by D. Kelly
“Like how she was hit and then told she was unlovable.”
“Exactly. Positive affirmations instead of negative ones. And realistically, I was already pretty good at filling her in on my feelings because I knew her home life was unstable and I wanted her to feel loved and protected. The more I opened up to her, the more she let me in, but there’s always been a piece of her I couldn’t touch. The piece that pulled her from our wedding and brought her here. That’s the part of her I need to break through before we leave this house.”
“Zack, man, for what it’s worth, I hope you get there and I’ll do whatever I can to help. I’ve never met anyone willing to go through what you have for someone. Damn, you guys were just kids and you knew way back then she was special. I envy you in a way.” The wistfulness in his voice is unmistakable. Time to lighten this party up.
“Well, I’d envy me, too, if I were you but don’t get any ideas… Cassidy is mine.” His laughter fills the car.
“Now, there’s the cocky son of a bitch I went to school with. I knew he was in there somewhere. Just let me know when you need me, otherwise, I’ll be here but out of sight.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Anytime,” he says as I exit the car. As I walk up the path to the house, I see Pete’s man guarding the door. He’s not someone I would want on my bad side. This guy is huge and apparently, a man of very few words.
“ID,” he states gruffly, but I don’t begrudge him—he’s doing his job. I hand him my driver’s license and he looks at it and me very carefully. Once he’s satisfied I am who I’m supposed to be, he steps aside so I can unlock the door.
“She’s still asleep on the couch, or she was ten minutes ago when the guys in back gave me their update.”
“Thanks,” I reply as I gently close and lock the door behind me. Carefully, I take off my shoes so she doesn’t hear me walking through the house and wake up. When I walk into the living room, the house is completely dark but the moonlight casts a soft glow onto her and I easily make out her sleeping figure.
Relief floods through me just being able to see she’s okay with my own eyes. I’d love to pick her up and carry her to our bed but I know I can’t. Instead, I continue quietly down the hall to the guest room. I’m hoping I’ll be up before she is in the morning. I don’t want her to know I’m here until I’m ready. Besides, I’m exhausted and need to sleep off the alcohol before talking to her. I lock the door behind me; if she goes exploring in the morning she won’t think anything of a locked door. Even though I want her in my bed, it’s not possible tonight and I won’t sleep in our bed without her.
There’s a tap on the window. Pete must have seen the light go on. He’s in the process of popping the screen off when I open it.
“Miss me already?” I ask with a smirk.
“Not as much as you would have missed this in the morning, I’m sure,” he replies, passing my suitcase through the window. Damn, I can’t believe I forgot that.
“That’s for sure. Thanks.”
“Yup. Get some sleep, you’re going to need it. See you later,” he says, popping the screen back on and disappearing into the dark.
After closing the window, I strip out of my tux, down to my boxer briefs. This was not the way I imagined I’d be getting undressed and going to sleep on my wedding night. It doesn’t matter; we’ll still have a wedding night. If Cassidy needs time and a reminder why we’re meant for each other, I’m going to give it to her.
There’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for her.
When I wake up, the sun is streaming through the slats in the plantation shutters even though they’re closed enough no one could see inside if they tried. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I’m excited to see Cassidy and have her to myself for the next two weeks and can’t wait to see her reaction when she finds out I’m here.
The clock on the nightstand says it’s eight a.m., so I only slept about five hours but that’s enough; I’ve never been much of a sleeper. Probably because, for as long as I can remember, the first thing I ever wanted to do when I woke up in the morning was make sure Cassidy was okay. After we moved in together, it was already a habit and instead of trying to break it, I enjoyed lying in bed and watching her sleep peacefully. My heart has never been more content than knowing she was safe in my bed and in my arms.
After grabbing my suitcase and tossing it on the bed, I take my toiletry bag out and hop in the shower. I decide not to shave because I know Cassidy loves me with just a day’s worth of scruff. My shower is quick because I’m anxious to see her. Unfortunately, when I packed my bag I didn’t give too much thought to clothes because I figured I wouldn’t need many here. I may need to do some shopping.
