“I’m fine,” I tell her even as I fight the urge to press my fingers against my face to relieve some of the pressure.
“You look like hell. Don’t tell me you’re fine. And you should know better. You can’t come in here like some petri dish. You’re probably contagious.” She shakes her head at me. “You should be home in bed.”
I start to disagree but Delia cuts me off.
“I’m not kidding. Get out of here. We’ll call someone in to cover your shift. And if you’re smart, you’ll stop by the ear, nose, and throat clinic downstairs. Pretty sure you’re going to need some antibiotics before this is all over.” Then she crosses her arms over her chest and dares me to contradict her. “Go on. Should I call that boyfriend of yours and get him to come down here? I bet he wouldn’t have a problem throwing you over his shoulder and getting you back home.”
I glare at her. Delia should know that threatening to call Graham is something I’ll remember later. Oh, there will be payback. Ever since he showed up here I haven’t heard the end of it from her. The frequent cupcake deliveries haven’t helped either. Delia loves Graham. “He’s not my boyfriend and if you call him, I’ll kill you. I’m serious.”
“Do I look scared to you?” Delia asks, shifting her weight so one of her hips pops out at me. She looks like she’s more than ready to take me in a fight. “I’m more worried about whatever disease you’re carrying around than having to embarrass you in a fight. I’m getting ready to count to three…” She pulls her phone from the pocket of her scrub pants.
“You don’t have his number.”
“You don’t know that. He could have slipped it to me when you were hiding under the desk.”
“I wasn’t under the desk!” I protest but Delia ignores me. I’m almost certain she doesn’t have Graham’s number, but she’s pretty convincing. Add that to her general craftiness and she just might be telling the truth.
“One, two.” She lifts her index finger and slowly moves it closer to the screen.
“Fine! I’m going but I’d just like to state, for the record, that this feels a lot like bullying.”
I hear Stephanie giggle from behind me and realize that Delia and I have attracted quite a crowd. Delia gives me a smug look before wiggling her finger over her phone screen again.
I turn and stomp down the hall.
“Feel better!” Stephanie calls after me.
“And stop downstairs!” Delia yells. “You know I’m going to check!”
I’m passed out on the couch when my phone rings. Why didn’t I turn the damn thing off? I curse myself for not stopping to pick up the medicine I need at the pharmacy on the way home. Maybe if I had already taken something I’d be feeling less like warmed over death right now.
“Hello?” I croak. I sound almost as bad as I feel.
“Cassie?” Graham sounds like he’s sure he’s dialed the wrong number.
“Hey,” I manage to get out before the throbbing of my head gets the better of me.
“You sound terrible.” Graham’s voice is laced with concern. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I’m just sick that’s all. Delia made me come home from work.” I pout.
“You must be pretty sick to miss work.”
“It’s a sinus infection. I had one of the ENT doctors look at me before I left the hospital.” I press my face against the coolness of the nearest throw pillow. I’m pretty sure I have a fever.
“Did they give you something? A prescription? Do you need anything?” Graham’s rapid-fire questions aren’t helping the throbbing of my head.
“I have to go get it.”
“I’ll get it. Which pharmacy?” I can hear the rustling of Graham throwing on his jacket and grabbing his car keys.
“No, don’t do that.” I sit up. “I can get it myself.”
“Cassie, you should be in bed, not running around. I can be there in ten minutes. Just tell me where to pick it up.” Graham’s getting irritated but there’s no way I’m letting him see me like this.
“No, Graham. Thank you for the offer, but I’m used to taking care of myself. I’ll be fine.” Even though he’s not here to see it, I stubbornly stick out my chin.
“Damn it, Cassie. I know you can.” Graham lets out an exasperated breath. “Either you tell me which pharmacy or I just start going to all of them until I figure it out.”
Who’s stubborn now? We’re like two Billy goats ramming into each other. It would be nice to be able to hunker down on this couch and not have to schlep to the pharmacy but giving in would mean letting Graham win. Delia’s threat’s still ringing in my ears. Don’t make me call your boyfriend. Picking up my medicine and coming over to tuck me in would fall squarely in the boyfriend zone.
