by Maggie Mundy
Busy ’til Friday. Look after the little man. Let me know if you need anything. I mean it.
She was sure he did, and her list was long as her arm. He couldn’t provide safety against Steve though. No one could. The police tried once and it made him worse. Her stomach did a flip at the thought alone. Cassi didn’t want to leave her friends or Declan. Somehow it seemed the only solution in the long run.
Sasha walked back in the door and yawned as she placed her purse on the counter.
“You’re looking at your phone, so I assume Declan is texting. Shit, I still can’t believe you know him.”
The minute her housemate spoke, Cassi knew she wouldn’t be moving away from here. She loved Sasha and would cope with whatever happened.
“I do, he’s lovely, and it’s not making life any easier. It could be so easy if he was conceited, but he isn’t.”
“Tell him you need to move to Outer Mongolia to keep Tommy safe and I’ll look after him. I mean it’s the least I could do for you as a best friend. It will be hard snuggling up and keeping him warm at night, but what are girlfriends for?”
“I don’t think so.” Cassi surprised herself for her reaction at the thought of someone else cuddling up to Declan. It was not something she wanted to think about. She accepted he was an actor and would probably do romantic scenes. Carrying on with Sasha would be real. It was all silly, though. She was just messing with her own head.
“That was what I thought. You have it bad, sister.” Sasha shook her head and laughed.
“A few weeks ago I would have said don’t be so silly, but I have to admit he’s getting to me.” He was more than getting to her. She’d fallen in love with him.
“Well, on another note. Audrey said she will be back Saturday to make cookies with Tommy. He can sprinkle in the chocolate chips with his good hand. She said she also wants to talk to us about something. I hope she’s okay. I’d hate it if she was sick. There’re some grumpy old people at the village, but she’s one of the nice ones.”
Cassi lay in bed later and considered there was no point getting confused about her feelings if they were going nowhere. She couldn’t get away to see him anyway.
Saturday came and Tommy was better. He rarely needed any painkillers, and he said his arm was getting itchy inside the plaster cast. Cassi phoned day care and Nina was happy to have him back on Monday. As long as he didn’t knock out any of the other kids with his cast, that was. Nina promised she would also make sure the other kids didn’t draw on top of his turtle picture.
After breakfast, Sasha picked up Audrey. She turned up with her easel and paints. The smile on Tommy’s face was contagious as they all set up the paper and paints so he could work. Steve had been such a fantastic artist. She hoped Tommy would be more productive with his talent when he got older than his father had been.
Next on the agenda when Tommy finished his masterpiece, was cookie making time. He sat at the counter as Sasha got the ingredients ready. When it came to adding the chocolate, she reckoned more went in Tommy’s mouth than in the bowl, but it didn’t matter. Once the cookies were in the oven, they sat down with coffee as Tommy ate his apple.
Audrey took a sip of her coffee and then got out a notebook from her purse along with some flyers.
“I’ve been thinking over the past few weeks that I need an interest. The village is beautiful, but the people are boring. It was fine when my husband was alive because we would travel, but now I sit around too much. I think if I sit still too long I’ll forget how to move and get out. You girls have made a difference to that.”
“You have made a difference with us, too,” Cassi said.
“I would like to invest in you both. I think the idea of the gourmet picnics is wonderful. I would be willing to give you money to buy the baskets and set up advertising. If it takes off, we could look for a small place you can work from.”
Cassi and Sasha sat there for a moment in silence. This was fantastic and unexpected, but Cassi didn’t want to take Audrey’s money in case it failed.
“I think it would be wonderful, but what about work?” Sasha asked.
“I think we should worry about that if it takes off. If we only get a couple of orders, we won’t have to worry and can at least say we tried,” Audrey said.
“This is great, but how does it get you out of the village?” Cassi asked.
“I’d like to design the linen and get them printed, and then they could be for sale. If you wouldn’t mind. I’d also love to come here whenever it was convenient. I’m considering leaving the village and buying a house. Maybe we could all live there. Just consider it. I won’t be upset if you say no. I know this is asking a lot.”
“I think it sounds brilliant and we will get started on a business plan later,” Cassi said, as the doorbell went. They were not expecting anyone, but when she glanced at Sasha and Audrey, she could see they were grinning. “Are you two up to something?”
Sasha shook her head. “Never. I need to take the cookies out of the oven. They should be ready. Why don’t you answer it, Cassi?”
Cassi opened the door and her heart raced as she realized he was there. Even with a hooded top pulled down over his face, she would know him anywhere. She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. He was holding a bunch of helium balloons. Some said, get well soon, but one of them was shaped like a turtle. She would not cry, though the tears were really close.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course. I’m sorry. I was just shocked to see you here.”
She saw a SUV parked at the curb and glanced up and down the street to make sure no one noticed her famous visitor. Once in the hallway, he didn’t say anything, but threw back his hood. He was here in her home with his gorgeous eyes, wonderful body, and the world’s best smile. Her heart was bursting with joy as she grinned at him.
