He withdrew gently and blew out a breath. “Cassie, you nearly made me come in my pants just kissing me in the truck. I was lucky to make it to the bed.”
She turned to face him, her hands tucked under one cheek. “Then I must be lucky, too.”
Turning onto his back, he held her close as she settled into the crook of his arm. Her head rested against his shoulder as she idly played her fingers over his chest. She felt as soft as anything he’d ever touched. Even her hair was like silk against his fingers. He sensed something was still bugging her, though. He’d caught glimpses of it before and he could almost hear her thoughts working.
“Do you want to have that talk now?” he asked.
She shifted to lean on one elbow and faced him. “I guess we should.”
He studied her for a minute. Her hair was a mess of waves and her face was still flushed pink. Her eyes, though. Her eyes looked very solemn.
“Only if you want to talk,” he said. “My crap will still be there, whether I talk about it or not.”
“But your crap isn’t just about yourself.”
“And yours is?”
She blew out a breath. “Ty, my family has stuck their necks out for me so many times since I came here. I just keep disappointing them over and over. You could never disappoint your family.”
He dragged his gaze away from her to collect his thoughts. “I abandoned my sister, Cassie. Maybe if I’d hung around after our dad died things would be different.”
“Different, how?”
He brushed his hair back from his forehead and faced her again. “I don’t know. Tracy was pretty wild even before I left for college. She must have been just too much for my mother to handle.”
“I’ve met your mother, remember? She is very sweet but I’d bet she was as strict as she could be with your sister. Was she a pushover with you?”
“Not at all.” He grinned. “She called me on every bit of crap I tried to get away with.”
Cassie nodded. “And was she any different with your sister?”
“I guess not. Tracy was just wild. She always was.”
A look flickered across Cassie’s face before she looked away. “Like me.”
He touched her chin and gently turned back to him. “You’re not self-destructive like she was. You don’t put yourself first before anybody else.”
She blinked at him. “How do you know?”
He smiled. “You’ve told me how much you don’t want to disappoint your family. Believe me, Tracy didn’t give a shit about our feelings. It’s a hard truth, but one I’ve had to face since she died.”
“She died in a car accident?”
“Of her own making. She was drunk and wrapped her car around a telephone pole. I say a prayer of thanks every day that Riley wasn’t in that car with her.”
“Thank God.” Cassie looked at him for so long he thought she wasn’t going to say anything more. Then she sighed. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, Ty.”
“Who hasn’t?”
“You.”
He blew out a breath. “I told you before. I’m no saint.”
“Choirboy, but I get it.” She smiled but it was a little bit sad. “I’ve never cared about what anybody thought before.”
“Yeah? What about your father?”
She frowned. “What about him?”
“You can’t say you don’t care about what he thinks.”
“Maybe. I don’t care if I disappoint him, though. His opinion doesn’t matter.”
“But his attention does?”
“What do you mean?”
“Look, I’ve never met your father. I only know as much about him as your brothers share. He’s a cold son-of-a-bitch who left your mother, right?”
“Yes. And he never paid us any real attention.”
“Until the tabloids.”
She nodded. “He sat up and took notice then. And not in a good way.”
“Maybe it was in a good way.”
She smirked at him. “Yeah?”
He wrapped his arms around her, bringing his face to hers. “It brought you here. To Cypress and to my bed.”
That earned him the grin he’d been looking for.
“I can’t argue with that,” she said. “How about we put a pin in the rest of this talk. Did you bring another condom or was that the only one?”
“There’s more in the nightstand.” He turned to pin her beneath him. “I made sure to stock up.”
“Pretty confident.”
“I know what I want.” He kissed the sweet skin at the side of her neck. “And I’m pretty sure I know what you want, too.”
When he moved down her body, he knew he’d give them both what they wanted.
At least for now.
Chapter 14
“These harnesses are all tangled,” Cassie said, leaning her hands on the counter.
Jake lifted his head from his tablet to stare at her. “So untangle them.”
She blew a hair out of her eyes and faced him. “You have a way of cutting through the bullshit that annoys the hell out of me sometimes.”
Jake grinned. “It takes talent, sis.”
She picked up one of the offending harnesses and made like she was going to throw it at him. “Yeah?”
“Hey, just take your time. Things work themselves out if you go at them slowly. With a little patience.”
“Patience has never been my strong suit.”
He slid a finger over his tablet and straightened. “I’ll have Claire check these numbers later. She’s the brain in this one-horse town.” He faced her. “So what do you think about working in the shed?”
“I like it. I haven’t killed anybody yet, but it’s only been just over a week.”
“I’m happy with your work, Cass.”
Warmth bloomed in her chest. “Thanks, bro.”
“You’re good with the customers, especially the kids. That takes a certain kind of talent.”
“I admit I like working with them. In small doses, they’re pretty cool. And when they conquer the kids’ course? They look so proud and happy.”
“So do you.”
She dropped her gaze and worked her fingers in the closest harness. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen you cheering for them when they come back in.”
