Page 42 of Wanted By You

Cassidy pushes me playfully. “I won’t tell, I promise.”

I grin wider. “Good. Can’t have everyone in town thinkin’ they can take their shot at me if they find out I’ve got a soft spot for fat wiener dogs.”

She gasps. “I knew it was about Frankie!”

I boom with laughter as her stunning ocean eyes smile up at me. We watch each other for a long moment, studying one another. And I wonder if this is my chance to tell her how I feel. Too soon? Maybe. But the desire is there nonetheless.

Frankie starts to huff, plopping on his fat ass and panting heavily. We both look down at him with a laugh. Cassidy bends to pick him up, but I stop her. “I’ll get him.” Bending down, I hoist him up to walk the remaining half of the driveway back up to the house. I cradle him in my arms as Frankie gazes up at me like I’m his savior, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“He likes you,” Cassidy tells me with a smile.

“Yeah, well, I did drop a noodle earlier. Fucker caught it mid-air,” I say, walking behind her into the house. I set Frankie down in the kitchen, watching as he waddles over to his water dish to get a drink.

“So, how do you normally spend your Friday nights?” she asks, following me into the living room as I plop down on the couch beside the remaining unfolded laundry.

“Watch TV, drink a few beers, pass the fuck out.” I take a towel and start to fold it. “What about you?”

Cassidy sits at the other end of the couch, folding as well. “Usually nothing if I’ve got work the next day.”

“You work tomorrow?”

She nods. “I’ve got inventory to do first thing in the morning. Shouldn’t be longer than a half day…” We start to talk more in-depth about our regular schedules and routines. She raises a brow at me. “Why do you get up that early if you don’t need to be at work until six-thirty?”

“I’ve got a full gym set up in the garage,” I say. “I do an hour morning workout, then shower, change, and go.”

Cassidy scrunches her nose. “You workout first thing in the morning? Aren’t you tired? I can barely function that early, let alone do a full workout.”

“I’m more tired when I get home from work,” I admit. “I don’t do it every day, three to four times a week.”

She starts packing all the folded laundry into the basket to take upstairs, and I stare way longer than necessary at the neat pilesof panties she’s tucking away. The mental image I create in my mind has my cock twitching with awareness at how close she is to me right now. How easy and natural this whole evening has been.

“Is it okay if I use this basket to keep some of my stuff in?” she asks kindly, setting the basket at our feet.

I cough awkwardly, using the movement to adjust myself. Grey sweatpants might not have been the best option. “Yeah, no problem. What, uh—I mean, you have any plans in mind for tomorrow night?”

“No,” she says. “Do you?”

“Well, they got the band playing again tomorrow. No special on margaritas, but they’re doing something with the shots. Didn’t know if you’d want to go,” I offer.

Cassidy shrugs, not making eye contact. “I don’t know.”

My brow furrows, confused. She loves that local band; she told me it’s one of her favorites. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“No,” she says with a sigh.

I look at her suspiciously. “I don’t get it. You’re sayin’ nothing’s wrong, but it’s pretty damn obvious to me there is.”

Cassidy bites her plump lip, finally looking up at me. “It hasn’t really worked out the last few times I’ve gone out, you know? Probably best that I just…don’t.”

It’s a fair point she’s making, given the events of the last few weekends, but she doesn’t seem happy with it. And if there’s one thing I don’t like seeing, it’s Cass unhappy. “What would you rather do instead? We could—”

“You don’t have to waste your Saturday night with me, Butch,” she tells me with a shake of her head. “I appreciate you trying to include me, but it’s not necessary.”

“It is,” I snap with an undertone of a growl.

She regards me strangely, tilting her head to the side like she can’t quite figure me out.

For all I’ve been tiptoeing around this woman and how I feel about her for the sake of my own ego and heart, I’m done fucking around. It’s now or never. Either she’s going to tell me she feels the same or she’s going to tell me to fuck off.

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