Learning To Fly

by Melissa Snark

  Cassie threw up her hands and threw herself into reverse, retreating back up the stairs. “Whatever it was, I didn’t do it!”

  Kieran produced an irritated sound somewhere between a curse and a snarl. “Wait here,” he said to the men.

  The pair traded glances, but did as instructed. “Sure thing, boss.”

  “Damn it, Cassie, will you wait up?”

  “Nope.” She increased her pace.

  Kieran caught her in the upstairs hallway, catching hold of her arm. She spun on him and glared. “Let go! I’m not afraid of you, Kieran!”

  His wolfish smile did nothing to alleviate her unease, but at least he let go of her arm. “No, I expect not. Look, I brought two of my men over for security until this situation with Lynch is resolved.”

  “Two of your men,” Cassie said. “Don’t you have any women on your staff?”

  Kieran grinned. “Yes, but I don’t dare refer to Trish as ‘my woman.’ She’d have more than my head on a platter.”

  Cassie chuckled and then sighed. “I don’t want goons following me around.”

  “Guards,” he said with a pointed stare. “Regardless, it’s necessary. They’ll alternate with another team on twelve hour shifts until Lynch is dead or captured.”

  Cassie bit her lip and stared. “You’d prefer him dead.”

  His cold, level gaze never wavered. “Wouldn’t you?”

  She refused to answer. She could not wish another human dead no matter what. Even if her life would be so much better if Symon Lynch could never hurt her again. It left her with nothing to say.

  Kieran accepted her silence, taking whatever answer he found there. “Will you come down and meet them?”

  “I don’t want guards. Please tell them to leave.”

  Kieran’s brown eyes took on a dangerous glimmer. “You’d endanger my brother and everyone else in this house because you’re too stubborn to accept help when it’s offered?”

  She stared at him. He met her gaze and never blinked. “You play dirty.”

  “I do whatever it takes.” There was no triumph, only a statement of fact.

  “I should just leave before anyone else gets hurt because of me.”

  “It’s too late for that. Kyle would follow you, and I’d follow my brother. Same situation, only everyone would be a lot less comfortable.”

  She signed and admitted defeat. “Fine, introduce me to your men.”

  Cassie accompanied Kieran downstairs. She regarded his men with suspicion while he made introductions. “Cassandra Claeys, this is Tom Waits.” Kieran indicated the Caucasian man.

  “Ma’am.” Tom offered her a nod.

  “And Joe Torres.” Kieran gestured to the Hispanic man.

  Joe inclined his head. “It’s a pleasure.”

  She forced a smile for the bodyguards. “It’s nice to meet the both of you.”

  The pair split up and departed for their posts. Cassie waited until they were gone to respond to Kieran’s request to see her phone. “I’ll fetch my phone now,” she said and took off without waiting for his reply.

  ****

  After she turned her mobile phone over to Kieran, Cassie returned to Kyle’s office. It pleased her to find him seated at his drafting table before a set of blue prints. She performed a perfunctory knock on the open door to alert him to her presence.

  “Hey.” Cassie entered the room and stopped midway into the room. She crossed her arms, unsure of how to communicate her concerns. She didn’t want to sound petulant, or worse, ungrateful.

  “Hey, you.” He greeted her with a smile, although his tawny brown eyes were serious and so very perceptive. He rose and closed the distance between them. “What’s wrong?”

  “Your brother…”

  “Ah.” Kyle’s chuckle warmed her through to her frozen core. He reached out and drew her into his arms. She came to him and leaned against his chest, taking comfort in his proximity.

  “What has my brother done now?”

  “He brought in his security people.”

  His chin moved against the top of her head. “I expected him to. We even discussed it. Is that your concern?”

  Cassie shook her head. “No, I understand the need to keep people safe.”

  Kyle’s hands stroked her back in soothing circles. “What’s wrong then?”

  She licked her lips. “It’s just…you and your family are in danger because of me. That’s bad enough. But all of this security has got to be expensive.”

