CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Finally feeling human again, Paige was making up for lost time in the kitchen. So far she’d finished a pumpkin pie and a chocolate chip cookie pie, both of which Nate seemed inordinately interested in. She’d had to shoo him away or she was sure they would have ended up in his stomach when her back was turned.
She was gathering her supplies to decorate the cake pops and Nate, as usual, was right behind her. For a grown man he liked to lick the beaters and the bowl far too much. All to help her, of course.
“What’s next?” he asked eagerly as if lunch hadn’t been less than an hour ago. “What do you need me to do?”
She retrieved the cake pops from the refrigerator. “We’re going to decorate these. You can put sticks in them and help me dip them in the chocolate if you like. Then we can put sprinkles on them or decorate with chocolate in piping bags. You can be as creative as you like.”
Frowning, he inspected the chocolate and yellow cake balls stacked in the box. “When did you make these?”
He’d missed that set of beaters and bowls and apparently wasn’t happy about it. She’d licked them clean and didn’t care that it hadn’t even been eight in the morning. “While you were out for your run. It’s easier to decorate them when they’re cold.”
It was like doing crafts with a golden retriever. Paws and fur everywhere. Or in Nate’s case, long arms reaching across what she was working on, melted chocolate dripping on the table, on their clothes, everywhere but on the pops. Sugar glitter and sprinkles dusted the countertops, their shirts, the floor, and there was even some in Nate’s hair. He was having a ball so she wasn’t going to say a word. She hadn’t seen this big of a mess since Jason was in grade school.
“I think we’re done,” Paige said with a grateful sigh. “I don’t think I ever want to look at another cake pop ever again.”
“Aren’t we supposed to eat these on Thanksgiving?” Nate asked. “That only gives you until the day after tomorrow.”
“Knowing Jason and his friends these won’t make it until the day after tomorrow. I make these to keep them away from the real desserts. Those boys ate me out of house and home during their high school years.”
Nate was eyeing one of the cake pops as if he wanted to bite into it right there and then. “Why didn’t you just send the other boys home?”
“Because I was happy that my house was the neighborhood hangout. That meant I kind of knew what my teenage son was doing from time to time. I figured an astronomical grocery bill was the price I had to pay. It was worth it to me. Honestly, I think they would have hung out here even if I only provided popsicles and soda. They liked the game room upstairs.”
Nate was giving her that smile again. “You’re a wonderful mother.”
“Ha! You never saw me yell or stomp around. I’ve been known to lose my temper.”
“You’re sexy when you yell.”
His voice had dropped an octave and she shivered at the suggestion in his words. They hadn’t since before she got sick. It had been too long.
She shoved the last of the dirty parchment paper in the trashcan. “It sounds like you have something on your mind, handsome. Care to share?”
She reached for the bowls of melted chocolate but his hand stayed her movements. “I do have something on my mind.” His blue eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown wide. “You. Me. This chocolate. A blindfold. What do you say?”
Glancing down at the bowl, she could see that there was still half of the dark chocolate and white chocolate left. She did have a sweet tooth.
“I think I say yes.”
* * *
Paige kicked off her shorts and tank top, grabbed a black scarf from her closet, and climbed into bed after closing the blinds. She didn’t have nosy neighbors but there was no sense flaunting her sex life either. Nate had stayed behind in the kitchen to warm up the chocolate in the microwave but he wasn’t far behind her. Flipping the lock on the bedroom door, he then placed the two chocolate bowls on the nightstand.
“So am I the blindfold-er or the blindfold-ee, love? Your choice today.”
Nate’s smooth as caramel voice rolled over her and she felt herself relax a little more, knowing she could safely put herself in his competent and skillful hands. Absolute trust.
“The blindfold-er”, Paige replied immediately. “But let’s just remember that Jason is hanging out with his friends and will be home before dinner.”
That sexy as hell eyebrow quirked up. “Darling, dinner isn’t for four hours or so. You certainly are an optimist this afternoon.”
“I know how you are when you haven’t gotten any for awhile. Just go easy on me. I don’t want my son to see that I got fucked so hard I can’t walk.” She shook her finger at him. “And no visible love bites or bruises. I’m a mother with a sexually active son. He’ll know exactly what they are. He’s not a toddler anymore.”
Nate chuckled and tugged his t-shirt over his head. “I love it when you get stern, and I will be careful. Jason doesn’t need to know anything about our sex life.”
