“It’s already working,” Hollywood countered immediately. “Come on. Let’s sit. We’ll hash this out.”
Kassie let him tug her along behind him until they were both sitting on the couch a few feet away. He looked her in the eye and said, “I know you’re upset. Talk to me.”
Kassie took a deep breath then sagged into the cushions. Luckily Hollywood had realized she needed a little space. He hadn’t hauled her up next to him or taken her in his arms. Instead he’d let her settle on one side of the couch while he stayed on the other.
She couldn’t look at him and have this conversation. “I’m not pissed,” she told him.
“Kass, I know—”
She interrupted him, “Okay, I’m a little pissed. Mostly at the situation, not necessarily you.”
“Then why are you all the way over there when I’m over here?” he asked gently.
“Because I’m hurt,” Kassie told him, pressing her lips together. “I get it. I do. What I did was horrible. Awful. Unforgivable. But after we apologized, I thought we were good.”
“We are good, Kass,” Hollywood said firmly.
“But we aren’t,” she countered in exasperation. “Your friends, your teammates, haven’t moved past it. And that’s okay, I can deal with them not liking me because of what I did, but you still need to work with them. You need them to have your back just as they need you to have theirs. I can see what’s in front of my face, Hollywood. They love Emily, Rayne, Harley, and even Mary. It’s easy to see.”
“Kassie—” Hollywood tried again to speak, but she was on a roll.
“Blade bringing it up was just his way of letting me know that they haven’t forgotten. And he’s right. I don’t blame you for coming to find me after I told you why I’d messaged you. I’d want to keep tabs on Richard after what he did too. But I let my guard down. The last two weeks have been amazing. I let myself forget how we started.” She closed her eyes to try to control the tears she’d been holding back.
She felt the cushion next to her dip but Hollywood didn’t touch her.
Kassie opened her eyes and turned her head to see him sitting next to her. Right next to her. He was as close as he could be and not touch her. The warmth from his body began to seep into her own. “You done?” he whispered.
Kassie was. She nodded. Then thought of something else and shook her head.
“Go on then. Get it all out.”
She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for your permission,” she said with a hint of her old self. “I like your friends. All of them. Fish with his haunted eyes. The way Ghost looks at Rayne as if he can’t believe she’s sitting next to him. How Fletch and Emily are with Annie. How Coach can’t keep his hands off Harley, even though she blushes every time he touches her. How Beatle and Blade are as close as brothers. And I especially like how Truck takes care of Mary without her even realizing it. I saw how he made sure her water glass was constantly full and when she didn’t eat much, he encouraged her to at least try to finish the vegetables. For just a while tonight, I forgot that I was the outsider.”
“You’re done,” Hollywood told her in no uncertain terms.
Apparently so was he.
He brought his hands up and framed her face, forcing her to look him in the eyes as he spoke. “You are not the enemy.”
“Blade said—”
“No, it’s my turn now,” Hollywood scolded, then continued, “The morning after the ball, I called a meeting with my team to talk to them about what had happened. You know I was upset. But again, this bears repeating, sweetheart. I was upset because I already cared about you so much. Someone, I forget who now, said something to the same effect of what Blade said tonight. It made sense, but the only reason why it did is because it gave me an excuse to come after you right then. You think we couldn’t have kept tabs on Jacks without you?” He scoffed.
“Sweetheart, you’d probably be scared at the kinds of connections we have. We didn’t need you to tell us what Jacks was up to. Yeah, having you talk to Dean, who will report back to Jacks, will help neutralize the threat of Jacks faster, but it’s absolutely not why you’re here right now.”
Kassie licked her lips nervously. “Why am I here?”
Without hesitation, Hollywood laid it out. “You’re here because you asked me why men send dick pics to women they don’t know. You’re here because when you smile, I feel it not only in my cock, but in my heart. You’re here because you agreed to meet me at an Army function when that shit scared you to death. You’re here because I’m head over heels for you, Kass. No matter how many times I need to say it. No matter how many times you forget and I need to remind you, I will.”
