If The Shoe Fits (Some Girls Do It #8) - May Sage Page 0,18

They had to—

But hell if he was going to be the one interrupting their mind-blowing, soul-altering connection. And by the sound of it, Helene wasn't likely to either.

Good.

Never had a skin felt so soft against his, or so electrifying. His fingers trailed her arm, and gripped her delicate shoulders. Finally finding the will to leave her mouth, Cade kissed her right there, on her collarbone. Helene threw her head back, giving him access to the rest of her neck. He spotted a swirling line drawn on her skin, and his hands moved of their own volition to run along the tattoo. The fabric of her dress was in the way. He couldn't have that. He needed to see it. He needed to touch it.

"Wings?" Cade could hardly recognize his voice, demanding and filled with hunger.

"Why don't you find out?"

The damn tease slowly turned, offering her back. Cade bit his lips, lowering the side zip. The blue gown slid along her curves, and settled on her hips. Her bare back was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen in his life. The design of a raven in flight took up the entire right side. Hard as a rock, he felt his length pulse, pushing against his pants.

"What does it mean?" he whispered, hands slowly caressing the bird, simply because he couldn't help himself. He had to touch her. He had to feel her skin.

"Can't a woman get a pretty tattoo for no reason at all?" she challenged.

"She certainly could, but you didn't." He didn't know why he was certain of it. "Tell me."

She didn't want to, that much was clear. Instead of pushing her, Cade grasped her hips and tugged her toward him, until she was flush against him, feeling just how mad she made him. He rubbed his length over her, his mouth returning to her skin, settling on her neck, then her ear.

He wrapped his lips over the curve of the scapha and sucked at it. A surprised shriek escaped her lips. He felt her writhe, struggling to free herself from his grip, trembling. Cade smirked, and let her go.

She spun around, staring at him. "How the fuck…what did you do!" she demanded, shocked.

Her widened eyes settled on his lips, and he could see heat color her cheeks and neck.

He had her, and she knew it. "Tell me about the raven, and I'll do it again."

She narrowed her eyes. "Seriously. The ear thing is creepy. How the hell did it feel…" She didn't have to finish that statement.

Cade shrugged. "It's funny how much we can learn about the human body, when we care to discover ways to actually pleasure people. We have so many erogenous zones, tragically often discarded."

Slowly, softly, he lifted her hand to his mouth, turned it around when it reached his face, and settled his lips on her inner wrist. Then, he sucked it, hard, before kissing the spot, licking it clean.

Helene breathed out a moan.

Cade let go of her hand. "The raven."

She groaned. "You're not playing fair."

"Tell me. You can ask whatever question you want after."

That was as fair as he was capable of being with her.

She huffed. "Fine. My best friend was in a relationship with a guy all through college. I told her he was a dick, because he made advances on me, but she didn't believe it. One day, I got to their place, found him in bed with their roommate. I took a picture to show her. She didn't take it well. I got the raven after."

That made sense, but… "Why a raven?"

She shrugged. "I thought you knew your mythology. Apollo sent a white raven to spy on his lover. When the raven brought back news that Coronis had been unfaithful, Apollo was furious. He burned it, and the feathers turned black."

The tale of betrayal uncovered another layer of the mystery that was Helene Franklin. He intended to unwrap every layer, one by one. And if what it took was sexual bribes to make her open up, all the better.

"What happened to that friend of yours?"

"She's married to the guy now. They have two kids. She doesn't talk to me, but according to a mutual friend, he's screwing his secretary."

He couldn't help a laugh. "And when you learned a valuable lesson about human nature, you marked it on your skin."

He wanted to know if she had other tattoos. He wanted their stories. And he'd have them.

"Don't you?"

Cade grinned. "My friends and I got drunk in Greece, and had the same tattoo done