Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 137176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
I wasn’t sure I was strong enough now, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. I did have things I needed to say to him, but I also needed him to hear them and in the current state he was in, his ears and his mouth may as well have been stuffed full of cotton.
“A tour,” Cass said, his voice holding not even an ounce of the emotion he’d shown in the bathroom. If anything, he sounded like a hunter waiting to spring his trap on some unsuspecting creature who hadn’t seen it coming.
Except I knew what was coming.
Cass hadn’t been the only one watching and listening and learning during our encounters.
“Yeah, a tour. That’s not a problem, is it?” I asked innocently as I took another sip of my water. It was all I could do not to smile when Cass’s hard eyes flickered to my lips before following my Adam’s apple as I swallowed.
“No problem,” Cass said easily. He kept his back to me as we moved around the lower living space of the boat. Like the log cabin, the decor was outdated, and each room had a musty smell to it. Since he wasn’t turning on any lights as we moved about the boat, I could only see glimpses of each space from one of the many lampposts that lined the pier as well as the slip the houseboat was docked in.
“How long have you been staying here?” I asked. I wasn’t really listening to his explanation of each room because it was all a facade. Maybe one day he’d tell me more about the place in detail, but it wouldn’t be tonight.
“A while,” was all Cass said in response. He was several feet in front of me and seemed intent on keeping that amount of distance between us, no matter how tight the quarters became. It wasn’t until we headed back to the kitchen that I pretended to trip. I grabbed the back of his shirt in the process but instead of letting me fall, Cass spun and wrapped his big arm around my waist.
“You okay?” he asked worriedly.
This was my Cass.
“Yeah, sorry,” I said as I leaned into him and pretended to test my ankle. “I’m good.”
Cass’s eyes went from compassionate and worried to cold and angry within a matter of seconds.
God, I really didn’t want to have to play this game with him. It wasn’t who we were. Even if I couldn’t remember who we’d been, I knew deep in my heart that we hadn’t been this. We hadn’t used mind games on one another to get what we wanted.
I remained silent for the rest of the tour and used every opportunity that the external lights offered to study the way Cass carried himself. I remembered the walk we’d taken right before I’d had an episode with the pain in my head. He had been so sweet and gentle as he’d maneuvered me to the log and let me rest my head on his shoulder as he’d distracted me by admitting that I, even in my naive state of childhood innocence, had given him a different perspective on the world when we’d been younger.
“There you go,” Cass said as we reached the far end of the boat. “I’ll get my keys.”
I carefully grabbed his arm. I knew I was putting myself at risk of an involuntary physical response to the sudden contact, but Cass merely stopped. He was breathing heavily. I wanted to end the whole thing then and there, but the sweat on his brow and his struggles to control his breathing were proof that he wasn’t as immune to me as he wanted to be.
Just like I wasn’t immune to him.
“Isn’t there an upstairs?” I asked. “I didn’t see any bedrooms down here.”
I could feel Cass’s muscles bulge beneath my fingers.
He was pissed, alright. But he was a lot of other things too. Several long seconds passed and I was sure I had him. Then he turned to face me and immediately moved closer so our bodies were nearly touching. “How could I forget that?” he asked.
His husky voice made my cock, which had so far been behaving, immediately demand I concede. Thankfully, the head on my shoulders and not the one further south was still in control.
“Lead the way,” I sputtered. The glint of satisfaction in Cass’s eyes was what I needed to get back on track. I followed him to a spiral staircase that led up to one huge master bedroom. There wasn’t enough light to make out more than a few furnishings, but the massive bed was hard to miss. I jumped when Cass took my hand in his and began leading me toward the bed.
“There are a few bumpy spots,” he explained as he tightened his grip on me. I loved the feel of his callouses against my palm. Sparks of sensation spiraled up my arm and began to spread throughout my body. Their ultimate destination was all the same.