“You can’t.”
“Please, Doc.”
“He’ll hurt you too.”
“Nobody is going to hurt either one of us because of a stupid video.”
“I need Jess she’s the only one who understands.”
“I’ll call her but let’s get you inside first.”
Cassidy didn’t answer she just nodded. Grady wrapped his arm around her and walked her back inside.
Jess came over as soon as Grady called. She knew that Cassidy would be in a panic. Grady barely had the door open and Jess was already running inside. “Where is she?”
“She’s in my bedroom. Jess, she’s a mess.”
Jess stopped and turned to Grady. “You care about her, right?”
“I do.”
“Then don’t let her push you away.”
“I won’t.”
“Good because I’m pretty sure that she’s in love with you.” Jess continued up the stairs.
Grady smiled a huge smile.
Cassidy was sitting on Grady’s bed holding a pillow and crying when Jess poked her head inside. “Hey, you!”
Cassidy bolted up and hugged Jess. “He’s going to find me.”
“Cass, I know you’re scared but the chances of him seeing the video and even recognizing you are so slim. Besides, do you honestly believe that he would still come after you?”
“I saw how he looked at me that last day in court.”
“I’m going to call Detective Donovan and see if he can do anything.”
“Jess, I need you to take me home.”
“Cass, Grady is out there worried sick about you. Let him be here for you.”
“I’m afraid that he will hurt Grady.”
“Grady can take care of himself and you, if you’d let him.”
“I don’t know what I’d do if anything happens to him.”
Jess gave Cassidy a big long squeeze. “Tell Grady how you feel and be honest.”
“What if…”
“He isn’t going anywhere.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Why don’t you rest while I call Detective Donovan.”
Cassidy laid down, grabbed the pillow, and tried to think about Grady and not the man who ruined her life.
22
Cassidy woke up, rolled over, and realized she was in Grady’s bed. She sat up and looked around, but Grady wasn’t there. She got up to search for him. “Grady, are you here?” On her way through the house she spotted his phone in the game room but not him, she decided maybe he was downstairs at the pool.
She hadn’t even reached the pool deck when she heard the music playing. After walking inside, she stood watching Grady swim laps. He had a perfect body, tall, sculpted and an incredibly gorgeous face. Was she really deserving of such a man? Cassidy was pulled from her thoughts when Grady splashed water up and it pooled at her feet.
Grady pushed up his goggles. “Hey, Doc, how are you feeling?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure.”
“I sat watching you sleep for a few hours but then I decided to come relieve some stress. I hope you don’t mind that I left you alone?”
“It’s fine. I feel safe here with you.”
“Then stay here with me.”
“What, no, I can’t.”
“Why not? You stayed here when I needed you and now, Doc, you need me.”
Grady was right she needed him but unless she told him the truth and he accepted her; how could she stay. A split-second decision to tell him now before she changed her mind forced her to the edge of the pool where she sat and dropped her legs into the shallow end where Grady was standing. “I need to tell you…”
Grady came closer, stood between her legs, and held her. “You can tell me anything. I promise it won’t change the way I feel about you.” Grady leaned his forehead against hers.
Cassidy closed her eyes. “I was in college when I met him…Rick. He was sweet. We started dating and everything was fine until one day he saw me hug my friend, Joe, who was just a friend. He got so jealous that he came over, pushed me away from Joe and punched him in the face without even an explanation. I tried to tell him that it was Joe’s birthday and it was just a hug, but he managed to punch and kick Joe until security came and took him away.”
Grady rubbed Cassidy’s back. “It’s ok. This Rick guy isn’t going to come and hurt me if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“There’s more.”
Grady figured there was a lot more to Cassidy’s story, but he didn’t want to push her. “Are you ready to talk about it because if you…”
Cassidy nodded and began. “I broke up with Rick after that. He scared me. Sadly, it didn’t end there. He called, texted, and banged on the door for days until I finally filed harassment paperwork with the college. They assured me that he was threatened with expulsion if he acted out again. Campus security was advised that he was to stay away from me and to keep an eye on him. A few months passed and things seemed to get better. I was able to sleep and walk around campus without looking over my shoulder. I went out with Jess to a few parties and I met someone new. I kept my guard up a bit after Rick, but Ken was genuinely nice. We dated for a month or so before I started getting calls with heavy breathing and then strange notes started to appear under my apartment door and on my car windshield. Jess insisted I call the police so I did but they couldn’t do anything because he hadn’t threatened or hurt me…yet.” Cassidy wiped a few tears from her cheeks.
