Complicated Love Pt. 04

Chapter 6

Chris groaned as he walked up to the cabin, carrying most of their swimming equipment. He looked back to see Gavin walking with Cassie, making her laugh. Ann followed with James; Chris was the lone pack mule bringing up the rear. He scowled and continued to drag the various tubes and floats up to the cabin. His hands were aching, and he was angry at the fact that Gavin did not even offer to help.

Cassie turned back and joined Chris.

"You want some help?" Cassie asked softly, looking up at him.

"No, it's okay," Chris said, managing a small smile. "You just walk on with Gavin, I'll be fine," and trailed off as Cassie pulled a few floats from his hand and hefted them onto her back.

"There," she smiled, "Now it won't be that uncomfortable."

Chris looked at her in surprise as they continued to walk. How did she know that he was finding it awkward to hold all the floats? They weighed almost nothing, but stuck out at weird angles. Besides, he was sure he was not showing any outward signs of exhaustion.

"You're angry," the statement, softly spoken, sounded in his head like a bombshell. He had not known how intuitive she was.

"What makes you think I'm angry?" he asked, keeping his tone light. He knew she would start worrying if she knew he was upset, and he did not want to spoil her weekend. Little did he know that he could not hide anything from her, not even if he wanted to.

"You are. This isn't about last night is it? I am sorry, it is just that it is new to me, all of it. I have never been in this situation before, hell, I am not even sure if it is a situation. You threw me in the deep end, and it will take me some time to be able to navigate it," she said, looking up at him from beneath her lashes. Her cheeks were red and Chris wondered if she knew how adorable she looked when she blushed.

He shook his head slightly, clearing his mind and thought about what she had just said. He was the first? She had to be joking.

"I'm sorry," Cassie mumbled, her voice small and meek, and Chris realised that he had kept quiet for too long. She probably thought he was angry with her.

"No, it's not that," he said quickly, trying to reassure her. "I've just been tired and the lake was supposed to help me unwind but I'm just getting more worked up. It's just so hard to believe that dad just has a few days left and well...."

"Oh," she said, but she still looked sorry. She moved closer to him and for a brief moment rested her head on his shoulder. That small gesture pleased him, because he knew that now she trusted him.

Just as that small show of affection had made Chris happy, it made Gavin angry. Rage flooded through him. Cassie was his! She always had been. He had known her for over four years now, and she had only known Chris for two years. He was much closer to her. He slowed his pace so that they could catch up to him. As they got closer, he heard Cassie laughing, and the sound enraged him. She was not supposed to laugh for Chris, she was only supposed to laugh for him. He had not really noticed, but Cassie was a part of his life. No matter how much things changed, she was always constant. Now, she had brought on the biggest change of all, and he wanted her back

His mind suddenly cleared and he realised that he was being overly possessive. He wondered at his sudden, caveman-like feelings and slowed his pace even more. He had never been this possessive before. He looked up at the couple behind him. He noticed that Cassie walked close to Chris, and that she looked up at him with trust and affection in her eyes. He had never seen her do that to anyone before.

He stopped and stood there, unable to move as he made a decision. He would back off. Cassie obviously liked Chris, and he had no right to force his feelings on her. However, she had to know, so she could make her choice. Sighing, he resumed walking.

"Why do I have to think so much," he berated himself. "Why can't I just be selfish for once?"

But he couldn't be selfish now, not with her. Because, in the most inconvenient way, he realised that he loved her.

---

Cassie stood outside the cabin, looking at the lake before her. She could hear the buzzing of crickets and that calmed her down. She needed to be calm now. She gazed at the black water of the lake, searching for an answer in its depths. What was happening to her?

Ever since her marriage with Chris, she had been changing. The change was so slow that she did not even notice it, but Chris's behaviour in the past two days had forced her to acknowledge it.

First, she knew that she did not love Gavin anymore, not the way she used to. Somewhere in the last two months, he had become more of a brother, a close friend. She realized that what she had labelled love was actually intense infatuation. And Chris...Chris made her tingle. He brought on a rush of feelings and sensations that she had never experienced before. The hot flush of desire she felt every time he looked at her was something that had never happened before. She had never wanted someone like this, like the way she wanted Chris. The way she felt about him wasn't the way she had felt about Gavin. The feelings ran deeper, much deeper and were more primal. But she didn't know how to express them.

