Beyond the Breaking Point (41 page)

“Empty. I need you to fill me.”

At her husky declaration, his cock went from half-mast to fully engaged. “Oh, now we can’t have that. Lift your hips.”

She obediently planted her feet and lifted her butt a good six inches off the mattress. He slid a pillow under her. Sat on his heels and visually measured, then grabbed another pillow and added it to the first. “Perfect,” he judged. “Now I want to you relax and enjoy, but whatever you do, don’t let go of the handholds.”

She nodded her agreement. Her chest rose and fell in a rapid pace, showing her excitement. Max still wanted to know what the hell his mother had said to her, but if what was happening now was the result, he might have to take Cassidy around his family more often. Once he’d satisfied both of their needs, he’d try once again to get her to tell him what happened. Then he put the entire matter out of his head and focused on making his woman scream in ecstasy.

Beginning with her ankles, he glided hands calloused from years of playing baseball up the inside of her legs to the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. Then he took time exploring her sex with his fingers, outlining each fold, stroking her slit, and tugging gently on her vaginal lips. When he’d memorized her by touch, he lowered his head and traveled the same path with his tongue.

“Max, please!”

“Don’t let go,” he ordered, not looking up from his task.

He gathered all the dew from her labia, loving the spicy essence of her. Cassidy’s flavor had changed with her pregnancy, became darker, earthier. It acted like an aphrodisiac on his system; sweet nirvana to his taste buds.

Applying pressure to the forearms he used to keep her spread, Max settled in on his belly and gorged. The gasps, pleas, and moans falling from Cassidy’s lips egged him on, as well as the way she jerked and bucked under him. At one point he felt her hands tugging on his hair and paused long enough to snarl, “Hands!” in a tone that demanded instant obedience.

She bitched at him, Cassidy style, but clung to the headboard with a grip that threatened to bend the metal. Once she complied he resumed his self-appointed task of driving her insane.

Cassidy stiffened as an orgasm ripped through her, but it wasn’t enough for Max. He forced her higher, extending it until her body shook and she sobbed his name. But it still wasn’t the scream for which he was aiming. His cock was so hot and hard it felt as though it would burst, but Max kept a tight lid on his control. He was on a mission and nothing would deter him from accomplishing it.

She bucked as another climax tore through her, delicate inner muscles rippling against his tongue. “Too much, Max! It’s too much!”

In his opinion, it wasn’t enough. He thrust two fingers into her sheath, gritting his teeth and the way she clamped down around them. Then he began finger-fucking her with hard jabs while sucking on her clit. It only took seconds before he got his desire. Cassidy threw back her head, her body lifted in a high, tight arch, and screamed so hard he knew she’d be hoarse come morning.

While she was still convulsing, Max yanked one of her legs up over his arm, positioned his rod with his free hand, and rammed half his length inside. He captured her other leg and holding her stretched wide open, embedded himself to the balls. Pausing only long enough to catch his breath and blink the sweat out of his eyes, he set up a punishing pace.

He’d wanted to give Cassidy the slow ride she’d mentioned when she’d seduced him into overriding his good intentions and spending the night. But he was too far gone, as usual. He drove them both with forceful strokes that went so deep, he knew he was hitting the nerve endings lining her cervix. Something Cassidy could only handle when violently aroused as she was now.

The tingle began in the base of his spine, radiated up, down and around to lodge in his balls. Max gritted his teeth. Not yet. He wanted her to come one more time. “Come for me, Cassidy.”

“I…can’t!”

“Yes…you can.” Max could feel his balls drawing up tight. He wouldn’t last much longer. “Rub your clit!” In this position, he couldn’t get to it.

“Max,” she protested.

“Do it!”

She reached down a hand and stroked lightly, circling around her clit a few times before actively rubbing the nub itself. The sight of Cassidy using that slender, elegant finger to pleasure herself blasted through his tenuous control. “Fuck!”

His cock exploding, Max orgasmed so hard he heard a roaring in his ears and his vision blackened. He collapsed on top of her, breath labored, barely conscious. He hoped to God Cassidy had come because he was done for the night. There wasn’t anything left in him.

An eternity later, he roused enough to shift them to their sides so his weight didn’t crush her. They were both sweaty and sticky, needed a shower before their bodies melded together. The light was still on and they lay on top of the covers, which didn’t bother him, but Cassidy needed at least a sheet.

Later, when he had energy, he’d care and do something about all of it, but for now he gathered his sleeping woman closer to him and allowed the undertow of sated exhaustion to drag him under.

