Blinded By Love by Reana Malori

Chapter 14

Cade

This was a bad decision. She wasn’t ready. Even though all these thoughts were running through my mind, that didn’t stop me from stepping outside on the deck. At the sound of the door closing, Norah looked over at me as the glass of wine she was nursing in her hand was held halfway to her mouth.

I walked over and sat down beside her. “She’s finally asleep.”

“How many stories did it take tonight?”

Lifting my tumbler of whiskey, I smiled. “Two.”

Humming in response, Norah lifted her glass and took a sip. “She was excited that you were able to spend so much time with us today. Usually, you’re locked away in your office.”

Nodding in response, I knew what she said was true. “There was always something to do.”

She stared at me over the rim of her glass. “What changed today?”

“Realized that life was passing me by. I’ve been waiting for a sign that things were going to be okay. That all the effort I’d put into my company and my life was worth it. Maybe it’s something that’s been building up inside. Lilly won’t be this age forever. She’s going to grow up and these moments will fade.” I took a breath, then swallowed the rest of my whiskey. “Life is too short and I’m not willing to let it pass me by anymore.”

We sat in silence for a bit before she spoke up. “Are we talking about more than your time with Lilly?”

Turning my head to look at her, I let my gaze travel from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet before capturing her gaze with mine. “Yes.”

She sighed as she looked out over the backyard. The quiet went on a bit too long, and I wanted—no, I needed to know what she was thinking. “Talk to me, Norah.”

Some might say it was too soon for me to be interested in another woman. That I hadn’t grieved long enough. But no one can understand what I’m going through unless they’ve been there. To spend so much time saying goodbye, preparing for the end, when it comes, there’s a bit of relief mixed in with the grief. It wasn’t that I was out looking for another woman to enter my life. I wasn’t. But sitting here with Norah as we talked about our day playing with my daughter, closing out the evening with a drink in hand, sitting on the deck, felt good. It felt right.

When I was with her, the pain didn’t exist. I was able to breathe more easily. My laughter came quicker. Work stopped being my mistress. It was comfortable, but also a bit exciting. I didn’t know what life had in store for me, but I knew I wanted Norah by my side when I figured it out.

I’d been watching her this entire time and I saw the emotions float over her face. Sadness. Happiness. Uncertainty, especially when she bit her lip and her eyes fluttered as she looked down. If it was time she needed, I would give her that. But I hoped at the end, she ended up where I already was.

“How come we never talked about that night we all met?”

Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting but if this is what she needed, I was all in. “It never seemed like the right time. I’d connected with Rebecca, we started dating, then got engaged, and then got married. It wasn’t something I wanted to bring up to you.”

Shifting in her seat, she pulled her feet up and tucked them beneath her. Fully facing me, she no longer had that look of uncertainty on her face. “You asked me the other night, what do I think would have happened if you’d talked to me that night. Honestly, I don’t know if I want to answer that.”

“Why?”

Norah shrugged. “Because that would mean I would have changed the past. You wouldn’t have married Rebecca or had Lilly. It seems like a betrayal to what the two of you had.”

Nodding at her words, I knew exactly what she was saying. That one moment in time. Fifteen minutes changed the course of my life. Could I have pursued Norah at the time? Probably? But after she’d seen me hugged up on her friend, I doubted that would have been something she’d respond to. No, I couldn’t regret what I’d done.

“Norah, this isn’t a betrayal. This is recognizing that there’s something between us now. Today. It wasn’t our time eight years ago. That doesn’t mean we don’t get a second chance.” Deciding it was time to come clean with some of my own secrets, I rubbed a hand down my face before leaning over to rest my elbows on my knees.

“Her letter to me… she knew there was something between us.”

Norah’s gasp was loud in the night air. “But there wasn’t…”

I nodded. “She knew that too. Rebecca wasn’t accusing us of anything. She wanted me to know that it was okay to live. That she wanted me to find happiness… preferably with you.”

As I waited for her to digest that bit of news, I sat in silence. Then I wondered if we’d ever be able to truly move beyond our past. Would every conversation involve discussing Rebecca? When would we be able to just focus on us, our relationship? Was I fooling myself into thinking we could build something?

“Cade, my letter said something similar. She mentioned that she realized it later, that we’d seen each other that night.”

I laughed, then lay my head back and looked up at the night stars. I’m not a man known for soft words, but I couldn’t help but thank my late wife for what she was trying to do. Even though she was no longer here, she was still looking out for us, using everything within her power to bring me and Norah together.

Lifting my head, I looked over at the woman sitting next to me. The moonlight reflected on her skin, giving her skin a light glow. Her brown eyes stared at me, a small smile on her lips. There was nothing I wanted to do more than to kiss her, claim her mouth again as I did the other night. Would she taste of the wine she was drinking? Would she return my kiss as strong as she did last night?

Damn, had it only been twenty-four hours since I’d kissed her? Well, I wanted more. Needed more.

