by Sable Hunter
Two doors down, Cassie was lying still in the bed, wondering how in the world she was going to pay for this ER visit. She was waiting to be dismissed, there was nothing wrong with her more than what was wrong with her before the fall. A few bruises, maybe. She sighed. At least Bowie was okay. She was so thankful for that. His friend George had been in to check on her. The doctor had asked who to call to come get her and she had told him she didn’t really have anybody. At least the EMT’s had seen fit to bring her chair with them when they’d dropped her off. Before she left, she intended to see Bowie and make sure he was okay. After that, well, maybe she could call a cab. Did Bandera even have cabs?
But then she heard him.
“Cassie!”
Voices out in the hall drew her attention, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying.
“Cassie!” Except that one, she recognized it.
Bowie.
“In here, I’m in here,” she answered.
Whoosh! Her door flew open and in he came. In a split second, he had his arms around her and he carefully, oh so carefully picked her up. The next thing she knew, he was sitting in the bed and she was sitting in his lap.
Cassie didn’t even have time to speak before he was kissing her—her cheek, her eyes, her neck—and finally, yes, her lips. Bowie captured them and kissed her tenderly. Sweetly.
Ending the kiss, he buried his face in her neck. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She hugged him tight. “Are you okay?”
“Hell, yeah.” He sounded gruff. “I’ll live.” He tightened his grip on her. “Because of you.”
She didn’t answer. Cassie was afraid of what might’ve happened if she hadn’t gone up to his house and found him. The answer was unthinkable. As she held him to her and felt his warmth and strength and the beating of his heart—anything else but him alive and well was unacceptable. “I’m so happy you’re okay,” she whispered. “I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.”
“Thanks to you, it didn’t.” He kissed her again. “I can’t believe little ole’ you dragged my big old lanky self out of there.”
“I had to, I didn’t have a choice.” She wiped her wet face on his shirt.
“Oh yea, you had a choice.” His voice was deep and husky. “You chose me.”
“You saved me too.”
Bowie laughed. “Not quite the same thing, but I was willing.”
“Maybe we need each other,” she whispered. “You know, to keep each other safe.”
“I agree.” He held her close. “I agree.”
* * *
Cassie didn’t have to call a cab, because Bowie didn’t let her out of his sight. When they came to release her and get her to sign for the bill, Bowie took care of it.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“We’ll negotiate.” He ignored her protests.
When she went home, he drove her home. And he didn’t just let her out, he took her in and he stayed. They almost got into a fight over who was going to take care of whom, so they finally agreed to both lie on the couch. Bowie sat down and lifted her from the chair and into his lap, settling her between his legs with her back resting against his chest. Before he’d sat down he’d made sure the coffee table was covered with drinks, snacks, the remote and every other thing he could possibly think of. He didn’t want to have to get up and disturb Cassie once he had her in his arms. But as far as he was concerned, he wouldn’t be wanting anything else—he had everything he needed right here. They watched television for a while and ate before they settled back to rest. “Comfortable?”
Was she comfortable? No. Yes. No. “Yes,” she assured him. She was willing herself not to quiver, she didn’t want him to be aware she was so nervous. After all, he was only holding her. But, oh, Lord, how he was holding her. She was reclined against him, he was bearing her full weight. And his arms were wrapped around her and neither his hands nor his mouth was keeping to themselves. No, merciful heavens, no. He was touching her. His palms soothed down her arms and his fingers entwined with hers.
“This feels good,” Bowie spoke right in her ear. He pushed her hair to one side so he could kiss Cassie’s neck. “Can we talk?”
Cassie couldn’t help it, she jerked. “About what?”
“Us.”
Cassie picked up their hands and pressed them into her waist, keeping him as close as she could. “What about us?” Did she want to hear this?
