by KB Winters
Chapter Twenty-One
Cassie
“Where are we going? Can’t I know now?”
A chuckle was Langston’s only response to my whining. I couldn’t see him due to the blindfold he’d wrapped around my eyes before we’d left my apartment. Since then, we’d been driving for twenty minutes, and I was beginning to suspect he was driving in circles to keep me guessing. He clearly enjoyed torturing me once he’d discovered how much surprises made me wiggle and squirm.
I reached up to adjust the blindfold and his fingers instantly patted mine away. “No cheating,” he said, his voice warm and smooth like honey. “You said you trusted me.”
I sighed and sagged back against the passenger seat. “That was before I realized how long you were going to drag this out.”
He laughed again. “Five more minutes. Think you can hang?”
I started to reply, but his fingers landed on the bare patch of thigh at the hem of my skirt and my breath caught in my throat. It had been three weeks since the first time he’d touched me, that night at the club, but it didn’t seem to matter how long—or how often—we were together. Every touch, long lingering look, and kiss was just as intoxicating as the first.
Maybe more so.
Park told me I was falling in love. I argued that it was pure lust with maybe a hint of affection. She said I was whipped. I argued against that one as well.
But inside the raging war between my head and my heart, I knew my heart was winning. I was falling for Langston and my brain—with all its rationalizations, logistics and even some fears—couldn’t seem to find the emergency brake.
Langston’s fingertips skimmed the inside of my thigh and I hitched back against the soft seat. “Careful, or you’re going to have to take me home so I can change my panties,” I warned him, flashing a blind grin in his direction.
He lazily toyed with the lace on my panties and chuckled softly when I gasped. “Langston—” the word was a breath, a whimper, and a plea all rolled into one.
“Pretty girl, you know I can’t keep my hands to myself when you’re around. Especially not when I know what you got on under that tight skirt…”
I laughed. He’d gotten a sneak peek back at my apartment. It was almost impossible for us to not get tangled up whenever we were alone.
He fingered his way under the edge of the panties, gently caressing my aching center, before sliding away, back down my thigh in time to grip the steering wheel and take a turn.
A few minutes later, the car came to a stop and Langston cut the engine.
“Now?” I asked, reaching for the blindfold.
“I don’t know. It looks pretty damn hot on you. Remind me to put it back on later tonight,” Langston growled, leaning over to nip at my earlobe. He sucked the sweet spot under my ear, kissing down my neck as his fingers untied the silk scarf from around my head.
I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the low lights and a quaint cabin came into view. It was small, at least by Langston’s usual standards, but was lit up like something from the front of a magazine cover.
“This is beautiful…but what is it?”
Langston laughed. “My getaway.”
I turned in the seat, arching a brow at him. “What? From the six thousand square foot house you also own?”
He shrugged, still smiling. “Something like that.”
I leaned back and studied his profile as he smiled up at the house. “What is this place?”
Langston glanced over at me. “This is my escape from the noise of the city. It’s small, the WiFi barely functions, and I can get away from all the madness. There’s hiking trails, a small pond, and at night, you can come out here—” he paused to open the windows of his Chevelle. “And see that,” he finished, looking up at the stars that were so bright they looked like something on a Hollywood green screen. Computer generated perfection and clarity.
“Wow.” I dropped my head back against the head rest and stared up at the sky.
“It’s close enough that I can still get to the city if shit kicks up or I have to get to practice. But it’s far enough away that it feels like being transported much farther away than forty something miles.”
“So, tell me something, if football all disappeared tomorrow, would this be your life?” I asked, jutting my chin in the direction of the cabin.
Langston considered the question for a long moment before giving a small shake of his head. “No…I like the city life too much to leave. Plus, there’s this hot woman I’m really into and she can’t leave the city. So it looks like I’ll be there too…”
My skin warmed as his words wrapped me up like a blanket.
