Free to Dream

by Tracey Jerald

  “I’m so ready for this, Caleb.” Sliding my hands up to his jaw, I capture his lips. “Make love to me. Please.”

  He bows his head. “Okay, baby.”

  Quickly sliding on the condom, he shifts us on the bed so I’m up higher. I wrap my legs around his waist as he lines himself up to my entrance. Pushing in slightly, he stops.

  His hand flies into mine. “You and me, Cass.”

  “You and me, Caleb.”

  His face is solemn as he begins the push and pull to feed himself into me. I’m so wet from my first orgasm, it eases the way somewhat, but it takes a few times for him to ease past my tightness until he’s fully seated. I can feel his balls grazing against my ass as he grinds against me.

  “Is it uncomfortable in any way?” Caleb questions, holding his body taught. A bead of sweat runs from his hair down his jawline.

  Quickly, I shake my head no. It feels amazing. I’m stretched and filled. It’s not going to take much to send me over the edge again. I also suspect by the sweat coating Caleb’s body, it won’t take long for him either. I lift my hips tentatively and moan as I feel new sensations. He drops his head for a moment to catch his breath before raising his blazing eyes back to mine. “Ready, baby?”

  I nod frantically.

  He pulls back a little. Instinctively, I pull my hips back a little as well. When I feel his cock start to slide into me again, I thrust my hips forward. We both gasp. “Again!” he growls. We pull back and push forward, our hips colliding. “Again!” His voice is guttural. Again, our hips slap together. This time, he grinds and circles his hips. I gasp. Oh my god! What was that? “That’s it, baby. Reach for it.” Again. “Tell me what you need. Do you need my finger wet with your juices sliding up and down your clit as I grind into you? Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you.”

  I don’t know if it’s the words or the imagery that pushes me over, but I feel myself tighten around his cock. Throbbing. Incessantly. I moan long as my hips move out of sync, faster and faster. “That’s it, baby, come for me, come on me.” His eyes are losing focus, going hazy. Suddenly, they snap open and his jaw sags. Through my own orgasm, I feel pulses. “Oh, Cassidy.” Caleb leans down and kisses me ferociously at first, then softly, as the weight of his body pushes mine deeper into the mattress as we come down together.

  As we cling to each other, he peppers my body with kisses. I stroke his shoulders with weak arms, my energy drained, and unlock my legs from around his back. My feet skim down his luscious ass and down the backs of his thighs as they come to rest on the mattress.

  While my body has turned limp, my heart is still in overdrive. I’m shaken down to my core. Emotionally, I feel like I jumped out of a plane with no parachute. I thought I was prepared for this, but I didn’t have a damn clue.

  As if he can read my mind, Caleb pushes up and stares at me, searching my eyes, then rolls us over so I’m lying on top of him, keeping us connected. I drop my head to his chest, trying to keep some of what I’m experiencing to myself.

  “Cassidy?”

  I shake my head. I can’t look at him yet. I know I’m too vulnerable, so I squeeze my arms around him instead.

  “Baby, I need your face.”

  I shake my head again and he laughs. “Okay.”

  He quietly rubs my back, occasionally dropping kisses along my head.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been given a gift as beautiful as the one you just gave me,” he muses quietly.

  I finally look up. “This?” I ask, waving my hand to encompass our bodies.

  “No, baby, the gift of being your first choice.” He kisses me. “I hope you always think you made the right one.”

  Kissing him back, I put my hand on his heart. “I know I will.”

  21

  Caleb

  Right now, as I watch Cassidy’s chest rise and fall in slumber, I know the truth.

  I’m not just falling for her. I’m already in love with her.

  She’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

  Courageous. Brave. Loyal. Beautiful.

  And right now, I’d give up everything else in my life if she would understand why I didn’t tell her what I knew from the beginning.

  Because I have no idea how to tell her now without the warm light in those glowing orbs flickering off when she presumes I betrayed her.

