Free Marrying Cade by Sally Clements Page A

smiled such an open and giving smile that his heart leaped in his chest. He breathed in her scent. And felt his heart melt.
    A finger poked his chest, flicked over the buttons. “Unfair.” Full lips pouted. “You have too many clothes on. Help me.”
    She was right. He had too many clothes on. Their fingers tangled in frantic need to get them off.
    “Bugger this.” Cade grabbed the open flap of shirt and tore the two halves asunder, scattering buttons across the room.
    Melo’s eyes widened, and she gasped.
    He unbuttoned the cuffs, loving the way her black irises expanded, banishing the blue. Her hungry hands were at his belt, unfastening the buckle as he undid the cuff buttons.
    He pulled the shirt off at exactly the same moment as her fingers slid his fly down, brushing against his erection. He tensed, pulled in a breath, and shuddered. Stripped off the rest, picked her up in his arms, and carried her to the bed.
    Her fingers reached around her, scrabbling for the bra clasp.
    “Stop.” He leaned away, caressing her stomach as his eyes lingered. “I just want to look at you.”
    She’d been lean and boyish, but the woman lying on the bed, her hair fanned out over the pillow, bore little comparison to the tomboy he’d known. Color flooded her cheekbones, and she pulled in her lip, worrying it with her teeth.
    “Now, roll over, I’ll never get all these catches undone without looking.”
    He pushed on her hipbone gently, angling her away from him. His hand stroked her shoulders slowly. Fingers traced the bumps of her spine. He undid the bra clasp, then traced the vertebrae to her waist, unhooking there too. He slid his fingers under the lace band of her panties, stroked her bottom.
    Melo gasped, flipped, and reached for his face. “Enough playing.” Her voice was husky, aroused. “Kiss me.”
    He didn’t have to be told twice.
    ****
    The sensation of Cade’s finger tracing her spine sent shudders of reaction to Melo’s core. Who knew the spine was an erogenous zone? As Cade’s lips teased hers, and his hands pushed off the remnants of her clothing she realized her mistake. With Cade touching her, everywhere was an erogenous zone.
    His hair brushed her cheek, the soft bristles of his jaw rubbed against her. There’d be beard rash in the morning, and she didn’t care. Didn’t care about anything but the sweet torture of his soft caresses. She wanted more, needed more. Her hand caressed his waist, pulling him on top of her. The weight of his body was delicious. She sighed and wriggled.
    He propped himself up on his arms, pinning her with a mock frown. “If you keep doing that this is going to be over too quickly.”
    “Don’t care. We can always do it again.” She extended her tongue to trace his lips.
    Cade growled, buried his face in her cleavage, licked back. “You asked for it.” His thumb rubbed over her nipple while his mouth fastened over its twin.
    A lightning bolt of heat shot to her core, raising her hips. The slow, steady exploration of her body was over. Her hands tangled in his hair, keeping his mouth where it was as his hands hooked in her panties and pulled them down. Excitement chased away the blood from her face, tingling like the onset of a panic attack. She pulled in a ragged breath, as his clever mouth moved lower, nipping at the hollow next to her hipbones.
    “Oh, that’s feels good.” The words puffed out with a breath.
    His head lifted, and the most wicked grin ever spread over his face. “Then this, darling, will feel even better.”
    Cade’s fingers caressed the back of her knees, angling them apart as his head slipped between her thighs. His hair brushed against her thighs, as his mouth found her core.
    Her back arched, fingers clutched white on the sheet as his tongue worked its magic. She wanted to hold on, wanted to touch him…
    His hands slid under her bottom, squeezing. Angling her closer. All rational thought fled as her body shuddered then tilted over the edge