Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders #4)(21)

He broke the kiss. “Are you okay?”


“Yeah.”


“That wasn’t very convincin’.” Kade noticed she wore a strange expression. “What?

Am I hurtin’ you?”


“No.”


“Skylar, what’s wrong?”


“This is going to sound so stupid. Embarrassing.” In a rush, she said, “Does it feel different for you?”


“Different how?”


“You know. Looser?”


“Looser?”


“Well, I did push an eight pound baby out of there. And I’ve heard the vaginal walls loosen and it doesn’t feel as tight for men afterward—”


“You are a f*ckin’ perfect fit.” He pulled out and pushed back in. Three, four, five hard, deep thrusts that bumped her cervix and made her bow into him with absolute abandon. “Perfect in every way.” He shortened his strokes. “Jesus. You feel so goddamn good.”


“Not half as good as you feel to me.”


“You pick lousy times to have a conversation, Sky,” he teased.

She groaned, “I deserved that.” Then she bit his earlobe.

A shudder worked through him. “I don’t know if I can go slow.”


Pressing her lips to the hollow of his throat, she said, “So don’t. It’s not like we haven’t done this before.”


“Not like this we haven’t.” Something akin to a snarl burst from his mouth as he hammered into her. Pounding hips, flesh pounding flesh, his heart matched the rhythm of it all.

Sky arched her back, tilting her pelvis, allowing him a deeper angle. “Yes. Like that.”


With her nails digging into his ass and her mouth sucking at his neck, Kade shoved hard, stayed buried balls deep and came with a long groan, sending her into another orgasm.

Still breathing with difficulty, he lifted his head and reconnected their mouths for another slow kiss. Then he whispered in her hair, “Marry me, Skylar.”


She whispered back, “No.”


“It was worth a shot.”


Chapter Nine


Somehow in the following week Eliza settled into a routine, which made Kade happy. He and Skylar settling into a routine didn’t make Kade happy. Not one iota.

Wasn’t that why he’d moved in? What he’d wanted?

No. Not like this. Every night was the same. They’d put Eliza down. Skylar would sneak into the guest bedroom, strip, and wait for him. They’d make careful love, only face to face, only in the absolute darkness, only on the bed.

While they were in the moment, it was damn good. But, afterward, when Skylar immediately got up and dressed, he questioned why she bothered with a sexual relationship with him. After they both got off, she’d disappear, leaving him…lonely. At bedtime she’d curl up on her side of the bed and he on his. They’d take turns getting up with Eliza. Business as usual. Sky probably saw nothing wrong with the way things were going between them.

As the week progressed Kade became frustrated with the situation with Skylar and his incompetence in changing it. Or in his ability to be completely honest with what he needed from her. He’d had enough empty sex in his life…well, to last a lifetime. He wanted more with her…for both of them.

For years, Kade had acted in the same manner as Sky did, confusing sex with intimacy. Now that he’d learned there was a difference, he’d hoped to take their relationship to the next level, beyond parenting partners and mattress monkeys.

So what was the problem?

From what he could tell, Skylar wasn’t interested in them becoming more intimate on any level.

Had they taken advantage of Eliza’s sleeping hours by spending time talking, beyond the basic chitchat? No. Had they cuddled up on the front porch swing to gaze at the stars and moon? No. Had they plopped on the sofa to watch TV? No. Hell, he’d’ve been happy as a pig in shit cleaning the damn house and folding laundry.

They did none of the normal couple things. She’d allow him to touch her body within certain parameters, but it never ventured beyond the surface.

At some point, Kade realized his brother hit the nail on the head with his observation about Skylar’s behavior. He’d swallowed his embarrassment and asked to borrow the pop psychology book Buck had spoken of and it just confirmed his suspicions.

It was all about Sky’s need for control. When it came to their relationship, she controlled the where, the when, and how much time they spent in the bedroom. And, she controlled the amount of time they spent out of the bedroom. She controlled…everything.

That didn’t surprise him so much because as a successful businesswoman everything in her life was laid out. Scheduled. He’d be damned if they’d schedule sex. If he was just another thing she’d mark off on her “to do” list.

In her tidy world was Eliza a constant reminder of the consequences of Sky throwing caution to the wind?

Maybe Kade could use that mindset to his advantage.

Eliza squeaked. She studied him somberly with those big blue eyes. His heart was a pile of mush when she looked at him like that. “You got me wrapped around your little finger, girlie, and you know it.”


She blinked.