“I’m very attracted to you.” Bowie let go of one of her hands so he could turn her face up to his and hold it in place. Looking into her eyes, he slowly lowered his head until his lips settled onto hers. He felt her tense in his arms, but she began to tentatively kiss him back. Bowie kept the kiss chaste, but firm enough so she couldn’t escape. Cassie whimpered as he kept sipping at her lips, making no move to penetrate or deepen the kiss. Wanting her closer, he carefully dipped her back over his arm so the angle would be better. When she gasped, he remembered. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she murmured, seeking his lips again. It was happening, she was thrilled, scared and utterly at his mercy. Cassie wanted to please him more than anything. The idea that she could be a woman this man could want was tantalizing beyond belief.
Moving his mouth gently across hers, Bowie tempted her. Opening his lips slightly, he invited her in. She was so soft, her plump mouth was like rose petals. Tracing his tongue on the underside of her upper lip, he tempted her until she opened like a blossoming flower for him. Excitement thundered through his veins as he claimed her, plundering her mouth with his tongue. Desire for her just overwhelmed him. He tried to slow down, tried to be gentle, but she was as heady as honeysuckle in the spring. Cassie’s taste was sweet and hot and Bowie wanted to gorge himself on her. To his delight, her lips trembled and clung to his, her tongue curling around his delicately. A groan of arousal rumbled in his chest and he knew she had to be aware of how hard he was. God, he hoped she could feel him beneath her. He was about to end the kiss and have that conversation they needed to have…but when she began to suck daintily on his tongue, he almost exploded in his jeans.
That was all it took, he framed her face with his hands and drank from her, deep, with a thirst that knew no bounds. He wanted more, he wanted everything. She was living fire in his arms, not accepting or resisting – but straining, seeking, responding completely to his touch. He gave them both what he needed, their kiss more an exchange of discovery and hope as it was sexual energy. God, he wanted…he wanted. Pulling away, he peppered her face with kisses. “Cassie, Cassie, what are you doing to me?”
“I think that’s my line.” She panted. She took her hand and laid it on his cheek.
“I need to talk to you.” Bowie tried to get his body under control. She wasn’t ready to give him what he craved. But more importantly, he needed to find out what he could give her.
Cassie swallowed hard. “What about?” She dreaded to hear.
“I think I’m falling for you,” Bowie said with his heart in his eyes.
Out of all the things in the world Cassie expected to hear him say, that wasn’t it. “Oh, Bowie,” she whispered. “How is that possible?”
Bowie laughed with disbelief. “Have you looked in a mirror, Angel-Face?” He ran a single finger down her cheek. “Apart from your obvious beauty, you’re sweet, smart, sexy and kind. What’s not to love?”
She maintained eye contact with him. “A lot.” Was all she could manage to say.
“There is no part of you that I don’t find absolutely adorable.” Since the day he met her, Cassie had haunted him, intrigued him, turned him inside out.
She buried her head in his chest. He didn’t know if she was hiding from him or from herself. “You are so perfect,” she spoke almost too softly for him to hear. “And I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.” He gathered up that wealth of hair and arranged it over her hip. “Will you tell me a bit about your injury? Do you have any feeling at all below the waist?”
S
he nodded her head, her face still flush against his shirt. “Yea, I do. Some.” It was so hard to explain. “I can even take a step or two…” Elation tore through Bowie, until she spoke the next sentence. “But the pain is so bad, I don’t do it very much.”
“Pain?” Bowie lessened his grip on her. “Are you hurting now? Tell me where I can touch and how.”
Cassie could hear the panic in his tone. “No,” she assured him. “I have to bend a certain way or put weight on my legs. There’s no pain lying down.”
Bowie was relieved to hear that. Although, the idea of her hurting anywhere made Bowie ache. “Can I touch you? Kiss you?” He had never felt so helpless with a woman before. He wanted everything with her but he was afraid to mess up.
“I want you to touch me.” She looked up at him with those big green eyes. “If I can touch you back.”
Bowie thought he’d combust. “I like your style of negotiating.” He stole a quick kiss. “Do you promise to tell me what feels good and uh, what doesn’t?”
