Fueled by Lust: Severus (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Celeste Prater

  Chapter 2

  Severus flipped his phone shut and stuck it back in his pocket, having just wrangled Petrus into agreeing to guard Drusus while he was doing his dishwasher duty. As he followed Cassie home, he intermittently shook his head at the rust-bucket she called a car. The green paint had faded to a lackluster shade of color-me-sad and he couldn’t believe those tires were still inflated. He was almost sure that puffs of white smoke were not necessarily a good thing coming from a tailpipe.

  What was with these two females? Both their cars were in need of a funeral long ago. They were just rolling-dead waiting for a place to glide over and park for eternity. Well, at least Lina’s was now resting in a local graveyard. That snazzy convertible waiting in the parking garage hadn’t come too soon. That poor, yellow car of Lina’s had looked almost relieved when they had hauled it off. He wished he could see her face when Drusus presented the Infinity to her tonight. She was so sweet and deserved some luck in her life. No, he had it all wrong. Drusus was the lucky one to have found his female. Lina was just going to enjoy the benefits of a very smitten male. If Drusus had his way, this was going to be one spoiled princess, and deservedly so.

  Grimacing, Severus focused back to the car in front of him. Even with the windows up in his vehicle, he could hear the squeal and grind of brakes long overdue for a change as Cassie stutter-rolled to a stop in front of her house. He needed to get rid of that death trap. He couldn’t have her in that damn thing one more night. He would get Drusus to help him find—Wait. Severus shook his head at the insanity of his tirade. She wasn’t his. It was not for him to see to her comfort. Growling, he rolled out of the car and made quick strides over to hers. He opened her door to let her out, wincing as the engine coughed and sputtered before wheezing to a slow semi-death. Glaring at her retreating body, he couldn’t stop the gravelly words spewing from his mouth.

  “You need to get rid of this car. You are going to kill yourself in this thing.”

  Cassie froze from rounding the back of the pathetic piece of metal and swiveled around to stare at him. He became concerned when one eyebrow rose on her forehead.

  “Well, I’m so glad that you worry about me, Severus, but I don’t have a ton of money lying around like you.” She started to turn around but halted again. “Maybe I should take up dancing. That seems to be a lucrative profession. Perhaps become an escort?” She swerved her eyes to his silver Bentley Continental GT. “Yup. That seems to pay much better than my crappy-ass secretarial job. That’s for sure.” Shaking her head, she glanced back to him. “Nope, don’t think that will work for me. I’m from the wrong side of the tracks. Those high-class men will figure me out in 2.5 seconds. I’ll have to try the dancing. I don’t think men give a shit where your zip code is as long as you got a half-decent body and can giggle right. Thanks for the tip on the car, though. I’ll give it some thought.” Swerving back around, she headed for her door.

  He had an overwhelming urge to yank her up, slam her across his lap and spank the ever-loving shit out of that rounded ass. He couldn’t believe she had thrown his job in his face like that. He was behind her in the work of a moment.

  “That was unfair, Cassie. They are jobs just like any other. I did not mean to infer that your line of work was insufficient, just that I worry for your safety.” He watched her shoulders slump as she struggled to get her keys to work in the lock. Her head turned slightly, whispered words coming softly over her shoulder.

  “You’re right. That was unfair and I apologize. It’s just a sensitive subject, my upbringing, that’s all. I’m doing the best I can, Severus.”

  Unable to stop himself, he placed a palm to her slender shoulder and squeezed. “I am sorry, too. Let us forget we even said anything. Okay?” Her head bobbed up and down and he heard her release of breath.

  “I can live with that. Sounds good.”

  He took the keys from her shaking fingers, unlocked the door, and pushed it open for her to enter. “Do you still want me to come in to look at the dishwasher?”

  He saw her back straighten and her ribs expand and collapse before she turned to him. Her features were back to the hardcore, tell-it-like-it-is Cassie he knew. Her tawny eyes bore into his own. He braced himself.

  “Hell, Severus, it would take much worse than that for me to turn down free maintenance. Now gitcha ass in here.” She tossed her purse on the sofa and walked into the kitchen.

