Jesse huffed a humorless laugh. “God, you’re right. There’s no telling what he thinks about Justin.”
“He seemed pretty drunk,” Cassidy said.
“I didn’t even notice until he took a swing at me and fell on his ass.”
Cassidy’s stomach flipped. “He hit you?”
“He tried, twice actually. Well, the second time he just tried to charge me like a bull.”
“Have you two always been like that with one another?”
“When we were kids. Not since we’ve been adults. But I guess he’s been getting one over on me since we were about nineteen and twenty-one, so I’m guessing he didn’t have to get physical with me before tonight.” He re-gripped his beer. “He had the nerve to call her fat.”
Cassidy’s heart hurt for that poor girl. “He didn’t,” she said, unbelieving.
“I thought she was pregnant. He said he wanted to leave her, and I asked how he could leave his own kid and if she was pregnant. You should have seen the look on that asshole’s face. Like he was disgusted with his own wife.” He shook his head. “I just can’t believe I’ve wasted all these years of energy on hating that worthless piece of shit.”
She squeezed his hand, feeling like though this was tough now, he was turning a corner of some sort.
He stared off at the wall. “This is fucked up, but I keep wondering if we would have been some version of all that if I’d stayed with her.”
“No way. You’re entirely too good of a man.”
“Maybe we wouldn’t have had the anger, but would we have had the resentment? Is that what kids do to a marriage, or is that what parents do to each other?”
Cassidy smiled. “If we had the answer to that, we could make a lot of money selling the secret.”
“Can we just go to bed?” he asked.
She nodded, and they both stood. She didn’t know if he meant to make love or just to sleep. Either way, she was fine with it. After they both undressed in no rush, he pulled the sheets back while she hung up Maya’s pants and her blouse. They slid into the bed, and he nudged her onto her side and spooned in behind her. She closed her eyes as she laid her arm over the top of his, drinking in his naked body against hers. But this time, there was nothing sexual about it. All she felt surrounding the two of them was pure, sweet affection.
19
Jesse hid out at Cassidy’s house the rest of the week, and Cassidy couldn’t blame him. His family knew where his bar was, but they didn’t know where her house was. Even though a part of her wished there was a way to work things out with them, she understood that wasn’t going to happen right then.
She and Jesse had gotten into a rhythm together. He’d get up at the crack of dawn with her and they’d have breakfast, then she’d go to the shop while he went into the bar and took care of anything that needed to be done in the early morning hours. Then they’d hookup back at her place and spend the rest of the afternoon together. He said he was calling it his vacation and that he hadn’t taken one in years.
Selfishly, she’d been luxuriating in him all week long. Marigold had been filled in on the story and was more than happy to go solo each day from about two o’clock on while Cassidy went home and spent the afternoons in bed with Jesse. Cassidy had never been naked so much in her life. Jesse was ready to go all the time, sometimes barely letting her get through the door before sweeping her off to the bedroom. Cassidy was aware there was something cathartic going on here. Her body was acting as a sort of medicine for his weakened soul. She was more than happy to provide it.
“You’re sure you’ve got this?” Cassidy asked Marigold.
“Yes, go get naked with the hot guy.”
Cassidy grinned at her, and then that grin faded when the front door to the shop opened and in walked Lauren and Rachel. She plastered it back on. “Hello, ladies.”
Marigold pointed. “Hey, how did your week go?”
Lauren tried hard with a smile. “It was lovely. Thank you so much for all your recommendations. We did a ton of that stuff. Especially all the kid stuff.”
“That’s wonderful,” Marigold said and then turned to Cassidy. “This kind lady was in the shop earlier this week.”
“Yes, I heard,” Cassidy said. “This is actually Jesse’s sister-in-law Lauren, and this is his sister Rachel.”
Marigold, who grew up with things like charm school and cotillion, didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, how nice. I’m so glad to make the connection.”
Lauren turned to Cassidy. “We’ve come to apologize about how things went down the other night. You must know that is not typical of our family.”
Cassidy held up both hands. “Families are complicated. I get it.”
Rachel stayed tight-lipped and straight-faced, making Cassidy a bit uncomfortable. “We were hoping to say goodbye to Jesse. We’re leaving tomorrow. But he’s not been at the bar the few times we’ve stopped by, and he’s not responding to his phone. Is there any way you’d consider relaying a message to him, or letting him know we’d like to talk?”
“I can certainly do that,” Cassidy said, meaning it, but knowing there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d call either of them.
Lauren smiled. “That would be very kind of you. We’d really appreciate it.” A look passed between Rachel and Lauren, and then Lauren turned to Marigold, seeming a little uncomfortable. “Um, would it be possible for you to take a break with me for a second? I just wanted to get a little information about the area.”
This was very possibly a setup orchestrated by Rachel. Cassidy had only spent a handful of minutes with her the other day, but she’d been on the playground enough in her day to see how bullies operated.
Marigold passed her own look to Cassidy, who gave her a reassuring nod in return. “Sure,” Marigold said. “Let’s walk out to the bench outside. It’s a beautiful day.”
Left alone, Cassidy prepped for battle, because she felt one coming on. “Would you like a coffee or an iced tea?”