She shivered in the cool air and tried to sort herself out. Whom did she want? Why had her feelings changed? She had wanted to talk to Ann, but everyone had been tired that evening, so she had gone to bed. Even Chris was asleep. He had been so tired that she had told him to go to bed, but only after he made her promise to join him soon. Taking advantage of the unexpected solitude, she had gone back to the lake.

She heard soft footsteps behind her, and turned to look at Gavin walking toward her. He came and stood beside her, his hands in his pocket, his eyes on the lake. He turned them to Cassie now.

"What are you doing here? It's late and it's freezing," he said, squinting at her in the darkness.

"I needed time to think," Cassie answered, hugging herself against the cold.

"What about? You can tell me," Gavin said, his gaze still on her face.

Cassie sighed and was about to tell him that it didn't matter when she realised that he would be able to help her.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked, moving closer to him.

"Anything. You can tell me anything."

"Chris and I have a paper marriage," she confessed. "And well, now I have these feelings and I don't know..." she trailed off, not able to form a coherent sentence.

"I know." Gavin said. "Chris told me," he said, answering the question in her eyes.

"What should I do?" she asked. "I'm not sure about my own feelings, and well, Chris can have anyone he wants to, so why would he choose me? Why want me when he can have anyone he wants to?"

Her words had pierced Gavin's heart and he closed his eyes against the sudden pain.

"You should let him know how you feel. Maybe not tell him, but show him," he said, his voice gruff, his eyes fixed on some distant point in the lake.

"Maybe I should," Cassie said musingly, and looked up at Gavin. The expression in her green eyes warmed him. It was love, and gratitude. But it wasn't the love he wanted.

"Thanks Gavin," she said, impulsively hugging him. "I love you."

The words, spoken softly, came out involuntarily, and Cassie was surprised to find that she meant them. She did love him, he was her best friend, her guide, the person who would be there for her no matter what. But he wasn't Chris. And that was okay. She still loved him.

"I love you too, Cass," Gavin said as he returned her hug and then pushed her away. "Now go and get him," he said, giving her a little shove in the direction of the cabin. Cassie walked off, leaving Gavin standing alone in the darkness.

---

Chris turned restlessly in bed, wondering where Cassie was. He was tired, and could not sleep. He wanted Cassie's warmth beside him and was finding it hard to sleep without her at his side. He sighed and turned again, trying to sleep. Suddenly, he felt the bed covers being pulled and felt Cassie slip in. He lay there, a bit angry with her. He also knew that until she was asleep, she would not allow him to hold her to him. So he waited.

To his surprise, he felt Cassie put her arms around him and cuddle into his back. Her leg slipped over his and her head rested against his back. In a few moments, she had fallen asleep. Chris lay there, astonished. He carefully turned, but woke her anyway.

"Go to sleep," she mumbled, cuddling into his chest. "It's late."

"But I didn't get my kiss yet," he whispered, pulling her to him.

Cassie lifted her face to his, and gently, of her own volition, kissed him. It was a tentative, gentle kiss, but she told him a great deal through it. She told him that she was not scared of him, wasn't frightened, and wanted to give whatever it was they had a chance. She told him that feelings she did not know existed were awakening inside her.

He returned the kiss passionately, trying to tell her how happy that made him. After he had kissed her thoroughly, he pulled back and looked into her flushed face. Her lips were swollen from his kisses and her eyes were dark with desire, but now was not the time. He pulled her to him until their bodies were fully touching, put an arm around her and closed his eyes. She did the same, and in a few minutes, they were fast asleep.

The next morning, Cassie came down to find a note from Gavin.

"Needed to get back to work. Caught a bus from town. Sorry about leaving so early, but I will catch up with you later."

"Wonder why he left so abruptly," Cassie mused as she re-read his note.

"Who left?" Chris asked as he twined his arms around her. He rested his head on her shoulder and read the note. "Maybe he really had some important work to do."

"Maybe," Cassie said, but she was still troubled. Gavin did not usually do this. She thought back to their talk last night. Had she said something wrong? No, she decided, she had not. Maybe he really had work to do.

"Good morning then," she said as she turned in his embrace and kissed him lightly.

"It's a good morning that's going to get even better," he said, promise in his voice as he captured her lips for a longer, lingering kiss. "Much better."

---

Chapter 7

"You left," Ann said into the phone, popping a cracker into her mouth.

