by Toby Neal
“Trust me, Cash is into you. The way he’s looking at you now tells me he’s going nuts watching us. That and also, when we were working on the bandstand he kept glancing toward the inn. It seemed like he was looking for you, and that he couldn’t wait to get back.” Billy’s voice dropped. “That’s the way it was with Frank. Even when I wasn’t consciously thinking of him, my eyes were drawn toward wherever he was.”
“I’m so sorry.” Sunshine looked up at Billy, her heart aching for him. He’d lost his husband to Scorch Flu.
The black-bearded man shook his head. “Frank’s in a better place. In a way, I’m happy he’s not here.” His voice grew tight and he blinked back tears. “He was sweet and gentle. He would’ve hated this new world.”
“I’m sure he’s in heaven, watching you.”
Billy glanced down at her and smiled, revealing a small dimple high on his left cheek. “You don’t even remember your name, but you’re sure about that?”
“Yes.” Sunshine hugged him as they swayed with the music.
“Well, you and Cash are going to end up together. I’ll perform the wedding ceremony myself.”
Sunshine laughed. “You’re a minister?”
“I got certified online.” Billy tilted his chin up, daring her to doubt his credentials. Sunshine laughed again. They’d only known each other a short time, but their friendship had blossomed under the starry night. In this new world surrounded by death, constant grief, and the endless threat of violence, deep connection happened quickly. Those left alive were bonded in their will to survive.
“Well, I promised to help you get your man back.” Billy’s voice grew firm.
“You know I didn’t ask for that—and he’s not my man.” Sunshine bristled.
“Let me have a little fun anyway, okay?”
“What do you have in mind?” Sunshine had no interest in trying to convince Cash to want her. She didn’t need a lukewarm reception from him; it was better to be apart than together and feeling the distance between them. She hated the chasm that had opened; it made her feel unsteady, as if she stood on the edge of a cliff, her balance precarious and death close.
Billy maneuvered them across the dance floor and as they reached the grass, he stepped back from her. “Let me get you a drink?” Billy took her hand and kissed the back of it. “If I leave you alone, Cash is going to be drawn to you like a bee to honey, sweetness. I promise you that.”
Sunshine laughed. “I guess I could use a drink.”
He pulled Sunshine close and kissed her forehead, whispering into her ear. “Cash is watching. I think his head is about to explode. I’ll be back with a drink. Play it cool.”
Before Sunshine could respond, Billy turned and headed toward the bar. The edges of the tent were dark, and Sunshine stood in the shadows, clasping her hands together, scanning the crowd for Cash. Where was he?
“You look like you’re having a nice time.”
Sunshine jumped and turned. Cash stalked toward her, moving like a predator on the hunt, eyes glittering in the darkness. The jeans he wore hugged his narrow hips, the denim soft and molded to his legs. The tucked-in chambray shirt lay flat and tight against his abs, that handsome belt of Maud’s hugging his pelvis. The open buttons of the shirt revealed the tan skin of his broad chest. Soft light from the strung lights caught the edges of his collarbones and the gold highlights in his hair.
“Billy’s been really nice. He grew up here and he recently lost his…”
Sunshine had never agreed with Billy’s plan to make Cash jealous, but the way that Cash was moving, lithe and stalking, like he wanted her—Sunshine could hardly breathe from the heat in his gaze. “I thought you were tired.”
“I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“I’m fine.” Sunshine stood a little taller. “But thank you for checking on me. I do appreciate all that you’ve done for me.”
Even if Cash didn’t want to be with her, even if their kissing was just a game for him, something to occupy his time, Cash was still a good man. He’d saved her life and offered her refuge at his family’s compound. “Escorting me to safety was very kind of you.”
“I talked with my mom today. It seems my brother’s fallen in love.”
Sunshine raised her eyebrows. Why was he telling her this?
“His fiancée’s a scientist, working on the cure.”
Sunshine stepped forward, excited by the prospect of a vaccine. “Really? That’s wonderful!”
