Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wraps around Cassidy's waist and she sighs against the large frame.
"Are you almost packed?"
Turning around, Cassidy rests her hips against Harlan's.
"I'm ready. Before we go, do you think we could stop by the bakery one last time? I never got a chance to look at the new space since there were so many people."
"Isn't it closed on Sunday?"
"Yes, but I have a key since it used to be my mom's space."
"Well sure. I'd like to raid their fridge while I'm in there. That muffin I grabbed was unreal," Harlan adds with deep laughter.
A ripple waves across Cassidy's skin at the sound of his chuckle, so far removed from the overly deep and masculine persona he portrays to the public. But he has never been that way with her; he has always been soft, caring, more...so much more.
As she gazes up at him she smiles in return to his.
"That looks good on you."
"What does, sweetheart?" Harlan asks as he clamps his hands together just above her ass.
"Your smile. Your laugh. You should try it out more."
Indulgently smiling at her he explains, "But then people will think I'm a nice guy."
"You are a nice guy, Harlan. You were just hiding it behind all that hair," she adds with a giggle.
A cough sounds from Cassidy's doorway and the couple breaks apart as if they are two teenagers caught making-out, but Harlan's hand never leaves the space on Cassidy's back, reassuring her that he is here beside her.
"Sorry, kids. We just wanted to say goodbye before you went back to New York. It's been lovely having both of you with us this weekend. I know your sister appreciated it,” her mom claims with a cheeky grin growing on her face.
Cassidy steps forward and wraps her mother in a tight embrace before repeating the gesture with her father. Both Amy and Joseph have been amazing parents, always encouraging Cassidy and her siblings to follow their dreams. Only now, Cassidy wonders how they were so able and willing to let their family fly the coop, so to speak, and she feels a pang of regret that she doesn't visit as often as they probably deserve.
"We'll be home again soon," Cassidy replies with a slip of the tongue, not realizing her mistake until she watches her mom practically grab Harlan by his arms and tug him into a hug.
"That would be lovely," her father says as he grabs her duffle bag from the bed and starts to haul it downstairs.
Cassidy and Harlan follow behind her parents and as she launches herself onto the motorcycle with assistance from Harlan she can't help but get teary-eyed as her parents stand on their front porch, arm-in-arm, waving at them as they leave.
I want that, Cassidy thinks and then finds herself smiling at the thought when Harlan places the helmet on her head and smiles down at her.
Harlan guides the bike efficiently towards the back lot of Wake and Bake, her sister's bakery, and The Grill. Cassidy jumps off the bike enthusiastically and bounces on the tips of her toes waiting for Harlan to dismount.
"What has you so excited?" he asks her indulgently.
"I love this place. It's where my sisters and I would come every Saturday and every day after school; it's like my second home. Plus, I happen to know where the extra chocolate and cupcakes are stored."
"You little devil," he begins as they walk to the loading area at the back of the bakery. "And how do you suppose we get in?" Harlan inquires as he shakes the locked doorknob.
Cassidy doesn't respond with words, she simply grabs her small set of keys from out of the pocket in her leather pants and dangles them an inch from Harlan's face. Harlan grabs the keys from her grasp and with a power she will need to investigate, locates the correct key the first time and unlocks the door, gesturing for her to enter before him.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Cassidy is so caught up on locating the secret stash of chocolate that she doesn't hear the moans coming from the bakery's kitchen. She turns to face Harlan when the sound of surprise leaves his lips.
Cassidy turns back towards the kitchen where she finds her sister Sydney spread out on the butcher-block counter wearing a lone chef's jacket and chocolate smeared along her chest while Dylan stands naked with his ass facing them.
"Oh my God!" Cassidy shouts startling the couple.
Sydney quickly covers up her body with the jacket and Dylan, being the confident man that he is, turns around without any qualms and cocks an eyebrow at Cassidy.
"Why do I always seem to walk in on you two while you're getting it on?" Cassidy adds as the scene settles in her mind and she reaches into the fridge for a small bar of chocolate.
"I'm sorry, is this a typical occurrence?" Harlan asks with his hands shielding his eyes. "And can I look now?"
"You're fine. And it's happened once before, now it seems like we should make it a routine; don't you think, Sydney?" Cassidy asks sarcastically.
Sydney makes no response except for strutting over to Dylan and tossing his boxers into his chest where the large man chuckles and grabs his fiancé instead.
Fiancé?
Cassidy hadn't noticed the large sparkler on Sydney's finger until this moment, her mind obviously preoccupied with the overly sexual couple going at it on the kitchen island.
'When did that happen?" Cassidy asks as she points with the chocolate bar towards Sydney's hand.
"Oh, well...I guess officially this morning. We were...uh.... celebrating."
"Congratulations! I'd come over and hug you, but you're covered in... stuff. Welcome to the family, Dylan."
"Thanks, Cassidy," he responds sincerely but with his cocky grin still gracing his face.
All Cassidy can think about is how lucky her sister has it. Not just the fact that Dylan is extremely sexy, but that he believes the sun rises and sets with her sister. A vision of Harlan pops into her mind and she reluctantly shakes it free. No need to get tied up in the feelings coursing through her, the notion of love does enough to worry Cassidy, as fears of what happens after the tour burrow deep within her heart.
