Broken (24 page)

Languorously Max stroked Cassidy’s front from chest to belly, delighting in the liberty to touch her as he hadn’t for two long years. When he dipped lower, she spread her legs, allowing him access to her labia. 

“Tell me again,” he murmured in her ear.

She didn’t pretend not to know what he meant. “I love you.”

Using his nose, he pushed her silky hair out of the way, snuggling his face next to hers. “Forever and always, Cassidy. That’s what I want with you.”

“One day at a time, Max,” she reminded him on a gasp. He’d just circled her nub with his thumb, slick with her dew, and was steadily building her arousal again. These few hours were all the honeymoon he’d been unexpectedly granted, and he intended to make the most of them.

“How’s your leg? Still tender?” he asked.

Cassidy let out a breathy chuckle. “Are you kidding? I’ve got so many endorphins flooding my blood stream right now I wouldn’t feel it if it had been sliced opened.”

“In that case…” Max caught her by the waist and shifted their weight so she was on top. “I believe it’s time for round two.”

“Really?” She arched an eyebrow as she sat up, legs pooled to either side of his.

He reached up and played with her breasts, cupping the mounds and tweaking the nipples. “As you said, we have the rest of the afternoon and all night. I don’t intend to waste a minute of it.”

They made love again. This time Max had Cassidy on her hands and knees with pillows under her belly to help support her weight as he took her from behind.

Determined to give her a leisurely loving this time, he thrust in slow, bottomed out, and ground against her, before withdrawing so that the head of his cock was barely clasped by her silken heat. Flexing his hips, he reversed directions, gliding in and out and repeating the relaxed motions, until sweat dripped off his forehead, his balls drew up tight and his muscles strained against the impulse to simply let go and power into her the way lust demanded. Cassidy’s moans and undulations tested his resolve, but he managed to hold long enough to give her two back-to-back orgasms before his control broke.

Exhausted, they took a short nap to recover, showered, and ate. Relaxed and satisfied as he was, Max didn’t complain when Cassidy took the opportunity to finally seduce him. Under her tender ministration, his well-used organ rose magnificently to the occasion.

Though the sex was freaking amazing, what matter most to him was, in between all the loving, he and Cassidy talked. Not about the past. Max figured they both knew instinctively to stay away from that sensitive subject. Instead they spoke of the future—their goals, hopes, and dreams.

They discussed the basement renovations. Max told her of the sideline business he and his friend had started with the goal of providing decent, affordable housing for low-income homebuyers who wouldn’t normally otherwise be able to afford their own home. And he told her about the occasional pro bono legal work he still did for Legal Aid, mostly involving landlord/tenant disputes. The praise and admiration he saw in her gaze made him feel like a king.

In turn, Cassidy told him about her job at the clinic and how she’d come to be hired. She said how much she enjoyed delivering babies and working with patients who had no medical insurance and otherwise couldn’t afford medical care. “Sometimes, their stories and backgrounds break my heart. They’re so appreciative of anything you can do for them.”

Her head resting on his chest, she used her index finger to draw circles on his abdomen. “Occasionally, I miss Temple, the staff I worked with, and duty rotations, but I like this as well. The shorter hours suit me and allows me to spend more time with Zoe while still practicing the medicine I love,” she said.

It was like they’d stepped out of time. However, deep in his heart Max knew these moments couldn’t last. Though she loved him, Cassidy had been deeply hurt by what she considered to be his desertion of her. She’d lowered her guard for tonight. He could only pray his good fortune would last.

Max tuned in to realized Cassidy was now discussing the upcoming holiday—Thanksgiving.

“It’s going to be so nice having the holiday weekend off. I haven’t had that since…” She pursed her lips as she thought. “Man, since undergraduate school.” She shook her head. “Anyway, my parents are coming here. Since Dad retired last year, they’ll probably want to spend the entire weekend.”

Doing some quick mental calculations, he said, “I’m sure we can have the basement, if not completely finished, then definitely habitable. I can move all of my stuff down there and your parents can stay in the guestroom.”

Cassidy lifted her head and gazed at him with wide eyes, nibbling her lower lip in a way that betrayed her uneasiness. “You’d do that? But I thought…”

When she trailed off, he completed her sentence. “That I’d insist on sharing a bedroom with you and telling your parents we’re married? While I’d like nothing more than to sleep curled up with you each night, you asked me to give you space and time. I’m trying to honor your request. The rest will come soon enough.”

She breathed a sigh of relief and returned her head to its resting position. “It’s not that I don’t want you with me. I just don’t think Thanksgiving is the right time to spring a surprise marriage on my folks. I don’t want to hurt them, especially not after all they’ve done for me.