Cash shied away from her, stepping back. Sunshine’s heart stuttered, remembering how on the road earlier, he’d tried to be honest with her, making sure she didn’t get her hopes up about their relationship. Sunshine appreciated that; she should be careful not to fall for him.
It was too late, though.
“We never got to finish our conversation on the road. You were going to tell me something.” Sunshine cast her gaze down to her red boots. She couldn’t look at him while he explained that she meant nothing to him.
Cash didn’t answer. She peeked up at him from under her lashes. Their eyes locked and her breath stopped; his gaze was so intense, it felt like he was touching her. Sunshine’s nipples hardened painfully as desire spiraled through her.
“You look beautiful tonight. I should have told you back at the boardinghouse.” His voice came out a harsh rasp.
“Thank you. You look nice, too.” Sunshine coughed. Her throat had gone dry.
Cash reached past her to put his drink down on the table behind her. His breath caressed her bare arm, and she shivered. Having him so close sent twinges of aching desire through her, and pulsing between her legs. Her breath grew shallow and her cheeks hot. Where was Billy with that drink? She’d never been so thirsty in her life.
How could she feel this way about Cash and he not feel the same? Did all women have this reaction to him?
“Sunshine.” Billy’s voice came from behind her and she turned. He raised his black brows and a tiny smile parted his lips. The glint in his eyes said, I told you so.
“Here’s your drink.” Billy held out a paper cup and Sunshine took it, drinking quickly and deeply. Her eyes teared up and she choked as the alcoholic punch hit the back of her throat.
“You okay?” Billy stepped closer and placed his hand on her lower back, drawing her against him as she nodded, gasping.
“Don’t touch her.” Cash’s voice was low and dangerous.
Billy scowled but removed his hand. “Sorry, bud, but I think that’s up to the lady.”
Cash stepped closer to Billy, his eyes chips of glacial blue ice. Billy raised his brows and looked over at Sunshine with a grin. “Sorry if I’m interrupting something between you two. From what I heard, you aren’t together.” Billy turned back to Cash. “Unless I misunderstood?”
“I guess I said that.” Cash growled. “But I was wrong.” He took Sunshine’s hand and pulled her against him. “We’re together.”
“Sunshine?” Billy mock-scowled convincingly. “You okay with this?”
Sunshine’s insides melted and pooled in her lower belly, throbbing there, ignited by Cash’s proximity, by his claim on her. She was burning for him.
Sunshine shook her head and forced herself to step back. She turned to Cash. “Shouldn’t you check with me before making a declaration about our relationship?”
Cash’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Excuse me,” she turned to Billy. “But I’m tired. I’m heading to bed.”
He nodded. “Sleep well.”
Sunshine brushed past Cash, her arm tingling where it touched his soft shirt. She hurried away from the dance area, her steps quick but unsteady.
What was she doing?
Standing up for herself, that’s what. He didn’t get to just claim her. No one could claim her. Not anymore.
“Sunshine,” Cash’s voice was low as he jogged up next to her. “I have to tell you why…”
She turned quickly, stopping short so that he bumped into her. She stumbled an
d Cash reached out to catch her, but she pulled away. “Don’t touch me!”
Cash lifted his hands, frowning. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you?” Sunshine’s voice was tight with unshed tears. “So you do care about me, at least a little.”
“Of course I do.” He stepped toward her and she held up a hand. “I’m trying to protect you.”
“From what?” She felt the attention of the crowd shift to them at her loud, sharp tone.
“Please.” Cash gestured toward the inn. “Let’s talk in private.”
Sunshine nodded, her neck and ears burning with embarrassment. Cash didn’t try to touch her as they made their way through the empty streets toward the inn.
Her anger grew in the space left by his silence and when they reached the porch she turned to him. “You’ve made me feel things I’ve never felt before.” The words popped out, bald and vulnerable, and she didn’t care. They were the truth. “You’ve made me feel cherished, and safe and wanted. And powerful. Like I mattered to you. Like I had a place in the world. Like I was something more than just a piece of property.”
