We're silent as we walk, though at least she lets me hold her hand. She looks beautiful, her head held high, that white dress hugging her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and waist and hips, the high black heels she has on making those s.e.xy legs of hers look impossibly long.

I am a lucky man, walking down the street holding this woman's hand. Random guys take a second look as they walk past and I send the ones that do a murderous glare. Can't they see she belongs to me? Do I need to write a sign across her forehead that declares, Property of Caden Kingsley-Eyes and hands the f.u.c.k off?

Yeah. I think I do.

"You're awfully quiet," she says as we enter the hotel lobby and head toward the elevators.

I shrug, feeling morose. Like the end is coming and there's nothing I can do to stop it. "I'm moody." And now I sound like a whiny girl.

"Too many beers?"

"Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'm completely sober."

She flinches at my choice of words and I curse inwardly. I can't f.u.c.k this up now. My time with her is limited. She's going to leave me soon.

I have to make the most of it.

"I'm being an a.s.shole," I tell her when we enter the elevator and the doors close us in.

"Yes, you are." She smiles.

"I'm sorry." I never apologize. There's usually no need, because usually I'm long gone by the time anyone I've wronged finds out.

For once, I want to stick. I want to live a real life, not some constant con game. I want to be real with Rose. And if that means sometimes it gets ugly, and sometimes I'm scared, mad, sad, or whatever-the-h.e.l.l emotion I'm struggling with, I still want to do it.

So I've got to fight for it. Own it. Own me. Own her.

Own us.

"You're forgiven," she says, her voice soft, her gaze open, showing me all she's got. And I like what I see. "I'm sorry, too."

"For what?" I frown.

"For that whole thing with Hugh." She waves a hand. "He's nice. I like him. But not ... not like that."

"He likes you like that." Just thinking about Hugh makes me want to hit something, specifically his smug face.

"I bet he doesn't anymore." Her smile grows. "You couldn't have been more possessive, what with the way you practically growled at him when he caught us kissing by the bathrooms."

"I didn't growl at him." Did I? I don't remember.

"Yes. You definitely did. You should've just hung a sign around my neck that said Property of Caden. That would've sent your message loud and clear."

"I considered it," I say truthfully. "But I guess my growling was good enough."

Her eyes sparkle with amus.e.m.e.nt. "I thought it was kind of s.e.xy."

"Oh yeah? You like it when I growl?" She can't be serious. That smile on her pretty face is telling me she's making fun of me, but you never know with Rose. She's a constant surprise. A dirty, naughty, fun, extremely s.e.xy surprise.

"I do. Maybe you can growl for me later."

"I can growl for you right now if you want me to." I go for her, my arms sliding around her waist just as the elevator comes to a stop at our floor and the doors slide open. She slips out of my embrace and practically races out of the elevator toward the room.

"You have to catch me first," she calls over her shoulder, the key card already clasped in her fingers.

I saunter after her, not bothering to run. I'll catch her; I have complete faith in that. She wants to be caught. Maybe she's a little buzzed from the two drinks she had. Maybe she's relieved to get out of the tense atmosphere of the pub. Maybe she's just happy to finally be alone with me.

Whatever it is, I'm letting her have her fun because I reap all the benefits.

She opens the door just as I approach her, my hands going to her waist so I can shove her into the room. Crowding her, I wrap my arms around her from behind and pull her to me, her a.s.s pressed against my front, my hands reaching for her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as I kiss her neck. The door shuts behind us, closing us in so we're all alone. "Caught ya," I mutter against her skin and she giggles.

"I let you catch me," she murmurs, tilting her head to the side to give me better access.

"Where's the fun in that?" I ask, skimming my teeth along her neck, making her shudder. I slide my hands down, along her waist, her hips, gripping her there so I can pull her tight against my growing erection.

"Oh, I can guarantee you loads of fun." She reaches behind her, her hand wrapping around my c.o.c.k that's straining against my jeans, and I grunt into her neck, thrusting against her a.s.s.

"Are you saying you want to play?" I tug on the fabric of her skirt, easing it up slowly, resting my chin on her shoulder so I can watch her dress rise higher and higher on her slender thighs. "Because I'm always up for that."

"You certainly are." She laughs, then moans when I nip and suck on her neck. Her skirt is bunched around her waist, revealing the skimpy panties she's got on, and now it's my turn to moan. "What in the f.u.c.k are you wearing?"

Rose tilts her head back so her gaze meets mine. "You like them?"

"I think I need to look at them closer." I release my hold on her and turn her around, falling to my knees so I can examine the sc.r.a.p of material she's calling panties. They're white. Sheer, so I can see her scant pubic hair, her plump p.u.s.s.y lips. Lace trims the outer edges and tiny white silk bows dot either side of her hips. "They're indecent."