  “You’re worried about money?” He separated from her and drew back to gaze into her eyes. She didn’t know how to interpret his expression.

  She nodded her head. “Yes.”

  “Cassie—Red.” Kyle tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. “I can afford the security and, frankly, you’re more than worth the expense.”

  His obvious affection made her blush. “Kyle, that’s sweet but still…”

  “Shh, no buts. If it’s any comfort, Kieran will give me the friends and family discount.”

  She laughed as her arms snaked about his waist and her cheek rested against his chest. “Okay, but if it gets to be too much trouble or money, promise you’ll let me know?”

  “You can trust me, Cassie.” He bent his head and brushed her lips with a gentle kiss.

  She sighed and clung to him. “I know I can.”

  Chapter Seven

  The crushing weight of a man pressed Cassie into the mattress. The air exploded from her lungs, and huge hands wrapped about her throat. She woke in a panic, hitting and kicking to be free of the hurtful grasp. She couldn’t breathe and her lungs were on fire. The disorientation made it worse, and she fought without understanding how she had come under attack.

  Cool lips touched her ear and he exhaled hot and moist air over her skin. “Cassie, have you missed me? Cause I’ve missed you.”

  Lynch.

  Fear paralyzed Cassie and she went limp beneath her assailant. Lynch chuckled and kept one hand wrapped around her throat, restricting her air supply. He ran his other hand through her hair, stroking the sweat-soaked bangs from her face.

  “I’m back, baby. And this time, we’re never going to be separated again.” He kissed her lips and she tasted his booze-tainted saliva dribbling into her mouth.

  His words, the kiss, knocked the sense back into her. She sucked down a great gulp of air and screamed at the top of her lungs. At the same time, she jammed her hands into Lynch’s face and clawed at him with her fingernails, gouging long lines down his cheeks as his hot blood sprayed her face.

  “Bitch! I’m going to kill you! Do you hear me?” Both of his hands closed around her throat again and choked off her air.

  In the distance, there were shouts and the pounding of feet. Cassie remained focused on the man strangling the life from her. She hit and kicked and fought with all of her might to be free of him. She refused to be subjected to capture at his hands ever again.

  “Cassie!” A man shouted her name. Not Lynch, but familiar somehow. Hands seized her wrists and immobilized her. “Cassie, wake up!”

  Abruptly, she was jarred awake. Her eyes were open but she couldn’t see. Light from the hallway flooded the bedroom, blinding her. She became aware of the blanket covering her, preventing her from using her arms or legs. No crushing weight. No Lynch.

  “Lynch. No, no, no.” She sobbed his name, repeating it over and over.

  Kyle pulled her into his arms and hugged her against his chest. “Red, it’s okay. I’ve got you. Lynch isn’t here. It was just a nightmare.”

  “Sir, do you need help?” Cassie recognized the voice of one of the guards.

  “Thank you, but she just had a bad dream. You can go.” Kyle gritted the words between clenched teeth, rendering his tone terse. He started to rise from the bed but she clung to him, refusing to let go.

  He murmured her name and kissed her forehead. His gentle hands stroked her back. “I’m going to turn on a light so you can see he’s not here. I’ll b
e right back. Okay?”

  Cassie swallowed a sob and nodded her head. Tears streaked her face and dampened her hair. She heard him leave the bed and pad across the carpeted floor. A moment later, he turned on the end table lamp and then closed the bedroom door. When he returned to the bed and sat on the mattress beside her, she saw that he wore only a snug pair of black boxers.

  She swallowed another sob and hiccupped. Her distress sent Kyle on another mission to grab a box of tissues and a glass of water from the bathroom. With a noisy gulp, Cassie downed the water and handed him the empty glass. He set it on the nightstand.

  “Red, is there anything I can do to help?” Kyle’s voice grated across her skin. He held his entire body tense. He stroked a hand over her crown of burgundy hair.

  “You are helping,” she said and took a deep breath. She hesitated and composed her thoughts because there were things she needed to tell him. Things she dreaded telling him.

