Her attention.
The guys in the band said something to him. He didn’t listen. They didn’t know the tune. But Cas did. She’d climbed on a chair, rocked it out, and her hair flew wild as she sang at the top of her lungs. The entire bar watched her and she didn’t care. Just kept right on doing her thing. Being everything that drew him in.
But the best part? She kept shoving handsy cowboy away.
Ryan caught on and joined in with some guitar riffs that made Cassie squeal with joy. Thrand didn’t know why she loved the song so much, but now, she was dancing to his beat and his beat alone.
Adding fuel to his fire.
He’d gotten exactly what he wanted…her focus on him.
People poured into the bar from the streets, filling it to capacity as he played wildly and dumped all his feeling into the song. The crowd jammed with her, Lila included, but he ignored them. Cassie pumped her fist in the air as part of the crowd joined in with the chorus. Her face was flushed, her green eyes flashing bright as they bored into him.
Sweat slid down his spine and the fire she created roared out of control. From the day he found her in Nashville, he knew she was going to be trouble.
She wanted him?
Let’s see if she could really handle him.
*
Cassie had done a good job pretending to ignore Thrand, but there was no way she could overlook the heat from his eyes as they followed her around the bar. She was still pissy about the girl, but when he knocked those sticks together right in the middle of a song, she couldn’t contain her excitement.
He played her song. Not caring that all the band members, except for Ryan, were ticked. This was Bedlam. A part of him she hadn’t seen in a long time. The crazy, fuck-em-all, guy she knew so well was back.
She was breathing hard when Thrand hit the last note and broke another stick. He stood, sweat sliding down his arms, his black cap on backwards. He hopped off the stage in one smooth move, the intensity on his face had her swallowing hard. He took only a couple of steps then stopped and cocked his head. His lips tugged into a smirk that sent her pulse racing.
He crooked his finger for her to come closer.
She tried not to rush, but she pushed through the crowd toward him, not caring how desperate she might look. She crashed into him, his arms wound tight around her and his lips landed hard on hers. His thrust his tongue into her mouth, demanding, not asking. She matched his ferocity. She’d wanted him for so long, there wasn’t any hesitation on her part.
She panted against his lips when he pulled back and said, “You’re coming with me.”
It wasn’t a question. He grabbed her hand and his jacket and hauled her outside to his Harley.
He shrugged on his leather jacket, swung his leg over, and settled in his seat. She fiddled with her leather cuff when he looked at her and raised a brow.
She climbed on. Her thighs gripped his hips, her arms wrapped around his waist, and she tried to even out her breathing. But it was impossible. Not only because she was so close to him but because she had a good idea what was going to happen. At least it better.
He glanced over his shoulder at her and squeezed her hands where they laced together. “Scared?”
“Hell no. I’m ready for this.”
Thrand chuckled. “Hold on tight.”
He turned on the bike, and the rumble vibrated through her body as they took off. He got them through the heavy traffic quickly and they sped down the road.
His muscles tensed each time he shifted gears and she held on tight. Her hands rested near the hem of his shirt and she shoved them under it. His abs clenched in response and she couldn’t stop from trailing her fingertips along the top of his jeans. She was beyond wanting him. It was a need. She sure as hell didn’t want him overthinking.
“Fuck, Cassie, if you want us home in one piece, you’d better stop.”
She nipped at his ear and his chest rumbled on another curse. Soon, they pulled into his garage and, before the door had even closed, he had helped her off and pounced on her. She fell against the garage wall as his lips slammed on hers.
He took her breath and made it his own, and she whimpered against him. This was him. Unleashed. No holding back. None of their other kisses had been like this. Frenzied and wild, they stumbled up the short steps into his house.
Cassie shoved off his jacket and it fell to the floor. She clung to his neck as he picked her up and set her on the kitchen island then stepped between her legs.
“You’ve been driving me fucking crazy, woman.” His words were hot on her neck and he kissed along her exposed shoulder as he ground into the vee of her legs.
“You better not stop.” She wrenched off his shirt, his hat fell to the floor in the process, and she skimmed her hands over his bare chest.
“Too late for that, Cas.” He peeled off her top and tossed it.
His hands seared her skin when he cupped her breasts. He pushed her flat while his mouth latched onto a nipple. She gasped and arched toward his lips. Never in her life had she felt like this. Every nerve electrified, her body searched for more. Her legs clenched around his hips. They rocked together with nothing but jeans separating them.
He rolled a nipple between his fingers as his other hand gripped her ass.
“Can I make you come like this?” he whispered against her ear.
She was so close. With his hands finally on her, she didn’t have far to go. He ground hard against her and his teeth tugged on her other breast.
“Come for me.” His gravelly voice demanded.
“Thrand,” she panted. Her nails dug into his shoulders as her body bowed into his.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Then he yanked her up. “Hold on.”
With her legs locked around his waist, her arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands on her ass, they headed up the stairs. The friction of her breasts against his chest was delicious. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and licked.
His scent, his taste…she couldn’t get enough.
He kicked his door, slanted his lips over hers as they stumbled and fell onto his bed.
