There was a silent message bouncing between them, that things were about to get very intimate, very fast.
The old cabin creaked and groaned against the wind's force. Cat tensed beneath him.
"You're safe," he assured her softly, not wanting to break this moment of trust she'd settled into with him. "This place is so old. I know it has withstood hurricanes. This little storm won't harm the cabin or us."
And there weren't any huge trees around, just thick bushes and flowers, so they weren't at risk for anything falling on them.
Right now, the only thing he needed to be doing was pushing through that line of defense Cat had built up. And from her sultry grin and heavy lids, he'd say he was doing a damn fine job.
* * *
Catalina should tell him to stop. Well, the common sense side of her told her she should. But the female side, the side that hadn't been touched or treasured in more time than she cared to admit, told her common sense to shut up.
Will had quite the touch. She had no idea the nerves in your feet could be so tied into all the girly parts. She certainly knew it now. Every part of her was zipping with ache and need. If he commanded her to strip and dance around the room naked, she would. The power he held over her was all-consuming and she was dying to know when he was going to do more.
She'd walked straight into this with her eyes wide open. So if she was having doubts or regrets already, she had no one to blame but herself. Though Catalina wasn't doubting or regretting. She was aching, on the verge of begging him to take this to the next level.
Catalina's head fell back against the chair as his hands moved to her other calf, quickly traveling up to her knee, then her thigh. She wanted to inch down further and part her legs just a tad, but that would be a silent invitation she wasn't quite brave enough for.
Yet.
"I've wanted to touch you for so long," he muttered, barely loud enough for her to hear over the storm. "I've watched you for the past four years, wondering if you ever thought of me. Wondering if you ever fantasized about me the way I did you."
Every. Single. Night.
Which was a confession she wasn't ready to share. The ball was in his court for now and she planned on just waiting to see how this played out.
He massaged her muscles with the tips of his fingers and the room became hotter with each stroke. If the man could have such power over her with something so simple as a foot massage, how would her body react once Will really started showing her affection?
"Do you remember that time your mother caught us making out?" he asked with a half laugh.
At the time, Catalina had been mortified that her mother caught them. But it wasn't until after the breakup that she realized why her mother had been so disappointed.
Patrick Rowling had really done a number on Catalina's mum. And it was those thoughts that could quickly put a bucket of cold water on this encounter, but she refused to allow Patrick to steal one more moment of happiness from her life...he'd already taken enough from her.
Will may not be down on his knees proposing marriage, but he was down on his knees showing her affection. And maybe she hoped that would be a stepping-stone to something more... But right now, that was all she wanted. She'd fought this pull toward him for too long. She hadn't wanted to let herself believe they could be more, but now she couldn't deny herself. She couldn't avoid the inevitable...she was falling for Will all over again.
"She didn't even know we were dating," Catalina murmured, her euphoric state suddenly overtaking her ability to speak coherently.
"Not many people did. That's when I realized I didn't want to keep us a secret anymore."
And that had been the start of their spiral toward the heartbreak she'd barely recovered from.
Once they were an "official" item, Patrick had intervened and put a stop to his good son turning to the maid. Shocking, since turning to the staff for pleasure certainly hadn't been below Patrick at one time. Not that what Catalina and Will shared had been anything like that. But the idea that Patrick could act as if he were so far above people was absolutely absurd.
"Don't tense on me now," Will warned. "You're supposed to be relaxing."
Catalina blew out a breath. "I'm trying. It's just hard when I'm stuck between the past and whatever is happening to us now."
Will came up to his knees, easing his way between her parted legs, his hands resting on the tops of her thighs, his fingertips brushing just beneath the hem of her dress.
"It's two different times. We're two different people. There's nothing to compare. Focus on now."
She stared down at those bright blue eyes, the wide open shirt and something dark against his chest. Was that...
"Do you have a tattoo?" she asked, reaching to pull back the shirt.
He said nothing as she eased the material aside. The glimpse she got wasn't enough. Catalina didn't ask, she merely gripped the shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. Will shifted until it fell to the floor.
Sure enough, black ink swirled over the left side of his chest and over his shoulder. She had no idea what the design was. All she knew was that it was sexy.
Without asking, she reached out and traced a thin line over his heart, then on up. The line thickened as it curled around his shoulder. Taut muscles tensed beneath her featherlight touch.
Catalina brought her gaze up to Will's. The intensity of his stare made her breath catch in her throat and stilled her hand.
"Don't stop," he whispered through clenched teeth.
"Will..."
His hand came up to cover hers. "Touch me, Cat."
He'd just handed her the reins.
With just enough pressure, he flattened her hand between his palm and his shoulder. The warmth of his skin penetrated her own, the heat sliding through her entire body.
"I-I want to but-"
She shook her head, killing the rest of her fears before they could be released and never taken back.
"But what?" he muttered, pushing her hair behind her ear, letting his fingertips trail over her cheek, her jawline and down her neck until she trembled.
"I'm not sure I can go any farther than that," she confessed. "I don't want to tease you."
"I've fantasized about you touching me like this for years. You're not teasing, you're fulfilling a fantasy."
Catalina stared into those aqua eyes and knew without a doubt he was serious. The fact that he'd been dreaming of her for this long confused her further, brought on even more questions than answers.
"Don't go there," he warned as if he knew where her thoughts were headed. "Keep touching me, Cat. Whatever happens here is about you and me and right this moment. Don't let past memories rob us of this time together."
Catalina opened her mouth, but Will placed one finger over her lips. "I have no expectations. Close your eyes."
Even though her heart beat out of control from anticipation and a slither of fear of the unknown, she did as he commanded.
"Now touch me. Just feel me, feel this moment and nothing else."
His tone might have been soft, but everything about his words demanded that she obey. Not that he had to do much convincing. With her eyes closed, she wasn't forced to look at the face of the man who'd broken her heart. She wanted this chance to touch him, to ignore all the reasons why this was such a bad idea. But she couldn't look into those eyes and pretend that this was normal, that they were just two regular people stranded in an old shack.
With her eyes closed she actually felt as if they were regular people. She could pretend this was just a man she ached for, not a man who was a billionaire with more power than she'd ever see.
With her eyes closed she could pretend he wanted her for who she was and not just because she was a challenge.
Catalina brought her other hand up and over his chest. If she was given the green light to explore, she sure as hell wanted both hands doing the job. Just as she smoothed her palms up and over his shoulders, over his thick biceps, she felt the knot on her wrap dress loosen at her side.
Her eyes flew open. "What are you doing?"
"Feeling the moment."
The dress parted, leaving her torso fully exposed. "You don't play fair."
The heat in his eyes was more powerful than any passion she'd ever seen. "I never will when it comes to something I want."
"You said-"
"I'd never force you," he interrupted, gliding his fingertips over the straps of her bikini that stretched from behind her neck to the slopes of her breasts. "But that doesn't mean I won't try to persuade you."