“I like helping people,” Lark says, as if reading my mind. “I like being that angel investor who can swoop in and make dreams come true for people like you. Smart people with great business ideas who just need that first leg up to make it in the world.” He smiles, for the first time since he stepped inside.
Too late, I realize I’m smiling too. My mouth answering his without my permission. With effort, I wipe the smile off my face and stare at him, waiting for him to go on.
“Anyway, at first, Sheryl said she’d change the company structure. She’d let me buy out her shares and take over the company as the sole investor. She’d have enough money to start something new, and I’d have what I want: the whole company to myself, to run how I want. But her stipulation was a year of marriage counseling first. She told me, she promised that if I went to counseling for one year, she’d change the business structure, even if I still wanted a divorce afterward. I guess she thought we could work things out, I don’t know… But counseling only made it clearer than ever that we don’t belong together. She spends every session beating me up, and even when the counselor asks her to confront her own issues, to look at places where she may have contributed to our relationship breaking down, she refuses. Just twists everything back on me.”
I sigh, thinking about my mother earlier. And about Norman. I know how that feels. “So that’s why you’re still married,” I murmur. “To try to save your business.” The realization washes over me slowly. All this time, I thought I was the one being taken advantage of—that I was just some side fling for Lark, while he worked on his marriage in therapy. When really, he’s been trapped. The same way I was once trapped with Norman. Being manipulated, made to feel like I could never get free, never survive on my own…
He leans toward me, eyes bright. “Yes. That’s the only reason, Cassidy. But I realized something, when you and I split up, and when Sheryl started in on me…” He bites his lower lip for a moment, keeping his gaze fixed on mine. “She’s never going to give it up. She’s just going to keep moving the goal posts, to keep me attached to her by any means necessary.”
“That’s terrible,” I murmur. I know what it feels like to be controlled like that. To have someone dangle your wants and needs over your head to make you dance on their strings.
“Yes.” And then, to my confusion, Lark smiles. I blink, thrown, but he shuffles closer to me across the couch, his expression more intense than ever. I couldn’t look away if I wanted to. “But then you came along, Cassidy, and you made me see…” His eyes jump back and forth, searching mine. “You made me realize, I don’t need the company. I don’t need the security I built. I created that once; I can do it again. The way you did with your makeup—you didn’t have the funding you needed, you didn’t have the security when you set out to do what you loved, but you made it anyway. So can I.”
I swallow hard. “What… what do you mean?”
He catches my hands, and I let him. His hands are warm and solid around mine, and when he folds them against his chest, my heart jumps at the same rhythm as his. Erratic and jagged. “I’m going to tell Sheryl to keep the company,” he says. “You inspired me.”
My lips part. “But…” I can’t ask him to walk away from his dream. Not for me. It would make me just as bad as Sheryl. “But you can’t do that for me,” I start. “No one should give up on what they love for someone else, even someone they care about—”
He shakes his head, cutting me off. “It’s not for you, Cassidy. Although you’re the one who made me realize I could do it.” He squeezes my hands again, tight enough to hurt, but I don’t mind. I realize I’m squeezing his back, too. “It’s for me. I can’t let Sheryl control me anymore. I need to be free of her, so if the only way to do that now is to walk away from Anderson Investments, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“Are you sure?” I breathe. I don’t know when he moved, but he’s closer to me than ever now. Sitting just inches apart on this couch—the couch he bought me, what feels like a lifetime ago now. His leg brushes mine, and it sends sparks through my whole body. I remember the last time we sat like this, side by side. The way he pulled me onto his lap, spilling makeup everywhere.
Heat surges through me. I want him to do it again. Even though I promised myself I wouldn’t.
But I didn’t know the full story then. I didn’t realize he was in the same position I used to be in myself. And I know what it feels like—the fear, the uncertainty, the how can I do this on my own dread.
