“What are you in the mood for?” I asked. “There are billions of DVDs, or I have Netflix.”
Cassidy shrugged. “Surprise me. I want to make a judgment based on your movie choice.”
I snorted. “Christ, nothing like pressure, huh, Cass?”
She gave me a wicked smile and made her way around the room to drop down onto the huge sectional couch. I followed behind her and snatched up the remotes from the coffee table.
It had been a joke, that line about pressure. But now I was really fucking feeling the it. A romance would be construed as a come-on. A horror too cheesy and again…a come-on. A comedy too infantile. But what if she was into comedies? Maybe the way through her rock-hard exterior was her sense of humor?
What if she had a sarcastic, dry sense of humor or big, broad comedy humor?
Jesus Christ…
In the end, I picked a new action movie that had some guy that made all girls pant as if they were in heat. Something for both of us—a decent movie for me, man-candy for her.
I settled onto the couch beside her, calculating just how little distance I could realistically get away with. “Would you like anything?” I asked her.
Cassidy toed off her shoes and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table. “I’m still stuffed from dinner, but thank you.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.”
“I will,” she said. A smile pulled at her lips and she nodded toward the TV. “Good choice. At least I’ll have something nice to look at for a few hours.”
It had been my intention to please her with that guy, but now I fucking hated him and wished I’d chosen any other movie. Smug bastard…all ripped and sexy and… Why the fuck am I thinking about this?
An hour in and Cassidy seemed engrossed in the movie. She’d barely moved, eyes fixed on the TV. My concentration was shot to hell and all I’d picked up from the movie was the douchebag had somehow ended up in a dirty wife-beater, flashing his biceps.
I couldn’t sit still. Every part of my body was alive with awareness, pure electricity dancing under my skin with having Cassidy so near and yet so untouchable, like some kind of weird torture. It was all I wanted to do. She was right there, within touching distance. I wouldn’t even have to move my body. All I’d need to do was move my hand a few inches and I’d feel her.
Would she really rip my balls off if I put my hand on her thigh?
What about her hair? Jesus, I was turning into a fucking woman…but damn, I wanted to know how it felt. I wanted to trace that patch of flesh between her hairline and her shirt. Actually, what I really wanted to do was lick the length of her throat, taste her skin and feel her pulse jump.
Clenching and unclenching my fists did nothing to alleviate the restlessness in me. I’d never felt more like an animal in my entire life.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. Fuck, Hamilton, get it together.
Cassidy glanced at me but she looked away when I turned to her. Great. She probably thought I was a twitching nutcase.
Heaving a breath, I threw my arms around the back of the couch. My hand brushed her hair with the motion and it was like a current going up my arm, to my chest then all the way down to my dick, which was going to fall off if it didn’t get some circulation soon. It had been trapped, rock-solid, against the confinements of my jeans for a decade.
Cassidy jumped with my movement, going even more still. Fuck…I’d probably freaked her out even more. Wasn’t this an ancient move? Like the fake yawn or something.
F.M.L.
She pulled her feet off the coffee table then swung them onto the couch, tucking her legs beneath her. It brought her an inch closer to me, almost into the space under my arm.
My heart hammered.
“What the fuck is this movie about?” I asked.
“I have absolutely no idea,” Cassidy said, low and breathy.
Wait, what?
Cassidy shifted, her knee grazing mine. “You’re such an asshole.”
My neck damn near cracked, I whipped around to look at her so fast. “What have I done now? I haven’t even moved!”
She slowly turned to face me, her eyes soft, her mouth barely parted. “Exactly.”
I let out a long breath. “You’re fucking killing me, Cass.”
“Yeah? Well, I’m terrified.”
“Of what? I’m pretty sure one of the things you hate most about me is how obviously I’m attracted to you. There’s no possibility of rejection, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I let my hand move to the back of her neck, cupping the delicate structure.
“You’re making me want to be honest with you, and I don’t want to be,” she said.