Paige was trying hard to keep both Nate and Jason on an even keel. Change was never easy and Jason hadn’t always dealt with it all that well. Just like Noah, he was a fan of the status quo. He’d pitched a fit the last time she’d rearranged the living room furniture.
Kicking his shorts away, he ran his hand up and down his cock, his gaze hot and full of desire. Paige reached over to the bedside table and held up the black scarf.
“I think this will work. You’re also welcome to use anything in here that might strike your fancy.”
She’d given this a lot of thought and had decided it would be better to brazen out his discovery of her stash of sex toys. She shouldn’t be embarrassed. She was a grown woman with needs that hadn’t been fulfilled in a long time before she met him but the thought of him opening the drawer by accident had filled her with horror. Better to be in control of the situation and introduce it on her terms.
His brows shot up. “Is that where you keep your naughty things, love? I can’t wait to see what you have in there.”
He didn’t have to wait. They were sitting in the drawer not three feet from where he was standing. Just look at them, laugh, and then they could move on.
“I don’t consider them naughty, and there’s not much there. Just a few things.”
Nate didn’t even glance at the drawer, instead advancing on her, snatching the blindfold from her fingers. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he pulled her in for a long slow kiss that singed her lips and curled her toes.
“Do you trust me, love?”
Paige nodded, her mouth suddenly gone dry. “I do.”
“If you say stop then everything comes to a halt. Understand?”
Nodding again, she sat very still as Nate pressed the blindfold over her eyes and wrapped it around her head, knotting it snugly in the back, careful not to catch any of her hair in it. He tugged at the material, fixing it exactly as he wanted it.
“Can you see anything?”
“Just a little light from the left corner.”
He adjusted it, his warm fingers brushing her over sensitized skin. “Better?”
“Dark. Now what?”
His chuckle vibrated through his chest. “Now you lie back and be a good girl. I want you to do everything I tell you to, do you understand?”
She nodded but he tapped her chin lightly. “I need to hear your words, love. Do you understand? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
There was no way she was stopping, already well down the road of arousal. “I understand.”
“Good girl,” he praised. “Now lie back and put your hands under the pillow. I want you to keep them there no matter what happens. Can you do that?”
Paige tucked her hands under the pillow as Nate pulled back the covers, exposing her naked body to the cooler air. Her nipples puckered in anticipation as she listened to his slow, even breathing in the silence. Her other senses came alive and she could smell her own arousal, the sweet aroma of chocolate, even the citrus in Nate’s body wash.
“I don’t think there is a more beautiful sight in the world than you lying here like the most luscious buffet. I’m definitely going to feast on every inch of you.”
She didn’t bother to beg as she knew he’d proceed at his own pace. Listening, she heard the spoon scrape the sides of the bowl and then warmth as a dollop of chocolate landed on her abdomen. Her body bowed as his tongue lapped at it, sending arrows of arousal straight to her clit. More stripes along her torso, more of Nate’s tongue running up and down, sometimes with short flicks and other times with long, slow strokes. Each one sent her higher, making her twist and moan in the sheets. Her fingers flexed on the pillow, her grip tightening as if she could hold on to her sanity by not letting go of the fabric bunched in her hands.
A few warm drops slid down her already hard nipples and she sucked in a breath, waiting…no, pleading for the feel of his rough tongue. It was frustrating to not be able to see him, his expression, the look in his eyes, but it was exciting too. It was all up to him and her only job was to accept the pleasure he gave her.
Sucking a hard peak into his mouth, he scraped the tender flesh with his teeth as he swirled his tongue around and around until her torso was arched off of the bed, his name on her lips. She was so close to going over.
But of course the British bastard wasn’t just going to let her come. He played with her for what seemed like an eternity. A kiss here. A nibble there. A long lick as he lapped up the chocolate he’d painted on her quivering flesh. She never knew where he was going to go next and the surprise kept her on the edge, teetering there. Sweat covered her flesh and the room felt hot and humid. A breath would send her over.
He insinuated himself between her legs, his shoulders pushing her thighs wide. Cool air raised gooseflesh on her arms as he hovered there, just inches from her clit. This time there would be no shock and the anticipation was killing her slowly. Without a smidgen of doubt, she knew where the next drops of chocolate were going to land and her legs shook with arousal, fierce in its intensity. She wanted to scream as the tension grew, every nerve in her body on alert. Biting down on her lip, she tasted blood in the effort to keep from screaming. She needed him right this second.