  22

  Caleb

  The past two days with Cassidy have been the closest thing to perfect. Yesterday, when I would have been super lazy and called in for food, she gave me an appalled look when she saw the prices and immediately went into the kitchen to see if there was food worth cooking. I told her if it couldn’t be cooked in a soup pot or the microwave, then she was risking her life asking me to help. She promptly put a knife in my hand and said that if I could throw it at someone, I could chop lettuce.

  Is it any wonder why I’m in love with this woman?

  We spent last night watching an old Mel Brooks movie, Spaceballs, on the big screen. When I paused it to explain to her that as an investigative firm, we cracked more people’s accounts because they had the password one, two, three, four, she shrieked with laughter and almost wet herself. She actually had to race to the bathroom.

  Fortunately for Ry and Jared’s furniture, she made it in time.

  She also found it funny that good ol’ Mel gave the impression of men fighting with their dicks. When the movie was over, and I told her she was welcome to have a battle with mine, it led to an interesting discussion. I’d say I was the victor, as Cassidy ended up passed out, and I barely held in there long enough to pull the quilt over the two of us before cuddling next to her.

  It’s early on Saturday morning and she’s dressed in just her panties and my flannel shirt from yesterday. She’s such a petite thing. Even fully buttoned-up, the shirt still gapes almost down to her breasts. I have her perched on the kitchen counter while I do the one thing I feel confident doing in the kitchen—make coffee. Her long dark hair is twisted up with a clip and her amaryllis tattoo is on full display.

  “What time do you have to be at the wedding today?” I ask her, walking over with her cappuccino.

  She puts down the bowl of Cheerios she was eating and spreads her legs so I can stand between them. Giving me a quick kiss to thank me, she takes a sip before answering. “Two. But I have to be back at my place by noon to get all my stuff and change.” Pointing at her outfit, she grins. “I don’t think this is quite the wedding attire they’re expecting.”

  My arms go behind her and pull her into me. “What do you wear to your events?” I ask, truly curious.

  “It depends. For something like your brother’s?” I nod. “Black tie, just like the guests. The idea is to try to blend in. I’ll have a small earpiece in, but that’s the only thing to distinguish me between a guest. In fact, we’ll have a table in the back.” I frown, not liking the idea of her in the back. She catches on pretty quickly and asks, “What part of that don’t you like?”

  “The part where you’re not next to me.”

  “I am working, Caleb. It’d be like you taking me to your office for the day.”

  “So, come to my office for the day,” I immediately counter.

  She pulls back, surprised. “Seriously?”

  I pull her back to me. “I want you with me, Cass. If it’s a huge issue because of the flow of work, I’ll understand.”

  She bites her lip, thinking. Damn, that little move is hot. I’m already semi hard again. “Let me see what I can do.”

  I smile like a gluttonous kid with a basket of Halloween candy. She holds up her hand and says sternly, “I said, let me see. No promises.”

  I’m about to lean in to show my appreciation for her concession when the doorbell rings. “What the hell?” I grumble. It’s eight in the morning on a Saturday.

  Knowing it must be someone on the approved list to get past the doorman makes me more irritated. If I’m lucky, it’s Ry and Jared and they forgot their keys.

  I’m not t
hat lucky.

  Keene is standing on the other side of the door when I open it up, a secure envelope in his hand. “Hey, man. This will only take a minute.” He walks past me and starts to make his way toward the kitchen.

  Quickly following after him, I state, “That’s good, because that’s all I’ve got before Cassidy and I have to leave to get her back for a wedding.”

  His steps halt. “She’s here? You never bring anyone here.”

  My anger rises. “She’s not just anybody, Keene. Get used to it.”

  Cassidy chirps, “Keene, before you go into another rant on why you don’t like me, would you like some coffee?”

