by L Ann
Recognising the words as a dismissal, Shaun rose to his feet and exited the study, Deacon close behind him.
Cassie stood in the bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Most of the bruising left from the accident had gone, with only one or two left mottling her skin.
It didn’t make any sense.
From what Gemma had told her, when she had been found and taken into hospital, they thought she was going to die. The doctors had put her into a medical coma, hoping they could find and repair the internal bleeding but, before they could, she had started to heal on her own. The doctors claimed it was a miracle, yet Gemma said the doctor Shaun had brought to town, Chase, claimed it was a mistake on the hospital’s part and she had never been in the danger they thought.
Gemma also talked about the times when Cassie had woken up during her stay – where she would convulse, and her eyes would turn a funny colour. She would scream for Shaun until her voice was hoarse. Chase would not allow any of the hospital’s doctors to help with her care, stating that he didn’t trust their medical experience due to the error they had made. Instead, he kept Shaun close by and during each episode, they would lock her room with just them inside. The episodes had reduced over the ten days until she woke up and stayed awake.
“I don’t remember any of that,” Cassie had whispered.
She let the t-shirt drop back down with a sigh and left the bathroom. She could hear voices downstairs – too deep to be Gemma’s – and her heartbeat sped up. A smile tugged her lips when she heard Shaun’s husky laugh in response to something the other man said, and she paused mid-step.
Why did hearing Shaun’s voice make her feel so good?
Walking past her bedroom door, she ran lightly down the stairs and into the kitchen where she found her sister making coffee – her movements jerky and her back stiff. Shaun was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest and one of his brothers – she thought it was Deacon, judging by Gemma’s discomfort – was straddling a chair, its back in front of him, arms resting across the top of it.
“Pack clothes for a few days,” Deacon was saying when she entered the room. “Or nothing at all. I’m sure the guys wouldn’t complain if you wanted to run around naked.”
She was sure she’d been silent when she stepped through the doorway, but both men’s heads turned in her direction as soon as she appeared.
“You look better than the last time we met,” Deacon told her. He snorted a laugh at the look Shaun threw at him.
“Hey Goldilocks.” In two strides, Shaun was across the kitchen. His hands lifted to curve over her cheeks and he tilted her head back to cover her lips with his in a quick kiss. “How are you feeling today?”
“Pretty good. Why is Gemma packing clothes?”
“Or not. Seems your sister might be into the whole naturist thing,” Deacon drawled, his eyes on Gemma’s back.
“Apparently,” Gemma spun around, and slammed down a mug of coffee in front of Deacon, the hot liquid spilling over the sides, “we’ve been invited to The Lodge for a barbecue tonight.”
“Thank you, Starshine.” Deacon gave Gemma a huge smile, hefted the mug and took a swallow.
“I hope you choke on it.”
“Gemma!” Cassie gaped at her sister.
“It’s okay, Blondie. Your sister and I came to … quite the understanding while you were in hospital.”
“The only understanding we have is that I hate the sight of you and want you out of my house,” Gemma hissed.
Cassie felt Shaun sigh against her cheek. “They’ve been like this since the moment they met,” he told her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his body. “Do you feel up to hanging out with us for a few days?”
Cassie took in a deep breath, allowing his scent to wash over her. It felt right, she realised, being in his arms. Not like when she was with Sam where she was always checking her words or her actions in case he disapproved.
“Hey, where did you go?” Shaun’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
“I need to go back to work.” She paled. “Oh my god, the hospital bills …”
“Aren’t something you need to worry about, And the bank isn’t expecting you back this week. You were in a major accident. Did you really think they’d want you back in work so fast?”
“I … I didn’t really think about it at all,” she replied. “But the hospital …”
“Is already taken care of.
“But –”
“We can stand here all day and argue about it if you really want to. But I’ve already paid it, I’m not telling you how much it was and you’re not going to offer to pay me back. It’s done. Let’s move on.”
