Hounds Ascend

by Erika Blount

  “What?”

  “I hate the damn sand. Especially if I get wet, then have to walk in it.”

  “But, baby.” Lilly protested, poking her lip out.

  Cass chuckled and shook his head, a smile on his face. “Okay, fine. But only because you’re fuckin’ adorable.”

  They finished their ice cream and headed toward the beach. When they turned on beach boulevard, Lilly leaned up to Cass’s ear, so he would hear her.

  “We need to stop at a gift shop!”

  “Okay.”

  She sat back on the sissy bar and watched the sights around them until they pulled up at one of the over-sized gift shops. Inside, it was easily the size of a small grocery store. There were swimsuits, towels, men’s swimming trunks, t-shirts, and so much more. Lilly walked straight to the swimsuit section, unaware of Cass behind her because when he spoke she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “What about that one?” he asked before laughing at her jumping.

  Lilly looked up to the one he pointed at. It was a black fringe bikini that tied around the neck with high-waisted bottoms. “I actually kinda like it.”

  She grabbed it off the wall and walked to the dressing room. “Wait right here because I’m going to need your opinion.”

  Changing into the bikini, she looked at her reflection. The black against her tanned skin looked good, and it was way more comfortable than she’d expected. The bottoms sat perfectly on her high hips and didn’t show too much. She popped her head out of the dressing room door to find Cass exactly where she left him.

  “What do you think?” she asked, stepping out of the dressing room and spinning around for him.

  His eyes darkened and Lilly saw a fire ignite there. “I think you better hurry up and change before I rip it off you in the middle of this store and fuck you right here.”

  Lilly shimmied her ass as she turned around and walked into the dressing room. She changed into her clothes quickly and exited to find that Cass wasn’t standing there anymore. A pout formed on her lips, even though she knew he didn’t go far.

  She looked around the store and didn’t see him from where she stood. The store was quiet, and she could hear her footsteps as she walked through the aisles, looking for Cass.

  She found him looking at swim trunks. He was holding a dark purple pair in his hand when Lilly walked up beside him. “I think those will look good on you.”

  Cass looked down at her. “You think so?”

  “Yep. I think you should get ‘em.”

  Cass lay them over his arm and turned to her. “Why don’t you grab a few shirts and maybe a pair of sweatpants. I know we didn’t pack for coming out here.”

  “Perfect.” She turned and headed toward the women’s section of the store. There were multiple racks with t-shirts and sweatpants. Lilly settled on a grey pair of sweatpants that said Biloxi Beach down the leg and two t-shirts. When she thought she was done, she stumbled across a tank top that she couldn’t pass up. It was solid white with lavender writing on it and the material made it the most comfortable razorback tank she’d ever felt.

  Lilly turned to Cass, who had been standing close by on his phone. “I think this will do.”

  He looked up at her, smiling, before wrapping his free arm around her waist and directing them toward the counter. They paid for their merchandise and headed to the beach. Cass pulled into one of those parking lots on side of the road that led to the beach not far from the gift shop. It had a bathroom and outdoor showers, for people like Cass that didn’t like sand on them.

  Lilly changed into her swimsuit while Cass put on his new swim trunks. She met him where the concrete meets the sand. He certainly wasn’t nearly as excited as she was, and now it was her personal mission to make sure he had just as much fun.

  Thirty minutes ago, Cass was groaning about the sand sticking to his bare feet while they walked toward the ocean. Now, he was waist deep in the water, laughing so hard he could barely breathe because every two minutes, he’d sneak up behind Lilly and pinch at her thighs lightly, scaring her and making her jump. She had already slapped him twice on his shoulder to no avail. He reached out and grabbed her ankle, pulling her to him. He placed her legs on either side of his waist and wrapped his arms around hers. Shit just got real.

  The sexual tension between them went from zero to ten in less than ten seconds. Her sex was pressed against his through the thin materials they had on. Lilly looked down at his lips, her arms around his neck, and she couldn’t help but wonder how the salt water tasted on him. It didn’t take her long to find out either. She lowered her lips to his and this time she slid her tongue through his lips, running it across his bottom lip.

