Tread Softly (13 page)

"It's
late," she murmured, loving the feel of his arms tightening around her yet
determined not to let him discover how much she wanted him to hold her, not
just tonight but for all the nights and all the days of her life.

"Cady,
my little love, it's never too late for what I have in mind," Rafe mumbled
into her neck, his teeth taking small nibbles at the cord in the side of her
neck. "You're like a luscious, tantalizing dessert that I can't resist.
Tonight I'm going to make a feast of you, my Cady."

"You're
crazy," she gasped. "People aren't meals."

"You're
ambrosia to me." Now Rafe's voice was guttural as he slid the nightie
over her head. "When did you start wearing horse blankets to bed?" he
muttered, raising himself back from her to look at her body in the pale light
of the moon as it filtered through the sheer curtains at the window. "You
still have the same perfect body you had at eighteen. It amazes me that you
look the same." His hands followed his eyes down the length of her, his
lips taking on a more sensual droop before his mouth dropped to her navel. "I
love your body, darling."

Cady
reacted to the endearment like a drawn bow, arching toward him. She reached
toward his head, threading her fingers through his hair, wanting to keep him
close.

Before
she could say anything, he had lifted his head, sliding up her body, his lips
urgent on hers. There was an angry need in his mouth and body, the hunger
building there as though he had been banked like a fire that had now erupted
into flame.

She forgot all
the reasons why she shouldn't let him touch her. Everything was forced from her
senses but her overwhelming need of him. Heated tremors racked her form as
every cell in her body reached out to him. The tactile delight she enjoyed as
her fingers molded his skull made her dizzy. The warning voice that came from
deep inside her was not heeded. She was in the grip of a white heat of desire
and longing that erased all reason.

Their
coming together was as explosive as the last time after the barbecue at the
Highlands. Cady dropped off to sleep almost at once, hazily aware that she was
still held close to Rafe.

In
the morning she felt shy with him. She wasn't able to hold his glance when she
spoke to him, but she was aware of the heat in his look. It was the same
expression that had always been on Rafe's face when he looked at her in the
early days of their marriage, before arguments and misunderstandings replaced
it with an opaque, aloof cast to his eyes.

She
dressed with great care for the luncheon, donning a cranberry wool suit with a
short hip-length jacket and a straight skirt. She wore black calf shoes with a
matching grip bag. Her blouse was ecru silk with fine cranberry lines threaded
through the fabric. Just before it was time to leave for the event, which was
to be held at one of the local hotels in Monroe County, she closeted herself in
her room and pored over her speech, which she had prepared herself. She never
let anyone else write her speeches, though she always let one of the election
aides proofread them for her.

The
second knock at the door penetrated her consciousness. "Yes? Come
in."

"Ready,
Cady?" Rafe stood there in a familiar stance. His hands were shoved into
his pockets, his jacket thrust backward. His eyes narrowed as she rose to her
feet, taking in her outfit and the blood creeping up her cheeks.
"Intelligent persons are almost always a little bit nervous before
speeches. I am." His grin was cheeky. "And don't say that I'm not
intelligent or you'll damage my ego."

"I
won't say that. I'll just say that you have an ego the size of a hot-air
balloon," Cady observed, appreciating his attempt to keep her relaxed.

"Really?"
Rafe's teeth snapped together in a wolfish grin. He strolled toward her.
"Very disloyal remark, Mrs. Densmore."

Cady
wasn't fooled by the bland tone, and she watched him warily. "We'll be
late," she warned, stepping back.

Rafe's
arm moved to imprison her before Cady could move again. "Conceited, am
I?" He lowered his mouth to her neck.

"Very,"
Cady breathed, feeling his hands clasp her waist.

"It's
bad form to insult your husband, lady. You're in trouble," Rafe mumbled,
nuzzling his mouth into her hair. "Your hair always smells
so"good."

Cady sighed, her
hands slipping around his middle.

"Cady?
Rafe? Are you in there?" Professor Nesbitt called through the door.
"Bruno Trabold is here and he says you should hurry."

Rafe lifted his face, red mottling his features. He stared
at Cady for long moments, a muscle working in his jaw. Then his gaze lifted
from her face and hardened before he turned toward the door, not releasing her
as he spoke. "What the hell is he doing here? Never mind, Thomas, I'll be
right there." He looked down again at Cady, a hard smile lifting one comer
of his mouth. "Bruno seems to time his arrivals to interfere with us,
wouldn't you agree?"

"I've always thought Bruno was a pain, not just this
minute but ever since I've known him," Cady remarked, easing herself out
of his arms and straightening her clothes.

"Especially
when he knocked on my bedroom door that first time on Santo Tomas Island,
right?" Rafe laughed as he watched the color run up her throat. He leaned
down to give her a quick kiss. "I wanted to make love to you that day,
Cady. I needed it so much, I thought I'd blow apart, but I also knew the first
time should be when we were all alone." He pushed at the soft curve of
hair that fell forward on her face. "Funny thing about you, lady. You
never become angry when I touch your hair." He feathered her face with his
lips. "There's another funny thing—I still want you as much as I did that
day on Santo Tomas." He pushed back from her and went to the door, calling
over his shoulder for her to hurry.

Cady felt as though someone had nailed her feet to the
floor. Had Rafe said he loved her? Was that what he meant? If you wanted
someone for a long time, wasn't that love? Oh, damn! She grabbed her handbag.
If only she could be objective about Rafe. Maybe then she could remembered
them. She would nod and smile and almost always Rafe was there to supply her
with the name just at the right time. The tight clasp of his hand was a comfort
to her. More than once she saw someone glance at their entwined fingers, but
when she tried to pull away, Rafe's clasp only tightened. More than once he
leaned down to kiss her cheek or laugh at what she said to someone.