  Sighing in relief, he followed her in and closed the door. He glanced around the small abode, feeling that familiar twinge of guilt he claimed each time he entered. Just another reason why he had avoided inviting her to his home. If she had thought his car displayed the depth of his wealth, she would surely look down upon him for the penthouse directly below Drusus’s. For Dii’s sake, his damned bathroom was larger than her living area. Where he had expensive furnishings and top-of-the-line appliances, hers were secondhand and a gambit of varying styles and colors. Despite the mismatch, the place was still pleasing to the eyes, comfortable, and welcoming.

  She seemed to have an affinity to hummingbirds. Still photos, porcelain figurines, and needlepoint pillow throws found homes around the room. He could probably stand here for hours and discover yet another niche bearing some form of the tiny bird, be it a woodcarving, painting, or a miniature hiding among a cluster of flowers. Chuckling to himself, he thought the choice apropos. If Cassie could transform, the hummingbird would suit her justly. Flitting from object to object, never sitting still for more than a moment, determined, graceful, and unable to catch without a sound strategy.

  Hastily moving away from that last random thought, he stepped around the breakfast bar separating the living room from the kitchen and watched as she pulled a trashcan from beneath the sink. She efficiently tied the bag and turned toward the back door. He reached to take the burden from her arms, but she shooed him away.

  “No, I can handle trash. It’s the dishwasher that eludes me. Have at it, buddy. I’ll be back in a sec.”

  He chuckled before backing off and raising his palms in mock surrender. “Okay. Fine, hard-ass. Take out the trash.”

  She rewarded him with a beautiful smile before flipping him off and growling, “Butthead.” As quick as the salute, she breezed out the back door.

  Gods! He loved how fast she could come out of a slump. Nothing took that woman down for long. His admiration for her grew. Sighing, he began removing items out of the dishwasher and placing them in the sink. Looking around, he started pulling drawers out, trying to find any tools that might revive the dead machine. Locating only a tiny screwdriver and a few nails, he headed out to his car. Thankfully, he kept a small tool chest in his trunk, along with a briefcase full of suit ties, for just such emergencies.

  Ten minutes into trying to figure out why the rotator blade wouldn’t budge, he realized that Cassie hadn’t returned from the trash run. Opening the back door, her name stuck in his throat as he watched her arguing with a man next to a set of green dumpsters. As soon as she said the man’s name, he knew who he was. It was that jack-off Marcus. She said she had given him the boot, so why was he back for more? The ass was trying to grasp her hand, but Cassie was having none of that. Good girl, he thought.

  Severus glared at the man that stood almost to his height. His body was in peak shape and he displayed his muscles proudly in a sleeveless gym shirt. He hated that the guy was even remotely handsome, had touched her lips with his own, and had caressed her body with those hands that were getting nowhere now. Severus felt the back of his neck light up with heat and his fists clench with a need to pound that pretty puss into the ground.

  “Cassie, are you okay?” He was surprised at the gritty sound of the words. That was his battle-mode voice and he hadn’t heard it in a very long time.

  Marcus’s head jerked up, eyes narrowing with an unholy glare as he spotted Severus at the back door. “Who the hell is that, Cassie?”

  Cassie glanced over to Severus then quickly back to Marcus. “He’s my friend, Marcus.
Now you need to go. We don’t have anything else to talk about.”

  Severus felt his gut lurch at the word “friend” and was instantly confused as to why. He wasn’t her lover, they had not been on a date, and he had only been here three times before to fix various things falling apart in her tiny home. She was the best friend of his Trejani’s lover, nothing more. So, why did it hurt to hear her claim him in that manner? At least she hadn’t introduced him as her maintenance man for he would have surely gone mental. He took two steps from the door, chest rumbling in discontent when Marcus latched onto Cassie’s arm and began leading her around the side of the building. He halted when Cassie easily moved her arm away and stepped back. She put a palm up to both of them.

  “Okay, nice and easy, guys. Severus, I’m okay. This will only take a minute. Go back in. It’s okay.”