Leaning forward so our foreheads touched, I said, “I know. I know a hell of a lot more than you think I know. I’m not going to make you promises here, Cass, because I’m shit at keeping them. But I can swear to you that I’m going to take this thing one day at a time and not let it freak me out again.”
She let out a breathy laugh. “That shouldn’t sound reassuring. So why does it?”
I shrugged and moved my hand so I could stroke her jaw.
“If you hurt me, I’ll fucking kill you.”
“Don’t nurses have to take oaths against that kind of thing?”
Cassidy laughed, fuller this time. She shifted her head and kissed me.
At first neither of us moved. We sat there with our bodies barely touching, our lips pressed together like middle schoolers playing a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven. Then she swung a leg over my thighs and straddled my lap. Cassidy shoved her hands into my hair and kissed me harder. I grasped her hips, holding her to me more fully.
She parted my lips with her tongue and rocked her hips against my aching cock as she fucked my mouth. I wanted to bury my dick inside her, feel her hot, tight walls milk me until I came so hard I couldn’t move.
Cassidy moaned and moved her hips again.
I broke the kiss, both of us breathing hard. “Fuck, Cass,” I said, my voice gravelly. “Keep doing that and I’m going to come in my pants.”
Like the she-demon she was, Cassidy ground harder against my dick. She made a pained, tortured noise in the back of her throat, her eyes closing. It made me grin. She couldn’t torment me without driving herself crazy in the process.
“No sex, right?” I asked, kissing her throat, lapping at her thundering pulse.
She sighed and wrapped an arm around my neck, tilting her head to the side to give me better access. “I could kill you. You’re doing this on purpose.”
I moved her hips over my dick, giving me the sweetness kind of pain, slow and hard. “You climbed on my lap, sweetheart.”
“Even if I beg and say I’ve changed my mind,” Cassidy said, her voice breathy, “no sex.”
Gripping her thighs, I lifted Cassidy and laid her on her back. I settled between her legs, trailing my hand up the length of her leg and over her hips. “No sex. But that doesn’t rule out everything.”
She groaned as I pressed into her. “Seth.”
Inching her tank up to reveal her tanned, flat stomach, I kissed the flesh under her belly button and worked my way north. The material rode up below her bra and I looked at her, asking the silent question.
At first she didn’t move, just lay there staring at me, her chest rising and falling with her quick breaths. She lifted her arms above her head and I took it for the green flag that it was. I pulled the tank over her head and dropped it on the floor. She lowered her arms and her tits pushed against her black satin bra.
I wanted to devour them.
I slid her strap down her shoulder and kissed the bare skin. She lifted off the couch, giving me room to reach behind her to unsnap the clasp. I sat back on my knees as I glided the bra down her body before tossing it to join her tank on the floor.
Cassidy moved her arms as though to cover herself. I caught her wrists and hovered back over her. “You’re beautiful.”
Lowering my head, I took one rosy nipple in my
mouth. Cassidy squirmed beneath me, her hips circling as she searched for release.
I stroked my thumb along the seam of her jeans. She arched her back, pushing her tits farther into me. Releasing her nipple, I blew softly and watched as it hardened.
“Do you want me to make you come?” I whispered, kissing up her body until I reached her mouth.
Cassidy made a noise in the back of her throat.
I pressed the heel of my hand against her clit and she cried out. “Cass?”
“Jesus, yes,” Cassidy breathed. She rubbed against my hand. “Now.”
The pressure built in my gut and I nearly blew my load there and then. I worked her harder with my hand, giving her no relief as she hurtled toward her orgasm. Lowering my head, I took her nipple in my mouth again and grazed my teeth over the sensitive flesh.
Cassidy threw back her head, her body quivering. She tugged at my hair and cried out as I increased the speed of my hand. “I’m coming. I’m coming,” she said, panting.
She tensed, her body straining into mine as she gasped. Cassidy didn’t release the iron-tight hold she had on my hair as she went boneless beneath me.
