Craving Cassie Ch. 03

"A party!" Cassie squealed. "Woo-hoo, I do love a party now."

Not to be left out, Heather, who was snuggled in Jake's arms, chimed in with her own atrocious Southern drawl. "Hot damn, honey, you know I'm always up fer a party too. Where's it at?"

The redhead was looking uncomfortable, but the blonde tramp just looked plain mad. Cassie toyed with them for a few minutes more before they just gave up and wandered off, seeking other prey. Cassie chuckled. When she went to slip away from Kevin, however, he wouldn't let her go.

"What's your hurry, sugar pie, honey dear?" he mocked with a big smile. "I do believe they are playing our song. Least you can do is offer me a dance now that you scared away all my dance partners."

She pretended to consider it, although she was thrilled at the idea of having a legitimate excuse to press up against him for a while longer. "Hmmm, well, sugar pie, honey dear, I guess I can do that."

They were playing some old country song, a ballad about lost love and heartbreak and twenty beers to drown it in, but Cassie barely heard the lyrics as she sighed and melted into Kevin's arms on the dance floor. How easy it would be to let go and fall completely in love with this man, she thought.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Jake and Heather were dancing too. They looked so comfortable together, and so happy. No one else in the room existed for either of them, from the looks of it. Cassie was glad. Maybe they would make it after all. She hoped so.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Kevin whispered, and his breath against the sensitive shell of her ear sent a thrill down her spine.

"Sure, love muffin."

She heard the smile in his voice as he asked, "Why did you really scare that woman away? Jealous?"

"You bet," she said without hesitation. "That woman had great hair. I wonder if I should dye my hair red," she added thoughtfully.

"Don't you dare," Kevin said and pinched her bottom in warning. "Seriously. Were you?"

She sighed, figuring she owed him nothing less than the truth. "I don't know. Maybe. OK, yeah, I was. I don't know why. We're just friends."

"Your rule, not mine," he reminded.

"I know." She turned her head on his shoulder, watched the lights gleam. "I should see a shrink."

"Plenty of people do. Doesn't mean you're crazy."

"Gee, thanks. You weren't supposed to agree with me."

"Hey, I like crazy. Crazy is hot. Really, crazy turns me on."

She felt his erection against her hip and thought, yeah, no kidding. She lifted her head and stroked her cheek against his. "Okay. Say you'd seen a couple of really hot guys flirting with me instead – would you have been jealous?"

She swore she felt his body tense and smiled to herself. "Hell, yeah," he agreed without hesitation. Then he was the one to sigh. "Difference is, you know I want to be more than just friends so it would have been justified."

She thought about that for a few seconds, wondering if her jealousy meant she would never be able to be "just friends" with Kevin. She smiled wryly at herself. Hadn't she been over this a thousand times in her mind already? If Kevin could promise her that adding sex back into their relationship wouldn't destroy their friendship, she would go home with him right now and give him a night he wouldn't soon forget.

She knew that wasn't a promise anyone could make though. She sighed, loudly and deeply. Heather's words came back to haunt her: "you'll never know until you try."

"Okay."

"Okay what?" Kevin repeated.

She just kept her head on his shoulder as she said, "Maybe we could try something ... more."

His hands around her waist tightened, and he seemed to falter in his movements for a second. Cassie realized she was holding her breath, waiting for some sort of audible response from him as well.

A softly whispered "Damn" was her only reward.

"Damn?" she repeated, lifting her head and sending him a look that could kill. "All you can say is 'damn'?"

He simply pressed her hips closer to his with one hand and pushed her head back down toward his shoulder with the other. "Feel that? I was already turned on holding you, but what you just said made me hard as a rock. We're gonna have to keep dancing until I can get out of here without embarrassing myself."

"Oh." A slow, self-satisfied smile spread across her lips. She lowered her head back to his shoulder and relaxed again. "Okay."

In the end, Kevin had to excuse himself to use the restroom, and when he came back – quite some time later – he was less noticeably aroused, but not by much. Cassie hid her smirk behind her mug of beer and continued her conversation with her sister and Jake until Jake finally reminded, "Time's up. Gotta get home to relieve the sitter."