Finally, I find a plain black t-shirt that she loves because it clings to every muscle and ab I have. It also shows off my tattoos, which my mother hates but Cassidy loves. There’s one in particular she pays more attention to than any other. It’s on my upper back and says ‘faith makes all things possible.’ It’s a quote she has had written down and carries with her as motivation. When I realized how much it helped her, I knew I had to have it on me forever. Another way of trying to show her I’m as much hers as she is mine. The day I came home and showed it to her, she cried for hours. I was terrified she hated it, but she explained even though it was silly she felt as if it proved I was made for her.
That was the least silly thing she could have ever said to me.
“Baby, look at me,” I plead with her as I wipe away her tears. She looks up at me and her puffy, red-rimmed blue eyes have never looked more beautiful. The words I want to say to her can’t find their way to my mouth.
“Cassidy, I can’t even find the words so I’m going to show you what I’m feeling.” Taking her hand in mine, I pull her up from the bed and remove her white sundress over her head. The white lace panties and matching bra underneath have my cock aching to be buried deep inside of her.
My shirt is already off, so I quickly drop my shorts and remove my boxers. She gasps when she sees how ready I am for her and her eyes glaze over with desire. There’s my little vixen. Every time I get to see that look in her eyes, I relish the fact that no one else has ever seen it and no one ever will. Cassidy will always be mine and that look will always be reserved for me.
Pulling her close, my hands follow the curves of her body until they land on her ass and squeeze. When my cock pushes against her belly, she exhales. “Zack,” she moans as my mouth greets hers. Her lips taste salty from her tears and I lick them, greedily consuming the evidence of her happiness. As her tongue tentatively meets mine, my cock aches for her even more.
The intensity of our kiss increases while my hands roam her curves. She threads her arms under mine and pulls me closer to her by my shoulders. “Make love to me, Zack,” she whispers breathlessly, pulling away from our kiss and backing up to the bed.
“I plan on it, baby. Lie down.” As she crawls across our bed and lies down, I take a minute to admire the beauty displayed in front of me. She’s breathtaking, and I’m the luckiest fucker on the planet. Starting at the bottom of the bed, I let my hands work their way up her flawless ivory skin. At first, I place light kisses up her legs but once I reach her thighs, I’m biting softly and ease the sting with lingering open-mouthed kisses, letting my tongue float across her skin and reveling in the sounds of ecstasy coming from her.
My tongue swipes across her clit through her panties and her fingers immediately tug on my hair. Hell, I love when she does that, especially when she gets to the point she’s begging for me. As I kiss my way up her toned stomach, I slide my hand into her panties. She’s so wet already. Using my free hand, I slide it underneath her and unclasp her bra. She shrugs out of it and tosses it across the room.
“Zack, please,” she pleads as I slowly circle her clit with my thumb. As I lower my mouth to her nipple, I slide a finger inside her and she arches into me, pulling my head down to her breast, letting me know she wants more. When I suck her nippl
e harder and then gently bite it, she cries out in sheer pleasure. After slipping a second finger inside of her tight, wet, pussy, I move to her other breast without missing a beat.
The pressure I’ve been applying to her clit with my thumb has her clenching my fingers tight, her wetness now dripping down my hand. Kissing a path from her breasts to her mouth, I slow my movements as I take her lips with mine. The in and out movements of my fingers mimic the movement of my tongue in her mouth. She lowers one of her hands and pulls my hips closer to her as her fingers of her other hand tug softly on my hair.
Her whimpers are becoming frantic as my tongue chases hers in a sexy game of foreplay. Slowly, I break the kiss and travel back down her abdomen until I reach her panties. Tucking the edge of them in my teeth, I remove my fingers from her as I proceed to pull her panties off with my mouth.