I slowed my touch but didn’t stop it completely, instead drawing lazy circles up and down her cunt. Cassidy trembled as I kissed her body, tasting her, remembering her. “I can’t wait until I get to see that when I’m inside you,” I said, pulling her earlobe into my mouth.
Cassidy shivered.
Sitting up, I dragged my eyes over her. “Fuck me, you really are something else.” I sat back in my original seat, needing that bit of space from her until I calmed the fuck down and knew I wasn’t going to do anything stupid.
“Was that a compliment in your language?” Cassidy asked as she sat up and rooted around for her bra and tank.
“Of the highest regard,” I said, grinning. She pulled on her clothes and swatted my arm. Catching her hand, I tugged her forward so she stood in front of me. “Thank you. That was beautiful.”
A small smile teased her lips. She placed her hands on my thighs and kissed me. “Shouldn’t it be me thanking you? After all, I was the only one to get something out of it.”
I gripped the back of her head and pulled her back for another kiss. “Trust me. That isn’t even remotely true.”
Cassidy smiled wider and moved to sit beside me. She nestled underneath my arm, every part of her side pressed against mine.
“Should we try this movie thing again? Can you concentrate better now I’ve gotten you off?” I asked.
Cassidy gasped and smacked my leg. “God, I should have known you’d be a cocky asshole.”
I laughed. “Hey, and with good reason. I just made you come through your jeans. How many other guys have done that for you?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know, I hate that I can’t say anything because you’ll know it’s not true.”
I kissed the side of her head. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to me. I’m full of surprises, sweetheart.”
Cassidy turned and kissed me full on the mouth. “I already knew that, remember?”
This time Cass chose the movie.
Another one with that dick in it.
The girl lived to torment me.
* * * *
It was after midnight when the movie finished. Cassidy yawned so wide her face almost split in half. “God, I do not want to drive home right now.”
“So don’t. Let’s have a sleepover,” I said, tucking her into my chest.
She laughed and shoved away from me. “I doubt it would be PG.”
“Why? Can’t control yourself around me?”
Cassidy huffed and scooted to the edge of the couch and started pulling on her shoes.
“Seriously, why don’t you stay? I’ve already promised no sex, so you don’t have to worry about me bringing out my unbelievable moves.” I winked at her. “And if you still don’t want to, despite me swearing on my honor or whatever, then I’m driving you home.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You do know that I work a night shift then drive home, right?”
I shrugged. “I don’t care. Right now I can see that you’re tired and I don’t want you driving. This is me being concerned, in case you couldn’t tell.”
She laughed softly. “I can tell, Seth.”
“So what’s it to be? Me driving you or you staying?” My grin turned wolfish at her flicker of hesitation. “I’ll loan you some jammies.”
“Lord help me, I know I’ll live to regret this,” Cassidy said, kicking off her shoes again.
I turned off the TV and took her hand, leading her out of the room and up the stairs.
“This place is huge,” Cassidy said under her breath when we reached the landing.
“If you think this is huge wait until you see—”
“Can you not turn everything into an innuendo?” Cassidy interrupted. “Jeez, what is it with guys like you and their dicks?”
Outside my closed bedroom door, I stopped and folded my arms across my chest. “Actually, I was going to say wait until you see the size of my shower. Now who has a filthy mind?”
She gave me a sardonic look. “Right. Mr. Innocent, huh?”
I snorted a laugh. “I wouldn’t go that far.” Opening the door behind me, I flipped on the lights.
Cassidy followed me inside, scanning the place. Being Blake’s guest room, it wasn’t hugely personal to me. No photos, no art, nothing, really. And having moved around Europe for the last two years, I didn’t have much by way of personal effects.
“Disappointed there’s no naked lady posters?” I asked as Cassidy continued to study the room.
“Hugely,” she said, amusement in her voice. She strode across the room and flung open the bathroom door. Flipping on the light, she stepped inside. “Huh. Cleaner than I’d have expected.”
