“You’re on.” Nick palmed the ball like it would do anything he wanted it to, even with his eyes closed. Which was the only way anyone had a chance against him.
“How about we make that teams?” Dennis said, picking up on his children’s rivalry.
Ro never stopped believing she could best her older brother. And occasionally she did. But Cass was pretty sure Nick gave those wins away because he loved his sister something fierce. Rowan often thought Nick an overprotective skunk, but what Cassidy wouldn’t give to have someone always looking out for her.
“Ro Lo and I against you two.”
“Dad obviously knows which Palotay has mad skills,” Rowan teased, snagging the football out of Nick’s hands. “Birthday boy’s team goes first.”
“Sid and I could beat you two blindfolded,” Nick said.
And Cassidy’s mind immediately went to the bedroom and Nick blindfolding her before he had his wicked way with her.
“And give you an excuse when you lose? I don’t think so,” Ro said. She handed the football to her dad. “You’re up young man.”
Nick leaned over, his mouth dangerously close to Cassidy’s ear. “You know how to throw a football, right?”
Um, wrong. Cass didn’t have a superstar football older brother who taught her how to throw one. “Of course.”
Dennis scored ten points on his first throw. Nick scored twenty, the ball sailing through the smallest cut out, and thus worth the most points. Rowan added ten on her turn.
Cassidy held the football in her hands. Yes, hands. She couldn’t decide which one to use. Sometimes her ambidexterity didn’t send a clear signal to her brain and it took her a little extra time to commit. She threw a basketball with her left hand, a baseball with her right. Cut her food with her right. Wrote with her left.
“You going to let go of that sometime soon?” Nick asked.
“Right now.” She aimed for the largest circle and launched the ball with her right hand. It missed the target and landed—
“Ow!” someone said from behind the tree.
It landed on a party guest. Great. She’d missed the tarp entirely. “Sorry!” Cassidy shouted, running around the tree to retrieve the ball and make sure the person was okay. She hurried back and handed the ball off to Dennis.
Dennis gave her a “good try.” Rowan attempted to stop laughing. And Nick? He looked both anguished and entertained.
“Oops,” Cass said apologetically.
When it came to her turn again, Nick showed her the proper way to hold a football. He placed her fingers in the right positions along the white lace and wrapped her thumb around the ball. His gentle, but firm touch combined with an attentive tone of voice raised the pedestal she had him on even higher.
She imagined him teaching her all sorts of things.
Her second throw failed to fly through its mark, but at least the football hit the tarp. Nick winked at her. She nodded, then quickly looked away before she did something stupid like make lovesick eyes at him.
Five minutes later, they’d lost the game and Rowan’s bragging rights pushed Nick to seek out other company. Cassidy didn’t interact with him for the rest of the night.
Reminding her that some things were best left alone.
Chapter Nine
Late Thursday afternoon, Cassidy squeezed her hands around the steering wheel of the borrowed pickup truck and prayed she made it to the gas station next to the Get ’n Go. Running out of gas on the side of Highway 89 was not on her list of things to do today.
“Come on, baby, just a couple more miles.”
She’d spent the warm, sunny day honoring her parents’ request that the furniture in the house be donated to those in need. In her bittersweet travels and stops to take pictures, she’d neglected to keep an eye on the fuel gauge. She had one more delivery outside of town and no idea how long she’d been driving on fumes, the distance to empty reading zero on the console.
“No, no, no.” She chanted when she pressed on the accelerator and to her dismay, the truck slowed. A freaking block from the gas station, the truck stalled.
The good news? She was only a block away and could walk to get one of those red plastic gas cans to help her out.
The bad news? She looked around the front seat and discovered she’d left her purse…somewhere. She closed her eyes and remembered seeing it sitting on the kitchen counter. It wasn’t the first time she’d forgotten to take it with her.
She ran across the highway to take her chances on borrowing some gasoline with a promise to return, rather than call a friend for help.
“Need a lift?” Nick said from over her shoulder, startling her.
His deep voice had been etched into her permanent memory bank after he’d helped her up at the riverbank. Dropping her hand from the station’s glass door, she spun around. “What makes you think I need a lift?”
“The truck across the way.” He lifted his chin in the direction of the white pick up.
That he’d noticed her sent a shiver down her back. “It’s just a gas problem.”
“It’s too bad there aren’t warning lights to prevent that,” he said good-naturedly.
She stepped away from the door as a customer exited the small building. “Like you always obey warnings.”
“True. But I’m very good at following orders. Especially when they benefit someone else.” The playful quirk of his sexy mouth combined with those bedroom eyes of his sent her mind straight to the gutter. Which no doubt had been his intention.
Her nipples hardened. Don’t stop, Nick. Oh, God, yes! Right there. I’m going to come. He’d most definitely listened to her directions in bed. “I’d like to argue that point with you, but I can’t.”
He reached out to comb his fingers through her hair. She went completely still. “Looks like you’ve been out in nature again,” he said, pulling a leaf from her strands and steering the conversation to a safer topic.
“A tree house actually.”
