Her lips parted and he lowered his mouth, claimed the mouth that had teased him all night. She tasted like sin, and he probed deeply, loving the way she melted against him as his tongue danced along her softness.

He kissed her long and hard until his bones liquefied and his heart pounded heavy inside his ears.

"Holy Christ, woman, you're tearing me apart." His hands slid into the thick curtain of hair that fell to her shoulders, and his mouth nibbled along her jaw until he reached her delicate ears. She shivered in his embrace as his left hand slid down her body, cupped her hip, and urged her tight against the hard bulge in his jeans.

He turned, sat on the bed, and lifted her easily so that she straddled him. She groaned and moved back and forth across him, her softness hot and damp against his c.o.c.k. He tightened even more and gritted his teeth as she continued to writhe against him.

"Slow down, babe," he whispered, loving the whimper that fell from her as she halted. "Or this will be over before it begins."

His hands cupped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and his mouth finally claimed a turgid peak. He closed around her and suckled gently at first and then harder, with much urgency. Her breast swelled against him, and he ma.s.saged the other, taking his time so that he could enjoy her fully.

"Oh Cain," she breathed.

His name on her lips, the pa.s.sion that colored her voice-it filled his chest with an emotion that grabbed him hard. He licked the hard, puckered nipple and turned his attention to her second breast. Minutes later, she leaned against him, her arms on his shoulders, her breaths rapid and harsh.

Slowly his hands caressed their way down to her hips, and he held her for several moments, teasing himself with the feel of her heat on him. Carefully, he moved her so that she lay on the bed.

Her huge eyes stared at him in silence as her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rose and fell rapidly. Her knees were bent, and his eyes rested upon the small silk patch that hid the treasure he sought.

Cain stood and doffed his shirt. h.e.l.l, he might have broken a few b.u.t.tons in his haste but didn't care. His fingers made quick work of his belt, and his jeans and shoes followed until he stood by the bed buck naked, with a raging hard-on and a rabid desire.

He slid alongside her and claimed her mouth once more, this time a tender sweep, more of a tease than a taste. Cain stared down into her eyes and kissed her nose, her cheeks, and her forehead.

"Remember what I said, Maggie?"

She nodded, eyes not wavering, though she remained silent. His hand trailed down her chest and settled upon her belly. Muscles moved beneath her flesh as he splayed his large hand across her.

He smiled, a wicked glint in his eyes, and his fingers moved lower. When he slipped inside her thong and probed the soft wetness there, she bit her lip and groaned.

"Don't close your eyes, Maggie." He needed to see her, see the pleasure in her eyes. Pleasure that he gave her.

She whimpered beneath his ministrations but held his gaze steady. Cain took his time, his long fingers ma.s.saging, teasing, until she was slick with need. When he slid two fingers deep inside, she bucked her hips slightly and he smiled. G.o.d, she was tight. He bent lower and whispered against her mouth.

"Relax, babe." He moved slightly so that he lay across her, rotated his fingers inside her, and when she jerked crazily, he paused and then rubbed the sweet spot in a steady, thorough motion until she quivered.

"Oh G.o.d, Cain." Her hips gyrated in a jerky movement, and he claimed her mouth once more as she came. Her o.r.g.a.s.m rippled through her, and he felt every nuance of it. When it faded, when his fingers ceased their magic, he broke the kiss and spoke, his tone husky.

"I'm just getting started."

Maggie stared up at Cain in wonder. She'd never been this aroused before. Ever. She wasn't sure she'd ever had an o.r.g.a.s.m before, at least she didn't think so, and she was pretty sure that if she actually had to think about it, it hadn't happened. Maybe she'd had a baby o.r.g.a.s.m or a twinge, but nothing like this.

His hard, muscular body strained against hers, and she knew how close to the edge he was riding. Heck, she'd seen him. He was huge and hard and so ready.

He dropped another kiss on her and moved away. For a second she felt bereft as cool air slid along her body.

But then he dragged her thong down, leaving her fully exposed, and her breath caught in her throat at the dark look of desire that hung on his face.

A slow, wicked smile claimed his mouth, and he slid to the floor so that he was on his knees. Between her legs. His hands were on her thighs, and he gently pulled them apart. Cain tugged her forward until her b.u.t.t was on the edge of the bed, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the heat of his breath against her inner thigh. Oh G.o.d.

His mouth was down there. So close.

She'd never done this. She wasn't a prude by any means, but Michael's father had never taken his time with her. s.e.x had always been a quick, furious joining, and then it was over. Their repertoire hadn't included anything but the missionary position.