She shrugged. “It seems like an appropriate response.”
“It is. So do you think you’ll stay here?”
“With the adventure courses?”
Jake nodded. “Among other things.”
“I’m still not sure. Bill is coming next week.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Maybe he’ll grant me a reprieve, Jake. And I can get back to my life.”
Jake cursed softly. “You know, I have a damn good life right here. I’m a little insulted when you talk about Cypress like it’s an internment camp.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then just what do you mean?”
“I don’t know where I belong.”
“You belong with family.”
She turned her attention on the harnesses again. “I guess so.”
She felt him approach but didn’t face him.
“Look, sis. I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong. Why the hell do you think I was always running away?”
That brought her head up. “You were running away? From what?”
“From everything. From Bill. From Chapman Financial. Hell, from life. This place…” He gazed out the wide front window of the shed, a small smile on his face. “This place forced me to face what I was running from. I needed to find my place and so do you.”
“But what if I fail?”
Jake’s eyes went wide. “Then you have your family to pick you up and dust you off.”
The bell above the door jingled as another customer entered. Her brother moved to the front to greet them, leaving Cassie to the puzzle of the harnesses.
As she worked her fing
ers slowly and patiently into the webbed straps, she thought about last Tuesday night with Ty. He’d been an amazing lover, but that was no surprise. The guy had moves and seemed to know just how to touch her. The talk after that first time had been an eye-opener, though. She would never have imagined that he harbored such guilt about his sister’s mistakes. And his own, although he was just a kid when he’d gone away to college.
As for her own romps through Europe? She’d been a kid too, but the boarding schools never could hold her interest. Not the studies and not the teachers. Not even the other lonely kids acting out against their own parents’ crap. And when she’d gotten old enough to quit going to school altogether? Her father had simply footed the bill as she made her careless way through sparkling cities and glittering night clubs.
It was amazing, but she didn’t miss that life. Not at the moment. She was enjoying getting closer to her family and getting to know Ty. As for her gainful employment? That was a matter still up for debate.
She did like working here, though. The people were friendly and the setting was pretty. Relaxing, too. She could hear herself think in the quiet of Cypress Corners. She wasn’t always eager to hear just what she was thinking, though. Coming up with reasons to avoid Ty was a big one. Why, she didn’t know. Okay, she did. He scared her. He was just so solid and real. It was like he was a whole different breed from the selfish boys she’d known all her life. He was intense, too. Committed, to his work and to his family. He was a lot like her brother Rick that way. She had no doubt in her mind that Rick would die before he let anything bad happen to Harmony or Nick. Ty was like Jake too, though. A little rough around the edges with charm to spare. She’d never been with a guy like him. That was for sure.
“Hey Cassie, can you get these guys set up?” Jake called to her.
She smiled at the two college-age boys checking her out. She wore a camp shirt with khaki shorts and Keds, and her hair was up in a ponytail. They probably thought she was their age, and she wasn’t going to correct that assumption. She was going to use it to her advantage, though. Get them to buy a few extras to go with their adventure today. If she’d learned anything from Rick, it was that if there was something a customer really wanted you could get them to buy it.
She flashed them a smile. “Hi, I’m Cassie. How can I help you.”
“We want to do one of the adventure courses.”
Leading them to the pamphlets outlining the different adventures, she winked. “What are you up for?”
They stared at her for a beat, and then grinned.
By the time they were equipped and ready to go, she’d signed them up for the obstacle climb, the rope bridge and the course that gave them a 6-mile run. She was tired just imagining doing all of those, but they looked very excited as they turned their attention from her to the challenges ahead.
“Nice job,” Jake said, coming alongside her. “Why don’t you take off. Grab something for lunch and be back around one?”
“Thank, boss.” She smiled. “Bring you a burger?”
“Ah, Cassie. You know the way to your brother’s heart.”
“Heart attack, maybe. Don’t worry. I won’t tell Claire.”
“Hey, beef is good for making babies.”
She laughed. “If you say so. I’ll see you at one.”
Leaving the shed, she headed back to the golf cart she used to get around the property. It was painted in bursts of color, with palm trees and muddy water depicted all over the sides and hood. It was geared for the adventure courses and was themed for excitement. She liked it and she liked working with Jake. For the time-being, this would suit her. As for the rest of her life?
That remained to be seen.
***
Ty walked into the shed around four and found Jake at the counter. By the way Jake’s clothes were smudged with dirt and his hair was messed, he could guess he’d taken a run or two on the courses this afternoon.
“Hey, Jake.”
Jake smiled. “Ty. Looking for Cassie?”
Ty just shook his head. He wasn’t going to admit to her brother that he had hoped for a glimpse of her today. The work week was drawing to a close and he hadn’t had the chance to get her alone since Tuesday night.
“Actually, I’d like a hard workout. I just finished a hellish tour with a couple of dude-bros.”
Jake chuckled. “Did they try to jump in one of the lakes?”