“You’re so strong, Doc.” Grady rubbed his nose against hers and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“One night Ken and I went out for dinner and when we came back to my dorm Rick was inside waiting in the stairwell. Ken didn’t know who Rick was but stepped in front of me when Rick lunged at me with a knife. Ken was stabbed and dropped to his knees. I tried to run up the stairs, but Rick grabbed me by the ankle knocking me down and then he took hold of my hair. He kept telling me that I was his and if he couldn’t have me that nobody else could. He stabbed me a few times in my back before my body registered the stinging pain. I tried to get away, but I was getting weaker by the minute. He flipped me over and before I knew it, he was kissing me while I was lying in a puddle of blood.” Cassidy stopped again to wipe her eyes and exhale a few times. She felt as if she could barely breathe. The last time she told her story was to the police and she was heavily medicated and still in shock at the time.
“Oh, Baby.” Grady held her in his arms and kissed her forehead. “Doc, I…”
Cassidy needed to finish her story before Grady said those words. “Rick ripped my clothes away from my body. I somehow managed to smack him in the face and that’s when he…” Cassidy lifted her hand to her cheek. “He dragged the knife across my face. I thought that he was going to slit my throat but when he reached my jawline he stopped. I stared up at him almost silently willing him to just kill me and end it, but he shook his head and laughed at me. I felt the knife tearing across my stomach. I closed my eyes and prayed. God must have heard me begging for help because within seconds I heard a scream. My eyes popped open, Rick took off and the next thing I remember were the flashing lights of the ambulance.”
Grady ran his hand down Cassidy’s hair and held her tight while she cried in his arms.
Five minutes or more must have gone by before Cassidy could calm herself enough to speak again. “I’m sorry. I haven’t told that story to anyone except for Jess, my therapist, and the police the night it happened.”
“Look at me.”
Cassidy looked at Grady. “You are a survivor. I’ve never met a woman so strong.”
“I’m so afraid that Rick will find me and come after us.”
“Why isn’t he in jail?”
“The DA offered him a deal since nobody died and he claimed to have been drinking. He only had to serve three to five years.”
“Had he been drinking?”
“I didn’t smell alcohol on his breath that night, but nobody
checked when he was caught so there wasn’t any evidence to support otherwise. They took his word over mine.”
“What happened with Ken?”
“He never returned to school. His family packed him up and moved him back home.”
“I didn’t know that he’d gone back home for a long time. I thought that he blamed me or that he didn’t want to be with someone who looked like a monster.”
Grady heard monster and his heart broke into a million pieces. “Doc, you are not a monster. You’re so pretty.”
“I’m scarred, Grady. I don’t have mirrors in my house because I can’t stand to see myself.”
“I don’t care about scars all I care about is you.”
“I care about you too but…”
Grady lifted his finger to Cassidy’s lips. “No buts remember.”
Cassidy couldn’t believe that she had bared her soul and Grady was still there. She gently kissed his lips. “Thank you for being you.”
Grady gave Cassidy a long loving kiss. When he pulled his lips from hers, he dragged them down her neck and began to unbutton her blouse. Cassidy moved back but Grady continued with his lips down her belly as he removed her blouse and bra. He stepped back and looked at her scars and then he kissed each one as he worked his way back up to Cassidy’s mouth. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”
Cassidy felt as if she was in a dream. Grady didn’t even blink when he saw her scars, it was as if he had seen them before. Could love really be blind? “How can you not be repulsed at what I look like?”
“It’s the scars that are burned in your memory that are the ugly ones. These are just marks on your flesh. Doc, you need to look at yourself in the mirror and see past these scars and the four on your back.”
Cassidy pulled away. “Were you spying on me in the shower?”
“NO! I swear!” Grady reached for Cassidy’s hand.
“Then how do you know how many scars I have?”
“I felt them with my hands and my lips when I made love to you.”
Cassidy was at a loss for words. Grady knew all along that she was a scarred monster and he pursued her anyway. “You really don’t care, do you?”
Grady smiled and shook his head. “No, I don’t, as long as I have you in my life.”
Cassidy wrapped her arms around Grady’s neck, and he hugged her. “I feel like this is a dream.”
“I love you, Cassidy Scott.”
“You called me Cassidy.”
Grady pulled away. “I figured it sounded more meaningful than Doc.”
“It does.” Cassidy smiled. “Grady, I love you too.”
Grady wasn’t sure that Cassidy could say those words but damn she did, and he was over the moon excited. So much so, that he leapt up into the air taking Cassidy with him and then back down dunking her into the water. Cassidy swung her arms and came up choking. Grady patted her on the back a few times. “I’m sorry. I forgot that you can’t swim.”
When Cassidy finally caught her breath, she shook her head. “You tell me you love me and then you try to drown me!” She giggled.
“This is exactly why I need to teach you to swim so that I don’t drown you in a fit of excitement.”
“I don’t even own a swimsuit.”
“For real? I thought that was just an excuse.”
“I had no need. I’d go to the beach for fun but after…I stopped going anywhere that the attire required me to expose my scars.”
“Makes sense. However, I’d still like to teach you how to swim even if I need to buy you a wetsuit so you can be comfortable.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Will you also think about moving in with me?”
Cassidy shook her head. “No.”
Grady looked upset. “Why not?”
“Because there is nothing to think about, I’ve already decided to.” Cassidy smiled.
