by Tess Summers
He just needed to not already be married so he could make that happen.
*
Cassie
She was freaking the hell out.
Luke wanted her to have his babies.
Wasn’t that like her number one rule-no babies?
He also said he was going to marry her.
Now, that idea turned her on a little.
He knew it, too.
“Mmm, Mrs. Cassie Rivas. I like the sound of that,” he said as he kissed her neck, his arms wrapped around her waist.
She did, too-damn it. Tilting her head to give him better access and running her fingers through his hair, she pleaded, “Luke.”
“Hmm?” he asked as kept nuzzling her neck.
“I can’t think when you kiss me like that…”
He smiled and moved his hands down to squeeze her ass. “Tell me you like the sound of it, too,” he murmured against her skin.
“God, I do,” she confessed breathlessly.
He jerked his face away from where he’d been kissing, his eyebrow quirked as he looked down at her. “Yeah?”
Damn him for lowering her defenses.
“Yeah.”
“Fuck yeah,” he exclaimed with a grin, then kissed her lips softly as if to seal the deal. “I planned on asking you a little better than that.”
“What?” She felt her chest constrict. “Wait! No! I didn’t mean to make you think I was saying yes right now! That wasn’t really a proposal, right?”
“Well, um, I guess not?”
“You’re freaking me out again, Luke Rivas.” She pushed at his chest, trying to get out of his grasp.
“Fine.” He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, pulling her back close to him. “It wasn’t a proposal—yet. I’ll surprise you when we’re ready. I’ll even have a ring and everything,” he smirked.
She let out a sigh of relief, then continued teasing him. “Besides, you have to save up for a while-remember, two months’ salary.”
“Really?” Luke blanched. “Two months? Who the fuck came up with that rule?”
She burst out laughing at his distress. “Probably the jewelry companies,” she said as she kissed his cheek. “Just so you know, I would never wear something ridiculously big and that expensive.”
Cassie was fucking talking about engagement rings.
Engagement rings.
For her.
She shouldn’t be doing that. It wasn’t fair. He deserved babies like he wanted, and she wasn’t sure she could do that. Not even for him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Luke
Wednesday morning, he was on the phone with Mike Randall, a new private detective who came highly recommended. Things were still dangerous in Sinaloa, and Luke knew this was going to be expensive. Hopefully, Adriana was still in her hometown, and the information Luke had from the previous PI’s work would provide assistance. He needed his wife to sign the divorce papers like yesterday.
His marriage and the fact he’d been omitting its existence in his conversations with Cassie was looming large over his head.
He was going to tell Cassie, he just wanted the divorce process started when he did. It seemed like it would soften the blow, somehow. But the longer he kept it from her, the more he knew he was skating on thin ice. The feeling of dread had settled into his stomach, and it became his mission to get divorced as soon as possible.
He was grateful for all the overtime he’d been working. It gave him a legitimate reason to avoid Cassie. She knew something was wrong, and he hated lying to her when she would ask him about it.
Lying and omitting facts were two different things, he reasoned when his conscience called him a hypocrite.
Besides, he was going to tell her. Just not yet.
Their next date would be Date Number Ten. Their ten dates had become a big deal in his mind, regardless that they’d already had sex. It was as if on the eleventh date, he was somehow getting boyfriend tenure.
He needed tenure with her. Especially when he told her about Adriana.
****
He didn’t know whether to be jealous, pissed, or curious at Ben’s comment a week later as Luke prepared omelets for both of them.
“Saw your girlfriend yesterday. She came into the shop to collect on our bet and get her oil changed after she scheduled a brake job,” Ben said nonchalantly as he sat down by the counter where Luke was chopping green peppers on a small, white cutting board.
“Oh yeah? She didn’t mention that.” Granted, he’d been doing his best to avoid her this last week, so it would have been hard for her to discuss it with him.
“I think she was discreetly trying to pump me for information about you. When was the last time you saw her, anyway?” Ben said while reaching over and snagging a piece of ham that had been sliced to go into the omelet.
“A week ago.”
Ben raised his eyebrows at Luke’s answer. “I’m willing to bet you haven’t told her about Adriana yet.”
“What makes you say that?” Luke snarled as he cracked eggs to whisk in a bowl.
Ben shrugged as he attempted to steal more ingredients. “She was asking how long I’ve known you, how long we’ve been roommates, if I’ve been tempted to adopt any of our fosters, things like that. If she knew about Yanna, she wouldn’t be asking. Plus, you’ve been dodging her, which is fucking stupid, by the way, and the only thing that makes sense is you haven’t told her.”
Luke both loved and hated Ben knew him so damn well. Right now, he was feeling like the little boy in front of the principal, accounting for offenses he knew better than to commit but couldn’t help himself. He set the pan on the stove with a little more enthusiasm than necessary.
“No, I haven’t told her. I know I need to, and I am going to. I don’t want to scare her off. I want to be able to say that it’s simply an issue with paperwork being processed when I tell her.”
“So, basically, you're planning on hiding out for another four years?” Ben was not cutting him a break today.