  Cass’s hands around her waist searched for some part of her to grip onto. A low, feral moan came from deep in his chest. His hand traveled around her side to her stomach and his fingers slid beneath her swimsuit bottoms easily. His fingers slid across that sweet spot that she’d been dying for him to touch since they were in the store.

  Lilly felt like a shark that had just gotten it’s first taste of blood, kissing Cass passionately, continuously. She didn’t want to stop. Didn’t want to come up for air. He was all she needed. Her pussy throbbed. Ached. Wanted.

  She rocked her hips against his fingers, needing the friction. Needing the feeling. Her hand traveled down to his hard length that strained against his shorts, begging to be released and who was she to deny that? She undid the Velcro that held it together and he sprang free. Her hand wrapped around him and stroked him from base to tip then back down again.

  Cass broke their kiss. His head tilted back. Mouth open. A pleasurable groan falling off his lips. His fingers picking up speed between her legs while she worked her hand tediously up and down, curving as she reached the tip of his cock then slamming down to his base again.

  Lilly leaned forward, covering his mouth with hers. Needing him to kiss her. To feel his tongue collide with hers while he pleased her, and she teased him. She was nearing the brink of orgasm. She was so close she could almost taste it. But that wasn’t in the cards today because just when she thought she was going to explode, a man’s voice cut through that pleasure like a scorching knife cutting through butter.

  “Cass!”

  Lilly and Cass both abruptly stopped and looked toward the unwelcome interruption. Linc was standing on the shore in blue jeans, boots and his cut with an “oh shit” look on his face. Lilly turned her attention to Cass to see his face contorted in anger and confusion, making her understand why Linc looked like he’d seen a ghost.

  “What?” Cass yelled back through gritted teeth as he tied his swimming trunks and stood up, walking toward the shore.

  “It’s uh—uh Scott. He’s been trying to get in touch with you. Says it’s important.”

  Cass walked right past him once they reached the shore, headed toward the bike. He was, no doubt, going to grab his phone. Lilly wasn’t entirely sure what to do, so she stood next to Linc.

  “Sorry, Lilly.” Linc’s apology was heartfelt. He wasn’t trying to fuck anything up. Hell, he was the best prospect Lilly had ever seen. Not that that was saying much because she hadn’t been around that long, but none of the other prospects were as dedicated as he was. That much was obvious. In this club or any other one that she’d been around.

  “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it, Linc. You did the right thing. If Scott says it’s important, then you did right. I don’t think Cass is pissed at you, I think he just wasn’t happy that he got cock-blocked,” she said light-heartedly.

  She watched Cass from where she stood, still just as sexually frustrated as she was when he was toying with her sweet spot. From there, she could see that his arm was strained from bending to hold the phone to his ear. He paced back and forth by the bike, something he had to do so that he could focus. She’d noticed it a few weeks ago. Anytime he got a phone call, if he wasn’t doing something, he had to pace to retain the information from the conversation.

  Linc sta
rted walking toward the parking lot and Lilly followed. She was shivering. It wasn’t cold, but it was much warmer when she was in the water. Now that the wind was blowing, she was ready to wrap a towel around herself and change into some actual clothes. She almost wanted to pout at the interruption because Linc didn’t only interrupt their potential sexual encounter, he interrupted their day. Lilly knew it was selfish to feel that way, but dammit she couldn’t help it. It had been a long time since she spent a day with Cass, alone.

  When they approached Cass in the parking lot, he was still on the phone. Still pacing, too.

  “Then make sure they don’t do anything stupid.” Lilly got chills, and this time it wasn’t because of the wind. It was because of the ice in Cass’s voice. He sounded like a stranger to her. His words were curt, and he emphasized on every word, through clenched teeth. He was pissed. Lilly tried not to cower. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him, because that’s the last thing she was. It was because she knew he was livid and she didn’t want to see what was going to happen when he got his hands on whoever they were.

