by SJ McCoy
“Aww! He’s such a sweetheart.”
“He is.” Shane’s smile faded. “Does she have a boyfriend?”
“No. She never has time for one.” Cassidy grinned. “Wouldn’t it be something if we could get the two of the together?”
Shane gave her a worried look. “Maybe.”
“But?”
“But Carter’s been hurt before. I don’t want him finally opening up to someone who will walk all over him and then leave him behind and never look back.”
Wow! That was a side of Shane she hadn’t seen before. She loved that he was protective toward his brother. “I’d hate to see him get hurt, although Summer isn’t like that. It’s probably best that we stay out of it, huh? Tell him she’s coming and leave it at that.”
“Yeah, but also take them both for a night out here and there?”
“If she’ll go out. It might be easier for her not to.” Cassidy knew what he meant though. “Don’t worry we can make sure he gets the chance to meet her properly. I’ll have everyone over for dinner.” She caught his eye. “And a game of pool.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You have a pool table?”
She laughed. “I do.”
“You’re a little hustler!”
“Why, thank you.”
“I’m going to need a rematch you know. I need to beat you and claim my prize.”
His look sent shivers racing down her spine. She couldn’t wait!
“Hey guys!” called Carter. He was building a rockery in the little side yard. Cassidy couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles rippled as he hefted a huge rock into place. He was a little too bulky for her taste. She smiled to herself as she thought about it. Even when they were kids, Summer had always gone gaga over big, built guys. Cassidy had a feeling she would swoon at the sight of Carter. That would be awesome. They were two of the sweetest people on earth. But she was a little concerned too; she’d hate for either of them to get hurt.
“Yo bro!” called Shane. “It would appear that Cassidy has been rendered speechless by the sight of your physique.”
Cassidy slapped his arm, and Carter looked uncomfortable. She hated that Shane would embarrass him like that. “He’s just jealous, Carter. I was actually thinking about how much my friend is going to like you.”
Shane pouted at her. “I thought you were going to let me tell him?”
“I was, but I didn’t think you were going to embarrass us both!”
He hung his head. “Sorry, you’re right. I am jealous of my big brother. I mean what guy wouldn’t be? He’s big and buff and…” Cassidy had to laugh as Shane flexed his own muscles. “And my girl isn’t noticing me because she’s ogling him!”
The corners of Carter’s mouth turned up in the hint of a smile. He raised an eyebrow at Cassidy.
She looked at Shane. “Your girl?”
He shrugged and gave her his cocky grin, which was much more appealing now. “I’m working on it.”
“Will one of you tell me?” asked Carter.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Shane looked at Cassidy. “Can I?”
She laughed and nodded. “Go ahead.”
Shane went over and put an arm around Carter’s shoulders. “Cassidy’s friend, the one who is going to be staying right here in this house…”
“If she likes it,” said Cassidy. “I haven’t even seen inside yet.”
Shane waved a hand at her. “She’ll love it. She’s going to be staying right here.”
“Who is?” asked Carter with a laugh.
“None other than the beautiful, the angel voiced, the sweetest of the sweet…”
“Who?”
“Shane just tell him, or I will!”
“The one and only, Summer Breese!”
The corners of Carter’s mouth turned up at the same time his head went down. He looked so embarrassed, Cassidy felt for him. Though she couldn’t help smiling at the touch of color on his cheeks.
“The singer?” he asked without looking up.
“Yes, the singer, dumbass!” Shane punched his arm. “The very same Summer Breese who you moon over whenever she’s on TV. The one you sing along with in your truck.”
Carter’s cheeks turned even redder as he shot a look at Cassidy.
She smiled. She didn’t want him to feel bad. “I sing along with her, too. I love her voice and all her songs. Did you know she writes them all herself?”
Carter nodded.
Shane laughed. “Of course he does! He knows everything there is to know about her; well, everything that’s in the public realm. And now he’ll get to know what she’s really like, too!”
Carter shook his head. “Oh no. I wouldn’t want to intrude on her privacy. She doesn’t like the spotlight.” He met Cassidy’s gaze and shook his head again. “Don’t worry. I do think she’s awesome, but I’ll stay away. She must want some peace if she’s coming all the way out here.”
“She does, but she wants to spend time with me, too. I’d like her to meet my friends. She’s not coming to be a hermit or anything.”
Carter gave her a shy smile. “I would like to meet her, and I won’t embarrass you.”
She laughed. “I know that!” She looked at Shane. “I’m not so sure about him, but I’m not worried about you at all.”
Shane laughed. “No worries here. I’ve already got my hands full with you.”
Carter looked from her to Shane and back again, seemingly surprised at that. It wasn’t enough to distract him though. “How do you know her?”
“We grew up together. I went to school with her and her sister.”
“Autumn? Is she coming, too?”
“I’m not sure. She may come to help Summer get settled in, but I can’t see her staying for long. This place will suit Summer, but Autumn’s a big city girl.”
Carter nodded. “That was the impression I got.”
“Well, once her sister’s gone, I’m sure you can help Summer settle right in. It’ll be your pleasure, right?” asked Shane.