He paused, then when she didn’t say anything, asked, “No comeback?”
Kassie shook her head, not sure she could talk at the moment if her life depended on it.
Hollywood continued, “I hate that Blade’s words hurt you. But I can tell you with one hundred percent accuracy, every single person who was here tonight already sees you as a part of the group. Fish has already called dibs on watching over you and Karina when I can’t be down in Austin. The girls each pulled me aside at some point tonight and gave me their seal of approval. Harley even told me she’s building a character in her new game who looks just like you. You know how Annie feels about you, she’s claimed you. And the guys?” Hollywood shook his head. “Blade and Beatle would steal you right out from under me if they thought they had a chance. You already figured out that Truck’s taken, even if Mary hasn’t admitted it yet. So there’s absolutely no reason to be hurt. None.”
Kassie closed her eyes to protect herself from the intensity in Hollywood’s.
“I get that this is new for you. It is for me too. I’m sure we’ll have shit we need to work through in the future just like this. But I’m not going to let you get away with hiding from me. If you’re pissed, tell me why. If you’re hurt, I wanna know that too so I can fix it for you. Sad, happy, irritated, PMSing…I don’t care what it is, if you’re feeling it, I wanna know.”
Kassie’s eyes opened. “Does it go both ways?”
“What, honey?”
“Sharing feelings?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, but I have to tell you…I don’t deal very well with anger. I know it’s not fair, I’ve been mad at you before, but Richard used to get pissed at every little thing and he’d call me or come over to yell about it. His groceries being bagged wrong, someone cutting him off on his way down to Austin, me embarrassing him in front of his friends…he never hesitated to let me know how angry he was.”
“Noted,” Hollywood said immediately. “I’ll keep that in check, sweetheart.”
“I don’t mean—”
“I’ll keep it in check,” he repeated firmly.
“Okay,” Kassie whispered.
“We good?”
“I think so.”
Hollywood moved, pulling Kassie into his arms for the first time since they’d sat down. “What aren’t you sure about?”
Kassie melted into Hollywood’s chest. She was sitting sideways over him, her legs resting on the cushion next to him, her ass in his lap. His hands had circled her, and were resting at her hip, and she stuffed one of hers behind him, warming it against his upper back, the other resting on his stomach. She laid her head on his shoulder and inhaled deeply. God, she loved how he smelled.
“Kass?”
“Hmmmm?”
“What else?”
“Oh…it’s just that…I’m worried about my family liking you.”
He didn’t even tense under her. “Why?”
“Well, after I told them about what Richard was like and what he’d been doing to me…and was currently doing through Dean…they weren’t happy. My dad threatened to get his shotgun out and kill Dean if he ever saw him lurking around the house watching Karina. My mom cried. And if you think I’m passionate, you should see Karina. She was scared, but also pissed.”
Hollywood laughed. “I like th
em already.”
“Seriously, Hollywood, they weren’t kidding. They know I went to the Army Ball with you, but they probably thought it was a one-time thing. I’m not sure they’re gonna like the fact that I’m actually dating you.”
“Call them.”
“What?”
“Right now. Call them.”
Kassie looked at the clock over the television. “It’s late. It’s probably not a good idea to call them this late.”
“Then call Karina. We’ll start with her. She’s a teenager. I know she’s not asleep.”
“She’s probably out with her new boyfriend.”
“Call her, Kass. Let me take at least one worry off your plate,” Hollywood ordered.
“This bossiness is gonna get old,” Kassie grumbled, but reached for her phone which was still in her back pocket. She unlocked it and clicked on Karina’s number, hoping she wasn’t going to be interrupting anything major.
“Hello?”
“Hey, sis,” Kassie said, trying to sound perky.
“Kass! What’s up?” Karina asked.
“You got a second?”
“For you, of course,” her little sister said immediately.
“You still on your date?”