  Severus wanted to howl in rage. He didn’t want her out of his sight for a moment, but he had no grounds to claim for his continued presence. He gave Marcus a warning glare then stalked back in the house. He left the back door opened slightly. He leaned to the side in order to watch out the window while still hearing their conversation.

  “Marcus, why are you here? I told you how I felt last week. I couldn’t keep up with your crap.” Cassie backed up further as Marcus reached out to her again.

  With a heavy sign, he dropped his arm. “Fine, no touching, but will you at least listen to what I have to say?”

  Cassie crossed her arms and nodded.

  “I’m sorry for whatever I did and I promise it won’t happen again. Can we start over? I miss you, baby.”

  Severus was happy to see the evil Cassie slide from her pores. That cocked brow and lifted lip brought him great joy, especially since it aimed at the pretty boy instead of him. When that right hip jutted out, he knew the dude was in trouble. Capital T, pack-your-lunch, throw-down Trouble.

  “Whatever you did? What do you mean whatever? Do you talk just to have something to do? You used me, Marcus. I was nothing but an unpaid servant in your home. I washed your clothes, cleaned your apartment, and had dinner on the table for you when you finally decided to wander on back home. I felt like a complete idiot when I found out that you weren’t working late but running with your boys. Your bed only knows what skank you had crawling all over you.”

  Marcus had the sense enough to hang his head. “I’m so sorry for that. I didn’t realize I was taking advantage of you. I’m used to being on my own. I didn’t know how to act. I promise I’ll do better.”

  Severus grunted in disdain, hissing under his breath. “That is it asshole, grovel until she puts her boot in your ass. Do not think for a second she missed you not denying the bed skank.”

  Cassie just shook her head back and forth, no sympathy to be found within that hard look. “You are blind, aren’t you?” It wasn’t a question, but a simple statement of fact. “Even when you decided to come around, you didn’t pay attention to me. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like having a clingy man draped on me all the time, but come on, Marcus. Any conversation I started ended with you turning it into how fast you could get me in the sack. Then, you’d fuck me, roll off, and start snoring. I felt like a convenient hole. A pit stop from point A to point B. That’s no way to live. I don’t want that.”

  Severus grinned despite the fact he didn’t want to think of the jerk humping Cassie. He was just happy the dude was bad in the sack. Severus made a mental note to remember the clingy part.

  Marcus’s eyes widened while his cheeks flushed a deep pink. “Ah Christ, Cassie! Stab a guy in the nuts, will yuh? Why can’t you see it for what it was? You wore my ass out. There. I said it. You rode me hard and I couldn’t help but pass the fuck out.”

  Cassie’s evil grin made an appearance. Still reeling over the “rode me hard” part, Severus was too distracted to enjoy the battle sign. His libido woke and started looking around.

  “Good, and I hope you miss it cause it’s never happening again. Got it?”

  Severus fist-pumped the air and suppressed his need to howl to the moon.

  Marcus placed a meaty paw over his heart, looking genuinely hurt and sincere as he pled his case. Severus wanted to throw up.

  “I swear on my life, Cassie. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I didn’t realize the way it looked to you. I never meant to hurt you. I miss you so much. Can we try again, please?” He reached out to caress the side of her face but Cassie moved away, her head shaking as she backed toward the door.

  “Don’t push me on this Marcus. Don’t make me hate you.”

  Marcus kept his voice low and pleading. “Is it that guy in the house? Is he your boyfriend? What is he to you? Should I be worried?”

  Cassie shook her head. “This isn’t about him and you know it. He’s none of your business. And you should have been worried long before now, Marcus.”

  Marcus dropped his chin to his chest, resigned and morose. “Can you at least give it some thought, Cassie? Would you think about it and call me? That’s all I ask.”

  Cassie nodded briefly. “I’ll think about it. I’ll give you a call. Can you go now, Marcus?”

  Severus felt a sliver of empathy for the guy as he turned to walk away, totally gutted. He knew that feeling very well. That lapse in hatred became dust under his boot when he heard Marcus’s parting words.