The days that followed passed in nanoseconds. The clock seemed frozen in position, even at work. Max had given up trying to get her to spill what it was his mother had said to her, realizing he had no choice but to wait until she was ready to discuss it.

“When, Cassidy? Tell me when and I’ll let it go,” he’d said.

“Not yet, but soon, I promise.” Her promise had been enough.

 Phillip was strangely quiet. She’d neither seen nor heard from him since her doctor’s office visit. She was both relieved and worried. A quiet Phillip meant he was up to something and Cassidy couldn’t help wondering what. No way he’d changed his mind and decided to agree to the divorce. Her greatest fear was that after seeing her and Max together, he’d followed through on his threat as a form of retaliation.

There was nothing Chris could do until he responded and the courts informed them of the next phase, which hopefully was mediation. The paternity test results were due Friday. Since she lacked the power to bend time, all she could do was wait. In fact, it was her sense of powerlessness that added the most pressure.

She’d taken to monitoring her blood pressure and instead of going down it was rising. Breaking her own personal code of silence, she’d spoken to a few of the female doctors about her pregnancy and her doctor’s concerns. Following their advice, she’d made an appointment with the chief of staff.

After laying out her concerns, he’d shortened her shift to ten straight a day, with two rotating days off a week. Cassidy was certain the high rate of miscarriage among healthcare professionals had more to do with it than any generosity of heart. He simply didn’t want the liability she posed. Cassidy hadn’t wanted to agree despite desperately needing the shorter shift until he’d assured her this change would in no way negatively impact her performance rating.

She spoke with Erika about it that night at her house when she joined her for a girls’ night. “You know how some men feel about women professionals, even now. I had to be sure it wouldn’t count against me.”

“Do you believe him?” Erika asked, frowning in concern.

Cassidy nodded. “Yes. Channing’s pretty straightforward. He admitted that with the change in healthcare and the new concerns about doctors’ performance levels decreasing in direct proportion to the length of their shift, this is a change the hospital is considering making across the board. He said the change from sixteen-hour shifts to twelve had already had a tremendous impact on incidences of hospital negligence. The board is apparently pushing for staff hours to be cut even more. The payoff would be lower insurance rates and less lawsuits.”

“That’s an incentive they can get behind. Numbers are always the bottom line,” Erika agreed. “So, you nervous? The results come back the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Cassidy sighed. “You know, that morning after when Max first brought up the possibility of me being pregnant, I was so sure the baby, if there was one, would be Phillip’s, I didn’t give it another thought. When I discovered I was pregnant and couldn’t narrow down the paternity from the conception date, the thought that Max might be the father horrified me. I even told Max for the sake of my pride and sanity, I hoped he wasn’t. Here we are now, a month later and now I’m praying he is. I need therapy,” she said, groaning.

“No you don’t. Your husband’s being an ass. Of course you hope the baby’s not his. Sure, a few eyebrows might rise from folks, but potential embarrassment is nothing compared to the alternative,” Erika said, instantly jumping to her defense.

Smiling, Cassidy shook her head. “One thing’s for sure, if Max is the father, no power in heaven or hell will take his child from him.”

“And you can tell his family, his mother in particular, to kiss themselves where the sun don’t shine. Not that I believe Max is going anywhere, but if that’s his child, you won’t be able to blast him away from you with C4.” She’d told Erika what Max’s mother had said and his sisters’ reaction to her presence at their family gathering. Erika, of course, had been pissed. Being Catholic herself, even though she wasn’t active, had only made her angrier.

Cassidy nibbled her lower lip before confessing her second greatest fear, second only to that of losing her child. “But what if he’s not? He might decide he’s had enough. That the price of being with me is too high.”

“And the moon might decide to stop reflecting the sun tomorrow.” Erika punched her on the arm. “Come on, Cassidy. Max is crazy about you. This is the first night you two haven’t been together in what? Almost three weeks? And only now because he had to go out of town to meet with a client. Give the man some credit. Max isn’t Phillip,” Erika added, knowing it was one of Cassidy’s biggest concerns, though she tried to fight it.

“I think…I think I’m falling in love with him.”

Erika gave her a “Duh!” look. “You think? Hell, I know. I can see it all over you.”

“It’s too soon,” Cassidy said, rising to pace her friend’s living room. David and Macey were enjoying a father/daughter night out so it was just her and Erika. “How fickle does that make me? Not even three months ago I was head over heels in love with Phillip.”