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Nicole exits her car but leaves it running. She walks over to where we’re standing after we parked and tosses an arm around Carter. “Okay, big guy. You’re taking me out for dinner.”
Carter’s eyes bulge again at Nicole’s directness. He looks back at me, shrugs, and then hops into the truck.
“Hi,” Cassie says, eyes sparkling.
“Hi,” I return. I want to devour those lips and give her a more proper greeting, but I don’t know whose eyes are upon us.
“Okay, you two lovebirds, be back by ten. You don’t want to turn into a pumpkin.”
“Wait.” I jog back to the truck and grab my jacket along with a candy bar. I may need this later if we don’t go for food. Like Carter, I’m starving.
“Thanks, Nicole.” Cassie gives her cousin a grateful look.
I can’t help myself. When I approach Cassie, I reach out and grab her hand. “See you later.” Then I tug Cassie to the car. If our time is limited, I want every precious minute alone I can get.
When she drives out of the park, I ask, “Where are we going?”
Her eyes slide to mine. “Somewhere we can be alone.”
And just like that, my cock is hard and all promises to be good get left in the park. There’s no way I can keep from touching her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
CASSIE
“So where are we going?”Dalton asks as I drive us out of town.
“It’s my secret escape spot.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“My college isn’t too far away. I found this spot one day when things got to be a little too much.” It was right after Mom had a bad episode, and I couldn’t get home. I was numb, feeling helpless. Dad sent Bobby to check on me. I didn’t have any fight left in me at all. We essentially started dating. It was all too much. I needed an area where I could escape reality and reminisce about everything I mourned—not being with my mom during her illness, not being with Dalton. Just everything. I never showed Bobby this spot.
“Thanks for taking me there.”
Silence chews up the next few moments. “You had a great game.”
“It felt good. Tonight, we meshed as a team should.”
“You know my dad only took you out to test you, right?”
“Yeah, I figured something like that was going on.”
“You passed.”
“It’s a little sadistic, don’t you think?”
“That’s my dad. Preacher by day, hypocrite by game.”
Dalton laughs. “I think everyone is a little hypocritical.”
“Maybe. I wish I had given you a warning, but you handled it well.”
“I may be losing my bad boy status.”
“You were never bad.”
“That’s not how I’m perceived.”