Cassidy watches me with pure adoration and passion in her eyes until I flick her clit with my tongue and her eyes roll back in her head. “God, Zack… only you,” she whimpers. When my tongue travels down her sweet, slick pussy and slips inside, she convulses around me, screaming my name. There is nothing in this world sweeter than the taste of my vixen on my tongue.
Once I’ve let her fully ride out her orgasm in my mouth, I kiss my way back up her body, enjoying every single curve as I go. I’m nestled between her legs and she reaches down and guides me inside of her.
So. Fucking. Hot.
When I’m all the way in, I pull her hips up closer to me and ask the question I already know the answer to. “Only me what, baby?” She’s moving under me, trying to get me to move but I hold her hips steady and stop her. “Answer me if you want me to move. Only me what?”
She blushes, and it’s the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. I’m buried balls deep inside my vixen and she still gets embarrassed to tell me what I already know she meant. “Only you can make me fall apart, Zack. Only you will ever have my heart.”
Damn straight, only me.
“And only you will ever have mine, Cassidy Pope. For now, and for always,” I reply with the sweetest kiss as I slowly move in and out of her, savoring every last sensation of her tight body wrapped around mine.
When her cries escalate and her fingers are frantically scratching at my back—pulling me closer—I feel her tighten around me and when she softly calls out my name, I let myself come with her. Nothing in the world feels better than coming inside Cassidy as we climax together.
Nothing.
Just thinking about being inside of her is making my cock stand at attention. I try and think of something else to ease the ache before going out there and surprising my girl. I don’t plan on having sex with her, at least not today, so I really need to stop thinking about it.
Who the hell am I kidding? I’m always thinking about sex with Cassidy. It’s time to go slay her dragons once and for all.
When I open my eyes, the room is filled with sunlight. After blinking a few times, I sit up and look around for a clock, finally settling on one on a corner table. It’s a little before eight in the morning. I can’t believe I slept that long but after everything that happened yesterday, I needed it.
A sinking feeling settles over me and my nausea kicks in full force. Why did I run? How did I let her get to me? Up until recently, I’ve always been able to push Priscilla’s negativity to the side and trust in Zack. He’s fought for me every step of the way and when it was time for me to fight for him, I ran. Again. Which brings me full circle to the issue at hand: maybe she was right and I’m not right for him. Truth be told, if I was worthy of him I would have fought for him.
Suddenly, it hits me like a ton of bricks. Maybe that’s what she wanted to see—maybe she needed to see me fighting to prove my worth to her. If that’s the case, I’ve completely and utterly failed. God, I can’t think about this all right now. I need a shower and a cup of coffee, then maybe I can think about what happens now. Eventually, I need to face my biggest current issue: I need to check my messages. I’m sure, aside from Zack, Ry is totally freaking out.
She’ll never understand any of this. For one thing, she’s Zack’s sister so no matter our friendship, her loyalty lies with him. And secondly, she has no idea the kind of person her mother really is. That actually makes me happy; Ry should only know her mother’s love, not her hateful ways.
In the light of day, this house is even more stunning than I realized last night. I stand and open the shutters to look out at the ocean. The water is a beautiful clear turquoise so vastly different than the water at our local California beaches. You definitely wouldn’t be able to have sex in this water without everyone on shore knowing exactly what you’re doing, I think to myself with a chuckle.
Alright, I can enjoy the view for the next two weeks if I want to but right now, I’m in desperate need of a shower. I need to wash off the sorrow and sadness before a new round consumes me and I’m not able to function at all. I never explored the house last night and I’ve really got to pee! Grabbing my suitcase and wheeling it behind me, I set off down the hall. The first door on my right is a bathroom with a shower. Perfect. I’m not ready to venture into the bedroom yet, knowing I’ll be sleeping there alone.