When it finally came, the heat was a sweet relief. This time she did scream his name as his mouth and tongue devoured her, his face pressed in the most intimate of spots. Her thighs clamped onto his head as she rode his tongue to one orgasm after another. They all began to run together and it felt like her body didn’t belong to her anymore. He was the maestro and he conducted this orchestra in complete control.
It might have been minutes or hours later when he swiftly climbed up her body and impaled her on his massive cock. This time she couldn’t keep her hands under the pillow; she had to grab onto his shoulders and hold on for dear life. He was thrusting into her like she was sending him off to battle, grunting and gasping with the effort to pound her into the mattress.
She wouldn’t come again, her body too spent, but she caressed his back and dug her heels into his very fine ass as she whispered filthy dirty things into his ear, urging him on. As his peak hit, she could feel every muscle in his body go rigid as her name fell from his lips. He collapsed on top of her, his breathing ragged and labored, his skin covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
Eventually he levered off of her and eased the blindfold from her eyes. She blinked a few times against the light before looking up into the worshipful gaze of the man she loved.
“We did good?” he asked, hope in his tone. “The trust stuff. It was okay?”
“It was better than okay. We’ve got to put that down on the list of things to do again.”
His smile was dazzling and she marveled how she could still be surprised when she saw it. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to it. The buzz of his phone broke through the intimate moment they were having and she groaned, pushing at his shoulder. She was becoming used to the phone interruptions, hers and his.
“That’s yours.”
Groaning with the effort to move, he reached onto the nightstand and checked the screen. “It’s Max. I’d better take this.”
“Tell him I was starting to like him but if he interrupts sex again he’s on Santa’s naughty list.”
“It could have been worse. He could have called five minutes ago.”
Chuckling, Nate stood and padded naked into the bathroom, phone pressed to his ear.
Dozing for a few minutes, she was roused by Nate sitting on the edge of the bed. “Darling, are you awake?”
She rubbed her eyes and sighed. So much for her nap. “I am now. How’s Max?”
The look on Nate’s face didn’t say happy things. “He’s not good. Alana was supposed to come to London so they could make one last try at reconciliation. Now she’s called and she is not coming. He’s devastated.”
Paige pointed to the phone Nate was holding. “Is he still on the line?”
He nodded. “He’s on mute. I think he’s been drinking. He wanted to save his marriage but she won’t even try.”
Some people didn’t appreciate what they had and Paige had a feeling Max’s wife was one of them.
“Tell him to get the first flight out and get down here. Charter a jet if he has to. We don’t want him to be alone.”
Nate’s face lit up, his smile full of gratitude. “Are you sure, love? I was afraid to ask.”
“I’m sure. Tell him to get his ass down here. We’ll have him cheered up in no time. Or we’ll have him drunk. Just tell him we can definitely do one of those things.”
How did one cheer up a famous Shakespearean actor without sex? Paige was going figure out the answer.
* * *
The kitchen smelled wonderful. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, sage, and cinnamon all combined to create one delicious sniff. Max had drifted in and out of the kitchen but always with a drink in one hand. Frankly he didn’t give a fuck if it was too early to drink alcohol. He was going to do whatever he wanted. Now he was hiding in Paige’s office and hoping no one noticed he had disappeared.
It was nice of Paige to invite him but he shouldn’t have come. He was bringing everyone down with his foul, gray mood. He knew enough about America to know this was supposed to be a happy holiday with everyone feeling thankful for all they had. He wasn’t feeling particularly grateful about anything.
Wait…he did have one thing to be thankful for. His lawyers and family had made him have a prenup with Alana. It was going to save him millions.
It wouldn’t save him any heartache, though. Nor would it restore his shredded dignity. That was gone forever. He’d pleaded with the woman who had cheated on him to give their marriage another try. He still had a nasty taste in his mouth from saying the words. She’d destroyed their love when she’d been unfaithful but he’d been willing to see if he could fall in love again. She’d pretty much laughed in his face.
“Dinner is in about half an hour.”
Carrie stood in the doorway of Paige’s office wearing a blue apron over her casual sundress. Even at the end of November, Florida was almost eighty degrees.
“Thank you.” He held up his whiskey glass. “I think I need a refill.”