The foursome walked outside, continuing their banter and fellowship until the last possible minute. Cassie noticed Kevin was walking behind her, using her as a shield to hide his condition. Poor thing. She felt a thrill knowing she'd put him in that condition, and she was probably grinning like a fool too. Maybe it was the beer she'd drank, although it hadn't been much. Maybe it was the full moon overhead. Cassie even found herself doing something totally out of character by initiating a hug with her little sister in parting.

"Thanks," she whispered in Heather's ear.

"For what?" Heather laughed, squeezing back.

Cassie just shrugged. "Just thanks. That's all."

"Tell that kid of yours I'll take her canoeing next weekend if she's good," Kevin was saying to Jake, who gathered Heather close with one arm and waved goodbye with the other.

"Where are you parked?" Kevin asked Cassie and pointed out that he was parked in the back lot.

"Same here. The place was packed when I got here," she explained, wondering, 'what do we do now?' Should she ask that god-awful question, your place or mine? Or should she let him take the lead? Encourage small talk? What? She actually felt butterflies in her stomach for the first time in years! How ridiculous was that?

"So ..." she said after the silence grew uncomfortable as they rounded the building. "Wanna go catch a movie now or—" She broke off when she saw something sharp come into his eyes, something reckless and thrilling that had her heart racing to a faster beat just from seeing it.

She felt her body jerk against his as he pressed her back against the brick wall behind the bar, hidden in the shadows. She didn't care. She just wanted his hands on her, and he didn't let her down. He slid them both beneath the hem of her shirt, slid them up the silk skin of her back as his mouth crashed down on hers. It was a hard kiss. A greedy kiss. It was easily a kiss that had been stored up inside both of them for the past four years, she reasoned as she pressed into him, giving every bit as good as she got. Her legs got tangled up with his. She lost track of whose hand was where. She just let it happen, not caring if the entire Chicago Cubs baseball team were to happen by and catch them at that moment.

Pulling back, breathing hard, Kevin pressed his forehead against hers and, after a moment, managed to say, "Sorry. I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist. You've had me so worked up all night ..."

"Just all night?" she challenged, smiling, still breathing hard herself.

"Minx." He smiled back and admitted, "Okay, you've had me worked up since the moment I first laid eyes on you, sweetheart. Now what are we gonna do about it?"

She let her hands do some exploring and pressed her hips closer to his in reply. Yep, he was still turned on; she could feel him poking against her, more so than before. He growled in her ear. "Watch it, darlin', or I'm gonna end up taking you right here, right now."

"Would that really be so bad?" she teased in his ear at the same time her hand slid between the waistband of his jeans and his hot, hard skin.

He groaned. "Got any protection on you?"

She stopped what she was doing, yet again realizing the thought had never once crossed her mind. Why was it always like that with him, and only him? She regretfully shook her head. "No."

"Damn. Me either. I didn't want to risk you finding any on me and jumping to conclusions. Boy, was I stupid." He closed his eyes and said, "Just give me a minute."

Cassie thought about their situation and ways out of it, but only for a second. Then she put both of her hands to work – one to lower his zipper and the other to fish out his erection. She nipped his earlobe and smiled when he groaned and leaned more into her, a slave to his hormones. "Why don't you let me take care of this for you so you can be more comfortable following me back to my place?" she told him.

He seemed to look around, trying to see if anyone was around to spy on them. She already knew there wasn't – she'd already looked for herself. Not to mention, it was so dark where they were standing, no one would see them anyway. Either way, she was willing to risk it if he was. Still, he seemed to grit his teeth and say, "Nah ... Wouldn't be right."

"If it was right, it wouldn't be so much fun," she smiled and just shoved him around until he was the one leaning against the wall, at her mercy. "Just lean back and enjoy the ride, cowboy. You can return the favor later."

"Cassie ... oh god," he began to protest and then groaned when her hands, then her lips made contact with his very hard cock. His head fell back against the brick and he unconsciously arched his hips toward her. Swallowing hard, Kevin lifted his head, opened his eyes, and looked down at her on her knees and servicing him behind a bar.

