by Amelia Shea
“Unless I wanted to help her?”
Cassie didn’t answer, she just looked down at the floor and shifted her right shoulder.
“Sent her to the halfway house because we thought she could help us find him. Send her to jail, her brother could get to her. We need her to have no contact with Jimmy. That’s the only reason. Bitch can rot in jail for all I care. But we need her to at least keep quiet.”
“So…you don’t like her or anything?” Cassie’s head remained cocked down but her eyes looked up at him. She looked uncertain and so cute.
He shook his head.
T bent down to her level and her eyes changed as a reaction to him. He could see the heat in her stare. He leaned closer to her. “Go get dressed now before I strip you down and fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk straight for a week.”
She gasped and her eyes widened but seconds later a tiny smile played on her lips. “Don’t make promises, you can’t keep, T.”
T leaned in to her ear and his hands came to her neck. “Don’t fuck with me right now, I’m on the edge.” He felt her body shiver as he lightly dragged his hands down her chest and circled her nipples with a featherweight touch. Her peaks grew hard and T dragged his knuckles over them. Her breath hitched as he teased her.
“More, I want more.” She breathed out and leaned in closer. His hands covered her breasts and he licked the shell of her ear.
“Ahh…please, T?” She moaned and pulled back, then pushed forward until her lips were on his. Her soft lips caressed him, unrelenting. T felt her hands on his neck, soft and delicate. She deepened the kiss and urged his mouth open, stroking his bottom lip, begging to let her in. He groaned and opened for her, tasting her and sharing her breath.
Kissing had always been too intimate for him. He had avoided it when he was with other women. But, right now, he could kiss her for hours and not grow tired of her lips, her taste, the intimacy.
T heard the handle before the door opened. With all the control he had, which began to dwindle, he pulled back from her. She looked confused and disappointed but the desire in her eyes remained, as did her breathlessness. He released her breast and crawled off the couch to stand.
“Why’d you stop?” She reached out for him.
He opened his mouth but clamped back down when Bogs called out. “Everybody decent? Shit, am I too late?” He chuckled.
“Don’t you fucking knock, asshole?” T stepped over and stood in front of Cassie, blocking her from Bogs’ view. She better fucking cover up. No way was Bogs seeing her in her sexual haze. That was for him only.
“Why? Did I interrupt something?”
“You’re a dick.”
“I resent that. I’m not the one sporting wood in front of little baker girl.”
T seethed. He was going to break his fucking jaw. He took a step closer and Bogs backed up with a smirk on his face. His brother lived to torment him. This would be an ass-kicking that had been a long time coming. His next step was stopped by a soft hand on his bicep. He looked down to see Cassie’s flushed face and her pink nails adorning his arm. She had wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.
“Hey…I’m going to go get ready. I assume Bogs is here for me?” Her voice was soft and gentle, as if she was trying to talk him down. It was working.
“Yeah, I’m on the road with Stone until late.” His tone was gruff—leftover annoyance—courtesy of Bogs. Dick! Her hand moved over his flexed muscle.
“Okay.” She turned to Bogs. “I won’t be long.”
She turned back to T and pulled on his arm. He bent down and she lifted on her tippy toes. Her warm breath draped over his ear. “Can we finish what we started tonight? I’ll wait up for you.”
T’s heart raced. Fuck! This girl was killing him. She peered up at him with her big blue eyes, innocent and eager. She wanted him but could she handle him? This was kid stuff so far; he needed her to be able to handle what they did in his bed. T was a rough, demanding lover. He planned to take it slow but with their chemistry, he could only hold back so long.
“Go get dressed, Cass. I’ll see you tonight.”
She gave him a sultry smile and he watched her ass saunter out of the room. He looked back to Bogs and punched him in the shoulder.
“Whoa, what the hell was that for?” He rubbed his shoulder.
“Next time, fucking knock.” He looked back to where Cassie had just disappeared and back at Bogs, scowling with fire in his eyes. “And keep your eyes off her ass, motherfucker.”
