Dirty Little Secret (21 page)

“My girlfriend, Cailin Gray,” Alex said and gave Cade a warning glance when the man’s eyes widened.

“Well now, it’s a pleasure, Ms. Gray.” Cade’s gaze dropped briefly to the wedding band on Alex’s right hand, the symbol of his marriage to Sara Beth. Alex knew the rumors: that he wore the ring because he couldn’t let Sara Beth go, that they’d divorced because she’d refused to give him an heir. And those were the tame explanations. The gossipmongers had been busy—and way off the mark. Fortunately, curious or not, Cade kept his questions to himself and instead asked Cailin about her work.

The ring was the biggest question in everyone’s minds. Why did he wear it still, yet not on his left hand, as he had before? Why did Sara Beth wear hers, even after her commitment ceremony two weeks ago with Sam? For Alex, it was simple. Their friendship had endured time and turmoil and come out the other end stronger than ever. Sara Beth was the reason they’d moved to Atlanta, the reason he’d found Cailin. He wore his old ring proudly. Watching Cailin describe Ian’s latest crazy antics, Alex knew he also wanted her to wear his ring, and soon.

Cade exchanged more pleasantries, a bit of shoptalk about the planned production phase for their AR research, then moved on. His spot was quickly filled with a succession of employees, investors, friends, until Alex thought if one more person wanted to talk to him, he just might scream. When a brief lull finally arrived, he decided to take advantage of it.

Leaning into Cailin’s space, he asked, “Wanna dance with me?”

“With you?” Cailin raised an eyebrow, which he promptly kissed. She swatted him away and stood. “Oh, okay, if I have to.”

“Sweetheart, you’re asking for it, you know that, don’t you?” He started a slow stalk toward her.

Cailin threw a mischievous peek over her shoulder. “I thought you’d never notice.”

CAILIN SASHAYED HER way toward the dance floor. Alex followed close behind, so downright gorgeous in his black tux with his dark hair trimmed and a new goatee gracing his firm chin. The skin along the sides of her neck tingled at the remembered feel of that soft, scruffy facial hair. She loved the easy scrape of it along her neck, her breasts, her thighs…

Her mouth went dry. She turned her head, chin tilted over her shoulder, and licked her lips.

Alex groaned.

Reaching a clear spot on the dance floor, she relaxed as Alex’s arms circled her waist and his chest met her back.

“Cailin.” Her name was a soft moan in her ear as she nestled her butt against his hips. “Sweetheart, this might be a really short dance if you keep that up.”

“That’s the idea.”

He rubbed the soft bristles of his new goatee against her neck as he chuckled. “Brat.”

He made her feel that way: daring and powerful, safe to do and say and be anything she wanted. Alex’s boldness fed hers. Like now.

With Alex’s palms flat against her abdomen, Cailin noticed a whisper of sensation as his thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts—her fairly bare breasts. All that separated their skin was a thin film of silk. As she swayed, her breasts moved, her nipples rasping against the material, adding to the need building in her core. Alex’s hips nudged hers, making it clear he was equally hungry. The knowledge that his touch was hers anytime she needed it settled the long-held doubts in her soul, healed the scars given to her in another life, one that was fortunately only a faraway memory now. Here, with Alex, there was only love, desire. Heat.

As that heat curled higher and higher, she began to wonder exactly how long she was expected to last. When one of Alex’s hands slid down to press below her belly button, her core spasmed and she shivered, squirmed. No, it wouldn’t be long.

Desperation had her turning around to press fully against his chest, trying to ease the ache in her breasts. She and Alex began a slow give-and-take, moving to the music, hands and bodies—and, occasionally, surreptitious lips and tongues—touching, sliding, gripping. Cailin could feel tension building in Alex’s frame, his need obvious though he fought to keep them circumspect on the dance floor occupied by so many of his employees and their families. When her fingers inched to the buttons on his shirt of their own accord, he laid his hand over hers, stopping her, his wicked grin generating tingles in her lips as he brushed it against them.

“Are you trying to tell me something, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her answer was low, hoarse.

“Hmm.” Alex stroked two lazy fingers down her spine, tantalizingly close to her tailbone, then up, around, exactly the way he often stroked her slit when they made love. Her knees wobbled, and Alex chuckled even as he held her up. “Maybe we should go somewhere more private. What do you think?”

“Parking?” Attempting to wait the half hour it took to get home could be dangerous; she might jump him on the interstate.

Alex gave a slow, sexy shake of his head. He grasped her hand in his, intertwined their fingers, and led her nonchalantly from the dance floor.

As they climbed the stairs, Cailin saw Sara Beth and Sam standing near the bar. The soft glow of love lit their faces openly now, squeezing her heart. When Sara Beth caught her eye, she lifted her hand in a wave, winked at Alex, and went back to her conversation with Ian and Damien.

Alex led her around the railing and then stepped toward that long, dark hallway she remembered so well. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Twenty yards. Ten. Before she knew it, they stood in front of Damien’s office door. The dark metal surface brought back memories of nerves and need and, much later, pain. Cailin blocked them out. Tonight was for them. Now. Not the past.

