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“Ray, please stop. I don't want to do this while you’re drunk.” I could sense the shake in my voice as I pulled at his wrist, the smell of beer on his breath becoming nauseating.
“Cass, what the fuck! It's because he's here, isn't it? He comes strolling into town, and suddenly, you aren't interested in me at all.”
“Don't be ridiculous, it has nothing to do with him. You know how I feel about your drinking like this, and I've already told you once tonight, I'm not in the mood.” He let me go and pulled his hand from my pants. I quickly fastened the button on my jeans and took a step away from him. I was shaking as I walked over to the door, grabbing my jacket and purse.
“I'm going to go, Ray.”
“Sure go, I know you want to get home to him,” he spit out, taking another swig of his beer.
“You're drunk, Ray. Don't bother talking to me until you've sobered up.” I pulled the door open and quickened my pace to my car. I was afraid he might try to follow me.
Once I was inside, I locked the doors, sitting there fighting my tears. I was so upset, I could taste the bile in my throat. I started the engine and pulled out of Ray's driveway. I didn't have far to drive, so I pulled over to the side of the road and sat there for five minutes, trying to calm down before I went home. If Ray was going to continue treating me like this, I would have to take some time and figure out how much further I wanted this relationship to go.
Chapter Twelve
Cass
Iwalked through the laundryroom, my head hung low. I had calmed myself down enough to be able to come home. I hung my coat and purse on the hook behind the door and stepped into the kitchen. I looked up and stopped. The lights were dimmed, candles lit on the dining room and living room tables, and soft Christmas music floated through the air. The table was set for two, full of serving dishes, and a bottle of wine was sitting in my wine chiller on the counter. A fire was lit, the wood stove doors were open, the screen mounted on it.
I walked in a little further, running my hand along the clean kitchen counters. I went over to the table, lifting the lid off one of the serving dishes, the smell of home-cooked food making my tummy grumble.
This should be what I should have come home to, not a drunken brute of a man who was turning out to be someone I feared I didn't know as well as I once thought. I lifted a lid on another dish and took a deep breath, smelling the hot food.
“Welcome home.” I dropped the lid back down on the dish and straightened up. I looked over my shoulder and saw Brody standing in the hallway door, looking amazing as ever. He wore light blue jeans, ripped in a couple of spots on the legs and his black t-shirt hugged his muscles in all the right spots.
“What’s all this?”
“I told you I was making dinner. I hope you’re hungry.”
I looked back at the table and back at Brody. With everything that happened at Ray's after I had sent the text to Brody tonight, I forgot Brody was making dinner.
“This is wonderful...” A sob escaped my throat, and I squeezed the bridge of my nose.
“Cass?”
I held my hand up toward him, signaling him not to come any closer, but it did no good. I soon felt the heat from his body behind me, and I held it together until he placed his hands on my upper arms.
“Cass, what is it?”
I shook my head but couldn't fight back the tears anymore. I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, letting his scent invade me as I buried my face in his neck. Ray had been so horrible and had scared me so much, I just couldn't take it. It was more than just that though. Having Brody back, all those unsaid feelings and thoughts running through my mind was harder on me than I thought it was going to be. Everything was fine until he came back, I thought all the want I had for him was gone. I hoped I would be able to hold it together, but from the second I saw him, he was all I wanted. When he wrapped his arms around me, I totally lost it, hard sobs racking my body.
“Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head no. Brody would kill him if he found out that yes, he had, in fact, hurt me.
“Are you sure?” He pulled me in tighter, and I could feel myself relax in the safety of his arms.
“I'm sure,” I mumbled into his chest.
He held me, letting me cry until I had totally calmed down, his strong arms keeping me safe. “Alright, well how about we eat?” he finally whispered.
As soon as dinner was over, we were just about to make our way over to the couch when Brody’s cell phone rang. He pulled his phone from his front pocket and glanced at the screen.
“I've got to take this, it’s work.”
I watched as he walked back into his bedroom for a couple minutes, and the next thing I knew, he was running to the door.
“I hate to do this Cass, but I've got to go. Are you okay to clean everything up?”
