Creative License (10 page)

She thrust her hips against his fingers, but Caleb held her still. His other hand massaged her ass, moving closer to her untried hole. Lily gasped as his finger gently stroked the sensitive skin. He inserted one oiled finger, gently stretching her. Another finger joined the first. Lily gasped at the unexpected pleasure of the invasion as the water pulsed against her clitoris. Caleb nibbled her neck as he slowly moved the fingers in and out.

Lily stood frozen, caught between the building pressure of the pounding water on her sex and the pleasure-pain of Caleb’s fingers. Her skin pebbled as his tongue snaked out to caress her ear. “You say stop, I stop,” he whispered.

Lily gasped as he slid his fingers out, suddenly feeling empty then the tip of his erection touched her opening. She arched her hips back, passion stealing all reason from her mind. Inch by inch Caleb slid inside of her. She hissed at the stretching discomfort that turned into pleasure as her muscles relaxed, accepting him. She rested her head back against Caleb, his breath loud in her ear. He groaned and her need for him burned hotter. She arched, pushing him deeper, wanting to feel all of him.

The water continued to play over her pussy, massaging her clit, driving her faster toward climax. Her legs shook as sensations raced through her body. Caleb’s hips slapped against her ass, she reached back to feel his hair, the other hand gripping the arm that held the shower head. Suddenly, she peaked. Her body exploded in a festival of pleasure, her walls fisting his cock as an orgasm wracked her body, hard. Her sex and anus spasmed over and over again. He drove harder, deeper, her hips rolled back to meet his thrusts.

“Oh, God. Caleb!” she cried and he took her to heights she’d never imagined.

The world went black and she was lost in the sensation of being filled. Dimly, she heard Caleb cry out as his hips thrust forward. When she could open her eyes, Caleb’s forehead pressed against her shoulder, his breathing ragged. She reached back and stroked his head. Caleb pulled out of her and wrapped his arms around her.

“I almost passed out.” Her words had no breath.

He turned her, pulled her close and kissed her hair. “I never knew it could be like this,” he whispered.

Tears pricked Lily’s eyes again, the emotional connection overwhelming. She’d thought the same thing. Maybe they hadn’t been wrong in Vegas. Could you really find your soul-mate? And if she had, would she risk losing him. Again? Lily pressed against Caleb, desperate to hold onto the moment, to memorize every hard plane of his body. She felt as though she belonged here, with him. Did he feel the same? Did it matter? She clung to Caleb until the water turned cold.

Chapter Eight

Lily arched her spine, stretching her arms over her head and pointing her toes, relishing the small aches of her pleasantly sore and sated body. The air was cool but she was warm and comfortable under the cocoon of blankets with Caleb. She turned and snuggled into his heat.

Snaking one arm across his back, she stretched her fingers wide to touch as much of the silky skin of his chest as possible. Lily breathed in the rich masculine scent of his flesh and fought to ignore the light streaming in through the windows. Light
. Shit
.

She sat up and glanced at the clock. Eleven.
Oh, shit, shit
. She shook Caleb’s shoulder. He groaned, grabbed her fingers, stroked up to her shoulder and pulled her over his body and rolled her under him, cradling her against his chest. For a moment she was tempted to give in and enjoy the feel of him surrounding her, safe and sheltered.

Mrs. Patterson
.

“Caleb. We’re supposed to be at Mrs. Patterson’s in an hour and a half,” she said against his neck. Caleb’s tightened his hold. The air from his sigh ruffled the hair on the top of her head. “Caleb,” she said louder. “Mrs. Patterson. Lunch. Today.”

His body tensed. “Shit,” he mumbled into her hair but didn’t move. Instead he slid his legs so that the length of his erection pressed against her hip.

Lily’s juices surged and her belly tightened as that satiny rock hard cock moved against her skin. She smiled. “So, I take it you’re happy to see me.”

“I’m always happy to see you, sweetheart.”

“I have a name, you know.” She teased, sliding along his body. The heat of passion flared in her core. The promise in the hard length pressed up against her was almost irresistible. “Caleb, get your ass out of bed.”

“Tease,” he said, but rolled out of bed and stretched.

Lily watched his muscles move with rapt attention. He was beautiful. Caleb walked naked down the hall toward the bathroom. She fought the urge to jump up and follow him when the shower turned on. She pictured his wet body, the skin slick and moist. The ache welled, turning into longing. Would she ever get tired of him?