Carter looked at Cassidy again. “I’ll be on hand for anything she needs, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”
Cassidy touched his arm; he was so sweet. She was starting to wonder if anything might happen between him and Summer. They would make an adorable couple—but she mustn’t get carried away. “Thanks, Carter. I think we’d better take a look inside the house first, don’t you? I’d love to call her tonight and tell her we’ve found somewhere for her.”
He nodded. “Come on in then. It’s a great place.”
~ ~ ~
Shane smiled at Cassidy across the table. They’d spent a good hour with Carter while they went over his landscaping plans for her house. Shane was glad to finally have her to himself. “What made you want to come here?”
She laughed. “The Valley Lodge is the only place I’ve eaten outside of town. Everyone says this place has the best burgers. I haven’t had a burger in ages.”
Shane nodded. He was a little disappointed. He’d wanted to take her to the Valley Lodge as it was one of the best restaurants in the Mountain West. It made sense that she would be familiar with it though. To her that was the norm and somewhere like this, the Riverside, just a regular burger joint to him, was somewhere new and different. It didn’t really matter where they ate though. What mattered was that he was on a real date with her—hopefully the first.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “You weren’t hoping to impress me were you?”
He met her gaze. She was blunt, no doubt about it, but that was one of the things he liked about her. She didn’t give him any room to put on a façade to impress her. He liked that because it gave him no choice but to be completely honest and, therefore, transparent. He was used to maintaining a certain distance from women—mentally if not physically. He gave them the front, and they loved it. They gave him the sex, and he loved that! He couldn’t wait to get Cassidy into bed. “Of course I was hoping to impress you, Princess.” He gave her a wink and caught hold of her hand acro
ss the table. “How else am I supposed to schmooze you into the sack?”
She threw back her head and laughed. “You’re such an asshole, Shane!”
He gave her a hurt look, but couldn’t hide his smile. “I try to be. I know it’s what you like best about me.”
She shook her head. “No, I think it works pretty well for you with most women. But you have to remember that I’m not like most women.”
“How could I forget?”
“What does that mean?”
He smiled. He wanted to play with her, not piss her off. “I mean I’m here, aren’t I? With most women, I would have given up weeks ago. You’ve not exactly been nice to me, have you?”
“You’ve not exactly deserved it, have you?”
He laughed. “With most women, I don’t need to be. My charm and dashing good looks are all it takes.”
She laughed. “It’ll take more than your normal with me.”
“Exactly.” He squeezed her hand and looked into her laughing, honey-colored eyes for a long moment. “I want more than my normal from you.”
The laughter faded from her face as she looked back at him. They stared into each other’s eyes until she broke the moment. “Ha! Nice one, Shane. I almost fell for that!”
His heart sank. Her words felt like a slap in the face. He’d meant it! He didn’t want to just screw her, he wanted to spend time with her, get to know her. He recovered quickly.
“I can see you’re going to keep me on my toes,” she said.
He laughed as the server approached the table. “I’d rather get you on your back.” He smirked at her as the server looked from him to her.
She gave him the evil eye before turning to the girl to place her order.
Once the server had gone she gave him a cool look. “So what are we doing here? Are you just taking a roundabout route to the inevitable?”
He raised an eyebrow. He thought he knew what she meant, but he wanted her to spell it out.
“The inevitable screwing each other’s brains out,” she clarified.
“I hope not. I mean yeah, I hope that part is inevitable, but I hope it’s not all we’re going to do together.” Her face relaxed a little. He hoped it was because she wanted to get to know him too. He rushed on while it seemed her defenses were down. “Since you have to keep other women away from me for the next three weeks, I was thinking we should spend some time together actually getting to know each other.”
She gave him a wary look. “Doing what?”
“Teaching you all those things you were asking about down by the river. I’ll take you out in the backcountry if you like?”
She looked suspicious. “If you just want to screw, I’d rather do it at my place.”
He laughed. “You, Cassidy Lane, are a cynic. Has anyone ever told you that?”
Her face was hard as she nodded. “Oh, yes. I’ve heard that one before. I prefer to think of myself as a realist.”
He shook his head, “No, reality is a lot less harsh than you give it credit for. I’m a nice guy. Yes, I want to sleep with you, but I also want to have fun with you outside of the sack, too. So I dare you.”
She smiled at that. “What do you dare me?”
He’d been right, she wasn’t the kind to refuse a dare. “To spend the weekend with me. We’ll head out into the backcountry. We’ll camp, I’ll teach you what it’s like out there.” He met her gaze, you’ll have to depend on me to keep you safe.” He watched the struggle on her face. He already knew her well enough to know that the thought of depending on anyone was alien to her. The thought of depending on him was probably even worse, but if she was too much of a hardass to do it, then there really wasn’t much point in him pursuing her. He liked that she was strong, liked her spunk, but he was a guy after all. He wanted to feel that she wanted him—maybe even needed him—for something.
She pursed her lips. “I accept.”
He laughed, “But you don’t like it, do you?”
“Not one bit, no. However, I am intrigued. You’re not the big goofball you make yourself out to be, are you?”
