Page 12

“What happened to you?” I asked the man standing on my doorstep, a blob of dried blood in the middle of his left eyebrow and faint pink stains down his face where the wound had bled.

“Church got a little rough.” Cade’s lips curled at the side, a mischievous grin.

“Church?”

“It’s what we call bike club meetings. Not real church.”

“Why have you come away from a meeting with a split eyebrow, though?”

“You know it’s freezing out here. Can I tell you in the warmth?”

I nodded, stepping to one side to let him through the door. Cade slid past, our bodies touching in the cramped space, freezing air clinging to his leather jacket.

“Kitchen,” I instructed, pointing up the stairs. “Need to get your eye sorted.”

“It’s fine.” He grumbled, climbing the stairs in front of me.

“I’ll be the judge of that. Door to your right,” I called from behind him as he neared the top.

“Really, Al. I’ve had worse.”

“Just let me look at it. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Cade grinned, his face lighting up and then immediately scrunching into a wince.

“It’s fine, huh? Sit there.” I pointed to the first chair at the table that sat against the wall.

I turned from him to pull the medical kit from a cupboard, raking through it for gauze, disinfectant and steri-strips.

“Thought you’d still be at the vets tonight, Al,” Cade asked from behind me.

“I got a night off. Stu took another emergency shift tonight. Didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth so got out of there as soon as I could. I can take you down to see Kinobi once we’re done fixing you up.”

When I turned, Cade had already shrugged out of his jacket. Denim-clad legs spread wide on the wooden seat, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting.

“Ready nurse,” he smiled, his gaze lifting to mine, his eyes more green than hazel tonight, sparkling with a mischievousness I was sure would dissolve the moment I pressed the disinfectant covered cotton swab to his face.

“It’s doctor, actually,” I stood between his legs to get close to the cut on his eyebrow, pushing the swab to the wound.

Cade hissed, his body tensing as I rubbed and patted, carefully dislodging the dried blob of blood to look at the injury underneath. It was deeper than I’d initially thought, the skin and underlying tissue angry and torn, where the flesh had imploded.

“What exactly caused this?” I asked, pushing the sides of the wound together carefully.

Cade strained under my fingers. “Someone’s fist.”

“Someone punched you in a meeting?” I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice.

“Yeah. Happens.”

“Really? I’ve never been punched in a meeting before.”

“That’s because you’ve never been to a biker meeting. Shit!”

“Stop moving. I need to get this clean or you’ll get an infection.”

“Are you this rough with all your patients?” Cade grumbled, scrunching his eyebrows as I applied the last swab.

“No. They’re generally smaller. And have sharp teeth and sharp claws. This really needs gluing or maybe even stitching.”

“Not going to hospital.”

“It needs something doing with it. You shouldn’t just leave it.”

“Nope. No hospitals.” He pursed his lips together in defiance.

“Fine. I’ll find some super glue.”

“Whoa. Hang on.” Cade grabbed my wrist as I moved away. “Can you not stitch it? You’re a doctor, after all?”

“The glue they use in hospitals is just super glue, anyway. No different. I’ve an unopened pack. It’ll be sterile. Promise.”

Cade relaxed his fingers, letting my arm slip from his grip, and I twisted away to rummage through a drawer in the kitchen till I found what I needed.

“Ok, nice and still,” I muttered as I settled against him again. “Don’t want to glue your eye shut by mistake.”

“Wait. What?”

“Kidding. I’m Kidding. Done this plenty of times. Well, not eyebrows, but I’m forever gluing up bites. I don’t do hospitals either. Here, hold the strips.”

He laughed, deep and throaty, the vibrations rolling off his chest over me, even though we weren’t touching. Which was good, because he’d relaxed and now I could get a good nip of his skin to push the ends together into the blob of superglue.

“Shit. That stings like a bitch,” he complained, half pulling away.

“Just stay still a few more seconds,” I coaxed, holding the wound together with the fingers of one hand while I peeled the steri-strips from where Cade held onto them a little too tightly. “There, all done,” I said, pulling the last of the little white strips into place.