She smiled at the empty room. Not a chance. She’d thought giving into her desires would get them out of her system but the more she gave into them, the more she wanted Caleb. And that was a problem, a big problem. Her flight left tomorrow morning. And then back to her work, her life.

An overwhelming loneliness took her by surprise. She’d never been good at casual relationships. It had been out of character for her to sleep with a man on the first date let alone marry him, but here she was, making the same mistake again. Only this time she couldn’t blame the alcohol. She was drunk on something entirely different. Love drunk.

She froze. No, she wasn’t in love with Caleb. They were much too different. Then what was it? Lust. It had to be. An undeniable physical attraction. Pheromones or something, but that was all.

“Are you still in bed?” Caleb walked around the corner, naked, toweling his hair dry. “Get a move on, woman. We’ll be late.”

She marveled at how unselfconsciously he moved around the room. The sunlight stroked his golden skin and her palms itched to trace the smooth line of his biceps, feel the muscles of his chest, tangle her fingers in the sprinkling of hair on his chest. Her pussy throbbed. He turned, the muscles of his ass contracting, to rummage in a drawer. She sighed when he pulled on his briefs.

“If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll never leave the house.”

Lily blinked and tore her gaze away from Caleb’s slowly tenting underwear to his face. His eyes sparkled.

“You’re so damn sexy lying there with drool running down your chin.”

Lily’s hand went to her chin and then she saw his wicked grin and threw a pillow at him. “In your dreams, buster.”

He laughed. “There too. And the shower, the couch, the bed, did I forget the kitchen table?”

Lily hesitated in confusion. “We never did anything on the kitchen table.”

Caleb smiled, dimples showing in his freshly shaven cheeks. “Gives us something to look forward to today, doesn’t it?”

She grabbed another pillow but he ducked, moving toward the bed to capture her wrist in his hand. “It was just a suggestion. You’re so edible. It makes sense if you think about it.” He grinned. “And I’ve thought about it.”

Shivers traced Lily’s body at the huskiness in his voice. He slowly crawled over her, pushing her back against the pillow until he was hovering over her. The heat from his body and scent of soap and clean man sent another wave of cream to dampen the curls between her legs.

He licked her shoulder. “Don’t you want to shower?”

“You could come with me,” she said.

“That sounds like one of your better ideas.” He laughed, kissed her neck and rose off the bed. “You are definitely persuasive, but we both know the temptation to linger would be too great to resist.”

Her skin chilled as though Caleb had taken the warmth of the room with him.
What’s wrong with me?

His grin was lecherous. “Honey, I love the way you look in that sheet, but I’m thinking you might want to wear something else to Mrs. P’s. Her butler is old, he couldn’t stand the stimulation.”

Lily shook off her mood and then grinned. What was good for the gander… She threw off the covers and walked slowly from the room, adding what she hoped was a sexy sway to her hips, aware of Caleb’s eyes on her. “I’ll grab a quick shower.” She turned and winked, taking in his glazed expression, before walking down the hall, confident she’d left him with drool on his chin.

Lily glanced up at the arched entryway of the courtyard before her. The house belonged on the Mediterranean. Of course the dark blue expanse of the San Francisco Bay helped to further that idea. On the cab ride to Mrs. Patterson’s, they’d passed many impressive houses, where cypress mixed with palm trees and other spiky plants for which Lily had no name.

Caleb squeezed her hand. “Are you ready?”

Was she ready? Before this moment, she wouldn’t have hesitated. She’d grown up visiting and living in houses such as those in Sea Cliff, an obviously affluent neighborhood in San Francisco, full of stucco walls and Spanish tile roofs. What if she messed up and ruined Caleb’s chances? Destroyed his dream? She’d never forgive herself. Perhaps she could persuade her parents to support a talented artist. No, Caleb would never let her do that.

“Lily?”

She turned to Caleb’s watchful gaze. “Oh, yeah. I’m ready.”

They walked through the arch. Her new black sling-backs crunched against the pebbled path. Bougainvillea climbed the stone walls in lavish profusion of deep pink, serving as a colorful back drop to the lush garden bordering the paved path. They skirted a tinkling fountain and stepped up to the front door. Caleb smiled before he raised the brass knocker and released.

A wizened old man opened the door. “Mr. and Mrs. Anderson.” He smiled. “Mrs. Patterson is expecting you.” The man stepped aside, revealing a large foyer.