Lark reaches up to tuck a long strand of my hair behind my ear. His fingertips brush the curve of my ear, making me shiver. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” he murmurs. And suddenly, I don’t think he just means his marriage or his business.
My eyes jump back and forth between his. It feels like the air between us is filled with sparks, heavy and electric. I tilt toward him, slowly, all too aware that he’s doing the same thing, mirroring me.
“Lark, I…”
He stops at the sound of my voice. Takes a deep breath, like he’s trying to remember his place. His promise to leave me alone. He starts to pull away, but I reach up to catch his shirt in one fist, stopping him. He freezes in place, his eyes going wide.
“Thank you,” I say. “For telling me.”
His throat bobs with a tight swallow. “Like I said,” he replies softly, “you deserved the truth.”
I nod slowly. “And so do you.” I lean back a little, releasing his shirt. Just far enough to get some air. Although neither of us shift apart on the couch, our legs still pressed together, as I look away. “I know how you feel,” I tell him, my gaze focused on my living room table now. “I’ve… been in a similar situation, before. It’s hard to get free from that, when you’ve been manipulated by someone you loved and trusted.”
Lark’s hand comes to rest on my thigh, searing heat through my jeans. “I’m sorry, Cassidy. I didn’t know that you…”
“My ex.” I shut my eyes, which are suddenly stinging. Then I laugh, a little bitterly. “Well. Not just him. My mother did it too, before him.” When I open my eyes again, I feel hot all over. Fierce, suddenly. “But you’re right. I made it on my own. And you can, too, Lark. We can get free together.”
I spin around to face him, and before I can think about what I’m doing, I swing one leg over his. Shift until I’m kneeling over his lap, my hands cradling his face between them, gazing down into those familiar, deep green eyes.
“You can do this,” I tell him, and I’m talking to him, but also to myself. To the past me who fought her way free from Norman. To the me who just told my mother off earlier today. And then, I lean down and press my lips to his.
26
Lark
For a moment, all I can see, hear, smell, think about is Cassidy. Her soft lips against mine, which part in a sigh as I pull her further down over me, my hands tight around her soft curves, sliding up her back to trace her shoulders, then back down, down, until they land of their own accord on her firm ass.
She moans a little, a soft breathy sound, the one that always drives me over the edge when we’re in bed together. I love hearing her make those noises, knowing I’m the reason she can’t help herself. That I’m making her forget about everything but the heat between us.
I part her lips with my tongue, and she inhales sharply. I pull her body flush to mine, her soft curves practically melting into my pecs, my abs. I kiss her harder, claim that perfect, pert little mouth of hers, and revel in the feel of her wriggling against me. She arcs her hips, presses them down over mine, and now it’s my turn to groan, faintly, in the back of my throat, because fuck. She’s wearing jeans, but even through them, the feel of her hipbones hitting mine, her mound pressing down right over my rock hard shaft, drives me wild.
All I want to do is flip her over right here and tear off every layer of clothing she’s wearing.
But I hold myself back. Take my time. Because another part of me, a stronger part, wants to savor this. I finally
have Cassidy where I want her; where I’ve been dreaming about having her for weeks. Hell, ever since the first night I touched her, if I’m being honest. She’s a drug, and I don’t give a damn what I have to do to get more of her, I will.
She draws back from our kiss, just far enough to gasp for breath. I take advantage and trail my lips along her jaw, down the side of her neck. She lets out another of her faint little sounds, almost a mewl this time, and I grin against her pulse point, tracing my tongue over her soft, smooth skin for a moment. “You like that?” I whisper, knowing my breath will feel hot where I just licked her.
“Mm, can’t you tell?” she replies, and of course I can, because she’s already breathless, and with my arms around her and her body pressed to mine, I can feel every twitch and tremble in her limbs, every inhale she takes and every shiver that passes through her.
I bend to nip at her neck, gently, right where my lips had been a moment ago. There’s that shiver again, more violent this time, her arms tightening their grip around my neck. “I had some idea you might, yes,” I reply, grinning, and she laughs.
