Page 1 of Dangerously Yours

PROLOGUE - LULU

SIX MONTHS EARLIER

I stared at the man in front of me, one who was a virtual stranger, and wondered where it all had gone wrong. One day, the two of us were happily married, and now... Well, now Cade couldn’t even stay awake long enough for the two of us to make love.

Is it really that? If my own husband doesn’t desire me anymore, is there really anything left of our marriage?

Those two questions burned in my brain, but I refused to answer them for no reason other than my being afraid to hear the truth.

“Cade is quite a busy man lately, Lulu,”Joanie Walton had told me about a week or two ago.

She hadn’t even been the first. There had been Kendall Parker last fall when I was putting together the Halloween masquerade event.“You might want to put a tracker on your husband. He seems to have a thing for young blondes, Lucy.”

Lucy. Only a few people called me that, and Cade was one of those. Kendall was another, and as one of my oldest friends, I knew how much she disapproved of my choice of husband. Iwanted to think that I would have still chosen the man that I had, but finding out that I was pregnant tipped the scales in his favor.

The two of us not only had our daughter, but as the years passed by, we also had two other children. Amanda was the oldest at fourteen... Zachary was in the middle at eleven, and Leslie was the baby, although she would argue that fact since turning nine. The three children I had with my husband were my entire world, outside of Cade, but lately things had fallen apart for us, and I had no idea how to fix it.

We’d met one another in college. The sparks between us had been instantaneous. I had just enrolled at the University of Illinois on a basketball scholarship, and Cade was already established as the star wide receiver on our college football team. Nothing happened at first between us despite the chemistry, although we had hung out a few times over that first year at different college parties. I was a southern girl from Asheville, North Carolina, and I wasn’t used to suave, city men like him. Not long after we started dating, I learned of his lineage, and it shocked me. He was what high society in Chicago referred to as a Titan. I had no idea what it all meant, but the women who surrounded him sure did.

He was rich. I had guessed as much by the sense of entitlement he would show, but that arrogance was never directed at me. In fact, when we were together, everything was so beautiful between us. Attentive, supportive, and so damn doting. It was a stark contrast from what he had become now. Rumors always ran rampant in this circle I had married into, but I had been able to dismiss them rather easily. No, he couldn’t be out with this woman or that one because he was home every night with me and the children.

Cade doted on the children. The pride he took in their every accomplishment only served to make me feel guiltier about harboring doubts where he was concerned. Then there was me. He often showered me with gifts such as jewelry and flowers, and he would spend hours making love to me at night. The words he would whisper in my ear when driving inside of me would envelop me like a cocoon.

Could I have really been so naïve?

I didn’t want to accept that, but after the clusterfuck this night had turned out to be, the doubts I had once hidden came rearing their ugly heads again. While I’d never been the greatest cook in the kitchen, I had taken it upon myself over the years to take cooking classes with some of the best culinary instructors in the country. I had even taken a few trips to Europe and learned how to make his favorite dessert – macarons.

Tonight, the kids were sleeping over at their grandparents, and it left the two of us alone. I had naturally planned to make the most of this rare time alone, and had sent him text messages throughout the day letting him know that I was making dinner for us. His favorite entrée was one we’d had each time we went to Paris, and one I had finally mastered. It was salmon, zucchini, and fennel wrapped in parchment paper and baked. I then planned to follow it up with his favorite dessert, and then a different kind.

Now, I was watching as he slept and growing angrier by the second. Cade hadn’t returned any of my messages, or even my calls, so dinner was ruined because I had planned for us to eat around eight, but he didn’t come home until after eleven. Once he did, there was no apology or anything given to me. He’d just indicated that he was out with the guys before going upstairs to shower.

I was left standing there in the kitchen where I remained rooted in place for several minutes. Eventually, I’d thrown away all of my hard work, cleaned up the kitchen so Olga wouldn’t have to do much in the morning, then went upstairs. As I ascended each step, I kept telling myself that Cade losing track of time when with the other Titans wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. It helped settle my nerves until I got upstairs and found him passed out in the bed with nothing more than a towel wrapped around him. Even the rest of my night was completely ruined.

I shook my head, then walked into the bathroom. I removed my dress, then looked at the strappy teddy I had purchased just for Cade. Married life wasn’t always so glamorous, but I put forth as much effort as I could to stay looking young and sexy for him. Tonight had been one of those times when I was so sure he would be overcome with desire that he would tear the straps to it as he ravished me. The worst part was that he had never even gotten to see it on me, and now I wasn’t sure that I wanted him to.

My fingers moved over the small, floral appliques that adorned the black silken straps. The teddy barely covered more than my breasts and freshly waxed mound. The bottom was a thong, and all the exercises I did religiously kept my ass firm. Above it, the entire teddy was held together by a large bow. I tugged at it, and soon it fell apart allowing me to lower the top. I shimmied out of the rest of it, then stared at my naked reflection in the mirror.

“Why am I no longer desirable to you?” I asked, even though I knew the question was one that would remain unanswered.

When I met Cade, I was in the best shape of my life. Playing college ball, I had to stay fit. Even when I gave up my chance to play internationally because Cade asked me to stay in Chicago, I still maintained my physique. Yes, I’d had three kids so therewas sure to be some changes to my body, but nothing that would explain his lack of attraction for me. In the past year alone, I had gotten even smaller than I had ever been, but it wasn’t for him, or for me. The chaos of my life kept me thin, and perhaps that was the problem.

No!I shook my head. Speaking in weight alone, I was likely about ten pounds smaller than in college. That wasn’t it. A lack of a sex drive was also not the reason as I have found myself wanting to make love even more than ever before.

“He’s probably off with some young thing, Lulu. All the Titans do at some point.”

“No, it isn’t true,”I had tried to argue.

“Just ask him. He’ll buy you a diamond, then send you off to Europe for a vacation, and when you return, you let it all go. You’re pushing forty, after all. Enjoy these years.”

Maybe, just maybe, Cade did actually view me as old. My gaze returned to my reflection and I ran my hand along my lower tummy. It was flat, but as I moved my fingertips over my skin, I could feel the nearly invisible marks I got from each pregnancy. During those times, I had worked out to keep my weight under control, and I had done everything possible afterward to lose every inch and more that I had gained. I’d also worked with some of the best skin care designers in the city, and thanks to their advice, my stretch marks were negligible at best.

I dragged my hand higher, then softly cupped my breasts. They, too, were on the smaller side, but still sat up as firmly now as they did when I was twenty. I moved my thumb back and forth over my nipples, then closed my eyes as they hardened.

Tonight, I’d had such high hopes for me and Cade, but now, I was in the bathroom having to touch myself to feel anything. It wasn’t the first time, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. I pinched and rolled the taut buds between my fingers, and threw my head back as pain shot from the tips straight to my clit.

Why couldn’t my husband touch me like this anymore?

I finally dropped one hand, then slid it between my legs. Spreading them wide, I closed my eyes, and it wasn’t long before I used my hands to make myself come. Any pleasure I derived was hollow at best, and it only served to make me angrier.

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