"So that was a sober decision to flirt with that asshole?" he asked, his voice tight, as we stopped at my door.

I huffed and waited for him to open it. To my dismay he pushed his way in first, holding the door open for me.

"You can leave." I glowered at him and strode inside.

I bent down to tug off my shoes, whirling and almost falling when I heard the door shut behind me.

Caine stood watching me.

"You can leave," I repeated He just stared at me in that intense, overwhelming way of his.

"What?" I snapped. "What now?"

"I'm sorry if I hurt you tonight," he said, and for some reason his apology only fanned the flames of my anger. "You don't deserve that."

Whether it was the alcohol or a buildup of tension from the past few weeks of ignoring our chemistry, my self-control slipped. The hurt and fury just exploded out of me. "You know what? You're right. I deserve better. I've deserved better my whole life, but I never got it. Neither did my mother." I let all my pain blaze out at him and he stood there, frozen by my words. "But my mom refused to ask for better. I won't make that same mistake.

"From the moment my father told me what he did to your mom, to your family, I cut him out of my life." I watched how this information made Caine's eyes glitter, arrested on my face. "I used to think he was some kind of hero," I whispered. "Some kind of fairy-tale prince who came around on my birthday and showered me with gifts and made my mom really happy. Then suddenly he was there all the time. I thought he'd finally come to save us. And I kept thinking of him like that until I was a teenager, until I was old enough to see how spoiled and lazy and entitled he was. How he made my mom cry more than he made her laugh. But I pretended." I gave a huff of bitter laughter as I remembered the way I'd stuck my head in the sand.

"I kept pretending right up until seven years ago when he confessed his sins. I hated him for what he did to your mother. I hated him for lying to me all those years, for having a family I knew nothing about, for coming to us because we were all he had left, his only recourse. I left home. But I couldn't let it go until I knew everything. So I went back and I asked my father your mother's name, your name, but he wouldn't tell me. I decided I didn't need to know your name. I just needed my father to apologize to you, to prove he really was remorseful and that whatever he was going through wasn't just about him, but about the people he hurt. But he refused. So I told him I didn't want anything to do with him ever again, and I never went back.

"I lost my mom because of him. She refused to walk away from him and she blamed me for the rift. Now I can't fix the relationship I helped break, because she's dead, she's gone ... And all I've got left in this world is a grandfather who's too ashamed to acknowledge me and a boss who gets a kick out of treating me like shit." My voice hardened. "Well, no more. I am done with this game. Because I am not my father and I would never hurt people the way he did. I wanted you to see that. I wanted you to see me. To see ... to see that I get it. I've never deserved your contempt. And I won't put up with it anymore." I gestured, weary of it all, to the door. "Just get out, Caine."

I was too angry to see the change in his expression, to hear the softness when he said my name.

"Caine, get out."

"Lexie, I never knew any of that."

"Because you never bothered to ask!" I yelled. "And now it doesn't matter. When we get back to Boston, I'm done. Screw the two weeks. This is over now." I whipped around, walking away from him toward the bathroom, hoping by the time I got out of there he'd be gone.

But I didn't even make it inside.

I heard the quick footsteps behind me seconds before I was yanked around and crushed against him.

He whispered my name before his head dipped and his lips came down on mine.

CHAPTER 13.

I kissed him back.

The truth was, even when he pissed me off I wanted him.

And that made me even angrier.

My emotions fed into the kiss as I wound my arms around his neck and curled my fingers into his hair. Our tongues stroked in desperation as Caine felt the heat of my anger and caught fire.

His thumbs brushed against my cheeks, seeming to swipe invisible tear tracks away.

I pushed at his jacket and he dropped his arms so he could shrug out of it. We didn't break the kiss, our mouths pulling at each other's.

Caine started moving me back in the direction of the bed and our lips didn't part until he lifted me and then dropped me on my back across the middle of the mattress.