Langston reached for me, leaning his large torso over the center console, and kissed me, his fingers tracing up the side of my face. The kiss was charged with heat and passion and emotion, instantly stealing my breath away. When his tongue parted my lips and invaded my mouth with hot strokes, I moaned and reached for him, trying to pull him closer. I wanted his body against me, his skin on mine, his hands caressing me, my body melting into him.
Langston was more man than I’d ever been with. And it wasn’t just his size. His heart, the way he spoke, the way he opened up to me. He made me question everything I knew—or thought I knew. I still had no idea how we could ever have a long-term relationship, but as time flew by, I couldn’t fathom not having him in my life. A terrifying thought considering that in two short weeks he would be released from his obligation to working at Harvest House and would be thrust into the heavy load of pre-season.
I knew what I wanted and with each day that passed, he showed me he wanted the same thing. The only question in my mind was how?
All of my questions disintegrated when Langston went to work unbuttoning the front of my blouse. He had nimble fingers and in the blink of an eye, he had the front of my shirt undone and paused to pull back and watch the slow motion reveal of my body as he tugged the blouse open. His eyes dropped to my overflowing breasts as they spilled over the one-size-too-small bra I’d worn because one, it was the sexiest one I owned, and two, I knew with Langston around it wouldn’t stay on for long.
“Damn it, Cass, just when I think you can’t get any hotter…”
I licked my lips slowly, feeling the heat radiate over my entire body as he unabashedly drank in the view in the soft light filtering down from the moon overhead and the lights illuminating the cabin ten feet ahead of the front bumper. “Maybe you should start the tour of the house in the bedroom…” I suggested.
“Fuck, I don’t think I can make it in the front door.” He dropped his lips to my cleavage, dragging his tongue over my flushed skin. He glanced up, his eyes locking onto mine as he tongued over a nipple through the sheer cups of the bra. My whole body shivered as he tugged it between his lips.
I closed my eyes and dropped my head back, enjoying his mouth, but also wondering why we were still in the car. My hands went to his broad shoulders, tugging frantically at the t-shirt he wore, needing to feel his hot skin pressed against mine.
Langston pulled away long enough to shuck off the thin tee, but before he could get back to doing that impossibly sexy thing to my tits, my cell phone ringtone shrieked through the quiet of the car and woodsy surroundings.
“Aha. Looks like cell service still works…” I said, wincing at the loud ring tone, knowing it was probably work.
“Regrettably,” Langston said, letting out a sigh.
The interior of the car lit up from the phone ringing and when it went silent, we fell back into the pure dark again. Seconds later, it rang again. Seemingly more insistent the second time. I groaned under my breath.
“Do you need to get that?” Langston asked, dropping a glance at the mouth of my purse that sat at my feet.
“Probably…” I pulled a face. “I’m so sorry. It’s probably Harvest House. One of my girls might need—”
Langston set a finger on my lips, silencing my rambling excuses. He smiled warmly at me. “It’s oka
y, Cass. You can answer the phone. I get it.”
I lunged for the phone and answered on the last ring. “Hello?”
Sure enough, it was Mary Lou on the other end of the line. “Cassandra, I’m so glad I caught you! Kenzie is awake! Miss Alf just called me. She’s unavailable to be there to see her and wondered if one of us could go sit with her. I’m out of town now, with my in-laws for dinner, so I was wondering if you’d be able to go?”
I glanced at Langston who was doing his best to keep his hands on his side of the car. My heart twisted, torn in two between Kenzie and finishing what Langston had started minutes before. It was selfish, but my panties were soaked and I knew on the other side of the door of the cabin lay mind-blowing hot nasty pleasure I could get lost in for the next few hours.
“I’ll be there within the hour,” I replied, settling the warring debate in my mind. Langston would be there after we visited with Kenzie. Besides, he’d probably want to go see her as much as I did.
“Everything okay?” Langston asked, cocking a brow as I put the phone back into my purse.
“Yeah.” I smiled over at him. “Really good, actually. That was Mary Lou. Kenzie’s awake!”