  Keene turns, ready to blast her, and freezes. His eyes widen and he’s staring at her, checking her out from head to toe. I can’t say I blame him. With her hair up and wearing my shirt, she’s adorable. In the light of the condo, and with what she’s not wearing, her birthmark just below the base of her collarbone in the shape of a heart is completely visible. She looks beautiful, and well-loved.

  Mine.

  What she doesn’t look like is a doormat.

  “Actually, Cassidy, I’ll be happy to take a cup if it wouldn’t be too much of a problem,” Keene accepts, his voice soft.

  What the fuck?

  I smack the back of his head as I pass by him for good measure. It’s great he’s not being a roaring jackass, but don’t hit on my woman.

  Asshole.

  “Not a problem at all. If you two have work issues to discuss, I’ll have it waiting in the kitchen when you’re done.” She pivots and walks away. Keene can’t take his eyes off her legs. He sees her tattoo in its full glory.

  “What the hell, man?” I seethe when Cassidy’s out of earshot. “You were practically eye-fucking my woman.”

  “Sorry. I just got lost in my own thoughts for a second. I promised myself I wasn’t going to be an ass after the other night. I owe her an apology,” he replies with a completely straight face.

  Reasonable. “Okay. What do you need? I really do need to get Cassidy to her wedding today.”

  “It’s about the Armstrong case. Apparently, they’re refusing to sign our terms for a start on Monday. We already have ten guys in the air on their way to Portland.” Keene taps the file against his opposite hand.

  Crap. “Come on back to the study and let’s wake some people up on the West Coast.” I turn and head down the hall.

  I see Keene give the kitchen a final penetrating stare from the corner of my eye.

  23

  Cassidy

  Caleb and Keene make their way into the kitchen after figuring out some work issue. I heard them go into the study about thirty minutes ago. Both of their voices were raised against whomever they were speaking with. Finally, I heard Keene lay down the law. It wasn’t the words that resonated with me as much as the tone. I chuckle softly, thinking I would not want to be on the other end of that scolding. Big brother was apparently righteously infuriated. I imagine it would be the same when Ali got her panties in a wad over something. For someone so passionate, the way she can freeze out people with her body language or a word is impressive. It must be a lawyer thing.

  Pulling out the cream and sugar, I place them at the end of the bar, along with the fresh cups of coffee and some croissants. I start humming a tune I’ve sang since I was a little girl. It’s funny how these things come back to you. I remember nothing but the horror of my childhood, but at some point, someone must have sung “Au Clair De La Lune” to me and it stuck. For me, it’s a song of peace and tranquility. After the last few days with Caleb, I’m certainly in such a place.

  The men are still talking when they come back into the kitchen, so I don’t disturb them. Moving around the island, I pick up my Kindle to get the news. Caleb waits for Keene to finish his relatively mild rant over the “jackasses in Portland who can’t tell what day of the week it is” before coming over to kiss me on the cheek. “Thanks, baby, for laying all this out.”

  Keene offers me a small smile. “Yes, thank you, Cassidy. I didn’t mean to act like a dick this morning.”

  Well, knock me over with a feather. I narrow my eyes at Caleb and he shakes his head. He didn’t say anything? Wow. “You’re welcome, Keene. It wasn’t any trouble. If someone here actually knew how to cook, I could have done something more. But I figure his brother and Jared knew any groceries would rot before they got home.”

  We all laugh at the complete honesty of that statement. Keene’s eyes sparkle. Honestly, he’s a handsome man when he let’s go. I’m beginning to see how Ali got involved with him.

  “Is everything all fixed? I know you can’t talk much about your business,” I say quickly. Both men nod, but surprisingly, it’s Keene who speaks up.

  “Does Alison run into this a lot with your contracts?” He holds up a hand before I can respond. “I understand confidentiality and know you can’t tell me details. Some days it’s just helpful to know I’m not the only one running around at the last minute with my head on fire.”

  I lower my eyebrows thoughtfully and take a sip of my fresh cappuccino before responding. “Without getting into names, I do remember one wedding where the bride forgot she was getting married. Seriously. She wasn’t skipping out on the groom, she just forgot what the date was.”