As he watched her mouth slide up and down on his cock, Cassie heard herself moan a time or two along with him. She made love to his cock like she'd never done before, coating it gently with her tongue so she could slide more of him between her lips. She knew he'd already been so turned on, it wouldn't take long for him to cum. She really started to bob up and down, faster and faster. She felt Kevin grab her hair and say, "I'm close, Cassie. .. Better ...stop," he gasped.

She started to feel his cock swell as she continued to lick up and down his long, hard staff. She'd never swallowed for anyone before – she didn't know of any woman outside of porn and erotic stories who actually enjoyed doing it – so she pulled back and finished him off with her hands.

When his breathing seemed to return to normal, she smiled a self-satisfied smile and straightened to lean into him. "Better now?"

"Damn, Cassie." He tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not so sure I can repay a favor as good as that one."

"Don't worry. Practice makes perfect, and I plan to see that you get plenty of practice," she told him and pulled away with the intent to get in her car and race home as fast as humanly possible. Now she was the one who was hot and horny and aching for release. She'd never given a guy a blowjob in a public place before, and for some reason, it had made her wet. Excited. Eager. But Kevin grabbed her hand and tugged her back before she could get a move on it.

"My place, not yours," he said with a grin. She wondered why the preference and guessed it must have shown on her face. He reminded, "Condoms," and she almost turned red. Yet again she'd let it slip her mind, and he did have that big multi-pack to use up. She had none to speak of herself.

"Okay. Your place," she agreed and turned to leave. He wouldn't let go of her hand.

"Wait, Cassie," he said, obviously not sharing her edge of urgency now that he'd gotten his rocks off. "If you change your mind on the way there ... you know I'll understand."

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him, hoping to convince him she wasn't going to change her mind anytime soon. "Nice try, hot stuff, but you're not getting out of that favor you owe me. Now, will you just leave already or do you need an engraved invitation?"

He just smiled real big, obviously relieved and just as excited as she was, and when he said, "Make sure you follow me. I know a shortcut," Cassie knew she was in for a night she would never forget.

***

The 'just friends' rule had been tossed out for nearly three months, and so far, so good, Kevin couldn't help but think.

What a great three months it had been too. He and Cassie had been virtually inseparable since the night she'd caved in and agreed to add sex to their renewed friendship. She had not only stayed the entire night at his place that night without having second thoughts, she'd stayed that entire weekend. Then the next, and the next, and sometimes he stayed at her place too. Kevin hadn't exactly gotten her to say those three little words just yet, but he'd let them slip to her a couple of times now. He knew he loved her; he felt she should know it too. Sooner or later she'd accept he meant it and feel comfortable enough to share her own feelings. Maybe she felt the same. Maybe she didn't.

He was a patient man. He figured he could wait a little bit longer to find out.

Kevin sighed as he sat on the edge of the swimming pool behind his newly purchased house and watched as Cassie helped her niece stay afloat in the water. The woman was a bit of a distraction in that bikini, but he reigned in such thoughts, knowing it was hardly proper since they'd been entrusted with Faith for the weekend while Jake and Heather celebrated their wedding anniversary out of town. Still, he didn't mind looking. He knew Cassie had caught him staring at her with a grin on his face more than once. She was getting pretty good at pretending she didn't notice, but he'd caught her checking him out a time or two as well.

They had yet to christen his swimming pool – they'd been too busy christening all the other rooms. If little Faith weren't their responsibility today, Kevin felt sure they'd be christening the pool right about now. He could just picture it. Just the two of them. Cassie's legs wrapped around his waist. Their slick, wet skin sliding against each other. Her hot, slick tunnel surrounding his hard cock ...

He was ripped from his thoughts when he suddenly felt a wave of water splash him in the face followed by the sounds of the little girl's laughter. "Ooops. Sorry," Cassie feigned innocence as her niece giggled helplessly in her arms.

Kevin pretended to growl and slipped back into the pool with them, then chased Cassie – who was holding Faith – until he trapped them against the wall. "You think that was funny, huh?" he asked, grabbing Faith, lifting her up high and then perching her on his shoulders. She squealed with glee and laughed when he asked Cassie, "Now what about you, young lady?"

"Lady? Where?" she asked and pretended to look around. "I don't see a lady around here."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that and launched a wave of water in her direction in retaliation for her earlier attack. Cassie just squealed in protest and splashed back.