“Yeah. The movie just ended. Blake just went to get the car. What’s up?”
“Things are still going well with Blake?”
“Yes.” Karina’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I really like him. He’s extremely gentlemanly. Wouldn’t let me pay for the popcorn or anything. And now he told me to wait while he went and got the car. Oh, and when he got a phone call in the middle of the movie, he even got up and took it outside so he didn’t disturb anyone.”
“Why would he take a phone call when he was watching a movie?” Kassie asked. “That doesn’t sound gentlemanly to me.”
“Don’t be a buzz kill,” Karina ordered. “Now, what’s up?”
“Okay, so you know I went up to Temple this weekend,” Kassie said quickly, wanting to get this over with.
“Yeah…although you didn’t say why.”
“Right. So that guy I went to the ball with…I’m dating him. Seriously.”
“That’s good…right? I mean, as long as he’s not an ass like Richard was.”
“He’s not an ass.”
“Seriously, sis, you deserve so much better. It would kill me if you went back to the way you were when you were dating Richard there at the end. You weren’t you…this guy better not do that to you.”
“Go to FaceTime,” Hollywood said softly.
“What?”
“FaceTime her.”
“I’m not sure—”
“Trust me, Kass. Do it,” Hollywood said again.
Kassie sighed and told Karina, “FaceTime with me.”
“Okay, cool.”
They both clicked the icon on their phone to bring up the cameras.
Kassie held the phone out and looked into her sister’s dark eyes. She looked pretty. She’d put in the extra effort on her makeup for her date and Kassie recognized, from what she could see of the neckline of the outfit she had on, she’d worn her favorite dress.
“You look nice.”
“Don’t try to butter me up with compliments, Kassie,” her sister said, blushing, her brows furrowed and a stubborn glint in her eye. “So you really did hit it off with him at the ball, huh? Is he good in bed—”
Her words abruptly broke off when Hollywood took the phone from Kassie’s hand and held it out farther, putting his head next to hers so Karina could clearly see them both.
“Oh shit,” Karina whispered. “I didn’t know he was there.”
Hollywood grinned. “Hey, Karina. I’m Graham Caverly. And yeah, me and your sister hit it off at the ball.”
“Err…good to meet you,” the teenager said, then bit her lip. “I guess I should say sorry about the good-in-bed thing. That was rude.”
Hollywood chuckled outright now. “I haven’t slept with your sister,” he told her flat out without seeming embarrassed about it at all. “I respect her too much for that.”
“Is that code for you aren’t attracted to her and just want to be friends and want to let her down easy?”
“Karina,” Kassie protested. “Give me the phone, Hollywood,” she insisted, trying to grab it out of his hand, but because his arms were longer than hers, she couldn’t reach it.
“Hush,” Hollywood ordered gently. “No,” he told Karina, “I’m attracted to Kassie. Really attracted to her. But I want to take my time getting to know who she is as a person. It’s easy to have sex, but when there’s more than lust involved between the parties, it’s a hundred times better.”
“Damn, Kass,” Karina breathed, looking from Hollywood to Kassie. “You certainly moved up.”
Kassie grinned. “Yeah. Karina, this is Hollywood, it’s a nickname. Hollywood, this is my sister, Karina.”
“It’s good to meet you, Karina. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about you from Kassie.”
“Uh, yeah, from what little she told me before the ball…me too. Heard good things about you, that is.”
“I want you to know, I appreciate you looking out for your sister,” Hollywood told Karina. “I know all about Richard Jacks and I want to reassure you that the situation is being looked into as we speak.”
“And Dean? What about him? You gonna make him stop harassing Kass too?”
“Absolutely. And not only her, but you too. You know where you want to go to college?”
At the abrupt change in subject, Karina faltered, but quickly rallied. “Maybe here at the University of Texas. I’ve also applied to A&M, Baylor, and Southern Methodist.”
“All good schools,” Hollywood commented.
“Yeah.”
“Who you talkin’ to, babe?” a male voice asked. Then his face appeared next to Karina’s on the screen.
