Her eyes meet mine for the first time since we started dancing. “You heard correctly. You father must’ve told you.”
“He did, but I was hoping you’d be the one to do it,” I sigh. “Is that what you wanted to tell me when you came looking for me yesterday?”
Her gaze drops, and she nibbles on her lip. I fucking love it when she does that. It’s does crazy things to my cock. My imagination always runs wild, thinking up ways I can bite her lip instead. She nods, and I slip my finger under chin to bring her beautiful eyes back to mine.
“It wasn’t what it looked like, Cass. I swear. Jessa caught me off guard and you just walked in at the wrong time. I’m sorry if you were hurt.” “Why would I have been hurt, Kyler? You have every right to whatever you want with whomever you want. I told you, I don’t need an explanation.” “You might think you’ve convinced yourself of that, but you’re not fooling me. Your emotions are written all over your face, and right now I can see that what happened yesterday upset you.”
Cassey scowls, and damn if I don’t find Pissed Off Cassey sexy as hell. “You don’t know me,” she snaps. “Just because you read some shit in my employee file, doesn’t mean you know anything about me.” She tries to step out of my grasp, but I pull her in closer. I start rubbing slow circles on her lower back and feel her shiver.
“I know you better than you think,” I retort quietly. “I know that you bite your lip when you’re nervous, or when you’re thinking something over. I know you chew your thumb nail when you’re unsure, and I know you scrunch your eyebrows when you disagree with something someone has said. I know you stick your tongue out, when you’re working really hard, and you tap your foot to whatever song is in your head when you’re lost in your own thoughts. I know you hate talking about your family, and your past, but you also get sad when you talk about it, like you miss them. Your eyes shine, like diamonds, when you’re excited, and you also happen to bounce on the balls of your tiny little feet when you think no one is watching. And when you curse, when you think no one else is around, your Southern twang comes through and fuck, it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.” I touch her cheek, brushing my thumb over the light red tinge beneath her soft flesh. “So you see Cass, I know you. I see the things you think no one else notices, and I can feel how your body responds to mine when I’m in the same room. Because I react the same way when you’re close to me.”
Chapter 5
~ Cassey ~
I stare at Kyler, totally dumbstruck. Did he just say all of that? I can see in his eyes that he not only means it, but that he believes every word. At least he was honest, so maybe I should try that too. His proximity, and the way he has me pressed up against his tall frame has every neuron in my brain misfiring, and my hormones in a tailspin. My nipples harden where the lapels of his tuxedo jacked brush against the thin material of my dress. If I had panties on, they’d be damp, and if I had to rub my thighs together I’m sure I would feel the moisture there too. I want this man, in a bad way. I want him to take to me, any way he pleases and satisfy the visceral desire that’s coursing through my veins. But he can’t, because that’s not who I am.
“You only want one thing from me, Kyler,” I say. My voice is quiet, so no one else dancing close to us can hear us, but it’s also firm.
His eyes flash, and darken. “And what would that be, exactly?”
“You want to sleep with me for one night, and then leave me. I’m nothing more than a shiny new toy you want to have your way with, and then discard.” The dip that forms between his eyebrow is unmistakable. Even with a frown, this man is dangerously sexy.
“Cassey.” He says my name softly, but his gruff voice reverberates through every molecule in my body. “I don’t want to sleep with you.”
Now I’m frowning, and I feel like an idiot. Is it possible that I’ve misread every moment, and every sign between us in the last few days? Did I imagine the pull I’ve been feeling towards Kyler?
“I want to do more than that,” he continues. His eyes fixate on me, and my breathing changes into shallow bursts of air. No, I was definitely not imagining it. For this sliver of time, nothing else around us exists. “I want to do every ungodly thing imaginable to that tight little body of yours, and leave you utterly breathless. I want to be buried so deep inside you that there is no way of knowing where my body ends and yours begins. And no, it won’t be for just one night, because once I taste you, once I’ve been between your legs, I’ll want more of you, and you’ll want more of me.”