He placed one of his arms about her waist and pulled her to him. His lips were on hers and the rest of the world didn’t exist for that moment. She wanted him as much as she had before, and returned his kiss with equal passion as her hands rested against his chest. There was a cough behind them, and she turned to see Sasha grinning at the pair of them.
“Are you two going to stay there all day until the balloons go down, or come and join us for cookies and coffee?”
Declan followed Cassi into the kitchen. She took a deep breath before she started the introductions. She still couldn’t believe he was here.
“This is my friend, Audrey, and I assume you and Sasha have been in contact planning this, and this is Tommy. This is Declan, who I met when hiking. He gave you the Rory toy when you were in the hospital, and he’s brought you some balloons.”
Tommy’s eyes went wide as he stared at the balloons. “Thank you. Look at my cast. It has a turtle on it like the balloon. Audrey did it. I broke bones.”
Declan went around to examine the picture. “It looks pretty good to me. Audrey is a very talented lady and you are a brave boy.”
Cassi could see Audrey blush at the compliment.
“You can put your name on it? Sasha and Mom have.”
Tommy grabbed a pencil off the counter and handed it to Declan. Cassi bit her lip, wondering what he would do.
“I’d like that.”
He wrote: To Tommy, the brave, Declan Reed.
Sasha put the cookies on a plate and Tommy’s interest went elsewhere.
“Audrey and I are going to look after Tommy today, so you two can go off and have some lunch. Now go, get out of here, get yourselves sorted.”
At that moment, Cassi wanted to hug both of these women so much. She grabbed her purse and gave Tommy a kiss that involved chocolate chip cookie being smudged on her face. Declan followed her out of the house. His hood was again in place, pulled down over his face as he walked to the car.
As they drove off, she decided everything was going to be different from now on. No more secrets. If he asked, she would tell him everything and take the consequences. She’d dealt with crap before an
d if it was all going to go wrong now, she would cope again.
Declan took her hand in his and squeezed it. When she looked at him, he smiled, and even though he was twenty-six, she felt like it was a boyish grin. He then put his hand back on the wheel and studied the road ahead.
“You’re not angry with Sasha because she called me, are you? I know your privacy is important, but I felt like I wanted to help and couldn’t do anything.” He stared ahead.
“No, I’m not angry. It was wonderful to see you at the door, but I suppose this changes everything a bit.” She bit her bottom lip, not knowing what to say next.
“I was going to go to the beach house again if you want.”
“I’d love that.”
Declan chatted about the show as they drove, but she knew they needed to talk, even though she would have preferred to just rip his clothes off and jump him. They pulled into the driveway at his brother’s beach house and she followed him indoors.
“I’ll make us a drink.”
He busied himself in the kitchen as she sat down on the sofa and stared out at the ocean. He came back, put down the coffee, and sat next to her. He leaned across and gave her a kiss. Just a gentle one, and then he moved away.
“I want to strip you naked and delve into you right this minute. I never stop thinking about you and your body, but I guess we need to talk,” Declan said, in a low voice that sent her over the edge as she imagined what he was suggesting.
She twisted her hands around each other. He reached across and took her right hand in his.
“It’ll be fine, Cassi. You can just tell me what you want. I truly don’t believe there is anything you can say that will change how I feel.”
Cassi’s stomach was turning over as her mouth went suddenly dry, but she would get this over and done. This was all lovely, but she didn’t know how he really felt. If she said she was falling for him, would he run?
“My parents are very religious. I mean really full-on, sitting down praying all the time, and lots of reading from the Bible. I never did anything bad at school. Didn’t have a boyfriend and did what they said. I wasn’t even allowed to go to prom, as they thought it was where bad things happen. Which was code for girls losing their virginity. That was something to be kept for wedding nights, and then only when you wanted a child after that. I don’t think they realized most of the girls already popped their cherries long before prom.”
Cassi picked up her coffee and took a sip before she went on.
“I went to college to study business and was enjoying it. I also went a bit crazy being free for the first time in my life. I got drunk, smoked weed, and there was, of course, lots of sex. Some of it good, and some not so great. I was in my second year when I met Steve. He was an artist, outrageous, and so different to anyone I’d ever met before.”
She thought back to the first day she saw Steve, and remembered how her heart almost flipped when he noticed her. No one paid her attention at school or college. Now it seemed like a dream.
“Things were good to begin with, and his art was doing well. It didn’t last and he got involved with heavy drugs and everything went wrong. He owed people money and started to get violent. I wanted to leave, but found out I was pregnant. My parents disowned me, said it was my own fault. I would’ve been on the streets. So in the end, I gave up my study and had Tommy.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to go on, but she had come this far.
“You don’t have to say anymore if you don’t want to.”
She could see the concern in his eyes and she cared for him even more because of it.
“I want to. He started to take crack as well as the heroin, and things spiraled out of control. One night he came home and I said was I worried about him. He beat me up. I remember waking up on the floor, bruised and battered, with Tommy in his crib, crying. I didn’t know how long I’d been out, but knew I needed to leave. I tried Mom and Dad again, but they said no. I called Sasha. She said to come and live with her. I had enough money for the bus fare and sat there with Tommy on my lap, plus the clothes on our backs. It was all we had in the world.”