  Kyle, ever sensitive to her moods, massaged the stiff muscles in her shoulders and waited. His patience permitted her to achieve a degree of composure. Clearing her throat, she turned away from him. “The man who abducted me left more than emotional scars…”

  ****

  For a split second, Kyle was confused when Cassie turned away from him on the bed. He read shame in the way she hung her head and tilted her shoulders. It wasn’t until he processed what she’d said that he tensed even more and sat up straighter. His hands clenched into fists, fury surging through him.

  She hooked her fingers beneath the edge of her nightgown and drew it over her head, revealing the expanse of her back and a pair of navy bikini panties. The suggestive flare of her hips and the swell of her buttocks sent his thoughts down a lustier path. His balls tightened and a surge of blood caused his dick to jump with desire.

  Cassie pulled her hair to the side so it hung over her shoulder. She kept her back to him and her arms crossed over her breasts, sitting hunched forward against her drawn knees. The vulnerability of her posture struck him, and then he saw it…and lost his erection.

  The scars were two inches thick and crisscrossed her back.

  Kyle drew in a shocked breath and muttered a sharp curse. He surged to his knees on the mattress and closed the short distance between them. She flinched when he touched the damaged skin on her back, but didn’t pull away.

  “Cassie…” His voice contained all of his anger. He’d always seen violence as a last resort but, right then, he would have murdered the man responsible for marring her beautiful body. It was a heinous crime.

  His fingers traced one of the scars and she shook with renewed sobs. She choked down a soggy inhalation and her back grew rigid. She endured the examination with steadfast strength. His admiration of her increased hundredfold. Kyle’s emotions were a combination of fury and pain. He contained the violence because the outburst would have done nothing to help Cassie. He allowed the awful hurt he felt for her to overwhelm his rage and the empathy soothed his temper.

  Taking great care, he wrapped his arms around her hunched form and pulled her into his lap. She resisted at first, but he persisted until she surrendered. He allowed her to continue facing away from him, recognizing how the position gave her strength. He murmured soothing platitudes and stroked her hair and arms. His tears fell on the damaged skin of her back. In time, Cassie’s sobs subsided and they rested together for a time.

  “They said I was lucky to be alive, but I never felt lucky,” she said in a voice choked with emotion. She sounded distant, and he suspected her reserve was the only thing allowing her to discuss the matter at all.

  “Who are they?” Kyle had an incomplete picture of the incident, but what he saw was an image of abduction and abuse. He felt powerless in the face of her past.

  “They—the FBI, the police, the nurses and the doctors.” Cassie shivered and leaned against him, resting her back against his chest. “I must have heard it a hundred times, but it never felt true.”

  Kyle tightened his hold on her. His arms slipped around her waist as her fingers locked on his hands for support. He did not speak, recognizing her need to get it all out without interruption.

  “Simon Lynch was obsessed with me. He stalked me for months. Letters came—they seemed harmless at first—but they got worse as time went along. Then he started calling me and other young women who resembled me turned up dead. The FBI found evidence that my stalker and the killer was the same man. So I was in protective custody when I got abducted. Lynch impersonated an FBI agent.” Cassie shivered at the memory. “I never saw him coming.”

  More tears flowed. Kyle heard them in her voice and felt the occasional splash of wetness on his arms. “Lynch was cruel and delusional,” she said. “He beat me with the belt even after I convinced him that I loved him. Lying was the only thing that kept me alive, but I felt so dirty.”

  “Red, God.” He struggled with his anger and hurt. It destroyed him to know what she had gone through. “Did he…” Had she been raped?

  Cassie shook her head. “He couldn’t. The FBI profiler said he was impotent. That’s why he tortured his victims.”

  “I played him,” she said, determined to continue her story. “I saw his obsession for what it was, and I kept myself alive by telling him what he wanted to hear. It took three days for the FBI to find him and rescue me. Those were the longest three days of my life.”

