Rendezvous (6 page)

Reed’s gaze shot to hers. He swam toward her and every foot he advanced made Cassie’s heart explode in her chest. He swam until he came to a rock below her, where he could plant his feet. He stood and water sluiced off him, his cock jutting skyward. The sight of it made Cassie’s inner walls convulse, as though calling for his hardness to fill them.

But Reed didn’t enter her right away, as part of her very much wanted him to. He gave her a long, intensely hot look, then dipped his head, drew one nipple into his mouth and sucked.

And sucked…and sucked…until Cassie thought she couldn’t stand the pleasure of it anymore. She threw her head back, arching her spine until Reed drew her in deeper, harder. She gasped when he introduced the light scrape of his teeth. Her pussy throbbed in response, little spasms of delight that told her she could probably come like this, from only this, if she let herself.

Cassie did all she could to hold her orgasm at bay while Reed’s attention moved to her other breast. He gave it the same thorough treatment, tweaking and caressing the breast he’d already ravished. The double up on sensation made Cassie’s clit quiver.
Not yet, Cassie. Wait to come until he’s inside you.

As though he somehow understood her thoughts, Reed finally lifted his head. He stared into her face, the taut set of his jaw telling her his control was as close to gone as her own. He grasped her by the hips and lifted her butt off the rock. Then he pulled her forward and impaled her on his cock.

Cassie let out a keening cry at the exquisiteness of it. Reed’s steel-hard flesh filling her, spreading her open. She held onto the rock behind her, her arms trembling with the effort, as Reed began to pump. She let her gaze trail downward, over the sculpted muscles of Reed’s chest, his tensed abdominals, until she saw it, the place where they were joined. His stiffness moving in and out of her, the smooth flesh slicked with her juices. Cassie saw every plunge, felt every inch of him filling her pussy, over and over.

Her climax began, a slow contraction of her muscles when she’d been expecting something fast and furious. Her body rippled on Reed’s cock, the sensations growing more intense by degrees until she was gasping, murmuring syllables that didn’t make sense or matter. Reed dug his fingers into her hips so tight she thought he might pierce the flesh. The sting added an edge to her pleasure. She squeezed her eyes shut and experienced every spasm, every jolt of satisfaction that arrowed through her core.

“Yes, Cass. Yes.” Reed rasped the words, the only ones either of them had uttered since she’d undressed on the bank. Cassie opened her eyes in time to see his face scrunch tight with rapture as he spilled his essence inside her.

Afterward, Reed lifted her from the rock and pulled her into his arms. Their chests heaving with exertion, they clung to each other until the awareness that the night air was colder than the tropical water worked its way into their minds. Reed crouched low on the rock so they were submerged up to their shoulders. Cassie wrapped her legs around his waist and held onto him. He was still nestled deep inside her and she didn’t want him to ever leave.

Unfortunately, Cassie knew they couldn’t stay in paradise forever. Reed’s stomach rumbled, reminding her that they had never gotten to their picnic. “Do you want to go eat?”

“Let’s take the food back to the boat.” Reed lifted his head from where it had been resting on her shoulder. The intent in his eyes was clear. “I’ll want you again soon. I’ll want you all night long.”

Cassie trembled, thrilled by his impassioned declaration and all it promised. “Yes, Reed. I want that too.”

*****

True to his word, Reed made love to Cassie exhaustively that night, reaching for her time and time again while the moon was high in the sky, and once more as the starlight slowly faded, giving rise to dawn. She woke reluctantly the following day, her body pleasantly aching and her being filled with renewed purpose.

She loved Reed. She’d known it all along and had been forced to acknowledge it when she’d come face-to-face with him again after their long separation, but the events of the previous night had reinforced that knowledge tenfold. The wounds she’d carried throughout their three-year marriage had healed themselves sometime during the wee hours. Cassie was imbued with renewed enthusiasm for her relationship, more than ready to start fresh.

To her surprise, Reed wasn’t beside her in bed. Out of the two of them, she was usually the earliest riser. When she glanced at her watch she realised it was after ten. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept past six-thirty.