Langston, without missing a beat, turned over the engine and threw the car into reverse. “Let’s get over there!”
I smiled at his enthusiasm and hurried to button myself back up and buckle my seatbelt.
****
At the hospital, we were immediately shown into Kenzie’s room and found the small girl sitting up at an incline in the too-large hospital bed. The TV on the opposite wall was turned on, playing a Disney movie, but Kenzie immediately dropped the remote when she spotted us in the doorway. “Miss Cassie?”
“Hey, sweet thing,” I said, grinning through the tears that banked along my lash line. “Look who I brought with me.”
Behind me, Langston sauntered into the room, holding up a paper bag. “Since we missed our ice cream outing, I figured I’d bring it to you.” He slipped a pint of chocolate swirl from the bag and produced two plastic spoons. “You’re gonna have to keep it on the low-down, the nurses probably wouldn’t approve.”
Kenzie giggled as Langston took the treat to her bedside, comfortably settling into one of the chairs. The look in her eyes made my heart squeeze. He was her hero. She barely knew him, but in the short time they’d spent together, he’d endeared himself to her in a big way. I wasn’t even quite sure how he’d done it, but the look of delight shining in Kenzie’s eyes was proof enough. And Langston looked just as overjoyed.
Kenzie looked up from her first bite of ice cream and smiled at me. “Miss Cassie? Are you staying too?”
“Of course!” I hurried forward, realizing I’d stopped short at the sight of the two of them together. I took the seat beside Langston and he fed me a bite from his spoon. If Kenzie thought it odd, she didn’t comment. “Mmm. The good stuff.”
Langston chuckled and took a bite for himself. “For my girls? Only the best.”
“Thank you, Mr. Rose,” Kenzie said, her voice suddenly small.
“Mr. Rose? That’s my dad.” Langston’s face crumpled. “Call me Langston.”
She smiled and giggled again. “Okay. How did you know chocolate swirl is my favorite?”
“Took a gamble,” he replied, shrugging one shoulder.
I glanced up at the monitors that were still hooked to her and the IV drip hanging on the other side of the bed. “How are you feeling, Kenz?”
She frowned. “I’m tired, mostly.”
“Do you…” I paused, trying to assess the best way to ask my next question. “Do you remember what happened?”
Kenzie’s face fell again. “I was with Tommy and I went to get something from the store and all of a sudden this red car came around the corner. It was too fast and it scared me. I stopped walking and…and then…” her little voice faded off as tears filled her eyes. Langston glanced up at me, his eyes wide with alarm, as though silently asking me what to do next. I waited, watching her face as the emotions poured out. “Tommy came running and I screamed and that’s when—”
Tears slipped past her lashes and she stopped trying to speak. I rubbed her shoulder, wishing I could embrace her, but wasn’t entirely sure how much she could move. I hadn’t had a chance to speak with her doctor yet. “It’s all right, sweetheart. Tommy wasn’t hurt. He’s at home with your foster parents and I’m sure he’ll be here soon to visit.”
Kenzie nodded, sending a few more tears splashing over her round cheeks. After a minute or so, she glanced up at Langston and me. “What’s going to happen to me? When can I go home?”
I nibbled my lower lip. “I don’t know yet. I need to talk to your doctor.”
Langston set the pint of ice cream on the tray beside the bed. “Kenzie, don’t you worry about what happens next. We’re going to make sure you have all the best care in the world so that you can get better as soon as possible. You gotta save up all that strength to recover, all right?”
I smiled at him, instantly deciding that I liked his coach voice and the stern, but somehow still soft, look in his eyes. “That’s right.”
Kenzie smiled at us. “Next you’re going to tell me to eat my vegetables?”
Langston roared with laughter.
“To be fair, we did bring ice cream,” I said, smiling at her. It warmed my heart to see a smile dance across her face again.