His hand presses down on my lower back, and I feel his erection against my stomach. I’m in so much trouble. This is not how I imagined the conversation going, and now I feel like I’m being presented with a choice. By who, I don’t know. All I know is I want him, in every way I can have him. Even if all I’m willing to give myself is one night. I’m hoping that when most women believe one night with the object of their sexual fantasies can ‘curb’ their desires for that person, it’s at least in the realm of possibility. Because if it’s bogus, I’m completely screwed.
Although, I suspect that by considering this ludicrous idea, I’m already too far gone. The question is, which one will win out - my head or my heart? I barely have time to ponder it, when I realize that my head always wins. “As tempting as that seems, we both know it can’t happen, Kyler. You’re here with another woman, and to put it simply, you’ve just told me you want to fuck me.” I stop dancing, and take a step away. I need to take a breath, and think before I jump head first into something I’m going to regret. “But I see how this would work out for you. You get into my pants for a night and I face the possibility of losing my job for screwing my boss.”
“What? You think that’s what this is?” Kyler’s voice is incredulous, like I’m crazy.
“Yes,” I reply. “That’s exactly what this is, and as much as I’d like to believe one night with me would mean something to you, I can’t take that chance. My career, and my life are more important than some one night stand, even with you.”
Kyler’s face drops slightly before I turn my back on him in the middle of the dance floor and walk away. I head towards our table, where Quinn and Jarred are arguing again. Drew is nowhere to be found.
“I’m going home,” I tell Quinn. I pick my purse up from the table. “I’m coming with you,” Quinn replies.
“Quinn, wait,” Jarred pleads, bragging hold of her elbow.
“No, Jarred. This conversation is over, and until you pull your head out of your ass, so is our ‘relationship’.”
Without another word, Quinn spins on her heel and takes hold of my hand so I can follow her.
We leave the hotel, and slip into a cab as the events of tonight fill up the silence between us. Neither of us say anything until I hear Quinn’s sniffles next to me. “Are you okay?” I ask.
She shakes her head and wipes the tears from her face, but does’t say anything anything more until we’re back at our apartment.
I change into my sweats, and go in search of some good ol’ Ben & Jerry’s. When I walk into the kitchen, I see Quinn has already beaten me to it. I sit down next to her, and start eating the creamy, chocolatey goodness. The fact that it’s chocolate flavor means that Quinn is very upset about something. “I need to tell you something,” she says. Her voice is soft, but scratchy. She must’ve been crying while I was changing out of my evening dress and cleaning my face.
I take hold of her hand, and squeeze it gently, offering my silent support. “You can tell me anything,” I remind her.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed that Jarred and I have been fighting a lot,” she pauses, swallowing. I nod. “Well, it’s because he asked me to move in with him, and I’ve been avoiding it.”
My stomach drops. “Why?”
Quinn sniffles, and the tears start all over again. “Because I’m scared, and because I hate the thought of leaving you here alone.”
Diverting my gaze, I look down at where my hand holds Quinn’s. The truth is, I do
n’t want Quinn to make her decision based on me, and how she thinks I’m going to handle her leaving. I want her to be happy, and I would never dream of standing in the way of her life with Jarred.
“Quinny,” I say, looking back into her sad eyes. “Do you want to move in with him?”
She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and gives a small nod. “I love him,” she says, shrugging one shoulder.
“Wow,” I sigh. “That’s huge.”
“I know. I don’t know when it happened, but I guess between all the fooling around, and spending time with him, I fell in love.”
Her lip trembles. “Why are you so upset?” I ask.
“Because we were fighting about you.”
I frown. “About me?”
Her head bobs up and down, and she looks away. “He got angry because I said I won’t leave you alone, and then he accused me of not wanting to be with him.”
“You’re being silly, Quinn. If you want to move in with him, then don’t let me stop you. I want you to be happy. I’ll just start looking for another place to live.” If only it were that simple. I would never be able to afford a place like this on my own. But I can’t allow Quinn’s decision to move in with the man she loves be influenced by that.