I took a half step backwards, my eyes dropping from where I’d been concentrating on his eyebrow and catching the greens of his staring up at me. Even with the swelling starting around his face, he was still stunning. The face of an angel. His blond hair swept over his head, only one strand straying and dropping across his forehead. His smile dissolved, a sternness on his face I had never seen before, a storm in his eyes, a darkness chasing away the mischievousness I was used to. My stomach tightened. A warning. A deep, delicious, warning.

Retreating further, I took another step away, watching his head tilt to the side. I should have kept going, put some distance between us, because this was probably highly inappropriate between a vet and their client. Highly. Inappropriate. His fingers slid around my waist, my skin shivering at his touch even over the thin scrubs I wore. Move back. Move back. But my body wouldn’t listen, and even the warning from the most sensible part of me was weak. Too weak, as his fingers tightened on my waist, and he nudged me towards him. Not a pull, no force, and the opportunity I had to move out from his grip was there, all there. And I ignored it.

Cade’s eyes never left mine as he pulled me closer until I was back between his legs, the push of his thighs on mine. He hadn’t shaved today, a thin covering of blond stubble covering his lower cheeks and his chin, the tiny indent more visible as he stared up at me. The hint of ruggedness against the angelic sculpture of his face. A specimen of perfection apart from the split in his eyebrow, there wasn’t a blemish, a spot, a layer of uneven skin. Cade was perfect.

His fingers wound up my back, feeling over thin clothes, just a little pressure to pull me closer. And now his eyes danced over my face, like he was examining every little freckle, every tiny, tired line that marked my skin.

“Take your top off, Alice,” he whispered, his voice low, his eyes capturing mine.

“I…what?”

“Take your top off.” There was no mistaking the command in his tone this time.

I should slap him. Tell him to get out. But I didn’t. I just stood, staring down at him, still not sure I had heard him properly.

“I only ever see you in these green things,” Cade plucked at the green top I wore over my thin long-sleeved t-shirt.

He pushed to his feet, moving into the space I’d been trying to create, his fingers tugging upwards on the green polyester. It lifted, pulling the top underneath with it, but not quite taking it off. His arm wrapped around me again, stopping any escape I’d had, and warm, rough pads smoothed over my lower back, leaving prickles of excited skin everywhere his fingers moved. I shivered.

“You cold, Al?” Cade pushed my chin upwards with the crook of a forefinger.

I bit my lip and shook my head, taking a moment to swallow the pressure in my throat before answering. “Just a shiver.”

Cade’s face moved closer, millimetres from mine, his scent surrounding me. Clean leather, mint, and light sweet and spicy aftershave. His aftershave was always light, just there in the background, never detracting from the smell of something that was just him.

“I want to see you shiver some more, babe,” his voice lowered, deeper, slower, his lips almost brushing mine as he spoke.

He dropped the hand on my back, a finger teasing around the waistband of the green trousers I wore.

“Let me see you shiver,” he spoke against me again, and it took every bit of tired energy I had not to succumb to his words, and his voice, the low commands in them making my insides clench.

And just as I thought I’d taken back control, the finger on my chin moved, his hand sweeping across my neck and lower jaw, spanning out in my hair, a careful kiss over my lips, and then on my jawline. Cade pushed his head lower, his lips travelling over my neck, a nibble of skin making me suck in air, a touch of his lips, a swipe of his tongue, and a low hum from my throat.

“That’s not a shiver, Alice. I want that shiver.” His voice vibrated against my throat and inside I shivered, deep and resonating all the way to my toes.

Cade pushed my head back with his thumb, exposing more of my neck, the tip of his nose brushing the skin, pushing into me, hot breath tickling at the skin he’d stretched out. Then his lips caught my flesh, and his teeth scraped over the vein in my neck, and this time I did shiver, the movement wracking my body, his hand tightening against my back, pulling my neck onto his mouth.

“Good girl, Al,” he whispered, his words caressing and teasing, his tongue lingering over the spot where my heart was trying to break free from.

