"Nothing." Simone snapped, covering her embarra.s.sment. She took out another credit card and handed it over. The lady gave a gracious smile and swiped it. She frowned then handed it back. "I'm sorry it is also declined."

"That b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Simone stammered. She handed over her bankcard, certain that it would work, but it too was declined. She wanted to cry. Being the crier that she was, she wanted to fall out and kick her feet in a hysterical fit of tears. Cain dropped his AMEX on the counter. "Put it on my card."

The clerk looked from him to her, shrugged, then did as she was told. Simone stepped away from the counter. She paced a short path, wringing her hands. Cain signed off on the payment and accepted the key cards. He walked over and she looked up at him, totally humiliated. "There must have been some mistake with the bank. That's my account. I have money."

He took her hand and led her out. She was escorted to the car. He held the door out for her to get in. She did so quietly, sitting on the pa.s.senger side, unable to look at him. Cain drove down the line of rooms to the one he rented, then swerved in and parked. Simone pressed her lips together, barely holding it together. Keith had frozen her out of her own accounts. How ugly would this thing get?

Finally, summoning the courage, she looked over to him. He handed her the keys. "Here. Go ahead. I'll come back in the morning and-"

She leaned in and sneaked a kiss, surprising them both by her boldness. A gentle press of her lips to his before she drew away was all it took. She reached for the door handle, opening it and got out. Cain followed. With unsteady hands she dropped the card in the slot and pulled down on the metal handle to push the door open. A small motel room with twin double sized beds, brown carpeting, orange and green polyester spreads that matched the same patterned hideous curtains. Simone tossed her purse to the bed and went to the bathroom. She heard the door close behind her.

He was here. He would stay.

Simone dropped her hands to the sink. She looked up at the mirror, gazing at herself. Who was she now without Keith? Could she really find Simone again? On her own? Her eyes met with Cain's who stood behind her in the doorway. He was beautiful. The kind of beautiful you'd see on a billboard or cast in some heroic action packed movie. The kind of beautiful a girl shouldn't trust. She had to take a deep breath before saying a word to him while looking into those dreamy pair of eyes of his. "Thanks for the room. Keith's an a.s.shole. I'll clear it with the credit card company in the morning."

He stepped inside. Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth as she tried to pretend that his drawing nearer had no effect on her. But he spoke with that deep voice that compelled her to let go and offer feminine submission as his reward.

"He's desperate to hold on to you," Cain said. She could sense the perusal of his eyes as it lowered to her backside. "After what he's done, I can see why. He never deserved you."

Simone closed her eyes and nodded in agreement. "I hate him. I want to punish him and punish myself. I feel so angry. Just a lot of anger, and pain. It hurts so bad."

Cain stepped closer. It was happening. It was happening. He was right behind her. She blew air through her pursed lips. His thighs pressed into the back of hers. Her legs absorbed his warmth. He spoke and Simone tensed all over, understanding nothing. In the mirror, his eyes smiled at her, relaxing her, convincing her there was no threat. But that wasn't true. Their being together like this threatened his life as well as hers and they both knew it.

"I've been unable to stop wishing for the moment when I could get you alone, after-after kissing you," Cain confessed.

The sweet tension he built in her by saying those words melted her resolve. "Cain-"

"Deny me if you want, beautiful, but you feel it too. I can't control myself whenever I see you." He touched her hair. Simone shuddered inwardly in protest. When her long tresses brushed away from her nape after his fingers slipped in, the delicious sensation was impossible to ignore. "I want you to know that no matter what you lost tonight, you aren't the one to blame. You are as desirable, special, and wonderful as Simone Livingston, as you are as just Simone, the woman who gardens."

A small laugh tickled her throat. His hands went to her hips and his fingers spread in the holding. He kissed the back of her head. "Get some rest, a little sleep. We can talk again in the morning. I just couldn't walk away without letting you know."

Before he withdrew, she leaned back into him. From beneath her eyelashes, she gave him a look reflected upon the mirror surface. He was hers. To her delight, he responded by allowing his hands to slip over the front of her pelvis, meeting at her center. Simone held her breath. Her head went back against his shoulder, her hair slipping away from her cheek to reveal her neck. Cain ran his nose over the slender length of it, stopping at her jaw before applying a soft kiss. She released her breath in jagged pants. How can a man's lips be so soft? How is that possible? The light brushing of his mouth across her skin felt divine. Her feet and hands cooled as the blood in her veins rushed to her cheeks, then travelled downward to the vertical dip between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. And continued to spread lower. His fingers rubbed her below, forcing her to press her knees tightly together to stifle the stimulation. Her pulse pounded beneath her skin, which felt so hot it almost hurt to move away, but she did. She lifted from his chest, just an inch to steady her breathing, as his fingers continued a discreet yet forbidden palming and rubbing of her s.e.x. The man even went as far as to use his knuckles when she parted her thighs a fraction to grant him the privilege.