  “I love you, Cassie. You may not believe me, but I really do love you. I can’t believe I fucked this up.” He walked around the side of the building and Severus heard a car start and drive away.

  Chapter 3

  Severus watched Cassie stand frozen in the backyard for a few moments before she grabbed the empty trashcan and turned toward the door. Scrambling away from the window, he dove toward the dishwasher. His knee landed firmly on top of a wrench before he skidded to a slamming halt against the cabinet. He bit his lip to keep from yelling out as pain radiated through his kneecap, up his thigh, and cracked him in the ass.

  Severus looked up and smiled as Cassie walked in and chunked the trashcan to the side. Well, he hoped he was smiling. It could be a grimace worthy of a double take. Thankfully, she had leaned back against the door with her eyes closed which gave him enough time to coddle his screaming knee and mouth a few choice curses before struggling to his feet. He grabbed the edge of the sink in case his knee had second thoughts about helping.

  Cassie opened her eyes and stared at him for a few blinks. “Christ, Severus. What the hell have you been doing?”

  Nonplussed, he held his palms out. “What?”

  “You’re white as a ghost. Here, sit down.” She pulled a chair out from her little dining table and moved it toward him.

  He quickly shook his head. “I am fine. I must have risen too fast. It made me dizzy. Yeah, that is it. I got up too fast.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Like I said, sit your ass down, will yuh?”

  Resigned, he plopped his ass in the chair, thankful he didn’t need to hobble across the room to do so. “Thanks.”

  “No. Thank you.”

  He frowned in confusion. “For what? Sitting down is hardly worth a thank you.” He watched her eyes bounce back and forth, searching his face. For what, he couldn’t name.

  “For checking on me. For making sure I was okay. And especially for not making the situation any worse than it was already.”

  He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he chose to keep his mouth clamped.

  A silence fell between them as Cassie leaned against the wall again. Her eyes stared straight ahead and gave nothing away on her thoughts. Her kitchen clock sounded loud to his ears as his mind fought to find anything to diffuse the awkwardness. He couldn’t take the silence any longer, unable to stomach her sad expression for another moment.

  “Look, are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?” He felt his throat squeeze shut on the last word. Sure, like he was some damn expert about relationships and all the fucked-up things that came attached to them. All he knew was the easiness of a date that wasn’t goi
ng to happen again, not unless he received another call for seconds. And even then there was always money exchanged between two parties with no emotions involved. Not on his part anyway.

  He would so not call taking his clothes off for a wild group of females a relationship, not unless you tacked symbiotic to the front of it. What little attempt he had made at pursuing a relationship back home had shut down fast when he realized the royal position he held was the initial draw. He had spent more time trying to decipher the female’s true interest rather than opening himself for possibilities. Drusus had called him “picky” more than once. Nope, he wasn’t good at things like this and never would be. But, at least he could listen.

  He hadn’t realized he had looked down to the floor when he made his offer of playing couch psychiatrist. Lifting his eyes, he was surprised by the soft look on her face. He stared at her for a few minutes before giving her a soft smile back.

  She pushed away from the wall with a grunt. “That’s sweet, but no. I’m so done with that. I told him I would think about it. I said that just to get him to leave. Been there, done that, not going to rinse and repeat.” With that said, she walked over to the dishwasher and peered inside. “So, what did you find?”

  Thankful that she had veered them back to something he could definitely talk about without heart palpitations, he swiveled the chair around and leaned into the open maw of the ancient appliance.

  “The spray arm is stuck. I was just about to break it down to see if something is hung or if the gear is stripped.” When he looked up, he found her smiling at him.

  “Look at you. A regular Mr. Fix-it. You come in very handy, Severus.” She patted him on the shoulder and turned to take two glasses from the cupboard.

  “You want something to drink? I got water, water, or water.”

  Laughing to keep from lingering on how nice her touch felt, he jumped up from the chair. Squashing a wince as his knee promptly reminded him it was still pissed about the duck-n-skid dance with the wrench, he took slow, easy steps toward the living area. “Water it is then. I will be right back. I have to make a call to Drusus.” At her nod, he sat on her small couch and waited for Drusus to answer.