his arm
around her shoulders, he fell asleep within minutes.
She lay against him for a long time, studying his profile, seeing his chest rise and
fall, his naked body glistening in the moonlight. She slept for a few hours, but woke
up several times during the night, restless, consumed by a thousand emotions, one
of them totally new and alien to her, totally directed at the man on the bed.
He fucked her once, almost asleep, almost automatically, but always it felt as if
he needed her to live. As if he needed her as much as she needed him.
The next time when she lay awake, he seemed to sense her breathing was different from
his. He stirred on the mattress, he was so big that it creaked under his weight, and
then he stretched out a powerful arm, as if looking for her, and then gathered her
at his side.
He buried his face in the back of her neck and sighed before he started breathing
deeply again. Her heart hurt in her chest, because she never thought he could be such
a gentle lover and so passionate at once. She never knew he would gather his friends’
money, and pretend he didn’t want to help, but did.
She knew her body wanted him. She just hadn’t expected her heart would, too.
Tomorrow was Monday, and Ivy couldn’t stand to think of not seeing him for a day,
much less a week, much less maybe for forever.
She had felt like she’d taken a vacation from reality, and come tomorrow, it would
all be back.
She didn’t want it to be.
She wished she could stay here, where nothing could ever touch her but him.
Chapter Five
I have to go. I really have to go.
Cade rubbed his eyes wearily, making his way around Ivy’s apartment for one last time.
He’d put on coffee for himself, and now waited for it to bubble up. He hadn’t slept
shit last night, but he wasn’t about to tell Ivy. She had lain real close to him and
had bad dreams, tossing all night.
She’d been sweating and then she’d sighed, and then she’d moaned as though tortured
by some faceless villain Cade had wanted to punch. Even after he’d fucked her and
come all over her and she’d gone back to sleep, she’d … been trembling. Not in the
way he enjoyed her to tremble for him, but in a way that made him lose his sleep,
as well.
Cade just wanted to know what the hell she was so afraid of, so he could show her
she didn’t need to be. He wanted to hold her real close and yet he couldn’t … just
like he couldn’t protect Laura. Because Ivy was gone today, out to save the world—or
at least part of it—from cancer.
Damn it!
The unexpected effects she had on him were not diminishing, as he’d supposed they
would if he’d gotten her out of his system. Anger, lust, need, these feelings had
emerged so raw he felt sore every time they were together, drunk with her nearness.
He couldn’t even meet that innocent honey-eyed gaze for fear of sacking her right
there, taking her right there. Mine .
My. Woman. My. Woman. My woman.
His soul seemed to be crying out for him to do something about it. But if he didn’t
want her to loathe his black devil self for not supporting her cause, then he’d known
he’d had to let her go today. Despite the warning flags, the deafening bells in his
ears. Despite every cell in his body screaming at him not to. Despite those wide troubled
honeyed eyes that had tugged at his most basic, protective instincts. But what did
he want to protect her from? He could see it in her gaze when he refused to acknowledge
the disease she wanted to combat that she thought he was being petty and small. He
didn’t want to be that man to her.
Still, he couldn’t forget, couldn’t stop hearing that tiny, quivering voice in his
head. I have to go. I really have to go.
Something in her voice—something heart-wrenching and as real as the fist that suddenly
curled around his gut—made him feel edgy today.
“How long will you be gone?” he’d asked only an
around her shoulders, he fell asleep within minutes.
She lay against him for a long time, studying his profile, seeing his chest rise and
fall, his naked body glistening in the moonlight. She slept for a few hours, but woke
up several times during the night, restless, consumed by a thousand emotions, one
of them totally new and alien to her, totally directed at the man on the bed.
He fucked her once, almost asleep, almost automatically, but always it felt as if
he needed her to live. As if he needed her as much as she needed him.
The next time when she lay awake, he seemed to sense her breathing was different from
his. He stirred on the mattress, he was so big that it creaked under his weight, and
then he stretched out a powerful arm, as if looking for her, and then gathered her
at his side.
He buried his face in the back of her neck and sighed before he started breathing
deeply again. Her heart hurt in her chest, because she never thought he could be such
a gentle lover and so passionate at once. She never knew he would gather his friends’
money, and pretend he didn’t want to help, but did.
She knew her body wanted him. She just hadn’t expected her heart would, too.
Tomorrow was Monday, and Ivy couldn’t stand to think of not seeing him for a day,
much less a week, much less maybe for forever.
She had felt like she’d taken a vacation from reality, and come tomorrow, it would
all be back.
She didn’t want it to be.
She wished she could stay here, where nothing could ever touch her but him.
Chapter Five
I have to go. I really have to go.
Cade rubbed his eyes wearily, making his way around Ivy’s apartment for one last time.
He’d put on coffee for himself, and now waited for it to bubble up. He hadn’t slept
shit last night, but he wasn’t about to tell Ivy. She had lain real close to him and
had bad dreams, tossing all night.
She’d been sweating and then she’d sighed, and then she’d moaned as though tortured
by some faceless villain Cade had wanted to punch. Even after he’d fucked her and
come all over her and she’d gone back to sleep, she’d … been trembling. Not in the
way he enjoyed her to tremble for him, but in a way that made him lose his sleep,
as well.
Cade just wanted to know what the hell she was so afraid of, so he could show her
she didn’t need to be. He wanted to hold her real close and yet he couldn’t … just
like he couldn’t protect Laura. Because Ivy was gone today, out to save the world—or
at least part of it—from cancer.
Damn it!
The unexpected effects she had on him were not diminishing, as he’d supposed they
would if he’d gotten her out of his system. Anger, lust, need, these feelings had
emerged so raw he felt sore every time they were together, drunk with her nearness.
He couldn’t even meet that innocent honey-eyed gaze for fear of sacking her right
there, taking her right there. Mine .
My. Woman. My. Woman. My woman.
His soul seemed to be crying out for him to do something about it. But if he didn’t
want her to loathe his black devil self for not supporting her cause, then he’d known
he’d had to let her go today. Despite the warning flags, the deafening bells in his
ears. Despite every cell in his body screaming at him not to. Despite those wide troubled
honeyed eyes that had tugged at his most basic, protective instincts. But what did
he want to protect her from? He could see it in her gaze when he refused to acknowledge
the disease she wanted to combat that she thought he was being petty and small. He
didn’t want to be that man to her.
Still, he couldn’t forget, couldn’t stop hearing that tiny, quivering voice in his
head. I have to go. I really have to go.
Something in her voice—something heart-wrenching and as real as the fist that suddenly
curled around his gut—made him feel edgy today.
“How long will you be gone?” he’d asked only an
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