“Tell me what you’re thinking so hard about,” Erica said before placing a soft kiss on Cass’s chest and pulling away to prop herself up on an elbow.
“Nothing,” she answered.
“Right. You were so far away you didn’t even know I’d woken up.” The look of worry on her face alarmed Cass. “You aren’t having second thoughts, are you? About us?”
“What? No, no.” Cass sat up so her back was against the wall and took hold of Erica’s hand. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I’m not going to lie, I thought I’d be scared to death about being in a relationship, but you really do make me happy. I feel complete when you’re around. From the night I met you, I think I knew on some level that this was where we were headed.”
“Even though you fought it every step of the way?” Erica reached out and brushed the hair from Cass’s eyes.
“I think that’s exactly why I fought it,” Cass said. Speaking from the heart wasn’t something she’d ever done before, but this was surprisingly easy. And she knew it to be true only because it was Erica she was talking to. “Once I finally let go, I realized this was exactly where I wanted to be. Where I needed to be.”
Erica looked as though she was going to start crying, but she was obviously not going to let it come easily. She roughly swiped at the tears welling up in her eyes and leaned in to kiss her. When she moved away again, she was smiling.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I love you,” Cass said with absolutely no hesitation. “And I don’t want to waste another second of my time away from you. How would you feel about moving in with me here?”
Erica didn’t say anything at first, and Cass began to panic. It was too soon to talk about living together. She should have just kept her mouth shut about it.
“What about Kyle?”
“What about him?”
“We’re pretty much a package deal, you know.”
“I do know,” Cass said with a slight grin.
“This place is pretty much one big room. I have privacy issues.”
“I’ve thought about this.” Cass got up and walked to the railing overlooking the cabin below. She spread her arms out and turned to look at Erica, who was watching her intently. “We could put a wall up here in place of the railing. This bedroom would be separate from the rest of the house.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Erica asked, finally meeting her eyes. “I was a bit distracted by the naked woman parading around.”
Cass grinned in response but turned her back to Erica again, looking at the rest of the cabin and sighing. She didn’t really want to put a wall up, so she’d have to go with plan B.
“This place is plenty big enough. Danny and I could put up a couple of walls and make a bedroom for Kyle downstairs.”
“Come here.”
Cass looked over her shoulder and saw Erica had thrown the covers back, and she was patting the space Cass had vacated. She walked back slowly and crawled into the bed with her. Erica wasted no time straddling her.
“If you’re sure it’s what you want,” Erica said, but she didn’t sound convinced.
“I’m sure,” Cass said. She sucked in a breath when Erica placed her hands on her shoulders and began moving her hips, leaving an intoxicating combination of warmth and wetness on Cass’s abdomen. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t sure.”
“Can you have his room ready by the time I bring him home from the hospital?”
“We’ll get started on it first thing in the morning.”
Cass smiled and ran her hands up Erica’s thighs, encouraging her to quicken the pace. When Erica collapsed on top of her a few moments later, completely spent and breathing heavily, Cass held her close, a feeling of pure contentment washing over her. She really was exactly where she belonged.
About the Author
PJ Trebelhorn was born and raised in the greater metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon. Her love of sports (mainly baseball and ice hockey) was fueled in part by her father’s interests. She likes to brag about the fact that her uncle managed the Milwaukee Brewers for five years, and the Chicago Cubs for one year.