She didn’t want to ever disappoint him, but honesty was the only answer, if they were to have anything together. Look at her! She thought. Having all of these normal type thoughts about a guy. Miss Cassie Cartwright was getting to be big stuff! “I’ll let you know.” It was hard to concentrate in order to speak because she couldn’t take her eyes off his face.
It was as if he’d been given a pardon from the prison of his doubts. He crashed his mouth to her and began to kiss her deeply, no preliminaries, no pussy-footing around—he invaded, occupied and conquered. And to give Miss Cassie credit, she gave as good as she got.
Winding one arm around his neck, Cassie massaged his nape underneath all of that long dark hair. She pulled his head down so she could map the inside of his mouth with her tongue, relishing the opportunity to make countless fantasies come true.
If all he could do was kiss her, Bowie thought that would be enough to satisfy him. But since he’d been given a green light to do more, he couldn’t deny himself any longer. As if he had to learn her body from touch, he began to caress and rub, beginning at her forehead and continuing down her cheeks. Like a blind man, he committed each feature, each soft, sweet place to memory. “You have the cutest ears.” He chuckled as he traced the delicate lobes, first with his fingers and next with his tongue.
Cassie turned her head and kissed his hand as her fingers ran up and down his arm. “The better to hear you with…” she teased and he groaned.
“Don’t break my seductive momentum, squirt.”
“You don’t have to seduce me, Bowie.” She confided softly. “It’s not as if I’m going anywhere.” He didn’t realize she was exactly where she wanted to be.
Bowie put a completely different spin on what she said. “Listen to me.” He clasped her chin. “I don’t ever want to do anything to you or with you that you don’t want just as much as I do.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she assured him. “I want you bad.” She heard his breath catch in his throat. “Real bad.”
At that declaration, Bowie let his hands move on down her body, kneading her shoulders, soothing her throat, caressing her décolletage.
Cassie couldn’t stand it. If he didn’t touch her breasts soon, she was going to expire from want. Trying to communicate her need to him, she arched her back and pushed her small bosom up as far as she could.
When Bowie saw her wordless appeal, he trembled. “I don’t think you have any concept of how much I’ve wanted to do this.” Slowly, he let his palms slide down her chest. The dress she wore was thin and he’d rather be skin to skin, but this would abso-frickin-lutely do for now. She was lying on top of him, her back to his front. Cassie’s head was resting on his left shoulder and he had both hands free to play. Almost reverently, he slid his palms down to the upper swell of her breasts. He felt her stiffen, press into him slightly and gasp. “Hold on, angel. I’m enjoying this.” Bowie allowed his hands to move. God, he loved a woman’s tits, and Cassie’s were mouth-watering. It was like his hands were hungry—starving. He held his lower lip between his teeth as he slid his palm down over the crest. Even through her dress and bra, he could feel those hard little nipples. “I can’t wait to suck you.”
“Hmmmmm.” Cassie vibrated beneath his hands. As he touched her, he could feel the stiff peaks get even harder and bigger beneath his fingers. “Bowie…” she groaned.
Bowie felt his cock go rock-hard. He felt like he was a randy teenager who had never gotten to second base. Never had a little heavy-petting excited him more. While kissing and sucking on her neck, he molded and kneaded her breasts, lifting and weighing, cupping and massaging. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have one of those puffy little nipples between his lips. But that would come, he promised himself—soon. “Feel good?”
“God, yes.” She writhed on him, moving back and forth across his chest like a sensual little cat.
“I love this, Cassie,” he confessed. “I love how you feel in my arms.” Clasping her through the material that separated him from her, he took her nipples between his thumb and forefinger and began to rub them, twirl them, milk them.
“Bowie,” she cried, her fingernails digging into his thighs as they bracketed her between his legs.
“Let me make you happy.” He played with her nipples, watching her face, pressing kisses to her temple while she pushed those suckable tits up, asking for more.