I stared up at him, panting, my whole body aflame. He kept me trapped in his gaze as he unbuttoned his waistcoat and shirt.

How could it be that a moment ago I was ready to walk away from this man for good, and now all I could think about was getting him inside me? "This is insane," I whispered. "What are we doing?"

He tugged off his shirt and threw it behind him. He then immediately sought out the side zipper on my dress. "Taking what we both want." He tugged the zipper down and I shivered.

"It doesn't matter that I'm drunk?"

Caine smirked and took hold of the hem of my dress. Slowly he pushed it up past my thighs, up over my stomach, my breasts, and I raised my arms above my head so he could pull it off. His eyes devoured me, raking me over as I lay under him in my black lace bra and panties.

My gaze dropped to the thick arousal stretching the fabric of his pants.

When I looked up our eyes met.

"A minute ago you were just buzzed, not drunk," he reminded me, amusement lacing the words.

I raised an eyebrow. "Buzzed or drunk, a gentleman wouldn't take advantage."

"Well, you're in luck." He grazed his knuckles over my stomach, his eyes following his fingers as they trailed along the edge of my underwear. My stomach rippled and his gaze went black with heat. "We both know I'm no gentleman."

My nipples peaked against my bra at the dark arousal in his voice. "I thought I was out of your system."

His hand flattened on my stomach and he smoothed it upward slowly, heading between my breasts. "And we both know that was a lie." He unclipped the front clasp on my bra and eased it off.

The cool air rushed over my breasts and they swelled under his perusal. My breath hitched as he stroked them softly, his thumbs brushing over my nipples. Caine held my gaze as he gently, slowly, torturously teased my breasts. "You're so fucking beautiful."

I think I stopped breathing.

"I can't stop thinking about being inside you." He leaned over, his erection pushing insistently against my belly, and his lips whispered over mine, "It's like heaven inside you." His features were taut as he squeezed my breasts. "I almost want to punish you a little for making me feel like this."

I sucked in air as I fought for some equilibrium. "And here I thought a woman couldn't lead you around by your dick," I attempted to tease him, but my words were hoarse with need.

He slid his body down, pushing my thighs open, and thrust his cock against me. I groaned, feeling a flush of heat move up my stomach from between my legs. "No woman can," he maintained. "But you certainly have a habit of making me feel like a teenage boy peeping into the girls' locker room."

I chuckled throatily and Caine grinned. He nudged against me again. "I like that."

"Like what?"

In answer he kissed me and I wrapped my arms around his back, trying to draw him closer. His lips moved down my chin, trailing in soft caresses along my throat and breasts. As much as I wanted his mouth all over me, I was desperate to explore him. I'd wanted to touch and kiss every inch of Caine for a long time, but since I walked in on him in nothing but that towel earlier in the week, I'd dreamt about having him at my mercy.

I pushed up, throwing all my weight behind the maneuver, and flipped him on his back.

He gazed up at me, eyebrows drawn together.

I straddled him, rubbing against his hard-on while I trailed my fingers lightly down his abs. His stomach tightened under my touch, and there was an answering throb between my legs. At least with sex we were equally in each other's power. It evened the playing field, and I had to admit I got off on that. "You had your turn last time. Now it's mine."

Caine's eyes glittered and he clasped my hips in his hands. "Have at it, sweetheart."

Sweetheart.

I liked that.

I kissed him, wet and deep, as I pumped my hips against his erection. He tried to take over the kiss, his fist tightening in my hair, but I broke away from his lips and started kissing my way down his throat.

I nuzzled against him, inhaling the smell of his cologne that I loved so much.

While my lips journeyed down his chest, his hands were stroking me-caressing my back, my breasts, my sides, my stomach, and coasting down to cup and stroke my ass.

I licked his nipple and felt his cock jerk against my stomach.

Hiding my triumphant smile, I licked and caressed him. As I felt his patience strain, my mouth continued on its downward path, tasting every inch of his sculpted stomach.