Alex looked back over his shoulder, gave her a once-over that melted her bones, then took a key card out of his pocket.

She sucked in a breath. “You had that in there the whole time!”

“Of course I did.” He swiped the card and led her inside.

Her impressions of Damien’s office had been hazy—she’d spent all her time focused on Alex and the pleasure he’d given her; nothing else had mattered. Tonight she stepped into another world. On one side, the dimly lit room held a black lacquer desk and shelves that must be Damien’s. The other side was a seating area, but the couch and chairs had been moved back to line the wall. In the middle of the space was a massive bed on a low frame. Candles lit every surface, flickering shadows across the creamy sheets.

Pillows mounded at one end, making her blush. Alex was good with pillows. She knew that. Just the sight of them had her going wet between her thighs.

When she lifted her gaze to Alex’s, he was watching her intently.

“Why?” she asked, trying to hide the tremble of emotion in her voice with a heavy breath.

“Because I love you.” He drew her toward the bed. “And because in those hot, sweaty moments with you here, in this room, our first time, you became mine.” He seated her on the silky sheets and knelt before her. One hand went to his jacket pocket. “And because I can’t think of a better place to start our new life together.” He pulled out a small jeweler’s box.

Tears stung her eyes as she fixed her gaze, not on the box, but on Alex. “Oh God.” That wasn’t Alex’s playful stare, nor his sexy stare. That was the intent look he adopted when he was determined to get his way, come hell or high water. Every line of his face displayed the full expanse of his forceful will, all zeroed in on making certain he got exactly what he wanted.

And what he wanted was her.

The snap of the lid was crisp in the silence between them.

“Look,” he ordered.

She dropped her eyes, her throat closing as she saw what awaited her. A slender silver band of tiny diamonds sparkled in the candlelight. At the front, an antique setting held four square-cut larger stones in a diamond configuration that gleamed like silver fire. It took her a moment to realize the diamonds sparkled more because the box was moving ever so slightly. Alex’s hand, holding the ring for her perusal, was shaking.

“Oh, Alex.” She reached out to cup his hand, steadying him. “I love you.”

“Then marry me.”

The depth of need in his eyes consumed her. There was only one answer she could give: “Yes.”

He smiled that wickedly sexy smile, and she swore relief washed across his face. She’d tease him about it later, maybe. But right now all she could think about was the man in front of her. He took the ring from the box and held it up in the light for her to read the inscription.

“L” for loved. “A” for always.

He’d remembered. Late one night, they’d lain before the fireplace in his new house—their new house—and she’d talked about her “scarlet letters,” all those sins that had made her who she was, that she’d realized weren’t sins after all. Alex had kissed her chest right above her heart and told her letters would never do her justice; only his love could do that. And it had. Being loved unconditionally had freed her from the guilt of the past, freed them both. No more dirty little secrets, no more hidden shame. They were together, and they were loved.

“Thank you.”

A single tear traced her cheek as Alex slid the ring on her finger. “For what?” she asked.

“For saying yes.” He leaned in to kiss her.

She laughed softly. “Well, I kind of had to,” she whispered against his lips.

“Why?”

“Because I have one more secret.”

Alex drew back. “What’s that?”

She shrugged, but her smile was so wide she thought her cheeks would split. “I’m pregnant.”

Alex’s stunned expression had her biting her lip. Moments passed, and he still didn’t speak.

“I guess the specialist was right—the problem wasn’t mine; it must have been Sean’s.”

“But…but we just… We’ve only tried a month!”

Nodding was the only response she could come up with, so she kept doing it, and laughing, and grabbing for Alex as he started to laugh.

“We did it! I knew we could do it!”

“Alex, it wasn’t a race.”

“Of course it was,” he told her as he laid her back on the sheets and started to draw the slender strap of her dress off her shoulder. Leaning down, he stroked the bare skin at the exposed side of her breast with his soft lips. His goatee tickled as he said, “I don’t know why I’m surprised. It was bound to happen fast—I can’t keep my hands off you.” And he proved it by nuzzling her breast, then taking the extrasensitive tip in his mouth and sucking deep.

“Alex!” Cailin bowed her back, feeding him more, digging her hands into his hair to hold him to her. Closing her eyes, she gave herself over to this man who knew her, heart and soul—her every desire, her every need. And now, every little secret.

Loose Id Titles by Ella Sheridan

Dirty Little Secret

Ella Sheridan

Ella Sheridan grew up in the middle of nowhere, otherwise known as the Deep South. Books provided her with adventures, friends, and her first forays into romance. To this day she explores the world through the words of her favorite authors, whether that’s the worlds across space and time or the worlds of love and passion. When she’s not writing or working or reading, she is corralling her two active teenagers, snuggling on the couch with her husband, working out her stress in a martial arts class, or sleeping. But no matter what she’s doing, the voices in her head just won’t let her go.

Find out more about Ella at
http://ellasheridan.wordpress.com
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