“I don’t know why you haven’t quit the bank, anyway.” Gemma said, handing Shaun his coffee. “Get in there before they fire you.”
“Why would they do that?”
“She only works there because Sam shamed her into it. He’s the manager.”
“Shamed? Why?”
“Don’t, Gemma,” Cassie said, attempting to move away from Shaun.
“Before Sam pressured her into working at the bank, she was working for herself. Painting portraits, murals, landscapes and selling them. Pretty sure she was making more money from it than what she gets from her nine-to-five tedium at the bank.”
Shaun frowned, his head angling down to look at Cassie’s face. She ducked her head down, avoiding him, a faint blush on her cheeks, and pulled out of his arms. Turning, she moved across the kitchen to pour herself a drink.
Shaun tracked her progress, eyes narrowed. “Explain,” he demanded of Gemma in a low voice.
“Sam thought being an artist was far too bohemian and hippy and wanted her to get a proper job. She was an embarrassment to him and his friends – especially when she lost track of time and turned up with paint on her fingers.”
“It doesn’t matter, Gemma. Just leave it alone,” Cassie whispered.
“But it does matter!” Gemma snapped in response. “You changed everything about yourself for him.”
The scrape of a chair moving brought all eyes around to focus on Deacon, who rose to his feet, a half-smile playing on his lips as he nodded to Shaun.
“Come on, Starshine, let’s go pack your stuff.”
Deacon traded glances with Shaun, who inclined his head. The half-smile turned into a grin and Deacon stepped up behind Gemma and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“It wasn’t a request, my little firecracker.”
He lifted her off her feet and threw her over his shoulder. Gemma swore at him, struggling to escape, but Deacon ignored her and strode out of the kitchen, her fists flailing against his back.
“Wait!” Cassie took a step forward and Shaun moved to stop her.
“She’ll be fine. Deke won’t hurt her …” Gemma shrieked, a sound cut off abruptly by a low growl and Shaun laughed. “Not in any way she doesn’t want, anyway.” He caught her hand, tugged her across to the kitchen table and sat on the chair Deacon had vacated. “Come here.”
He pulled Cassie down onto his lap and looped his arms around her waist. “Will you come to The Lodge with me? We’re overdue a long conversation and I’d feel better if we had it there.”
Cassie twisted to look at him. “You keep saying that. Surely what you want to say isn’t that bad?” Her own arms rose to curl around his neck, and she gave into the temptation to move closer, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Barbecues with the pa—with family are boisterous and fun. I think you’ll enjoy it.” He ignored her attempt to draw him into a conversation he wasn’t ready to have.
“You don’t think this is too fast?”
“What’s too fast?” he nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent.
“This. You … me?”
“Does it feel too fast? Do you need me to back off, slow down?
Cassie considered his words, then shook her head. “I don’t know. When you’re not here, with me, yes, I think ma
ybe we should slow down. But when you’re here, like this … no, it feels right.”
“Then it’s not too fast.”
The sun was setting by the time they returned to The Lodge. Shaun and Deacon had filled the ride there with talk about who would be at the house that night, and Cassie could hear from the way they spoke that their family was very close. There had been a few odd moments where Deacon had started to say something, only to stop with a muttered ‘nope, can’t mention that’, which she wondered about, but she knew families had stories they didn’t want to share with outsiders and didn’t push.
Another thing Cassie had noticed on the drive was the way Gemma kept herself pressed close against the door on the back passenger seat, keeping as large a gap as she could between her and Deacon. Deacon, on the other hand, looked the picture of relaxation, sprawled across the seat with his long legs stretched out, and one arm laying across the back of the seat, his fingers close to Gemma’s shoulder. Occasionally, he would turn to look at her, his dark brown eyes assessing. Each time he did, Gemma would turn away to look out of the window.
Cassie couldn’t wait to corner her sister at some point when they arrived and find out what had happened between her and Deacon.