By the time they made it back inside, he was pretty sure all of their sides were hurting from so much laughter. He couldn't help but think, "If we had kids, this is what it would be like." He sighed. Oh yeah. He had it bad. Real bad.

When Faith disappeared into the bathroom to "tinkle," he cornered a still wet and bikini-clad Cassie in the kitchen, where she was making them sandwiches for lunch. He took the opportunity to slide his arms around her from behind and nuzzle her neck.

"Mmmm. You feel good, sweetheart. Nice and wet, just the way I like you."

"Pervert," she accused, but twisted so he could kiss her on the mouth rather than the neck. "Too bad I can't stay here tonight. Gotta take care of the kid though."

"You could both stay here," he reminded, but she arched her brows at him like he was crazy for suggesting such a thing. "Not with my niece, I won't. I won't set that kind of example. I'll stay tomorrow night when she's back home."

"Mmmm. I can't wait," he murmured, nibbling her earlobe. When he slid his hand around to feel her breast, she moaned and leaned back into him. Then they heard the sound of the toilet flushing, and Cassie protested, "She's coming," and wiggled free of his grasp.

Kevin loved seeing her so flushed and flustered, even though he was disturbed by something she'd said. She didn't want to set "that kind of example" for her niece. That kind of declaration could put a serious hamper on his plans to ask her to move in with him.

He'd had her tour this house with him when he made the decision to buy one, just so he could make sure she liked the one he bought. He'd been on the road so often since he'd moved to this town, it had never bothered him to pay rent on an apartment. Nowadays, he hardly traveled at all – he'd actually turned down guiding adventure tours in order to spend more time with Cassie. It made him realize he'd like to have a home of his own, hopefully one he could share with her. He was ready to settle down, and he hoped she was too, finally.

If she'd been anyone else, Kevin would have already asked Cassie to marry him. But as she had been so eager to remind him time and time again, she was allergic to commitment. She was comfortable with the way things were. So he'd been trying to decide if he should go ahead and ask her to move in instead – even though the thought just didn't sit well with him. His mama and sisters had always taught him to have more respect for the woman he loved, but he had himself convinced Cassie might actually agree with that before she would marriage.

Now he wasn't so sure of that either.

The rest of the day Kevin made sure he made no move to flirt with Cassie at all. In fact, he was perfectly content just to spend time with two of his favorite ladies, playing silly board games, watching cartoons, and visiting the local McDonald's for a snack. When Cassie and Faith left his place later that evening, he actually felt sad and lonely for the first time in a long time.

Too dignified to mope, he did the next best thing – he called the sister he was closest to for advice. When he hung up nearly an hour later, he thought maybe, just maybe he had a better idea of what he needed to do ...

***

"What do you mean, you're leaving?" Cassie asked, trying to sound like she wasn't upset by the idea, even though she was. She pulled Kevin's discarded tee shirt over her head and turned to find him watching her with appreciation.

"I've got a booking for a white water trip," he explained. "I'll only be gone for a couple of weeks. You probably won't even notice I'm gone."

"Yeah maybe," she tried to agree, although she was pretty damned sure she would notice. She went back to the bed and sat down and didn't even focus on him lying there naked aside from the bed sheets and looking deliciously disheveled from their recent bout of lovemaking. She chewed on her nails and stared thoughtfully at the wall.

It was over for her. Cassie had known for certain the minute she had walked into Kevin's new house the first day he'd moved in and saw the rose petals he'd strewn along the floor for her. She'd never get over him. Never get past him. With single-minded purpose, he'd destroyed all of the careful walls she'd built around her heart until there were none left.

Now she was stupidly, hopelessly, irreversibly in love with the man, and she had to admit to herself she probably had been all along, ever since that first night together so long ago now.

Kevin could shatter her. No one had ever been allowed to have that control over her before. And now he was leaving? Leaving just when she was beginning to get a handle on her feelings for him?

"Hey," he said, trying to get her attention back on him. "I won't be gone long. I promise."

Cassie forced a smile. "I've got plenty of work to catch up on. It's probably a good thing. You just surprised me, that's all."

"Someday I might take you on an adventure with me – if you're real nice to me, of course," he said with a teasing grin.