“I promise to take care of you and keep you safe.”
“I know you will.” Cassidy hugged Grady. She knew he meant well but thoughts of Rick still scared her to death.
Grady headed to the shower after he finished swimming and was excited to find Cassidy was already in it. “Can I join you or would you rather I wait?”
Cassidy pulled the shower curtain open. “You can come in.”
Grady saw the curtain open and his cock stiffened. He stepped inside the shower to find Cassidy in the corner with a washcloth in front of her. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“I need to do this…for us.”
Grady smiled. “Us. I like the sound of that.”
“You made me realize that the only person keeping me in the past is me.”
Grady took the washcloth from Cassidy’s hand and looked at her. She had scars but she had a curvy body, nice boobs, and enough booty to grab. “I want you in my future.” Grady kissed Cassidy’s neck.
Cassidy let out a soft little moan. “Make love to me, Grady.”
“Wrap your arms around my neck.” Grady lifted her up and slid himself inside her.
Cassidy had never felt more loved than she did right now.
23
Six weeks had flown by and Cassidy was getting used to Grady’s comings and goings. He’d been away twice so far and was leaving again today. She hated missing him but the sex when he came home made up for it…almost. Cassidy smiled.
“What are you smiling about all alone here in the kitchen?”
Cassidy looked up at Grady. “You.”
Grady put down the giftbag he had in his hand and kissed Cassidy. “I think about you all the time too.”
“I’m going to miss you this week.”
Grady grabbed the bag and handed it to Cassidy. “Maybe this will help to not miss me.”
Cassidy reached inside the bag and pulled out a team jacket with O’Malley embroidered on the back. “Oh Grady, I love it. Thank you.”
“Good, then you can wear it while you cheer me on this week.”
“I will.”
“In person. I want you to come with me, Cassidy.”
Cassidy froze. “To Denver?”
“Yes. I know I’ll be busy, but I want you to come.”
“I don’t know.”
“What’s going on. Talk to me.” Grady took Cassidy’s hand.
“I’m afraid that I’ll end up on social media or in the paper.”
“These events have a lot of security.”
“He could…”
“Please, stop letting him control you.” Grady walked out.
Grady finished packing his suitcase. He grabbed his jacket, turned around and Cassidy was standing there.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Grady dropped his jacket and hugged Cassidy. “It’s not a matter of right or wrong. It eats me up to know that a man who hurt you so much can continue to do so. Don’t you know that if he ever comes within even a mile of you that I’ll kill him with my bare hands for what he’s done to you.”
“My therapist said that if he really wanted to find me that he would have. I guess I have to believe that.”
“I think he’s right.”
“Does the invitation still stand?”
Grady smiled. “Of course.”
“Good, then I’ll get packed.”
The doorbell rang. “I’ll get the door.”
“Are you expecting someone?”
“It’s a surprise. Get packing.”
Cassidy came out of the bedroom rolling her suitcase and squealed when she saw Jess standing there with her suitcase wearing a team jacket. “YOU’RE COMING?”
Jess nodded as she ran over to Cassidy and hugged her. “Yes. Grady invited me!”
Grady stood there smiling. He loved seeing Cassidy look so happy.
Cassidy ran over to Grady and jumped into his arms. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Grady kissed Cassidy.
Jess rolled her eyes. “Oh please! Will you two get a room!” Then she laughed.
Cassidy and Jess buckled up and waited for takeoff. Cassidy wished that Grady was with her, but she understood that he had to stay with his team.
“I’m so happy that Grady invited you.”
“Me too. I feel like we never get to see each other anymore.”
“That’s my fault. I’ve been spending every minute with him unless he is traveling and then I’m catching up on work and things.”
“This should be fun. When Grady is at practice we can shop or go to the spa.”
“A spa day sounds nice.”
“I just hope we don’t run into Grady’s ex.”
“You think she is still lurking around the swim circuit?”
“Who knows with that one.”
Grady sat holding onto his seatbelt like his life depended on it just like he did on every flight since his crash.
“Buddy, you know that doing that isn’t going to keep the plane from crashing, right?”
“I can’t help it. You don’t know what it was like to be trapped…”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t know.” Weston patted Grady on the shoulder.
“Want me to grab you a bottle from the attendant’s cart?”
“West, drinking doesn’t solve problems.”
“No, but it sure can relax you and make you forget you have them.”
“True.”
“There’s a party on the beach tonight, do you want to go?”
“Did you forget I have Cassidy with me?”
“So, the other guys bring their plus ones.”
“I’ll ask them and see what they want to do.”
“Them?”
Grady suddenly remembered how Weston and Jess left off last time they saw each other. “She has a friend with her.”
“Seriously!”
“I’m sorry. I forgot…”
“Forgot! How could you forget.”
“Because Cassidy makes me forget everything.” Grady smiled.
“You’re going to make me puke. You’re like a lovesick puppy here.”
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 283
