Then his lips made their way back and she turned her head slightly before he could reach her, ready to meet his mouth with her own, offering it to him. He took her in one swoop.
She could feel his hands roaming over her, but it wasn’t until he broke off the kiss to look down at her lace-cupped br**sts that she realized he’d undone the halter tie at her neck. Her top had slipped to her waist, leaving her standing there in her strapless black bra, and in the clear light of day, his masculine eyes took in every detail.
“You’re beautiful,” he said huskily, unhooking her bra, and she spilled into his hands. She gave a soft moan as he cupped her, his thumbs skimming across her n**ples, budding them until they ached for more. His fingers obliged, taking the brown peaks and rolling them until she tingled all the way down to her toes. It was the most superb form of punishment.
His hands left her br**sts and she wanted to cry out not to stop, but they merely slid down to her waist and pushed her halter top farther down her hips. Using the same skimming movement that he’d done to her n**ples, he skimmed his thumbs over her h*ps and oddly, it was just as intense. His eyes held hers, watching her face.
She felt his fingers go under her shorts, pushing them down as his whole body sank downward, too, pushing all her clothes off her, including her high-cut panties, exposing her to him.
Her heart stood still for a moment.
She watched him move his head toward her stomach and place his lips against her belly button. She gasped, but that was nothing compared to the gasp she gave as he began placing little kisses down to the V at her thighs.
One by one.
She moistened her mouth. “Um…what are you doing?”
He gave her his answer. In next to no time he had her melting under his tongue. Velvet fire.
Six
For the rest of the week they took time out to walk along some of the beaches in the area and visited the beautiful waterfall at Erskine Falls. They also drove along the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay, then a little farther on to Cape Otway to visit one of Australia’s oldest lighthouses. In the evening they watched movies or played cards or chess.
Dominic had been right that this break would do her good. In spite of the tension between them, now that she was away from the city and all the reminders of Liam, she felt a little less stressed as each day passed by.
Dominic seemed more laid-back as well though sometimes she’d catch him staring at her with a withdrawn look about him. She didn’t have to wonder why. His opinion of her hadn’t changed. Not really. He might understand her a little more now he knew about her upbringing, but in his eyes that didn’t excuse her for being a gold digger, nor for her supposed affair. And he was still angry with her for the way he thought she’d treated Liam. He wasn’t about to let go of those feelings.
She had to admit she hadn’t cared so much before what he thought. She’d had too much else on her mind with Nicole and Joe, and had tried not to think about her and Dominic’s future together. Now it hurt. Somewhere down the track she’d imagined he would see past all the issues between them and would even come to like her, not just want her body. Only, he was seeing past the issues and he still didn’t like her much. It didn’t give her hope for a promising future.
Finally, the “honeymoon” was over, and they left for Melbourne on Monday morning. The holiday had been a lovely and much-needed break, but the closer they got to the city, the more Cassandra could feel the pressures rising between her and Dominic.
There were so many things they would have to deal with now, not the least of which was Christmas in less than two weeks. It would be a sad holiday for the family this year, and she hadn’t even reminded anyone it was her birthday on Thursday. She was happy to let it pass. It didn’t seem right to be celebrating at a time like this.
And there was the media to face, though thankfully Michael had been able to use his connections to keep news of her and Dominic’s marriage low-key. The media weren’t usually so kind, and their response said a lot about the high regard the country held for the family.
Of course, she still had to call her sister, Penny, then go sort out everything at the nursing home. She’d do that tomorrow, after Dominic went back to work. She just prayed that her share of Liam’s estate would be there without her having to ask Dominic. So far, nothing had gone into her bank account.
They arrived back at Sandringham at noon. Nesta welcomed them, then went about the business of unpacking their luggage while Dominic took Cassandra and Nicole on a tour of their new home.
It was a dream mansion and impressed Cassandra in every way it could. There was a sparkling kitchen and modern furniture throughout. Expansive glass in the living room overlooked stunning gardens. A pool and a tennis court begged to be used, and the place even had a fully equipped gym.
Upstairs, the bedrooms, designed for luxury, were en suite and the master bedroom had a private balcony with a view of the bay. And she only had to look into Dominic’s eyes to know they would make full use of the spa bath.
Her cheeks felt warm as they went back downstairs, but had cooled by the time they sat down to eat a late lunch. After that, Nicole had her afternoon nap, while Dominic needed to go into the city to speak to Adam at the office. Nesta hurried off to prepare dinner.
And suddenly Cassandra was alone.
It struck her then. This was it. This was her life now. They were back in the real world, and nothing was going to change for her. She’d still be a trophy wife, and now another husband would be busy with his work. Just like it had been with Liam until he became ill. Liam had been a very social person and she’d at least kept herself occupied arranging all his parties. Dominic was more private. She wasn’t sure what he expected of her in this regard.