  Lilly retrieved her clothes from the bike before rinsing her feet off in the showers. Once her feet were as sand-free as they were going to get, she rushed up the stairs to the bathrooms to change into her clothes.

  Changing quickly, she rushed back downstairs to find Cass and Linc talking. Cass was leaned against his bike, Linc against his own.

  “You didn’t have to change.”

  “We were done on the beach and I was cold.” Lilly rubbed her arms.

  “I need to change, too. We have to meet up with Clayton shortly, anyway.”

  Cass grabbed his things and went to change, leaving Lilly and Linc standing by the bikes.

  Lilly pulled her phone out of the saddlebag and opened her text messages.

  Mindy: The guys that kidnapped you, weren’t they part of another club?

  Lilly: Yeah, why?

  Mindy: Because there’s a few guys from another club in here now.

  Lilly: What club?

  Mindy: Moccasins.

  “Shit.” Lilly muttered.

  “What?” Cass asked as he walked up next to her.

  “Moccasins are at the bar.”

  “Fuck.” Linc and Cass said in unison.

  Cass dialed a number in his phone and began pacing again. His hand ran through his hair as he walked in no particular pattern.

  Whoever he dialed answered almost instantly.

  “Get to the bar. Now.” “I don’t care, just fucking get there.” “Because there are Moccasins in my motherfucking bar!”

  That was the end of their conversation. Cass ended the call and slipped his phone inside his cut.

  He got on his bike and motioned for Linc to do the same. Lilly didn’t wait for him to give her instructions. Once he was situated, she rested her hand on his shoulder for stability and slung herself onto the back of his bike.

  The engine roared to life, followed by Linc’s and they took off in the direction of their hotel. The ride was short and tension-filled. She could feel the anger radiating off Cass. Once they got back to their room, Cass pulled Linc inside with them. Lilly’s phone hadn’t gone off, she knew because she’d constantly checked it the entire way to the hotel. It was in her hand and she had a death grip on it. Waiting anxiously to hear from Mindy.

  Before Cass has a chance to say anything, his phone rang. He answered it quickly.

  “Yeah?” “Good.” “Okay. Thanks, brother.” “Hey, put a prospect at the bar at all times.” “Alright. Later.”

  Lilly exhaled the breath she had been holding when he answered the phone, her focus on Mindy. From the way it sounded, things were okay at home and they didn’t need to worry. She hadn’t paid much attention to Linc, but she looked over to find he looked as relieved as she felt. He must have been worried about Mindy, too.

  “Well?” Lilly asked, looking at Cass.

  “They took care of it. Nobody did anything stupid and everyone’s okay. They were just snooping around, putting their noses where they don’t belong. Snapper and Old School took care of it and they’re putting Leo and Shorty on alternate shifts at the bar at all times.”

  “Damn it. I knew I should’ve went home.” Linc sighed and shook his head.

  “You did right by staying, but you can go home if you need to. I know I would if it were Lilly that were there while all this shit was going on.”

  “No, I’m going to stay here. Leo and Shorty have it covered,” Linc said.

  Lilly sat down at the foot of the bed, letting the guys talk. She zoned out. Her mind was no longer in Gulfport. What were they doing sneaking around the bar? Were these guys like the guys that took Lilly? Ignorant junkies who couldn’t understand directions? Was it Asher’s doing? How could he seem so sincere and still proceed with this war? Her head was everywhere.

  The sound of the hotel room door closing pulled Lilly back to the moment. She sat up, looking around. Cass was leaning against the desk, looking down at his phone. He looked up and caught her eyes. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Nothing really. I’m just trying to figure out why they’re hanging around the bar. What do they want?”

  Cass sat down on the bed next to her, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  “They’re just trying to stir up shit. Don’t let it worry your pretty head, baby.”

  Lilly sighed and rested her head in Cass’s lap. He had to be the most comfortable human being she’d ever met. It didn’t matter where at on his body she lay her head, he was always comfortable.