Luke wanted to be defensive but knew he had no right to be.
“Actually, I hired a new guy who is heading to Mexico Friday. I’m hoping by next week, I’ll have something more concrete.”
“That’s great, man.” Ben seemed genuinely happy for him while he poured his second cup of coffee. “Why you ever married that bitch…” His friend stopped short, horrified. “Shit, dude, I’m sorry. I know why.”
Luke gave a sad smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I’ll be glad when you are out of her grip and can start living your life again.”
The sergeant sighed and poured the ingredients into the hot pan. “You and me both, brother. You and me both.”
“You better lock Cassie down soon, my friend.”
An actual growl came out of Luke’s throat. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, aside from every man with a working dick at the shop being interested in her, including my customers, she’s a cool chick with a hot—”
Luke cut him off, pointing the spatula ominously at his friend. “You fucking finish that thought, and it will be through broken teeth.”
“I was gonna say hot car. She’s got a hot car,” Ben smirked and took a sip from his mug.
“Uh huh.” Luke returned the smirk, then let the gravity of the situation take hold. With a frown, he carefully flipped the omelet. “I know I need to make things official with her, but I feel like I can’t until I tell her about Yanna.”
“I get it, bro. I do. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re right about holding off. Alls I’m sayin’ is, don’t wait too long. You need to get that shit taken care of.”
Luke didn’t know if Ben meant his divorce or claiming Cassie as his, but it didn’t matter either way. He needed to get both taken care of. Like yesterday.
****
Cassie
She hadn’t seen Luke since their marriage and babies talk eleven days ago, and his texts had been brief and to the p
oint. He even declined her invitations to come over, regardless of what time he finished work. He always had an excuse—he had to go home and let Rex out, he had reports to write, he had workers coming to the house in the morning, and last night’s excuse, he was too tired.
If she were more insecure, she would be worried their conversation was the reason. Thank God she was totally secure when it came to all things Luke Rivas.
Yeah, right.
Cassie went so far as to get her oil changed at Ben’s shop, hoping to run into Ben and somehow get him to spill what was going on with her Sergeant Orgasm. She hated wondering if he’d really been working like he said he had or if he was blowing her off.
She even changed Luke’s name back to plain old Luke Rivas in her phone, trying to distance herself from the little white picket fence fantasy she had briefly imbibed. Luke was obviously having second thoughts if he’d even been sincere in the first place, and she needed to get her head straight about him.
She was turning into someone she didn’t like. Insecure. Questioning herself. Was she being too clingy? Or not giving him enough attention? Maybe he wasn’t interested now that he knew how she felt about babies. Maybe he’d met someone new?
Ohmygod! This obsessive shit is exactly why she didn’t do serious, lovey-dovey relationships.
Thank God, her niece, Danielle, had arrived in town, and Cassie now had something else to focus on. If Luke didn’t want to spend time with her that was fine. She had better things to do, anyway.
She dressed for Brenna’s Saturday night impromptu party in honor of Danielle in jeans and a fitted, grey University of Arizona tee to show her niece her support. Dee was about to start her junior year at her dad’s alma mater. Danny Roberts had been an outstanding second baseman at the U of A and was drafted his junior year. He met Brenna two years later after he’d been called up to the majors and was starting at second base for the Padres. Kyle Montgomery, Danielle’s Godfather, had played shortstop. Kyle was the first person Cassie saw when she walked into Brenna’s beach house kitchen.
“Cass!” he exclaimed as he picked her up and swung her around in a big hug. The house was buzzing with people, something that hadn’t occurred since before Danny’s death. She loved Ron had brought her sister back to life.
Friends of both Ron and Brenna as well as Danielle meandered from the kitchen into the adjoining family room and spilled out onto the patio leading to the beach on the Pacific while the two of them stood at the island counter in the kitchen. He helped himself to a beer in the fridge and poured her a glass of Riesling from a bottle sitting in a red and blue tub of ice next to the refrigerator.
Kyle handed Cassie her drink, and with her thumb, wiped the red colored lipstick from his cheek where she’d kissed him. “How have you been? You seemed like you were up to something when I saw you at the wedding.”
Kyle gave a guilty smile. “I’ve been fucking great.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Anything you’d like to share with the class?”
Shaking his head, he couldn’t seem to stop smiling when he replied cryptically. “Not yet. Hopefully, soon.”
“Aw, come on, Kyle. Give me a hint.”
He tapped her nose with his index finger. “Not a chance, sweet pea. I’m not jinxing it.”
“Fine,” she pouted. “Have your secrets.”
Leaning back with his elbows on the counter, he gave her a knowing grin. “Speaking of secrets, your sister tells me you have a six foot one of your own.”
It was Cassie’s turn to smile as she brought her wine glass to her lips. “Maaaybe.”
“Well, well, well. I never thought I’d see the day. Is he coming later? When do I get to meet him?
She shook her head, trying to hide her frown. “No, I think he’s working tonight.”
“You think he’s working?” Kyle asked incredulously.