Shaun parked the SUV and both he and Deacon hopped out. While she waited for Shaun to invariably appear and open her door, she twisted in her seat to look at Gemma.
“What’s going on?”
“With what?” Gemma unclipped her seatbelt and paused, her hand on the door handle.
“You and Deacon.”
“He’s an asshole.”
“He seems quite sweet.”
Gemma’s lips twisted. “Believe me, there’s nothing sweet about him. Shaun got all the good parts.”
Both passenger doors opened at the same time, and Cassie took Shaun’s waiting hand and climbed out of the car.
“Aww look, the little Starshine is waiting for me to be a gentleman,” Deacon drawled. “Do you want me to lift you out? Can your feet reach the floor, or do you need help?” He placed his hands on the car’s roof and leaned inside.
“Oh, for God’s sake!” Gemma planted her hands against his chest and shoved. “Just get out of my way.” When he didn’t move, she glared at him.
Cassie watched their stand-off in surprised amusement. “Your brother has really gotten under Gemma’s skin,” she murmured to Shaun, who laughed.
“Believe me, Deke could make a nun swear.”
“And did,” Deacon added, turning his head to glance over at them, his body still blocking Gemma’s exit. “In Malta … do you remember?”
The brothers shared a grin at the memory, then Shaun draped an arm over Cassie’s shoulders. “They could be there a while, let’s go inside.”
“They’ve done this before?”
“Yeah, every time they’re near each other.” He gave a mock shudder. “They’re like a pair of kids.”
He led Cassie back inside the house she’d grown up in, and she paused in the hallway to take a deep breath.
“Okay?” he asked softly. “I keep forgetting you lived here.”
“It’s fine. I just keep expecting my dad to …” she faltered and fell silent with a shrug.
“Where is he?”
“He died,” she told him sadly. “A few months ago. That’s why mom sold the house.”
Shaun pulled her against his chest in a sympathetic hug. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t know.”
“Why would you?” Her arms crept around his waist, feeling the familiar lump rise in her throat at the thought of talking about her father.
“Anytime you want to tell me about him, Goldilocks, I’m here,” he whispered against her hair.
“Thank you.”
They stood in the hallway together for a few minutes longer, then she heaved a deep breath and let her arms drop.
“Where am I sleeping?”
“Seriously? You’re genuinely asking me that?” Shaun’s lip curled up into a smile at her question. “Or are you telling me you don’t want to share my bed?”
The colour rose on Cassie’s cheeks. “No, I’m not saying that. I just didn’t want to assume.”
“Assume away. The only place I want you sleeping is next to me.”
“Is that my boy I hear?” A voice bellowed through the hallway.
The man who appeared a second later matched the voice perfectly. Tall – were any of the men in Shaun’s family shorter than six foot? Cassie wondered – broad shouldered, with dark blonde hair tied back and falling below his shoulders combined with eyes the colour of honey, he wouldn’t have looked out of place on a fashion runway.
“Asher!” Shaun greeted the newcomer and released Cassie to move forward and wrap his arms around the other man. “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for the papers you put together.”
“No thanks needed, brother. Is this your pretend bride?” He looked at Cassie over Shaun’s shoulder. “She’s pretty. You should snap her up for real.”
“Cassie?” Shaun reached an arm back and caught Cassie’s hand in his, drawing her forward. “This is Asher, my … cousin.”
“Hi,” she said, with a shy smile.
“Hey pretty lady,” Asher grinned and engulfed her in a hug.
“Get off my woman and stop drooling,” Shaun mock-growled, tugging Cassie out of Asher’s arms. “If you’re here, would I be right in thinking Roxie, Scarlet and Isabella are here, too?”
“You would and, brother, I highly recommend avoiding Mac for a few hours. He’s been making a significant dent in a bottle of scotch since his intended got here.”
“Intended?” Cassie asked.
“Cormac is trying to woo Isabella,” Shaun explained.