The bathroom is very large for a guest bathroom, and I’m able to easily lay my suitcase flat and open it with plenty of room to spare. After grabbing the necessary toiletries and a couple of towels from the cabinet, I turn on the shower and strip out of my grubby clothes. It’s a waterfall shower and it’s amazing; I could stay in here all day.
Once I’ve shampooed and conditioned my hair and scrubbed down with Zack’s favorite scented body wash, I step out of the shower and try to steel myself for checking my phone after breakfast. Even though Pete and his men will be around, I decide to just let my hair air dry. It will be curly but I just don’t feel like blowing it out. Zack likes it better this way, anyway.
Stop it, Cassidy. Don’t torment yourself. Zack isn’t here and he isn’t coming.
After brushing my teeth, I throw my dirty clothes in a separate section of my suitcase and zip it up. I don’t bother moving it, though, since I’m not sure if I’m going to use this bathroom or eventually suck it up and move into the empty bedroom.
I put on a pretty, light pink lacey bra and matching thong under a pink and white sundress. I bought almost all new clothes for the trip, keeping in mind Zack’s favorite colors and what he likes to see me in. Or rather, what he likes to take off of me. My eyes are starting to tear up again even thinking about him and I walk out of the bathroom sniffling, trying to hold back the tears.
The scent of coffee leads me to the kitchen and Pete is leaning against the counter drinking a cup. There’s a platter of fresh fruit laid out on the counter that looks amazing and I realize I haven’t eaten since the toast I had for breakfast yesterday. I was too nervous to eat.
“Morning,” Pete says, flashing me a dazzling smile.
“Good morning. Did you do all of this?” I ask curiously.
“Actually, I’d love to take the credit but Mrs. Stafford hired someone to come in and make breakfast for you. There’s a number by the phone for you to call and they’ll make any of your meals if you want. I figured today you’d need to eat breakfast since I’m sure you didn’t eat last night,” he replies with a cocked eyebrow as if he knows me so well. God, I really should have Rylee come stay with me so she can meet him.
“Thank you. You’re right, I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.” Grabbing a cup, I pour some coffee for myself.
“Well, I just came to get you settled,” he says as he puts the lid on his to-go mug. “I’m going to head home and get some sleep for a bit. If you want them to make you lunch or dinner, call that number. I’ll be back tonight to check on you.”
“Okay… thanks again, Pete.”
“Oh, and Cassidy? One more thing. Don’t forget that today is a new day and things might not be as bad as you think they are. Don’t start crying just yet… you never know where the day might take you.”
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I wish I had his confidence but I don’t. It’s all I can do to nod at him and wave goodbye as he leaves.
The cream and sugar is sitting on the counter by the fruit so I add some to my cup and stir it, taking a seat on the barstool. The first sip tastes like heaven and I close my eyes while enjoying it. Coffee has always been something I like to savor in the morning, but when I open my eyes to take in the beautiful ocean view in front of me, Zack is standing before me and I almost spill the coffee everywhere.
Fumbling like a fool, I finally get the cup set down on the counter and away from me and blink before looking back up at him. He’s really here. Leaning against the sink with his arms crossed and his feet kicked out in front of him, he’s wearing my favorite shirt in the entire world and a pair of jeans. My hands are shaking and my eyes are once again filled with tears. I don’t even know what to think or say. He came for me again and when that realization hits me, the tears begin to fall and there’s nothing I can do to hold them back.
“Zack.” My voice comes out so lightly, I don’t think he even heard me but from the smile crossing his face, I know he did.
“Cassidy,” he replies cordially. That’s odd. His voice definitely does not match his expression.
“What are you… I mean, I’m sorry, I just…oh god, I’m wrecking this I’m, I’m…” Shit, I can’t form a sentence to save my life.
“You’d like to know what I’m doing here?” Oh hell, his voice… it’s lawyer Zack and while it’s hot as hell hearing him in the courtroom, it’s nerve wracking to hear him use that tone with me. He’s never used that tone with me.