“Norah, I want to kiss you again,” I admitted. “Will you give me what I want?” My voice was low, guttural, and filled with need. Standing from the chair, I walked over in front of her. “If you don’t want this, or want me, then tell me now. I’ll back off. We’ll forget what was in those letters and I’ll never bring this up again. The two of us will focus on raising Lilly together, but separately.” My hand reached out to her. “But if you want this as much as I do, or want me as much as I want you, then come to me. Stand up. Let me kiss you. Let me show you how much I need you.”

She looked up at me for so long, I thought she was trying to think of a way to refuse my request. But then she placed her hand in mine, untucked her feet, and stood in front of me.

“Then kiss me,” she demanded.

Without waiting a moment longer, I leaned down, capturing her lips with mine. My arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to me. My lower body pressed into her, and I felt a jolt of electricity soar through me. Her taste, the softness of her lips, the scent of her body wash had overwhelmed me but at the same time, the mixture was perfectly balanced.

When she’d come home, she’d changed back into those shorts I’d demanded she changed out of earlier today. Gripping her tightly, I lifted her. “Wrap your legs around me.” The raw need in my voice came across loud and clear.

“Don’t drop me,” she whispered.

“Baby, I’m never gonna let you go again,” I swore to her as I walked inside, made my way up the stairs and towards her bedroom. Once inside and the door was closed, I went over to her bed. “Norah, I want you tonight. I know we haven’t resolved everything between us, but I need you.” She bit her bottom lip, and I felt my dick throb in response. I bet she had no idea what she did to me, how she made me feel with just a look.

“I want you, too. We’ll take things one step at a time. Let’s just focus on right here, right now.”

“Whatever you want.” Hell, at this point, I would have agreed to just about anything she asked of me. I’d been tempted by her for so long. To finally have this moment, to have her underneath me, I was going to savor every second. She may think we were going to take this slow, but I had no intentions of letting her get away from me. Tonight would be the beginning of something amazing.

Gazing down at her, I kissed her again, my tongue delving inside her mouth. I needed her taste. I needed to be connected to her. We were wearing too many clothes. I ached to feel her bare flesh against mine. My hand roamed up and down her body, touching her everywhere I could. When she lifted her legs higher, it tilted her lower body, pressing her hot center against me. I broke away from the kiss, pushing my head into the space between her neck and shoulder. “Fuck. You feel so good. Not enough. I need more.”

“Cade,” she whispered my name.

I closed my eyes at the sound and basked in the feeling of being with Norah. Trailing my lips down her chest, I lifted her shirt, baring her stomach to my gaze. I licked her skin, memorizing her taste on my tongue. My mouth began to water in anticipation. Lifting from her, I pulled my shirt off before shifting my attention to her clothes. Within minutes, she lay in front of me wearing only a pair of skimpy black underwear. I placed my nose at the juncture of her thighs and inhaled.

“Cade?”

“Don’t interrupt me,” I growled. My tongue flicked out and tasted her through the fabric. She was already so wet for me. Her panties were already soaked with her essence. Her flavor exploded on my tongue and my dick throbbed in my pants, begging me to come out and play.

“Oh, fuck,” she moaned.

“Exactly.” With swift movements, I grabbed her underwear and removed them from her body. Flinging the material over my shoulder, I stared down at her bare mound. It was my new favorite view; puffy brown lips with a warm pink center. Norah moved to raise her upper body and I placed one of my hands in the middle of her chest. “No. Lay back. You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed of having you here like this. Let me enjoy the view.”

Norah whimpered, her lower body squirming as my hot gaze seared into her. “Please.”

That one word did it for me. Placing my head between her thighs, I swiped at the moisture clinging to her skin and moaned. Damn, she tasted good. Going in deeper, I used my mouth to swipe and lick her nether lips. Plump and juicy. Her cream began to flow, and her moans became louder. Shifting my hand from her chest, I went to cover her mouth when she grabbed it. Pulling my fingers into her mouth, she sucked at my digits as if they were another part of my anatomy.

Wrapping my other hand around her leg, I pulled her closer to me as my mouth devoured her. Norah had no idea that after tonight, she would be mine. No one would interfere with us again. Now that I finally had her, there was nothing that would stop me from making her my woman.

I may have been blinded to what was right in front of me, but no more.

When she pulled my hand away from her mouth, her body began convulsing. “Oh. Shit. Yes, Cade. I’m coming. Oh, gawd.”

Every word from her mouth was like music to my ears.

Pulling her hardened clit in between my lips, I sucked on the flesh with my mouth as my tongue joined the party, flicking against nubbin. It pulsed. She slapped her hands across her mouth. Body tensing, her hips arched. My eyes were trained on her, taking in every second of this moment.

Norah’s toes curled. I grabbed her ass, pressing her body closer. I didn’t want to miss a moment as she broke apart in my arms.

“Yes. Yes. Yes,” she whined.

Then her body released ambrosia and I swallowed every fucking drop. Fuck, yes. She was mine. After so many years, she was finally going to be mine. Even though she may try to fight it, we both knew tonight would change everything.

Norah was mine.

Releasing her, I lifted from the bed to remove my pants. I needed to be inside her.