“No thanks. But I would like to talk to you about Jesse.”
“Okay,” Cassidy said. The polite thing to do would be to offer her a seat at a table, but Cassidy was just fine behind the counter. She leaned on it, a move showing she wasn’t backing away.
“I have a feeling you had something to do with Jesse being willing to come the other night. Am I correct?”
Cassidy shrugged, not willing to give up any information Jesse may or may not want divulged.
“Well, thank you. That’s certainly further than I’ve been able to get with him, but I imagine you have a little different hold over him than I do.” There it was—some sort of back-handed compliment turned insult.
Cassidy remained quiet, holding Rachel’s stare.
“I’m really sorry you didn’t get to meet our mother. She would have liked that, I’m sure.”
“I’m sorry about that, too,” Cassidy said.
Rachel’s expression turned, and Cassidy could feel the slingshot raring back. “I probably do need to apologize for the shock on my face when I met you. You are definitely not who I pictured Jesse would bring.”
Cassidy kept her expression pleasant, just waiting her out. Cassidy could see her silence was incensing this woman.
Rachel came closer. “I’m not sure if he’s told you, but Jesse is twenty-nine.”
“I am aware,” Cassidy said.
“He’s always wanted to be a father. Did he tell you about the miscarriage?”
Cassidy had played enough poker in her life to know not to blink. She smiled. “It was good seeing you again, Rachel. I’ll walk you out.”
She came around the corner and headed for the door, hoping she was coming off less flustered than she felt. Rachel stood in front of the door. “It’s important that we see Jesse before we leave. We are his family.”
“Understood.”
Rachel gave her a mustache-twirling smile. “I’m not sure what your end game is here, but this family wants Jesse to be happy, and that will include a wife that�
�s his own age and as many children as his heart desires.”
Cassidy reached around her and pushed the door open. “Nice to see you, Rachel.” She held up a hand to Lauren on the bench with Marigold. “Good to see you again, Lauren.”
Lauren gave a reluctant smile, and she and Rachel headed to their car. Once they were safely on the road, Cassidy headed back inside and closed her eyes, letting herself breathe deeply to calm her nerves.
Marigold rubbed Cassidy’s back. “Something tells me that wasn’t a friendly visit.”
Cassidy reached over and patted Marigold’s shoulder. “They just love and care for him. It’s fine.” She walked away, heading toward the back, not stopping until she got to the bathroom where she could close herself off for a minute and let the news she’d just been delivered sink in.
* * *
When Cassidy opened the door to her house, Jesse shouted, “I’m naked. You’ve been warned.”
She smiled and dropped her purse on the couch on the way to the bedroom. He was not kidding. He lay on his side, his long body stretched down her bed, a hardback book in his hand. She was pretty certain this was the sexiest sight she had or ever would see in her lifetime. He put the bookmark in place and laid the book on the nightstand.
“How’s the story?” she asked.
“Better the second go-around.”
She glanced at the title. “The Great Train Robbery,” she read as she lifted off her shirt and bra in one motion.
“Yep. They’re starting to know me by name at the library.”
She wiggled out of her shorts and underwear. “I’ll go with you next time and you can help me pick something out. Then you’ll have to keep me awake at night so I can read it.” She hiked her leg over his body so she was straddling him.
“I can definitely keep you awake at night,” he said, grasping her thighs and rubbing up them.
“Mmm,” she uttered, her eyes closed. She loved it when he rubbed on her. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail holder, letting it fall free.
“You have no idea how sexy it is when you do that.”
“I’m fairly sure it doesn’t match how sexy you look naked in my bed with a book.” She reached down and kissed him, and then rolled over onto her back.
He climbed on top of her. “You don’t like it on top, do you?”
She smiled. “You figured that out?”
“Well, after a few dozen times, yeah.”
“I can’t help it,” she said rubbing up and down his back. “I like to feel your weight on me. It makes me feel…dominated.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, kissing her. “’Cause I’m such a big strong man?” he asked with a grin.
“Mmm hmm,” she said, grinning back. “I’ve been single a long time. I’ve got to be the man and the woman in my life on a daily basis. I like to be on bottom in bed. Or maybe I’m just too tired and want you to do all the work.”
“Baby, I’ll work on you anytime you want.”
He moved down her body giving one of her breasts a quick kiss on the way, but they’d passed the point of languidly teasing each other with trails of kisses in erogenous zones. They wanted to be satisfied and they wanted it now. They’d become selfish that way, spoiling one another.
She opened her legs for him and relaxed back, moaning with his efforts, which was something she did only with him. He seemed to like it when she vocally expressed her pleasure, and it definitely showed him what he was doing very right.
He stopped before she got too out of hand and slid up her body, pressing his hard cock against her center. “I want you to come with me.”
She nodded, obediently. “I can handle that task.” She waited while he rolled the condom on which he could do faster than any man she’d ever been with. He guided himself inside of her, slow and steady, relaxed from his afternoon of reading naked, she presumed. He kissed her as he moved inside of her, and she wasn’t sure what she liked more, his cock inside of her or his mouth on hers. Both would do just fine.