Cain's fingers slid along her thigh, and her first instinct was to close her legs, but the gentle pressure he exerted won over. "Relax, Maggie." His words tickled so close to her there that she blushed. And when his fingers began their a.s.sault once more, she whimpered.

Which turned into a full-on groan as his tongue slid inside her most secret spot. He teased and tortured until she couldn't stand it anymore. Her inhibitions flew right out the window, and her legs relaxed until she was fully open to him. Until she could enjoy what he was doing and revel in her s.e.xuality. Her hands found their way into the thick waves that framed his face, and she held him steady as he suckled and teased and stroked until her body erupted into another o.r.g.a.s.m, one that liquefied her and left her weak and panting.

"Cain, I..."

She didn't have time to finish-not that she could begin to vocalize her thoughts-because he flipped her onto her belly and hoisted her b.u.t.t in the air. "I can't hold back, babe. I want to, but I can't."

Maggie was still dazed, vaguely heard the ripping of foil, and then his hands were on her a.s.s. His right hand ma.s.saged the roundness before sliding up to the dip at the base of her spine at the same time his left was there at her s.e.x, probing and teasing.

She felt him against her back, the heavy, hard weight of him, and turned her head slightly. "Cain, I don't know if I can-"

She didn't finish. Because she couldn't speak. In one thrust he was deep inside her. Stretching her open as he slid in and then paused. She trembled with antic.i.p.ation as the heat of her pa.s.sion thrummed through her body. It was electrifying, wonderful, and totally hot.

"I knew it," he whispered against her back.

She could only nod. There were no words.

"I knew you'd feel like heaven."

Cain moved slowly in and out, and each pa.s.s sent shock waves of pleasure rippling along her skin. She was on fire, her belly was tight, and the pressure that built inside once more was unlike anything she'd experienced.

It was intense and biting and painfully exquisite all at once.

His breaths fell rapidly-she heard them like hard bursts of energy-and he lifted her hips into the air, held her at a different angle as he increased his rhythm.

"d.a.m.n, woman, but you were made for me."

His words thrilled her, and she cried out as the pressure inside gripped her hard. There was no noise-save for whimpers of pleasure, the creaking of her bed, and the sound of flesh on flesh. His strokes were firm, controlled, and when he upped the rhythm, she was right there with him. They came together in a shattering o.r.g.a.s.m that left her weak, breathless, and completely done.

They collapsed back onto the bed, his heart pounding at her back, a melody that was in sync with her own. Cain's arms never left her. He pulled her into his embrace, and she rolled onto her side and tucked her head into his chest.

She didn't want this feeling to go away, to fade into memory as if it had never happened, so she closed her eyes and visualized every moment that she could, every touch and sound and smell.

Silence enveloped them in long, gentle waves. She listened to his heart, traced the hard ridges of his abs, and didn't know what to say. There were no words to describe how she felt. Satisfied, content...they didn't cut it.

"Are you all right?"

Maggie nodded. She wasn't sure she could speak just yet.

"You're one h.e.l.l of a woman, Maggie." His hand was gentle as he traced the line of her hip and stayed there in a possessive caress. She loved the feel of it. Of him beside her. Of his scent in her nostrils. She loved the ache between her thighs, the one that spoke of loving and of belonging.

"So beautiful," he continued. Cain nuzzled the side of her neck, and the hand on her hip gripped a little harder. He paused and stretched his body so that he could reach over the bed.

He fumbled for something, and her eyes ate up the beautiful lines of his body hungrily. He was hard again, and already an answering ache stirred within her.

When Cain turned back to her, he grinned and held up a small package in his hand. The look on his face was a cross between that of a boy on Christmas morning and a man about to take what he wanted.

Her mouth went dry, and her belly did that little flip she'd grown accustomed to. His desire was raw and echoed what she felt inside.

"What's that?" Her voice was throaty, seductive.

His grin was wicked. "It's a condom ring thing. A vibrating condom ring."

Okay, she wasn't expecting that. "Oh. I've never..."

He peeled the wrapper back and winked. "Me neither"-he leaned toward her-"but I'm thinking we're going to like it."

Chapter 21.

Sunlight filtered through her bedroom window, casting thin beams of gold against the drab gray walls. They mimicked the pattern of Maggie's cheap window coverings, missing slats and all. The blinds were c.r.a.p, but for the most part they did their job.

Cain was next to her, and she relished the warmth of his body. He was relaxed with one of his arms thrown over his head, legs sprawled wide. He appeared younger as he slept, softer. It was amazing, really, how his features aligned perfectly. G.o.d, she could spend hours just looking at him. He was simply beautiful.

Maggie's back kinked and she moved slightly, a groan slipping from her lips as her body protested. Her muscles were stiff, and parts of her ached. A lot. Those parts of her. She giggled. It was a good pain, but nonetheless a glaring reminder of her lack of experience and the fact that she hadn't been intimate in a very, very long time.