She didn’t care that he was heavy or that the scruff of his beard would leave marks on her skin. She wanted to be marked. She wanted to feel him. All of him. She got his belt undone, but he lifted off her and smirked at her frown. Thrand undid her pants and slowly slid them down her legs.
She watched the way his gaze memorized her skin as her jeans came off. The hunger in his eyes, the way his gaze traveled her body made her squirm in anticipation. Then he yanked her till her legs dangled off the bed.
“I’ve been dreaming of those legs wrapped around me.” He kissed the inside of her knee.
“I can’t wait. Please, Thrand.” She grabbed his arms, pulled him close enough to shove her hand into his jeans and gripped his cock.
“Fuck.” He groaned as he pumped into her hand.
The muscles in his neck stood out. Entranced by the silken feel of him in her hand, she sat up so she could kiss along his stomach.
“Oh, hell no.” He stepped back and dropped his pants and boxers.
Six foot one of naked, hard flesh was all hers, but all she could do was stare. Nerves hit. This was really happening. Thrand was really going to make her, his.
“I want them off,” he said as he stood over her.
In a trance, she didn’t react to his words fast enough. So he did it for her. In mere seconds, he’d pushed her flat and wrenched her panties off. He spread her legs wide and his mouth settled between them. She screamed his name, overwhelmed with the jolt of his tongue on her. She fisted the bedcovers as wave after wave of sensation hit her.
“Mmm.” He hummed against her and her hips jerked off the bed in reaction.
She floated on a cloud of wonder. Her body tingled from head to toe so it barely registered that he slid her up the bed and was hovering over her. She heard the crackle of a wrapper as his mouth did wicked things to the crook of her neck.
/>
“My lips right here.” He bit at her collarbone. “This spot kept me up at night.”
She clutched his shoulders as she tried to keep up with him. But there was no way. She looked up into his eyes as he slid hard into her.
Her body tensed at the intrusion.
He froze and his eyes wide in the dim light. “Cas…what the hell? You’re a virgin?”
He filled her. Stretched her, and afraid he would pull back, she arched into him, finishing the job. She whimpered at the sharp pain and shook her head. “Not anymore.”
When he tried to move off her, she locked her legs around his waist, forcing him deeper.
“Don’t you dare stop,” she said near his ear.
“Dammit, girl,” he mumbled, took a deep breath and finally moved. Careful. Easy. He kissed the corner of her lips softly, and touched her as though she were delicate. The pain receded and was replaced by an incredible need.
Slow was not what she wanted.
She tried to move more, speed things up, but he kept on with his leisurely pace.
Impatient with his change, she gripped his head and kissed him hard. She tasted herself on his tongue. It spurred her like an aphrodisiac.
“Dammit, Cassie. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She didn’t know the words to make him understand, so she bit his lip and rolled her hips. It hit a spot that made her entire body shake.
Coherent thought crumbled beneath his immediate onslaught. He thrust into her hard and drove away all the black voids of her past. All the pain that had been her life—none of it mattered when Thrand was with her.
In her.
Just him.
Over and over, he filled her. He cradled her leg higher and she cried out. It was like a race toward the peak. It hit and she screamed his name. Sweat rolled off him onto her as he finished with her. Tense and hard, he pulsed in her. She rested her lips on his neck and the spicy aroma of their bodies wrapped around her.
It should have soothed her. It didn’t.
She hadn’t been saving herself for anyone special necessarily. She just wasn’t giving it to anyone in Woodbridge Grove. She always thought sex was just an act. Never thought her emotions would get tangled with it. She didn’t believe in happy ever afters. The idea of forever was a crock.
But this wasn’t just physical act.
Nothing could have prepared her for this. She squeezed her eyes shut. She’d only thought he owned her before. This…this was more. Way more than she’d ever anticipated.
If she lost him now, it would shatter her.
Chapter 8
Thrand laid in bed, watching the sun peek over the horizon. He looked down at the girl nestled on his chest while her little puffs of air rushed over his skin. Her lips were parted slightly, her lids closed, hiding those expressive green eyes he knew so well. He pushed back strands of her hair and frowned at her peaceful countenance. They had gotten home only a few hours before dawn and after that bit of heaven, he had just lain there. Wide awake. While she slept peacefully.
Guilt ripped him apart.
She sucker-punched him. He couldn’t believe Cassie was a virgin…or had been.
Hell yeah, that wild part of him that she’d tore back open was grinning like a fool. The more responsible part of him was horrified. His hand brushed lightly over her shoulder and down her back. Even in her sleep, she arched against him and whispered his name.
He clenched his teeth.
He had just fucked his best friend’s little sister. That was something a guy didn’t do.
Not only that, he took her virginity.
He slid out of bed without waking her. She barely moved. He stood over her naked form, the sheets tangled around her curves, tempting him to climb back into bed. Into her.
“Ah, Cassie, what have you done to me?” he whispered, before grabbing a pair of worn jeans and headed downstairs.
In his kitchen, he stared at his cup of coffee. He set it down, ran a hand over his face and gripped the edge of the counter. What the hell did he do now? She’d pushed him until he lost control and his hunger for her outweighed everything else. He couldn’t undo what he did. As if he didn’t own enough shame, now he’d added this.
