At the Stars(19)

My protest falls on deaf ears. The only indication he heard me is a hasty wave of his hand, something that looks like the gesture equivalent of “go sell it someplace else.”

When we get to his truck, I try again: “Look, you really don’t have to—”

With the sound of his boot on gravel, he spins to face me. All at once we’re standing too close, and irritation blazes in his blue eyes. “Would you please stop fucking around and get in the truck?”

He takes a breath and his eyes soften, turning clear under a white burst of fireworks overhead. “Come on, Cassie,” he whispers.

His lips are so close to me that it makes mine tingle. I get in the truck.



Jake

AJ jumps out and books to his room as soon as I pull up to the Grove Inn, waving a quick “thanks” my way. I return the gesture and turn back to Cassie, who’s scooted to the edge of the bench seat to get out.

“Here, I’ll walk you up to the door.” I’m pushing out of the truck and heading around to the passenger door practically on autopilot. I’ve run on a mix of scared kid and pissed-off punk ever since I left home eight years ago, but tonight I’m jittery with the need to throw a punch or otherwise move around to release this shit pent up inside me.

Under other circumstances, I might be buried inside LeeAnne Winters right about now, and that’s usually good for drowning out the noise in my head. For a while, anyway. But I got all big-brother and offered Cassie a ride, and anyway LeeAnne is a bad habit I need to quit before someone gets hurt.

She’s starting to expect things I can’t give. Or won’t. Really, it’s the same. She claims she and her husband are separating or I’d never have started seeing her. Still, their supposed separation seems to be taking the scenic route, and it doesn’t mean the guy wouldn’t try and prove a point if we ever got caught. It also means the more time goes on, the more she might start to expect a commitment even when I told her I couldn’t offer one.

Cassie’s looking up at me with the same wide, curious eyes she had the night I found her. This time though, there’s no drowned vulnerability. Her eyes sparkle from moonlight and the occasional firework popping overhead. Whether it’s makeup or the result of alcohol, a heavy blush stains her cheeks. An easy smile, a slightly silly one, pulls at her lips.

I haven’t seen her smile like this before. It looks great on her.

“Come on.” I hold out my hand to pull her from the Chevy. “Let’s get you inside. I bet you want to get warm.” Even though it’s summer, the night has gotten breezy. I can make out goosebumps popping up on her forearms.

“Yeah.” She grins and glances up at the night sky before grabbing hold of my hands with both of hers, and letting me drag her out of the truck.

She’s wrapped her fingers around mine tight enough that I might hurt her if I tried to pull away. She’s got those newly cut curls tucked behind her ears and she’s biting her lip like she’s nervous. Even if I wanted to pull away, it would be hard. Part of me doesn’t want to at all.

I figure if I lived in a motel that rented rooms by the week and I didn’t have a clue what to do about getting my car fixed, I’d be as nervous as she looks, too. Still, I wiggle my fingers in hers because this is feeling too much like holding hands outside of her door while I drop her off. Too much like a date or something.

“Hey, my hand’s sort of falling asleep here.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She looks down at the place where our hands touch, like she’d forgotten she still had hold of me. Each of her fingers retracts except her thumb, which sort of rubs back and forth on the inside of my wrist. “I guess I just feel really comfortable with you. I’m not used to that.”

“Feeling comfortable?” The pad of her thumb is soft against my skin, and I try not to pay too much attention. I could pull away. I don’t.

She nods, taking a step closer. Her face tips up under the light by her door, lips parted and eyes wide in something that looks disturbingly like excitement. “I was so freaked out the night you found me out there on the highway. I thought...” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe the way you were there for me. You made me feel so safe.”

Jesus. I know she’s only saying this stuff because she’s been drinking, but still. I’m feeling things I shouldn’t be feeling. Chest-puffing, ego-boosting, pulse-rushing things. The fucking look on her face...

Don’t look at me that way.

I’m still trying to come up with how to let her down easy when her fingers come up to my face. I’m supposed to say something right now, back away carefully and go home, but she’s tracing my jaw with the tips of her smooth fingers. I can’t say I hate the tingles her touch sends racing through my system.