Beyond the Breaking Point (2 page)

By the time Cassidy managed to escape her husband’s amorous clutches, the sun rode high in the sky. Phillip had always been highly sexed—a side benefit of all the bodybuilding he did—but since they’d decided to become pregnant, his sex drive had kicked into overdrive. It was, she admitted to herself, a little intimidating and frankly exhausting to be the focus of so much male sexual attention. Showered and dressed in a pair of loose denim capris and a bright pink tank top, she slipped from the bedroom, her bare feet quiet on the cool tiled floor.

Cassidy blinked rapidly against the sharp brightness contrasted to the shadowed bedroom she’d exited as her eyes adjusted. Someone had opened the curtains and sheers, flooding the room with light. Through the double sliding glass doors, sunlight sparkled like jewels on the surface of the lake visible below. From the waves of heat rising from the patio, the day was already a scorcher.

She entered the kitchen to find Max Desalvo, Phillip’s best friend, seated at the breakfast bar, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. Max and his live-in girlfriend, Amber, had invited her and Philip to join them on their vacation. The two couples were sharing a two-bedroom condo timeshare Max had rented from a family member in a luxury resort outside of Orlando.

“Good morning.” She glanced at the clock over the stove. Yes, eleven a.m. still qualified as morning. “Where’s Amber?” she asked Max.

“She’s still in bed. Her idea of vacation is to sleep until noon, spend the afternoon sunbathing beside the pool, and stay out partying until the wee hours of the morning,” Max said, clearly amused by the idea.

A huge yawn taking her by surprise, Cassidy covered her mouth and swayed lightly on her feet before slumping tiredly against the counter. Well, they’d gotten the wee hours part of the morning right last night, Cassidy mused. Unfortunately, she and Phillip hadn’t been partying. It had been midnight before their flight had arrived in Orlando from Philly. The four-hour flight had morphed into a six-hour one when their connecting flight had been delayed. By the time they’d collected their rental, driven to the resort, and unloaded their luggage, it was nearly three a.m.

Thank God Amber and Max had traveled ahead and checked in that afternoon. When their flight had been delayed, Cassidy had Phillip call Max and request he pick up a few things at the grocery store for them since everything would be closed when they arrived. He’d agreed. His generosity had allowed her and Phillip the luxury of sleeping in.

Cassidy reached up into the cabinet to grab a coffee cup, needing the caffeine kick more than she needed sustenance. As she moved closer, she caught the faint scent of clean male musk and looked over at Max, frowning as she noted his mildly sweaty appearance. “You’ve been out already?” She hadn’t heard anyone leave the condo.

“Wanted to get a run in before it got hot.”

As she poured coffee into the cup, she grinned at him. “Tomorrow let me know before you head out. A run would do me some good.  I’ve been doing too much eating on the run and it’s starting to show in the hips.” Cassidy patted her hips with her free hand to emphasize before placing the coffee pot back on the burner.

“I love those hips,” her husband stated as he walked into the kitchen. “Those are good baby-bearing hips.” He patted her on the butt and swiped her coffee.

“Hey! Get your own.” Cassidy reached for the cup,

Philip held it out of reach. “Caffeine isn’t good for the baby,” he reminded.

Max perked up. “You’re pregnant? Congratulations!” He beamed at them.

Cassidy shook her head. “Not yet. Still trying.”

Max waggled his eyebrows at them.  “Ah! That explains the noise I heard earlier as I was leaving.”

Cassidy felt her face flush and knew she was beet red. Her fair complexion blushed both vividly and easily. Philip let out a low, intimate laugh and Cassidy popped him on the arm. “Don’t encourage him.”

“Cassidy, I’m just teasing.” Max smiled and held up his hands in a don’t-hate-me gesture. “Can’t help myself when you blush so prettily.” 

Phillip shook his head, his expression wry. “She’s a baby doctor. She knows what makes them. I don’t understand how she can still be so squeamish about sex.”

Stung and a little hurt that her husband was making her out to be a prude when she wasn’t, she lashed out. “I am not squeamish. I just don’t think something as intimate as sex is appropriate for group discussion. Or considered a spectator sport,” she finished with a glare at her husband.

The corners of Phillip’s eyes tightened, his jaw clenched, and his previously affectionate manner disappeared as he distanced himself from her. Cassidy closed her eyes, instantly remorseful. Damn, she’d overreacted. When had she lost her sense of humor about sex? “I’m sorry,” she said in a low voice. “You know how cranky I get when I haven’t had enough sleep.”

He smiled, good nature restored, and handed her the coffee back. “Here, you obviously need this more than I do. I’ll pour my own.”

Cassidy sighed in relief and took a large gulp of the still-hot coffee.