“No,” she says, interrupting my thoughts. “I’ve already spoken to my parents, and they are more than happy to let you stay here as long as you want.” “I appreciate that, but I can’t accept the offer. I’ll start looking for a place of my own on Monday.”
“Are you sure, Cass?”
No, I’m anything but sure. I’m terrified. “Yes,” I lie. “I’m sure.”
Quinn hugs me and pulls back, giving me a sad smile. “You know it will always be the ‘Quinn and Cassey’ show, right?”
Smiling, I reply, “I know.” My throat tightens, but I bite back the innate urge to cry. I was hoping I’d have at least one more year before I had to worry about this, but as always, nothing in my life goes according to plan. And now, I can’t help but feel that everything is about to change.
∞
“Thank you,” I say to the other woman on the line. “I will be there at five to view the apartment.” With a quick good-bye, I put the phone back on it’s cradle and rest my head in the palms of my hands. It’s already Thursday, and after finding about about Quinn and Jarred a few days ago, I spent most of the week finding a place of my own to rent. The trouble is finding a place close enough to the office and within my limited budget.
So far, I’ve had little success, but I have one more place to see later today. I can’t even say that I’m excited, because I’m really not. But it is what it is, and change in itself can be scary. But I think about the girl who left the dusty old trailer park behind her after high school and traded it for a new life. That was scary too, and I survived. There’s no reason for me to be afraid now. I can do this.
The remainder of the day passes in a blur, and when I’m not thinking about my impending move, I’m thinking about Kyler, and the encounter we had at the party on Saturday. I expected to hear to from him, but instead I’ve been greeted by nothing but silence. I shouldn’t be surprised. I turned him down after he propositioned me and I’m sure that’s never happened to him before. I bet he suffered from a bruised ego for the same amount of time it took me and Quinn to hail a cab, and then remedied it by screwing someone else. Why I even care bothers me more than his silence.
The light knock on my door brings my attention back to the present, and I realize I’ve been sitting on the sofa in my office for the last two hours just staring out the window that overlooks the city. Quinn walks in, looking as stunning as ever in her off-the-shoulder knee length blue panel dress and black heels.
Her hair is pushed back with a black headband and for once, she looks her age.
“You ready to go, girly?” she asks, smiling.
I check my watch and it’s already four thirty. Dammit, where did the time go? I stand up and slip my red peep toe wedge heels on and fasten the thin strap around my ankle.
“Yes,” I reply, feigning excitement. “Let me just grab my purse.” I walk over to my desk, and give myself a mental pep talk to stop the little self-pity party going on in my head. I grab my purse, and follow Quinn out my office, locking the door behind me. We step into the elevator and travel down to the lobby.
“Are you okay?” Quinn asks. The doors open and I walk out.
“Yes, Quinn, I’m fine. I’m just a little distracted, that’s all.” I give her a smile and hope she believes my bullshit excuse. The last thing I want is for Quinn to feel guilty because I’m wallowing in self-pity.
“I know it’s been a rough week, but I think this place we’re going to now might just be it. I can feel it!” she says enthusiastically. Her attempts to cheer me up make me feel better, but also sad. I’m going to miss having her around all the time. We walk the few blocks to where the estate agent said to meet her. After introducing the woman to Quinn, she leads us into a slightly older building and up to the fifth floor. When she opens the door to the apartment, I stop in the foyer in look around. It has a small kitchen to the side, with white-washed kitchen cupboards and marble countertops. The wooden floors shine, as if they’ve just been cleaned, and spread wide throughout the apartment. The living room is open plan, and is rather spacious, with windows and a balcony that overlook a small courtyard. The walls are a little bland, painted in off-white’s and cream colors, but that can easily be fixed. I don’t even have to look at the rest of the place to know that it’s perfect, and exactly what I’m looking for. I can just see how amazing it will look with some fresh paint, some furniture and a few decorations.