Leaving Cassidy to her investigation, I dug out a pair of boxer briefs and a T-shirt for her to sleep in. I’d much rather she chose skin, but at least I’d look like a gentleman by offering an alternative first.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding about this shower, were you?” Cassidy called from the bathroom.
“Feel free to try it out,” I called back. “I’m fresh out of towels though.”
“Ha, ha,” she said, coming back into the bedroom and closing the bathroom door behind her. Spying the clothes on the end of the bed for her, she snatched them up. “Are you going to peek?”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Cass, I got a full-frontal downstairs. That sight isn’t going anywhere. Why would I need to peek?”
She chuckled. “That’s a fair point, I guess.” Cassidy sat on the edge of the bed and peeled off her tank and bra. She pulled on my T-shirt and stood, shimmying out of her jeans and underwear.
Cassidy stepped into my boxers and inched them up her legs, going agonizingly slow. She maneuvered them on under the T-shirt, so I didn’t get a glimpse of her naked ass. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave me a satisfied look.
“You are a devil-woman,” I said.
She shrugged. “You expect anything else?”
“At this point, no, I wouldn’t.” I stripped quickly, dropping my clothes on the floor until I was down to my underwear. It was then I realized I had Cassidy’s full, undivided attention. I grinned. “Enjoying the view?”
She dragged her eyes up my body until she finally met my eyes. “Yes.”
“What, in particular?” I asked, moving slowly into her space.
Cassidy trailed her finger down my chest and over my abs. She lingered at the vee of my hips. “You have these… They make all smart girls stupid.”
I had never been more thankful that I hadn’t let my body slide, even with the amount of drinking I’d done in Europe. It was worth all the running, the lifting weights, the reps, just to see the look in Cassidy’s eyes right there in that moment.
She snapped the waistband of my boxers before giving me a wicked smile and moving away. I watched her throw back the covers and kneel on the edge of the bed. When sh
e lifted her eyebrows, I realized I hadn’t even blinked for ages. Giving my head a quick shake, I turned out the lights and climbed into bed beside her.
I heard Cassidy take off her glasses and put them on the nightstand.
“Do you actually need those, or are they just for show?” I asked her.
“Do I strike you as the kind of person to wear fake glasses?”
“No.” I laughed. “Okay, stupid question.”
She settled into the bed, leaving a colossal distance between our bodies. I couldn’t tell why she’d done it. Maybe it was to send me a clear message that she didn’t want anything else to happen tonight. Maybe she was just nervous. I knew I sure as hell was. I couldn’t think of a single other night in my life where I’d gone to bed with a woman. With the guarantee that there would be no sex. Intentionally.
So what was Cassidy doing? “What are you doing?”
There was a pause before she answered. “Sleeping. What are you doing?”
“Wondering why you want to sleep so far away. There are other bedrooms if you really want away from me that badly.”
Cassidy laughed quietly in the darkness. “I don’t want away from you, Seth.”
I pushed up onto my elbow. “Then what the hell are you doing all the way over there?”
She rolled onto her side to face me. “I guess I just didn’t have you down as a spooner.”
Spooning. Okay, yes, technically I’d never spooned anyone before. But the idea of spending the night with Cassidy’s ass pressed against my cock, which probably wouldn’t soften from this raging hard-on anytime soon, sounded like the best kind of torture. “I’m willing to try if you are.”
She giggled. “Are you asking me to cuddle with you?”
I huffed out a breath and flopped back against the pillows. Throwing my arm out to the side, I said, “Just get your ass over here, woman.”
Cassidy shuffled over to where I lay. She turned on her side and pressed her back into my side. I rolled into her, my body curving around hers as if we were born to fit together.
“What do I do with my other hand?” I asked after a minute.
Her body shook with silent laughter. “Jesus, you’ve really never done this, have you?”
Secrets, Lies & Imperfections Page 10