Cassie smiled to herself. Well, she
was
physically and emotionally spent, having been loved to a point almost beyond her capacity to respond. Almost. No matter how replete she was, there always seemed to be a little something left over for Reed.

She climbed out of bed, found her shorts and shirt and dragged them on. Then she went in search of her husband.

He was standing on the deck, staring out at the endless blue horizon. He held a mug in his hand but didn’t seem to be drinking from it. Cassie watched him for a moment, warmed again by the sight of his strong physique, the shift of his dark-brown hair that was ruffled in the slight breeze. He was so handsome, so sexy, that the part of her she’d thought utterly depleted fluttered to life. She was absolutely insatiable.

She was also moving back to Sydney with him, there was no longer any question in her mind. No way could she go through the hell of losing him again. She would have to sell
The Rendezvous
, but Uncle Shane would forgive her not following in his footsteps. He’d been her favourite uncle, and he’d only ever wanted her to be happy. Cassie had never been happier than she’d been last night with Reed. She figured Uncle Shane would approve.

She walked toward Reed and placed a hand on his lower back. “Good morning. Or should I say afternoon?”

He glanced at her but didn’t laugh at her little joke. His face was set in such grim lines that Cassie’s heart performed an odd twist. It started thrumming hard when Reed set down his mug, took her face in both hands and kissed her. There was passion in the kiss, but of a different quality than that which he’d displayed in the past twelve hours. There was something bittersweet in the way he held her face, the way he traced her lips with his tongue.

Cassie’s heart was pounding by the time he pulled back, something about the way he was acting making her spine tingle a warning. He stared at her for what seemed like a full minute, his countenance inscrutable. Then he opened his mouth and kicked her in the chest.

“I’ll sign the papers, Cassie. The minute I get back to Sydney, you’ll have your divorce.”

Cassie stared at him, feeling as though she’d been sucker punched. Reed wanted the divorce?
Now
? How could he even consider it after all they’d shared last night?

Her voice was as frayed as a worn rope. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s the way it has to be, Cass. I see that now. I can’t give you what you need.”

Cassie shook her head, as though the act would help her make sense of what he was saying. It only made her dizzy and more confused. “What do you mean you can’t give me what I need? Last night you let me in, Reed. You really spoke to me. You re-established a connection. That’s all I’ve ever needed from you.”

“You’re wrong. There’s something else you need that I can’t ever give you.”

“Like what?”

Reed turned his gaze to the crystal-clear waters around them. “This. This place is your home, Cass. It’s not right for me to take you away from it. It wasn’t right the first time, but I did it because I didn’t know better. Now I’ve seen you here. I’ve seen how you love the ocean, how you love to sail. It’s in your soul, and I won’t ask you to leave it again.”

“That’s my decision to make, not yours.” Cassie reached up to frame his face with her hands, turning it so he was once again looking at her. “I love you, Reed. I’ve loved you since our first date. I want to give our marriage another try.”

He let out a heavy breath. “Oh, Cass. I love you too. I always will. That’s why I’m letting you go. Up here in the Whitsundays you’re free. In Sydney you’re hemmed in, landlocked most of the time. If you come back with me you’ll eventually resent it and we’ll be back to where we were before you left. At least if we do it now, it’s less painful than it will be a few more years down the road.”

“You think?” Cassie took a step back, putting distance between them. She glared at Reed, this man who was giving up on their marriage without a fight. Again. “Because I don’t see how it’s possible for something to hurt worse than this does. What was that all about last night? If it wasn’t about us getting back together, why the hell did you make love to me like you did?”

“Because I couldn’t not do it. I’m sorry, Cass. Somewhere in the dark hours I knew it would have to be our last night together, but I couldn’t deny myself one last taste of you.” He lifted a hand and stroked it over her hair. The expression on his face was so full of adoration it tore at Cassie’s heart. “You were so beautiful.”

“You bastard.” The heat of a volcanic anger rose within her and Cassie smacked his hand away. “How could you make me love you again only to do this to us?”

She brushed past him, barely resisting the urge to push him overboard in a fit of rage. But tears stung her eyes as well, and she knew what she felt wasn’t sheer fury.