I pulled back to unbutton his pants.

Caine's every muscle was taut as I shuffled off the bed to yank his pants down. I stood, taking a moment to drink him in in his designer boxer briefs.

He looked like a brooding, sex-starved underwear model sprawled across my bed.

My nipples tightened.

"Fuck," Caine whispered, staring up at me with something akin to awe on his face.

He didn't have to say anything. His eyes said it all.

He had a way of making me feel like the sexiest woman alive.

Before I could make my next move, Caine hooked his fingers into his boxer briefs and pushed them down, his erection springing out.

I took over, pulling them off and discarding them on the floor. Panting now, I crawled back onto the bed, and over his body, coming to a stop at his cock.

Without a word I lowered my head and took him into my mouth.

His exultant groan echoed around the room.

I wrapped my hand around the base of his hard-on and fisted him while I sucked. I found my rhythm quickly, growing more and more turned on as Caine's pleasure intensified. His chest heaved, his thighs taut as his hips pumped upward, thrusting his dick in and out of my mouth and fist.

"Lexie," he gasped, and I squeezed my thighs together, desperate for my own relief. "Stop."

His fingers brushed my arm.

"Lexie."

But I couldn't. I wanted him to lose control completely. I needed him to.

Suddenly I was jerked up and over him so I was straddling him.

"You had your turn," he growled, dipping his fingers beneath my panties. His eyes flashed. "So wet."

I pressed down on his fingers as they slid easily inside my slick heat. "I get off on making you lose that tight control of yours," I admitted, my words soft.

"Is that right?" He increased the strokes of his fingers inside me, pushing me toward climax.

I was so turned on I knew it wouldn't take him long to get me there.

"Works both ways ... I'll make you lose control first."

I dislodged his fingers and pushed my panties down, leaning on my side so I could slip them down my legs. Once they were gone, I straddled him again and wrapped my hands around his cock, bringing it to my center. "I accept that challenge," I gasped as I eased him inside me. My head fell back, my eyes closing as I savored the feel of him filling me.

He grabbed my hips, his fingers biting into my skin, and my eyes flew open at his touch. Our gazes held as I began to ride him.

My entire focus was on him, on us, on our pleasure. There was nothing else but his eyes staring into mine, the feel of his heated skin under my hands, his hands gripping my hips, guiding me up and down him, the sounds of my pants, his groans, the smell of sex in the air ...

The tension coiled tighter and tighter inside me and there was nothing on my mind but chasing ecstasy. My rhythm changed and I slammed down harder.

"Lexie," Caine gasped, his grip almost bruising now. "Fuck, Lexie."

"Yes, yes, yes, ye-"

The breath rushed out of me as I found myself unceremoniously flipped onto my back. Caine pinned my hands at the sides of my head and pulled out of me.

"What are you doing?" I moaned in frustration, pressing my thighs against his hips in hopes of drawing him back to me.

He brushed his mouth over mine, flicking his tongue teasingly against my lips. He pressed sweet kisses along my jaw to my ear and whispered, "Just reminding you who's boss."

My frustration transformed to indignation and I tried to pull my hands loose. "Are you kidding me?"

His body shook against mine and when he raised his head I saw he was laughing.

I narrowed my eyes and unsuccessfully attempted to loosen his hold on my hands. "You really are a control freak."

"It's all part of my charm." He kissed me, this time trying to push inside, but I clamped my lips closed, furious with him. Apparently I didn't appreciate the burn of an unfulfilled climax. "Lexie," he murmured, his tone coaxing, "open your mouth."

I shook my head adamantly.

Caine smiled and pulled back. "You really are the most stubborn woman I've ever met." He moved his hips, bringing his erection back against my wet center. I sucked in a gasp of pleasure. "It makes me want to tame you with no hope of success."

That penetrated and I found myself smirking. "You like me stubborn, huh?"