the bundle of silk and lace. He took a long, drugging breath and then stuffed them into the pocket of his trousers.

“Come here,” Kian reached for her wrists and guided her so she was straddling his thighs.

Kian pinned her wrists behind her back and softly kissed just below her ear. “Mm,” Cate wriggled her hips, trying to get some much-needed friction between her legs.

“Stay still,” Kian ordered, his low, gravelly voice rumbling seductively against her skin as he kissed along her jawline.

“You’re torturing me,” Cate protested. Kian took her mouth, silencing her with slow, seductive sweeps of his tongue.

His hand trailed down her throat; her pulse fluttered like hummingbird wings against his fingertips. He pushed open the front of her dress; Cate felt the chill of the air-conditioning whisper against her heated flesh. “Mm,” she bucked against his restraints as his hand delved inside her lacy bra, cupping her tender, aching breast. His thumb slowly circled her nipple, drawing the flesh even tighter. Cate couldn’t decide if it was the worst hell or the sweetest heaven. She wanted him so desperately.

He pushed up her lacy bra, freeing her breasts. Even after three children, they were still high and full. Her nipples were the perfect shade of pink. Kian watched them unfurl and licked his lips. He dipped his head and savoured that first drugging taste. Her skin tasted like apples. He dragged his tongue up and over her jutting nipple. “Oh,” Cate gasped, arching towards him.

As he ravished her breasts, his hand slid up the front of her dress. He trailed his fingers up her quivering inner thigh; her skin was already damp.

“Please,” Cate cried breathlessly, her hips shifting restlessly.

Kian pushed two fingers inside her molten heat, forcing another cry from her parted lips. He could feel the butt plug hard and thick inside her bottom. He twisted his fingers, pushing against the thin membrane.

“It’s too much,” Cate cried, her head falling back on her shoulders.

“Do you want me to stop?” Kian teased.

Cate looked down at him, her eyes were unfocused. “Don’t you dare.”

He let go of her wrists and she immediately clung to him, grabbing fistfuls of his black hair. Kian kissed between her gently bouncing breasts, tasting the saltiness of her perspiration.

Kian thrust his fingers in and out of her tight, wet channel, keeping her teetering just on the brink of orgasm. “Please,” Cate begged. His other hand trailed up the back of her thighs. Her bottom was tightly clenched but he prised apart her cheeks, stroking his thumb over the jewel.

Cate braced herself with one hand against the roof of the car, her hips rocking shamelessly against his wickedly skilful fingers. He crooked his fingers, rubbing the patch of bumpy flesh only he knew about and “oh God!” Cate bit down on her clenched fist, trying to stifle her cries as he yanked out the butt plug she’d been wearing for him all day. She exploded in the most violent climax, bucking and thrashing against him. His fingers were trapped in her silken grip, her arousal trickling like molten lava down his wrist. He took her breast again with reckless abandon, sucking and biting her swollen nipple until she was barely coherent.

When she opened her eyes again, she was cradled on Kian’s lap. “Was it worth it?” he asked smugly, kissing the top of her head.

Cate couldn’t lie to him, “every last second.”