“Damn it, Lark.”
When I look up again, she’s gazing at me with new emotion in her big brown eyes. “What is it?” I reach up to tuck a stray strand of hair, newly fallen across her face, behind her ear. She shivers again. But whereas before, she’d normally pull away from me now, put up a wall between us, now… She stays.
“I thought the right thing to do would be to stay away from you,” she finally admits, her voice low with feeling. “I thought I needed to learn how to… to be on my own, and to walk away from messy situations. But now…”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re elbow-deep in my mess, is that what you’re saying?”
She laughs again. “That’s not exactly how I’d phrase it.” She leans in to kiss my cheek. I can feel the graze of those soft lips against the 5’o-clock shadow that’s on my cheeks. Then she shifts. Kisses my lips, feather-light. It’s too quick for me to catch her and deepen it. She’s there and then gone, sitting back to look into my eyes again, and I want to have this conversation, I do, but God, fuck she’s still sitting with those hips against mine and her thighs draped around mine, and another part of me just wants to reach down and push those stupid jeans of hers off.
Her cheeks turn a delicate shade of pink, as if she guesses what I’m thinking. But she doesn’t move, either. “I just mean… I’m sorry.”
I blink, taken aback. “What for? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Well. Maybe.” She shakes her head. Worries at her lower lip, in a way that makes me jealous. I want to be the one biting her lip right now, damn it. “I could’ve heard you out sooner, though. Demanded the full story.”
“You did,” I point out. “I wasn’t ready to tell it yet.”
“Yeah, but…” She sighs. “I just, this could have been easier if we’d both opened up to one another fully from the start.”
“True.” I tilt my head. Slide one hand up her back to brace against her spine, right between her shoulder blades. I can feel the steady pulse of her heartbeat against my fingertips, like a drum. Steadying me. Fortifying us both. “But we’re doing that now,” I say. “We might have gone through some difficult things, but… it’s so worth it. To have you here now, to be totally open with each other.”
Her smile widens. “I’m glad I let you inside,” she says.
I let out a faint laugh of my own. “Me too.” I can’t imagine how I must have looked standing on her doorstep. Pathetic, probably. Or like a man in love.
Because…
Fuck. I think I am. In love with this woman, truly.
Then I lose that train of thought, because she kisses me again, and this time, I can’t hold myself back any longer. I grip her waist tightly and flip her around, sitting up in the same motion, and following her back down, all while she squeals against my lips, until we’ve rolled over completely and she’s pinned beneath me on the couch.
“Now,” I say, grinning down at her. I kiss her again, slower. The heat pools between us when I break away once more. “Let’s talk about getting rid of some of these damn clothes.” I reach for the top button on her shirt.
She arches her chest up to meet my fingers, lets me undo the top button, and then the next. One glimpse of her lacy bra underneath, and I groan, bending to kiss her chest, my tongue tracing her collarbone. I give up on the buttons and pull, hard. Her shirt flies open, buttons flying around the room.
She lets out a startled yelp, and then a laugh. “Shit, Lark.”
“I can’t wait any longer,” I tell her. “I’ve needed to get my hands on you for weeks now. You have no idea what it’s been like…” I dip to trail my tongue along the arch of her cleavage. Dip it between her breasts, even as I drop one hand beneath her back to undo the bra. “I’ve dreamt of you every night. I couldn’t stop feeling your body beneath mine, hearing your gasps.”
She twists beneath me, and her bra comes free. I throw it aside, already consumed by the sight of her, half-naked beneath me, her nipples hardening in the cool air of her living room. I bend to trace one with my tongue, lapping at the tip, with a smile as she shivers.
And then…
Her fucking phone starts to ring.