He took his time, making every single move count with both his mouth and his body. “Are you close?” he asked.
“I could let you do this to me all day.”
He smiled. “I’ll wait then.”
She had never known a man who could control himself the way he could. Given, when they first started this, way back on the beach which felt like an eternity ago, he was quicker on the draw. But now that they’d had an inordinate amount of practice, he was beyond skilled.
The pressure built inside of her enough that she was ready for the release. She nodded, and he took her cue, moving faster and harder into her. As he watched her, she made sure to let him see in her face what he was doing to her, and she let go with a wail, him following suit right behind her.
He fell into the crook of her neck like he always did. That was almost her favorite part of making love with him—the after-kisses. “There is nowhere on earth I’d rather be than inside you,” he whispered, and she closed her eyes, letting the weight of him crush her, wishing she could somehow get even closer to him. She was falling hard and fast, there was no doubt about that.
“Don’t move a muscle,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
As she waited for him to return from the bathroom, the irritation in the back of her mind moved to the forefront. She wasn’t going to keep any secrets from him, nothing of significance, and his family’s visit to her shop was significant.
He slid into the bed and pulled the sheet over them, moaning as he ran his hand over her hip and around to her ass. “Touching your body never gets old. I think it somehow gets more intense for me every time I touch you.”
She ran the back of her fingertips down his chest. “I feel the same way.”
He closed his eyes, taking in her touch. He opened them, searching hers like he had something to say. Was this going to be the moment he told her he loved her for real? He hadn’t said it since Monday night, but she’d felt it from him all week. She didn’t want to hear this from him now, not when she had to talk about his family. “Do you like boats?” he asked.
She let out a relieved breath. “Mmm hmm.”
“I’d like to take you out on my boat. For the record, I’ve taken a few women out on that boat for the purposes of seduction, but this time, I just want to take you out on my ocean.”
She grinned. “Your ocean?”
“Oh, hell yeah it’s mine. When I’m on it, whether it’s on a paddleboard or in a boat or parasailing above it, it’s mine. It calms me. It’s the most wholly fulfilling thing on the planet.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Are you sure you’re just twenty-nine? Because you don’t seem like any other twenty-nine-year-old I know.”
“It’s all the books. They screw up my vocabulary.”
She kissed him, loving him, truly. “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re mine,” she said, hoping she hadn’t overstepped. They’d not actually claimed to be exclusive yet, but she hoped it was understood. Her insecurity felt the need to test him.
“Sometimes?” he asked. “I feel that way every moment of every day.”
It was so hard for her to believe that this passionate young man had been sleeping around for years. He didn’t seem capable of a quickie with a woman.
“How was work?” he asked, brushing his fingertips over her breast.
She let out a resigned breath. “It was fine until right before I came home. Rachel and Lauren came by.”
He rolled his eyes. “That shouldn’t surprise me, I guess. What did they want?”
“They wanted me to give you the message that they need to talk to you before they leave.”
“I gleaned that from the numerous texts and messages. Were they kind to you?”
“Lauren was sweet. I think she’s bonded with Marigold.”
“What about Rachel?” he asked, seeming to know the answer.
Cassidy had to tread lightly here. Rachel was his sister. He might know how she could be, but he loved her, and she was like a
mother figure to him. On the other hand, Cassidy wasn’t going to keep secrets from him. “Rachel was protective of you, understandably.”
Concern crossed his expression. “What’d she say to you?”
“Nothing of importance, except one thing she mentioned that I think was meant to test me. She wanted to make sure I knew you wanted kids.”
He rolled over and put his wrist on his forehead. “Fuck. I can’t believe she did that.”
“She asked if I knew about the miscarriage,” Cassidy said on a wing and a prayer.
He closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head, and Cassidy couldn’t tell if he was upset or furious. He sat up. “Goddammit. It was not her place to tell you that.”
She sat up with him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to keep that from you.”
“No, I’m glad you told me.” He thought about it, narrowing his gaze. “She wanted you to tell me she told you that. She wanted to get a rise out of me so I’d call her or go down there. Fuck her. I’m done here.”
Cassidy wasn’t sure how to advise Jesse, so she wouldn’t. She was never a fan of phrases like family is everything because she’d known plenty of people in her lifetime who had no family. If family was everything, where did that leave those people? And what if your family were assholes? Jesse wanting to be clear from them might be the right solution here. He’d tried to reconcile and it ended in damage to someone’s car and him holing up in her house for a week. These weren’t people who uplifted his spirit.
She squeezed his thigh, letting him know she cared.
“It upset me, okay?” he said. “Lauren was pregnant and she lost the baby. Rachel was there at the hospital, and I cried with her. I was scared not only for the baby but for Lauren. I can’t believe she brought this up with you.”
“I’m so sorry, Jesse,” Cassidy said, her heart breaking for him. She thought about Bo rubbing Maya’s pregnant belly, and she almost lost it. But she had to stay tear-free for Jesse right now.
He shook his head, and Cassidy could see the fury building. “That was my story to tell when the time was right for me to tell it.”
Grayton Beach Dreams Page 15