  Both men gape at me.

  “I know it seems ridiculous. I was pounding on her door for probably an hour before she woke up. Her bachelorette party was the night before and she had a massive hangover. She thought there were two nights between the party and the ceremony, then spent another thirty minutes arguing with me that I had the wrong date. As if.” I mask my laughter by taking a sip of my drink.

  “What happened?” Caleb asks, a huge grin on his face. Keene is astounded.

  “Well, after she called three friends and her mother to verify the date and was screamed at by each, she tried to pass the blame onto me. When we got to the church, she was a stinking, hot mess. Literally stinking. I think Em wanted to hose her off. Instead, we managed to find the gym associated with the church open and got her in the shower. Since the stylist had walked out, we, as in Em and I, blew out and braided her hair, got her ass dressed and down the aisle, barely fifteen minutes late. After she got back from her honeymoon, she sued us.”

  Both men spit out their coffee at the same time. “Are you shitting me?” and “What the fuck?” are yelled at the same time. I feel a little more redeemed.

  “Yep. Fortunately, Ali pulled all the emails from our servers where we send automated reminders. When we walked into the courtroom, we had no less than five countdown reminder emails going to both the bride and the groom the day before the ceremony. It also helps she showed up drunk for the rehearsal dinner, and the photos the witnesses provided were classic.” I break out into gales of laughter.

  Keene is looking at me with admiration. “Nice. Did you guys countersue?”

  I shake my head no. “We were trying to build a reputation at the time. We were too new. If it had happened today, maybe Ali would have. She was happy with what we got as a settlement. It paid off the last of her student loans,” I say with a smile on my face.

  “Amazing.” Keene shakes his head and turns back to Caleb. “I take it back, I want to keep my job. These people are practically normal.”

  Caleb laughs and tags the back of my neck and gives me a quick kiss. “What were you singing when I first came in, baby? You’ve been humming it since yesterday morning.”

  “”Au Clair De La Lune.” I don’t remember where I ever heard it, and it took me forever to realize what it was I was singing, but it always made me smile as a child. Now, I tend to sing it when I’m particularly happy.”

  Caleb smiles and kisses me again, and when Keene clears his throat, I blush. “Sorry, Keene.”

  “That’s okay,” he says awkwardly. “Did your parents sing it to you? One of your siblings maybe?”

  Caleb’s face, which is still in front of mine, gets serious. Shit. With as much as I’ve shared with
Caleb, I forget the people in his life he’s closest to don’t know. I’m going to have to have to tell them or let him.

  This just got more complicated.

  I hate feeling pity.

  “I don’t know,” I reply quietly. “It’s a tough subject for me.” I’m somber when I reply to Keene who’s singularly focused on my face. “I actually have no memories of my life before I was four, and what happened after isn’t something I discuss. Ever.”

  Keene puts down his mug and mutters at the counter. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”

  I slide off my stool. “Not something you intended to cause harm over.” I walk into Caleb’s arms and he squeezes me tightly. His nose brushes against my ear. “I’ve got you.”

  I whisper back, “I know.” I pull away with a smile and check the time.

  “Oh crap, Caleb. It’s already nine-thirty! I’m going to shower so we can head out soon. I won’t have time back in Collyer. Keene, I’m sure I’ll see you again.” I race out of the room.

  I have to admit, I probably had a half hour before I would have really had to freak out, but between the time and the way Keene was looking at me, I suddenly wanted to be anywhere other than in the kitchen under the admiring eyes of the man I love.

  And the suddenly admiring eyes of his best friend.

  24

  Caleb

  As the weeks pass, it’s getting harder and harder to not tell her.

  She trusts me, and I feel like I can conquer the world.

  I feel like a king.

  I feel like I’m deceiving her.

  When we’re together, we talk about everything.

  Anything.

  So much.