It was so naughty.

It felt so good.

Her breath escaped her in a hard gush. A trickle of perspiration made a slow, hot trail down her spine. She swallowed. His body heat warmed her all over. Simone closed her eyes and willed him to go further. Just a little further. Pa.s.sionate spasms quaked through her inner thigh muscles. Her head dropped forward and she held tight to the basin.

This is it, she said to herself. This is the point of no return. You do this and it makes you no better than Keith. Do you understand that? You'll be a home wrecker. You don't even know why he's willing. Don't you care? Simone, c'mon, think it through. Stop trusting your emotions, trusting men and giving them your heart without thought. This isn't casual for you. You have feelings for this man that you don't understand. The smart thing to do is to determine if the feelings are a result of your hate for Keith. Wake up d.a.m.n it! You will never get the chance to change this moment. You'll have effectively lost yourself. Are you sure? d.a.m.n it, be sure, before it's too late.

She tortured him.

Simone, Simone, Simone, Simone, you have no idea how I want to take advantage, ease into that hole in your heart that, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d left and fill you up.

Cain summoned the strength to release her, though he held her sweet flower within his hand. "I have to go now or I won't be able to stop. " He breathed against her ear. She turned on him looking him in the eye. He swallowed hard over the beauty he found in her eyes. His throat went dry when she licked her full lips. He kept her pinned between him and the sink. Enough to feel her hips pressed into his thighs. His throbbing c.o.c.k delved into her lower abdomen.

He cupped her face and held it with care. He looked deep into her eyes when he spoke. "It's true, what I said. I can't get you off my mind. Your face, your lips, your skin, your scent, your voice, haunt me. You remind me of the man I used to be. Of all the good honest feelings I wanted to share with my own wife. Things she no longer cares about."

She reached up and traced her finger over his bottom lip. His mouth gently moved against hers, coaxing more and more from her with every touch. And every other conscious thought, every warring emotion slipped away, barring the feeling of Simone Livingston in his arms again-at last.

As his desire swelled in his chest for her, and his hands groped both halves of her b.u.t.t cheeks, he nearly devoured her with their kiss. She pulled away the tiniest possible amount, panting, pushing gently at his chest. "You could lose everything. Cain, you have to be sure."

His breath whispered against her lips. "I lost everything the moment I started wanting you. I'm willing to take the chance, if you are."

She nodded she'd do the same.

Her hand slid into the soft thick texture of his hair the way she had wanted to ever since she first sampled his lips, his tongue. She opened her mouth wider to his darting tongue. The kiss went on forever as they got to know one another's taste, and feel, along with all the things that made each other shiver and sigh. His hands were roaming and groping, and hers did the same.

Cain sucked her lips and tongue as his free hand dipped inside the band of her track pants and went further. He cupped her left b.u.t.tock, lifting her up higher into him, squeezing. Being forced up into his arms was such a rush of excitement and pleasure that she released a nervous giggle. His hand ventured into her panty and stroked the globe of her bottom and she felt his hardness grow as it pressed into her pelvis. She wanted desperately to touch him there. Instead, she pulled at his shirt. The kiss didn't let up as she gathered the material in her hand to feel the hard planes of his chest. Her hands went over the bare front of his chest, going lower, sc.r.a.ping against the scatter of dark curling hair below his navel and leading a trail to the front of his pants where his c.o.c.k lay hidden. She reached for his belt, unfastening the buckle. The kiss broke so suddenly that they both emerged from it panting.

She looked up at him, his shirt pushed up to the front of him. His hand came out of her panty and track pants. He stepped back from her. Neither spoke, but both knew the next course.

She reached for her thin cotton shirt and pulled it over her head. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were now heavier with arousal, and her nipples peeked out of the lace cups of her bra as they bounced free. He reached and hooked his index finger into the front band of her pants pulling her from the sink to him. She went willingly, breathing harder and harder. She was so nervous.