“Mom took an extended leave of absence from work so she could be with me while I was in the hospital. Daddy traveled back and forth, spending his days off here and kept things together in Pittsburg. They used the apartment since it was closer to the hospital, but Mom made sure all the bills were paid until the insurance money kicked in, ensuring I didn’t lose the house or have my vehicle repossessed.”

As a lawyer, Max knew how devastating an illness or injury could be. In Cassidy’s situation, the cascading effects could have been catastrophic had her family not stepped in to keep things going for her. But he couldn’t help but wonder…“Why didn’t they move you to Pittsburg?” Max asked. “Surely it would have been easier for them.”

“My doctors were all here, and to be honest, I didn’t want to leave the area. I had no desire to live in the home Phillip and I shared, and couldn’t have in my condition even if I’d wanted. So Mom and Nell boxed up the contents of the house with Nell handling the sorting through of Phillip’s things, keeping the mementos she wanted and donating the rest to charity. Daddy put the house on the market for me, and when the insurance money kicked in, found this house here in West Chester so I could be close to Nell when it became clear I’d continue to need someone close to assist after being released from the hospital.”

“So that’s how you ended up here in West Chester?”

“Yes. It didn’t make sense to move back to Philly. The only family member I have there is a cousin I’m not that close to. Although Erika has been a great help, she has her own family that needs her. West Chester is close enough that I didn’t have to change doctors, and between Nell and the home health agency Brian contracted, I was able to spend less time in the rehabilitation center.”

She sighed. “As it is, my parents are going to be upset that I kept something this important about my life from them. Daddy knew about you, of course, so our being together won’t be as big of a shock to him, but I never told Mom.”

No, you wouldn’t have
, Max thought. Her mother had been all for Cassidy and Phillip remaining married.

“She doesn’t know Zoe isn’t Phillip’s child,” Cassidy said. “I think Nell and Phillip’s dad do, but to them it doesn’t matter. I think my father suspects.”

Max frowned while running his fingers through Cassidy’s hair. “How does she explain Zoe’s eyes?”

She glanced up at him, lips quirking. “Recessive genes?”

He snorted. “If it will make you more comfortable, I can check into a hotel or something while they’re here.”

Cassidy’s eyes lost focus as she considered his offer. “No, I want them to know about you and get used to the idea of you being in my and Zoe’s life. I’m just not ready to reveal we’re married.”

Since Max had no intention of informing his family of his recently changed marital status, he couldn’t complain. Of course, their reasons were totally different. Cassidy didn’t want to shock her parents. Max wasn’t speaking to his. While his mother and brother might have been the main culprits, he was sure they’d had the full support and complicity of the others. They probably sat around talking about “that woman Max managed to get himself involved with” and how she was “no good for him.” How, as the baby of the family, he needed to be protected from his own stupidity.

Cassidy didn’t ask about his family, what he intended to tell them about their relationship, or what they were doing for the Thanksgiving holiday, and he didn’t mention them either. Even though she had her own reasons for being angry with them, her heart was too soft. If she knew the extent of the breach in his relationship with his family, she’d be urging reconciliation. Which would happen about the same time hell froze over.

Max ruthlessly shoved all thoughts of his conniving relatives aside.

A peaceful silence fell. Talking like this with Cassidy was nice. Once they’d been able to discuss anything and everything—her divorce to Phillip being the one exception. But lying here, both of them naked, reminded him he was a healthy male in the prime of his life. His beautiful, sexy, and desirable wife lay next to him. His body reacted as he mentally switched gears.

“We still have hours left of our impromptu honeymoon,” he reminded her.

He rolled so they faced each other, her head cradled in the crook of his arm. Cupping her breast, he toyed with the nipple. The nub slowly hardened and distended under his caress.

Cassidy placed her hands around his neck, arched into his caress, and tangled their legs together. “What do you think we should do with the time remaining?”

“I think we should do this.” He kissed her, long and lingering, with plenty of tongue action. “And this,” he murmured, sucking the sweet spot on her neck that never failed to leave her wet and quivering. Tonight was no exception.

She moaned and moved closer. Her restless movements brought her mound into intimate contact with his erection. He rubbed against her, feeling the crisp hairs shielding her sex and the soft, heated dampness of her vagina. The scent of their earlier lovemaking still lingered in the air.

Neither of them had used protection. Max wondered if their lovemaking would result in a sister or brother for Zoe. Then he forgot about everything else but his desire for the woman in his arms and what it would take to make her scream his name.