“How did you guess? They wanted to wrestle a gator, like I would ever let that happen.”
“There must be a fraternity visiting. We just had some college guys in to run the courses.”
“I’m sure you gave them the low-down on safety.”
“Actually, Cassie handled it.”
Jake looked pretty proud of his sister and that made Ty feel good, too.
“How’s she working out?”
“I think she might have found her niche. No phone calls to mess up. No sales pitches either, although she’s really good at signing people up for more than they came in for. And they’re always happy when they’re done, too. She has a gift, I think.”
“She’s pretty amazing.”
Jake raised his brows and shot him a look. Ty just shrugged.
“I’m not going to pretend I don’t like her, Jake. I couldn’t if I tried.”
“Yeah, you have that goofy look going on.”
Ty grunted at him. “Just set me up?”
“Sure. What do you want today?”
“I think I’ll tackle the big climbing structure. I ran 10 miles yesterday and my left ankle is a little tender.”
“You should head over to the swim club then.”
“I’ll be fine to climb.”
“Okay.” Jake went over to the harnesses and grabbed one made for someone of Ty’s build and weight. “Here you go. Grab a helmet. I see the shoes. You have gloves?”
Ty pulled the pair out of the back pocket of his shorts. “Yep.”
“Then have at it.”
Ty fastened the strap on the helmet and pulled on his gloves. He’d gone to the locker he kept in the fitness center and changed out of his Institute uniform and into gym shorts and a snug T-shirt. He needed to focus and getting up on the wall always did it for him. The run yesterday cleared his head like he’d expected but he still felt a tingle of pent-up energy. It was probably withdrawal after loving Cassie all Tuesday night. He smiled to himself. Yeah, he probably shouldn’t share that with her brother, either.
He exited the shed and turned down the path toward the climbing walls. There were several set up on the courses, of differing heights and skill levels. There were spotters and assistants here too, along with belayers, so everyone would be safe.
As he passed the wall for moderate skill levels, he caught sight of a body he was starting to know pretty well. Firm, smooth legs. Round, sweet ass. Yep. Cassie was halfway up on the wall, clinging like a bunch of Spanish moss. She wasn’t moving.
Ty looked over the apparatus. Her harness was tied to a top rope threaded to a carabiner at the top of the structure. The other end of the rope was held by a belayer. In this case, the guy was in his early twenties and looked pretty worried. He held on tight to Cassie’s rope, which was threaded through the belay device on his harness.
“She okay?” Ty asked him.
“She said she didn’t need any instructions.” The guy shrugged. “Then she just started climbing.”
“And then?”
“And then she froze. She refuses to climb down and won’t let anybody go up there to help her.”
Ty nodded and walked closer until he was directly under her. She wore climbing shoes, at least. A pair of loaners from the shed. Her camp shirt was a little loose, though. She was stuck almost halfway up the wall, about twelve feet off the ground. From this angle he could see straight up her back. Today’s bra was purple.
“Hey there, Cassie,” he called up to her.
She jerked, and then let out a little yelp. “H-hey, Ty. What’s up?”
&
nbsp; He snorted. “You, apparently. Why are you climbing this wall?”
She turned her head, still holding tight to the wall. She was looking down at him now, and he could see her brow was furrowed beneath her helmet.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Placing his hands on his hips, he stepped over to the side so he could look up into her face. “And now?”
“N-now?” She made that yelping sound again as she tried to move her left foot. “Now, not so much.”
Ty put on his harness and threaded one of the top ropes through. He waved over another belayer and handed him the other end. “I’m going up to get her. Hold onto this for me.”
The other belayer nodded and secured the rope into his harness. Ty started to climb, coming up to Cassie’s level in just a few steps. He stopped right next to her.
“Hey, there,” he said, making sure to show her how relaxed he was in his harness. “You okay?”
She gave a quick shake of her head, like she was afraid to move. “Get. Me. Down.”
He smiled. “You got it. You have to trust me, though.”
Her eyes met his and the jolt nearly sent him falling to the ground. “I trust you, Ty.”
Swallowing, he focused on maneuvering so that he was over her. He cradled her with his body and felt her relax a fraction against him.
“We’re going to climb down,” he said, for her benefit and for the two belayers on the ground.
The guys called up to them that they were ready and he placed his right hand over Cassie’s.
“You need to let go.”
“I can’t,” she squeaked.
“You can. I’ve got you.”
She gave a shaky nod, which was something at least. “O-okay.”
With his hand on hers, he put his weight to the left and smoothly moved their right hands down to another hold.
“That feels better,” she said, easing a bit more.
“Your arms must have felt pretty stretched.”
“Like they were going to pop out of their sockets.”
“We can’t have that,” he said, his mouth close to the back of her neck. He could smell her and almost taste the dewy sweat he saw there. “Now the left.”
He repeated the move with their left sides, easing the pressure on that arm, too. The feet were going to be trickier but he calmly told her what to do and she began to anticipate his every move as they slowly made their way down the wall.
Cypress Corners Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Page 46