Getting Wound Up: A Sapphire Falls/Love Between the Bases Novel-- PART TWO (5 page)

“That’s not the kind of penthouse I meant!”

“I warned you. We’d better get in that room soon or I’ll get you naked right here in this elevator.”

Caitlyn yelped and tried to jump out of his arms, but he wouldn’t let her. The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open. He strode into the hallway with her still firmly wrapped around his body. With truly impressive coordination, he extracted the card key from his pocket and whisked them into the room.

And stopped dead.

Satisfaction filled her as she watched the amazement spread across his face.

Eli was an easy guy to please. His favorite foods had been known to her since she’d watched her first football game with her brother and his friends. A feast of all those special items was arrayed on the glass table in the center of the suite. Buffalo wings with blue cheese dip, spicy guacamole, Triscuits and sliced cheddar, green olives stuffed with more blue cheese. Nothing could be simpler.

But from the look on his face, you’d think she’d whipped up a ten-course Cordon Bleu meal. “Wow.”

Again, she tried to slip out of his grip, and again, he wouldn’t let her.

“You did this?”

“Well, it wasn’t Bryan or Ty. Unless they’re trying to cut in on my birthday territory.” She tried to laugh it off, but he looked so serious.

“No one’s… I mean, I never expected…”

When he couldn’t manage to finish his sentence, it finally sank in what he was trying to say. Eli had been taking care of everyone else for so long. When was the last time anyone had taken care of him?

“A lot of people really care about you, Eli,” she said softly. “Not just me.”

His arms tightened. “You care?”

“Yeah, like it’s some big secret.” She nudged him with her forehead. “I don’t send flowers to just any boy.”

That brought the smile back to his face. “You take the cake, Caitlyn. There’s no one like you.”

“The cake! I can’t believe I almost forgot. Put me down.” Her bossy tone got his attention and he finally released her.

“Where are you going?”

“Just trust me, okay?”

“Fine. But don’t take long. I’ll just be over here snacking.”

“Go ahead and fuel up. You’re going to need it.” With a teasing wink, she skipped away from him. Oh, how she loved the way his eyes went dark with lust. This couldn’t possibly be going any better.

* * *

Eli was trying to figure out what he’d done to deserve someone as amazing as Caitlyn. All of his favorite foods in one place, at the same time. He popped an olive into his mouth. How had she known about all this? That was just the kind of person she was. She thought about other people. Tried to make them happy. That’s why she made candy, and not just any candy—custom-designed candy. Made with love and thought specifically for each person.

Did she know how special she was? Not just to him, but in general? A guy could travel the world over, from Texas to San Diego and anywhere else, and not find someone as amazing as Cait. And there she’d been this whole time, while he’d been caught up in worry and hard work.

Was he the densest guy in Sapphire Falls?

“Why are you frowning, birthday boy?”

He looked up—then froze all over again.

Caitlyn stood in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but an apron. In one hand she held a bowl, in the other, a spatula.

His jaw dropped. “Wha…?”

“I happen to know you don’t really like cake. Am I right?”

“Well…that’s true.” He’d always forced down the birthday cake people served at parties. He put it in the candy category. “But I’m sure any cake you make would be—”

She held up a hand, revealing one bare breast and a pink nipple winking at him. “No need to fudge the truth. You’re not a cake guy. That’s okay. Birthdays don’t have to have cake. Anyway, the cake is just an excuse for the frosting. Remember that dream you had?” She tilted the bowl toward him.

Pink frosting.

He groaned, torn between lust and laughter. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

She grinned back at him. Damn, she looked good in that apron. “Definitely not. We have some celebrating to do first.”

“Since it’s my birthday, you have to do what I say, right?”

She went a little pink. “I suppose.”

“Turn around. I want to see how your ass looks in that apron.”

She groaned, and didn’t budge. “I’ll tell you how it looks. Too big.”

“No way. Come on. It’s my birthday, you can’t deny me.”

Reluctantly, she turned, and he nearly came right then and there at the sight of her shapely rear bare underneath the big ribbon she’d tied in the back. “You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” He came close and reverently caressed her ass. Sleek curves tempted his fingers and made his cock harden. She quivered under his touch and her breath caught.

“Put the spatula down and hand me the bowl,” he told her. She did as he said. He pulled her against him, so her back nested against his front, his rock-hard erection making its presence known.

“You do think I’m sexy,” she breathed, almost as if she hadn’t believed it.

“I do. Every part of you. This part right up there with the rest.” Again he stroked her behind. “Turn around now.”

With satisfaction, he saw the flush of arousal already turning her chest pink. This was something he’d discovered during their first night together. When Caitlyn got turned on, it showed in her creamy skin, in her sensitive nipples, in the widening pupils of her hazel eyes. If he knew his girl—and he was just starting to, really—she was halfway to an orgasm already. He could slip his hand under that apron right now and get her off.

But he had to take advantage of the frosting first.

Gently, he tugged at the ribbon of the apron so it fell to the floor. He wanted her entirely naked, pink and flushed and delicious as one of her cupcakes.

“Best birthday present ever,” he murmured.

He dipped his finger into the bowl and painted a letter above her breasts. A big letter I, with the bottom part spanning the distance from nipple to nipple.

She probably didn’t realize it was a letter. She probably thought it was a random design. And that was fine. But so much emotion pounded in his heart, he had to let it out. Slowly, he added another word. Four letters, one starting at the left nipple, one ending at the right. L.O.V.E.

She half-closed her eyes, which hazed over with pleasure. With her skin so warm, almost feverish, the frosting started to melt right away. So he quickly added the last word, “you,” followed by an exclamation point ending in a dot on her clit.