He walked out of the room, frustrated and cursing his hard-on and bad timing.
Chapter 14
ANOTHER long day at work, but thankfully it was Friday. Cassie hadn’t seen T after she had come down from getting dressed. Bogs said he was in a rush and gave her a sympathetic smile. Great, now she was a loser pining over a guy who ruined her panties and threw out mixed signals every possible second. The kiss and the touching this morning had been unexpected. Damn Bogs for coming in.
A hand flashed in front of her and she blinked.
“Earth to Cassie.” Evie stood in front of her desk, smiling down at her, glasses propped on the edge of her nose.
“Sorry. Daydreaming.”
“About a certain man who picks you up?” Her curious tone had Cassie giggling.
“That obvious?”
“No, I’m just a snoop and I’ve seen him come by and pick you up. Literally!” She laughed.
“Yeah, well, he’s just a friend.” She tried her best to keep the disappointment out of her voice but from Evie’s face, it must have seeped through.
Evie’s lips formed a line and she nodded. “Well, if he can’t see how amazing you are then he’s a fool, Cass.”
“Thanks.”
Evie handed her a folder. “Here are all the details on the Moran party. Beverly asked that you just confirm it all since you won’t be there.”
Cassie raised her eyebrows. “Did she really ask?”
Evie burst out laughing. “Well, no, but only because I don’t think the word please is in her vocabulary.”
“True.” Cassie paused, flipping through the folder. ”Why won’t I be there?”
Evie shrugged. “Don’t know, Beverly just said you had put in for the day off months ago.” She waved and walked through the conference room door. What was happening tomorrow? She never asked for days off unless she had a…
“Oh no!” she whispered.
She rummaged through her bag in search of her datebook. She pulled it out and flipped to the current week. There it was in bright red pen. “Dinner at M&D for the twins’ birthday.” Damn, she completely forgot about that. She was supposed to drive up and spend the night. They had been planning it for months. Her nieces—Lily and Abby—were celebrating their first birthday; she had to be there.
Her phone binged as she closed up her datebook.
T: I’m picking you up
Cassie: Okay, listen, I forgot about plans that I made months ago. I’m going to my parents’ tomorrow and staying overnight.
T: No
Cassie: What? What do you mean no? I have to go. I’ll be fine, drive myself up and be back on Sunday afternoon.
T: No
Cassie: I’m not asking, T. I’m going and that’s it. I don’t know why you’re being difficult.
T: No
Cassie: Yes!
He didn’t respond and there was no sense anyway. She wasn’t going to miss the girls’ first birthday just because he wanted to act like a bossy jerk. Maybe she could convince him tonight, if he was willing to finish what he started. Butterflies erupted in her belly thinking of the possibilities. She had never been so turned on by the mere presence of a man like she was when he was around.
Shaking off the excitement, she got back to business. She did all the confirmations for tomorrow’s event and gathered her things. After she shut down her computer, she waved to Evie and walked to the glass door.
There he was, on time. Always.
He hopped out of the truck and her heart beat faster as she surveyed him walking around his truck. Blue jeans, navy blue shirt, and work boots with his dark sunglasses. This man was the definition of bad boy—don’t fuck with him and hell yeah, I want a piece of that. Cassie shook the last thought from her head. He was still a jerk.
He opened the door and waited for her to reach him.
“Hey,” she said, showing little emotion. She was trying to steady her breath; this man did things to her.
He didn’t respond, instead nodded toward the parking lot. When she walked closer to the door, he grabbed her hips and lifted her onto the seat. As was her luck, a gust of wind blew up her skirt and she felt the breeze on her upper thighs. She blushed at the view she must have just given him. She turned to see no visible change in his face. Guess he didn’t bother to look. Damn!