"I knew you'd approve," she teases.

I glance up at her, smoothing my hands up along the sides of her thighs. "I love them." I grip her hips, turning her around, and I close my eyes for only a second, leaning my head against one exposed b.u.t.t cheek for a brief moment before I drop a kiss on it. "Why did you even bother wearing panties? There's nothing to them." The back consists of a silk string around her waist and between her cheeks, another innocent bow dotting the top center of her a.s.s.

"I wore them for you." She glances over her shoulder, smiling down at me. "They make me feel s.e.xy. Like you make me feel s.e.xy."

I palm her a.s.s, gripping her ample flesh. She has a perfect b.u.t.t. Round and full and with two little dimples at the base of her spine, I don't appreciate this particular body part of hers enough. I need to rectify that. "Well, these little panties are definitely s.e.xy, but I think they're going to have to go."

"Really?" She sounds thrilled at the prospect.

"Definitely. But first, we need to get rid of the dress." I stand, my hands going to the zipper, and I slowly draw it down, revealing her back and the matching white lacy bra she's wearing. I swallow hard, imagining what the bra must look like in the front. Probably completely sheer and offering me a perfect view of her nipples.

With eager, shaking hands, I pull the dress up over her head before I toss it onto the floor. I turn her around, my gaze dropping to her chest, and h.e.l.l, yes, just like I knew it would be, the bra is a killer. Sheer white and trimmed with lace, with more innocent white bows, one in the center, two more on the top of each breast. Skimpy as h.e.l.l and probably not offering much support, the bra and panties are all about the visual.

And I f.u.c.king approve wholeheartedly.

"You've been wearing this all afternoon and I had no idea." I reach out and tease the little bow at the center of her bra.

"Isn't it a pleasant surprise?" She hitches in a breath when I trace the edge of her bra with my finger, touching her skin, seeing the goose b.u.mps rise.

"Very pleasant." Total understatement. I'm going to drive myself out of my mind if I keep this game up, but it's worth it. I want to savor this moment. Rose in her pretty lingerie she wore just for me, standing immobile in front of me like some sort of offering, still wearing the s.e.xy black heels, her body trembling, her nipples hard, and I can just about guarantee in between those pretty thighs she's soaked.

Bending my knees, I rain kisses across her chest, the tops of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She tilts her head back, her eyes closing as she reaches for my head, but I duck away from her hands, dropping to my knees once again where I scent her arousal, heady and sweet. She gazes down at me, the beautiful agony etched across her face making my c.o.c.k jerk in my jeans, and I reach between her legs, drifting my fingers gently across her mound.

She jerks against my touch, a whimper escaping her, and I smile. Just as I predicted, the thin fabric of her panties is damp, and I sneak the tip of my finger beneath, teasing her p.u.s.s.y with a quick flick before I pull back out.

"You're mean," she accuses, though there's no anger in her tone.

"You f.u.c.king love it," I return, knowing I speak the truth. "You look at me and get wet."

"Arrogant much?" she asks, and I chuckle.

"Just stating the truth. Considering every time I look at you I get hard, I figure your body is having a similar reaction." I press my mouth to her p.u.s.s.y and kiss her there, breathing deep her scent, my hands coming up to grip the thin band that rests on her hips. Leaning back, I tug the panties down, torturing her, torturing myself as I slowly pull them down her thighs, going past her knees until she's lifting one foot, then the other before she kicks them off.

Leaving herself bare.

"Take off the shoes," I demand, and she steps out of them, pushing them away with two quick kicks. Her p.u.s.s.y is even closer to my face and I glance up to find her watching me, her eyes wide, her cheeks flushed, her hair falling around her face.

She looks beautiful. Aroused.

She looks like mine.

Resting my hands on her a.s.s, I pull her in and she takes a step closer. "Spread your legs," I mutter against her thigh and she does, offering me a heart-stopping view of her glistening pink depths. I lick her there, one long swoop across her folds with my tongue flat, and she shudders, my name falling from her lips.

"You like that?" I ask, not needing to hear her answer. I know she likes it. She loves it when I go down on her and I love going down on her, so it's a win-win for us both.

Like when she sucks my c.o.c.k. I know she enjoys it. h.e.l.l, one time she gave me a b.l.o.w. .j.o.b while grinding her p.u.s.s.y on my upper thigh the entire time, coming all over my leg just as I was spurting inside her mouth.

Talk about hot. The woman is insatiable.

I lick and tease, flick my tongue against her c.l.i.t, thrust it inside of her, my hands gripping her a.s.s and keeping her steady. She settles her hands in my hair, her little moans and whimpers driving me on, and then she's pulling my hair, begging me to stop.

That's not a normal request. Pulling away, I gaze up at her. "You want me to stop?"