“Fine.” I give him the address and hear his self-satisfied grunt. Not so fast, buddy. “You can pick up the medicine, but you have to leave it at the door.”
“What? Why?”
“Because this isn’t a booty call.”
“No shit, Cassie. You’re sick. I’m not expecting a blow job.” I can almost hear Graham grinding his teeth. “I’ll be over in a few.” And then he hangs up on me.
I must drift off because the next sound I hear is the pounding of Graham’s fist on my front door. I try to sit up but realize too late that moving fast doesn’t agree with me. I dizzily flop back down on the sofa. “Are you trying to break the door down?” I shout, the words echoing in the space between my ears.
“Open the door, Cassie.”
“Just leave it on the mat. Like we talked about.” All this shouting is sure to get my neighbors out in the hall, but I’m sticking to my guns. Graham can’t come in here.
“Let me see that you’re okay to be left by yourself and then I’ll leave,” Graham yells.
“I look like shit. Just leave the medicine and go, please,” I plead from my spot on the couch. I’m not even sure I can make it to the door to get the pills once he leaves. If I look half as bad as I feel Graham will take one glance at me and I’ll never see him again.
He waits on the other side of the door for what feels like an eternity. He’s at least as stubborn as me—maybe more so—and I fully expect him to argue with me. Instead he surprises me. “I got you some soup and some Gatorade. Make sure you eat something and stay hydrated. The antibiotics are here and you’re supposed to take them twice a day. Got it?”
“Got it,” I answer, relieved that he’s giving in so quickly. I don’t have the energy to fight him. “Just leave them.”
I listen for the sound of his shoes on the steps and the opening and closing of the hallway door and then I lie on the couch until I can talk myself into making an attempt for the front door. I’m wobbly on my feet and consider crawling. Graham really has saved me here because if I can hardly walk there’s no way I could drive. I have to lean against the wall to unbolt the door but when I go to pull the door it flies toward me. And then Graham’s torso falls in, his head landing right in front of my feet. Sneaky three hundred pound bastard must have crept back up here on his tiptoes after pretending to leave. If I had more energy I’d say something snarky about it, but right now it’s taking all my strength to stay upright.
Graham takes one look at me and hops to his feet. Baby, is the only thing that comes out of his mouth before he’s scooping me up and bringing me deeper inside my apartment. He’s changing me out of my scrubs and smoothing the sweaty hair away from my forehead as he slips me between the sheets. “Do you have a thermometer? You’re burning up.” He’s scurrying around to grab the pharmacy bag from the hallway and get me to take one of the pills before he slides in next to me.
I want to be angry, but the look of concern on Graham’s face takes all the fight out of me. “You shouldn’t be in here,” I whisper. “You’ll catch something.”
Graham only scoffs as he pulls his T-shirt over his head and slides out of his jeans. He makes himself into a human pillow and props me up against him, kissing the top of my head. “Go to
sleep,” he orders and instead of arguing I shut my eyes. He pulls me closer, rubbing one big hand up and down my back and I drift off, dreaming of Graham’s lips at my temple and the slow rise and fall of his chest.
25
Graham
“Nice sash, princess.”
The next person who comments is getting a fist to the face. I watch as Cassie tries unsuccessfully to hold her laughter in as the most recent smart ass retreats into the crowd. If it wasn’t making her and Julia extremely happy, I’d have taken the damn thing off hours ago. I’m expecting to collect on about a million good sport points for this. Can you trade those in for sexual favors? At least that gives me something to look forward to because, as it stands, me wearing this stupid, sparkly Maid of Honor sash is basically the best thing at this party.
And this party really blows. Whoever suggested having a coed bachelor party really didn’t think things through. Technically this is Julia’s bachelorette party too so it isn’t just the guys who are missing out on a good time. At least we’re all suffering together, I guess.