Declan took her hand in his and squeezed it. “I wish I could have been there for you. So do you know where Steve is now?”
Cassi shook her head.
“I don’t even know if he’s still alive. He used to threaten he would come after me if I took Tommy. He said he would never hurt Tommy, but sometimes he was so out of it, he’d nearly burn the place down. I called the cops a couple of times, but it just made it worse. I wanted to leave, but felt trapped.” She found her breath was shallow and fast as she remembered.
“You did what you needed to do to survive. Tommy seems a great kid.”
“So there you have it. I was scared to be with you in case he found us.”
“I want to be in your life, and I don’t care if it means I have to take on your son as well. I suggest you let me try and find out if Steve is still alive. If he is, I think you should move in with me.”
Cassi didn’t think she could open her eyes any wider as her mouth hung open. Not only was he accepting Tommy, but he wanted them to live together. She adored him, but this was happening too fast.
“You look shocked at my suggestion. I’d like you in my bed if you moved in, but if you wanted your own space, that would be fine, too. The place has six bedrooms, so Sasha could come as well.”
“You hardly know me. Why are you doing this?”
“I know about your past and about Tommy. We know we’re compatible in the sack. I can’t stop thinking about you, so it makes sense. If you move in and think it’s a big mistake, I’ll buy you somewhere else to live. I’d just really like to wake up each day with you next to me. Will you at least think about it?”
It was surreal that he was offering so much help. Could the universe really be that kind to her?
“I’ll think about it and talk with Sasha. I really like you, but I don’t like bringing men into my life who may not be around in the long run. I don’t think it’s good for Tommy to get to like someone and then watch him disappear. I know that sounds rough but…”
“No buts. I don’t plan on going anywhere, but I can understand your caution. I’m patient and we can keep meeting like this until you feel happy with the next step. In the meantime, I was wondering if you’d like a bath and a massage. After that, I’m going to have to screw you until you scream.”
Her body was already heating up at the idea of getting naked with him.
“That sounds wonderful. After the past week, I’m ready to be pampered, spoiled and pleasured a little.”
“Who said a little? I want to fuck you ’til your legs go weak. Sit here for two minutes and I’ll be back.”
He went off to run the bath and Cassi stared out at the ocean. Could she really have a happy ending and a safe life with someone like Declan? Did things like that happen to girls who ended up on the wrong side of the tracks? At this moment, she was just going to think about the wonderful bath and great sex she was offered. Declan came back out, already topless. His body was beautiful and she wanted to run her fingers over the taut muscles of his chest and abdomen.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m not going to bother with the bath and take you on the floor right here.”
“I don’t know what you mean. I could be tempted by the floor, but I want that massage you promised.”
He put out his hand and pulled her up from the sofa so she came up against his chest.
“I love the feel of your skin beneath my hands.”
Declan bent his head, kissing her lips, and pushing his tongue into the interior of her mouth, searching every corner as before. She couldn’t get enough of him. When they finally came apart, she was breathless. He took her hand in his and guided her to the bathroom. She couldn’t stop the tears that came to her eyes as she saw the candles and rose petals. The fragrance of roses filled the air from the bubble bath. She turned to look at him as he went to undo the buttons on her bl
ouse, but stopped.
“You’re crying. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just no one has done anything like this for me before, and now some famous guy is doing it. It just all seems so unreal, I feel like I’m going to wake up and be so sad this was just a dream.”
“I’m in a show on TV, but I’m just a guy from Aus who’s mad about a girl who came to his rescue when hiking. This is just us for a few hours.”
He was right and she would enjoy it and worry about the future later.
“Now I was about to undo these buttons until someone interrupted me.”
He pushed her blouse off and kissed her shoulder. She could feel her nipples harden and she wanted out of her bra so he could touch them. He kneeled down on the floor before her and unzipped her jeans. As he pushed them over her hips, he kissed from her navel to her waist, sending little tickles through her body. She gazed down at him and saw him wink as he pulled her jeans and panties off. He stood up, reached behind her back, and undid her bra as he nibbled below her ear, which made her body feel like melted butter, so good, but bad. He stood back and glanced down her body.
“From your expression, I get that you have no idea how fucking sexy you are. It’s like you’re waiting for me to arouse the next spot, and when I do and hear the little sounds you make, I get so turned on.”
She didn’t say anything because if she did, it would be ‘I love you’, and that might spoil everything. Dear God, had she just thought that? She wasn’t just falling. She was in love with him. Cassi didn’t want him to look at her now or he would see it on her face.
Declan scooped her up and lowered her into the water. It took only a moment before her body relaxed with the heat. He shucked off his boots, his clothes were gone, and he slipped in behind her. She lay back against his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body. He pulled her hair aside and bent down to kiss her neck, twirling little circles with his tongue that made her body tingle. When he stopped, her body still wanted more.