The
ballroom of the hotel was filled to capacity, making Cady halt at the open
double doors in momentary panic. For an instant she wanted to run away, but
then she felt Rafe's warm palm at her back as people spotted them from their
positions at the round luncheon tables. They all seemed to rise at once and
begin applauding. Cady knew that most of these people were enthusiastic about
Rafe's candidacy and members of his party, but that didn't stop the rush of
good feeling that coursed through her as the applause swelled and there were
shouts of "Rafe, Rafe." Her mouth dropped open when she heard people
call "Cady, Cady."

She
listened as Rafe gave a satisfied laugh at her side and then hugged her arm
close to his body. "They love you, darling, and I don't blame them."

She looked up at
him, feeling a flush of pleasure at his words, but he was looking around at the
crowd, smiling and waving.

The
luncheon was the usual pasteboard fare served at political gatherings, but to
Cady it tasted like a gourmet delight because she was squeezed close to Rafe on
the dais with the other dignitaries. He spoke to everyone near them and smiled
often at the people sitting at the round tables in front of the raised
platform. Yet it seemed to Cady that whenever Rafe looked past her to speak, he
took the opportunity of placing his arm around her shoulder. When he looked
the other way, his hand would grasp hers under the table. She beamed down at
her father, who was seated at a table in her line of vision. She was happy.
Being with Rafe gave her a special feeling.

Her
sense of well-being lasted through the chicken salad and limp spinach
vinaigrette. As the time approached for her to speak, the coffee began to turn
acid in her stomach. The familiar flutterings in her abdomen that she'd had to
fight since grade school whenever she was called on to recite or answer a
question seemed to gather momentum. When the chairman of the fund raiser stood
to give the opening remarks, Cady switched from coffee to ice water, hoping
that her insides would steady. She took deep breaths as the man began his
introduction of Rafe, who would in turn introduce her.

"Cady, I'm
very proud to be your husband, and if you rose to your feet and lost your lunch
on the mayor's head, I would still be very proud of you," Rafe whispered,
his breath tickling her ear. He planted a light kiss on her cheekbone.

Cady
hiccupped a laugh, then put her hand over her mouth, gazing reproachfully at
her husband as she tried to stifle her mirth at the picture his words had
conjured up. He had that puckish look on his face that told Cady he was
laughing at her. ,

Before she could
reply, his name was mentioned and the applause rose like a wave.

With
a casual tug at his tie, he bent to kiss her parted lips, the momentary
intimacy he gave the caress surprising her. Mischief glittered in his eyes as
he stepped toward the microphone. Her butterflies evaporated. Her fingers
unclenched.

Rafe's speech
was pungent and witty. He didn't take personal swipes at his opponent. Rather,
he stressed what had been achieved under his own leadership in the Senate and
the crippling effects his opponent's economic policies would have on the
state.

Cady had heard
her husband speak many times, but the electric effect he had on audiences never
ceased to amaze her. Though he had always lived in the lap of luxury, his
political aspirations included reforms for the poor and underprivileged and
plans to reinforce the working structure for the middle class. Cady had lost
none of the dedication toward Rafe's goals that she had felt as a college
sophomore. As she listened to him outline his proposed programs, she was more
and more convinced of his caring attitude toward his job.

When
he switched to talk of her and all the benefits that had accrued to him by
being married to such an able woman, Cady couldn't help the rush of blood to
her face. He praised the work she had done while he lay incapacitated,
outlining her accomplishments to the assembled people. He concluded, "I'm
proud to introduce my wife to you. Ladies and gentlemen, Cady Densmore. Come
here, darling."

Cady wasn't sure anyone else had heard his last words
because the applause was so loud, but they put steel in her spine. She walked
to the mike, accepted his kiss, then turned to smile at the audience as he sat
down, waiting for silence.

Rafe
rose once again and walked to the mike, adjusting it downward. "Sometimes
I forget how tiny she is," he mumbled to the audience, making them laugh.

Cady
laughed with them, then began to speak. She told of the the measures she had
fought for while Rafe was ill, the struggles she'd had. When she was almost
through with her prepared text, she sensed that the audience was with her. It
gave her a sense of power. When she might have drawn to a close, she pushed her
papers aside and looked out at the crowd. She cleared her throat. "I've
told you about our goals and what we've done. I know that you are aware, as
well, of all my husband went through while he was trapped in the grip of
paralysis." She swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat. "But
none of you was there to see this vibrant man totally still except for his eyes—eyes
that mirrored his agony yet also showed the indomitable will that wouldn't
allow him to surrender or die."

There
wasn't a sound in the cavernous room; not even a swallow. Everyone was frozen,
looking at her.

"There were
times when I wanted to give up, but the fire in his eyes wouldn't let me,"
Cady continued, her voice hoarse. "That's why I know Rafe Densmore will
never surrender his integrity or his beliefs in this state. He's the strongest
man I know, and he will fight for us and our concerns. Thank you."

There
was total silence as Cady turned away from the mike. Her eyes sought and found her
husband's. His face was expressionless. He didn't even rise to hold out her
chair. The scrape of the legs of her chair hitting his was like a signal in the
stillness.

There was a roar
of applause as chairs were pushed back and people surged to their feet. They
shouted, "Rafe, Rafe," and "That-a girl, Cady."

When
the clapping showed no signs of letting up, Rafe rose, bringing Cady with him,
holding her close to his side as he waved to the emotion-filled crowd.