A blush stained her cheeks as her mind wandered. Oh, the things he'd done to her. The things she'd let him do to her. A smile crept along her mouth as she traced his chest, though it soon fled as reality set in.

She felt the weight of it, that reality, pressing on her chest. This wouldn't last. How could it? He'd be leaving at some point this summer. The man lived in Los Angeles, and his career would call him back.

A single mom with a kid didn't figure into that, but still...

Don't go there, Maggie. Don't fantasize about a future that doesn't belong to you.

She sighed and relaxed in his embrace. Who was she kidding? The baggage she'd hidden away, the stuff from her past that she'd shared with no one...that wasn't going anywhere, and besides, she wasn't naive. Cain Black didn't belong in her world any more than she did in his.

She'd done a bit of research, and she knew BlackRock was on its way up. Their last CD had garnered a lot of attention from the public and critics alike, and there was a lot of buzz about the next record. Cain would fly as high as he let himself and go where his career took him.

When he left-and he would leave-whatever this was between them would end. She needed to pull up her big girl pants and get with the times. But that nagging doubt remained. The one that said this wouldn't end well for her.

Maggie gave herself a mental shakedown. She needed to be realistic. Modern women had affairs all the time and for a variety of reasons. They took what they needed and moved on with no guilt. No strings.

"Hey, why the frown?" Cain stretched and hugged her close, his hands roving her body, fingers seeking, caressing. He kissed her forehead. "No frowning allowed unless..." The lightness of the moment left as his voice trailed into silence. He cupped her face between his hands, his eyes intense as he studied her. "You don't regret last night, do you?"

She shook her head. "No," she whispered.

Cain leaned toward her and brushed his mouth across hers, then back again, this time parting her lips and kissing her with such tenderness that it brought tears to her eyes. When the kiss finally ended, she was sprawled across his chest, and she felt the hard length of him pulsing against her belly.

He traced her mouth and smiled. "Good, because I sure as h.e.l.l don't." And then his mouth was on hers again, tasting, stroking, with an intensity that surprised her.

Maggie pulled herself up until she was perched above him, a sly smile falling across her face at the look of absolute need in his eyes. His hands claimed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and as his mouth closed around a turgid nipple, she closed her eyes and gave in. She would take this ride are far as she could, and she'd d.a.m.n well enjoy every minute of it.

No regrets.

Her small kitchen table was laden with food. Scrambled eggs, home fries, toast and jam, fresh strawberries, and juice.

"Wow, you really are the king of breakfast." Maggie grinned at Cain as she settled down across from him, a slight wince crossing her features.

"Problem?" he asked, a naughty smile on his face as he reached for the fruit and helped himself to a generous amount of eggs and toast. He knew exactly why her bottom was sore.

"Nope."

Cain spread a liberal amount of jam on his toast and the smile never left his face.

They settled into an easy conversation, one that ebbed and flowed with laughter and wit. Cain was smart and funny and had a biting sense of humor that she liked. He was also d.a.m.n s.e.xy to look at first thing in the morning.

His jaw was shadowed with stubble, but it only emphasized his sensual mouth and cla.s.sic cheekbones. His brown eyes glittered as he laughed, and his hair, that thick s.e.xy head of hair, begged to be toyed with. He was dressed in boxers, which was something every girl should experience at least once in her lifetime.

"More coffee?" he asked.

Maggie nodded. This was foreign to her. Being waited on, looked after, coddled even...so not in her daily handbook.

"What you got planned today?"

She stretched, hissing softly at the aches and pains. "I have a client this afternoon."

He poured her another cup of coffee. "Good job you didn't have one this morning."

Maggie inhaled the rich aroma and took a sip. "I canceled."

A slow grin spread across Cain's face. "Pretty confident, weren't you?"

"I..." Once more her cheeks darkened, and she glanced down at the steaming cup of java in her hands.

He leaned over and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I'm just teasing, though if you took the afternoon off, I'm sure we could find something to do."

"I can't."

Cain nodded toward the window above her sink. Sunlight bathed the yard in a warm glow, and the vibrant blue of the sky was breathtaking. "It's going to be another great day." He moved around the table and it took everything in her to avoid staring at the perfection that was his abs. The hard, smooth flesh and the dusky covering of dark hair that pointed downward, toward his...

"We could go out on the boat. I could borrow Jake's." His hand slid behind her neck, and the familiar rush of heat along her skin began in earnest. "I know a place where we can skinny-dip-"

"Cain, some of us have to work. I can't cancel another client in order to continue with this...this s.e.x marathon."