Cash opened his mouth to speak, but she barreled on, the truth of her realization as powerful as water rushing over a waterfall. “I always wanted to leave wherever I was from. You gave me that, and so much more.” She stepped forward and poked him in the chest. His denim-blue eyes grew wide. He stepped back and she followed, closing the space between them and poking him again. He grabbed her hand to stop her.
“You…” Sunshine’s voice faded, as Cash’s fingers twined with hers. Nothing about the past mattered, nothing about the future could change how she felt. “I know who you are, Cash. And I want you. But don’t treat me like I’m broken, like I can’t handle being with you.” She looked up into his eyes. “You’re the one who made me realize that I’m strong.”
Cash moved in quickly, his arms surrounding Sunshine with a powerful embrace as he covered her mouth with his, taking her lips harder and more urgently than ever before. She slid her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his wavy hair, confidence surging through her veins. Cash belonged to her—at least for tonight.
Chapter Fourteen
Cash
Cash slid his hands up to encircle Sunshine’s neck, his thumbs brushing the corners of her jaw as he angled her head for better access to her mouth. The frantic fluttering of her pulse beneath his hands sweetened the taste of her. Sunshine’s fingers grasped his hair, holding him tight.
She was strong. Maybe she could handle him.
Her mouth tasted of the punch from the dance, fruity, but laced with depth. Sunshine wasn’t just light and beauty. She held darkness too.
That knowledge made him harder than stone. She was Sleeping Beauty.
He’d always loved that fairy tale. He’d dreamed of being a prince, riding to the castle and awakening a beautiful slumbering princess. Now he realized Sunshine was that princess. She was cocooned in a terrible spell, unawakened, and surrounded by mysterious evil. He would set her free tonight.
Cash broke the kiss, holding Sunshine close as they entered the inn. “Watch,” he told Tiny, and the big bear dog sat on the mat in front of the door, lifting her nose to sniff the air. Knowing that Tiny would warn them of any danger freed him to focus on Sunshine.
Her eyes shone in the moonlight coming through the windows as he took her hat off and placed it on a side table.
The prince would awaken Sleeping Beauty with a kiss.
Not something to be rushed. Not a quick peck and grab. No, these things took time and attention to detail. He didn’t want to be interrupted by the untimely arrival of Maud or another of the inn’s guests.
Sunshine tugged at the buckle of his belt and reached up to capture his mouth again.
He could refuse his princess nothing.
Cash kept his focus on her while moving them toward the stairs. They banged into the stair railing, and Sunshine broke the kiss with a giggle as she turned to run up the steps. Cash followed, his gaze roaming over her abundant shape. Once inside his room, Cash turned the lock on the door. Sunshine worked the zipper on her back, already halfway out of her dress.
“No. Let me. I want to go slow and enjoy every second.”
Sunshine’s eyes widened as her mouth parted. This was the first time she’d been with a guy who understood she was royalty.
“Okay.” Sunshine sat on the edge of the bed, fluffing the swirling skirt of the dress over her knees self-consciously.
Cash lit the candle beside the bed. The soft orange glow flickered and danced, casting a spell over the room as he unbuttoned his shirt slowly. Sunshine moaned a little as she watched him slide the chambray shirt off of his shoulders. “Oh, Cash, I want to touch you.”
She reached for him, and he caught her hands in one of his. He kissed her fingers, each one in turn, worshipfully sucking the tender pads into his mouth and biting them lightly, then laving them with his tongue. Sunshine shivered at his touch, her eyes fluttering closed. Taking her by the wrist he placed her hands back onto her own body.
“Touch yourself.” Cash leaned over her, catching her lobe between his teeth so he could whisper in her ear. “Rub them. Make them peak for me.”
“What?” Hunger and surprise made her voice waver.
“Please.” Cash stepped back so that he could watch her. “I want to see you enjoy your beautiful body.”
Sunshine needed to understand how sexy and gorgeous she looked to fully understand why he wanted her so badly. For Sunshine to come the way he craved—with total abandon—she needed to learn her own body’s feelings and needs.
Sunshine cupped her full breasts through her bra. Her hands circled the rounds tentatively, her eyes averted.