  “How long ago did this happen?” His voice sounded hoarse with emotion.

  “Five years. I was twenty-two at the time. You know, Lynch killed three other women because they were unlucky enough to look like me. They were simply surrogates. They died because of me.” Her voice broke and her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

  “No, Cassie, listen to me.” Kyle turned her so they were face to face. “None of it was your fault. He’s a monster.”

  He could see Cassie mentally gathering herself. She nodded hard and wiped away her tears. “I don’t feel guilty, but I can’t forget.”

  “I get that. And you shouldn’t forget.”

  “I won’t. Thank you for understanding.”

  “I’m here for you, Red.” He wanted to say so much more, but the tentative nature of their relationship left him leery. So much between them hadn’t been defined. Once spoken, words could never be unsaid. He preferred to allow things to happen in their own time, without rushing or premeditation.

  They hugged hard, seeking and finding comfort in one another’s arms. The feminine body pressed against his was soft and pliable, full and firm in all the right places. Her hair held the scent of strawberries and citrus, a silken caress against his skin. Kyle’s sudden awareness of her bare breasts smashed against his chest caused his raging erection to tent his boxers.

  He groaned, partly embarrassed at his body’s inappropriate timing and partly frustrated with his unsatisfied lust. Against his throat, Cassie giggled and shifted—he suspected, deliberately—so her hip rubbed against his engorged cock.

  “Cassie, can I ask you something?” Kyle asked. “It’s personal.”

  She leaned back to gaze up at him. “Go ahead.”

  He hesitated for a second. “Were you experienced? Before you were attacked, that is?”

  Her eyes rounded and she blushed. “Yes, of course. I mean, I was twenty-two.”

  He sighed, feeling voyeuristic. “Were your experiences…positive?”

  She hesitated, not sure what he was asking. “Oh, I see where you’re going with this.” She thought hard. “The first time was disappointing, but Sam, my second lover, was very…erm, considerate.”

  “You’ve only had two lovers?” Tension hit him again between the shoulder blades and shot to his crotch. He had expected a woman of her age and beauty to have had more than a couple lovers.

  “Yes, two.” Her expression turned teasing. “Do I want to know how many lovers you’ve had?”

  Thank God, he didn’t blush. “Not if you want to respect me in the morning.”

  Cassie laughed, relaxing in his hold
. “Maybe not discussing it is for the best then.”

  He needed to get out of her bed before the gentle rocking of her pelvis against his cock caused him to embarrass himself. Kyle kissed her forehead and eased away. “It’s late. Try to get some sleep.”

  He didn’t count on sleep so much as a cold shower as he attempted to ease the ache her nearness caused. Cassie caught his arm, preventing him from leaving the bed. “I don’t want you to leave.”

  “Cassie, I need some space.”

  “Oh.” Her face fell and she looked down, conveying hurt and disappointment.

  Kyle didn’t want her feeling rejected. “I only meant—I’m human. Physically, I can only take so much. I get hard just being this close to you. When I should be supportive, I’m distracted by your scent and your mouth. I want to taste your breasts and—” Fuck you until you wrap your legs around me and scream.

  He fell silent to compose his words before continuing. “I need to watch my limits if you want me to remain a gentleman.”

  Cassie tilted her head back with a playful smile. “What if I don’t want you to be a gentleman?”

  He chuckled but remained tense. “Be careful what you ask for because the last thing I want is you afraid of me.”

  Her expression sobered. “You’re right. But I don’t want you to leave.”

  “Believe me, I don’t want to leave.”

  She eased closer and ran a hand along his arm, caressing from wrist to elbow. “I’m not ready for sex yet, but I need you to touch me.”

  “Oh, I can handle that.” His tone contained so much exaggerated enthusiasm that they both laughed.

  Cassie licked her lips and his gaze became riveted on the tip of her tongue. She cast a sultry glance toward his groin from beneath lowered lashes and he stifled a groan of frustration. “Do you think you have enough self-control to let me drive?”