Unnerved, she knew she couldn’t while away the hours doing nothing. She loved being a mother and spending time with Nicole, but this time she needed something for herself, even if it was only a couple of hours a week. Something.
Anything.
A part-time job? Volunteer work? She didn’t even have a car to get around in, Liam having insisted on supplying a driver whenever she’d needed one. It hadn’t changed after his illness had been diagnosed. In fact, having a driver had been a blessing with all the medical appointments and then the visits to see him at his parents’ house.
She took a deep breath and told herself not to panic. She wasn’t trapped inside this house for good. There were ways around things. She had four hundred dollars in the bank, and that at least could pay for a few cab trips to go see her father until the money started flowing again once the will was finalized. Then she would buy herself a car. And she would find a responsible babysitter for Nicole, or perhaps Nesta would babysit a couple of times a week. The housekeeper was a widow and had a couple of grandchildren herself.
As for today, suddenly she had the strongest urge to go to her old home. Everything had been so rushed last week that she’d walked out the door the morning of the wedding without even a last look around.
She was about to reach for the phone to call a cab when she remembered Dominic’s Porsche. Of course! Did he still have it? She hurried to check if it was there. It was. Dare she? He might even allow her to use it in the future, though she wouldn’t hold her breath. Men were funny when it came to their cars.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” the housekeeper fretted when Cassandra told her she wanted to go for a drive and asked her to keep an eye on Nicole, who was sleeping. She wasn’t one to dump her daughter on anyone, but she badly needed to get out of the house right now.
“Why not? It’s a beautiful day, and I want to have a look around the area by myself.” She and Liam had lived quite a few suburbs away.
Nesta reluctantly gave her the keys. “Okay, but promise me you’ll call me if you need anything.”
“I promise. Look, here’s my cell number so that you can call me if need be.” She wanted to be in contact in case Nicole needed her, and Nesta seemed happy with that.
The Porsche was a beautiful car, and for a split second she sat in it in the double garage and hesitated about driving it. Then she remembered how Dominic had gone off to the office and done his own thing this afternoon, so why couldn’t she? Anyway, she’d take it easy.
By the time she’d driven out the automatic gates, she was getting the hang of driving again. She’d forgotten how being in control had felt, especially with such a sleek, powerful car under her hands. After a while she even turned up the radio and let the breeze whip her hair, and by the time she reached her old house, some of the cobwebs in her mind had been blown away.
The first thing she saw as she pulled up in front of the town house was a For Sale sign. It took her by surprise and sent a shock of anger through her. Damn him. Dominic didn’t muck around. It had been only a week since she’d left.
Feeling almost like an intruder, she parked in the driveway. Some mail was sticking out of the letterbox, so she emptied it, not surprised there wasn’t a birthday card from Penny. Her sister had never been one to send cards or letters, but Cassandra knew she cared and that was all that mattered.
Then she walked up to the front door, half expecting her key not to fit the lock, but it did and she went inside to find nothing had changed. Nothing except her, she thought, walking into the living room and seeing all the furniture still there.
Then she realized something, and she was shocked to see there were no personal items left in the room. No doubt Dominic had arranged to have them stored away somewhere, but it was typical of his high-handedness that he hadn’t even told her.
She took a couple of steps toward the kitchen to check the rest of the house, but all at once her anger was replaced by an odd feeling and her feet wouldn’t move past this point.
She simply didn’t want to walk into the kitchen, where she’d organized many a dinner party for Liam’s friends and business acquaintances, and where Keith had forced his attentions on her until Liam had walked in. Or go inside the bedroom she’d shared with Liam, and certainly not the spare bedroom he’d moved into after he’d started his intensive treatment before going home to die.
The whole house had a defeated air about it, despite the brightness of the white decor, which Liam had chosen. Or perhaps it was just the sad and unhappy memories here. More than likely that was it, she admitted, giving one last look around before truly saying goodbye to Liam in her heart and walking out the front door.
She now had closure.
Nesta looked greatly relieved to see her, and Cassandra had to admit that having a welcoming face meet her at the door made her feel slightly cherished. Cassandra then spent the rest of the afternoon “cherishing” her little girl in turn.
Dominic returned around seven and she was tempted to tackle him about the arrogant way he’d dealt with the house and personal belongings, but Nicole had been fed and bathed and was getting grumpy. But when he took the time to put her daughter on his lap and play with her for a few minutes, Cassandra’s anger at him lessened, and then her heart melted watching the two of them together. If anything happened to her, Nicole would be loved and cared for. She was so grateful for that.