“Look at me. I want to see you do it. You’re so sexy.” Cash’s voice stayed low, vibrating. She met his gaze and licked her lips as she circled her nipples, pinching and tugging at them through the fabric of her bra. They pebbled hard, tenting the material as her breathing quickened.
Cash’s groin hardened even more in response. He adjusted himself, and Sunshine’s gaze followed his movement, her lips quivering as she caressed her breasts. A flush rose up her tender, milky skin to stain her cheeks and neck.
“Yes,” he urged her on.
She was panting with arousal now, twisting back and forth, crossing and uncrossing her legs.
“You’re so gorgeous, Sunshine. I want to taste you, lick you, make you scream. You’re so hot.”
Sunshine’s eyes became huge, fastened on his as her chest reddened. She clenched her thighs, and he could see the pounding pulse in her neck. “I feel…”
“How do you feel, Sunshine? Tell me.” He dropped to his knees, parting her thighs gently as he knelt at the edge of the bed in front of her. She trembled beneath the froth of her skirt even as her hands continued to roam her body.
Her bare head exposed the blush on her ears as she tossed back and forth restlessly. Sunshine should keep her hair short always, so he could see her so clearly aroused, exposed, and hungry for him—for them.
He throbbed with his need, curling his fists into her skirts to keep from grasping her hips.
“I feel bad. Naughty. Dirty. Because I want…”
“Because you want to experience all that your body is designed to feel? That’s not dirty—it’s good. You’re good, Sunshine, and you’re going to be feeling even better.” Cash pushed the skirt up, sliding his hands up her creamy thighs at last, stroking the pale silk of her skin as she quivered in nervous anticipation. His erection pulsed against his jeans as he slid a hand over her belly and up between her breasts, pushing her slightly. “Lie back. Let me taste you.”
She hesitated, her fingers stilling on her breasts as she stared at him, questioning.
Could she trust him? It was written all over her face, in the pouty question on her lips, in the turquoise depths of her eyes. Cash’s heart beat faster. He couldn’t lie to her. He couldn’t pretend he could be the man she deserve
d. He couldn’t pretend he’d be there when she woke up.
“I want to make you feel good.” His voice was thick with desire and untold truths. Sunshine opened her mouth, but he set his fingers to her lips, quieting her protests. “Please, let me.”
She sucked her bottom lip in, chewing on it. Then she gave a nod and a tiny smile, and relaxed deliberately beneath his hands.
Oh, he was a lucky, lucky man, getting to storm this castle and awaken her.
Cash took his time, working his way toward her center with strokes, licks, nips, swirls and confident squeezes and rubs, alternating rough with soft, hard with tender, as she continued to touch her own torso and breasts.
When he finally tasted her core, she arched off the bed with a cry, her body pulsing beneath his hands and mouth. He stroked her until his name spilled from her lips as she opened to him, her hands diving into his hair, holding him close and taking what she needed—his gift of pleasure.
Sunshine’s thighs tightened as her climax peaked, enveloping him with apricot swirled in honey.
Her whole body softened into the bed as she relaxed at last.
Cash kissed her inner thigh, and she shivered and giggled.
“Oh my goodness. That was unbelievable.” Sunshine’s voice was hoarse but bubbling with joy. Cash could hardly bear her loveliness. His erection pulsed against his zipper painfully as he slowly rose to his feet. But this wasn’t about him. He lay down next to her, gently cupping her breast, and she reached over, stroking his chest.
“You make me hot, Cosimo Luciano.” Sunshine bit her lip in embarrassment, but her hand dropped, tugging at the buckle of his belt with determination.
Cash stifled a groan as she cupped him, sliding one hand up his abs and the other into his boxer briefs. “Will you touch your body for me? I want to see you come, too.” She rolled up onto her knees above him. Her dress’s zipper had worked down and her full breasts above the bra peaked just the way he’d wanted.
He caught them in his hands, in his mouth, and they tasted sweet and glorious. She moaned and pulled away. “No. It’s your turn. Do what I’m telling you. Touch yourself. It makes me hot.”