Love in the Light - Laura Kaye Page 0,33

apparent in the dimness. “Why would you apologize? That was freaking hot.”

He disposed of the condom, then returned to her on the bed. “Let me make it up to you, Red,” he said, slipping in behind her, his hand sliding over her hip.

“Caden, maybe you can’t see the blissed-out expression on my face in the darkness, but trust me, I’m not complaining right now.” Humor was plain in her voice, which meant she hadn’t clued in to how out of it he was.

“I want you to come,” he whispered in her ear, making sure he didn’t press against her tattoo. It would be tender for a few days. He pulled her thigh over his, opening her core to his touch. “I always want you to come.” She was wet and hot, and her hips pressed into his fingers as they swirled in a firm circle over her clit.

On a long, low moan, she pressed her face back against his, enough that he could make out her expression. Eyes closed, she did look blissful, happy, trusting. And instead of that making him feel better, it suddenly made him feel like a fraud. Because he couldn’t give her all of him, could he? He wouldn’t reveal all of himself to her, would he? He shouldn’t burden her with all the doubts and fears and uncertainties that had been building up inside him lately, should he?

Eyes tightly shut, he leaned his forehead against hers and concentrated on stroking her just like she liked it. He needed to give her this. At least this. If not everything she deserved.

She deserves better than you.

“Oh, God, I’m coming,” she said, her hips surging. “Oh, God.” Her body shuddered through the climax, and then she sighed on a long breath. “Wow. Appetizers rock.”

Caden had to clear his throat to get his voice to sound half normal. “Yeah they do.”

She chuckled and turned over, burying her face against his chest. They lay there for a long moment until she finally yawned. “I’m so tired.”

“Me, too,” Caden said, though probably not for the same reasons.

“Can we just fall asleep like this?” she mumbled.

“Anything you want,” he said, wishing it was true. Because he wasn’t dumb. A woman who wanted you to meet her family and who tattooed your initial onto her body wanted more. Maybe wanted everything. And he felt so amazingly privileged that Makenna James maybe wanted all that with him. But he also felt undeserving.

Always.

“I guess I gotta take care of the tattoo first,” she said, pushing herself up. She stroked her fingers along the tribal tattoo on his calf. “Will you help me?”

“Of course,” Caden said, scrubbing at the scar on the side of his head. “Be right there.”

“Okay.” She threw him a small smile over her shoulder before she got up. The light came on in the bathroom, sending a stream of brightness into the bedroom.

Which meant it was time to shake the fuck out of it. Because just like in that elevator, the darkness was only going to hide him for so long.

* * *

Nausea had Makenna tearing out of bed and dashing across the room. She threw up everything she’d had for dinner the previous night and possibly some stuff she’d eaten two weeks ago given how many times she wretched.

Damn. When she’d felt better yesterday, she’d assumed she was over the stomach virus. Maybe she ought to go to the doctor. Shuddering, she flushed the toilet, then pulled herself up to the sink to rinse out her mouth.

Which was when it occurred to her.

She was late.

No, she couldn’t be—

There’d been that one time a condom broke as Caden pulled out, but Makenna had had a period since then. True, it had been light. But her periods had always been like that—light one month, heavier the next; coming twenty-eight days later one month, then thirty-one the next. Which was why she hadn’t given the lateness much thought.

Except this nausea had her thinking.

No.

No.

Shit.

Thoughts reeling, she shuffled back into the bedroom, completely unsure what she was going to say, to find the bed empty. “Caden? Hey? Where’d you go?” She found the other rooms dark and empty. What the heck?

Flicking on the kitchen light, she found a note on the counter.

Red—

I didn’t want to wake you. Realized I needed something from the house before my shift so I left early. Talk to you later. –C

Makenna frowned. In all the time that they’d been together, he’d never left before morning. On a sigh, she combed her