She gasped. Because of how it felt, or what he’d written, he wasn’t sure. But since the pink sugar was starting to run down her body, he lapped it off her nipples, her natural sweetness enhanced by the pink icing. Something about the way the frosting ran down her body was outrageously erotic. He knelt on the floor to capture the end of his exclamation point. Swirling his tongue to chase down every bit of runaway frosting, he pulled a cry from her lips. He gripped her ass to bring her tight against him and leave no room for escape from his tongue. More icing dripped down her body, making its way through the thatch of curls protecting her mound. He lapped up every bit, savoring each tremor and jump of her hips.

“Oh God, Eli. That feels so good, don’t stop, I’m going to…oh my God…”

He smiled against her sweet clit. One thing he really loved about Caitlyn was how vocal she got when she was ready to come. She actually got kind of bossy about it. She threw herself into her orgasms the way she did everything else. Passionately. And he was more than happy to help her get there. He increased the pressure on her hot little nub in an enticing, teasing dance that made her inner thighs quiver.

“Eli!” She practically screamed at him.

Okay, sweetheart
, he thought.
I’m here to please.
And he brought his thumb against her swollen flesh and pressed just so. She exploded into his mouth. He kept lapping and pressing as huge spasms shook her body and soft mutters poured into the room. “Yes…oh my God…feels so good… Eli… Eli…”

That’s right. Say my name
, he thought fiercely.
Because you’re mine, and you’d better not ever forget it.

Her hands gripped his shoulders, tugging him upwards in a clear message.
Get inside me. Now.

No problem.

He scooped her up and brought her to the bed, where he could spread open her legs and bury himself in her warm, welcoming body. Thank God she’d gone on the pill after Kansas City. When she’d told him, all he could think about was thrusting into her with no barrier, nothing between them, just her heat, her wetness, her tight, tight sheath. And now she was here, it was real, and… He slowly entered her, the rush of pleasure almost too much. He clenched every muscle hard to keep from coming too soon.

“God Caitlyn. I can’t—”

“Do it.” She arched her hips up, tightening her body so he no longer really had any say in it.

He came. Hard and long. Pumping, straining, pouring himself into her body. And she met him thrust for thrust, his hot, sweet Candy-girl.

The last thing she whispered, right before he drifted off into a drugged, satisfied slumber, was, “Me too.”

He wasn’t sure exactly what she meant, but then again, nothing really mattered at that moment besides the feel of her in his arms and the silky weight of her head against his chest.

When things went crazy, people often said that life had thrown them a curveball.

Caitlyn really thought what was going on for her was more like Eli’s knuckleball—unpredictable and fast. Really fast. Her head was still spinning from watching the latest pitch whiz by.

Eli loved her.

Caitlyn had known exactly what he’d written on her skin in pink frosting. She could still feel the letters he’d traced with his calloused finger.

I love you.

Exclamation point.

And not just any exclamation point, either, but the most erotic one she could imagine. She might not ever be able to look at that particular type of punctuation mark again without blushing.

But there was no denying the truth—she was in love too.

She had the feeling that Eli thought he was being kind of secretive and mysterious. And he never said it out loud. She wasn’t sure why, but whatever the reason, she couldn’t let him go to sleep without letting him know that his message had been heard.

I love you.

Way ahead of you, Eli.

He’d fallen asleep on the king-size bed, sprawled out every which way, bits of pink frosting smeared on his torso. The sugar was starting to tighten on her skin, kind of like a body scrub. She should really rinse everything off, but it felt so good to lie next to Eli like this. So perfect. It was everything she’d ever dreamed about. The only thing that would make it even more wonderful would be if three children were sleeping in the other room. Or climbing into bed with them, eager for the day’s fun of playing catch or baking cookies. Really, that’s all it would take to make her happy.

Well, and maybe a puppy.

But it was all too much, too fast. Wasn’t it?

Then Eli sighed in his sleep, rolled toward her, and reached out to rest his hand on her stomach. The heavy, warm touch heated a lot more than her stomach and it wasn’t in the hot, lusty way she was used to his touch affecting her. She just felt…warm. All over. Especially in her chest. Right over her heart.

It might be fast, but it felt really, really good.

And suddenly she knew one thing for certain—she wasn’t going to spend her time with Eli in Kilby
sleeping
. She could sleep in Sapphire Falls. When she was alone.

She stubbornly refused to go any further down the track of that train of thought.

Instead, she studied Eli.

She wasn’t sure how deep a sleeper he was. Or, more specifically, how to best wake him up.

She stretched, her legs rubbing against his.

He sighed again and rolled closer, wedging his leg between hers.

Okay, that was nice. But he was still asleep.

She stretched again, arms over head, giving a little groan at the same time.

Eli’s fingers flexed on her stomach and then spread again and slipped slightly lower. Caitlyn didn’t
mind,
of course, but he was definitely still sleeping. He was breathing slow and deep, with just the slightest rattle of a soft snore.

Caitlyn arched her back and poked her big toe into his calf. Firmly but not too hard.

That got a little more movement out of him. He shifted his leg but somehow also cuddled closer, bringing his head against her chest. Caitlyn froze. Okay, that was
really
nice. Especially when he moved his head, as if trying to get comfortable on his new “pillow.” The light scruff on his chin rubbing on the sensitive skin shot tingles over her breasts and made her nipples pebble.

This time the little moan that escaped from her was less intentional.

He was
really
asleep and she was getting worked up.

She weighed her options. She could go to sleep. But she didn’t want to sleep. She could poke him harder, or pinch him, or shout “Eli!” and wake him up. But she had a better idea. She could really enjoy waking him up.