TILL STANDING IN A bit of shock, and perhaps a bit of envy, Harlan barely notices when the large half naked man walks towards him tugging up his pants with an outstretched hand.
“It’s good to see you again, man.”
Harlan gazes down at the hand and shakes his head with a bit of laughter yearning to spew forth.
“Sorry, man. But I don’t know where that hand has been.”
Dylan joins with a chuckle as he tucks his hand beneath his biceps as his arms move across his chest.
“Good point. So, heading back?”
“Yeah. Cassidy has a few projects to work on and I need to hit the studio before the tour starts.”
“So how does that all work out, I mean, with Cassidy tagging along. You’ve been known to be quite the rock star legend…if you know what I mean,” Dylan adds with a glare before turning his attention back to his fiancé and her sister conversing over a bowl of chocolate brownie batter.
“All that stuff you read is rarely true, though I won’t deny some of the claims. I’d much rather be at home writing songs than partying it up with random women. Not to mention, our management asked us to tone it down; said we were a bad influence for their golden boy Ryker James. Although truthfully, he really is a good kid with his head on right.”
“He has a good family.”
A pang in Harlan’s chest causes him to reach up and rub against the sore spot before adding, “Yeah, that makes all the difference,” as he remembers how little family life he had been exposed to.
“So, Cassidy mentioned at dinner thinking about moving back home. What do you think about that?”
Turning his full attention to the chef slash undercover FBI agent, Harlan ponders his question momentarily.
“Carson is a great place. I definitely see the appeal. She feels safe here. It’s a place she can be herself,” Harlan adds with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Yes, but what about you? I’ll let you in on a secret,
man. Unless you fully intend on seeing this all the way through just step away. Once those Connelly woman takes a hold of you, there is no escaping. Not that you would want to because, damn, falling in love with Sydney is the best thing I’ve ever done. But you may need to consider the direction your life is headed because leaving her won’t be an option.”
Harlan considers Dylan’s words. The thought of having to leave behind his music causing a churn to grow in his stomach, but the nauseous feeling grows tenfold when he thinks of never seeing Cassidy again. Hell, the months that they spent apart after a one night stand left him aching for her.
Before he has a chance to respond, his phone pings with an alert and he reaches into his pocket to grab it. Opening the screen, he finds message after message from Ann berating him for his reckless behavior with the mysterious woman.
Harlan scrolls through the messages and finds pictures of him and Cassidy leaving the office building and then one of her on the back of his bike. Most of the photographers refer to her as a mystery woman, but the rest seem to question if she is indeed the designer Cassidy.
“Shit. Hey, Cass, we have a problem.”
Skipping over to him, spoon in hand; licking chocolate from the crevice, she cheerfully moves to stand beside him.
Harlan doesn’t speak, instead he hands her his phone and meets her questioning gaze. He watches as her delighted disposition changes into one of surprise, then anger, and finally confusion.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Harlan whispers as he strokes a hand over her shoulder.
She stares at the phone again for a moment before returning her gaze to his and slides the phone back into his hand.
“It’s not your fault, Harlan. They don’t really have anything, to be honest. It just looks like I was hitching a ride.”
“I just.., he adds with a bit of confusion expecting her to lash out at the invasion of her privacy.
Placing her hand on his bicep she squeezes gently as she steps farther into his space.
“It’s not your fault. We didn’t do anything.”
Forgetting about the other party in the room, Harlan wraps his arms around her and pulls her tight where she rests her head on his chest.
As he places a gentle kiss on the top of her hair he adds, “I just want to protect you.”
He can feel her arms tighten around his waist and he smiles, letting the sweet vanilla scent seep into him, calm him.
A deep cough interrupts their interlude and Cassidy and Harlan turn their heads to glare at Dylan.
“While I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I would like to go home and make love to my fiancé, if you don’t mind.”
Harlan nods his head and untangles himself from Cassidy just as she pipes in, “That’s a good idea, because once you tell Mom and Dad you’re engaged you may not find yourself out of jail for a while since you didn’t ask permission first.”
Harlan almost feels bad for the guy watching his face pale as he considers the repercussions of his hasty actions.
Sydney uses the arm not in the sling to smack a hand gently across her fiancé’s face.
“It will be fine, considering the circumstances,” she says as she gestures at The Grill, but Dylan stares down at her broken arm with a hint of regret.
Harlan remembers Cassidy filling him in on Sydney’s kidnapping and he understands Dylan’s need to make Sydney his as quickly as possible. He would have done the same thing.
“Travel safe,” Sydney adds as she reaches out to hug her sister, trying to stay clear of the chocolate smears, and then mimics the movement with Harlan.
“I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other soon,” Harlan replies as he places a hand on Cassidy’s lower back to guide her from the bakery.
As he helps her settle onto the bike he grabs the extra helmet and places it on her head.
“You have a really great family, Cass.”
“Thank you,” she adds sincerely.
As Harlan turns on the engine for the bike, and it rumbles to life, he murmurs in return, “No, thank you, Cass.” Because now he knows he is justified in his feelings towards his parents.