He tried to stand but the room spun and he had to grab the arm of the chair. Carrie was instantly at his side, helping him sit back down as she took the empty glass from his hand. He protested but she shook her head. “Relax, Hamlet. I’ll get you a refill.”
He scowled, not sure if the American girl was serious or if she was teasing him. “I’ve never played Hamlet but I did play Richard the Third.”
She nodded and reached into the drawer of a desk, pulling out a bottle. “I know. Paige and I went to see it at the local movie theatre for the National Theatre showing. You were amazing.” She held up the whiskey bottle. “This isn’t as fine as what you were drinking. It’s from my own stash but I think you’re far gone enough that you won’t be able to tell the difference.”
Max cleared his throat and sat straighter in the chair, trying to look as sober as possible.
“Are you insinuating that I am in my cups?”
She handed him the refilled highball glass. “I’m not insinuating anything. I’m saying it straight out. You’re soused, dude.”
“I am not a dude,” he said stiffly. This was why Paige made fun of him. “And thank you for the compliment.”
She shrugged and leaned back against the desk. “You brought a rawness to the role that I appreciated.”
“You read the Baird?”
Laughter bubbled from her pink lips and her cheeks turned the same shade. “I only know what I read in high school. Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. That’s it. They were kind of depressing. It didn’t make me want to read more.”
Max found himself smiling for the first time that day. “They are tragedies. But you went to see it anyway.”
“Paige wanted to go. Then she spends the entire trip home telling me how she would have rewritten it to have a happy ending. So basically I get the best of both worlds. She has a good imagination.”
“You should try one of Shakespeare’s comedies,” Max suggested but Carrie pulled a face.
“I get hung up on the language and it pulls me out of the story. I think I’ll stick to regular novels.” No one said anything for a long moment and the silence seemed to thicken between them. “I’m sorry about your marriage.”
Max stiffened, shocked that Nate and Paige had revealed something so personal. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Carrie. He did. Obviously if she worked for Paige she knew how to be discreet but it was just one more person who knew his humiliation.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “They didn’t tell me. You did.”
Scowling, he shook his head. “I did no such thing.”
“You did,” she declared with a smile. “Last night you were drunk and mumbling something about women, cheaters, and prenups. I got the meaning behind the words pretty quick. I am sorry. She doesn’t deserve you.”
That was an interesting observation. Carrie didn’t even know him.
“Maybe I deserved this,” Max challenged. “Maybe I was a real arsehole to be married to. Maybe I cheated on her first.”
“You didn’t.” Carrie slid down into the office chair. “If you had you wouldn’t be this upset. You might have been an asshole though but that still doesn’t mean it was okay to cheat. That’s not cool at all.”
“No, it’s…not cool.”
It was also painful as hell. Like his heart was ripped out of his chest with her bare hands.
Giggling, she reached for the bottle and held it up, but he shook his head. He needed to sober up a little before dinner. “You sound funny when you say cool. I don’t think proper British gentlemen are supposed to use that word.”
“I’m not all that proper,” he shot back, letting his gaze rake her from head to toe. Maybe a rebound shag was just what he needed. “And being a gentleman is a real pain sometimes.”
It was then that he saw her left hand. Why he hadn’t noticed before, he didn’t know. But there it was.
A diamond engagement ring.
Nothing ostentatious. Just a regular, normal engagement ring for a regular, normal couple. Probably less than a carat, and he would know. He’d spent way too much time picking out Alana’s ring, knowing it would be photographed by every tabloid in the world.
“You’re getting married.”
She smiled and held up her hand. “I am. We’ve been dating for four years so I guess it’s about time.”
“Are you commitment shy?”
She shook her head. “Not me. Mark. He’s been married before so he wasn’t sure he was ready to do it again until recently.”
Max had to stifle the urge to tell her to run, very far and very fast. Marriage and commitment was fraught with opportunities for heartbreak and pain.
“Congratulations,” he said instead. Manners had been hammered into him from an early age. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy.”
She was regarding him with amusement. “No, you’re not sure at all. You think I’m going to be miserable. That’s okay. I get that you’re in a mood. I’d be the same if I was you.”
He tossed back the remainder of his whiskey and set the glass on the desk. “Paige promised to feed me and get me drunk. That’s only one out of two.”
Carrie laughed and stood, offering her arm. “Then by all means let me help you to the table. Dinner will be served very soon. You don’t want to miss out.”
Sadly, Max was sure he’d already missed out. His chance at happiness and love was gone.