She nods furiously, her hair spilling everywhere. "I want you inside of me," she whispers.

I'm down with that. Standing to my full height, I strip off my clothes in a hurry, watching as she removes her bra and goes to the bed, pulling back the comforter so it falls on the floor. She crawls onto the mattress, her body gleaming with a light sheen of sweat, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s jiggling as she falls on her back in the center of the bed.

Bending at the knee, she plants her foot on the mattress, her thighs spread, the look on her face pure temptation. "Going to join me?"

I say nothing, just go to her like a man caught in her spell-and I am a man caught in her spell. She pulls me down on top of her, her mouth meeting mine in a hot, wet kiss that I drown in.

Her legs hook around my hips and she anchors herself to me, her p.u.s.s.y nestled close to my c.o.c.k. She's wet and slippery and I thrust against her once. Twice. Slip just the head of my c.o.c.k in, and the heat radiating from within her body feels incredible.

"Oh, G.o.d," she chokes out as I slip a little deeper inside, the breath leaving my lungs in one harsh gust when I feel the velvety hot clasp of her inner walls tighten around my c.o.c.k. No barriers, just flesh on flesh, and I realize my mistake as I thrust deep, filling her completely.

"f.u.c.k, Ro, you feel so d.a.m.n good." I remain unmoving inside her body, my c.o.c.k pulsing, her p.u.s.s.y twitching. "I forgot the condom."

She goes still, her hands resting on my chest and giving me a little shove. It changes the angle, sending me deeper, and then she's clutching my shoulders, moaning as she arches against me, and it feels like my c.o.c.k is touching her womb, I'm so deep. "I'm ... clean," she gasps.

Bracing my hands on either side of her head, I stare down at her, watching as she writhes against me, working herself on my c.o.c.k, her eyes closed, her head thrown back. "I'm clean too," I whisper. "But are you ... good? Like on the pill or ... whatever?" Could I sound more like an a.s.shole teen making sure the girl I'm f.u.c.king in the backseat of my car isn't going to get knocked up?

Rose opens her eyes, a little smile curving her lips. "I'm fine. My period should be here any day now."

Uh-huh. Isn't that what they all say? Not that I've ever had personal experience with this sort of situation, but ...

"I'll pull out," I rea.s.sure her, loving the way she feels, my entire body tense and ready to f.u.c.k. All I want to do is take her. Ram myself inside of her body again and again and fill her with my come, which has got to be some weird, primal, instinctual thing. I don't know. I've never had these sorts of thoughts.

Then again, I've never felt like this for any woman until Rose.

Finally unable to stand it any longer, I begin to move, slowly working my c.o.c.k in and out of her body. She moans with my every thrust and I bend over her, kissing and sucking her nipples, gathering her a.s.s in my hands so I can hold her closer and control my movements within her.

Her legs are tight around my hips, her arms wrapped around my neck. Our bodies are so close, chest to chest, heart to heart, and I'm panting in her ear, whispering how good she feels, how much I want to come, how much I want her to come.

She nods furiously, her hair tickling my cheeks, strands catching in the stubble that lines my jaw. "So close," she whispers as she turns her face into my neck. I can feel her lips brand me, hot and damp, as she speaks. "Harder, Caden. Please."

Losing all control at her urging, I f.u.c.k her fiercely, my movements ragged as I grip her a.s.s tight and pound inside of her. My mind is empty and all I can focus on is my need to come, my need to make Rose come. Like an animal intent on reaching my satisfaction no matter what it takes. Primitive. Possessive.

Lost.

Rose falls first, a long, shuddery moan sounding from deep within her as I feel her p.u.s.s.y clench and ripple along the length of my c.o.c.k. I grit my teeth, fighting against the need to spurt deep inside her body, and then I'm pulling out of her in a rush, my hand going around the base of my c.o.c.k as I come all over her quivering stomach.

"Jesus," I utter, my breathing so hard my chest aches as I stare down at her. I'm on my knees, my c.o.c.k in my hand, my s.e.m.e.n all over her stomach and her p.u.s.s.y. Did I come in her? f.u.c.k, I hope not. And I hope she means it when she says there's no possibility she could get ... pregnant.

Wiping a hand across my mouth, I shake my head, unable to speak.

What the f.u.c.k did I just do?

Chapter Eighteen.

Rose

I can't move. I can hardly breathe. My G.o.d, I don't think I can even see.

I believe Caden just f.u.c.ked me to death.

My bones are like jelly, my heart racing triple time, and I trail my shaky fingers through the s.e.m.e.n that's splattered across my belly, smearing it across my skin. It's warm and sticky and thank G.o.d he pulled out in time or else I'd be worried.

It was so amazing, though, having Caden inside of me without a condom on. Risky and stupid, but he felt so good. Too good.

I want to do it again.