Cassidy had grown up in a family full of warmth and love. And Harlan knows that he wants a family just like that…with her.
Three Weeks Later
ASSIDY GRUNTS AS SHE heaves the heavy suitcase down the stairs of her apartment complex, because today had to be the day that the elevator is undergoing maintenance and the service elevator is currently occupied.
As she swings the stairwell door wide, she cringes as it snaps against the wall before careening back towards her. Luckily, the doorman rushes to her side to stall the door’s impending crash and holds it open for her.
“Thanks,” Cassidy mutters as she tugs her oversized, and over packed, suitcase behind her.
Cassidy knew that the tour would provide them with stops at hotels and laundry service, but she isn’t one to trust others with her garments. Instead she did her best to fit six weeks of clothes into her suitcase. It was no small feat.
“Ms. Connelly, you know I would have helped you had you called the front desk,” the older gentleman says kindly.
“I know, Rolfe, but I’ve noticed your back has been bothering you recently and I didn’t want to make it worse. And it’s no problem, the work is already done,” she adds with a smile trying to lessen the blow to the doorman.
“You youngins never know when to ask for help,” he utters to himself as he holds the front door open and slides the smaller bag from her shoulder and takes it in his grasp. “Your ride is here. I’ll show you to the car.”
Cassidy follows him to the awaiting town car before leaving her bag at the curb and rushing back to the inside of the complex’s lobby to make a phone call, not wanting to be under the prying ears of any hidden paparazzi.
She and Harlan have spoken every day and seen each other as much as possible, which isn’t nearly enough for Cassidy. A total of three times they have been together after returning to New York. Both of them being ridiculously busy and she understands, but this past week he has been even more distant than normal.
With the phone pressed to her ear, Cassidy paces back and forth along the marble floor as the security guard watches her wearily. Her resounding sigh echoes in the building as her heavy hand drags the phone back into her pocket.
The rational side of Cassidy realizes that the tour begins tomorrow and Harlan has to be up to his ears in work and set ups, but the other part of her, the irrational female part, wishes he could have made even a moment of time for her today amidst all the craziness.
“Get yourself together, Cassidy,” she whispers to herself as she moves back out of the apartment complex towards the town car.
“Everything is loaded for you, Ms. Connelly. Don’t hesitate to call me personally if you need anything.”
Cassidy hugs Rolfe, receiving a surprised gasp before his elderly arms wrap around her.
“Thank you, Rolfe. I’ll be sure to check in with you.”
The driver opens the door for her to enter the vehicle and as she slides in she finally takes notice of the muscular thighs resting on the seat next to hers.
“Oh my gosh, Harlan?” Cassidy rushes as she propels herself into the car and shuts the door in her wake. “What are you doing here? I thought…” she begins before her face is cradled between two strong hands and her lips are met with the urgency of Harlan’s.
Cassidy moans into his mouth as she rests her hands on his shoulders, gripping his leather jacket tightly.
Leaning away from her, he strokes her cheeks lightly.
“Surprised?”
“Definitely. I thought you were trying to break it off with me. I haven’t heard much from you this week.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I had to cram everything in so I could be here with you today. And don’t you know by now that I’m in this thing with you all the way?”
Bashfully, Cassidy ducks her head slightly and turns her gaze towards Harlan’s chest, c
overed in a gray Henley.
“I do now.”
As the car lurches forward to move into traffic, Harlan slides Cassidy towards her seat and slips the belt buckle across her body. Once settled, he grips her hand and places it between their two bodies, needing the connection just as much as she does.
In a whisper, Cassidy says, “I’m in it too, Harlan,” which is as close to a declaration of love that she can give.
He squeezes her hand gently and then brings it closer to his mouth where he places a gentle kiss on the knuckles. The feel of cool metal against her warmed skin has Cassidy raising her eyebrows in question.
“You have a lip ring?” she asks as she gazes at the loop sitting towards the corner of his mouth.
Wow, that’s hot, Cassidy thinks to herself as her gaze scans over the rest of his face noticing the looped earrings he now sports.
“I was waiting for you to say something. I don’t usually wear them unless I have a show or something to do with the band.”
“Wow! I was so excited to see you I didn’t notice at first. And is that…Do you have your tongue piercing in? I remember it from that night. But you haven’t had it in any other time.”
“Yeah,” he adds sheepishly. “I thought that would be the first thing you’d notice. I can take them out if you don’t like them,” Harlan implies as he tugs at the lobe of his ears, an obviously nervous gesture.
“No, please don’t. I think they’re hot. And I like that I get a different side of you than your stage persona.”
Leaning across the seat he snakes his hand through her hair and tugs her mouth towards his, letting her feel the full effect of the tongue ring in her mouth.
Before Cassidy has a chance to respond, Harlan is resting his forehead against hers, lips barely an inch apart, while saying, “You get all the sides of me, Cass. The good, the bad, the ugly.”
Placing her hand on top of his she responds, “I think all the sides of you are beautiful, Harlan.”
The couple stares at each other momentarily before Harlan slams himself back against the seat startling Cassidy.
Coming Altered: Welcome to Carson, Book Four Page 12