"How did you get my number?" Gavin asked irritably. "I'm pretty sure I didn't give it to someone as annoying as you."

He knew he was being churlish, but he was a scorned man and he thought he was entitled. Besides, it was Ann.

"I snitched it from Cassie's phone," Ann said nonchalantly. "So, what was it? Did she tell you no to your face or did you decide to be gallant and allow her to figure out her feelings herself?"

"Why should I tell you?" Gavin asked, scowling. Ann got on his nerves.

"Cause you can't tell anyone else," she replied.

"A little of both," Gavin admitted grudgingly. "She told me she was developing feelings for Chris, and didn't know what to do. So I told her to tell him how she felt, and after that, well, I left. I need some space now."

There was silence for a while.

"You there?" Gavin asked, a trifle concerned when Ann didn't reply.

"Yeah," she replied softly. The teasing note had left her voice. "You're a nice guy, you know that?"

"I've been told," Gavin said cautiously. What was she up to now?

"Well, bye. And Gavin," she paused. "Good luck."

Gavin smiled a sad smile as he disconnected the call, and looked at the road ahead. It was taking him home, and that's where he wanted to be. He pulled out his cell phone again, and called Melissa.

"You back home?" he asked waiting with bated breath for her answer. He needed her now, like he had needed no one else.

"Yeah," she said, concerned. His voice was raspy. "You just come home. I'm here."

Gavin clicked the phone shut and closed his eyes. All he with certainty was that if Chris ever hurt Cassie, Gavin would kill him.

---

Ann shrieked as Cassie splashed water on her, and retaliated by splashing her right back. Chris watched with James from the water's edge as the two got into a water fight.

"When you behave like that, you have me convinced that you're both about nine," Chris called, grinning when both Ann and Cassie stuck their tongues out at him. His father smiled as he saw them. It was something that had been missing from their lives for far too long.

"Yeah? Look who's talking," Ann retorted. "Cassie, wasn't he the one we caught in the kitchen in the morning today stealing cookies?"

"I wasn't stealing," Chris started to say when Cassie doused him with a wave of cold water.

"You talk too much," she said, a cheeky grin on her face, before shrieking when he ran in after her to tackle her.

Ann saw them both and walked out, shivering as the cool air met her wet skin. She sat down on the towel beside James and grinned when Chris dunked Cassie under the water.

"They look so happy," James said softly as he watched his son and his daughter-in-law. "I haven't seen him this happy in a long time."

"I know," Ann said, "And I'm putting it all down to Cassie. She makes him smile."

"She does, doesn't she? She's rare, she is. I wonder how he got her to agree to marriage."

Ann looked up sharply at the comment, but James's face just had innocent speculation.

"Oh," she replied. "She led him a merry chase."

"Your mother led me a merry chase," he said, his features soft as he remembered his departed wife.

"But you caught her didn't you?" Ann asked, smiling up at him. Her mother had been the sweetest soul on earth, but she was also a woman with her own mind. Her father and her mother had stayed together for 18 years before cancer took her away from him.

"Now I just want to see you happy," James said, looking down at his daughter.

"Don't go there Dad," Ann. said, grinning. "I am happy. Besides, after what happened, I'm not the biggest fan of relationships. At least, any that I'm involved in. It just so seems that my taste in men is terrible..."

She let the words trail off and James saw her features hardening. He couldn't blame her. Ann's last relationship had been with a man who'd only told her he was married after nearly two years. It had shattered Ann.

"Good thoughts," he whispered as he patted his daughter's head. "Think good thoughts."

Ann nodded and leaned into him, and both of them watched as Chris carried a squealing Cassie out of the water.

"She needs to have a 'Hazard to mankind' sign around her neck," Chris joked as he let a kicking Cassie on to the ground. "I've got some bruises that'll last for days."

"You deserved them," Cassie said wickedly, before enveloping a surprised Chris in a bear hug. "I'm cold. Let us get back. We have to start early tomorrow morning too"

"Not early," Ann complained. We'll leave in the evening. I hate getting up early."

"Fine," Chris said, lightly pushing his sister. "We all know how much you need your beauty sleep."

James leant on Cassie and walked back to the cabin, both of them laughing as they watched Ann chase her brother with threats to wallop him when she caught him.

