by Hahn, Joni
What was wrong with him? Really? He’d thought that when he learned who killed his father, all would be right with the world. That he could have them prosecuted and move on down the road.
Cassandra Naylor had muddied up the waters. Despite what he’d seen and heard last night from Buckner, she still managed to star in his thoughts throughout the day.
He shouldn’t want this. His brain screamed at him to turn around and walk in the other direction. Caring about a woman brought nothing but trouble.
Yet, he found himself standing beside her, staring out the window, too. She didn’t acknowledge him at all, just remained still and quiet, while air from the ceiling vent played with the blonde hair at her crown.
What would she do if he did pull her up from the chair and sit her in his lap?
He had no ill will against her other than the fact that she elicited this mind-blowing lust inside of him. When he thought about it, she’d done nothing that he wouldn’t have done for his own family.
Could he fault her loyalty?
“Have you ever discovered that something you believed in your entire life was just…” Sadness softened her voice.
“Bullshit?” He looked back at her.
Her beautiful, blue eyes were blank, expressionless. She nodded.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my parents lied about Rachel’s parentage and that my mom tried to set her up to marry for money. I never would’ve expected that from either of them.”
She brushed the bangs out of her eyes. “My father woke up today.”
Aidan stilled. That bit of news changed everything. If the doctors said he would survive, there was nothing to keep them in Creekmore any longer. A decision had to be made on what to do with Cassandra and Dar.
“Rachel and I were in there at the time.” She turned and gave him a half-hearted smile. “She’s tough. I like her.”
That bit of news pleased him immensely. He couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah, she’s the best.”
Cassandra frowned at the windows. “She spoke to him like no one I’ve ever seen before. She didn’t tiptoe around him, and even laughed when he forbid her to marry Tristan.”
“Forbid her?” Aidan gave a short laugh. “Like he has a say in that. Jacobs is in it for the long haul and beyond.”
She pulled in her lips over her teeth and squinted her eyes.
“I saw my father through Rachel’s eyes – the maliciousness, the self-pity, the highhandedness. For the first time in my life, he wasn’t the I-can-conquer-the-world-and-no-one-can-stop-me father I grew up believing in. And, it hit me that I’ve wasted my entire life following his dreams of power, money and revenge.”
Looking down, she shook her head. “Now, I’m headed to jail or wherever D.I.R.E. is going to send me, having wasted every blasted second.” A tear fell on her arm.
Panic stole the breath from Aidan’s lungs. He hated seeing her this way, hated Robert Naylor for putting her through it.
Aidan wouldn’t allow Cassandra to go to jail. No way. Mitchell would have to go through him first.
“I always wanted to open an animal shelter.” She glanced up at him and gave a short laugh. “The daughter of Robert Naylor. Can you believe that? It’s corny, I know, but it’s my dream.”
He shook his head. “That’s not corny at all. I love animals, too.”
She gave him a soft smile. God, he wanted to kiss her. “Once, I even mentioned it to my father. It had taken me
weeks to build up the courage to say it. When I did, he laughed me out of the room.”
Tears blurred her eyes. “Now, I’m just flat pissed off - at myself, for living in a constant state of fear. At him, for laying the burden of his broken heart on Dar and I, and at my mother, for not sticking around to prevent it all.”
She looked up at him, her eyes and nose a bright pink. “And, I’m mad at you for not telling me to shut up and stop feeling sorry for myself.” She got to her feet.
Aidan grasped her fingers when she moved to pass. She stopped in front of him but wouldn’t look his way.
“Come here, baby.”
A sob escaped.
He tugged her to him.
She buried her face in his chest. Aidan held her tight as she cried with utter abandon.
Anger gnawed a hole in his chest where she soaked his shirt. He wanted to hit something. Robert Naylor would be a good start. The man had buried this beautiful, kind-hearted woman behind a mask of retribution and false bravado. Not that Cass wasn’t a strong person. She’d never been allowed to lower her defenses. Ever.
“It’s okay to disagree with your father.”
Turning to lay her cheek on his chest, she gave a short laugh. “You don’t know my father.”
He stiffened. “Has he hurt you?” He set her away to look into her eyes.
“No. At least not physically, anyway.” She looked down at the floor. “But, he always finds a way to make us pay if we go against him.”
Missing her warmth, Aidan pulled her back against his chest. “You don’t ever have to be afraid of him again. I’ll protect you.”
Sighing, she stared up at him. “Oh, Aidan. Don’t be naïve. He’d find a way to get back at us. He always does.”
That pissed him off. “You don’t think I could protect you?”
“If anyone could protect me, it would be you, Aidan. The question is why? If we have any kind of relationship at all, we’re enemies.”
“Last night sure as hell didn’t feel like we were enemies.”
She stepped away. “We both know last night didn’t mean anything. Our emotions were just running high.”
Didn’t mean anything? So, their messing around didn’t keep her up last night? When he’d slept, he had vivid dreams of Cassandra Naylor on top of him in bed.
When he didn’t sleep, he had vivid dreams of Cassandra Naylor on top of him in bed.
Face it, Monroe. She’s just not interested in you that way.
