AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll try.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
She nodded again, then headed for the dressing room.
When she got there, she knocked quietly, reluctant to barge in.
“Come in.” It was Connor.
Cassie slipped inside, closing the door behind her. Zac wasn’t in the room with everyone else, but the worry in the air was palpable.
“Zac’s in the shower,” Connor answered her unasked question. “He just got off the phone with his sister.”
“Did he…” she trailed off, wondering if he’d told everyone what had happened.
“His dad,” Tex stated.
Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. He’d told them.
“He didn’t say much else,” Lexie said. “Just that he was going to fly out to see Tori and his mom tonight.”
Cassie wondered if he’d want her to go with him again. After last time, maybe he’d prefer to do it on his own. She looked at the door to the showers. She wanted to go to him. She wanted to wrap him in her arms. But would her presence make it better or worse?
The weight of everyone’s stares pressed on her. They were looking at her as if she should know what to do. But they were the people he was closest to. What could she offer him that they couldn’t? Her feet were frozen to the ground.
Lexie came over to her. “Go and talk to him, Cassie. He would never ask, but he needs someone right now. And I think you might be the person he needs the most.”
Cassie wasn’t sure if that was true or not. But she’d risk rejection if there was a chance she could help him.
She gave Lexie an uncertain smile, then headed for the shower room. Not bothering to knock this time, she stepped inside. Steam filled the air, but she could see Zac at the far end of the room. He was standing under the shower spray, forearms braced against the tiled wall, head hanging between his shoulders.
Her lungs compressed at seeing how alone he looked.
He didn’t move as she approached. Had he even heard her come in? She stopped just short of the spray, debating what to do. It was a physical connection he’d sought out after their visit to the hospital. He might not want anything more from her right now, but she could at least give him the benefit of her touch, so he knew he wasn’t alone. Acting on instinct, she stripped her clothes off until she was standing there completely naked. With a deep, fortifying breath, still not sure how he’d respond to her presence, she walked into the spray of the water. She stepped up behind him, slid her arms around his waist, and pressed herself to him.
He didn’t react, so she rested her cheek against his back and let the warm water run over both of them. A few seconds later, he straightened, gripped her wrist, and pulled her around to his front. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.
They stood like that for a few minutes before his breathing deepened. He raised a hand to her chin and tipped her head back. His expression was so raw and full of need, it made her heart hurt.
Zac’s gaze roamed over her face, dipping from her eyes to her mouth and back up again. He lowered his head slowly, so she had plenty of time to stop him. But Cassie didn’t wait for him to close the distance. If it was her touch he needed to soothe his pain, she’d give it to him in whatever form he needed.
She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.
Zac immediately deepened the kiss as his arousal pressed into her. She whimpered in response to the slide of his tongue, and he curled his hands around her hips, lifting her and pressing her against the cool tiles. Cassie wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her hands down the warm, wet skin of his back. He rocked his erection against her sensitive core, and her head fell back against the wall. With one arm supporting her weight, Zac dragged the fingers of his other hand across her stomach until he reached her clit. His thumb stroked over it, sending jagged shards of pleasure radiating through her.
His breath shuddered hot against the skin of her neck.
She wiggled against him, tilting her hips. He ignored her movements, continuing to slide his thumb over her, to stroke himself against her needy center.
“Please… Please, Zac.” She didn’t know what she was begging him for. She wanted him inside her, but without a condom, there was no way they could risk it. She had an IUD and had always played it safe, even though she’d been in a long-term relationship, but now was not the time for that discussion.
Instead, she raked her nails down his back and arched toward him, thrusting her breasts into his chest.
Zac’s breaths were uneven. He kept up the same pace, working her with his thumb, his thick shaft thrusting between her folds. It was good. So good. But something wasn’t right. He was holding both of them on the edge, not speeding up, not giving them what they both needed to push them over. The muscles of his back were coiled tight under her hands.
Cassie blinked drops of water from her eyes and focused on his face. His pupils were blown wide as he watched her writhe against him, but his expression was distant, his jaw at a sharp angle.
Realization stole her breath. God, he must be so tangled up inside right now. His dad might not have been a good man, but that didn’t mean his loss wouldn’t deeply affect Zac. She doubted he would admit he was hurting, though, even to himself. Instead, he was seeking solace the best way he knew how, through physical connection. But for whatever reason, he was struggling to let go. Maybe his restraint was a way to regain whatever control over his emotions he’d lost at the news of his father’s death. Or maybe he was holding back because what he really needed was an emotional connection. He just didn’t know how to ask for it.