Judging by the look on Quinn’s face, she thinks it’s perfect too.
“Are you sure the owners are happy with their rent price? It seems little low for a place that looks like this,” I tell the estate agent.
She chuckles. “I’m sure. Do you like it?”
“I love it,” I reply, walking into the living room and admiring the space. This could be my new home.
Quinn joins me, coming to standstill at my side. “Are you sure about this? You’re really under no pressure to move out of my place.”
My shoulders relax, and for the first time this week I feel like this might actually be the right decision, that it could work. I look at Quinn, and see the trepidation and concern in her eyes. She’s as scared of this change as I am, but she just won’t say it. “Yes,” I reply. “You’re moving on to the next step in your life, Quinn, and now it’s my turn. Nothing has to change. You spend most of our time at Jarred’s anyway and we’ll still see each other every day. We’ll just have to schedule our sleep overs from now on.”
Quinn nods her head. “Okay.”
I look back at the estate agent. “I’ll take it,” I say. “Where do I sign?”
~ Kyler ~
Frustration. That’s what I feel. That’s what I’ve been feeling all week, ever since Cassey turned her back on me and walked away on Saturday night. That was almost a week ago. I’ve buried myself in my work, attending meetings with my father, learning as much as I can so that I won’t think about her. I’ve never been told ‘no’ before, especially not by a woman, but that’s no what really bothers me. What bothers me is my inability to read Cassey, when I’ve been able to read every other woman before her. But then again, I’ve come to realize, after spending time with her, that she’s nothing like the woman I’ve been with. And that’s what keeps me drawn to her. I know little about her, about who she is, but I want to know. God, when did I grow a vagina? Her body gives away her attraction to me, but her face, and her eyes, are guarded, like she’s fighting our obvious attraction to each other. Silly woman. One way or another, she’ll give into me. She has to.
Deciding I can’t take it anymore, I push back my chair and walk out of my office. I take the elevator down two floors and head to Cassey’s office. She’s on the phone when I walk in and shut the door, locking it behind me. “Quinn, I’ll call you bac
k,” she says. She stands and steps around her desk. “Kyler, what are you doing?” Her voice is quiet, surprised.
I hesitate, but only for a split second. “What I should’ve done a week ago,” I reply, closing the gap between us. I wrap my hand around her neck and pull her into me, crashing my mouth onto hers. Her resistance doesn’t last long. Her mouth moves with mine and when our tongues meet, a moan escapes through her lips. Her hands rest on my chest, and I think she’s going to push me away, but she doesn’t. I take the chance to wind my arm around her waist and lift her. When her legs come around my hips I thank God that she’s wearing pants and carry her to the sofa by the windows. My lips leave hers and I trail kisses down her neck, savoring the taste of her sweet skin. I lay her down and bring my mouth back to hers. She nibbles on my lip, her hands on my back, and my cock hardens. I was hard when I walked in here, but now it’s almost painful. I rub my erection between her legs, swallowing the gasp that slips from her mouth. My hand moves up her side and I cup her breast, kneading it until her nipple hardens beneath her bra.
“Kyler,” she breathes heavily, breaking our kiss. “We shouldn’t - ” “But we are,” I interrupt her. “And we will. I told you I want you, Cassey, and I wasn’t lying. I just needed to show you that you wanted this as much as I do.”
I kiss her again, for the last time, and climb off her. I rake my hands through my hair and catch my breath. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips tumid from my assault, and she sits up to right her disheveled appearance.
“I will have you, Cass, whether you admit it or not, and it won’t be long before you give in to me.”
With that, I spin around and leave her office before I fuck her on that sofa. I smile to myself, committing how she looked to memory. I admit it wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done, and I was only thinking with my dick, but something about the way she felt pressed up against me, writhing beneath me as I devoured her mouth, and touched her. Felt so incredibly right, and necessary. I couldn’t help myself. I want her, and I won’t stop until I have her.
Destined To Fall Page 7