Beneath her frustration and anger, she was truly, utterly heartbroken.

*****

Cassie was crying again.

She tried to hide it, but with a sidelong glance Reed noticed the way she surreptitiously stuck her fingers beneath her sunglasses to swipe at her eyes. A jagged rock of emotion lodged itself in Reed’s throat, but he stifled the instinct to go to her. He was the cause of her distress. He’d lost the right to offer comfort.

Up ahead, Abel Point Marina loomed, the town of Airlie Beach stretching out beside it. Even the main business centre was picturesque. Everything here was perfect, drenched in sunlight and nautical-themed charm. Didn’t Cassie see that a life with him could never come close to competing with a life in paradise? Better they admit that now than a few years down the road when they’d both invested more in the relationship, when they’d possibly brought children into it.

At the thought of the kids he’d never have with Cassie, Reed’s own eyes stung. They’d talked about starting a family a few times but had both decided to wait until they’d saved a little more money and found their dream house. Then they’d started having problems, Cassie had started pushing for him to talk all the damn time and he’d gotten increasingly frustrated with her. The more she’d pushed, the tighter he’d shut her out. At the time, he hadn’t seen the point in talking about things you couldn’t change.

He hadn’t been right about that. Last night when he’d told Cassie about Mikaela, it had made a difference. Not to Mikaela, it was too late for her. The change had occurred in him. He’d felt lighter, more open. When he’d made love to Cassie afterward, it had seemed as though it was the first time they’d ever truly made love, with their bodies, hearts and souls exposed. At least that was true for him. Cassie had always made love like that. She’d always given freely, while he’d taken what she offered and given only physical satiation in return.

Cassie deserved love—pure, selfless love. He hadn’t given her that at any point during their marriage.
Another reason you have to let her go, Dalton. She deserves better.

Long before he wanted it to be, their cruise was over. Cassie switched to using the yacht’s motor and eased into the mooring they’d left six days ago. Not quite a week, but Reed felt as though he’d lived half a lifetime since he’d last set foot on this particular jetty. He’d come here determined to reclaim his wife, to take her back to Sydney with him where she belonged. Somewhere along the way he’d had to face the fact she was already right where she was supposed to be.

The best thing he could do for her now was to leave her be, give her a chance to move on.

His mind careered away from that thought and the mental image it conjured of Cassie with another man, perhaps pregnant with that other man’s child. He had to get off the damn boat and leave before he weakened and doing the right thing for Cassie didn’t seem as important as making himself feel better. He went below deck and grabbed the bag he’d already packed. Then he rose out of the hatch and into the North Queensland sunshine for the last time.

Cassie was on the wharf, her arms folded over her chest. She didn’t look at him as he jumped off the stern rail onto the wooden planks beside her. Reed was gutted, made speechless by a fierce sense of loss. He knew that walking away from Cassie would leave a hole in his heart that would never be filled by anyone else.

He steeled himself against the self-pity that threatened to develop.
Toughen up, Dalton.
“I’ll never forget this time with you, Cass. I hope you find happiness.”

She was still wearing her sunglasses, but even so she refused to meet his eyes. She looked off to the left, at nothing in particular. Her voice was flat. “Just go, Reed. I can’t take this anymore.”

Swallowing past the dry restriction in his throat, Reed turned and strode off, feeling like he’d left his heart, the love of his life, on the jetty behind him.

Cassie slept on the boat that night, unwilling to go to the three-bedroom house she’d shared with her divorced cousin and her daughter for the past year. Louise was bound to see Cassie’s red-rimmed eyes and ask a lot of questions, and Cassie didn’t think she could handle that, not so soon after Reed had walked out of her life.

He’d walked out of her life. He’d thrown in the towel as far as they were concerned. Had it hurt this bad when she’d done it to him?

As much as she wanted to blame Reed for everything, Cassie had a host of recriminations for herself. Perhaps if she hadn’t left him twelve months ago, had instead forced him into counselling or something, perhaps they would have stood a chance. Maybe separation, her running away to Airlie, wasn’t the best move.