Cassie’s hand on my thigh reminds me of one slight perk to this joint celebration. No one’s going to get too wild tonight, but I get to look at Cassie as much as I want. We’re packed up against the bar in this nightclub and for once I’m happy the place is crowded; it gives me an excuse to bump up against her. I slide unnecessarily close to order us another round of drinks and Cassie doesn’t move away. She pretends she’s getting pushed from the other side and rams her chest up against my bicep. When I look down at her she looks up at me and shrugs. Well played, Cassie. Well played. I make sure to jostle her when I make a show of reaching for my wallet, let my finger brush her chest as I pretend to straighten her matching sash.
“Who chose this place anyway?” I yell over the music. It doesn’t seem like either Julia or Zach’s scene.
“Who do you think?” Cassie hums into my ear as she looks over at Zach’s sisters. The twins are occupied with Jaeger shots and a handful of bro dudes from Zach’s gym. “They wanted a party, I guess, and Julia let them plan it.”
“So the rest of us have to suffer?” I ask, only half joking.
“Poor baby,” Cassie croons into my ear, taking full advantage of the need to get close to be heard. “Are you suffering?” Her hand skims the front of my jeans.
“I am now,” I confess, wishing I could take her hand and put it back on my crotch.
“Maybe we can figure something out.” Cassie raises an eyebrow. “I was thinking about checking out the ladies’ room.”
My cock twitches. The thought of cornering Cassie in another public restroom should not make me this excited. “Here?”
“Give me a two minute head start to scope it out.” She slithers past me, making sure her entire body makes contact with mine. Goosebumps break out all over my exposed skin. These next two minutes are going to feel like an eternity.
I’m just about to give up hope and order another drink when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
3rd door on the left…
I try not to knock anyone over in my rush to get to Cassie, try not to make eye contact with any of the other guests at this ridiculous party. I’m almost to the hallway and getting ready to count doors when I run—almost literally—into a pack of Zach’s gym buddies. A hand claps down on my shoulder and I stiffen. Cassie won’t wait forever.
“Hey G, time for shots. You in?” One of the guys shouts at me as he turns me back toward the bar. I resist getting pulled into their scrum and plant my feet.
“In a minute, maybe. I’ve gotta hit the head.” I jerk a thumb in the direction of the hallway. “I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit.” My phone buzzes again in my pocket and I fish it out, forgetting to tilt the screen, giving my friend a full view of my texts. He gives me a puzzled look before releasing my shoulder.
“I see you’ve got something more important to do.”
I look at my phone and cringe.
What the hell is taking so long? Get in here and fuck me.
Only the fact that I’ve changed Cassie’s name in my contacts is saving me from a major disaster. I’m going to have to count on the fact that Zach’s friend won’t be able to guess who it is I’m calling “firecracker.” I shrug and push past him, not even responding when he yells something about the men’s room being the other direction. It’s not like I need to explain myself. He’s got a pretty good idea of what I’m up to and it has nothing to do with my earlier excuse.
One, two, three doors. I turn the knob and find myself in a dark supply closet. It isn’t a bathroom, but we haven’t exactly gone up a notch in the ambience category. The space smells of disinfectant and I can almost make out the outlines of some industrial shelves pushed against the far wall. A warm hand slips into mine and gives me a tug, pulling me tight against a body that can only belong to Cassie. She wraps herself around me like a vine, stealing all the oxygen from my lungs. I haul her up against me, press her against the door, and try to ignore the fact that I’m desperately making out with my not-really-girlfriend in the world’s least sexy place.
Cassie pulls her mouth from mine and sighs against my neck. Immediately I go into mother hen mode. She’s still not one hundred percent recovered from whatever it was that knocked her on her ass last week and I’ve been trying my best to baby her without getting on her nerves. I slide a hand up to her forehead. She’s warm, but not feverish, but when I move to kiss her again Cassie pulls back.
“Did you just feel my forehead?” she asks, shaking her head.
“No,” I deny.