When he got in the truck, he did it without hesitation. Must be nice to be over six feet. He reversed and headed out of the lot. The radio played softly in the background while Cassie peeked over at him. One hand was on the steering wheel, the other propped up on the window. His eyes were straight ahead on the road—not even a glance in her direction. He was giving off a vibe that had her thinking that whatever happened this morning was a fluke, and she’d see no repeat tonight.
He grabbed his phone when it started ringing.
“Yeah?”
So he was abrupt with everyone, she thought. She watched him drive and listen, his eyes intently on the road, but his face drew in a hard scowl.
“Well, find him!” he growled into the phone, and clicked it off.
He stayed quiet while Cassie grew more curious. She was actually waiting for any excuse to start up a conversation.
“Was that about Jimmy?”
T now aimed his scowl at her. “Not your goddamn business.”
Cassie flinched back at his nasty tone. Dick.
“Uh, excuse me, but I think it is my business, considering the asshole attacked me a week ago. Don’t ya think?”
“Get this now, finding Jimmy is my business, not yours, and I don’t have to give you dick, you understand?”
Jeez, did he always have to be mean? She sighed heavily in disappointment. T sucked! She folded her arms over her chest and pouted. The minutes of silence started to irritate her. He was such a jerkoff.
“Fuck! I had a shitty day, Cass!”
She turned her head to see him staring out the front window. He looked on edge and stressed. She knew from things Bogs had told her that they had worked a lot of hours trying to get Jimmy. After what happened to Cassie, they were working even harder. Cut him some slack.
“Anything I can do to help?”
T looked over at her in surprise. She watched his brow relax slightly. The corner of his mouth shifted into a curve and he reached over to slide his finger across her jaw.
“No, pix, but thanks.”
She smiled back at him. He could be sweet when he wanted to and she liked that.
“So about tomorrow…”
“No.”
Sweet guy has left the building, but jackhole is back! She spun back to him. “Shut up with the no, all right? I am not missing the twins’ first birthday. I’ve never missed one of the kid’s birthdays and I’m not going to start now just because you don’t deem it important.”
“Ya think a one-year-old will remember or even care?” Sarcasm dripped in his voice.
Cassie snapped, “I’ll remember and I care. I’m going!”
“No, you’re not.”
They pulled into his driveway and Cassie opened the door and slid out the second he put it in park. Her frustration grew until she felt it boiling over. She didn’t like being treated this way, she was an adult. She dwelled on the fact he told her she couldn’t go to her parents’. Who the hell does he think he is, anyway?
T rounded the truck as she slammed the door harder than she intended but enough to get his attention. He looked at the door, whipping his head back in her direction. She was going to tell him exactly what she thought, right now!
“You have no right to tell me…”
“Hi, T!” A sugary-sweet voice from behind her interrupted her sentence and she looked over. Coming across the yard was a woman in her forties in a tight camo T-shirt, her large boobs bouncing as she walked. Her shorts were so short that Cassie knew if she turned around, she’d be showing a full view of butt cheeks.
A heavy sigh from T had Cassie looking back at him, confused. Who was this woman? He kept his eyes on the bleached blonde until she was standing directly in front of him, then he looked to Cassie, who shot up her eyebrows in question.
T rolled his eyes. “Rona.”
She flashed a bright smile through her blood red lipstick. “Hi, how’s it going?”
“Good.” His one-word answer was a clue that he didn’t want to continue the conversation. Unfortunately, she didn’t pick up on that. She straightened her body, pushing out her chest.
“Great. Haven’t seen you the last couple weeks, busy working?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I thought maybe you wanted to come over for dinner or I could come here? Made a roast, it’s so good.” The last part she purred out and said while batting her lashes.
Cassie looked between T and the woman as though she was watching a tennis tournament, only this was far more interesting. She watched him squirm slightly. He was uncomfortable. She smiled. Her smile quickly faded as she surveyed these two and another thought popped in her head.
Oh, my God, is she one of his lovers?
“Got company,” he said, stone-faced, and lifted his chin to Cassie.
