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I felt Cass’s brown and gold eyes rake over my body. He ignored the fact that the Prince’s arm was wrapped around my waist and allowed his appreciation of the dark green, tight leggings and longline bra I wore to show on his roguish face. He effortlessly pulled me away from the Prince and into the alcove of his heavy, muscled arms.
“Tomorrow, princess,” the Prince said, reminding me of my lesson with him the next day. The Prince gave Cass a nod of his head and then he stepped into a cloud of darkness, disappearing.
When the Prince was gone, Cass asked, “Why does he always have his hands all over you when you travel with him?” It was the closest Cass had ever come to criticizing his Commander.
I pursed my lips, considering his question.
“I—I don’t know. I guess I thought he had to touch me in order for me to travel with him,” I said.
I hadn’t really questioned the necessity of Nik touching me. Since the very first time he had traveled with me, it had been that way. I thought that sometimes he was a little more free with his touches than was necessary, but that was just to annoy me, or Cass, or Luke.
“Thefuckhe does. Do you think he was wrapping his arm around my waist when he traveled with me?” Cass asked, incredulously.
That.Prick.
Cass grinned at the anger that flashed across my face.
“Come here,” he said, pulling me into his hulking frame. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re cute when you are angry?”
He leaned down and kissed me, pressing his lips against mine at the same time he pressed me to the front of his unyielding body. I was eager to see where he was going with this, but we had to address the elephant in the room first. Begrudgingly, I pulled back from Cass’s embrace.
“Cass, about earlier,” I began.
“Mand, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he said, and I knew he meant it. “I won’t lie. I was surprised to find out about Jay. Luke, I would have believed. But I didn’t see Jay coming,” he said.
I grimaced at his comment about Luke.
“Cass, remember when you showed up at my door in the middle of the night and you kissed me for the first time?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Cass replied dreamily. He smiled like he was reliving one of his fondest memories. “That was one of my better ideas,” he said, clearly pleased with himself.
“And you asked if Luke was my boyfriend, and I told you he wasn’t?” I continued.
“Yeah…” he said, his smile faltering. But he stared at me, patiently waiting for me to explain before he reacted. Cool, calm under pressure, just like a good soldier.
“Well, he was, and he wasn’t, Cass. I was dating Jay at the time, but to keep that quiet, Luke and I… We didn’t try to stop the rumors that were going around Court about us,” I explained.
“I’ve heard some of that about you and Luke. So, it isn’t true then? You guys never dated?” he asked.
I was at the crossroads I knew I would one day find myself at. I could tell Cass about my history with Luke leading right up to my time with Cass. But I hadn’t been with Luke since I’d been with Cass. And Luke was with Karina now, at least until his three-month promise to his parents ran out. I’d thought about it, and I just didn’t think Cass would be okay with Luke and I staying such close friends if he knew about the true and recent nature of our relationship. Cass wasn’t like Jay. He wasn’t likely to burn up with jealousy. But he wasn’t like Luke, either—he didn’t want to share. I refused to be forced to choose between my boyfriend and my best friend.
“Yeah. Just Jay,” I lied. I rolled my tongue along the front of my teeth like I could remove the filthy film the lie left in my mouth.
“Hey,” Cass said, taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting it up to his face. “None of that matters now,” he said, misunderstanding the cause of the dissatisfaction I wore on my face. His words only made me feel worse.
He leaned down and softly kissed my lips, and I returned his kiss with vigor in an effort to show him what my words failed to convey.
“Can’t a man have a drink in peace these days?” Luke joked, bursting into the bar.
Rhett and James followed him in, hand in hand. Cass and I broke apart, but he kept my hand.
“Hey, Al,” Luke smiled. “Cass.” Luke nodded in acknowledgment.
“Hey, guys. Do you want to go into town for a drink with us?” Rhett asked. “Karina should be here in just a minute.”
I looked questioningly over at Cass.
“We can’t,” Cass answered for the both of us. “I have to head back to the wall tomorrow morning, and this one”—he gestured at me—“has to help me pack.”
