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HUCK
Cass moved with hurried steps as I practically dragged her off the beach. My hand was gentle on her elbow and at the small of her back, but inside I was fucking fuming.
“Is everything okay?” Her breath was frantic as I scooped up our shoes with one hand, not letting go of her with the other.
A fresh wave of irritation rolled through me. “It’s fine.” I stomped up the hill with Cass in tow before stopping abruptly to face her.
I dragged my hand down my face. My hand flexed, still throbbing from where it connected with Royal King’s face. “You know what, it’s not fine. Those assholes and their fucking rivalry.” I looked away. Pissed off. “You could have gotten hurt. I’m sorry, Cass.”
She smoothed a hand down my chest, stopping at my pounding heart. “Hey, it’s fine. I’m okay. It was just a shoving match between two idiots.”
I looked toward the beach and nodded. “Yeah. I know.”
“And I shouldn’t have lost my cool.”
A small smile played at her lips. “It’s okay.” She glanced down. “How’s the hand?”
I flexed once, still shaking the anger from my system. “I’ll live.”
When she shivered, I handed over her shoes. She was probably going back to her hotel or, worse, hightailing it home to Chicago. With my luck she would pack her shit and leave and I’d never see her again, never have the chance to tell her how in less than twenty-four hours she’d shifted something important inside me.
Well, fuck that.
“Can I make it up to you?” I stepped forward, cupping the back of her neck with one hand. A few friends and neighbors moved around us, but I didn’t budge from the middle of the walkway.
Cass melted into me and, goddamn, I felt my desire for her in every cell.
“I’d like that.”
It hit me then.
Cass wasn’t just some tourist. Some woman who could fill a need. She was different. Around her I felt entirely different.
Awakened.
If our time was limited, I was determined to make the most of it. Care for her in the best way I knew how. “I can make you something at my place. A midnight snack.”
When Cass was tucked safely in her car, she followed me the few blocks from downtown to my place. On the outskirts of Outtatowner, my house was simple, but after an extensive kitchen remodel, it was perfectly suited to me.
I flipped on the lights as we walked through the front door. My rescue pup came bounding from around the corner––all legs and zero grace––barking happily and licking at Cass’s fingertips.
Her laughter filled my home, and an aching twist pinched my chest. I looked down at my pup’s goofy, lolling tongue. “Some guard dog.”
“Awww, she’s cute. What’s her name?”
“Baby.”
Cass just stared at me, a smile playing at her lips as she moved her long fingers through the soft curls at Baby’s back.
“What? She was a rescue and they’d already named her.” I shrugged. “Felt wrong to change her name.”
Cass looked back down at Baby and squished her face between her hands. “Do you hear that? Daddy’s a big softie.”
We laughed and there it was again––the twinge between my ribs.
When we made our way into the kitchen, I rolled up my sleeves to get to work. I set a large pot on the stove and filled it with oil.
Cass looked on with silent curiosity.