“And failing … miserably,” Deacon sauntered through the door, Gemma following behind him, a frown pulling her brows together.
Cassie was surprised at how warmly and easily Shaun’s family had accepted her and Gemma into their group. After meeting Asher, Shaun had led her upstairs, pausing to introduce her to another cousin called Jaden, before whisking her into his bedroom. He’d been backing her toward his bed, when Deacon had banged on the door and demanded Shaun go and help them get the barbecues started.
With one more lingering kiss, he’d told her to relax, unpack and then come and find him. Gemma had tracked her down half an hour later and dragged her out of the bedroom to go in search of the men.
They followed the noise of talk and laughter outside and discovered the area which had once been nothing more than grass up to the trees a few metres away had been redesigned completely. Logs had been placed around an open fire pit. There were three barbecues set up, cooking a variety of food- burgers, sausages, steaks and more – and three large cool boxes full of beers was set to one side.
Three women sat together on one of the logs. Cassie knew one of them had to be Isabella but wasn’t sure which one it could be.
“The one in the middle,” Gemma whispered.
“What?”
“The one Cormac wants to marry. She’s the one in the middle.”
Cassie turned to look at her sister. “How do you know?”
“Deke told me. He says Isabella is not the one for Cormac. Have you met him yet?”
“Deke? It’s Deke now?”
Gemma flushed. “It’s nothing. Everyone calls him Deacon, Deke or DJ.”
“You like him.”
“No, I really don’t. He’s a complete bastard, but he likes to talk. And he spent hours talking to me while you were in hospital.” The way her sister averted her eyes told Cassie that they had done more than talk.
“Hey, over here.” Shaun’s voice stopped Cassie questioning Gemma further. They both turned as he reached them.
“Drink?” He held out a bottle of beer for Gemma, who took it from him with a murmured thank you.
“Don’t I get one?” Cassie asked, wondering if, like Sam, Shaun would dictate what she could and couldn’t drink at social events.
He lifted
the other bottle and waved it at her. “Got yours right here. Did you finish taking the course of painkillers Chase gave you? Not sure beer and pills would be a good mix.”
Cassie nodded. “Last night.”
“Then have at it,” he handed her the bottle. “Hungry?” he asked her and, when she nodded, went off to gather food.
When he returned with two plates piled high, he sat on the ground in front of the log, his legs stretched out in front of him and rested his head back against the wood.
“It’s been a while since I was at one of these things,” he murmured.
“A barbecue?”
“Spending time with the family.”
Cassie slid from the log to sit beside him, and his arm snaked out to wrap around her shoulders and draw her closer. “You mind?” he asked.
“No, I don’t mind.” She twisted slightly, so she was curled against him, head resting on his shoulder and legs tucked to one side. “How long has it been?”
“Three years or so. I spent a year on the road with Forgotten Legacy. Have you heard of them?”
“Holy shit, really? You know them?”
“Yeah,” he vented a soft laugh. “Grew up with Gabe Mercer and Seth Hawkins. I write a lot of their songs. Do I need to warn them to keep their distance?”
Cassie’s eyes went wide. “You know Gabe Mercer?”
“We grew up in the same neighbourhood, hung with the same crowd.”
“Wow. That’s unreal.”
He grunted. “I’ll introduce you sometime … if you promise not to run away with him.”
“Gabe Mercer is terrifying. I’m not sure I’d want to be alone with him.”
Shaun laughed. “His reputation is built up on misdirection and half-truths.”
“I doubt I’d be his type, anyway. All the photos I’ve seen of him have some tall, rake-thin super model wrapped around him.”
“You’re exactly his type – gorgeous, female and with a pulse … actually, sometimes I think the pulse is optional. Don’t make me kill him, though, I kinda like him.”
Cassie snorted a laugh. “Well, when you put it that way …” She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “So, you were with them for a year, what about the rest of the time?”