  As comfortable as her body was, her mind was nowhere near it. She couldn’t stop thinking about what was going on at home, regardless of Cass’s attempt at reassurance. Something was off, but she wasn’t sure what. Cass had said that they would retaliate, so why would they go into the bar and not cause a scene, at minimum? It wasn’t adding up.

  Cass rubbed her shoulder gently. “Psst.”

  “Hmm?” Lilly opened one eye to look up at him.

  “Why don’t you get ready and we’ll see if Clayton’s ready to go eat. I’m starting to get a little hangry.”

  “Okay, baby. Oh! Can you go down to the bike and grab our bags from earlier?”

  “Yep. I can.”

  It didn’t take Lilly long to get showered. She was now standing in the mirror in her bra and underwear, trying to figure out what to do with her hair. She couldn’t do anything cute with it because her lid would just fuck it up, but she didn’t want it to look like she hadn’t put any effort in at all, either.

  She decided to simply blow dry it and put it in a ponytail. Not the best thing, but hey, she didn’t have much of a choice. Now, to figure out what she was going to wear. She popped her head out of the bathroom door.

  “Hey, babe?” she called.

  “Yeah?”

  “Where are we going to eat?”

  “To a barbecue joint down the road. They have a live band and it’s an open patio type place. Why?”

  “I was just checking so I knew what to wear.”

  “Wear whatever is comfortable, baby.”

  Lilly smiled at that. He was one of the most indifferent men she’d ever met. Most of the men she had in her life before him would tell her she needed to wear this or that, no matter what she wore was never up to their standards. With Cass, though, whatever she walked out in was always just fine to him.

  Good thing, too, because her options for what to wear were limited. She rummaged through the bag Cass had set in the bathroom for her while she was in the shower. Out of the three tops she had, she decided on the blue t-shirt with white writing on it. Lilly didn’t think sweatpants were appropriate to wear to dinner, so the only pair of jeans she had with her was going to have to work.

  Lilly blow dried her hair and applied a little bit of make-up. Powder, blush, and mascara. She wasn’t going all out. When she entered the room, she found Cass sprawled across the bed. He wa
s laying on his stomach with his head tilted to the side, shirtless with his jeans and boots still on.

  His cell phone was in his hand and he was snoring. Lilly sat down next to him, rubbing his back gently.

  “Hey, you.”

  “Hi,” he whispered.

  “Are you going to wake up so we can go meet your dad?” she asked.

  “Yep. I’m up. I just have to put on a shirt and I’m ready.”

  He pulled a black Hounds t-shirt from the small black bag beside the bed. He kept it in one of his saddle bags and had multiple t-shirts rolled neatly in it along with socks and jeans. Lilly was astonished that he conserved space so well.

  Cass ran his hands under the sink in the bathroom then ran his hands through his hair, smoothing out the few stray pieces that were going in different directions. Minimal effort, but sexy as hell as a result. Lilly wrapped her arms around his waist, tip-toeing to rest her head on his shoulder.

  “Can I help you?” he asked, clearly amused.

  “Nope. Continue what you were doing. Don’t mind me,” she smiled, meeting his eyes in the mirror.

  His arms were lifted just high enough that it made his shirt come up and she could see that V-shaped line of goodness. Her hands lifted the hem of his shirt higher, greedily moving it out of her way so she could run her hands over the firm, hard muscles.

  Cass grabbed her hand, holding it in place. “Nuh-uh. We have to leave, baby.”

  Lilly sighed. “I know. But damn, it’s hard to keep my hands off you when you look this damn good.”

  He laced his fingers through hers and led her out of the bathroom and toward the door. The walked in a comfortable silence to the bike, hand in hand.

  The ride to meet Clayton was peaceful. The sun shone in the distance, slowly sinking along the horizon. Sunset on the beach would always be one of the most beautiful sights Lilly had ever seen and each time she saw it, it was like seeing it for the first time all over again.

  A light, happy feeling came over her. She was thankful that she got to share these moments with Cass. It almost worried her how much she had come to depend on his presence. He had become so important to her that she found herself making decisions with him in mind.