The panty she wore tugged and eased down on the left side exposing her hip. The other did the same. He dragged them both down her shapely thighs and legs. He looked up at her, his irises so dark she couldn't tell if they were blue or black. Obedient, and in tune with his wishes, she stepped out of her panty and track pants. He licked up her left kneecap, and over her thigh as he slowly made his way to her center where he buried his face. Taking the underside of her left thigh into his hand he pushed it up and apart to reveal her s.e.x to him. The dark lips of her v.a.g.i.n.a parted to reveal her dewy pink center. Simone pressed her hands behind her, against the sink for balance. Her head dropped back as he licked her. His tongue soon after zoned in on her c.l.i.t. Instantly, she creamed herself. He pressed a sweet kiss there, and then flattened his tongue to lick again. This time ever so slowly.

"Yeessss. Cain. Oh yes, don't stop, don't," she moaned.

But he did. He rose. He lifted her into his arms, which was a shock. She could count on one hand how many times any man had carried her anywhere. He did. He carried her out of the bathroom to one of the waiting beds and then deposited her on the mattress.

Cain said nothing. He stood at the side of the bed with his pants unbuckled and an inhumanly large bulge to the front. She wondered how lovely his p.e.n.i.s was tucked in that ma.s.s of curly silky hair. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it, having decided to move forward. She watched tensely as he lowered the tab of his zipper and dropped everything, including a thickly swollen p.e.n.i.s. He stepped out of his pants and black boxers. He was soon naked from the top of his dark head to the flats of his large feet. Cain Gatlin, her married neighbor, her husband's subordinate, was ready for her in a very physical way.

The veins stood out on the rolling muscles of his arms that stretched up his shoulders to his neck. My goodness he was tense. Was he employing extreme restraint to not just take her? Simone sat up from the pillows to reach behind her and unclasp her bra. She shook the straps down her shoulders and arms, freeing the weight of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s from the lace cups. He stroked himself. I should be doing that. She would before the night was over.

The moment he returned to stretch out on top of her she was reaching up for him, wrapping her hand around his neck, bringing him down. He held himself away, only enough to avoid crushing her with his weight, while his mouth held nothing back, he plundered hers with his tongue until her lips felt deliciously bruised. She arched her back from the bed to receive him, wanting him, dropping her knees further apart to remain splayed and open for him. But he delayed it further, allowing his kisses to go south. Simone groaned in agony. She could feel his hot breath whisper over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in response to her impatience. Her nipples hardened into tight peaks and they begged to be stroked or sucked. Simone clenched her teeth. He went left, laying kisses around the circ.u.mference of her areola. His tongue left a trail of moisture until his mouth closed over her nipple. A spasm rocketed down through her pelvis, driving her hips to shoot up for penetration. She dug the heels of her feet into the polyester fabric of the duvet.

He lightly plucked her nipple with his teeth before shifting over to the right, following the same pattern. All the while, his hand stroked the quivering lips of her p.u.s.s.y, causing her to purr and rotate her hips. This only made her ache more, knowing what was to come next. Once she was sure she could stand no more, he moved on, kissing down the sensitive inside of her arm. There was little she could do but let her arm hang limply in his care as wave after wave of warmth radiated outward from her skin where the touch of his mouth had been.

"You are so beautiful," he said, lifting his head and looking down at her with such hunger. His fingers spoke to her too, parting the folds of her v.a.g.i.n.a and enticing her c.l.i.toris to appear. He rubbed the nub with circular strokes with his thumb, and pierced her tight hole with his middle finger, watching her jerk and sputter out deep breaths of pleasure in response.

"I want to watch you. I like watching you. Did you know that?" Cain asked.

She gripped the sheets, exposed to him. Her thighs forced apart, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s heaved and her body became slick with perspiration from the climaxing.

"I plan to watch you like this all night," he groaned, before he lowered his head and blew across her feverish s.e.x, removing a finger until a wave of agonizing goose b.u.mps rose over her flesh. His mouth claimed her there. His tongue did acrobatics with twirls and twists that forced her hips to dance and bounce on the mattress. She grabbed his head and squeezed her thighs shut, lifting up from the bed with her mouth gaping wide as she exploded below and then collapsed with violent shakes and shivers. Not sure of what had traversed, Simone was reduced to nothing but raw feeling and need.

