the pond, dragging the tire, while you walk behind me, kicking my butt.”
“Not today, but I’ll keep it in mind for another time.”
She bet he might—and he’d enjoy every minute of it. “Are you always this much of a taskmaster, or was today an initiation?”
“Does that mean you’re coming back?”
“I’m considering it.” She shuffled onto her elbows. “What the—where is everybody, and all your stuff?”
“Packed up. Why, you want another go at that tire?” He winked. “Everybody left fifteen minutes ago, while you were out cold.” Now he was grinning ear to ear. “Don’t worry, I didn’t let them see you drool.”
She waved a hand at him, forcing his gentlemanly side to grasp it and pull her up. “I do not drool in my sleep.”
“I know.” He should’ve released her. He didn’t. Couldn’t. Instead he pulled her closer. Not tight against him like he wanted, but damn near. She let him, but maybe that was because his hold on her tiny hand was gentle this time. “About last night—”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” Yeah, he drank too much at Sam’s and the specifics of their conversation had blurry patches, but he sure as hell knew what’d happened at Blur, and it didn’t require an apology from Cassie.
“You’re still mad.” The big eyes staring up at him lowered as she muttered, “I knew coming here was a bad idea.”
Now he was really fucking confused. “Hey…” He nudged her chin up with his free hand. “You think I’m mad at you? Hell no, try turning that around. I’m the one who’s sorry. I don’t expect you to forget what I did, but I swear to you, it’ll never happen again.” That wasn’t enough, but he plowed forward anyway. She’d come out this morning for more than a workout and he wasn’t letting yet another chance slip away. “I want to see you again,” he tried for a smile and hoped to hell he didn’t look like a psycho, “and not just as your taskmaster.”
“I’d like that, but…” If she chewed her bottom lip any harder, it’d bleed. Indecision swirled in the beautiful eyes staring up at him. “What about yesterday? Should we talk about it, or…would you rather not?”
His gut couldn’t have ached more if she’d run him through with a knife. He deserved the pain for hurting her last night. But she was here, in his arms and still speaking to him, so he sucked it up.
“We can talk about anything you want, anytime you want. Or we can—” How much of an asshole would he be if he asked if they could just move on?
“Accept that people aren’t always perfect and hang out, have fun together?”
Forgiveness he desperately wanted, but hadn’t dared ask for. “Sounds great.”
“To me too.”
He caught her around the waist as she did a cute little hop, throwing her arms around his neck. One hug and everything was right in the world. Didn’t seem possible, but the proof was plastered against his body, and more to the point, trying to bust out of his chest. She’d given him a gift today and he wouldn’t take it for granted.
He squeezed her tighter, dipped down to bury his nose below her ear. “You smell good.”
“You must be hard of smelling.” She giggled at his continued snuffling. “I’m sweaty from head to toe, I can’t smell good.”
“You do.” Salty sweetness registered on his tongue as he drew it down her neck to her shoulder. With a hooked finger, he pulled the front of her tank top open, then lowered his head and licked between her breasts.
“Oh god, don’t, I’m disgusting.”
“Not even close. You taste good enough to eat.” His cock had already picked up on the idea, and his athletic shorts did zero to hide his interest. He nudged her with his hard-on and nodded toward the nearby pavilion. “Let’s go.”
She glanced over, then up at his face. “There? And do what?”
“Pretty sure I just told you.”
“You’re not serious.”
The lack of the word no in her answer worked for
“Not today, but I’ll keep it in mind for another time.”
She bet he might—and he’d enjoy every minute of it. “Are you always this much of a taskmaster, or was today an initiation?”
“Does that mean you’re coming back?”
“I’m considering it.” She shuffled onto her elbows. “What the—where is everybody, and all your stuff?”
“Packed up. Why, you want another go at that tire?” He winked. “Everybody left fifteen minutes ago, while you were out cold.” Now he was grinning ear to ear. “Don’t worry, I didn’t let them see you drool.”
She waved a hand at him, forcing his gentlemanly side to grasp it and pull her up. “I do not drool in my sleep.”
“I know.” He should’ve released her. He didn’t. Couldn’t. Instead he pulled her closer. Not tight against him like he wanted, but damn near. She let him, but maybe that was because his hold on her tiny hand was gentle this time. “About last night—”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” Yeah, he drank too much at Sam’s and the specifics of their conversation had blurry patches, but he sure as hell knew what’d happened at Blur, and it didn’t require an apology from Cassie.
“You’re still mad.” The big eyes staring up at him lowered as she muttered, “I knew coming here was a bad idea.”
Now he was really fucking confused. “Hey…” He nudged her chin up with his free hand. “You think I’m mad at you? Hell no, try turning that around. I’m the one who’s sorry. I don’t expect you to forget what I did, but I swear to you, it’ll never happen again.” That wasn’t enough, but he plowed forward anyway. She’d come out this morning for more than a workout and he wasn’t letting yet another chance slip away. “I want to see you again,” he tried for a smile and hoped to hell he didn’t look like a psycho, “and not just as your taskmaster.”
“I’d like that, but…” If she chewed her bottom lip any harder, it’d bleed. Indecision swirled in the beautiful eyes staring up at him. “What about yesterday? Should we talk about it, or…would you rather not?”
His gut couldn’t have ached more if she’d run him through with a knife. He deserved the pain for hurting her last night. But she was here, in his arms and still speaking to him, so he sucked it up.
“We can talk about anything you want, anytime you want. Or we can—” How much of an asshole would he be if he asked if they could just move on?
“Accept that people aren’t always perfect and hang out, have fun together?”
Forgiveness he desperately wanted, but hadn’t dared ask for. “Sounds great.”
“To me too.”
He caught her around the waist as she did a cute little hop, throwing her arms around his neck. One hug and everything was right in the world. Didn’t seem possible, but the proof was plastered against his body, and more to the point, trying to bust out of his chest. She’d given him a gift today and he wouldn’t take it for granted.
He squeezed her tighter, dipped down to bury his nose below her ear. “You smell good.”
“You must be hard of smelling.” She giggled at his continued snuffling. “I’m sweaty from head to toe, I can’t smell good.”
“You do.” Salty sweetness registered on his tongue as he drew it down her neck to her shoulder. With a hooked finger, he pulled the front of her tank top open, then lowered his head and licked between her breasts.
“Oh god, don’t, I’m disgusting.”
“Not even close. You taste good enough to eat.” His cock had already picked up on the idea, and his athletic shorts did zero to hide his interest. He nudged her with his hard-on and nodded toward the nearby pavilion. “Let’s go.”
She glanced over, then up at his face. “There? And do what?”
“Pretty sure I just told you.”
“You’re not serious.”
The lack of the word no in her answer worked for
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