“Well, I haven’t really talked to him very much this week.” Or last week, but Kyle didn’t need to know that.
“You haven’t talked to him much this week,” he stated flatly. “But Bren tells me this is serious?” Kyle stood up tall and gave her a look that was something between pity and condescension, so she found herself scrambling to explain.
“He’s on the SD SWAT team, and they’ve been really busy. We haven’t had a lot of time to talk.”
“Hmph, I see,” The former shortstop nodded, grabbing a tortilla chip from a blue, glass bowl on the counter next to a dish of salsa. She knew he was placating her, and for some reason, it really pissed her off.
“Why are you being like that?”
He paused from taking a pull of his beer and frowned. “Like what?”
“Like an asshole.”
Her outburst seemed to surprise him, and he lowered his bottle as he contemplated his response. Her reaction sort of surprised herself. She was always very accommodating to Kyle, and he’d never been anything but kind to her.
“I’m not trying to be an asshole.”
“Then why do you have that smug look on your face?” she accused.
He tried to look innocent, like he had no idea what she was talking about.
“I never thought you, of all people, would ever put up with that.”
“Put up with what? How is understanding a man has been busy working putting up with anything?” Her tone sounded way too defensive even to her own ears.
With raised eyebrows, Kyle threw the mantra she liked to quote back at her. “If a man wants to be with you, he will make it happen. No exceptions.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ, Kyle,” she seethed, spilling her glass on the counter when she set it down too hard. “This isn’t the same thing. This is two, busy professionals trying to have a relationship. That takes some understanding and flexibility. If you were in a relationship, you’d get that.”
“Hey, I’m sorry.” He brought his hands chest high in the universal I surrender gesture. “You’re right. I’m talking out of my ass. Don’t be mad at me.”
The truth was, she wasn’t really mad at Kyle, he was only saying out loud what she had been considering over the last week. She felt embarrassed someone else was also thinking it and had to rationalize it to him like she had been doing herself.
“I’m not mad,” she said in a low voice, looking past him at the cupboards.
He bent his knees so his face was at the height of hers. “No?”
“No. I’m sorry I yelled at you.” She finally looked at him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
“Oh, Cass. I’m so fucking sorry. Don’t listen to me, I’m an idiot.” He set his bottle down and pulled her in for a long hug. “Don’t cry, baby girl. It’ll be okay,” he whispered in her hair.
Feeling the tears wet his navy polo shirt, she let out a long sigh once she stopped crying. Kyle laughed, then briefly hugged her tighter.
“Love is definitely not for wimps.”
She had to agree. No, it most definitely is not.
The theme from the television show, Cops started blaring from her back pocket, and she loosened her hug from Kyle to retrieve her phone. It wasn’t the most original ringtone for Luke, but she liked it.
“Is that him?”
“Yeah,” she murmured as she looked at his smiling picture on her phone
“Invite him over,” he mouthed.
She shook her head while answering, “Hi there!” and headed toward the guest room to talk to him in a quieter place.
****
Luke
Just the sound of Cassie’s voice made his mood lighter and brought a smile to his lips.
I’ve missed her so damn much.
Luke had wanted to take her up on her invitation and crawl into bed with her every night she asked, more than anything. Last night, in particular, but, the murder-suicide call he was on had drained him. The week, in general, had kicked his ass even before his team showed up last night to the nondescript suburban home where a man was possibly holding his ex-wife hostage. He knew before they breached the front do
or they were too late. Every fucking call for over a week had been a shit show, so between work, hiring his new P.I., and worrying about how Cassie was going to take the news about Adriana, he was spent. He needed to be thinking straight and on his A-game when he was with Cass, or he’d end up spilling his guts.
He was willing to take his chances tonight though. He needed to wrap his arms around her and hold her close until morning, maybe even noon. Being with her soothed his soul; he even slept better when he was next to her.
“Hi, baby doll,” he responded to her greeting. “It’s good to hear your voice. I’ve missed you so damn much.” There was a pause on her end, and when she replied in a soft voice, it sounded like she was sniffling.
“I’ve missed you too.”
“Hey, you okay?”
Silence.
“Babe?” he asked quietly.
“I’m fine,” she squeaked out.
“I’m on my way over.”
He heard her take a deep breath, and her voice was stronger when she told him, “No, I’m not at home. I’m at Danielle’s party.”
He waited for her to invite him over.
“I don’t know how late I’ll be. Maybe we can catch up tomorrow,” she stated coolly.
He deserved this. Of course, she was upset he hadn’t attempted to see her for almost two weeks. He’d hated it, too and knew he was a chicken shit for the way he had handled things.
“Why don’t I come there?”
“No, that’s okay. I’m sure you’re tired.”
Oh, his proud, little, stubborn girl, throwing his excuse from last night at him.
“I’m not tired, actually. I was able to sleep late today and even got a run in with Rex. Let me get changed, and I’ll head that way.”
“No, really. It’s fine,” she said with finality.
The fuck it is fine. He understood she was mad, and he worried maybe he’d made a big mistake being away from her for so long.