We stayed for a while longer, until Kenzie’s eyes started to drift closed. Langston waited until she was breathing softly, her head slumped slightly to one side against her stack of pillows, before rising from his seat. He capped the ice cream carton, tossed the spoons, and brushed Kenzie’s hand with his fingers while he said goodbye. I kissed her cheek and smoothed her natural curls before we slipped from the room.
“What a little fighter,” Langston commented, almost to himself, as we walked down the bright corridor.
“She really is.”
Langston didn’t say anything else. He just wrapped my hand in his as we continued out of the hospital.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cassie
The next two weeks passed in a blur. All too soon, Langston was standing in my office at Harvest House, waiting to sign off on the last of the judicial paperwork that needed to be sent to the courts stating that he had completed his one-hundred hours of community service.
“I kind of don’t want to sign this,” I said softly, seated behind my desk, glancing over the paperwork. I looked up at him, falling right into those hazel green eyes. “I’ve been spoiled with having you around.”
Langston rounded the desk and perched himself on the edge, the not-so-solidly built piece of furniture groaned under his weight, but he didn’t move. A passing thought of my desk on the floor in pieces and him sprawled out across it came to mind.
He leaned down and brushed his fingertips under my chin, tilting my face up, and with a smile, said, “Trust me, pretty girl. I’m not going anywhere.”
His words warmed through me and when his lips met mine, those sparks turned into wild fire. Langston’s hand slid up my jawline to cup the side of my face, gently cradling me as the kiss deepened.
“Ooooo!”
Langston and I jolted apart at the chorus of giggly girls. Langston straightened up and actually looked embarrassed as he faced the pack of girls crowded in the door of my office.
“Langston and Miss Cassie sittin’ in a tree—”
“Ladies,” I chided, unable to wipe away my smile.
They scattered, still cooing and jeering as they bolted. We hadn’t exactly bothered to hide our relationship, at least not over the last few days. With his court-ordered hours complete, it didn’t seem that there would be any risk in playing things casual. Mary Lou was aware of the situation and had told me she didn’t see a problem with me remaining in charge of Langston’s scheduled hours at the center.
Langston stood from the desk and it squeaked in relief. It wasn’t a wonder of modern craftsmanship. Hell, it wa
sn’t even from IKEA. “So, what’s next?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, cocking my head at him.
He heaved his giant shoulders. “This. You and me.”
I smirked. “Langston Rose is initiating a relationship conversation? Wow, alert the media!”
“God, please don’t,” he groaned, still playing along with a wide smile.
“I don’t know…Bitsberg’s bad boy extraordinaire talking about trading it all in for one woman might be headline worthy. Bet I could sell it.”
Langston’s eyes darkened. “That’s only because they haven’t met you. Even the biggest dumbass on the planet would understand why I’m ditching the single life for a woman like you.”
My next teasing remark got lodged in my throat as it swelled with emotion. God…he was the king of leave-me-speechless. Ninety percent of the time he was all sarcasm and smart ass and then the other ten percent he was a walking, breathing Hallmark card. It was insufferable. And yet, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
And it seemed that I wouldn’t have to.
“Dinner at your place tonight?” I asked.
Langston laughed, knowing it was code for take-out, a bottle of wine, and hot, kinky sex. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
He sank down into the chair across from me as I raised a pen to begin the paperwork. “Have you heard anything from Hayley?”
He shook his head, a dark shadow flickering over his expression. “Not yet. When did you send in that letter?”
“Tuesday.”
“Hmm.”
I smiled at him. “I’m sure you’ll hear soon. Kenzie’s still in the hospital for another two weeks at least.”
“I know. I just…I’m getting antsy I guess.”
I nodded. “It will work out. They’d be crazy not to approve your application. You have Kenzie petitioning for you and everything.”
He chuckled, likely at the image of the firecracker girl pleading with her social worker to place her with him. Langston had debated for a week or so, trying to decide if it was a good idea to tell Kenzie of his idea on having her placed with him as her foster dad, but in the end, he couldn’t keep a secret and told her. She immediately burst into tears and by the time we left the room, there wasn’t one dry eye among the three of us.