At his arched brow she added, “I’ve spent the day making furniture deliveries and at one of my stops I met a little boy who wanted to show me his tree house.” She rambled on about the sweet kid and staying to eat cookies and milk with him. Continued with the closing date of escrow on her parents’ house and how nice it was to see their belongings make someone else’s day. She wanted to keep talking to Nick even though her heart told her she should walk away.
“Come on, then,” he said when she paused to take a breath.
“Come on where?”
“Let’s get you gas and I’ll help with your last delivery.” He left no room for argument, insisting he could leave his car at the Get ’n Go.
The nice young man behind the gas station counter recognized Nick and said it was an honor to meet a real life hero. He gave Nick the plastic gas can and said there would be no charge for the gallon of gas. A military courtesy, the guy added, his eyes wide with admiration. Nick said thanks and smiled appreciatively, but Cass sensed his unease with the high regard all the way back to the truck.
The tension broke when she drove into the gas station and asked Nick if he wouldn’t mind springing for a full tank because she’d forgotten her wallet. He’d found that highly amusing. “Does that happen often?” he asked.
“Only here in Marietta.”
“It’s a good thing we ran into each other, then.”
Their good timing continued when they got to their destination. The older couple’s grandson had had to go, leaving Cass grateful she had Nick to help unload the chair and ottoman. Climbing back into the truck after saying goodbye to the kind couple, she dropped her head and thought back on the day with a mix of gratification and melancholy.
Nick tucked a finger under her chin to lift her face toward his. “You did a good thing today. It’s not easy to say goodbye to your childhood home.”
It wasn’t. Not at all. Despite her sheltered upbringing, tons of wonderful memories had been made inside those four walls.
“I like to
do nice things for people.”
“I know you do. It’s an insanely attractive quality of yours.” His eyes held hers, raising the temperature in the cab a thousand degrees.
She turned the key in the ignition. “Thank you. I could say the same to you.”
“Have you decided which coast you’re headed to?” And just like that the temperature dropped. Not because she wasn’t excited about moving, but because it reminded her she and Nick were headed in different directions.
“Los Angeles.”
“I can picture you there.”
“Me, too.” The other night she and Rowan had found a couple of places available for rent and had the best time laughing and making plans.
“Mind if I take a quick detour?” she asked after a few minutes of quiet.
He glanced at his watch. She’d never thought timepieces sexy before, but seeing the thick, black band around his tanned wrist made her squirm in her seat. “Go for it.”
“I’m not keeping you from anything important, am I?”
“Nope.”
“I’ve got an assignment that isn’t due for a couple of weeks, but the lighting is perfect right now and I think the schedule I got said there’s a class at this time.” She turned off the highway onto a dirt lane marked by a small wooden sign with the name Pinecrest Road.
“Class?”
“Yoga.” Sure enough, up ahead she saw a group of exercisers in a small clearing. She parked a short distance away to keep her arrival secret. The best images were captured when her subjects didn’t know they were being photographed. “You can wait here if you want. I won’t be too long.” She grabbed her camera from the back seat of the double cab before hopping out into the pine-scented air.
Nick stepped on a twig beside her.
“Shh,” she whispered, glad for his company. “I’d like to keep our presence unknown.”
He nodded, his steps the rest of the way lighter than hers. Must have been his military training.
The class of six followed the instructor’s silent movements, holding each pose in unspoken synchronicity. Emerald and lime green trees bookmarked the glade. A slow moving stream with jagged gray rocks granted both peace and awareness behind the teacher.
Cassidy clicked away. She lost track of time. Lost track of Nick. Only when the class ended did she lift her head from her work. Nick stood a few feet away with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. She had no idea what his expression said.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re fun to watch.”
Seriously? He had to be messing with her. “While I work?”
“Then, too.”
Her cheeks heated against her will, the memory of their night together slamming into her. “Come on, creeper,” she said to cut the sexual tension. “It’s time to go.”
He tipped his head so his mouth almost touched her ear as they walked side by side. “You like to be watched. It turns you on.”
She lifted her shoulder to rub his warm breath off her ear. “I don’t think so.”
“I know so. I also know watching you turns me on.”
Oh, Lord. She had no defenses against this man. Pressure built between her thighs, a full-body flush made her skin tingle. “Did you know outdoor yoga adds a different dimension to the practice and strengthens a person’s link with nature? By putting your body into the shape of a tree, or stretching your arms to mimic the graceful wingspan of bird, or breathing with the same cyclical sense as a body of water, you can evoke a feeling of harmony and connection to the universe.” She put her camera in the backseat of the cab, closed the rear door, and turned around.
Nick stood right there. He trapped her against the truck, his arms extended on either side of her body to keep her in place. “I know what I want to be connected to.”
Cassidy chewed her bottom lip.
“I can’t stop thinking about you, Sid.”
I can’t stop thinking about you either. “Yeah?” She took the initiative and slipped her hands underneath his shirt. His stomach muscles flexed against the pads of her fingers as she did a little exploring.
“This is Colt Ewing’s old pick up, right?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Let’s see if our secret stash is still there.” Nick put his hands on her hips and lifted her off the ground to spin her away from the truck.