“I’m ecstatic.” She huffed. And to his utter delight, she grabbed one of his hands and pushed it down. Down.
He didn’t hurry—this was too important. It was huge. He couldn’t afford to rush and not do it right. “I’m gonna lift your dress, precious.” He picked up the material and began to bunch it up, dragging it above her legs, her knees…
“Wait!”
“What?”
Cassie wanted to stop him. She hadn’t thought about him looking at her useless legs. – She was so self-conscious of them. “I’m—”
He read her body language and set out to put her fears to rest. “You’re beautiful.” And she was. He uncovered long, slim legs, pale white, and smooth as silk. Raising the garment even higher, he uncovered a small pair of white panties. Still working one nipple, he placed his hand on the flat of her tummy. “Can you feel my hand?”
Cassie was breathing hard. “Mostly,” she confessed. “It’s like part of my skin is asleep and other parts is waking up.
“Does it feel okay, bad, good?” With a butterfly motion of his fingers, he caressed her in, out, around—and lower.
“Okay…good, I’m just nervous.”
“What are you nervous about? You know I wouldn’t hurt you, not ever.” His statement brooked no question.
“It’s not that.” She placed a hand over his where it rested just above her Venus mound. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to feel enough to...you know…”
“Have an orgasm.”
Cassie felt her face flame. God, this was not how a date should go. She could imagine no other woman being forced to have this conversation but her. “Yea,” she whispered.
“Cassie, there are many, many ways we can give one another pleasure,” Bowie assured her. Although, he too would give most everything he possessed to give her such a gift. “Have you ever had one?” He was hoping against hope.
“No.” She shook her head. “The other night...when you called...and asked me what I was doing and if there was a man in my bed?”
Bowie chuckled. “You were…touching yourself?”
“Yes.” Cassie cringed.
“What happened?” As she was preoccupied, reliving the moment, his fingers weren’t still, but creeping southward. “What did you feel?”
“A tingle,” she whispered. And then she realized what he was doing.
Bowie was massaging her vulva. One big hand covered the whole area and he was rubbing in circular motions, his middle and fourth finger rubbing her slit through her panties. “Like this?”
S
he didn’t know if it was his touch, the absolute decadence of being worshiped the way he was doing or the fact that it was Bowie doing the touching. But whatever it was, she did feel something. She waited, though, clinging to him, one hand on his thigh, the other holding on to his arm—the one busy at her breast. “Yes, yes,” she whimpered.
“Thank God.” Bowie let out a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding.
CHAPTER SEVEN
She could feel. She could feel. He was touching her between the legs and she could feel! “Doesn’t hurt?” He had to be sure.
“No.” She put her own hands on either side of his and opened herself up wider. “No, it feels good.” Cassie didn’t know how much sensation she was supposed to have, but she liked what she was getting.
“Can I slip my fingers underneath the elastic?” He didn’t know why he was taking such care, other than she deserved every bit he could muster.
Cassie was quaking. “Oh, yes, Bowie.” She pulled away so he could have all the room he needed. This wasn’t just her first foray into sex—this was an affirmation of her femininity. He moved his hand up and down into her panties, encountering downy curls. “I can’t wait to see you here. Same moon kissed blonde?”
She turned her head, burying it in his arm. “Let’s let it be a surprise.”
Her sense of humor tickled him. Bowie laughed. He pushed a little deeper, opening up and to his immense relief, she was hot and soft and creamy. “You’re wet, baby,” he whispered in her ear. “You’re so fuckin’ wet.” Finding her little clit, he began rubbing and rubbing, round and round, all the while pulling at her nipple, so wanting her to explode for him.
Cassie willed herself to come. It felt so good. She was in Bowie’s arms, he was enjoying her. Heck, he was hard. She could feel him against her hip. He petted and loved on her, giving her more than she ever thought she’d have. But maybe she wanted it too much or was afraid of failing, because soon the build-up fell flat and while she could still feel—thank the Lord—she knew she wasn’t about to come. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t, not now.”