He smiled, she knew what he was doing. “Not many people see beyond the pretty face.”
She shrugged. “That’s a problem—or a blessing—we share. I see beyond yours; you see beyond mine. You think we may as well find out straight off the bat if we’re going to be able to handle each other.”
He smiled. “You know I want to handle you.” He let his gaze rest on her breasts and was rewarded when her nipples hardened.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know damn well what I mean!”
He smirked, “And you know what I mean.”
She let out an exasperated laugh. “I do. And I guess this weekend we’re both going to find out just how much we can handle!”
“In every sense.”
~ ~ ~
Cassidy watched Shane as he drove back down the valley after dinner. It had been a great evening. They’d laughed a lot. He was great company when he wasn’t being a cocky asshole. That wasn’t fair, she enjoyed it even when he was. Sparring with him was fun. She just hadn’t realized what a decent guy was lurking behind the banter. Looking at him now, the moonlight shining on his relaxed face as he drove, he was gorgeous. His strong jawline twitched as he smiled.
“Do you like what you see?”
She’d thought he was concentrating on driving. “You caught me,” she said.
He laughed. “I forgive you, I know it’s hard not to stare.” He turned and shot her his cocky grin making her laugh, too.
“You are so damned full of yourself.”
He shrugged. “It’s hard not to be. You want to be, too. Admit it.”
She cocked her head to one side not understanding.
He turned and gave her that look that set her heart racing and the shivers racing down her spine. “Full of me.”
“Damn you, Shane!”
He laughed. “Come on, Princess. Be honest. That’s where we’re headed. I’ll take you home, we’ll chat a little until we can’t wait any longer, then, finally, we’re going to…”
“No we are not!” She couldn’t believe she was saying it. She wanted him so badly she was wet for him already. She was desperate to get naked with him, be full of him, as he put it. But…no way was she going to let him dictate it on his terms, in his time, like she was some sure thing, that he’d play with and then take when he was ready.
He glance across at her. “You don’t mean that. You want it as much as I do.”
“I do mean it, Shane. No!”
He drove on in silence, leaving her to wonder whether he was angry. Whether he’d lost all interest because he wasn’t going to get what he wanted.
He pulled onto Mill Lane and drove up the long driveway. Once he brought the truck to a stop, he cut the ignition and turned to look at her. She couldn’t decipher the look on his face.
“No?”
She shook her head.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward her. Damn her traitorous fingers, they were reaching up to his shoulders, pulling him closer. He stopped with his lips inches from hers.
“Why not?”
“Because you expect it.”
He chuckled. “You’re right there.” He brushed his lips over hers and traced her cheek with his fingertips. “You want to though.”
She nodded and let out a little sigh when he slid his hand down to cover her breast, his fingers teasing her taut nipple. She looked up into his eyes and his lips came down on hers. She clung to his shoulders as he kissed her deeply. His hand left her breast, stealthily making its way down between her legs. She was so glad she’d worn a short skirt. If she was honest, this was exactly why she’d worn it. She moaned into his mouth as his fingers traced her inner thigh until they reached her panties. He lifted his head a moment and gave her a questioning look. Damn him he was seeking permission now. She nodded and reclaimed his lips, kissing him hungrily as she opened her legs wider. He pulled her panties aside and tr
aced her opening with his fingertips, then circled her clit, making her gasp. She was utterly defenseless as he teased her there, circling and squeezing until her hips were bucking. As she thrust them up, he slid two fingers deep inside her making her moan and thrust harder—wanting, needing more. He stilled his hand, not withdrawing his fingers, just letting her move around him. She rubbed herself against him, frustrated now.
He lifted his head and smiled down at her, removing his hand and straightening her panties and skirt. He brought his fingers to his lips and licked each one, tantalizing her with the way he trailed then flicked his tongue, making her wish he was using it on her. She squirmed wanting to feel it on her where his fingers had been.
“Mmm, sweet,” he murmured. She stared at him as he sat back. “Goodnight, Princess. You tell me when you’re ready. Until then I’ll just enjoy the anticipation.”
Damn him! She couldn’t go back on her word now. She’d told him no. But she was desperate for him now.
He gave her that aggravating smile. “I’ll come get you in the morning.”
She let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m not going to give in you know.”
He shrugged. “So I gathered. But if I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight because I’m so damned frustrated, then I thought it was only fair to leave you in the same state.”
She had to laugh. She reached across and cupped his impressive erection in her hand, holding his gaze as she did. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
He narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head before drawing a deep breath. “You will.”
Chapter Ten
The next morning Cassidy woke to the grey light of the predawn. She’d tossed and turned all night. At three o’clock she’d almost called him. She’d sat there with the phone in her hand seriously considering calling and asking him to come back and finish what he’d started. She hadn’t though. Despite feeling more horny and frustrated than she’d have believed possible, she had way too much pride. She also knew that she wouldn’t have to wait too long. She doubted they’d get very far into their little camping expedition before they both had to give in. Instead, she’d texted Summer the photos of Beau’s house. It was just as great inside as it was out. She was hoping her friend would soon be her neighbor. At least for a few months.