“What are you talking about?”
Nick looked over his shoulder at her while he folded the back seat. “Back in high school, we kept condoms in this storage compartment.” He lifted the lid and looked inside. “Score.”
“Is this your way of saying you want in my pants right here?” She glanced around. The yoga class had cleared out, twilight lengthened shadows.
He pulled the box out of the floor bin. “After that speech you gave about yoga and nature, I realized if I want to hit my idyllic spot, then I need to be inside you.” He curled his finger around the belt loop of her jeans to tug her closer. “Deep inside you.”
If a shiver could shiver, that was what happened to her at hearing his words and landing flush against his warm, hard body. “There’s just one little problem,” she murmured.
“Lay it on me.”
“Aren’t those over a decade old?” She squinted at the condom box.
“Shit. Let’s check the expiration date.” He let go of her pants and read the side of the box.
Cassidy laughed. “There is no way they are still good.”
“You’re right.” The defeatist tone of his voice was too cute. He tossed the condoms into the truck bed.
“Lucky for you, I may have a solution.” She wanted Nick inside her again so badly she ached with it. She’d known him her whole life. Trusted him not to hurt her. Physically, at least. Her heart argued this temporary understanding would leave permanent marks. Still, she pressed her hips against his, draped her arms around his neck. Skimming her lips along his jawline, his shudder made her surer of her offer. “I’m on the pill and clean. Tell me you’re healthy, too, and then take me against this truck.”
Having him inside her without any barrier was probably a stupid thing to do, but right now stupid sounded a lot better than being smart.
His hands palmed her ass. He pulled her tighter, the bulge in his jeans firmly in place at her sweet spot. “Had a check-up last month. I’m safe.” He groaned.
Eyes locked on one another, Cass saw hot need and attraction and knew her gaze mirrored his. He sure as heck wasn’t safe, not when he owned a growing piece of her heart, but hidden away on this beautiful piece of land under the canopy of aged trees, they could forget the outside world existed. Lose themselves to each other again.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Positive.”
He lifted her off the ground. “Wrap your legs around me.” She did and a second later he had her bottom on the edge of the backseat. “I’m afraid this is going to be quick.” He kissed down the column of her neck, her head falling back in pleasure.
“Thank, God.”
His lips curled into a smile against her skin. He worked the button and zipper on her pants while his mouth stayed busy on her collarbone. Cassidy pressed her hands into the seat cushion behind her, arched her back. The open collar of her white top left plenty more skin for him to explore.
“Lift up for me,” he said.
She raised her butt. He slid her jeans down her hips and legs. When he reached her boots, he tugged them off. They hit the ground with a thump. Her pants followed with a tiny rustle as they landed on top of her shoes.
Nick undid his jeans and freed his erection, stroking it as he did so. It made her wet to watch him. Made her breathless with anticipation, her core muscles clench with need. He stepped between her legs, wrapped his hand around her right thigh to lift it, and proceeded to kiss the bejesus out of her mouth. Lips, tongue, teeth, he kissed her like he’d never get enough. She loved it.
His cock rubbed over her panties, setting off shocks of enjoyment. Unable to help hers
elf, she ground against him, lost in sensations only he gave her. With his free hand, he traced his fingers down her side, leaving quivers underneath her shirt. She moaned inside his mouth.
He made a guttural sound from the back of his throat in response, and slipped his hand between his cock and her wet panties. He caressed her over the thin material, making her crazy, making her so aroused she bit his bottom lip.
He lifted his head. “You are so fucking hot.”
Then he moved her underwear to the side and with one powerful thrust, buried himself inside her. She screamed out in pleasure. The feel of him without any latex was incredible. It took him all of a minute to bring her close to orgasm. Each hungry surge of his hips lit her up inside with burning hot pulses. When she came with a dizzying explosion of feeling, he stilled, held her in his arm, and whispered, “I want to feel you do that again.”
His movements after that varied between fast and faster. He lifted her knee higher, buried his face in her neck where he worshipped her with openmouthed kisses.
She moaned, sighed, panted, as he worked her toward another climax.
“I love the sounds you make,” he said, voice husky.
“I love that you make me make them.” She managed, just before she shouted his name and tumbled over into a second mind-blowing release.
Nick lasted another few seconds before his frenzied, powerful rocking stopped and she felt him throb inside her as he let go. She dug her fingers into his lower back to keep him right where he was. Not that he made any motion to pull out, but she didn’t want this connection to end.
Cassidy looked over his head to their surroundings. With the truck door open wide, Nick’s pants hanging off his very fine rear end, and her tucked just inside the cab with a bare leg wrapped around his waist, she imagined they painted a very interesting picture should someone come along.
A giggle slipped between her pressed lips.
“Not the reaction a guy wants to hear after delivering two orgasms.” Nick lifted himself away.
Cool air wrapped around her at the loss of body heat. She slid her panties back into place, feeling the sticky reminder of what they’d just done, and not sorry in the least. She’d clean up at home.
Falling for Her Bachelor (Bachelor Auction Returns Book 2) Page 10