“Are you trying to see if I have a fever? Because I don’t think that counts as foreplay.”
I scowl down at her in the dark. “I just don’t want you to relapse. You probably shouldn’t even be out. You’ll get run down and then you’ll be sick again. Are you even supposed to be drinking on those antibiotics?”
Cassie laughs. “I’m fine. You’ve kept me trapped at home for almost a week. I’m not going to let you pretend I’m sick so you can drag me back to my bedroom.”
“What’s so bad about your bedroom?” I ask, kneading her ass in my hands. “I have plenty of fine memories from your bedroom.”
“Not this past week. Unless you like snuggling up with a giant ball of snot.”
In truth, I haven’t minded being with Cassie while she was sick. It didn’t mean tons of hot, sweaty sex, but it meant sleeping tangled up with her every night and breakfast every morning. I watched more of her terrible ‘80s movies and TV shows just so I could spend more time on the couch with her. We got into a routine that seemed almost normal—domestic—and I liked it more than I should. Tonight, if Cassie decides to banish me back to my place, I’ll have trouble being alone in my own bed.
“No more talking,” Cassie orders and I obey if only so she doesn’t decide to ditch me and go back to join the rest of the party. I’ll take this closet with her over more time at the bar any day. I let her explore my body, run her hands all over me while I suck on the side of her neck. I breathe in the smell of her skin and block out everything else.
“Is there a lock on this door?” I ask and feel Cassie grin against the side of my face where she’s nuzzling me.
“Afraid of getting caught?” she teases even though she’s the one who wants to keep us a secret.
“I’m not.”
Cassie stiffens in my arms before she reaches down to fumble with the doorknob. Once I hear the telltale click I know we’re slightly safer, although we’re still taking a chance. Everyone’s here, it isn’t some random club where no one knows us.
“We could save this for later,” I suggest. “Not that I’m complaining, but we can wait until we’re home.” Home. Which doesn’t mean what I want it to, not even close.
“Who knows how long this party’s going to last? I don’t want to waste my Saturday night watching Zach’s sisters hit on random dudes.” She goes back to running a hand over my chest.
“Then we could leave. Tell Jul
ia you’re not feeling great and I’ll save the day by offering to make sure you get home safe.” I groan a little as Cassie lets her thumb hit my nipple.
“Or we could stay and do this.” Cassie lets go of my neck and glides south, pulling free from my grasp. She slips a hand under the waistband of my pants and I suck in a breath. Just like that I’m hard which pleases Cassie to no end. “That’s what I thought,” she purrs as she works on the button. In a flash she’s got my pants down over my hips and my dick in her hand. When she takes me in her mouth all thought of ever leaving this closet flies out of my head.
“Cassie?”
“Hmmm?” Her humming nearly does me in. She looks up at me, her eyes glittering in the darkness of the closet.
“Nothing.” Now isn’t the time for talking, not when Cassie’s giving me every reason to shut up. Her answering chuckle has my whole body shaking. I run a hand through her hair and wrap the silky strands around my palm, pulling tight. She looks up at me again but doesn’t stop, taking my cock deep into her mouth. As one hand glides along my shaft, the other skates up my belly, making my skin prickle. I lean my free hand against the door, aware that people are moving around on the other side, but I can’t make myself care about that right now. All I care about are the sounds Cassie’s making, the tiny hums and soft sucking sounds that threaten to drive me over the edge.
When I haul her up the length of my body she protests. “Hey! I wasn’t finished yet.” I silence her by crushing my mouth to hers and pushing her dress up over her hips. When I line the wet fabric of her panties up with my already throbbing cock we both groan. The friction is almost unbearable and I hate to shift Cassie to the side to try to grab for my wallet and the condoms I now never leave home without.
“What are you doing?” Cassie hisses, impatiently trying to get our bodies aligned again.
“Condom,” I tell her, nearly whacking her head on the edge of a shelf as I dance around with my pants around my ankles and Cassie wrapped around the rest of me.
Forget About It Page 16