He felt the brush of hair and lips on his back as hands wrapped around his bare waist.
“Mmm, good morning.” She purred against him. The light touch of her lips made him tense.
He turned and pushed her back, but she was having none of it and snuggled right up to him. She felt so good and his body wanted her while his mind screamed obscenities at himself.
“Cassie. We have to talk.” He moved her away even though it took every ounce of willpower he owned not to pull her in closer.
She looked up at him with a slight frown. Her hair was a mess and she wore nothing but one of his tee shirts. Heaven help him, she had him spinning, and it took him a minute to gather up his thoughts.
“This was wrong,” he said.
Her mouthed gaped and her face turned red. “Wrong? How can you even say that?”
Anger and guilt picked him apart. “You were a fucking virgin. Did you ever think to tell me beforehand?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip, drawing the tee higher.
“I don’t know why it mattered. If I’d said anything, this wouldn’t have happened.” She lifted her chin stubbornly and stared at him.
“You’re damn right it wouldn’t have happened. Was this some sort of trick? Or payback? Do you have any idea what your brother would think of what I did to you?”
Her face paled before she balled up her fists. “Payback? For what? And who cares what my brother would think. He’s dead.”
“I care,” he yelled. “And for leaving you like I did. I was supposed to protect you. Help you. And I left. I didn’t keep my promise to him and now…are you trying to gut me with guilt? You were like a sister—”
“Thrand, I was never like a sister to you. Ever. You can preach that to yourself all day, but you know it’s a lie. And what do you mean you promised him?”
“I took your virginity,” he mumbled under his breath, and looked at her. He realized she was right about the sister thing, but he couldn’t stop Cameron’s accusing voice in his head. “He made me promise to take care of you if anything happened to him. If Cam were here…”
He shook his head, not finishing. Why couldn’t she understand? He’d loved Cameron like a brother. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t have done for him, then he died.
And Thrand just screwed his sister.
“You did all you could. Cam knows that—” Her eyes widened, her lips trembled and she backed away from him, putting the island between them. “You think I pursued you…to hurt you…because you left me? Because I knew you would feel guilty about it?”
She laughed but tears slowly slid down her face.
She nailed exactly what he’d been getting at but her utter revulsion made him recognize what an idiot he’d been. He struggled, trying to gain his footing. He never meant to hurt her, but that’s exactly what he’d done.
“I may have been mad you left, but I understood it. I wanted out just as badly as you did.” She turned on her heel, walked a few steps away, then spun back around. Her red, tear-filled eyes pierced him. “Thank you for taking the most beautiful thing—possibly the only beautiful thing—to ever happen to me and destroying it. What a mind fuck, Thrand.”
“Cassie, wait,” he said right before she slammed the door to her room. He rubbed his eyes, the pain of it all hitting him. Agonizing words echoed in his head.
He’s dead. You just made her cry, you bastard.
Thrand leaned his hands on the cold granite and took a deep breath. How the hell could he fix this? He wasn’t sure how long he stood there staring into nothing, but that was the only solution he had come up with. Nothing. He focused on her bedroom door, walked across the room, then paced. He laced his hands at the back of his neck and looked at his feet. He was so confused and tor
n with guilt.
What could he say? He was at a total loss. Several times he wandered to the door, only to stop. Give her some breathing room. That seemed reasonable. But how much time? Hell, he didn’t know. After thirty minutes, he shuffled to her door, dreading the hurt he would see on her face. He still didn’t have a clue what he was going to say but knocked anyway.
“Cas, come out. Let’s talk about this.”
She didn’t answer. He was ready to walk in, whether she wanted him to or not, when the doorbell rang. He looked at the time. Who the hell would be here at seven thirty on a Saturday morning? Yanking the front door open, he was surprised to see Ryan, his hair sticking in every direction, a hicky on his neck and his shirt only half buttoned.
“Um, can I come in?” Ryan mumbled on a yawn.
He stepped back to let him. “Something wrong?”
“Uh, Cassie called me,” he replied hesitantly.
“What the hell for?” He didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t like it.
Just then, Cassie flung open her door so hard it banged on the wall.
“He’s giving me a ride. Not that you should care.” She stalked across the room, bags in her hand.
“You’re leaving?” he asked, shocked. After last night, she was walking out? “You don’t want to talk about this?”
She pinned him with icy green eyes, all traces of tears gone. “I think you made things crystal clear. I’m sure as hell not staying here with you.”
She turned her back on him and said to Ryan, “Thanks for the ride.”
Then she stomped out.
Thrand clenched his hands as Cassie got into Ryan’s truck. Thrand turned his glare on his friend.
“I don’t know what’s going on. She didn’t really say. All I know is she asked for a ride to Lila’s ‘cause Lila wouldn’t answer her phone.” Ryan dropped his shoulders in defeat. “Cassie said if I didn’t come get her, she’d walk.”
Thrand shook his head and rushed out to the truck. “Cassie, get your ass back in here so we can talk.”
She stared at her hands.
“Come on. Look at me. Talk to me.” He heard a sniffle and stopped. “Cas?”
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