PJ now resides in western New York with her wife, Cheryl, their four cats, and one very neurotic dog. When not writing or reading, PJ enjoys watching movies, playing on the Playstation, and spending way too much time with stupid games on Facebook. She still roots for the Flyers, Phillies and Eagles, even though she’s now in Sabres and Bills territory.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
A Touch of Temptation by Julie Blair. Recent law school graduate Kate Dawson’s ordained path to the perfect life gets thrown off course when handsome butch top Chris Brent initiates her to sexual pleasure. (978-1-62639-488-9)
Beneath the Waves by Ali Vali. Kai Merlin and Vivien Palmer love the water and the secrets trapped in the depths, but if Kai gives in to her feelings, it might come at a cost to her entire realm. (978-1-62639-609-8)
Girls on Campus edited by Sandy Lowe and Stacia Seaman. College: four years when rules are made to be broken. This collection is required reading for anyone looking to earn an A in sex ed. (978-1-62639-733-0)
Heart of the Pack by Jenny Frame. Human Selena Miller falls for the domineering Caden Wolfgang, but will their love survive Selena learning the Wolfgangs are werewolves? (978-1-62639-566-4)
Miss Match by Fiona Riley. Matchmaker Samantha Monteiro makes the impossible possible for everyone but herself. Is mysterious dancer Lucinda Moss her own perfect match? (978-1-62639-574-9)
Paladins of the Storm Lord by Barbara Ann Wright. Lieutenant Cordelia Ross must choose between duty and honor when a man with godlike powers forces her soldiers to provoke an alien threat. (978-1-62639-604-3)
Taking a Gamble by P.J. Trebelhorn. Storage auction buyer Cassidy Holmes and postal worker Erica Jacobs want different things out of life, but taking a gamble on love might prove lucky for them both. (978-1-62639-542-8)
The Copper Egg by Catherine Friend. Archeologist Claire Adams wants to find the buried treasure in Peru. Her ex, Sochi Castillo, wants to steal it. The last thing either of them wants is to still be in love. (978-1-62639-613-5)
The Iron Phoenix by Rebecca Harwell. Seventeen-year-old Nadya must master her unusual powers to stop a killer, prevent civil war, and rescue the girl she loves, while storms ravage her island city. (978-1-62639-744-6)
A Reunion to Remember by TJ Thomas. Reunited after a decade, Jo Adams and Rhonda Black must navigate a significant age difference, family dynamics, and their own desires and fears to explore an opportunity for love. (978-1-62639-534-3)
Built to Last by Aurora Rey. When Professor Olivia Bennett hires contractor Joss Bauer to restore her dilapidated farmhouse, she learns her heart, as much as her house, is in need of a renovation. (978-1-62639-552-7)
Capsized by Julie Cannon.What happens when a woman turns your life completely upside down? (978-1-62639-479-7)
Girls With Guns by Ali Vali, Carsen Taite, and Michelle Grubb. Three stories by three talented crime writers—Carsen Taite, Ali Vali, and Michelle Grubb—each packing her own special brand of heat. (978-1-62639-585-5)
Heartscapes by MJ Williamz. Will Odette ever recover her memory or is Jesse condemned to remember their love alone? (978-1-62639-532-9)
Murder on the Rocks by Clara Nipper. Detective Jill Rogers lives with two things on her mind: sex and murder. While an ice storm cripples Tulsa, two things stand in Jill’s way: her lover and the DA. (978-1-62639-600-5)
Necromantia by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When seeing dead people is more than a movie tagline. (978-1-62639-611-1)
Salvation by I. Beacham. Claire’s long-term partner now hates her, for all the wrong reasons, and she sees no future until she meets Regan, who challenges her to face the truth and find love. (978-1-62639-548-0)
Trigger by Jessica Webb. Dr. Kate Morrison races to discover how to defuse human bombs while learning to trust her increasingly strong feelings for the lead investigator, Sergeant An
dy Wyles. (978-1-62639-669-2)
24/7 by Yolanda Wallace. When the trip of a lifetime becomes a pitched battle between life and death, will anyone survive? (978-1-62639-619-7)
A Return to Arms by Sheree Greer. When a police shooting makes national headlines, activists Folami and Toya struggle to balance their relationship and political allegiances, a struggle intensified after a fiery young artist enters their lives. (978-1-62639-681-4)