Lily’s eyes were drawn toward the light spilling from a domed skylight as large as the room. Dark wooden beams criss-crossed the expanse of sky and sent mimicking shadows to the tile below. A crystal chandelier hung from one heavy joist and scattered rainbow-hued light across the beams. Lily forced her gaze back to Caleb.

“This is Mrs. Patterson’s assistant, Jeffery. Jeffery, this is my wife, Lily.”

A jolt of pleasure ran through her system, hearing the words from Caleb’s mouth.
It’s an act, don’t you make it more than that.
Lily forced her mouth into a smile. “Pleased to meet you.”

Jeffery smiled and clasped Lily’s extended hand in a dry, warm grasp. “Likewise.”

Caleb leaned closer and glanced at the impressive ceiling. His warm breath ruffled the hair around her ear and sent shivers down her arm. “It affected me that way when I first saw it too. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Caleb!” A blur of white taffeta and expensive perfume walked through an arched doorway to kiss Caleb’s cheeks before turning toward Lily.

Hadn’t Caleb said Mrs. Patterson was old? This woman, while mature, was far from old. Dark blonde hair framed her face in gentle waves, while piercing blue eyes smiled along with ruby-red lips. Her skin was smooth but if she’d had plastic surgery, the doctors had done a very good job because it didn’t look unnatural.

“You must be Lily.” Mrs. Patterson beamed as she stepped forward to kiss Lily on both cheeks. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Selene Patterson.”

“Mrs. Patterson. It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Oh, Caleb, she’s prettier even than you described.” Mrs. Patterson grasped Caleb’s hand and then Lily’s. Arching an eyebrow, she looked Caleb up and down. “Prettier than you even.” She laughed. “We are in for a treat. Cook has outdone himself today.”

Lily glanced from Mrs. Patterson to Caleb. Did he just blush? “Thank you so much for—”

“No thanks needed,” Mrs. Patterson interrupted. “Your husband is a talented man. Besides, I get to bask in the glory of having found him.” She let go of Caleb to squeeze Lily’s hand in both of hers. “Come now. Lunch is on the patio.”

Lily glanced back toward Caleb as Mrs. Patterson led her deeper into the house. Caleb winked and then followed. Each room they passed through boasted expansive floor to ceiling windows opening to the bay below. Flower arrangements sat on the mahogany tables throughout the house, filling the air with their delicate fragrance. After they stepped down into another tiled room, Lily caught her breath. French doors opened up to a small patio enclosed by a low adobe wall. White clouds sailed across the pale blue sky and the bay stretched out like a sapphire below. For a second, Lily would have sworn they were in Spain or Italy. Lily stepped further out, gasping in pleasure.

One side of the patio was taken up by a huge outdoor fireplace flanked by couches and a table awash in red tulips. A table large enough for twenty sat on a raised dais to the other side but down a step, a smaller table was set for lunch. Planters of colorful flowers and foliage dotted the area and lent their color and scent to the patio. “It’s beautiful,” Lily said.

Mrs. Patterson looked around as though seeing it through Lily’s eyes. “It is. I love it out here. Come see.” She pulled Lily toward the low wall and pointed down to a gently terraced garden. “I could walk the gardens for hours.” Her laugher rumbled deep in her chest. “As a matter of fact, I often do.”

From the heights, Lily followed the pebbled trails as they passed beautiful flowers and a profusion of plants. Iron benches and bistro tables sat in tucked-away nooks formed by shade trees and flower-laden arbors. A cool breeze filled with the ocean brushed the hair from her face. She turned to catch Caleb's appreciative stare and blushed.

“Did you see the Golden Gate?” he asked.

“How could I miss it?” She turned to admire the red bridge stretching across the dark azure of the bay. The bridge was almost the same color as the Spanish tile red roofs of Mrs. Patterson’s neighbors.

“Shall we?” Mrs. Patterson swept her hand toward the crystal and china laden table. Lily and Caleb followed the sharp tap of the patroness’s heels as she walked across the tiled patio.

Caleb held a chair out for Mrs. Patterson and then Lily before settling down himself.

“I must say I was quite surprised to find out Caleb was hiding a wife.” Mrs. Patterson laid her napkin on her lap.

Lily smiled. “Caleb is a man of many surprises.”

“Most talented men are.” She waved a maid forward. The diminutive woman placed plates of fresh cut melon wrapped in prosciutto in front of them and filled their glasses with a pale yellow wine. “That’s why I was surprised, but not shocked. So how long have you two been married?”