“There you are.”
Rachel and Tristan came around the corner. The three of them were supposed to get out of the hospital for a while and grab some dinner.
His sister had taken another blow that afternoon when Tristan told her about Jim’s true profession. Her kind heart seemed to harden with each lie revealed.
“We’ve been looking for you.” Rachel glanced at Cassandra and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Lifting her chin, she shook her head. “Nothing that I didn’t bring on myself.” Without another word, she started down the hall.
Aidan watched her go – for about five seconds.
“Cass…”
Stopping, she turned to stare at him. Her red-rimmed eyes killed him.
Catching up with her, he grabbed her hand. “Come on, you’re going with us.”
Her brows lowered. “What?”
“Monroe, she’s under house arrest,” Tristan said.
His eyes never left her face. “I know that, Jacobs.”
“It’s your ass if something goes wrong.”
Cass shook her head. “Why, Aidan?”
He didn’t dare ask himself why. He just knew he had to give her some kind of hope.
“You’re asking why, when I’m giving you a free pass to get out of this place?”
A slow smile blossomed on her face. “You’re not going to make me walk, are you?”
#####
Cassandra sat next to Aidan in one of Willie’s red vinyl, padded booths. Her shoulder touched his, his thigh rested against hers, and he wore that light scent of fall that made her want to set her chin on his shoulder and just inhale.
He had a contagious laugh. One impossible to resist. She had even tried it once when he teased her about taking a picture beside the bullet hole in the wall.
Didn’t work.
Cass still couldn’t believe he brought her out in public, anklet and all. From the look on David Saldana’s face, he couldn’t believe it, either.
“Cassandra, has your f
ather always treated you the way he did today?” Rachel’s steady gaze dared her to deny the truth.
She picked at the label on her beer bottle. Her instincts told her to defend him. To defend his actions. However, the truth was, she lived as a slave to his moods and desires.
Rachel had seen her life firsthand, and had walked out of the room in disgust. Yet, it was the only life Cass knew.
“Do you mean the threats?”
“Yes, the threats. And, the domineering orders and the yelling...”
Sitting up straight, she felt Aidan’s arm along the back of the booth. For some reason, sharing her feelings with Aidan felt different from saying them aloud to Rachel and Tristan. With Aidan, she didn’t feel like she betrayed a family confidence. With Rachel, it felt like her sister nosed in where she had no business treading.
“You’re asking me to betray my father, Rachel.”
Aidan spoke softly at her side. “Haven’t you ever wanted to live free of him? To live your own life?”
Had he brought her here so they could gang up on her? “I love my father, Aidan…”
“No one doubts that, Cassandra.” Tristan’s voice held a note of acceptance.
“You can live away from him and still love him,” Rachel said. “I hate the way he controls you.”
Why did Rachel care how her father treated her? The fact of the matter was, he did control her life. She’d never be free of his power.
Glancing at Rachel uncertainly, she gave a sarcastic half laugh. “You act like living away from my father is a possibility. If I left to pursue my dreams, he’d just have me dragged back home.” God, that sounded pathetic.
She felt the hair on her head rise behind her as a low hum started inside of Aidan. “If you want to leave, Cass, just say the word.”
“You know as well as I that my father has enemies, Aidan. If he didn’t come after me, they surely would.”
Tristan gave a brief nod. “The agency would protect you.”
Aidan glared at Tristan before turning back to her. “I’ll protect you. I’ve already told you that.”
She took in Aidan’s earnest face. God above, he was beautiful. Strong. Reassuring.
The idea tempted her. Oh, how it tempted her. She’d hate being away from her father, but just the thought of living away from the Naylor black cloud felt liberating. Where would that leave Dar?
Warm air puffed against her calf. Glancing down, an old, yellow Labrador stood by her, wagging his tail. He had brown eyes and a sway back, his chin dotted with black fur. Her heart melted.
Squatting to the floor, Cass hugged the dog as he sat there and took the abuse. The sweet innocence brought a lump to her throat.
“Where did you come from?”
Rachel laughed. “David… Loki is picking up women again.”
Coming around the bar, David Saldana smiled as he called the dog. Standing, Cass patted the dog on the head.
“He’s got good taste.” David eyed her up and down.
Aidan’s hand at the small of her back sent a soothing warmth up her spine. She hadn’t heard him stand. She leaned into him, knowing it was the last thing she should do.
She did it anyway.
“I love dogs but I can’t keep… er, I couldn’t keep one at home.”
Aidan’s hand tightened at her waist. “Cass wants to open a shelter one day.”
Catching her breath, she smiled up at Aidan. He’d actually voiced her dreams in front of his family and friend as though it were a respectable, legitimate desire.
However, the reality was, she would most likely spend the rest of her life in jail. While the notion of a shelter sounded wonderful, she couldn’t afford to go there in her head or her heart.
What if you allowed Aidan and D.I.R.E. to protect you?
Her choices were jail, or go the selfish route and betray her father. How could she do that? Robert Naylor was her father.
Stepping away from Aidan, she said, “He’s a beautiful dog.”