He pushed against my neck, kissing and licking and sucking, driving a deep, heavy pressure into me. I needed to make him stop, because the flesh he plucked and sucked would be marked. But I didn’t push him away or try to break free. Instead, my fingers felt over his t-shirt, over the hard muscle I’d felt the other night.

“Steady Al,” he breathed those words against my neck as I pressed my fingers under his t-shirt. “I don’t know if I can stop this time. Don’t push me to that line if you don’t want me to cross it.”

And then, under the cocktail of heat and pressure pulsing through my body, at the assault of his lips and tongue on my neck, I let go of any notion of control. At least for tonight.

“Maybe there is no line, Cade,” I whispered.

He paused, pulling back from me and studying my face, and now I worried I’d said something wrong. I was about to speak, to apologise, but suddenly he pulled the hand from my back, pushing his hands into my hair, his lips crashing against mine, all gentleness gone from his as he forced his tongue into my mouth, lips pulling and plucking. The sudden ferocity caught my breath, and now we were walking backwards, until the sink stopped us moving any further, trapping me between Cade and the bench at my back.

Pressing my hands against his stomach, I pushed under his t-shirt, Cade flinching at my touch, my fingers exploring, trying to remember each bump of skin over the muscle that had been a mere hint the night before.

His hands dropped from my hair, something tugging on the bottom of the thin, long-sleeved top and before I could even form the thought it was wrenched off over my head, a rush of cool air attacking my body, and then the warm roughness of Cade’s hands smoothing up my skin, running over the top of my bra. He reached a hand inside, pushing away the satin cup, his thumb and forefinger finding my nipple, rolling it between them. My stomach jolted, echoing deep in my pussy.

I gasped against his mouth; the sound creating a ripple of energy in him as he growled against my lips. His other hand dropped down my stomach, his touch more urgent, pushing inside the green cotton trousers, cupping over the lace of my knickers.

“Fuck, Alice. You’re soaking, and I’ve got nowhere near your sweet pussy yet.” His words vibrated through my whole body, right down between my legs.

I tugged on Cade’s t-shirt, my hands uncoordinated as it stuck on his chest. He slid his hand from my trousers, freeing my nipple, and crossed his arms over his stomach, yanking the white shirt off in one quick movement. Underneath, he was sensational. Lean, hard muscle, a dusting of golden blond hair between his pecs, darker on his lower stomach where it disappeared under leather trousers, to where there was no mistaking the bulge under the slimming black. I gasped, unsure of him, like he was a mirage that would break into pieces if I went near him.

The white t-shirt dropped to the floor by our feet. And still, all I could do was stare.

“You can touch me, Alice,” he murmured, his voice a coaxing purr, creating another surge of something in my body.

Cade took my hand, his fingers wrapping gently around it, placing it in the middle of his chest and underneath I could feel a heart pounding, the little drum of rhythm under my fingertips. He guided my hand over his skin, his expression tense, his teeth biting at his lip, but his eyes captured mine, never letting my gaze drop, even as my hand did. He led my hand down over his stomach, the slight ripple of the muscle underneath, his palm pushing into the back of my hand, and carefully, slowly, he kept pushing it down, following the tickle of the hair on his lower stomach.

The descent slowed, hot flesh changing to the roughness of denim jeans snug over his waist. Cade reached around, flipping over the button, pulling at the rest, the dull popping sound overly loud in the charged silence between us. Then he pushed my hand lower, sliding it under the soft, cotton of the boxers I couldn’t see. Hot satin met my fingers, a tiny drop of moisture at the very end. I gasped, my instinct to pull away, but his hand held mine still, a slight squeeze to stop me retreating, his green eyes a swirling whirlpool of mossy darkness and his lip still tightly held in his teeth, like this was testing his self-control as much as it was trying mine. Then he closed my fingers around him, slowly pushing my hand up and down his shaft.

Cade closed his eyes, hiding the stormy green from me, taking a big gulp of air, his chest lowering slowly as he let it back out in one long, controlled movement. When his hand left the back of mine, I didn’t stop. Maintaining the rhythm over the top of him, feeling over the tip to the wetness of pre-cum, and somewhere deep in his chest, he let out a low moan.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” I stopped.