The woman turned her head and blinked a few times as though she was just noticing now that Cassie was standing there. She gave her the once-over, clapped her hands together and laughed.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart; I didn’t even see you there. You’re a tiny little thing.” She held out her hand. “I’m Rona, your brother’s neighbor.”
What? Her brother?
“She’s not my sister,” T growled.
“Oh, I just thought…” She started and then stopped to glance over Cassie again.
Cassie felt her face heat. “You thought what?”
Rona gave her a nasty smile. “You’re just not his type of girl. I thought you had to be family.”
“Let’s go, Cass. Later, Rona.” T reached for Cassie’s hand but she was too angered to be led away. Yanking her hand out of his reach, she placed her hands on her hips and straightened her back.
“What the heck does that mean, ‘not his type’?”
“Oh, sweetheart, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Her faux sincerity only angered Cassie more. “You’re just…very sweet.” She looked at T and winked. “T usually likes his women to be, well, you know…” she glanced down her body, “…women.”
Rage built inside Cassie. Did this bitch just tell her she was not a woman? Oh, hell no. She may look young and sweet but she was a woman, and this ‘woman’ was about to find out just how much of a woman she was. She stalked forward, sending Rona back a few steps.
“Excuse me?” Cassie snarled.
She felt a strong arm hook around her waist and suddenly she was moving. T was pulling her away and she wiggled hard from his grip but it was no use. He walked up the porch and she realized he was carting her away. No way, she had to set that bitch straight. She was all woman!
She wiggled in T’s arms and pointed at Rona, who stood with a nasty smirk on her face.
“Here’s a tip, Rona,” she yelled. “If they don’t have it in your size, don’t buy it.” She struggled again and shouted louder. “Just because you can get into it, doesn’t mean it fits.”
It was the last dig she got to spew before the door was shut.
“Let me go, T,” she shouted in fury. He put her down and she started to the front door. His arm wrapped around her waist again b
ut he didn’t lift her this time.
“No fucking way, you’re not going out there.”
“Hell yes, I am. I don’t have to take that. She was rude and mean, and she deserves everything I’m about to give her.”
“Babe, relax.”
“No. Now, let me go.” Cassie’s hands were prying at his grip but it was no use, he wasn’t going to let up.
“Cut the shit, Cass. Let it go.”
“What? So she can be mean to me but I can’t say anything to her?” She wiggled with everything she had and he released her from his grip. “You’re such a jerk.”
“What the fuck did I do?”
“Protect your girlfriend from me. What is she, part of your threesomes? She was an absolute beast to me and you’re mad because I wanna stick up for myself. Screw you, T, and your girlfriend. Screw both of you!”
Cassie darted up the stairs two at a time, her anger only increasing. He was such an asshole. She slammed the door, locked it and tossed herself on the bed. Asshole!
* * * *
T thought about chasing after her but didn’t. She was pissed off and needed time to cool down. He should have ushered her in the house the minute he caught sight of Rona. His new neighbor had spent the last three months trying to get him over to her place and in her bed. He tagged her the day they met. A recent divorcee with only one thing on her mind, getting laid. He had no problem with that but he didn’t want any part of it.
She looked good but he wasn’t fucking around with his neighbor. Fuck no. He got the bitch vibe from her and she proved it tonight with Cassie. He should have let Cassie go at her but he didn’t want Cassie sinking to her level. Rona was a bitch, Cassie wasn’t.
He heated up leftovers for dinner and watched the news. He looked up the stairs a few times but no sound came from her room. She was still pissed at him and stewing on it. He had to admit, her mad and bitchy was a turn-on. Seeing her all feisty and worked up brought him to thoughts of her in his bed, fucking her and making her come, screaming out his name.
He was swigging his third beer when he heard the door open and footsteps on the stairs. T stared at the TV and made no attempt to look at her. She crept into the kitchen and he heard the dogs yelp. She was checking on them.