Loki whimpered and nudged her hand. She bent to scratch him under the chin.
“I think he’s enamored.” David gave her a friendly grin.
“I found her first, buddy.” Aidan rubbed the dog’s head.
The warmth she felt earlier returned to engulf her chest. What was he doing? He knew as well as she did that they couldn’t do this.
He pulled her against his side without looking at her. “David, can you send another round to the table?”
Aidan’s not-so-subtle attempt to get rid of David worked. With a ‘sure thing,’ he and Loki walked away.
Frowning to herself, she couldn’t allow Aidan to take this suicidal attraction seriously. She had to put distance back in their relationship.
Starting with the ladies room.
“I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
Rachel stood to let Tristan out of the booth.
Cass glanced at each of them. “I’ve heard of women going to the restroom in groups, but this is a little over the top, don’t you think?”
Aidan clutched her elbow. “I’m not going to let you go alone. I know what you’re capable of.”
Her stomach clenched. He’d just proven this attraction was crazy. How could they ever make it work when he didn’t trust her to go to the ladies room – and with good reason?
She had to be stronger than her feelings. She had to be stronger than the hope the three of them had put in her heart.
Her father was Robert Naylor. She couldn’t change that.
It would serve her well to remember.
Cassandra’s steps were hesitant, her gaze steady as she emerged from the ladies room. Aidan didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until he saw her again.
She’d kept her word. For some reason, that made him really happy.
When he stood to let her slide in the booth, she stopped to swipe a crumb from his mouth with her fingertip. Her eyes were deep violet and stared at his mouth with hunger. His body hardened like granite.
“Do you have any change for the jukebox? I think I need to lighten the mood.”
She asked him that now, after she aroused him and his hand wouldn’t fit in his pocket?
With humor in her voice, Rachel said, “Come on, Cass. Tris gave me change.”
He watched her walk across the room.
“Hey, Smooth Dog, you know what you’re doing?”
Turning back to Tristan, Aidan slid back into the booth. “Hell no.”
“I’ll be honest with you, Monroe, I can’t see Mitchell allowing this to happen.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I know that.”
When Aidan bought into D.I.R.E., he knew they owned him. Yet, it really pissed him off that Mitchell thought he could tell him how to live his life.
A fling between them would cost them way too much. Yet, the knowledge didn’t seem to sway them, either.
And a relationship… well, that was out of the question.
“Mitchell could decide to put her away. Have you thought of that?”
A buzz of electrical rage sizzled in his veins. Tamp it down, Monroe.
“It’ll be a cold day in hell when that happens.”
Tristan sat back in the booth. “You’d better grab your jacket because under different circumstances, she would already be there.”
“So why isn’t she? Why is Mitchell holding her and Dar?”
Tristan took a drink of his beer. “Good question. My guess is a sense of loyalty to Naylor. They were once friends. Maybe he feels for them.”
“Or, maybe he wants to recruit them for D.I.R.E.”
“It’s possible.” Tristan stared at the girls across the room. “But trust would be an issue. They’d have to prove themselves before Mitchell would ever bring them on.”
“But, to make them choose between Naylor and D.I.R.E.?” Aidan said. “Hell hath no fury like a mentally-deranged father scorned.”
Chapter 7
Rachel and Tristan teleported to h
er house a little after ten o’clock. Tristan said tomorrow would be a hard day for Rachel with Ben’s funeral. She needed her rest.
After the scorching stares the couple had given each other throughout the evening, Cass figured Tristan had a little more in mind than sleep.
Out in the parking lot, Aidan removed his gloves and placed them in the waistband of his jeans. Taking her hand in his, they walked to the D.I.R.E. SUV.
She really shouldn’t allow him to touch her.
“Thank you for the evening out. I… like Rachel and Tristan.”
Stopping beside the vehicle, Aidan backed her against the driver side door. He placed an open mouthed kiss against her throat. Her heart ran wild.
“What about me?” His breath felt hot against her skin.
Goose flesh popped out on her arms as she wrapped them around his neck. Her voice sounded breathy to her ears. “You’re okay, I guess.”
She felt him smile against her neck before nipping at her flesh. He raised his head to look at her. “Real-ly?...”
Cass shrugged. “Yeah, you may be hot –“
“Beautiful,” he chimed in.
God, yes. “-but, you’re a little slow.”
His grin lit up the night sky. “Slow?”
She softened her voice. “Yes. I wanted you to kiss me hours ago.”
Why did she say that?
Bracing his hands on either side of her head, he looked down at the pavement. “I’m trying to be good, Cass.”
Disappointment weighed on her chest. She dropped her arms. “If you’re trying to be good, what was that inside?”
He lifted his head. “What?”
“The hand at my back, the ‘I found her first’…”
He growled low as he straightened and ran a hand through his hair.
“Never mind.” She ducked under his arm.
Why was she even going there? He was doing the right thing.
He swung her back around. “I hated the way David looked at you.”
“You mean the same way you look at women?”
He pulled back his head.
“Men have been looking at me that way for years, Aidan. I’m used to it.” She looked away. “Well, everyone that is, except you.”