Phillip reached up and took down another cup, and on his way to the pot, paused to tug on Cassidy’s ponytail, tilting her face up. Dropping a kiss on her lips, he murmured, “I promise I’ll let you sleep tonight…after.”

She groaned, then laughed when he winked.

Two years ago, they’d hit a rough patch in their marriage. Counseling had solved a lot of their issues, but the one that still remained a bone of contention was what he termed her “vanilla” attitude toward sex. Cassidy didn’t think she was being unreasonable in not wanting to bring a third into their sex play, or her lack of desire to have sex in public. Nor was she into whips, chains, or spankings, but she’d experimented with a little light bondage and even consented to anal sex—which she totally didn’t get what the big deal was about, but it made Phillip happy, so she didn’t protest—but her concessions weren’t enough for her husband. He was always pushing, trying to get her to expand her boundaries. Apparently in the process, she’d become overly sensitive on the subject.

Oblivious to the undercurrents, Max glanced up from the paper and asked, “What’s your plans for today?”

“Plans,” Phillip asked, arching an eyebrow. “Am I mistaken or is this a vacation? Who makes plans?”

Max laughed. “I see you and Amber share the same vacation school of thought.”

“Well, I heard Orlando has a large flea market. I’d love to go see what they have,” Cassidy stated wistfully.

“Babe, it’s our first day of vacation,” Phillip protested. “Don’t you want to laze around, catch up on some much-needed rest?”

She gave him a slow, wicked grin. “We’ve already ‘lazed around.’ In case you haven’t noticed, it’s almost lunchtime. Besides, you know me. Once I’m up, I like to keep busy. I’d go crazy sitting around the condo doing nothing. I want to go shopping. I find it very relaxing.”

Her husband groaned. She knew he was trying to find a way out. This new, post- counseling Phillip was more considerate and made a real effort to do things with her. Things
she
liked. “We can get something to eat while we’re out,” she cajoled. 

“Cassidy…” His tone bordered on a whine. Cassidy grinned, knowing she had him.

“Tell you what. You stay here and chill and I’ll take Cassidy shopping. I wouldn’t mind checking out that flea market myself. I know Amber won’t want to go. Her idea of shopping consists of highbrow designer stores or their equally high-priced air-conditioned outlet malls,” Max said.

Phillip looked hopeful. “Cassidy?”

She laughed and nodded. “All right, you big baby. You can stay here while Max and I bond. But it’s going to cost you,” she added before he could get too happy, rubbing her fingers together in the classic sign for “give me money.”

“Not as much as going with you would. Let me get my wallet.”

“How soon can we leave?” she asked Max, mind already shooting ahead to what treasures she might find.

“As soon as you’re ready. We can stop and get some lunch before hitting the market,” Max said.

Right then her stomach grumbled. “Sounds like a plan. Give me five minutes to go change and I’ll be ready.”

“Make it ten. I need a shower,” Max said with a grimace, indicating his workout attire.

They parted ways. Exactly ten minutes later they were headed out the door to Max’s car. He held the door for her to enter the low-sitting vehicle, then crossed around the front to the driver’s side and got in.

As he put the rental car in gear and backed out of the parking space, he admitted, “I had an ulterior motive for volunteering to come with you today.”

She glanced at him. “Yeah? What?”

“I want you to help me pick out an engagement ring. My taste in jewelry sucks. I need a woman’s opinion.”

Amber Wainwright, a physical therapist and fitness trainer, had come into Max’s life three years ago when she’d helped him recover from a sports-related knee injury. Being no fool, she’d wasted no time latching onto a good thing. Of course, Cassidy admitted, she was totally biased where Phillip’s friend was concerned.

Max was cover-model handsome, standing at six-two with the lean musculature of a long-distance runner, and possessing deep, crystal-blue eyes that could trap a woman in their gaze. His hair was a wavy, dark brown that he wore a bit long on top but cut short in the back, and right now, said hair was tousled carelessly. He sported the beginnings of a beard, giving him that bad-boy look that so many women—including her—found attractive.

He and Amber had been living together for the last two years. Phillip had said he thought Max was considering making the arrangement permanent. Cassidy wasn’t too sure how she felt about it. She wanted Max to be happy, wanted him to have a wife and family of his own, but there was something about Amber that she just couldn’t put her finger on…

It seemed Phillip was right. Max was serious about his relationship with Amber. “Sure, I’ll help,” she agreed, keeping her doubts about the wisdom of his decision to herself.

“Great,” he said, his relief evident. “We’ll eat first, shop for the ring, and then hit the flea markets. We should find everything we need on International Drive.”

“Sounds good to me.”