“My sister. Kassie, this is Blake. Blake, this is my sister…and her…uh…boyfriend, Graham.”
“Yo!” the boy greeted.
Kassie’s eyes narrowed as she saw her sister’s new boyfriend on her small phone screen. He was good looking, as Karina had said. He had the boy-next-door kind of looks that she wasn’t surprised her sister had fallen for. He was tall enough to easily be able to put an arm around Karina’s shoulders and pull her into his side. His light brown hair fell artfully around his shoulders and the blue of his eyes was unusual enough to be almost pretty.
But what bothered her was that Karina had said he looked older…but he really looked older.
Hollywood must’ve felt the same way, because instead of saying hello, he asked, “How old are you?”
“Good to meet you too,” Blake said with a bit of the snark typical of a teenager. “I’m twenty. I dropped out of high school, but realized what a bonehead move that was and came back to finish up the last credits I needed to graduate.”
“You could’ve gotten a GED,” Hollywood retorted.
“I know, but a lot of businesses look down on GEDs versus actual diplomas. It’s cool, man.”
“You know Karina is underage, right?” Kassie asked, squeezing Hollywood’s leg to shut him up. This was her sister, she’d deal with this.
“Yes, ma’am,” Blake said quickly. “I like Karina, but we aren’t doing anything illegal.”
“You’d better not be,” Kassie told him, narrowing her eyes again.
Karina stepped away from Blake and told him, looking off camera, “Give me a second, Blake, okay?”
“Sure, babe,” he responded.
Karina’s eyes came back to Kassie’s. “Okay, now that you’ve embarrassed me, was there anything else?” Her tone held a bit of sass, but also some of the same hurt Kassie knew had been in her tone when she’d been talking to Hollywood earlier.
“No. I just wanted to introduce you to Hollywood and let you know that he and his friends are doing what they can to track down Dean and make sure his harassment of me, and you, ends.”
“Good
.” The one word answer got her irritation across loud and clear.
“He looks a lot older than you, Kar,” Kassie whispered, not knowing how far away Blake had gone.
“He’s not,” Karina said.
“I worry about you.”
Her face softened then. “I know. Just like I worry about you.” Her eyes went to Hollywood. “If you hurt a hair on her head, you’ll regret it. I might look little, but I’ll still find a way to kick your ass. The last thing Kassie needs is someone else fucking with her head.”
“You want, I’ll teach you how to kick someone’s ass,” Hollywood offered. “Then I’ll let you use everything you’ve learned on me if I ever hurt your sister.”
“Fine,” Karina told him. “I gotta go.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” Hollywood interjected quickly before Karina hung up.
“What?”
“You should go to Baylor. It’s closer to Fort Hood and you’d be able to see your sister more.”
“Why?” Karina asked suspiciously.
“Because if this relationship goes the way I want it to, Kassie’ll be moving up here to Temple. After a few months of us dating, I’ll ask her to move in with me. A few months after that, I’ll ask her to marry me, with you and your parents’ permission of course. As soon as she says yes, I’m going to do what I can to give her the kids she’s been wanting her entire life. So yeah, Baylor is closer, and I know you’re going to want to be near your nieces and nephews to spoil rotten, right?”
“Hollywood!” Kassie exclaimed, smacking him on the shoulder. “You can’t tell her that!”
“Why not?” he asked calmly. “It’s true.”
“Holy cow. He’s serious,” Karina said.
“Dead serious,” Hollywood told her. “And, Karina, don’t let anyone ever pressure you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Kassie smiled and copied her sister’s roll of the eyes. She leaned toward the phone so all her sister could see was her face on the screen. “He’s kinda bossy.” She informed Karina of something her sister could obviously see for herself.
“You like him?” Karina asked.
Kassie nodded.
“Then I’ll reserve judgement until I get to meet him myself.”
Rescuing Kassie: Delta Force Heroes, Book 5 Page 18