It’s a jarring sound. Who uses ringtones anymore? And it’s one of the loud, alarm-sounding ones too. “Shit.” Cassidy twists again, this time away from me. I lean back, and she scrambles off the couch, diving for her purse where it’s discarded by the front door. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbles as she goes, shooting me an apologetic glance. “I forgot to turn it on silent, but this is…” Her face pales as she looks at the screen. “This is… only for emergencies. One second. I have to take this.”
Before I can say another word—before I can offer to help with whatever’s wrong—she darts into the bedroom and slams the door shut behind her. I sit on the couch, staring at her bra discarded beside it, and her shirt crumpled nearby. Then I let out a sigh and lean back against the couch. I did a good job choosing it at least, if I’m allowed to say that. It’s comfortable.
But it’s hard to get comfortable anywhere with the raging goddamn hardon in my pants. I stare down at it, straining against the zipper of my jeans, and I know I’m going to lose my damn mind if I can’t take care of this soon. I wasn’t lying when I told Cassidy she’s all I could think about for weeks. All I’ve wanted since the minute I laid eyes on her.
I glance toward the bedroom door again. A low murmuring sound comes from behind it. Cassidy’s individual words are impossible to make out from here, but she sounds agitated. There are a few more long pauses and yelped responses from her, and then finally, she reemerges from the bedroom once more…
With a new shirt on.
I stare at the crop top she’s put on, confused. I get even more confused when she crosses to the door and starts to pull on boots.
“I’m so sorry,” Cassidy’s saying, her back to me. “Something’s come up. It’s a family emergency, I just… I have to go and handle this. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.” My chest tightens. I rise from the couch and shoot a glare downward. My cock, of course, ignores me. “Do you need help?” I ask. “I can drive if you need me too; my car is right outside.”
“No,” she replies, quickly. Too quickly. Then she glances back over her shoulder at me, biting her lip guiltily. “I’m sorry. It’s just, it’s something I have to handle on my own. I’ll explain later, I promise.” Then she glances down, and I realize she’s staring at my erection. Her cheeks flush. “Oh God, I’m so sorry to leave you hanging right now, Lark.”
I laugh. “It’s all right, Cassidy. If it’s important, you should go.”
But she doesn’t. Not yet. She crosses the room first, and loops her arms around my neck. I bend to kiss her, a searing hot, slow kiss. I grab her hips for good measure, hoist her against me until my cock presses against her belly, just for a moment. Okay, so maybe I want a little revenge for her leaving me i
n this state.
When we part, she groans, and I know at least I’m not the only one feeling deprived. “Can I make it up to you?” she asks. Then she actually bites her lower lip.
It’s adorable. Almost adorable enough to make me forget about how she evaded my question, and how guilty she’s looking now, as she glances from me to her purse, with her phone inside it, and back again. “Any idea how long your emergency will take?” I ask, forcing a smile to my face.
She shrugs. “Not sure. Maybe the night.” She winces once more.
Before she can apologize again, I hold up a hand. “Then why don’t we do tomorrow. It’s supposed to be a nice day; maybe we can hit the beach or a rooftop pool.”
Her smile brightens, and her shoulders sag a little with relief. “I’d love that. Thank you for understanding, Lark.” She rises up on her toes one more time, and I kiss her again, slower.
“Of course,” I tell her, gazing directly into those deep brown eyes as I do. But at the same time, a small, ugly part of me can’t help itself. My traitor brain looks at this beautiful girl, the one I just opened myself up to, spilled all my secrets before… And I can’t help wondering. What secrets is Cassidy hiding from me?
27
Lark
I have to admit, when I suggested a rooftop pool, I was not thinking ahead to what Cassidy would look like in a bikini. Now, I’m wondering if this was a bad idea—because there are at least a dozen other people lounging nearby around the poolside bar, and all I want to do is tear the sexy, bright red two-piece she’s wearing off her luscious curves.
“You’re staring,” Cassidy points out, peering at me over the top of her sunglasses in a way that nearly sets me over the edge.
Best of Penny Wylder: Boss Romance Page 34