After the Fire by Emily Smith. Paramedic Connor Haus is convinced her time for love has come and gone, but when firefighter Logan Curtis comes into town, she learns it may not be too late after all. (978-1-62639-652-4)
Dian’s Ghost by Justine Saracen. The road to genocide is paved with good intentions. (978-1-62639-594-7)
Fortunate Sum by M. Ullrich. Financial advisor Catherine Carter lives a calculated life, but after a collision with spunky Imogene Harris (her latest client) and unsolicited predictions, Catherine finds herself facing an unexpected variable: Love. (978-1-62639-530-5)
Soul to Keep by Rebekah Weatherspoon. What won’t a vampire do for love… (978-1-62639-616-6)
When I Knew You by KE Payne. Eight letters, three friends, two lovers, one secret. Can the past ever be forgiven? (978-1-62639-562-6)
Wild Shores by Radclyffe. Can two women on opposite sides of an oil spill find a way to save both a wildlife sanctuary and their hearts? (978-1-62639-645-6)
Love on Tap by Karis Walsh. Beer and romance are brewing for Tace Lomond when archaeologist Berit Katsaros comes into her life. (987-1-62639-564-0)
Love on the Red Rocks by Lisa Moreau. An unexpected romance at a lesbian resort forces Malley to face her greatest fears where she must choose between playing it safe or taking a chance at true happiness. (987-1-62639-660-9)
Tracker and the Spy by D. Jackson Leigh. There are lessons for all when Captain Tanisha is assigned untried pyro Kyle and a lovesick dragon horse for a mission to track the leader of a dangerous cult. (987-1-62639-448-3)
Whirlwind Romance by Kris Bryant. Will chasing the girl break Tristan’s heart or give her something she’s never had before? (987-1-62639-581-7)
Whiskey Sunrise by Missouri Vaun. Culture and religion collide when Lovey Porter, daughter of a local Baptist minister, falls for the handsome thrill-seeking moonshine runner, Royal Duval. (987-1-62639-519-0)
Dyre: By Moon’s Light by Rachel E. Bailey. A young werewolf, Des, guards the aging leader of all the Packs: the Dyre. Stable employment—nice work, if you can get it…at least until silver bullets start to fly. (978-1-62639-662-3)
Fragile Wings by Rebecca S. Buck. In Roaring Twenties London, can Evelyn Hopkins find love with Jos Singleton or will the scars of the Great War crush her dreams?(978-1-62639-546-6)
Live and Love Again by Jan Gayle. Jessica Whitney could be Sarah Jarret’s second chance at love, but their differences and Sarah’s grief continue to come between their budding relationship. (978-1-62639-517-6)
Starstruck by Lesley Davis. Actress Cassidy Hayes and writer Aiden Darrow find out the hard way not all life-threatening drama is confined to the TV screen or the pages of a manuscript. (978-1-62639-523-7)
Stealing Sunshine by Tina Michele. Under the Central Florida sun, two women struggle between fear and love as a dangerous plot of deception and revenge threatens to steal priceless art and lives. (978-1-62639-445-2)
The Fifth Gospel by Michelle Grubb. Hiding a Vatican secret is dangerous—sharing the secret suicidal—can Felicity survive a perilous book tour, and will her PR specialist, Anna, be there when it’s all over? (978-1-62639-447-6)
Cold to the Touch by Cari Hunter. A drug addict’s murder is the start of a dangerous investigation for Detective Sanne Jensen and Dr. Meg Fielding, as they try to stop a killer with no conscience. (978-1-62639-526-8)
Forsaken by Laydin Michaels. The hunt for a killer teaches one woman that she must overcome her fear in order to love, and another that success is meaningless without happiness. (978-1-62639-481-0)
Infiltration by Jackie D. When a CIA breach is imminent, a Marine instructor must stop the attack while protecting her heart from being disarmed by a recruit. (978-1-62639-521-3)
Midnight at the Orpheus by Alyssa Linn Palmer. Two women desperate to make their way in the world, a man hell-bent on revenge, and a cop risking his career: all in a day’s work in Capone’s Chicago. (978-1-62639-607-4)
Spirit of the Dance by Mardi Alexander. Major Sorla Reardon’s return to her family farm to heal threatens Riley Johnson’s safe life when small-town secrets are revealed, and love may not conquer all. (978-1-62639-583-1)
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