“Nothing, Al. Nothing is wrong. Don’t stop.” His tortured whisper sent a shiver racing through me, my hand bumping over his erection.

“Fuck, and that’s all it took to get you to shiver for me like that. Get your hand on my cock, huh?”

His mouth crashed into me, his tongue inside me before I even really opened my lips to him. Cade’s arms brushed around me, grasping at the back of my bra and snapping it free. Then he edged it down my arms, my hand leaving him for only a second before he encouraged it back to his shaft. He arched away from me slightly, pressing my hand to his groin and his lips trailed down my neck, his tongue darting out, licking and kissing. Over my collar bone. Into the groove at the base of my throat. Down my sternum. My pussy tensed. His lips trailed lower, feeling over the top of my breast, and then I shivered again. He murmured something against me; the vibrations washing over me, my hand tightening around his cock. Then his lips found my nipple, and he flicked his tongue over the very end.

Fire burned inside me now. Consuming. Hot. Intense. Every nerve ending and tissue screaming for something. Anything. My grip tightened around Cade’s shaft again, his cock hard and heavy in my hand. His tongue flicked at the end of my nipple, and then he sucked, my knees feeling suddenly too weak to hold me up. His arm wrapped around my back, but it wasn’t to hold me up as he pushed at the waistband of my trousers, fingers feeling under the elastic of my knickers, stroking them over my arse, the cold air rushing in to take their place. I finished what he started, pushing the green material over my lower legs, kicking them off to the side.

His fingers wasted no time, caressing down my stomach, rough pads sending a ripple of shivers over my skin, anticipation heavy in my limbs. His knuckles grazed at my inner thighs. A little nudge into the flesh and I stepped further apart, closing my eyes, trying to slow the pounding in my chest. I felt him slow, his fingers finding their way, testing my wetness and humming approval over my nipple. Fuck. I pushed towards him, involuntary encouragement. And then the pressure in my body changed. Real pressure now, as he slid a finger into me, careful and gentle, easing in and out. And then more pressure. Another finger and he opened them out, stretching at me and I think I moaned, or whimpered, or made some other pathetic noise.

“Ah fuck, Alice. You’re killing me here.” His words were cool against my breast, his fingers moving quickly. “Let me fuck you, baby.”

I nodded, breathless, wordless.

Cade pulled from me, his face moving from my chest, fumbling for something in his leather trousers, and I lay back against the bench, my head whirring, my body clenching, naked in my own kitchen.

He stroked his hand over his cock, smoothing the condom over his length and for the first time I stole a glance, watching him roll his fist back over it, once, twice. Then he pulled at the waistband of his trousers, pushing them down his legs, until we both stood naked.

Wrapping a hand round my thigh, he hooked it round him, adjusting himself so he was in the middle. The head of his cock glided over me, and I gasped as he coated it in my wetness, his knuckles dragging across my flesh as he got into position.

“Look at me, Al,” he commanded, his voice low and hoarse.

I lifted my gaze to his face, to where his eyes were waiting for me, green and rich like a forest in summer. Fingers pushed into my hair, tilting my head and holding my face captive to his, and the head of his cock pushed inside me. I gasped, closing my eyes.

“Look at me, baby. Don’t you dare close those eyes.”

He edged in a little further, just a fraction, and waited. I forced my eyes on his, listening to our breaths, heavy and hard. And then he pushed again, stopping after a further fraction of him entered me, watching my face.

“Please,” I whispered.

The sides of his mouth twitched, and he moved again before stopping once more.

“Cade. Please.”

He grinned this time, drawing back, pulling at my flesh as he did.

“Fuck, Cade. Please…”

Then he moved forward into me again. And again. Stopping and waiting. My pussy stretched around him, desperately waiting for more. For him to fill me tortuously slowly. Cade’s grip tightened in my hair, and I winced at the sudden hot prick of pain that sent shivers racing to every end of my body.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “Fuck, Al.”

And then he moved in one long, steady motion, sliding inside me, internal flesh pushed away to make way for him. I think I cried out. But his lips came crashing onto mine, swallowing the first moan as he entered me fully.