That served his purpose. He rose, lifting her left leg, he put it against his chest at a straight angle, taking her right and hooking it around his waist. He made her ready. Her eyes fluttered open as his c.o.c.k angled between them and the round deep purple head of it bore down. He sank into her with such perfect precision that her entire body was ripped with joy. He stretched her channel gloriously. His penetration complete, he was buried b.a.l.l.s deep.

Her eyes closed in bliss.

He kissed her closed lids, beginning slow motion movements that had her clawing at his arms, working beneath him hungrily. He thrust in and out of her with quick power-driving hip bangs, then switched back until she understood the rhythm. The dance instruction completed, she let him work her over, giving as good as she got. She relished the way he kissed her face, licked her skin and grabbed the underside of both halves of her b.u.t.t cheeks to pull them apart and open her wider.

Every nerve in her p.u.s.s.y went into distress from the throttling it received. It meowed like a well-stroked kitten when he rewarded her with tenderness. Their body heat mingled until they were both slick with sweat and clinging to each other.

Then he rolled to his back and she got on top.

She stretched like a s.e.x kitten in her position by lifting her arms and raising her hair with both hands as she thrust her hips s.e.xily.

"Oh yeah!" Cain exclaimed.

The rhythm became faster and stronger. Simone dropped forward and braced her hands on his shoulders, bouncing hard on his thick c.o.c.k. She took him all the way up into her pelvic bone. She didn't care. All the desire and frustration of their cat and mouse game had brought them to this moment. She'd worry about the consequences later. When he gripped tight to her hip to keep from exploding inside of her, she smiled. Her hair stuck to her face and sweaty shoulders. Simone turned on his c.o.c.k and re-situated herself to ride him backwards, grabbing hold to his knees. Cain liked it. She could tell. She looked back and saw him thrashing his head left and right, repeating her name and cursing under his breath. She felt such liberation in taking control. She never had control of anything in her life, not anymore. Now he was hers, in this moment anyway.

Then he shocked her by rising while still buried deep. He forced her to go to her hands and knees, coming up behind her. She faced the foot of the bed grabbing the edge to keep from going over. He started to hit it from the back. His heavy ball sack slapped her c.l.i.t with each pound of his d.i.c.k. He pumped hard and fast then pulled out long and slow. He squeezed her hip with one hand and pressed at the middle of her lower spine with the other so she could dip lower. She did. Face into the mattress, her a.s.s moved and grooved to his d.i.c.k play. He f.u.c.ked her, then loved her, then f.u.c.ked her again. Neither wasting a moment. It got so good to him that he started grunting loudly, even louder than the wet smacking noise of him going in and out of her. Simone came repeatedly until she was dizzy from the exertion. And he kept going. Together, they collapsed with him on top of her, hitting it from behind, keeping her thighs apart and pinning her down. She moaned, enjoying every second of it.

He groaned into her shoulder, kissing her there. His hand circled her hip and went in between her and the mattress to squeeze her c.l.i.t and milk her once more as he neared his own climax. She cried out, surprised that she had anything left. Together they exploded in s.e.xual joy and slipped away.

She lay in his arms with him holding her close as she slept soundlessly. The duvet was kicked off the bed. Only a thin sheet covered them both. The air conditioning unit near the door, under the drawn curtain, sputtered but emitted cool puffs of air. It was enough to make the room temperature bearable. The digital clock next to the bed read 3:14. Her cell phone had buzzed several times in the night. His had stopped long ago. Neither acknowledged it, but both knew what waited for them outside of their motel door.

"Simone?"

She groaned and held tight to him. He smiled. He liked how she clung to him and how she f.u.c.ked him. And she gave it to him good, on the bed, against the wall, in the shower, on the sink. From the back, the side, on top, beneath, he had enjoyed her in every way they could imagine. They often laughed when they fell over, or giggled when their playfulness got the better of them. Neither of them questioned what s.e.x meant.

Easing down in the covers he touched her face to force her eyes to open.

She blinked sleepily. "Cain?"

"I want to tell you something."

"Oh? Okay," she said moving away, but he pulled her back. He laid on his side, his face to his pillow and hers to her pillow as well.

He stared directly into her eyes. "I fell out of love with my wife some time ago."

"Don't, Cain."

"Listen to me. It was before I met you. h.e.l.l, it was before I even knew it. But it happened some time ago. I should have left her, and I wish I had before I ever touched you. So you would know that this... what we've shared means something."

She smiled. "How did you meet?"