---

After dinner that night, Cassie stood on the patio and watched the stars, trying to figure out when her life became so good. Yesterday, she thought, after that talk with Gavin. Today had been an amazing day, and Chris was so attentive and caring that she felt herself melt every time she saw him.

Right now, Chris, Ann and James were playing poker. They should have finished by now, she thought just as she felt Chris wrapping his arms around her.

"Ann and Dad have gone to bed," he whispered in her ear. "Let's go to ours."

She followed him wordlessly, allowing him to lead her to the bed. She knew it was time, and she was excited, nervous and aroused. Ever since last night, the urge to jump into bed with Chris was getting stronger, and she was completely willing to give into those urges. Granted that she didn't know him very well, but she had stayed with him for months, and she liked what she saw. There was nothing more she could ask for. Now, the time had come.

Once they were in the room and Chris had locked the door, they shed their clothes quickly. The minute Cassie let the last item of clothing fall, she was in Chris's arms, and he was kissing her like she was the only woman on earth.

The need, the desire in that kiss sent Cassie's emotions racing, and more than anything else, she wanted to be close to him. She twined her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her so she could savour his desire.

Their tongues met and entwined Cassie's soft sighs and moans of pleasure telling Chris exactly how much she wanted him. His hands slid from her waist to her ass, cupping the soft cheeks in his hand and squeezing gently. Cassie responded by pushing herself into his kneading hands.

Chris realised that he needed to be with her, now, right at that moment. Breaking the kiss, he deftly picked her up, ignored the small squeak of surprise and gently laid her on the bed. He stood back and admired the picture she made. Green eyes, glazed with lust looked up at him; her lips were parted, swollen from his kisses.

Her chest heaved and her he could see her lightly pebbled nipples, now swollen with desire. His gaze lowered to settle over her smoothly rounded stomach, down to the softness of her thighs and calves, right down to her small, delicate feet. His blood hot with desire, he lay down beside her, and kissed her again, before letting his mouth savour her breasts.

They were heavy and soft, and tasted sweet as he ran his tongue first over one, then another. He deliberately circled her nipples, not taking them into his mouth until Cassie clutched at his hair with frustration. He gave in to the insistent pressure of her hands and engulfed one nipple with his mouth.

Cassie bucked against him, and let out a loud moan. He smiled inwardly, and sucked softly. Her cries grew louder as he squeezed the other nipple between his fingers. When she was quivering with pleasure, he let his tongue slide down, laving over her navel before stopping at the apex of her thighs.

He gently spread her legs, and she gave in to the pressure, until he could see her nether regions. Her nether lips were swollen and pink, crying out for his attention. Without wasting a moment, he slid his tongue over her, thrusting one finger into her wet warmth. Her thighs closed, squeezing his head as she let out a loud moan.

He continued licking her, nibbling and stroking, until she was soft and plaint in his arms, breathing in gasps as pleasure washed over her in waves. Cassie felt a tingling in her body, a tightening, which only increased when Chris slid a finger inside her. His finger felt incredibly large, and incredibly good. With a last, final cry, she climaxed, clamping down on him and then lay still. Chris looked into her yes, smoky with desire, as he moved back up her body, glad that he had brought her such pleasure. When he lay over her, she quickly turned him over and straddled him.

She bent down to kiss him, tasting herself in his mouth. "Its time to give," she said sweetly into his ear before sliding down and grasping his erection in her hands. It seemed huge to her. It was warm, soft, but hard at the same time too. She experimentally rubbed the head, feeling it jerk in her hands.

She had never seen a man's penis before, not unless you counted biology class, and she was fascinated. The shaft that she held was heavy in her hands, and she could see the faint veins that ran at the base. She started kissing it, gently, quick butterfly kisses, until Chris groaned again.

Chris groaned at the light contact, and Cassie got a mischievous glint in her eyes. Without any warning, she took him in her mouth, as much as she could handle. She felt his hands twining in her hair, guiding her, and she followed his lead. She sucked strongly, tasting him as he had tasted her. Just as she settled into a rhythm, he pulled her up roughly, polled her beneath him and thrust into her. Sudden tears filled her eyes as he took her virginity. Shocked, Chris held still, knowing that she would need time to adjust. He was absolutely astounded. He did not know that she was a virgin, she had not told him. He had had more than his share of women, but he's never made love to a virgin, and now, taking Cassie's virginity stirred feelings that he didn't know existed.