"I met her in college, and she was at the time everything I thought I wanted. Because, well because I didn't have much."

"What about your mother?"

"My brother and I lost contact with her when I was sixteen. Our dad raised us. Well her ex-husband who had adopted us raised us. Neither of us know our real dad. She had been in an out of our lives several times before that."

"Your mother, she taught you to garden I thought?"

He smiled. "Yes, she taught me that, and other things. She taught me to lie, steal and hustle people that trusted me."

Simone frowned. "I don't understand."

"She hustled rich men out of their money and two sons always slowed her down. Her life was one big game. There's so much to tell you. So much I want to tell you."

"It's okay...it really is," she said, touching his face. "You don't have to tell me everything in one night."

He struggled to breathe with her hand pressed to his face she affected him so much. "My mother is another story. When I went to college I believed my mother was out of my life. I hadn't heard from her in years. Then I fell in love with a Hollingsworth and everything got turned upside down."

"You married up, married rich," Simone smiled.

Cain gave a bitter chuckle. He flipped to his back. She lifted on her elbow, staring at him. He stared at the mildewed squares to the motel ceiling. "Andrew Hollingsworth didn't approve of me. He did everything to stop the wedding, and when I couldn't be bought, he found my mother and blackmailed me. I had nothing to lose, so he tried another tactic. She was serving time...hard time for a crime she did commit. In exchange for me walking away from his baby-girl so she could marry a Senator's son, he would have his governor friend commute her sentence and put her in a mental facility. Maryanne found out about the deal he wanted to make. She threatened to run off with me, and her mother feared she would. I'm still not sure if she would actually have done it, but even dear old daddy wouldn't take that risk. It's the only time I saw him stand down. So he wanted to secure his legacy. He had to find something in it for him. He offered another deal. One I thought I could live with."

Simone looked at him with sadness, and pity. He didn't want her pity. It was hard to look her in the eye. "Did you make this deal with Andrew Hollingsworth?"

"I did. I thought I was saving my mother, and her and all I was doing was d.a.m.ning myself. If it hadn't been you, then something or someone else would have come to wake me up. I want to think so. I needed liberating too."

Simone kissed him. She rolled on top of him and kissed him sweetly. "I can't offer you anything, Cain. My life is such a mess. I don't even know where to begin to fix it."

"Let me help you. I can help. We can get you what you deserve and teach your husband a lesson."

"At what cost? You're married. You have a life you've committed to. Let's not fool ourselves to think there won't be consequences for what we've done."

"I can help," Cain insisted.

"Not if your life is a mess too. I want you to help yourself." She kissed him. Lying on his chest, she sighed. He rubbed her back, savoring the feel of her on him.

"I'm not sure I can go back after everything," Cain admitted.

"You have to. So do I. But I can tell you this. Finally, I can breathe again."

He smiled. "Me too."

Chapter Nineteen.

Fistful of Tears Kim "Kim?" Mathew spoke in a soft patient tone. He stood in her living room with his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker. He had helped her carry the boys inside. They were with Diane now. Both of the kids were little chatterboxes during the drive from the marina. It made things easy for Kim to evade Mathew.

"Thank you for today. I had a great time. They had a great time."

He took a step toward her and she took one back. G.o.d help her but she was really falling for this guy. He was so sweet, so attentive. How did it happen? When did she actually let another man into her heart? It just wasn't possible, considering everything. "My mom's here so, I think we should call it an evening."

Mathew blew out a deep sigh. He ran his hand through his hair, gripping the back of his neck. "I pushed too hard, too soon. I'm sorry. No pressure, okay?" He reached for her hand and drew her closer. "Look at me."

She did.

"It's just that I got this bad habit of falling hard and quick for the women I care about. Can't seem to kick it," Mathew smiled.

Kim opened her mouth to confess and to tell him that she too felt it, and it was a sobering hallelujah feeling. But she was terrified. Her bottom lip trembled with fear. "I led you to believe we could be in a relationship. I'm not ready," she lied. Her heart screamed at the betrayal falling from her lips. Mathew Donnelly was all she needed and she couldn't trust the feeling.

"That's fine. That's okay." He drew her closer. This time she went into his arms. He brought his around her and held her to him, dropping his face into the side of her neck. "I just don't want you to shut me out. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," she said, relieved he didn't give up on her.

"On the boat, I got the feeling there's something you're not telling me." He lifted her chin. "Talk to me."